Welcome to Biomedicine & Prevention

Among the biological agents that could be used as weapons, the risk constituted by the use of toxins cannot be underestimated. Although toxins do not share all the characteristics of the other classes of biological agents (e.g. toxins are unable to reproduce themselves in the host, as well they do not result in a communicable disease after the toxication), they can result in severe diseases for humans. Moreover, the release of some classes of toxins, especially of fungal origin (mycotoxins), can result in dramatic effects on the cattle and on the agriculture, affecting the economy and the sustainability of a country. In this paper, the natural outbreaks and the voluntary release of fungal toxins (con-firmed or not), and their inclusion in the bioarsenal of certain countries, will be analyzed by cases studies.

Although much is known about pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), available evidence doesn’t explain everything and contiguous hypotheses such as “the brain trace metal dyshomeostasis” take place in order to enlighten the residual part of disease risk. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the currently available studies concerning metal concentration in biological human matrices of AD subjects. All the studies meeting the eligibility criteria showed a large variability of outcomes. Therefore, although there is some evidence of a difference in metal concentration between AD and non-AD subjects, it should be interpreted with caution. Moreover, because of the complex interaction between iron, copper and zinc, it could be worthwhile to focus on studies investigating Cu/Zn, Cu/Fe, and Zn/Fe ratios as possible biomarkers of this effect, instead of concentrating on measuring single metal levels in biological matrices, in particular those with a clear tendency to insignificant variations in AD subjects (e.g. chrome, molybdenum, nickel and tin).

The gut microbiome has a dynamic nature and can be influenced by a variety of factors. The bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain is known as the gut-brain axis. This term has been expanded to microbiota-gut-brain axis, since gut microbiota is of primary importance to this pathway. The focus of this review is the role of gut microbiota in specific neurological disorders and the preventive and therapeutic potential deriving from modulation of gut composition with probiotics in such psychiatric conditions.

Environmental pollution is a serious risk factor for human health and for the protection of ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems are among those most exposed to pollution. The identification of new biomarkers is required to apply the Nutrient, hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (NACCP) process. Recently it has been developed a new method of investigation to evaluate the effects of pollution on the biological component of an ecosystem that assesses physiological state of its populating organisms. The aim of the present study is focusing on reliability of mussels as bioindicator organisms of coastal marine pollution in Calabria.

The heart failure cannot be managed only with drugs, there are several lifestyle behaviours that need attention and that can make the difference in terms of quality of life. Changing lifestyle is a long trip that requires a guide, nursing education could be a good approach to reach it. Moreover, an ICD implantation is a second condition that worsens due to the complexity of the chronic illness. A qualified nurse in cardiovascular disease has all the knowledge to follow the patients through this process. We aimed to introduce this support, during the transaction period, in health services in which it was not available.

In Zambia children’s diet is often inappropriate, with poor feeding practices directly correlated with children’s nutritional status and health. This study aimed to assess feeding practices and dietary consumption of 37 Zambian malnourished children admitted in Rainbow Supplementary Feeding Programs (SPFs), evaluating the impact of nutritional counseling on feeding habits and response to nutritional rehabilitation. Dietary assessment was collected at two times: admission (baseline: T1) and discharge (follow up: T2). The differences in feeding habits and dietary characteristics between T1 and T2, and the association between dietary diversity and response in nutritional rehabilitation were investigated. Our results show that children’s dietary characteristics at baseline were very poor, specifically on meal frequency and quality. After nutritional counseling significant improvements were observed in general children’s feeding habits, with consistent rise in energy and macronutrients intakes. Consistent changes in food groups consumed were noted, especially when considering fruit, vegetables and animal-source food. Higher dietary diversity was positively associated with response to nutritional rehabilitation. Nutritional counselling within SFPs was therefore effective in the education of mothers/guardians, driving changes in Zambian children’s feeding practices such as dietary diversity, meal quality and frequency.