Computer-Assisted Design of Peptide-Based Radiotracers.

In medical imaging, techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging, contrast-enhanced computerized tomography, positron emission tomography (PET), and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are extensively available and routinely used for disease diagnosis. PET probes with peptide-based targeting are typically composed of small peptides especially developed to have high affinity and specificity for a range of cellular and tissue targets. These probes' key benefits include being less expensive than traditional antibody-based PET tracers and having an effective chemical modification process that allows them to be radiolabeled with almost any radionuclide, making them highly appealing for clinical usage. Currently, as with every pharmaceutical design, the use of in silico strategies is steadily growing in this field, even though it is not part of the standard toolkit used during radiopharmaceutical design. This review describes the recent applications of computational design approaches in the design of novel peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals.

Targeting the SARS-CoV-2 HR1 with Small Molecules as Inhibitors of the Fusion Process.

The rapid and global propagation of the novel human coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has produced an immediate urgency to discover promising targets for the treatment of this virus. In this paper, we studied the spike protein S2 domain of SARS-CoV-2 as it is the most conserved component and controls the crucial fusion process of SARS-CoV-2 as a target for different databases of small organic compounds. Our in silico methodology, based on pharmacophore modeling, docking simulation and molecular dynamics simulations, was first validated with ADS-J1, a potent small-molecule HIV fusion inhibitor that has already proved effective in binding the HR1 domain and inhibiting the fusion core of SARS-CoV-1. It then focused on finding novel small molecules and new peptides as fusion inhibitors. Our methodology identified several small molecules and peptides as potential inhibitors of the fusion process. Among these, NF 023 hydrate (MolPort-006-822-583) is one of the best-scored compounds. Other compounds of interest are ZINC00097961973, Salvianolic acid, Thalassiolin A and marine_160925_88_2. Two interesting active peptides were also identified: AP00094 (Temporin A) and AVP1227 (GBVA5). The inhibition of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 is a valid target to inhibit the virus entry in human cells. The discussed compounds reported in this paper led to encouraging results for future in vitro tests against SARS-CoV-2.

Education nursing students' in Palliative Care and Pain Therapy: an observational study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: University education plays an important role in the preparation of future nurses, especially in the care of dying patients, which is one of the most emotionally engaging aspects. The objectives of the study were to describe the attitudes of students in end-of-life care and to analyze the possible relationship with some socio-demographic variables, through an observational study. METHODS: Preliminarily, an analysis of the educational context of the Nursing Course  of the University of Parma was started, through a comparison of the university course with the recommendations of the MIUR concerning the teaching and learning of Palliative Care and Pain Therapy. Subsequently, a questionnaire containing the Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale Form B and some socio-demographic context variables was administered to a sample of 109 students belonging to the CoS of Nursing in Parma. RESULTS: From the data collected, it emerged that university planning partly reflects the recommendations of the MIUR and how, on average, nursing students have described positive attitudes in all the dimensions investigated. Interesting is the presence of a positive relationship between the personal experiences of bereavement and the attitudes of the students. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses are essential in ensuring the quality of care provided to patients at the end of life; Nursing training in Palliative Care and Pain Therapy should include a complete and varied program (frontal activity, simulation, internship paths...) in order to develop positive student attitudes associated with high levels of satisfaction and improvement of the quality of care provided.

Competence assessment of the clinical tutor: a multicentric observational study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: In the international literature there are no validated tools which investigate clinical tutors' skills. The main objective of the study has been to describe the clinical nurse tutor's skills, required to properly train nursing students during their educational path. METHODS: In this observational study a non-probability sampling has been used. The study was led in two centers: the AOUPR of Parma and the AUSL of Parma, after obtaining the favorable opinion from the Ethics Committee of the Northern Emilia Large Section. The data have been collected by using a structured and self-given survey that investigated three areas. Each item has a 4-point Likert scale, in which 1 indicates "for nothing" and 4 "very much". The data have been analyzed with the statistical software IBM SPSS v.26 ® and with the open-source statistical software Jamovi v.1.6.9 (https://www.jamovi.org.). The number of factors in the original model was reduced using several established research steps and then evaluated for data quality and construct validity using principal component analysis and confimatory factor analysis. RESULTS: Among 397 administered questionnaires, only 300, which were considered valid, have been filled. The psychometric properties of the investigation tool turned out to be good in all the areas analyzed with a Cronbach alpha higher than 0.70. The extensive process resulted in a version with 4 factors. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses' answers have allowed to draw the required profile of the clinical tutors in the different organizational contexts. The results can target possible training proposals to create opportunities for the clinical tutors.

Operating Room Setup: How to Improve Health Care Professionals Safety During Pandemic COVID-19-A Quality Improvement Study.

Background: COVID-19 is a terrific pandemic and a potential risk for every health care professional (HCP), especially during emergency conditions where the right timing is essential for the correct treatment. During surgery the correct setting of operative room (OR) is mandatory to reduce the risk of contamination. Personal protection equipment (PPE), specific devices, and planned OR setting are essential during surgery in pandemic COVID-19. Methods: Medline, PubMed, Scientific societies recommendations, and guidelines were consulted to identify articles reporting the setup of OR during pandemic COVID-19. Results: OR must have a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter with negative pressure and a high air exchange cycle rate. Every supply kit should be packed and placed in the OR before patient arrival. A detailed checklist of equipment and devices is necessary. Personal PPE at the highest level should be provided to every HCP (Association of the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation [AAMI]-Level-III surgical gowns; double latex-free gloves with Acceptable Quality Level <1.0; FFP3 or powered air-purifying respirator masks with face shield). Anesthesia should be performed with a rapid sequence intubation. During surgery energy devices should be settled to the lower level in combination with a smoke evacuation switch pen with disposable smoke evacuation HEPA filter to minimize surgical smoke spread. During laparoscopy low pneumoperitoneum pressures and aspiration systems must be provided. Conclusions: Emergency surgery during pandemic COVID-19 increases the risk for every HCP in the OR. A theoretical risk of transmission from the surgical field exists. It is mandatory the adoption of strong strategies to reduce the risk of contamination in the OR.