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Microfluidic devices support developmental and mechanobiology studies by enabling the precise control of electrical, chemical, and mechanical stimuli at the microscale. Here, we describe the fabrication of customizable microfluidic devices and demonstrate their efficacy in applying mechanical loads to micro-organs and whole organisms, such as Drosophila embryos. The fabrication technique consists in the use of xurography to define channels and chambers using thin layers of thermoplastics and glass. The superposition of layers followed by thermal lamination produces robust and reproducible devices that are easily adapted for a variety of experiments. The integration of deformable layers and glass in these devices facilitates the imaging of cellular and molecular dynamics in biological specimens under mechanical loads. The method is highly adaptable for studies in mechanobiology.

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BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Ceftobiprole is a recent 5th generation parenteral cephalosporin with antibacterial activity against a large range Gram+ and Gram- bacteria. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is an essential tool for maintaining plasma concentrations of antibiotics above the MIC by the end of the dosing interval, thus preventing the resistant strain diffusion. TDM is already recommended for other cephalosporins, and it is a reasonable tool contributing to the safety and efficacy of these drugs. During the treatment of patients in real-life, a number of pharmacokinetic (PK) changes not normally seen in healthy volunteers can occur which can impair the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic target attainment. We aimed to develop simple and rapid HPLC-UV method for determination of ceftobiprole in human serum to implement TDM in clinical practice and support PKs and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples preparation of calibration standards, QC, and anonymous patients serum samples was performed by protein precipitation by adding 0.01 ml of sulphosalicylic acid at 30 % to 0.1 ml of each sample. Then samples were vortexed and the centrifuged at 12,000 rpm for 10 min at 4 °C. Fifty microlitres of clear supernatant were diluted 1:1 with mobile phase and transferred into HPLC autosampler held at 8 °C. Chromatographic separation was carried out in a gradient mode at 35 °C on an ultra-Biphenyl column using a Thermo Scientific chromatographic system with a Diode array. Data management was performed with Chromeleon 7.4 software. RESULTS: The HPLC-UV method proved to be linear over wide concentration ranges (0.5-50.0 mg/L) and was accurate and reproducible in the absence of matrix effects, allowing for robust, specific, and rapid quantification of ceftobiprole from a low amount of serum (0.1 mL). The mean steady state Ctrough and Cend values measured in the anonymous patients' samples were 6.26 ± 3.81 mg/L and 22.56 ± 15.69 mg/L, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We report a broadened simple and fast HPLC with UV detection method for quantification of ceftobiprole in human serum to implement ceftobiprole TDM as clinical routine, and support future (PK/PD) studies in special patients' population.

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Oritavancin (ORI) is a semisynthetic lipoglycopeptide approved as a single 1200 mg dose intravenous infusion for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSIs) caused by Gram-positive organisms in adults. The pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) linear kinetic profile and long terminal half-life (~393 h) of ORI make it therapeutically attractive for the treatment of other Gram-positive infections for which prolonged therapy is needed. Multidose regimens are adopted in real-world clinical practice with promising results, but aggregated efficacy data are still lacking. A comprehensive search on PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Cochrane and Google Scholar databases was performed to include papers published up to the end of January 2023. All articles on ORI multiple doses usage, including case reports, with quantitative data and relevant clinical information were included. Two reviewers independently assessed papers against the inclusion/exclusion criteria and for methodological quality. Differences in opinion were adjudicated by a third party. From 1751 potentially relevant papers identified by this search, a total of 16 studies met the inclusion criteria and were processed further in the final data analysis. We extracted data concerning clinical response, bacteriologic response, mortality and adverse events (AEs). From the 16 included papers, 301 cases of treatment with multidose ORIs were identified. Multidose regimens comprised an initial ORI dose of 1200 mg followed by 1200 mg or 800 mg subsequent doses with a varying total number and frequency of reinfusions. The most often treated infections and isolates were osteomyelitis (148; 54.4%), ABSSSI (35; 12.9%) and cellulitis (14; 5.1%); and MRSA (121), MSSA (66), CoNS (17), E. faecalis (13) and E. faecium (12), respectively. Clinical cure and improvement by multidose ORI regimens were observed in 85% (231/272) and 8% (22/272) patients, respectively. Multidose ORI was safe and well tolerated; the most frequent AEs were infusion-related reactions and hypoglycemia. A multidose ORI regimen may be beneficial in treating other Gram-positive infections besides ABSSSIs, with a good safety profile. Further studies are warranted to ascertain the superiority of one multidose ORI scheme or posology over the other.

