| 1. |
- Castelnuovo, Gianluca, et al.
(författare)
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What Is the Role of the Placebo Effect for Pain Relief in Neurorehabilitation? : Clinical Implications From the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation
- 2018
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Neurology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-2295. ; 9
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: It is increasingly acknowledged that the outcomes of medical treatments are influenced by the context of the clinical encounter through the mechanisms of the placebo effect. The phenomenon of placebo analgesia might be exploited to maximize the efficacy of neurorehabilitation treatments. Since its intensity varies across neurological disorders, the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation (ICCP) summarized the studies on this field to provide guidance on its use.Methods: A review of the existing reviews and meta-analyses was performed to assess the magnitude of the placebo effect in disorders that may undergo neurorehabilitation treatment. The search was performed on Pubmed using placebo, pain, and the names of neurological disorders as keywords. Methodological quality was assessed using a pre-existing checklist. Data about the magnitude of the placebo effect were extracted from the included reviews and were commented in a narrative form.Results: 11 articles were included in this review. Placebo treatments showed weak effects in central neuropathic pain (pain reduction from 0.44 to 0.66 on a 0-10 scale) and moderate effects in postherpetic neuralgia (1.16), in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (1.45), and in pain associated to HIV (1.82). Moderate effects were also found on pain due to fibromyalgia and migraine; only weak short-term effects were found in complex regional pain syndrome. Confounding variables might have influenced these results.Clinical implications: These estimates should be interpreted with caution, but underscore that the placebo effect can be exploited in neurorehabilitation programs. It is not necessary to conceal its use from the patient. Knowledge of placebo mechanisms can be used to shape the doctor-patient relationship, to reduce the use of analgesic drugs and to train the patient to become an active agent of the therapy.
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| 2. |
- Damenti, Martina, et al.
(författare)
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Quantitative and functional assessment of Arc n-meric states in membrane interaction and AMPA receptor endocytosis
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Arc (or Arg3.1), Activity Regulated-Cytoskeleton associated-protein is pivotal to mediate plastic responses in neuronal cells. In vitro and in vivo studies suggest its ability to form high- and low-order oligomers which are potentially involved in neuronal trafficking. Despite its important function, no direct observation of Arc oligomers in cells has been presented due to its highly regulated spatiotemporal expression, the small size of the structures, the lack of appropriate labelling strategies and the background associated to free diffusing cytosolic proteins. Here, we take advantage of several complementary advanced fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy techniques to observe and quantify Arc oligomeric states in cellular environment especially in the synapses. In cells, we uncovered Arc-Arc intermolecular interactions, Arc tendency to form liquid condensates and to interact with lipid bilayers. High-order oligomers are found to localize at the excitatory synaptic compartment and to directly affects AMPA receptor surface levels. Together, our observations support the model by which Arc oligomerization mediates plasma- membrane negative inward curvature favoring AMPA receptors endocytosis.
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| 3. |
- Grandieri, Andrea, et al.
(författare)
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Relationship between People's Interest in Medication Adherence, Health Literacy, and Self-Care : An Infodemiological Analysis in the Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Era
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Personalized Medicine. - 2075-4426. ; 13:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The prevalence of non-communicable diseases has risen sharply in recent years, particularly among older individuals who require complex drug regimens. Patients are increasingly required to manage their health through medication adherence and self-care, but about 50% of patients struggle to adhere to prescribed treatments. This study explored the relationship between interest in medication adherence, health literacy, and self-care and how it changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used Google Trends to measure relative search volumes (RSVs) for these three topics from 2012 to 2022. We found that interest in self-care increased the most over time, followed by health literacy and medication adherence. Direct correlations emerged between RSVs for medication adherence and health literacy (r = 0.674, p < 0.0001), medication adherence and self-care (r = 0.466, p < 0.0001), and health literacy and self-care (r = 0.545, p < 0.0001). After the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, interest in self-care significantly increased, and Latin countries showed a greater interest in self-care than other geographical areas. This study suggests that people are increasingly interested in managing their health, especially in the context of the recent pandemic, and that infodemiology may provide interesting information about the attitudes of the population toward chronic disease management.
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| 5. |
- Pendrill, Robert, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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Flexibility at a glycosidic linkage revealed by molecular dynamics, stochastic modeling, and 13C NMR spin relaxation : conformational preferences of alpha-L-Rhap-alpha-(1 -> 2)-alpha-L-Rhap-OMe in water and dimethyl sulfoxide solutions
- 2016
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Ingår i: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 18:4, s. 3086-3096
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The monosaccharide L-rhamnose is common in bacterial polysaccharides and the disaccharide alpha-L-Rhap-alpha-(1 -> 2)-alpha-L-Rhap-OMe represents a structural model for a part of Shigella flexneri O-antigen polysaccharides. Utilization of [1'-C-13]-site-specific labeling in the anomeric position at the glycosidic linkage between the two sugar residues facilitated the determination of transglycosidic NMR (3)J(CH) and (3)J(CC) coupling constants. Based on these spin-spin couplings the major state and the conformational distribution could be determined with respect to the psi torsion angle, which changed between water and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvents, a finding mirrored by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with explicit solvent molecules. The C-13 NMR spin relaxation parameters T-1, T-2, and heteronuclear NOE of the probe were measured for the disaccharide in DMSO-d(6) at two magnetic field strengths, with standard deviations <= 1%. The combination of MD simulation and a stochastic description based on the diffusive chain model resulted in excellent agreement between calculated and experimentally observed C-13 relaxation parameters, with an average error of <2%. The coupling between the global reorientation of the molecule and the local motion of the spin probe is deemed essential if reproduction of NMR relaxation parameters should succeed, since decoupling of the two modes of motion results in significantly worse agreement. Calculation of C-13 relaxation parameters based on the correlation functions obtained directly from the MD simulation of the solute molecule in DMSO as solvent showed satisfactory agreement with errors on the order of 10% or less.
