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Corruption has found very fertile ground in the health sector. Many studies demonstrate the negative relationship between sustainability and corruption. However, relatively little is known at this time about how to prevent corruption in healthcare organizations (HCOs), and thus to recover the important sustainability of the entire healthcare system. After noticing this gap in the literature, the authors’ aim in undertaking this study was twofold: first, to analyze the current state of knowledge about how Italian HCOs adopt corruption prevention plans in compliance with the National Plan issued by the National Anti-Corruption Authority; second, to identify some clusters of HCOs which represent different adoption patterns of corruption prevention interventions and to classify these HCOs. For these purposes, the authors studied 68 HCOs along 13 dimensions that characterized the corruption prevention plans. The empirical results showed that the HCOs were not fully compliant with the anti-corruption legislation. At the same time, the authors identified three clusters of HCOs with different patterns of anti-corruption prevention interventions. The clusters that adopted some specific interventions seemed to be more sustainable than others.

Histopathological diagnosis using Formalin-Fixed Paraffin Embedded (FFPE) tissues is essential for the prognostic and therapeutic management of cancer patients. Pathologists are being confronted with increasing demands, from both clinicians and patients, to provide immunophenotypic and gene expression data from FFPE tissues to allow the planning of personalized therapeutic regimens. Recent improvements in the protocols for pre-analysis processing of pathological tissues aim to better preserve cellular details and to conserve antigens and nucleic acid sequences. These developments have been recently patented. The international protocol for the transporting of surgical specimens from the surgical theatre to the pathology department is to immerse the specimen in formalin. The alternative method of sealing the specimens into bags under a vacuum and then cooling is a well-accepted and environmentally safe procedure that overcomes the many drawbacks linked to transfer in formalin. Importantly, RNA is notoriously poorly preserved in FFPE tissue. Due to this, successful procedures for the extraction of genetic information from archival tissues have been the object of several studies and patents. Novel molecular approaches for RT-qPCR and gene array analysis on FFPE tissues are presented here. Moreover, a major advance is reported in this study, the observation that tissue fixation in cold conditions allows a much better preservation of nucleic acid sequences.

Prenatal ethanol exposure produces severe changes in brain, liver, and kidney through mechanisms involving growth factors. These molecules regulate survival, differentiation, maintenance, and connectivity of brain, liver, and kidney cells. Despite the abundant available data on the short and mid-lasting effects of ethanol intoxication, only few data show the long-lasting damage induced by early ethanol administration. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in nerve growth factor (NGF), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in brain areas, liver, and kidney of 18-mo-old male mice exposed perinatally to ethanol at 11% vol or to red wine at the same ethanol concentration. The authors found that ethanol per se elevated NGF, BDNF, HGF, and VEGF measured by ELISA in brain limbic system areas. In the liver, early exposure to ethanol solution and red wine depleted BDNF and VEGF concentrations. In the kidney, red wine exposure only decreased VEGF. In conclusion, the present study shows that, in aged mice, early administration of ethanol solution induced long-lasting damage at growth factor levels in frontal cortex, hippocampus, and liver but not in kidney. Otherwise, in mice exposed to red wine, significant changes were observed in the liver and kidney but not in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. The brain differences in ethanol-induced toxicity when ethanol is administered alone or in red wine may be related to compounds with antioxidant properties present in the red wine.

Allanblackia floribunda Oliv. is one of the most commonly used medicinal plant in Cameroon. The stem bark of the plant is traditionally used for its aphrodisiac and antihypertensive properties.To validate the traditional uses of Allanblackia floribunda stem bark ethanol extract through the evaluation of their aphrodisiac and vasorelaxant properties.The extract's ability to increase sexual desire and the frequencies of erection (mount), intromission and prolonged latency of ejaculation were studied on adult male rats. The vasodilator effect was investigated using isolated rat aorta rings. Tests were conducted using fractions obtained by reverse phase column-chromatography (CC), after the acquisition of the HPLC fingerprint of the ethanol extract, resulted the most active in previous studies.The CC allowed the isolation of five fractions whose aphrodisiac and vasodilator activities were tested and compared with those of the whole extract. Four compounds were identified and characterized, three of them, Fukugiside, Morelloflavone and Volkensiflavone, are secondary metabolites known to be in Allanblackia floribunda; the fourth, Spicataside, is a biflavonoid glycoside known to be present in the genus Garcinia but never found neither in Allanblackia floribunda nor in Allanblackia genus. The crude ethanolic extract (CEE) induced a relaxation on aorta rings with EC50=11±2μg/mL and Morelloflavone displayed a similar activity with EC50=42±6μg/mL; for all the other compounds only the vasodilation % at the maximum concentration assessable (90μg/mL) was determined: 30±8 (Fukugiside), 24±6 (Spicataside), 33±4 (Morelloflavone+Volkensiflavone), 47±1 (Volkensiflavone). Regarding the activity on male sexual behaviour, only CEE and Fukugiside showed activity in the 9 parameters evaluated.These results may support the traditional uses of Allanblackia floribunda as aphrodisiac plant with antihypertensive properties suggesting the phytocomplex as responsible for the claimed activity.

