Topic Review
Longevity Blue Zones
Longevity is rightly considered one of the greatest achievements of modern society, not only as a function of lifespan, but, more importantly, as a function of healthspan. There are Longevity Blue Zones (LBZs), regions around the world, such as in Okinawa, Japan; the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; Loma Linda, California; Icaria, Greece; and Ogliastra, Sardinia, that are characterized by a significant percentage of residents who live exceptionally long lives, often avoiding age-related disability to a significantly higher degree than in the Western way of life. Longevity is not a universal phenomenon, so if there are places in the world with characteristics similar to the LBZs, it is important to identify them in order to better understand what other factors, in addition to the known ones, might contribute to a long and healthy life. 
  • 425
  • 06 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Diagnosis and Management of Mandibular Crowding
Crowding is the most frequent malocclusion in orthodontics, with a strong hereditary tendency. It already occurs in pediatric age and is mainly hereditary. It is a sign of a lack of space in the arches, and is not self-correcting, but can worsen over time. The main cause of the worsening of this malocclusion is a progressive and physiological decrease in the arch perimeter.  An orthodontic treatment cannot ignore the concept of “guide arch”, which concerns the lower arch, because of the objective difficulty in increasing its perimeter; the bone structure of the lower jaw is more compact than that of the upper one. Its expansion, in fact, is limited to a slight vestibularization of the incisors and lateral sectors that may be associated with a limited distalization of the molars. There are various therapeutic solutions available to the orthodontist, and a correct diagnosis through clinical examination, radiographs and model analysis are essential. The decision of how to deal with crowding cannot be separated from an overall assessment of the malocclusion to be treated.
  • 425
  • 08 May 2023
Topic Review
Mercury and Prenatal Growth
The intrauterine environment is critical for healthy prenatal growth and affects neonatal survival and later health. Mercury is a toxic metal which can freely cross the placenta and disrupt a wide range of cellular processes. Many observational studies have investigated mercury exposure and prenatal growth, but no prior review has synthesised this evidence. Four relevant publication databases (Embase, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus) were systematically searched to identify studies of prenatal mercury exposure and birth weight, birth length, or head circumference. Study quality was assessed using the NIH Quality Assessment Tool, and results synthesised in a narrative review. Twenty-seven studies met the review criteria, these were in 17 countries and used 8 types of mercury biomarker. Studies of birth weight (total = 27) involving populations with high levels of mercury exposure, non-linear methods, or identified as high quality were more likely to report an association with mercury, but overall results were inconsistent. Most studies reported no strong evidence of association between mercury and birth length (n = 14) or head circumference (n = 14). 
  • 424
  • 07 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Drosophila with Super-Resolution Microscopy
In recent decades, fluorescent microscopy has become the most popular tool of cell and developmental biologists, since fluorescent labeling offers high molecular specificity, and due to its low invasiveness, it has become the leading method to study living cells, tissues or organisms. In the early days, only widefield applications were available, but with later technological advances, every aspect of microscopy was improved tremendously, resulting in the development of specialized microscopes, such as optical sectioning confocal microscopes, spinning disk confocal microscopes, light sheets, TIRF and multi-photon microscopic tools. Despite the remarkable progress, all these techniques remained limited by the wavelength of light at around 200-250 nm. A turning point came when scientists found ways to get around this obstacle and developed several nanoscopic methods that are able to increase the resolution up to 2-10 nm, allowing the study and understanding of the cellular structures at the molecular level by broadly applicable microscopic approaches.
  • 424
  • 09 Aug 2021
Topic Review
The Corona Dashboard in Context (‘Dutchboard’)
The core corona dashboard depicts quantitative data—systemically decomposed—on key facts of the space and time spread of COVID-19 cases. There are three context-specific factors that determine the trajectory of the spread of the corona virus: (i) the degree of vaccination intensity in a given country; (ii) the policy stringency in coping with the virus; (iii) the degree of intensity of social contacts. 
  • 424
  • 04 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Three-Dimensional Approaches in Complex Congenital Heart Disease
Echocardiography, CT and MRI have a crucial role in the management of congenital heart disease (CHD) patients. All of these modalities can be presented in a two-dimensional (2D) or a three-dimensional (3D) rendered format. 
  • 424
  • 07 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Wearable Monitoring of Drugs
Precision medicine, particularly therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), is essential for optimizing drug dosage and minimizing toxicity. However, current TDM methods have limitations, including the need for skilled operators, patient discomfort, and the inability to monitor dynamic drug level changes. Wearable sensors have emerged as a promising solution for drug monitoring. These sensors offer real-time and continuous measurement of drug concentrations in biofluids, enabling personalized medicine and reducing the risk of toxicity. 
  • 424
  • 27 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Viral Zoonotic Diseases and Male Reproduction
Zoonotic diseases occur as a result of human interactions with animals with the inadvertent transmission of pathogens from one to another. Zoonoses remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality among human populations, as they have been a source of pandemics in human history. Viral zoonoses account for a significant percentage of pathogens of zoonotic sources, posing a huge risk to men’s general health and fertility. Evidence from reviewed articles showed that viral zoonotic diseases elicit an immune reaction that induces inflammatory mediators and impairs testicular functions such as spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis, leading to abnormal semen parameters that lead to subfertility/infertility. Although most zoonotic viruses linger in semen long after recovery, their presence in semen does not directly translate to sexual transmission. 
  • 423
  • 20 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Managing Earthquake Debris
Earthquakes have the potential to cause severe and widespread structural damage to buildings and infrastructure in the affected area. Earthquake debris mainly results from building collapses during intense ground motion and the emergency demolition of damaged and unstable buildings following a devastating earthquake. Debris management constitutes a major challenge that must be met by all those participating in disaster management as it poses threats to both the natural environment and public health in an earthquake-affected area. 
  • 422
  • 13 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Qualitative Evidence for Return-to-Work
Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMSP) (i.e., pain duration >3 months) such as chronic neck/shoulder and back pain or generalized widespread pain (including fibromyalgia (FM)) has a prevalence from 10.4% to 20% among adults.
  • 423
  • 19 Apr 2021
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