Investigation of mobile genetic elements and their association with antibiotic resistance genes in clinical pathogens worldwide.

Objectives: Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are a major global health threat. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) have been crucial for spreading resistance to new bacterial species, including human pathogens. Understanding how MGEs promote resistance could be essential for prevention.

The Floating Lab: Standard Operational Procedure for Collecting and Filtering Seawater Samples from Operating Ferries for Environmental DNA Analysis.

Genetic tools to retrieve information from environmental DNA traces are well-established for both targeted and taxonomically broad biodiversity characterization. Yet, in the marine context, collecting eDNA samples from poorly accessible areas, such as in abyssal or offshore waters, may still be a limitation. The use of scheduled ferries or commercial ships crossing large expanses of open sea can constitute valuable opportunistic platforms for the collection of environmental samples.

Observation of the Very Rare Σ^{+}→pμ^{+}μ^{-} Decay.

The first observation of the Σ^{+}→pμ^{+}μ^{-} decay is reported with high significance using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4  fb^{-1}, collected with the LHCb detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. A yield of 237±16  Σ^{+}→pμ^{+}μ^{-} decays is obtained, where the uncertainty is statistical only.

Neonatal gene therapy effectively prevents disease manifestations in a murine model of Mucopolysaccharidosis type I.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS-I) is a rare pediatric disease caused by mutations in the α-L-iduronidase () gene encoding for a lysosomal enzyme involved in glycosaminoglycan metabolism. While newborns with the severe Hurler variant are usually asymptomatic at birth, progressive disease manifestations emerge early in life. Since previous studies on lentiviral vector gene therapy (GT) in Hurler patients have demonstrated superior metabolic correction and early beneficial clinical effects, we investigated whether applying this GT approach during the neonatal period could be effective in preventing disease pathology before it becomes irreversible.

Impact of minimal residual disease on the outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia within the FORUM Trial.

In the randomized cohort of the international phase-III FORUM trial, which showed the superiority of total-body irradiation (TBI) over chemotherapy-based conditioning prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), type of conditioning and remission phase, but not pre-HSCT minimal residual disease (MRD), were associated with outcome. We report the impact of MRD within the extended FORUM cohort. Patients (n=1014), 4-21 years old, transplanted from a matched donor who had ≥1 MRD measurement prior to and/or 100 days and/or 1 year after HSCT were eligible.

Accelerated vascular ageing after COVID-19 infection: the CARTESIAN study.

Background And Aims: Increasing evidence suggests that COVID-19 survivors experience long-term cardiovascular complications possibly through development of vascular damage. The study aimed to investigate whether accelerated vascular ageing occurs after COVID-19 infection, and if so, identify its determinants.

Methods: This prospective, multicentric, cohort study, included 34 centres in 16 countries worldwide, in 4 groups of participants-COVID-19-negative controls (ⅰ) and three groups of individuals with recent (6 ± 3 months) exposure to SARS-CoV-2: not hospitalized (ⅱ), hospitalized in general wards (ⅲ), and hospitalized in intensive care units (ⅳ).

Dexamethasone conjugation to an Avidin-Nucleic-Acid-NanoASsembly eliminates the steroid plasma absorption, enhancing selective lung tropism in a murine model of pulmonary fibrosis.

Despite their anti-inflammatory activity, corticosteroids are limited in clinic due to poor selectivity and their side effects. The ability to cross biological barriers makes them powerful yet unspecific, leading to toxicity and a low therapeutic index that limits their chronic use in autoimmune, inflammatory, and infectious diseases. It is needed another approachfor innovative targeted delivery strategies.

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Physical and Psychological Well-Being of Young Adults.

Mindfulness-based Interventions have expanded beyond the health care field over the past 30 years into numerous social and occupational contexts, although their underlying mechanisms are not so clear. The aim of this controlled trial was to examine the effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention on physical and psychological health in young adults. Eight sessions of MBSR intervention were applied in the experimental group ( = 38), while no interventions were used in the control group ( = 40).