Miniaturization of electrochemical detection ofPseudomonas aeruginosaquorum sensing molecules at a liquid/liquid interface through facilitated proton transfer reactions.

Dittrichia viscosawhich belongs to theAsteraceaefamily is frequently used to treat hematomas and skin disorders in Mediterranean herbal medicine. This study aims to validate its antioxidant effects and its potential on healing wounds. The ethanolic extract ofD. viscosaleaves was formulated as 2.5% and 5% (w/w) in ointment bases on the beeswax and sesame oil. During this study, the ethanolicD. viscosaextract, ointments containing 2.5% and 5% ofD. viscosaextract, and the vehiculum were assessed for their total phenol content (TPC), caffeoylquinic acid content (CQC), and antioxidant activities using complementary methods (TAC, the DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and the BCB). The effects on wound healing of obtained ointments were evaluated by excision of the wound in a mice model for 12 days. Subsequently, the excised wound areas were measured at the3rd,9th, and12thdays. The skin tissues were isolated for histological studies. The ointments containingD. viscosaextract (2.5%, 5%) possessed a considerable TPC, CQC, radical scavenging potential, and antioxidant activities compared to the vehiculum. Treated animals with ointments containingD. viscosaextract at 2.5% and 5% showed almost and totally healed wounds compared to the vehiculum and control groups, evidenced by good skin regeneration and reepithelialization. The present work showed the role ofD. viscosaantioxidants exerted by its polyphenolic compounds, in particular, caffeoylquinic acids, in enhancing wound healing.

Over the past two years, the world’s population has been tested by the COVID-19 health emergency. This has changed population habits worldwide by encouraging a sedentary lifestyle and overnutrition. Isolation and reduction of social life, for most of the population, was mandatory but it quickly became a new lifestyle. Nowadays, we are encountering the consequences with an increase in nutritional associated disorders and conditions that cause illnesses in the general population. These disorders include diet excesses that lead to obesity and diet deficiencies and malnutrition which could rapidly lead to death. These eating disorders are very complex to manage because they become mental disorders which can negatively impact physical or mental health. This work will disucss the benefits associated with the mindfulness–exercise–nutrition (MEN) technique. From a nutritional point of view it will focus on the nutritional effect of a plant-based diet, such as the Mediterranean diet (MD) which has a high tryptophan content which can increase serotonin (the “feel good” hormone) levels. The MEN technique takes a multidisciplinary approach and aims to integrate healthy behaviors into clinical practice using healthy eating, active living, and mindfulness. This method includes controlled physical movements, stretching techniques such as yoga, and aerobic exercise to achieve optimal mental and physical health. This literature review, carried out using the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases, aims to investigate the latest research on this topic. This study may be useful for healthcare professionals and clinicians and may help patients to be more self-aware, encouraging them to lead a healthier lifestyle, make thoughtful choices, and ameliorate their mental health. The final aim of this study is to promote physiological homeostasis and well-being.

In order to evaluate pharmacokinetic interactions between heroin and alcohol and their role in the etiology of heroin-related deaths (HRD), the alcohol concentration in blood (BAC), the free (FM) and total morphine (TM) concentrations in blood (determined by DPC Coat-A-Count radioimmunoassay before and after enzymatic hydrolysis), and the TM concentration in urine and bile (DPC Coat-A-Count after enzymatic hydrolysis) in a population of 39 lethal cases included in the records of the Department of Legal Medicine and Public Health at the University of Pavia from the period January 1997-April 1998 were examined. The cause of death in each case was attributed to either heroin or associated heroin-ethanol intoxication. Cases were arbitrarily divided into two groups according to BAC (low-ethanol group, LE, BAC 1000 mg/L). The differences in the FM and TM concentrations in blood, bile, and urine and in the FM/TM ratios between the two . groups were statistically evaluated (Mann-Whitney U test). A similar statistical evaluation was carried out on data from a previously published study concerning the disposition of heroin and its metabolites (6-acetylmorphine and morphine) in blood and urine in 23 lethal cases attributed to either heroin or heroin and alcohol intoxication. The values of the following variables in the LE and HE groups were compared: FM, TM, and 6-acetylmorphine concentrations in blood (6-AM); the FM/ (FM + 6-AM) ratio; the FM/TM ratio; and the urinary concentrations of heroin, 6-acetylmorphine, and free morphine. Statistical analyses of data indicated that high BACs are associated with reduced hydrolysis of 6-AM to morphine (FM/[FM + 6-AM], p = 0.0022) and that a good inverse correlation exists between BAC and hydrolysis of 6-AM to morphine (r2 = 0.67). High BACs were also found to be associated with an increased FM/TM ratio and with reduced excretion of free and total morphine. These results suggest the hypothesis that pharmacokinetic interactions between heroin and alcohol do occur in individuals exposed to high doses of these substances.