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OBJECTIVES: to assess the clinical care impact resulting from the lack of a regional reference Centre for Paediatric Poisoning in Liguria Region (Northern Italy) and to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of paediatric patients who accessed the Emergency Department of the 'Gaslini' Paediatric Hospital (Genoa, Liguria Region) for intoxication. DESIGN: retrospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: patients' cases of both sexes, <18 years old, who accessed the Emergency Department of the 'Gaslini' Paediatric Hospital between January 2017 and December 2019 for intoxication. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: the Poisoning Severity Score (PSS), a simple and reliable scoring system to describe poisonings and define their severity, was used. The primary objective was pursued by investigating the percentage of cases of intoxication which followed, in the study period, a clinical care pathway inconsistent with the degree of severity ascertained through the retrospective application of the PSS. Clinical-demographic data, triage tag color-coding, and causes of intoxication of cases were also collected. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize results. RESULTS: a total of 172 cases were identified over the study period; 28 did not meet the inclusion criteria. The final analysis involved 144 cases of intoxication, 70 were from females and 74 from males, with a median age of 3 years-old; 60% of study cases followed a clinical care pathway consistent with the intoxication severity ascertained trough the PSS, in 40% of study cases the clinical care pathway was inconsistent with PSS. The triage tag colour-code assigned was green in 16% of accesses, yellow in 82%, and red in only 2%. Out of the total of accesses, 40% of cases were attributed to drug intoxication in which the agents most involved were analgesics and sedative-hypnotic drugs, 30% to carbon monoxide and fumes poisoning, 23% to food/other substance intoxication, and 7% to alcohol intoxication. CONCLUSIONS: implementing a referral Centre for Paediatric Poisoning could potentially affect 40% of access to the Emergency Department. Further analysis should be carried out to clarify whether an integrated Telemedicine Service could guide the correct management of intoxicated paediatric patients by referring them, through the Poisoning Severity Score system, for home monitoring or immediate hospitalization, if necessary.

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Glioblastoma (GBM) is characterized by fast-growing cells, genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity, and radio-chemo-therapy resistance, contributing to its dismal prognosis. Various medical comorbidities are associated with the natural history of GBM. The most disabling and greatly affecting patients' quality of life are neurodegeneration, cognitive impairment, and GBM-related epilepsy (GRE). Hallmarks of GBM include molecular intrinsic mediators and pathways, but emerging evidence supports the key role of non-malignant cells within the tumor microenvironment in GBM aggressive behavior. In this context, hyper-excitability of neurons, mediated by glutamatergic and GABAergic imbalance, contributing to GBM growth strengthens the cancer-nervous system crosstalk. Pathogenic mechanisms, clinical features, and pharmacological management of GRE with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and their interactions are poorly explored, yet it is a potentially promising field of research in cancer neuroscience. The present review summarizes emerging cooperative mechanisms in oncogenesis and epileptogenesis, focusing on the neuron-to-glioma interface. The main effects and efficacy of selected AEDs used in the management of GRE are discussed in this paper, as well as their potential beneficial activity as antitumor treatment. Overall, although still many unclear processes overlapping in GBM growth and seizure onset need to be elucidated, this review focuses on the intriguing targeting of GBM-neuron mutual interactions to improve the outcome of the so challenging to treat GBM.