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Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is characterized by intermittent hypoxia (IH) during sleep due to recurrent upper airway obstruction. The derived oxidative stress (OS) leads to complications that do not only concern the sleep-wake rhythm but also systemic dysfunctions. The aim of this narrative literature review is to investigate molecular alterations, diagnostic markers, and potential medical therapies for OSAS. We analyzed the literature and synthesized the evidence collected. IH increases oxygen free radicals (ROS) and reduces antioxidant capacities. OS and metabolic alterations lead OSAS patients to undergo endothelial dysfunction, osteoporosis, systemic inflammation, increased cardiovascular risk, pulmonary remodeling, and neurological alterations. We treated molecular alterations known to date as useful for understanding the pathogenetic mechanisms and for their potential application as diagnostic markers. The most promising pharmacological therapies are those based on N-acetylcysteine (NAC), Vitamin C, Leptin, Dronabinol, or Atomoxetine + Oxybutynin, but all require further experimentation. CPAP remains the approved therapy capable of reversing most of the known molecular alterations; future drugs may be useful in treating the remaining dysfunctions.

The contribution collects and illustrates "creative" methodological and design paths in the sectors of mobility and transport where design, biology, material technologies and bioengineering cooperate in a synergistic and proactive way for configurating new systems for fixing vehicles’ interior components. The aim has been to reduce the tolerance of human error during assembly by using innovative technological and material solutions and the conscious study of biological and biomechanical processes present in nature. In order to articulate the research activities, parameters have been identified and defined according to the requirements of the workers during the preparation and fixing of the components, according to the principles of safety, good design and material optimization. From the identification and literature survey of the patent documents and from the structural, material, feasibility and reliability assessments of the current installation procedures, critical issues related to stress, safety, times of installation and assembly and disassembly of the components have been carried out. Therefore, innovative biomimetic concept-solutions have been developed for the definition of architectures and fixing systems through an in-depth observation of the biological heritage, based on the organic integration of form, function, and processes. The path allowed the acquisition of specific knowledge and interdisciplinary skills to plan tangible results useful for optimizing, innovating and strengthening the design process from various industrial sectors such as engineering, aerospace, automotive, medical and pharmaceutical packaging.