(1) Background: The evaluation of anti-spike protein receptor-binding domain (S-RBD) antibodies represents a useful tool to estimate the individual protection against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection; (2) Methods: We evaluated anti S-RBD IgG levels by indirect chemiluminescence immunoassay on Maglumi 800 (SNIBE, California) in 2248 vaccinated subjects without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, 91 vaccinated individuals recovered from COVID-19, and 268 individuals recovered from COVID-19 who had not been vaccinated. Among those who were healthy and vaccinated, 352 subjects performed a re-dosing after about 72 days from the first measurement. (3) Results: Anti S-RBD IgG levels were lower in subjects with previous infection than vaccinated subjects, with or without previous infection (p < 0.001). No difference was observed between vaccinated subjects, with and without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Overall, anti-RBD IgG levels were higher in females than males (2110 vs. 1341 BAU/mL; p < 0.001) as well as in subjects with symptoms after vaccination than asymptomatic ones (2085 vs. 1332 BAU/mL; p = 0.001) and lower in older than younger subjects. Finally, a significant decrease in anti-RBD IgG levels was observed within a short period from a complete two-dose cycle vaccination. (4) Conclusions: Our results show an efficacy antibody response after vaccination with age-, time- and sex-related differences.

The probiotics-supplemented low-protein diet in chronic kidney disease (ProLowCKD) was a single-centre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised trial that was conducted to investigate whether the association between a low protein diet (LPD) and a new formulation of probiotics (Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus reuteri) was effective at reducing traditional uremic, microbiota-derived, and proatherogenic toxins in sixty patients affected by advanced CKD. After 2 months of a LPD—a reduction in blood urea nitrogen (52 ± 17 vs. 46 ± 15 mg/dL, p = 0.003), total cholesterol (185 ± 41 vs. 171 ± 34 mg/dL, p = 0.001), and triglycerides (194 ± 148 vs. 161 ± 70 mg/dL, p = 0.03) was observed; 57 subjects were then randomized to receive probiotics or a placebo for the subsequent 3 months. A total of 27 patients in the placebo group showed increased serum values of total cholesterol (169 ± 36 vs. 185 ± 40 mg/dL, p = 0.01), LDL cholesterol (169 ± 36 vs. 185 ± 40 mg/dL, p = 0.02), lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A₂ (155.4 ± 39.3 vs. 167.5 ± 51.4 nmol/mL/min, p = 0.006), and indoxyl-sulphate (30.1 ± 17.6 vs. 34.5 ± 20.2 μM, p = 0.026), while the 24 subjects in the probiotics group showed a trend in the reduction of microbiota toxins. A reduction of antihypertensive and diuretic medications was possible in the probiotics group. This study shows that associating probiotics to LPD may have an additional beneficial effect on the control and modulation of microbiota-derived and proatherogenic toxins in CKD patients.

(1) Background: Neurogranin is a post-synaptic protein expressed in the neurons of the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. It has been recently proposed as a promising biomarker of synaptic dysfunction, especially in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, more efforts are needed before introducing it in clinical practice, including the definition of its reference interval (RI). The aim of the study was to establish the RI of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurogranin levels in controls and individuals with non-neurodegenerative neurological diseases; (2) We included a total of 136 individuals that were sub-grouped as follows: AD patients (n = 33), patients with non-neurodegenerative neurological diseases (n = 70) and controls (33). We measured CSF neurogranin levels by a commercial ELISA kit. CSF RI of neurogranin was calculated by a robust method; (3) Results: AD patients showed increased levels of neurogranin. We also found that neurogranin was significantly correlated with T-tau, P-tau and mini mental state examination in AD patients. The lower and upper reference limits of the RI were 2.9 (90%CI 0.1–10.8) and 679 (90%CI 595–779), respectively; (4) Conclusion: This is the first study establishing the RI of CSF neurogranin.

Objectives: Prostate cancer (PCa) represents the second most common solid cancer in men worldwide. In the last decades, the prostate health index (PHI) emerged as a reliable biomarker for detecting PCa and differentiating between non-aggressive and aggressive forms. However, before introducing it in clinical practice, more evidence is required. Thus, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis for assessing the diagnostic performance of PHI for PCa and for detecting clinically significant PCa (csPCa). Methods: Relevant publications were identified by a systematic literature search on PubMed and Web of Science from inception to January 11, 2022. Results: Sixty studies, including 14,255 individuals, met the inclusion criteria for our meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of PHI for PCa detection was 0.791 (95%CI 0.739–0.834) and 0.625 (95%CI 0.560–0.686), respectively. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of PHI for csPCa detection was 0.874 (95%CI 0.803–0.923) and 0.569 (95%CI 0.458–0.674), respectively. Additionally, the diagnostic odds ratio was 6.302 and 9.206, respectively, for PCa and csPCa detection, suggesting moderate to good effectiveness of PHI as a diagnostic test. Conclusions: PHI has a high accuracy for detecting PCa and discriminating between aggressive and non-aggressive PCa. Thus, it could be useful as a biomarker in predicting patients harbouring more aggressive cancer and guiding biopsy decisions.