Educational Intervention of Healthy Life Promotion for Children with a Migrant Background or at Socioeconomic Disadvantage in the North of Italy: Efficacy of Telematic Tools in Improving Nutritional and Physical Activity Knowledge.

The aim of the "Smuovi La Salute" ("Shake Your Health") project was to implement an integrated and comprehensive model to prevent and treat overweight and obesity in low socioeconomic status (SES) and minority groups living in three different districts in the north of Italy. An app and a cookbook promoting transcultural nutrition and a healthy lifestyle were developed, and no-cost physical activities were organized. Healthy lifestyle teaching was implemented in 30 primary school classrooms. Learning was assessed through pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. At the Obesity Pediatric Clinic, overweight and obese children of migrant background or low SES were trained on transcultural nutrition and invited to participate in the project. Primary school students increased their knowledge about healthy nutrition and the importance of physical activity (p-value < 0.001). At the Obesity Pediatric Clinic, after 6 months, pre-post-intervention variation in their consumption of vegetables and fruit was +14% (p < 0.0001) and no variation in physical activity habits occurred (p = 0.34). In this group, the BMI z-score was not significantly decreased (-0.17 ± 0.63, p= 0.15). This study demonstrates the feasibility and efficacy of telematic tools and targeted community approaches in improving students' knowledge with regard to healthy lifestyle, particularly in schools in suburbs with a high density of migrants and SES families. Comprehensive and integrated approaches provided to the obese patients remain mostly ineffective.

Tacripyrimidines, the first tacrine-dihydropyrimidine hybrids, as multi-target-directed ligands for Alzheimer's disease.

Notwithstanding the combination of cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition and calcium channel blockade within a multitarget therapeutic approach is envisaged as potentially beneficial to confront Alzheimer's disease (AD), this strategy has been scarcely investigated. To explore this promising line, a series of 5-amino-4-aryl-3,4,6,7,8,9-hexahydropyrimido [4,5-b]quinoline-2(1H)-thiones (tacripyrimidines) (4a-l) were designed by juxtaposition of tacrine, a ChE inhibitor (ChEI), and 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-thiones, as efficient calcium channel blockers (CCBs). In agreement with their design, all tacripyrimidines, except the unsubstituted parent compound and its p-methoxy derivative, acted as moderate to potent CCBs with activities generally similar or higher than the reference CCB drug nimodipine and were modest-to-good ChEIs. Most interestingly, the 3'-methoxy derivative (4e) emerged as the first well balanced ChEI/CCB agent, acting as low micromolar hChEI (3.05 µM and 3.19 µM on hAChE and hBuChE, respectively) and moderate CCB (30.4% at 1 µM) with no significant hepatotoxicity toward HepG2 cells and good predicted oral absorption and blood brain barrier permeability.

Candida pneumonia in a term infant after prolonged use of inhaled corticosteroids for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

Candida spp. frequently cause invasive fungal disease in neonates, and many organs or apparatus can be involved through bloodstream dissemination. Though Candida spp. can heavily colonize the upper and lower respiratory tract, an end-organ localization to the lung is not frequent and acquisition via descending/respiratory route is a questioned entity. Here we report the case of a young infant affected by bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and treated with inhaled steroids who developed Candida pneumonia likely acquired through descending route.