Respiratory Tract Infections in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients Taking Vedolizumab: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) taking immunosuppressants or biologics. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the risk of respiratory infections in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treated with vedolizumab. We searched PubMed, EMBASE and Scopus to identify randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing vedolizumab to placebo in patients with IBD. Outcomes were the rate of respiratory tract infections (RTI), upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) among patients receiving vedolizumab as compared with placebo. Pooled rates were reported as Odds Ratios (OR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI). Eight RCT involving 3,287 patients (1873 CD and 1415 UC) were analyzed; 2,493 patients received vedolizumab and 794 received placebo. The rates of RTI and URTI were statistically higher in vedolizumab-treated patients compared to placebo [OR = 1.63; 95% CI (1.07-2.49); OR = 1.64 95% CI (1.07-2.53) respectively]. UC patients, but not CD patients, receiving vedolizumab had a higher risk to develop RTI and URTI [OR = 1.98; 95% CI (1.41-2.77); OR = 2.02; 95% CI (1.42-2.87)] compared to placebo-treated patients. The number of LRTI was small in both treatment groups. Data confirm the good safety profile of vedolizumab even though RTI were more frequent in patients receiving vedolizumab and the risk of URTIs was significantly higher in patients with UC

Bioprospecting antimicrobials from lactiplantibacillus plantarum: Key factors underlying its probiotic action

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) is a well‐studied and versatile species of lactobacilli. It is found in several niches, including human mucosal surfaces, and it is largely employed in the food industry and boasts a millenary tradition of safe use, sharing a long‐lasting relationship with humans. L. plantarum is generally recognised as safe and exhibits a strong probiotic character, so that several strains are commercialised as health‐promoting supplements and functional food products. For these reasons, L. plantarum represents a valuable model to gain insight into the nature and mechanisms of antimicrobials as key factors underlying the probiotic action of health‐promoting microbes. Probiotic antimicrobials can inhibit the growth of pathogens in the gut ensuring the intestinal homeostasis and contributing to the host health. Furthermore, they may be attractive alternatives to conventional antibiotics, holding potential in several biomedical applications. The aim of this review is to investigate the most relevant papers published in the last ten years, bioprospecting the antimicrobial activity of characterised probiotic L. plantarum strains. Specifically, it focuses on the different chemical nature, the action spectra and the mechanisms underlying the bioactivity of their antibacterial and antiviral agents. Emerging trends in postbiotics, some in vivo applications of L. plantarum antimicrobials, including strengths and limitations of their therapeutic potential, are addressed and discussed

Liquid biopsy in the assessment of microRNAs in oral squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review

Background: The identification of non-invasive biomarkers from biological fluids collected by liquid biopsy provides new horizons for individualized therapeutic strategies and improves clinical decision-making in OSCC patients. Circulating microRNAs have emerged as biomarkers that may reflect not only the existence of cancer, but also the dynamic, malignant potential, and drug resistance of tumors. The aim of the systematic review is to evaluate and summarize the results of the published studies regarding the use of microRNAs as biomarkers for OSCC. Material and methods: A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases till November 2020. A total of 34 studies met the inclusion criteria and were therefore subjected to quality assessment. Each study was subjected to data extraction including; patient characteristics, type of fluid sample (whole blood, plasma, serum, or saliva), molecular analysis method, specific dysregulated microRNA, and microRNA expression pattern. Results: The analysis showed that 57 microRNAs of liquid biopsy samples of four different fluids (whole blood, serum, plasma, and saliva) were analyzed. The prognostic and therapeutic significance of these microRNAs were suggested by several studies; where 41 microRNAs were upregulated while 16 were downregulated. Conclusions: Scientific evidence supports the interest in the use of microRNAs in the diagnosis and prognosis in OSCC patients; however, further studies in a larger cohort of patients are mandatory to introduce liquid biopsy in the routine clinical practice for the OSCC management. Key words:Biomarkers, liquid biopsy, microRNA, oral squamous cell carcinoma, systematic review.Background: The identification of non-invasive biomarkers from biological fluids collected by liquid biopsy provides new horizons for individualized therapeutic strategies and improves clinical decision-making in OSCC patients. Circulating microRNAs have emerged as biomarkers that may reflect not only the existence of cancer, but also the dynamic, malignant potential, and drug resistance of tumors. The aim of the systematic review is to evaluate and summarize the results of the published studies regarding the use of microRNAs as biomarkers for OSCC. Material and methods: A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases till November 2020. A total of 34 studies met the inclusion criteria and were therefore subjected to quality assessment. Each study was subjected to data extraction including; patient characteristics, type of fluid sample (whole blood, plasma, serum, or saliva), molecular analysis method, specific dysregulated microRNA, and microRNA expression pattern. Results: The analysis showed that 57 microRNAs of liquid biopsy samples of four different fluids (whole blood, serum, plasma, and saliva) were analyzed. The prognostic and therapeutic significance of these microRNAs were suggested by several studies; where 41 microRNAs were upregulated while 16 were downregulated. Conclusions: Scientific evidence supports the interest in the use of microRNAs in the diagnosis and prognosis in OSCC patients; however, further studies in a larger cohort of patients are mandatory to introduce liquid biopsy in the routine clinical practice for the OSCC management. Key words:Biomarkers, liquid biopsy, microRNA, oral squamous cell carcinoma, systematic review