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| 6. |
- Villani, Emanuele Rocco, et al.
(författare)
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Physical performance measures and hospital outcomes among Italian older adults : results from the CRIME project
- 2021
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Ingår i: Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1594-0667 .- 1720-8319. ; 33, s. 319-327
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Older adults are a complex population, at risk of adverse events during and after hospital stay.Aim To investigate the association of walking speed (WS) and grip strength (GS) with adverse outcomes, during and after hospitalization, among older individuals admitted to acute care wards.Methods Multicentre observational study including 1123 adults aged >= 65 years admitted to acute wards in Italy. WS and GS were measured at admission and discharge. Outcomes were length-of-stay, in-hospital mortality, 1-year mortality and rehospitalisation. Length-of-stay was defined as a number of days from admission to discharge/death.Results Mean age was 81 +/- 7 years, 56% were women. Compared to patients with WS >= 0.8 m/sec, those unable to perform or with WS < 0.8 m/sec had a higher likelihood of longer length-of-stay (OR 2.57; 95% CI 1.63-4.03 and 2.42; 95% CI 1.55-3.79) and 1-year mortality and rehospitalization (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.07-2.01; OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.04-2.37); those unable to perform WS had a higher likelihood of in-hospital mortality (OR 9.59; 95% CI 1.23-14.57) and 1-year mortality (OR 2.60; 95% CI 1.37-4.93). Compared to good GS performers, those unable to perform had a higher likelihood of in-hospital mortality (OR 17.43; 95% CI 3.87-28.46), 1-year mortality ( OR 3.14; 95% CI 1.37-4.93) and combination of 1-year mortality and rehospitalisation (OR 1.46; 95% CI 1.01-2.12); poor GS performers had a higher likelihood of 1-year mortality (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.03-2.35); participants unable to perform GS had a lower likelihood of rehospitalisation (OR 0.59; 95% CI 0.39-0.89).Conclusion Walking speed (WS) and grip strength (GS) are easy-to-assess predictors of length-of-stay, in-hospital and post-discharge death and should be incorporated in the standard assessment of hospitalized patients.
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| 8. |
- Volpato, Andrea, et al.
(författare)
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Extending fluorescence anisotropy to large complexes using reversibly switchable proteins
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Biotechnology. - : Springer Nature. - 1087-0156 .- 1546-1696. ; 41:4, s. 552-559
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The formation of macromolecular complexes can be measured by detection of changes in rotational mobility using time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy. However, this method is limited to relatively small molecules (~0.1–30 kDa), excluding the majority of the human proteome and its complexes. We describe selective time-resolved anisotropy with reversibly switchable states (STARSS), which overcomes this limitation and extends the observable mass range by more than three orders of magnitude. STARSS is based on long-lived reversible molecular transitions of switchable fluorescent proteins to resolve the relatively slow rotational diffusivity of large complexes. We used STARSS to probe the rotational mobility of several molecular complexes in cells, including chromatin, the retroviral Gag lattice and activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein oligomers. Because STARSS can probe arbitrarily large structures, it is generally applicable to the entire human proteome.
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| 9. |
- Zengarini, Elisa, et al.
(författare)
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Prognosis and Interplay of Cognitive Impairment and Sarcopenia in Older Adults Discharged from Acute Care Hospitals
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Medicine. - : MDPI AG. - 2077-0383. ; 8:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sarcopenia and cognitive impairment are associated with an increased risk of negative outcomes, but their prognostic interplay has not been investigated so far. We aimed to investigate the prognostic interaction of sarcopenia and cognitive impairment concerning 12-month mortality among older patients discharged from acute care wards in Italy. Our series consisted of 624 patients (age = 80.1 +/- 7.0 years, 56.1% women) enrolled in a prospective observational study. Sarcopenia was defined following the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) criteria. Cognitive impairment was defined as age- and education-adjusted Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score < 24 or recorded diagnosis of dementia. The study outcome was all-cause mortality during 12-month follow-up. The combination of sarcopenia and cognitive ability was tested against participants with intact cognitive ability and without sarcopenia. Overall, 159 patients (25.5%) were identified as having sarcopenia, and 323 (51.8%) were cognitively impaired. During the follow-up, 79 patients (12.7%) died. After adjusting for potential confounders, the combination of sarcopenia and cognitive impairment has been found associated with increased mortality (HR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.05-4.13). Such association was also confirmed after excluding patients with dementia (HR = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.06-4.17), underweight (HR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.03-3.91), high comorbidity burden (HR = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.09-6.32), and severe disability (HR = 2.88, 95% CI = 1.10-5.73). The co-occurrence of sarcopenia and cognitive impairment may predict 1-year mortality in older patients discharged from acute care hospitals.
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