Association between C. albicans and leukoplakia and its treatment with Photodynamic Therapy: a review of the literature and a case report

Objective: This paper deals with oral leukoplakia, a potential oral malignant disorder that often increases in malignancy due to an associated infection supported by the fungus Candida albicans. The work is aimed at describing this dual condition through a literature review and an unusual clinical case treated with Photodynamic Therapy. Materials and Methods: We used PubMed as a research engine in order to detect the most recent papers (2014-2023) written in English. Our main goal was to obtain more information about oral leukoplakia, its colonization by C. albicans and its rate of malignant transformation. We also searched the database in order to evaluate the efficacy of Photodynamic therapy against Candida infections. Case Presentation: The case presentation refers to a 37-year-old man with a diagnosis of tongue leukoplakia with a co-infection of C. albicans, treated with Photodynamic Therapy instead of conventional antifungal drugs. Results: The literature review was based on a total of 17939 articles, which were reduced to only 25 after setting the inclusion and exclusion criteria in several steps. Oral leukoplakia is an idiopathic condition that can be considered a precancerous lesion; its co-infection with C. albicans increases the chances of its malignant transformation. Photodynamic therapy is a new approach in terms of non-conventional therapies, and there is growing evidence that it can be used in the treatment of oral diseases, too. Conclusions: We eradicated the presence of C. albicans strains on our patient’s leukoplakia by using a mixture of photo-activated curcumin and H2O2, decreasing the chances of malignant transformation of our patient’s lesion, who is still undergoing a six-month control protocol

Oral microbiota, health, and cancer: the dual face of the same coin in the field of the host-microbe interactome

In recent years, within the extensive research regarding human microbiota and chronic diseases, new medical and laboratory technologies have played a crucial role in understanding more complex biological pathways between human cells and microbes. On the other hand, molecular and cellular diversity and their involvement in health responses to changing host conditions have only recently been understood, through the development of brand-new laboratory tools based on ‘omics approaches. The continuous insertion of already conceptualized, new experimental large datasets and raw data onto bibliographic platforms means that they are now accessible for subsequent elaboration by other researchers. This aspect has allowed the creation of an interactive mesh of proteins, genes, and small molecules, usually called, interactome or interactomics

Spa therapy induces clinical improvement and protein changes in patients with chronic back pain

This study is primarily aimed at assessing serum changes on a large panel of proteins in patients with chronic back pain following spa therapy, as well as evaluating different spa therapy regimens as a preliminary exploratory clinical study. Sixty-six patients with chronic back pain secondary to osteoarthritis were randomly enrolled and treated with daily mud packs and bicarbonate-alkaline mineral water baths, or a thermal hydrotherapy rehabilitation scheme, the combination of the two regimens or usual medication only (control group), for two weeks. Clinical variables were evaluated at baseline, after 2 and 12 weeks. One thousand serum proteins were tested before and after a two-week mud bath therapy. All spa treatment groups showed clinical benefit as determined by improvements in VAS pain, Roland Morris disability questionnaire and neck disability index at both time points. The following serum proteins were found greatly increased (≥2.5 fold) after spa treatment: inhibin beta A subunit (INHBA), activin A receptor type 2B (ACVR2B), angiopoietin-1 (ANGPT1), beta-2-microglobulin (B2M), growth differentiation factor 10 (GDF10), C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CXCL5), fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), fibroblast growth factor 12 (FGF12), oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor 1 (OLR1), matrix metallopeptidase 13 (MMP13). Three proteins were found greatly decreased (≤0.65 fold): apolipoprotein C-III (Apoc3), interleukin 23 alpha subunit p19 (IL23A) and syndecan-1 (SDC1). Spa therapy was confirmed as beneficial for chronic back pain and proved to induce changes in proteins involved in functions such as gene expression modulation, differentiation, angiogenesis, tissue repair, acute and chronic inflammatory response

Italian patients with hemoglobinopathies exhibit a 5-fold increase in age-standardized lethality due to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns have been expressed worldwide for patients with hemoglobinopathies and their vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data from Lebanon confirmed a role of underlying comorbidities on COVID-19 severity, but no deaths among a cohort of thalassemia patients.1 Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) displayed a broad range of severity after SARS-CoV-2 infection, spanning from a favorable outcome unless pre-existing comorbidities (UK cohort)2 to high case mortality in US.3 History of pain, heart, lung, and renal comorbidities was identified as risk factors of worse COVID-19 outcomes by the US SECURE-SCD Registry.4 While Italy experienced a death rate in the general population among the highest in the world, preliminary data from the first wave of the pandemic showed a lower than expected number of infected thalassemia patients (updated up to April 10, 2020), likely due to earlier and more vigilant self-isolation compared to the general population.

Porphyromonas gingivalis a carica batterica totale in pazienti pediatrici portatori di apparecchi ortodontici

Scopo del lavoro. La presente ricerca è stata svolta su un campione di 10 pazienti in età pediatrica portatori di apparecchi ortodontici fissi all’arcata superiore e con l’arcata inferiore libera. L’obiettivo del lavoro è la valutazione delle differenze tra la placca presente nel solco gengivale dei denti con bande superiori e in quella presente nel solco del dente corrispondente nell’arcata inferiore libera, così da costituire un controllo. Materiali e metodi. Attraverso metodi di biologia molecolare (PCR real time) è stata eseguita, in tutti i campioni, la ricerca del patogeno Porphyromonas gingivalis e la carica batterica totale. Questa tecnologia attraverso molecole ad elevata specificità per il DNA (SYBR Green I) permette di quantificare ed identificare i batteri presenti nel campione, con elevata sensibilità e specificità. Risultati e conclusioni. I dati ottenuti in questa ricerca hanno dimostrato che solo i prelievi provenienti dai solchi gengivali con bande superiori sono positivi per Porphyromonas gingivalis: in essi la conta batterica totale risulta più elevata rispetto ai relativi controlli. Questi risultati suggeriscono di porre una maggiore attenzione nei confronti dei pazienti portatorti di apparecchi ortodontici al fine di evitare l’instaurarsi di infezioni complicanti la terapia. La metodica molecolare è stata eseguit