Search results for " Coronaviru"

Pectin: A Long-Neglected Broad-Spectrum Antibacterial.

2020

First reported in the late 1930s and first partly explained in 1970, the antibacterial activity of pectin remained almost ignored until the late 1990s. The concomitant emergence of research on natural antibacterials and on new usages of pectin polysaccharides, including those in medicine widely researched in Russia, has led to a renaissance of research in the physiological properties of this uniquely versatile polysaccharide ubiquitous in plants and fruits. Collecting scattered information, this study provides an updated overview on the subtle factors affecting the behaviour of pectin as antimicrobial. Less degraded pectin extracted via acid-free routes, we argue in the conclusions, will so…

Nutritional parameters associated with prognosis in non-critically ill hospitalized covid-19 patients: the nutri-covid19 study

2021

Background & aims: To investigate the association between the parameters used in nutritional screening assessment (body mass index [BMI], unintentional weight loss [WL] and reduced food intake) and clinical outcomes in non-critically ill, hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Methods: This was a prospective multicenter real-life study carried out during the first pandemic wave in 11 Italian Hospitals. In total, 1391 patients were included. The primary end-point was a composite of in-hospital mortality or admission to ICU, whichever came first. The key secondary end-point was in-hospital mortality. Results: Multivariable models were based on 1183 patients with comple…

Facial masks in children: the position statement of the Italian pediatric society

2020

AbstractFacial masks may be one of the most cost-effective strategies to prevent the diffusion of COVID 19 infection. Nevertheless, fake news are spreading, alerting parents on dangerous side effects in children, such as hypercapnia, hypoxia, gut dysbiosis and immune system weakness. Aim of the Italian Pediatric Society statement is to face misconception towards the use of face masks and to spread scientific trustable information.

P–294 Mapping COVID–19 affected genes from blood in a Window of implantation co-expression network reveals a potentially compromised landscape

2021

Abstract Study question Could the transcriptomic and functional landscape of the window of implantation be compromised by SARS-COV–2 infection? Summary answer Some of the main genes and pathways involved in the window of implantation are affected in blood of COVID–19 patients and receptivity could be affected. What is known already There is a concern whether SARS-COV–2 can disrupt assisted reproduction treatments (ARTs) and fertility in short and long terms. In the endometrium, it was found that genes related to the viral infection (ACE2, TMPRSS2/4, CTSL/B) are involved in menstrual cycle progression, especially in the Window of Implantation (WOI). However, there are no studies describing t…

Editorial debate: Challenges we oncologists, working within a universal healthcare system, have to face in these hard times

2020

I have been very much impressed by the clarity, pragmatism and good medical judgement of the article by Camilo Porta,1 a respected and dedicated ESMO faculty member and friend, giving his personal perspective on real issues many oncologists working in a public system are eventually facing during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. I understand Professor Porta is voicing what many oncologists from countries deeply affected by the pandemic, such as Italy or Spain, may think. Although I concur with most of his approaches and comments, I would like to complement some of these statements with some additional thoughts. Medicine was created more than 2500 years ago as a profession aiming at alleviating suffe…

Letter in response to “ COVID ‐19, Virchow's triad and thromboembolic risk in obese pregnant women”

2021

COVID-19 Disease During Pregnancy - Presentation of Two Cases and Literature Review

2021

COVID-19 disease is currently an extremely difficult problem for healthcare systems in Poland and in the world. The growing number of infections makes one suspect that the incidence of COVID-19 cases will also increase in the population of pregnant women. The article presents case reports of two patients with positive results of the SARS-CoV-2 test and a literature review on COVID-19 during pregnancy.

Designing an Online Dungeons & Dragons Experience for Primary School Children

2020

In this work, we present the results of a role-playing game experience carried out with a group of 9- to 12-year-old children during the COVID-19 emergence. The ‘harmony in education’ approach has been used to adapt the game design to the constraints imposed by the online context and the young age of the students involved. The results show the effectiveness of the approach in terms of 21st-century skills training with particular evidence on perspective-taking.

Incretin-Based Therapies Role in COVID-19 Era: Evolving Insights

2020

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led the scientific community to breach new frontiers in the understanding of human physiology and disease pathogenesis. It has been hypothesized that the human dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) enzyme receptor may be a functional target for the spike proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Since DPP4-inhibitors are currently used for the treatment of patients with type-2 diabetes (T2DM), there is currently high interest in the possibility that these agents, or incretin-based therapies (IBTs) in general, may be of benefit against the new coronavirus infection. Diabetes is associated with increased COV…

Cellular Models and Assays to Study NLRP3 Inflammasome Biology

2020

The NLRP3 inflammasome is a multi-protein complex that initiates innate immunity responses when exposed to a wide range of stimuli, including pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Inflammasome activation leads to the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 and to pyroptotic cell death. Over-activation of NLRP3 inflammasome has been associated with several chronic inflammatory diseases. A deep knowledge of NLRP3 inflammasome biology is required to better exploit its potential as therapeutic target and for the development of new selective drugs. To this purpose, in the past few years, several tools have…