Phenolic profile, in vitro antimicrobial and in vivo diuretic effects of endemic wild thyme Thymus comosus Heuff ex. Griseb. (Lamiaceae) from Romania

Thymus comosus Heuff ex. Griseb. (Lamiaceae) is a wild thyme species endemic for Romanian Carpathian areas, frequently collected as substitute for collective herbal product Serpylli herba, cited as antibacterial and diuretic remedy in traditional medicine. The present study aimed to evaluate the in vivo diuretic effect and in vitro antimicrobial properties of three herbal preparations (infusion—TCI, tincture—TCT and an hydroethanolic extract prepared through an optimized ultrasound-assisted method—OpTC) obtained from the aerial parts of T. comosus Heuff ex. Griseb, also evaluating their comprehensive phenolic profile. In vivo diuretic effect was tested using Wistar rats treated orally with each herbal preparation (125 and 250 mg/kg dispersed in 25 ml/kg isotonic saline solution) and quantified based on cumulative urine output (ml), diuretic action and diuretic activity. Additionally, sodium and potassium excretion were monitored using a potentiometric method with selective electrodes. In vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities were assessed using p-iodonitrotetrazolium chloride assay against six bacterial strains and six fungal strains by monitoring minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs), minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs). Finally, phenolic profile of the aforementioned herbal extracts was evaluated using an ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) method to check the impact of the different preparations on the most abundant and significant compounds. All the extracts exerted a mild diuretic action, TCT and OpTC inducing the most intense diuretic effect. Both herbal preparations produced a statistically significant, dose-dependent and gradual increase of the urine output, the effect being more intense at 24 h (6.63–7.13 ml/24 h). Potentiometric evaluation of urine samples collected from treated rats revealed a clear and mild natriuretic and kaliuretic effect after the administration. In terms of antimicrobial activity, E. coli (MIC—0.38 mg/ml), B. cereus (MIC—0.75 mg/ml)), Penicillium funiculosum and P. verrucosum var. cyclopium (MIC—0.19 mg/ml) showed the greater sensitivity to the tested extracts, respectively. UHPLC-HRMS screening showed that the bioactive potential of T. comosus herbal preparations was likely related to the higher amounts of phenolic acids (including rosmarinic acid), flavonoids (mainly flavones and derivatives) and other phenolics (such as different isomers of salvianolic acids) in their composition. The obtained results support the ethnopharmacological evidence regarding the mild diuretic and antibacterial potentials of the endemic wild thyme T. comosus, this study being the first one that assessed the aforementioned bioactivities for this species

Phytochemical profiling, antibacterial and antioxidant properties of Crocus sativus flower: A comparison between tepals and stigmas

Several studies have demonstrated that stigmas of Crocus sativus contain several bioactive compounds with potential health-promoting properties. However, during the processing of stigmas, large amounts of floral bio-residues are normally discarded as by-products. In this study, using untargeted metabolomics, the comprehensive phytochemical composition of C. sativus stigma and tepals was investigated. Moreover, the antibacterial and anti-biofilm properties of the extracts of C. sativus stigmas and tepals were compared. The study was carried out using two methicillin-resistant staphylococcal reference strains (i.e., Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300 and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 35984), representing important Gram-positive biofilm-forming human pathogens. The antibacterial properties were correlated with total polyphenol content, total terpenoid content, and in vitro antioxidant properties of tepals and stigmas. The results demonstrated that stigma and tepal extracts, at the sub-toxic concentrations, were able to interfere with biofilm formation by ATCC 43300 and ATCC 35984. Besides, the higher antibacterial activity of tepals than stigmas was associated with higher levels of phycompounds. Therefore, our results demonstrated that C. sativus stigmas and bio-residues, such as tepals, are potential antioxidant sources and good candidates as antibacterial agents to prevent biofilm formation. Taken together, these findings showed that C. sativus could be used as functional ingredient by the food and pharmaceutical industries

Is the pain just physical? The role of psychological distress, quality of life, and autistic traits in ehlers–danlos syndrome, an internet-based survey in italy

