Mesenchymal Stem Cells: The Secret Children’s Weapons against the SARS-CoV-2 Lethal Infection

Due to the promising effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the treatment of various diseases, this commentary aimed to focus on the auxiliary role of MSCs to reduce inflammatory processes of acute respiratory infections caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Since early in 2020, COVID-19, a consequence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly affected millions of people world-wide. The SARS-CoV-2 infection in children appears to be an unusual event. Despite the high number of affected adult and elderly, children and adolescents remained low in amounts, and marginally touched. Based on the promising role of cell therapy and regenerative medicine approaches in the treatment of several life-threatening diseases, it seems that applying MSCs cell-based approaches can also be a hopeful strategy for improving subjects with severe acute respiratory infections caused by COVID-19

Dental-derived stem cells and biowaste biomaterials: What’s next in bone regenerative medicine applications

The human teeth and oral cavity harbor various populations of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), so called dental-derived stem cells (D-dSCs) with self-renewing and multilineage differentiation capabilities. D-dSCs properties involves a strong paracrine component resulting from the high levels of bioactive molecules they secrete in response to the local microenvironment. Altogether, this viewpoint develops a general picture of current innovative strategies to employ D-dSCs combined with biomaterials and bioactive factors for regenerative medicine purposes, and offers information regarding the available scientific data and possible applications

Covid-19 and covid-like patients: A brief analysis and findings of two deceased cases

BACKGROUND: The predominant pattern of lung lesions in patients affected by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) disease is diffuse alveolar damage with massive thromboembolism similar as described in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronaviruses. Hyaline membrane formation and pneumocyte atypical hyperplasia were frequent. Importantly, the formation of platelet– fibrin thrombi in small vessels was seen consistent with coagulopathy, which appeared to be a common feature in patients who died of COVID-19. However, many were the cases found with similar COVID-19 symptomatology though negative results from nasal-pharyngeal swab performed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This latter typology of patients, otherwise named COVID-like, showed analogous clinical signs with similar arterial blood gas, cell blood count and laboratory parameters, and same computed tomography (CT)-scan ground-glass opacities. Symptoms such as cough, fever, and difficulty breathing were highly similar as well. Both forms, COVID-19 and COVID-like, are primarily respiratory with multi-organ involvement and both revealed comparable incubation periods often with a rapid onset and unexpected decay. CASE REPORT: In this brief paper, we described two cases regarding two deceased males, one confirmed COVID-19 (RT-PCR but not CT scan) and the second a COVID-like (negative for RT-PCR but positive to CT scan with ground-glass opacity) whom condition, disease patterns, and analysis were highly similar. CONCLUSION: Improved investigation is mandatory, in which RT-PCR and CT scan procedures are completed by data from more detailed laboratory analysis, ABG analysis, BALF, and a deeper clinical assessment

COVID-19 and COVID-like Patients: A Brief Analysis and Findings of Two Deceased Cases

BACKGROUND: The predominant pattern of lung lesions in patients affected by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) disease is diffuse alveolar damage with massive thromboembolism similar as described in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronaviruses. Hyaline membrane formation and pneumocyte atypical hyperplasia were frequent. Importantly, the formation of platelet–fibrin thrombi in small vessels was seen consistent with coagulopathy, which appeared to be a common feature in patients who died of COVID-19. However, many were the cases found with similar COVID-19 symptomatology though negative results from nasal-pharyngeal swab performed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This latter typology of patients, otherwise named COVID-like, showed analogous clinical signs with similar arterial blood gas, cell blood count and laboratory parameters, and same computed tomography (CT)-scan ground-glass opacities. Symptoms such as cough, fever, and difficulty breathing were highly similar as well. Both forms, COVID-19 and COVID-like, are primarily respiratory with multi-organ involvement and both revealed comparable incubation periods often with a rapid onset and unexpected decay. CASE REPORT: In this brief paper, we described two cases regarding two deceased males, one confirmed COVID-19 (RT-PCR but not CT scan) and the second a COVID-like (negative for RT-PCR but positive to CT scan with ground-glass opacity) whom condition, disease patterns, and analysis were highly similar. CONCLUSION: Improved investigation is mandatory, in which RT-PCR and CT scan procedures are completed by data from more detailed laboratory analysis, ABG analysis, BALF, and a deeper clinical assessment

Prevalenza dei sintomi vertigine e instabilità in un campione di 2672 soggetti e correlazione con il sintomo cefalea

La vertigine e l’instabilità sono sintomi molto comuni nella popolazione la cui prevalenza è stimata tra il 20 e il 56%. L’obiettivo del nostro lavoro è stato quello di determinare la prevalenza di questi sintomi in una popolazione di 2672 soggetti. È stato somministrato loro loro un questionario; nella prima parte sono stati richiesti i dati demografici e se avessero mai sofferto di vertigine o instabilità nella loro vita. L’età media del campione è stata di 48,3 ± 15 anni, il 46,7% erano maschi. Sul totale della popolazione 1077 (40,3%) hanno riferito di aver sofferto di vertigine o instabilità nella loro vita, con un primo episodio occorso all’età di 39,2 ± 15,4 anni. Nella seconda parte del questionario sono state indagate le caratteristiche delle vertigini (età del primo episodio, il tipo di vertigine, presenza di più episodi, esacerbazione posizionale della vertigine, presenza di sintomi cocleari infine la presenza di cefalea da moderata o severa nel corso della vita e le sue caratteristiche cliniche (riferita a un emicrania, pulsante, associata a fono o fotofobia, peggiore con l’attività fisica). È stata osservata una correlazione della vertigine con l’età e con il sesso, essendo la prima 4,4 volte più frequente nelle donne e 1,8 volte nei soggetti con oltre 50 anni. Sul campione complessivo di 2672 soggetti, 13,7% hanno riferito vertigine rotatoria, 26,3% episodi recidivanti, 12,9% esacerbazione correlata alla posizione e il 4,8% presenza sintomi cocleari; il 34,8% ha lamentato cefalea nel corso della loro vita. I soggetti affetti da cefalea presentavano un’incidenza aumentata di vertigini recidivanti, di esacerbazione correlata alla posizione, di sintomi cocleari e un’età più giovane di comparsa del primo episodio di vertigine/instabilità. Nella discussione i nostri dati sono stati confrontati con quelli di precedenti studi. Gli autori sottolineano la correlazione tra vertigine/instabilità da un lato e cefalea con caratteristiche emicraniche dall’altro