Objective: The association between hyperuricemia, metabolic syndrome (MS), and atherosclerotic vascular disease has been reported in adults, but very little is known about this association in children. The aims of our study were to ascertain the correlates of uric acid (UA) in a sample of obese children, and to investigate whether UA is associated with carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) independently from classical risk factors including MS. Methods: We analyzed carotid IMT along with serum triglycerides, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glucose, insulin, insulin resistance index (as homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance), alanine aminotransferase, g-glutamyltransferase, creatinine, and UA in 120 obese children and 50 healthy control children. Results: UA concentrations were significantly higher in obese children compared with controls; moreover, they correlated with the most established cardiovascular risk factors. In the group of obese children, after adjustment for age, sex, pubertal stage, and creatinine, an independent association between UA levels and the presence of MS syndrome was observed (unstandardized coefficient, 0.044 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.015-0.072); P!0.01). Carotid IMT significantly increased in the fourth quartile of UA compared with that in the first, second, and third quartile (0.49 (0.46-0.53), 0.53 (0.49-0.56), and 0.55 (0.52-0.59) vs 0.61 (95% CI, 0.58-0.64); P!0.01). When multivariate analysis was performed after adjusting for age, gender, pubertal stage, creatinine, and MS (considered as a single clinical entity), or the individual components of MS simultaneously included, the association between UA and carotid IMT was significant (P!0.01). Conclusions: In obese children and adolescents, increased UA levels are associated with carotid atherosclerosis.

Liver resection for CRLM in carefully selected patients above the age of 75 can be performed with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates, similar to those in younger patients. Moreover, the severity of CRLM in elderly patients is proven to be lesser than in younger patients. Thus, we can conclude that advanced chronological age cannot be considered a contraindication to hepatic resection for CRLM.

Novel surface active maghemite nanoparticles (SAMNs) possessing peculiar colloidal properties and surface characteristics are able to covalently bind biomolecules. The interactions of SAMNs and rhodamine derivatized SAMNs (SAMN@RITC) with proteins from cell culture medium were studied by gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Among the 3000 proteins present in fetal calf serum, SAMNs and SAMN@RITC give rise to the formation of a self-assembled corona shell with 22 selected proteins, representing minor plasma proteins, among which α-2-HS- glycoprotein stands out. Bovine serum albumin (BSA), representing 80% of the total serum proteins, shows negligible absorption on the SAMN surface. Nevertheless, SAMNs are able to bind BSA, upon incubation in pure BSA solutions. The interaction between SAMNs and BSA was investigated by optical spectroscopy, circular dichroism, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. BSA binding resulted a time-consuming process, nevertheless experimental results showed the interaction of 6 ± 2 BSA molecules per nanoparticle, and optical spectra indicate remarkable changes in SAMN optical features, as well as circular dichroism proved secondary structure alteration of bound BSA, suggesting that the protein needs to adapt its structure to adhere to nanoparticle surface. The selectively bound protein corona shell, formed upon SAMNs incubation in calf serum, was responsible for the characteristic behavior when SAMNs were tested for cell internalization and cytotoxicity on HeLa cells. Cytotoxicity of SAMN preparations was extensively studied, and was negligible up to 100 μg mL -1. Moreover, nanoparticle uptake proceeded for long times, suggesting a correlation between internalization and stability of covalently bound self-assembled protein corona, representing a unique example of magnetic nanoparticle opsonization via covalent binding. We suggest that SAMN based nanobiocomposites can be employed for the preparation of self-assembled opsonized nanoparticles as future candidates for biomedical applications

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Iron oxide nanomaterials are considered promising tools for improved therapeutic efficacy and diagnostic applications in biomedicine. Accordingly, engineered iron oxide nanomaterials are increasingly proposed in biomedicine, and the interdisciplinary researches involving physics, chemistry, biology (nanotechnology) and medicine have led to exciting developments in the last decades. The progresses of the development of magnetic nanoparticles with tailored physico-chemical and surface properties produced a variety of clinically relevant applications, spanning from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), drug delivery, magnetic hyperthermia, to in vitro diagnostics. Notwithstanding the wellknown conventional synthetic procedures and their wide use, along with recent advances in the synthetic methods open the door to new generations of naked iron oxide nanoparticles possessing peculiar surface chemistries, suitable for other competitive biomedical applications. New abilities to rationally manipulate iron oxides and their physical, chemical, and biological properties, allow the emersion of additional possibilities for designing novel nanomaterials for theranostic applications.

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Citrinin is a nephrotoxic mycotoxin which can be synthesized by Monascus mold during the fermentation process in foods. Monascus, generally described as red mold, is a red-pigmented filamentous fungus attracting a great interest for the production of natural dyes and cholesterol-lowering statins. We individuated a specie of Monascus producing high amount of natural dyes. However, this high pigmentation was correlated with the production of citrinin. Peculiar magnetic nanoparticles, synthesized in-house and called "Surface Active Maghemite Nanoparticles" (SAMNs), are proposed as an efficient and reliable mean for citrinin removal from Monascus treated foods. The nanomaterial efficiency for citrinin binding was proved on Monascus suspensions, and SAMN@citrinin complex was characterized by Mӧssbauer spectroscopy and magnetization measurements, showing that SAMNs resulted structurally and magnetically well conserved after citrinin binding. SAMNs are excellent and stable magnetic nano-carrier for toxin removal, which can be applied in food industry.