From womb to world: mapping gut microbiota-related health literacy among Italian mothers, a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The gut microbiota is a key determinant of long-term health. Promoting maternal health literacy may enhance children well-being. Aim of the present study was to assess gut microbiota-related health literacy of Italian women and identify potential gaps in awareness. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted using an online questionnaire (17 questions) on determinants and long-term impact of infant gut microbiota. The survey targeted Italian pregnant women and mothers of children under 2 years old, and was distributed through various social media channels between September 28th and November 15th, 2022. A total score was calculated as the sum of positive answers. Data on demographics, pregnancy status, and pre-existing knowledge of the infant gut microbiota were also collected. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 1076 women. Median total score was 9 [7-11]. The 81.7% of respondents declared prior knowledge of the gut microbiota. The internet was among the most commonly cited primary sources of information. Independent predictors of total score were having a university degree (B = 0.656, p = 0.002) and prior knowledge (B = 2.246, p < 0.001). Conversely, older age was associated with lower total scores (B = -0.092, p < 0.001). The least known determinants of infant gut microbiota were gestational BMI, prematurity, mode of delivery and NICU stay. Pregnant women failed to recognize the role of breastfeeding in the development of infant gut microbiota more frequently than non-pregnant women. The 97.5% of participants reported increased interest in the gut microbiota, with heightened interest associated with prior knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed a moderate level of knowledge about infant gut microbiota among respondents, emphasizing the positive impact of prior knowledge on understanding and interest. Targeted educational interventions are needed to address awareness gaps, especially concerning the influence of breastfeeding on infant gut microbiota. Healthcare providers have the potential to enhance women's knowledge and awareness of this topic.

High mobility group box 1 orchestrates tissue regeneration via CXCR4.

Inflammation and tissue regeneration follow tissue damage, but little is known about how these processes are coordinated. High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) is a nuclear protein that, when released on injury, triggers inflammation. We previously showed that HMGB1 with reduced cysteines is a chemoattractant, whereas a disulfide bond makes it a proinflammatory cytokine. Here we report that fully reduced HMGB1 orchestrates muscle and liver regeneration via CXCR4, whereas disulfide HMGB1 and its receptors TLR4/MD-2 and RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products) are not involved. Injection of HMGB1 accelerates tissue repair by acting on resident muscle stem cells, hepatocytes, and infiltrating cells. The nonoxidizable HMGB1 mutant 3S, in which serines replace cysteines, promotes muscle and liver regeneration more efficiently than the wild-type protein and without exacerbating inflammation by selectively interacting with CXCR4. Overall, our results show that the reduced form of HMGB1 coordinates tissue regeneration and suggest that 3S may be used to safely accelerate healing after injury in diverse clinical contexts.

Assessing the use of the neighborhood method to estimate the prevalence of child separation: a pilot in North Kivu, DRC.

BACKGROUND: This article reports on the use of the 'neighborhood method' to measure the prevalence and basic characteristics of children who became separated from their parents or usual caregivers subsequent to an attack by the M23 militia group in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. METHODS: A two-stage household cluster survey was conducted in 522 households in North Kivu in August 2014. Heads of households were asked about separated children in their household, as well as the households of their two closest neighbors. Separation was tracked in terms of children who arrived into the households after the M23 attacks and children who departed from the households after the recall event without their parent(s) or usual caregiver. For a subset of 44 neighbor pairs, respondents were asked to report on the same household to assess inter-rater reliability. Data about primary respondents and their neighbors were assessed to determine whether the neighborhood method was a comparable, reliable and efficient alternative to a traditional household survey about separated children. RESULTS: The prevalence of separated children who arrived was 8.52 % [95 % CI: 6.75-10.75] in primary households and 4.46 % [95 % CI: 3.60-5.52] in neighbors' households (p-value = 0.0000). The prevalence of separated children who departed was 4.98 % [95 % CI: 3.45-7.19] in primary households and 3.19 % [95 % CI: 2.27-4.48] in neighbors' households (p-value = 0.0110). Kappa coefficients for the neighbor pairs indicated fair to moderate agreement for most demographic variables, but agreement was generally higher for variables related to current characteristics of the households than for variables describing the household in the past, especially before the M23 attack. Compared to a traditional household survey with similar power, the neighborhood method reduced data collection time by 50 % and lowered costs by 36 %. CONCLUSION: This pilot showed that, for measuring separated children in North Kivu, the results from neighbor households significantly underestimated the prevalence of separation when compared to data collected from respondents directly. Reliability was mixed. Although the neighborhood method did not yield valid results in this setting, given the potential the method holds to save scarce resources in humanitarian settings, additional pilots to refine and evaluate its validity and reliability in settings with shorter recall periods are recommended.

Human malignant mesothelioma is recapitulated in immunocompetent BALB/c mice injected with murine AB cells.

Malignant Mesothelioma is a highly aggressive cancer, which is difficult to diagnose and treat. Here we describe the molecular, cellular and morphological characterization of a syngeneic system consisting of murine AB1, AB12 and AB22 mesothelioma cells injected in immunocompetent BALB/c mice, which allows the study of the interplay of tumor cells with the immune system. Murine mesothelioma cells, like human ones, respond to exogenous High Mobility Group Box 1 protein, a Damage-Associated Molecular Pattern that acts as a chemoattractant for leukocytes and as a proinflammatory mediator. The tumors derived from AB cells are morphologically and histologically similar to human MM tumors, and respond to treatments used for MM patients. Our system largely recapitulates human mesothelioma, and we advocate its use for the study of MM development and treatment.

DAMPs from Cell Death to New Life.

Our body handles tissue damage by activating the immune system in response to intracellular molecules released by injured tissues [damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)], in a similar way as it detects molecular motifs conserved in pathogens (pathogen-associated molecular patterns). DAMPs are molecules that have a physiological role inside the cell, but acquire additional functions when they are exposed to the extracellular environment: they alert the body about danger, stimulate an inflammatory response, and finally promote the regeneration process. Beside their passive release by dead cells, some DAMPs can be secreted or exposed by living cells undergoing a life-threatening stress. DAMPs have been linked to inflammation and related disorders: hence, inhibition of DAMP-mediated inflammatory responses is a promising strategy to improve the clinical management of infection- and injury-elicited inflammatory diseases. However, it is important to consider that DAMPs are not only danger signals but also central players in tissue repair. Indeed, some DAMPs have been studied for their role in tissue healing after sterile or infection-associated inflammation. This review is focused on two exemplary DAMPs, HMGB1 and adenosine triphosphate, and their contribution to both inflammation and tissue repair.