Microplastics in the environment: The role of polymer science.

In this paper we highlight some fundamental aspects regarding the role of polymer science in the behavior of microplastics (MP) and in understanding the effects of MP on the environment and on the health of humans and other living species. We stress that MP is not just another type of microparticle that affects our environment. Instead, MP has polymer-specific interactions with the environment and living species, which cannot be fully understood without polymer science.

Machine Learning for Monoclonal Gammopathies of Renal Significance Risk Stratification Using Clinical and Pathology Data.

Introduction: The prompt detection of monoclonal gammopathies of renal significance (MGRS) is clinically relevant for the initiation of chemotherapy. Although clinical and laboratory data can suggest the presence of MGRS, renal biopsy still represents the gold standard, despite not always being performed or eventually postponed because it is not deemed useful or informative. In this retrospective study, machine learning (ML) is used to build a tool to assist the prebiopsy risk stratification of MGRS and reinforce the rationale for the histological examination.

TRP channels and cancer modulation: a voyage beyond metabolic reprogramming, oxidative stress and the advent of nanotechnologies in targeted therapy.

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are a large family of non-selective cation channels that play critical roles in cellular homeostasis and signal transduction. Recent investigations have clearly highlighted their involvement in cancer biology, particularly in the regulation of cancer metabolism. Unlike normal cells, cancer cells tend to favour the energy inefficient glycolytic pathway over the more effective oxidative phosphorylation process.

Acute Intoxications Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Acute intoxications are a critical yet underexplored area in intensive care. Poisoning ranks among the leading causes of injury-related death, but limited data and the lack of clinical guidelines hinder prompt recognition and effective management. This study aims to describe intensive care unit (ICU) admissions for acute intoxications at an Italian tertiary hospital and to identify key factors associated with patient outcomes.

Current Treatment of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a heterogeneous syndrome with increasing prevalence and substantial morbidity and mortality. Recent advances in pharmacotherapy have transformed its management. This review summarizes current evidence supporting the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, alongside selected use of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors.

Gait Training with a Dislocated Hip Spacer: A Case Study and Literature Review.

Spacer dislocation is among the most frequent mechanical complications after revision total hip arthroplasty for periprosthetic hip infection. Spacer dislocations may be managed conservatively, but there are no guidelines on the rehabilitation of these patients, and the restriction of weight bearing is still under debate. We first report the case of a patient with hip spacer cranial dislocation, judged unfit to be surgically treated once more for a medium period, who started a rehabilitation program with partial weight bearing.

Impact of GFR Estimation Formulas on MECKI Score Performance and Prognostic Accuracy in Heart Failure: The MECKI-RENAL Study.

Background: Appropriate interpretation of kidney function is essential for clinical and therapeutic management of heart failure (HF). We evaluated the prognostic accuracy of 6 glomerular filtration rate estimation (eGFR) formulas in HF patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and their impact on the Metabolic Exercise test data combined with Cardiac and Kidney Indexes (MECKI) score prognostic accuracy.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 6,933 patients enrolled in the MECKI score database.

Efficacy and Tolerability of Finerenone According to the Use and Dosage of Diuretics: A Prespecified Analysis of the FINEARTS-HF Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Given their kidney actions, it is important to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists when combined with other diuretics and whether they have a so-called diuretic-sparing effect in patients with heart failure (HF).

Objective: To examine the efficacy and tolerability of finerenone related to background diuretic treatment in patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFmrEF/HFpEF).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This study is a prespecified secondary analysis of the FINEARTS-HF (Finerenone Trial to Investigate Efficacy and Safety Superior to Placebo in Patients With Heart Failure) randomized clinical trial, which was conducted across 653 sites in 37 countries among adults aged 40 years and older with HFmrEF/HFpEF, who were randomized between September 2020 and January 2023.

All-cause and Cause-specific Mortality in People With HIV in Italy in 1997-2022: Data From the Icona Cohort.