Background: Ehlers–Danlos syndromes (EDS) have been associated with psychological distress, comorbid psychiatric disorders, and worsening in quality of life (QoL). Among the neurodevelopmental disorders, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have shown the highest rates of co-occurrence with EDS. The reasons for these associations are unknown and a possible role of pain in increasing the risk of psychiatric disorders in EDS has been suggested. However, a detailed picture of an Italian EDS sample is still lacking. Methods: We conducted a web-based survey in a third level center for the diagnosis of EDS in northern Italy, to investigate psychological distress, QoL, and the presence of autistic traits. Furthermore, we correlated the psychometric data with some clinical variables. Results: We observed a high rate of psychological distress with 91% of the responders at high risk of common mental disorders, low QoL, and high prevalence of autistic traits in EDS patients. Specifically, patients lacking a specific genetic test, diagnosed as suspects of EDS appeared to be at greater risk and reported worse psychological QoL. Pain was significantly associated with both psychological distress and worse QoL. Conclusions: Our findings support the need of further research and of a multi-disciplinary approach to EDS including psychological and psychiatric liaison

Beyond the Visible and Below the Peel: How UV-B Radiation Influences the Phenolic Profile in the Pulp of Peach Fruit. A Biochemical and Molecular Study

In the last decades, UV-B radiation has attracted attention due to its potential to increase nutraceutical values of fruit and vegetables, especially by inducing the accumulation of phenolics in a structure-dependent way. However, most current studies have investigated the UV-B-driven changes only in the peel or focusing on individual phenolic classes. Adopting an \u201c-omics\u201d approach, this work aimed to deepen the knowledge about the effects of UV-B radiation on the phenolic profile in the pulp of peach fruit. Based on these considerations, melting flesh yellow peaches (Prunus persica L., cv. Fairtime) were subjected to either a 10- or 60-min UV-B treatment (1.39 and 8.33 kJ m\u20132, respectively), and sampled at different time points from the exposure. A UHPLC-ESI/QTOF-MS analysis coupled with a phenolics-specific database for the annotation of compounds and a multivariate discriminant analysis revealed a marked effect of UV-B radiation on the phenolic profiles of peach pulp. Particularly, a general, transient increase was observed after 24 h from the irradiation, especially for flavanols, flavonols, and flavones. Such behavior diverges from what was observed in the peel, where an overall increase of phenolics was observed after 36 h from the irradiation. Concerning the flavonols in the pulp, UV-B exposure stimulated a specific accumulation of isorhamnetin and kaempferol derivatives, with variations imposed by the different sugar moiety bound. Anthocyanins, which were the second most abundant flavonoid group after flavonols, displayed a general decrease after 36 h that was not attributable to specific molecules. The UV-B treatments also increased the glycoside/aglycone ratio of flavonols and anthocyanins after 24 h, by increasing the glycoside concentration of both, flavonols and anthocyanins, and decreasing the aglycone concentration of anthocyanins. In support of the biochemical results, targeted gene expression analysis by RT-qPCR revealed an UV-B-induced activation of many genes involved in the flavonoid pathway, e.g., CHS, F3H, F3\u2032H, DFR, as well as some MYB transcription factors and few genes involved in the UV-B perception. Generally, all the flavonoid-related and MYB genes showed a transient UV-B dose-dependent activation after 6 h from the irradiation, similarly to what was observed in the peel

Distilled grape pomace as a functional ingredient in vegan muffins: effect on physicochemical, nutritional, rheological and sensory aspects

Wheat-based vegan muffins were formulated with increasing levels (0, 5 and 10 g per 100 g substitutes to flour) of dried grape pomace powder obtained after distillation (DGPP). The DGPP-muffins showed a greater (P < 0.05) total dietary fibre and a lower (P < 0.05) total starch content to the control. The inclusion of DGPP influenced (P < 0.05) both the batter's rheological properties and the baked muffins' technological characteristics, including the baking loss, the volume, the firmness, the spread ratio and the colour. The in vitro antioxidant activity and the phenolic content increased (P < 0.05) following DGPP inclusion. The untargeted phenolic profiling by UHPLC-HRMS revealed an (P < 0.05) increase of several phenolic classes (i.e. free and bound fractions) following the inclusion of DGPP in the recipe. Flavonoids, mainly anthocyanins, were the most abundant compounds. A quantitative descriptive sensory analysis detected the DGPP-vegan muffins showed good sensory acceptability. The vegan muffin with 5 g per 100 g of DGPP obtained the highest overall acceptability score by the panellists

Unusual association of NDM-1 with KPC-2 and armA among Brazilian Enterobacteriaceae isolates

We report the microbiological characterization of four New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1 (bla(NDM-1))-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. bla(NDM-1) was located on a conjugative plasmid and was associated with Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-2 (bla(KPC-2)) or aminoglycoside-resistance methylase ( armA), a 16S rRNA methylase not previously reported in Brazil, in two distinct strains of Enterobacter cloacae. Our results suggested that the introduction of bla(NDM-1) in Brazil has been accompanied by rapid spread, since our isolates showed no genetic relationship.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Lab Especial Microbiol Clin, São Paulo, SP, BrazilDASA, Lab Diagnost Amer, São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Lab Especial Microbiol Clin, São Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc