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Laccaria is a diverse and widespread genus of ectomycorrhizal fungi that form symbiotic associations with various trees and shrubs, playing a significant role in forest ecosystems. Approximately 85 Laccaria species are formally recognised, but recent studies indicate this number may be an underestimation, highlighting the need for further taxonomic studies to improve our understanding of species boundaries. This manuscript focuses on Laccaria affinis , originally described by Singer in 1967 as Laccaria laccata var. affinis , and details a comprehensive study of its morphological and molecular characteristics, including the examination of its holotype and recent collections from Italy and the United Kingdom. Our findings reveal significant micromorphological traits that enhance the original description. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that L. affinis occupies a distinct clade within Northern Hemisphere Laccaria species, although minimal genetic differences challenge its independence from L. macrocystidiata . Consequently, we propose that these two taxa be considered synonymous. This study not only contributes to the understanding of Laccaria diversity but also proposes the formal designation of an epitype for L. affinis , thereby providing a foundation for future research on this ecologically significant genus. Furthermore, a new species named Laccaria albifolia belonging to the "/Laccaria bicolor complex clade" is described here on the base of six collections from Italy and Spain.

Introduction: Microbiota, composed of micro-organisms like bacteria, viruses, and non-pathogenic fungi, plays a crucial role in digestion, vitamin production, and protection against dangerous microbes. Several factors, including age, diet, alcohol consumption, stress, environmental microorganisms, and therapies (particularly antibiotics), as well as birth and nursing, could modify the microbiota. Recent research has highlighted its alteration and involvement in a various disease, including metabolic syndrome and acne. This systematic review aimed to identify common biomarkers and microbiota alterations shared between metabolic syndrome and acne, and to explore how the potential prebiotic activities of polyphenols may promote intestinal eubiosis. Materials and methods: A comprehensive search in PubMed and EMBASE resulted in 4142 articles, from which nine studies were selected based on specific criteria after removing duplicates and reviewing abstracts and full texts. All studies correlated the microbiota alteration in both pathologies and the activity of polyphenols in metabolic syndrome. Results: This review suggests that acne may be influenced by some of the same microorganisms involved in metabolic syndrome. While the literature highlights the effectiveness of polyphenols in treating metabolic syndrome, no studies have yet demonstrated their specific impact on acne. Conclusions: The research points to the potential benefits of polyphenols in modulating the microbiota, which could be relevant for individuals with metabolic syndrome. However, due to the limited data available, it was not possible to establish a direct correlation between metabolic syndrome and acne.

Heavy metals (HMs) are natural elements present in the Earth's crust, characterised by a high atomic mass and a density more than five times higher than water. Despite their origin from natural sources, extensive usage and processing of raw materials and their presence as silent poisons in our daily products and diets have drastically altered their biochemical balance, making them a threat to the environment and human health. Particularly, the food chain polluted with toxic metals represents a crucial route of human exposure. Therefore, the impact of HMs on human health has become a matter of concern because of the severe chronic effects induced by their excessive levels in the human body. Chelation therapy is an approved valid treatment for HM poisoning; however, despite the efficacy demonstrated by chelating agents, various dramatic side effects may occur. Numerous data demonstrate that dietary components and phytoantioxidants play a significant role in preventing or reducing the damage induced by HMs. This review summarises the role of various phytochemicals, plant and herbal extracts or probiotics in promoting human health by mitigating the toxic effects of different HMs.

In the developed world, pediatric obesity (PO) has been a major health concern since the last century, and this condition may lead to detrimental life-long physical and mental comorbidities. Currently, its prevalence has increased in low- and middle-income countries and in many high-income countries. Thus, the provision of effective and tailored care for children and their families has become vital. The social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are known everywhere, and among these, it has been argued that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on PO. Overall, the growth of PO over the last decade has been enhanced by the pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, children, adolescents and young adults gained weight as the pediatric population dealt with sedentary lifestyles and changes in food habits. In this review, we want to highlight the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on PO.

These days, most of our attention has been focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, and we have often neglected what is happening in the environment. For instance, the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa re-emerged as a plant pathogen of global importance in 2013 when it was first associated with an olive tree disease epidemic in Italy, called Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS), specifically caused by X. fastidiosa subspecies pauca ST53, which affects the Salento olive trees (Apulia, South-East Italy). This bacterium, transmitted by the insect Philaenus spumarius, is negatively reshaping the Salento landscape and has had a very high impact in the production of olives, leading to an increase of olive oil prices, thus new studies to curb this bacterium are urgently needed. Thidiazuron (TDZ), a diphenylurea ( N -phenyl-1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-yl urea), has gained considerable attention in recent decades due to its efficient role in plant cell and tissue culture, being the most suitable growth regulator for rapid and effective plant production in vitro. Its biological activity against bacteria, fungi and biofilms has also been described, and the use of this low-cost compound to fight OQDS may be an intriguing idea.

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, it was discovered that the substitution on aromatic rings of hydrogen atoms with chlorine yielded a novel chemistry of antimicrobials. However, within a few years, many of these compounds and formulations showed adverse effects, including human toxicity, ecotoxicity, and unwanted environmental persistence and bioaccumulation, quickly leading to regulatory bans and phase-outs. Among these, the triclocarban, a polychlorinated aromatic antimicrobial agent, was employed as a major ingredient of toys, clothing, food packaging materials, food industry floors, medical supplies, and especially of personal care products, such as soaps, toothpaste, and shampoo. Triclocarban has been widely used for over 50 years, but only recently some concerns were raised about its endocrine disruptive properties. In September 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned its use in over-the-counter hand and body washes because of its toxicity. The withdrawal of triclocarban has prompted the efforts to search for new antimicrobial compounds and several analogues of triclocarban have also been studied. In this review, an examination of different facets of triclocarban and its analogues will be analyzed.

Mycosis fungoides (MF) is a cutaneous malignant lymphoma with an extended clinical course. MF presents in series of dermatological manifestations, beginning with patches and plaques of the skin, and eventually evolving into tumours. Often MF can occur for extended periods without worsening of external symptoms, while the disease advances internally in organs such as lymph nodes, liver, spleen, lung, bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas and kidney. The present report presents a clinical case in which gastrointestinal symptomatology occurred a decade after the first dermatological manifestation. Immunohistochemical analysis of the skin, along with small bowel biopsies revealed evidence of gastric T-cell lymphoma. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to describe such a case in the literature., (Copyright: © Scali et al.)

Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Recent studies have clarified many still unknown aspects related to innate immunity and the blood-brain barrier relationship. They have also confirmed the close links between effector immune system cells, such as granulocytes, macrophages, microglia, natural killer cells and mast cells, and barrier functionality. The latter, in turn, is able to influence not only the entry of the cells of the immune system into the nervous tissue, but also their own activation. Interestingly, these two components and their interactions play a role of great importance not only in infectious diseases, but in almost all the pathologies of the central nervous system. In this paper, we review the main aspects in the field of vascular diseases (cerebral ischemia), of primitive and secondary neoplasms of Central Nervous System CNS, of CNS infectious diseases, of most common neurodegenerative diseases, in epilepsy and in demyelinating diseases (multiple sclerosis). Neuroinflammation phenomena are constantly present in all diseases; in every different pathological state, a variety of innate immunity cells responds to specific stimuli, differentiating their action, which can influence the blood-brain barrier permeability. This, in turn, undergoes anatomical and functional modifications, allowing the stabilization or the progression of the pathological processes., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: Topical oxygen therapy is a cosmetic procedure that is becoming more and more popular in dermatology; however, only a few articles on this topic are present in the literature. In this work we report our group experience with oxygen therapy as an adjuvant treatment in various dermatological conditions., Methods: Four studies were conducted. In the first study we used vehiculated oxygen therapy for diseases that cause hair loss. In the second study oxygen was used in the treatment of mild acne. In the third study moderate acne was treated with topical oxygen. In the fourth study chronic dermatological conditions such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis were treated with this procedure., Results: In studies 1 and 2 the outcomes in groups who used topical oxygen therapy as an adjuvant treatment were better than in the groups that did not use it. Studies 3 and 4 also showed very good results, but no control groups were present in the study., Conclusion: Topical oxygen therapy was useful in the treatment of hair loss conditions, mild and moderate acne, and in chronic cutaneous diseases, showing effectiveness as a support therapy in all of these conditions. Further and larger studies should be conducted to better evaluate its effectiveness in dermatological conditions., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Background: Senior medical students represent future physicians who commonly refer patients for diagnostic imaging studies that may involve ionizing radiation. The radiology curriculum at the University of British Columbia provides students with broad-based knowledge about common imaging examinations. The purpose of this study was to investigate students' awareness of radiation exposures and risks., Methods: An anonymous multiple-choice cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed to final year medical students to assess knowledge of radiation from common diagnostic examinations and radiation-related risks following completion of the longitudinal radiology curriculum, carried out over the four years of medical training., Results: Sixty-three of 192 eligible students participated (33% response rate). The majority felt that knowledge of radiation doses of common imaging examinations is somewhat or very important; however, only 12% (N = 8) routinely discuss radiation-related risks with patients. While all respondents recognized children as most sensitive to the effects of radiation, only 24% (N = 15) correctly identified gonads as the most radiation-sensitive tissue. Almost all respondents recognized ultrasound and MRI as radiation free modalities. Respondents who correctly identified the relative dose of common imaging examinations in chest x-ray equivalents varied from 3-77% (N = 2 - 49); the remaining responses were largely underestimates. Finally, 44% (N = 28) correctly identified the excess risk of a fatal cancer from an abdominal CT in an adult, while the remainder underestimated this risk., Conclusion: Medical students acknowledge the importance of radiation-related issues to patient care. While almost all students are familiar with radiation-free modalities, many are not familiar with, and commonly underestimate, the relative doses and risks of common imaging studies. This may expose patients to increasing imaging investigations and exposure to radiation hazards., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: None of the authors have conflicts of interest to report.

Mammary Paget’s disease (MPD) is a malignant breast tumor, which is characterized by intraepidermal infiltration from malignant glandular epithelial cells. Often it may include an underlying ductal carcinoma in situ or an invasive ductal carcinoma. Clinically it appears as an erythematous patch, moist or crusted, with or without desquamation that in some cases becomes ulcerated, causing infiltration and inversion of the nipple. We report the clinical case of a 60-year-old woman, treated in our department for psoriasis, presenting with erythema of nipple and areola with nipple erosion, ulceration and poor secretion. Suspecting Paget’s disease of the nipple, radiological exams (mammography and breast MRI) were performed. A biopsy for histological examination was carried out and confirmed the diagnosis of mammary Paget’s disease. MPD is sometimes difficult to diagnose both clinically and radiologically, therefore it is important to distinguish from other conditions: in literature MPD is reported in differential diagnosis with psoriasis given its similar clinical features, and in some cases MPD has been treated with topical and systemic steroids due to a wrong diagnosis. However, the concomitance, in the same individual, of mammary Paget’s disease and psoriasis has never been described.