Background: Understanding the evolution and dynamics of deaths in people with HIV (PWH) is crucial to tailor interventions aiming at improving PWH long-term well-being. We aimed to assess all-cause and cause-specific mortality in PWH in Italy.

Methods: PWH enrolled before antiretroviral start from Icona cohort (78 Italian HIV clinics) between 1997 and 2021 (last observation December 2022) were included.

Enriched Pitman-Yor processes.

Bayesian nonparametrics has evolved into a broad area encompassing flexible methods for Bayesian inference, combinatorial structures, tools for complex data reduction, and more. Discrete prior laws play an important role in these developments, and various choices are available nowadays. However, many existing priors, such as the Dirichlet process, have limitations if data require nested clustering structures.

Dietary non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity and risk of breast cancer: the Swedish National March Cohort.

Background: Total dietary antioxidant capacity has been associated with a lower risk of breast cancer​, but the supporting evidence is limited. We investigated the association between dietary Non-Enzymatic Antioxidant Capacity (NEAC), measuring the total antioxidant potential of the diet, and the risk of breast cancer.

Methods: We followed 24,950 women recruited into the Swedish National March Cohort through record linkages to Swedish health registries from 1997 until 2016.

Dye-loaded hybrid core-shell gold nanoparticles for sensitized singlet oxygen production in radiotherapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an efficient, clinically approved, light-activated cancer treatment. However, it is mostly effective for superficial treatments of the skin and mucous membranes due to the limited penetration length of the excitation beam. X-ray-activated PDT (X-PDT) stands out as an emerging alternative.

Cardiovascular risk factors management in older adults: a clinical consensus statement from the European Association of Preventive Cardiology of the ESC and the ESC Council for Cardiology Practice.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) currently ranks first in global mortality and morbidity and its prevalence increases with age. The most common risk factors for CVD are hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemias, adipositas, smoking, and physical inactivity, Also, depression, anaemia and frailty can be considered important risk factors for CVD. Incidence and prevalence of risk factors and comorbidities increase with age.

Personalized pulmonary vein isolation guided by left atrial wall thickness for persistent atrial fibrillation ablation: the PeAF-by-LAWT randomized trial.

Background: A personalized pulmonary vein isolation(PVI) approach aimed at ablation index(AI)titration according to MDCT-derived left atrial wall thickness(LAWT) maps reported high effectiveness and efficiency outcomes for persistent atrial fibrillation(PeAF) ablation. To date, no randomized trials have compared this approach with the standard CLOSE protocol.

Objectives: This non-inferiority randomized controlled trial sought to compare a LAWT-guided PVI with CLOSE protocol-based for PeAF(NCT05396534).

Harmonization trial on testing strategies in ER+/HER2- breast cancer patients: an Italian experience.

Aims: To date, activating mutations acts as key player to clinically stratify estrogen receptor (ER)+/HER2-advanced breast cancer (BC) patients eligible to novel new generation oral Selective Estrogen Receptor Degraders (SERD) relapsing after first line aromatase inhibitors. Liquid biopsy represents the most useful biological source to detect activating mutations in clinical setting, but the lack of standardized pre-analytical and analytical procedures drastically impacts on detection rate of mutations in diagnostic specimens. Here, we sought to harmonize technical procedures comparing technical performance of diagnostically available testing strategies on a series of three reference specimens (sample A, B, C) harboring p.

Peptide-mimetics derived from leucyl-tRNA synthetase are potential agents for the therapy of mt-tRNA related diseases.

Introduction: Mitochondrial diseases caused by point mutations in mitochondrial tRNA (mt-tRNA) genes, including MELAS and MERRF syndromes, represent a significant unmet clinical need, due to the lack of effective treatments. We previously identified peptide molecules derived from human leucyl-tRNA synthetase, whose features make them attractive leads for the development of therapeutic agents against mt-tRNA point mutations-related diseases. Indeed, we demonstrated that, upon exogenous administration, these peptides penetrate human cell and mitochondrial membranes; stabilize mitochondrial tRNA structures; and rescue severe mitochondrial defects in cells bearing the point mutations m.