A novel phospholipid delivery system of curcumin (Meriva\uae) preserves muscular mass in healthy aging subjects

Curcumin is known to interrupt pro-inflammatory signalling and increases anti-oxidant protection, thus inhibiting the expression of inflammatory cytokines and the expression and function of inducible inflammatory enzymes. Together, these effects contribute to limit the onset and the progression of sarcopenia, due to the major role played by inflammation in the pathophysiology of this disease. This registry study evaluates the effects of Meriva\uae supplementation in otherwise healthy elderly subjects

"Mapping the Discourse. Architecture Periodicals in/for the Teaching of Architecture History/ Une cartographie du discours. Périodiques d’architecture dans/pour l’enseignement de l’histoire de l’architecture".

The article reflects on a pedagogical project conducted in the framework of the History and Theory course at Politecnico di Milano and questions the value of architectural journals as sources, instruments, methods, and narrative devices for the teaching of architectural history, probing their role as mediators with multifaceted networks of professional, intellectual, and institutional milieux involved in the production of architectural knowledge. The study was conducted on a corpus of around fifty periodicals addressed as a “system of knowledge”, crossing diverse genres and generations of journals, and questioning their character of “complex social objects” to be investigated in their material, economic, cultural, and visual dimensions. On the one hand, the method combining “journal biographies” with the decoding of the issues through the analysis of all their structuring parts allows questioning the changing notion of milieu that magazines contribute to creating over time, revealing the interrelations between a constellation of agents - editors, owners, institutions, and audience – with their divergent agendas, rationalities, and editorial strategies. On the other hand, the paper reflects on the significance of analyzing journals in their interconnections, as cross-cultural and comparative readings offer a more nuanced understanding of the times and forms of production of architectural culture as a transnational practice, challenging the canonical interpretations and time frames of a 20th-century architectural history still centered on the European and North American editorial scene

Clinical validation results of an innovative non-invasive device for colorectal cancer preventive screening through fecal exhalation analysis

Screening is recommended to reduce both incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer. Currently, many countries employ fecal occult blood test (FOBT). In Emilia-Romagna (Italy), since 2005, FOBT immunochemical version (FIT) is performed every two years on people aged between 50 and 69 years. A colonoscopy is then carried out on those who are FIT positive. However, FIT shows approximately 65% false positives (non-tumoral bleedings), leading to many negative colonoscopies. The use of an economic and easy-to-use method to check FOBT-positives will improve screening effectiveness, reducing costs to the national health service. This work illustrates the results of a three-year clinical validation protocol (started in 2016) of a patented device composed of a core of nanostructured gas sensors. This device was designed to identify CRC presence by fecal volatile compounds, with a non-invasive, in vitro and low-cost analysis. Feces are, in fact, affected by tumor-volatile biomarkers, produced by cellular peroxidation and metabolic alterations. The protocol consisted in the analysis of fecal samples of FIT-positive subjects, using colonoscopy as a gold standard. A total of 398 samples were analyzed with machine learning techniques, leading to a sensitivity and specificity of 84.1% and 82.4%, respectively, and a positive predictive value of 72% (25–35% for FIT)

Beyond head and neck cancer: The relationship between oral microbiota and tumour development in distant organs

An altered oral microbiota has been linked with the development of several oral diseases, such as dental caries, periodontal disease, and oral stomatitis. Moreover, poor oral health has been linked to head and neck cancer, particularly oral cancer. In recent years a growing number of studies indicate that oral microbiota could be involved in the development of primary tumours outside of head and neck region. The aim of this article is to review the recent studies based on high-throughput technology to present evidences of a relationship between oral microbiota and \u201cnon-head and neck tumours.\u201d Oral dysbiosis seem to be more pronounced in patients with tumours of gastrointestinal tract, in particular oesophageal, gastric, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers, paving the way for developing specific oral microbiota test to allow early cancer detection. Regarding other tumour types, the results are promising but highly preliminary and still debated. Currently, there are several factors that limit the generalization of the results, such as the small sample size, the lack of adequate clinical information about patients, the different sequencing techniques used, and biological sample heterogeneity. Although only at the beginning, the analysis of oral microbiota could be the next step in the evolution of cancer therapy and will help clinicians to develop individualised approaches to cancer prevention and treatment

Hepatitis B prevalence, risk factors, infection awareness and disease knowledge among inmates: A cross-sectional study in Switzerland's largest pre-trial prison

© 2018, Journal of Health Global. Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major health concern in prison, but data are scarce in European prisons. This study aims to measure the prevalence of HBV infection, risk factors, awareness about infection, and HBV knowledge among inmates in Switzerland's largest pre-trial prison. Methods Serological blood tests (HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc) and a standardized socio-demographic and sexual health survey were offered to consenting prisoners in 2009 and 2011. HBV knowledge was assessed using a standardized questionnaire among participants recruited in 2009. Findings A total of 273 male participants were included in the study (116 participants answered the HBV knowledge survey), with 38.1% originating from Eastern Europe, 28.2% from sub-Saharan Africa, 14.3% from North Africa, and 9.5% from Latin America. The prevalence of anti-HBc (resolved/chronic infection) was 38.2% and the prevalence of HBsAg (chronic infection) was 5.9%; 14% of participants had vaccine-acquired immunity (anti-HBs positive/anti- HBc negative). We estimated that 15.5% of people living in Geneva having chronic infection go through the Geneva's prison. Region of origin was significantly associated with chronic/resolved HBV infection (P < 0.001): 72.2% of participants from sub-Saharan African, 34.6% from Eastern Europe and 13.2% from other regions. In terms of chronic infection, 15.6% of participants from sub-Saharan Africa were positive for HBsAg, vs 2% of those from other regions (P < 0.001). In stratified analyses, region of origin remained significantly associated with HBV infection. Among those with chronic infection, only 12.5% were aware of their status. A minority of inmates knew how HBV could be transmitted. Conclusions The primary factor associated with HBV infection in this study was the geographical region of origin of participants. Given the high HBV prevalence found in this prison population, a targeted testing and vaccination approach based on prisoners' region of origin would be a cost-effective strategy when resources are limited. Additionally, identification of at-risk people should not rely on sensitive questions nor self-reported history of HBV. An inclusive approach to global health needs to incorporate prison population, as incarcerated people have a disproportionate burden of HBV infection and because an important proportion of hard-to-reach chronic HBV infected people go through the incarceration system

Effects of a curcumin-based supplementation in asymptomatic subjects with low bone density: a preliminary 24-week supplement study

Osteopenia is a chronic bone condition characterized by decreased calcification, density, or bone mass that, if untreated, can lead to osteoporosis and bone fractures. Although its increasing prevalence, nowadays osteopenia is not adequately prevented and managed. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy, in term of changes in bone density, and safety of an oral formulation based on turmeric phytosome (Meriva\uae), in subjects suffering from low bone density

A New Idea for Stroke Rehabilitation : Bilateral Transfer Analysis from Healthy Hand to the Paretic One with a Randomized and Controlled Trial

Background: Bilateral transfer of a motor skill is a phenomenon according to which, one hand can "teach" a skill to the other hand. In this research, controlled and randomized, we tested the ability of bilateral transfer (BT) to improve the coordination of the paretic hand in patients that suffered a stroke, with the aim of restricting the field for further research on the impact of BT in rehabilitation, we analyzed the differences in the expression of BT phenomenon among sexes and side of hemyparesis. Methods: 34 right-handed patients, at the end of the rehabilitation period, were randomly divided into two groups: test and control. They all had a stroke in a single hemisphere in the previous six months and they were selected by a physical examination, the time elapsed from the stroke and cognitive requirements. The experiment consisted in training the healthy hand of each patient from the test group to execute the nine hole peg test (NHPT) 10 times a day, for 3 consecutive days, and then test the paretic hand with the same test and with bimanual tasks. The control group was not trained but went through the same analysis. Results: In the test group we found that the execution speed of NHPT with the paretic hand, after training the healthy hand, was on average 22.6% faster than the value recorded at baseline. Meanwhile, no significant difference was found in the control group. The analysis showed a greater impact of BT among male patients, who were in average 31% faster than controls, and in non dominant paretic hands, that were 30% faster after training. Conclusions: BT was present in hemiparethic patients with moderate stroke after a short time span, it was more evident among male subjects, and from the dominant hand to the paretic non-dominant one