Introduction: Approximately 2 million people in Italy are currently living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 4 million are involved as family members or caregivers. Considering the significant impact of dementia, the Italian Ministry of Health entrusted the Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità) with the development of a guideline within the Italian National Guideline System (Sistema Nazionale Linee Guida, SNLG) on the diagnosis and treatment of dementia and MCI. The main objective was to provide evidence-based recommendations aimed at reducing the variability and ensuring the appropriateness of clinical practices throughout the whole care process from identification and diagnosis to the end of life for people with dementia (PwD) or MCI and their families/caregivers. Methods: The GRADE-ADOLOPMENT approach was used to adopt, adapt and update the guideline developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in 2018 (NG97). The methodology was based on the Methodological Handbook produced by the SNLG. A multidisciplinary panel of 29 experts and four representatives of family members/caregivers discussed and approved 47 review questions. Of these, 34 questions were adopted from the NG97, and 13 were new questions, including 10 questions referring to MCI. Systematic literature reviews were performed for each question, and a team of methodological and clinical experts qualitatively assessed and summarised results from included studies based on the GRADE approach. To facilitate the implementation and dissemination of the contents of this guideline, a care pathway and a leaflet dedicated to PwD or MCI and their families/caregivers were also developed. Results: The literature review for this guideline included studies published up to November 2023. More than 1000 peer-reviewed publications were included, covering the following areas: (i) identification, diagnosis and post-diagnostic support; (ii) care models and care coordination; (iii) pharmacological interventions for cognitive symptoms; (iv) non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive symptoms; (v) non-cognitive symptoms, intercurrent illnesses and palliative care. The multidisciplinary panel discussed and approved 167 clinical practice recommendations and 39 research recommendations. Commentary: Italy’s first National Guideline on dementia and MCI addresses diagnosis, treatment and care within the National Healthcare System. It includes recommendations on pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches, and emphasises tailored interventions, comprehensive cognitive assessment, staff training and palliative care. The guideline also underlines the need to involve PwD in decision-making and supporting caregivers throughout the entire course of the disease. Conclusions: Structured strategies for the dissemination and implementation of the guideline will be defined within the Italian Fund for Alzheimer and other Dementias 2024–2026. An interactive care pathway and a leaflet dedicated to PwD and their carers are already available. The guideline will be updated starting January 2027, but early updates may be planned in case of breakthrough advancements.

Summary: Over the last two decades, our understanding of clinical and pathophysiological aspects of sleep‐related epileptic and non‐epileptic paroxysmal behaviours has improved considerably, although it is far from complete. Indeed, even if many core characteristics of sleep‐related hypermotor epilepsy and non‐rapid eye movement parasomnias have been clarified, some crucial points remain controversial, and the overlap of the behavioural patterns between these disorders represents a diagnostic challenge. In this work, we focused on segments of multichannel sleep electroencephalogram free from clinical episodes, from two groups of subjects affected by sleep‐related hypermotor epilepsy (N = 15) and non‐rapid eye movement parasomnias (N = 16), respectively. We examined sleep stages N2 and N3 of the first part of the night (cycles 1 and 2), and assessed the existence of differences in the periodic and aperiodic components of the electroencephalogram power spectra between the two groups, using the Fitting Oscillations & One Over f (FOOOF) toolbox. A significant difference in the gamma frequency band was found, with an increased relative power in sleep‐related hypermotor epilepsy subjects, during both N2 (p < .001) and N3 (p < .001), and a significant higher slope of the aperiodic component in non‐rapid eye movement parasomnias, compared with sleep‐related hypermotor epilepsy, during N3 (p = .012). We suggest that the relative power of the gamma band and the slope extracted from the aperiodic component of the electroencephalogram signal may be helpful to characterize differences between subjects affected by non‐rapid eye movement parasomnias and those affected by sleep‐related hypermotor epilepsy.

Pleurotus eryngii is an edible mushroom that suffers significant losses due to fungal contamination and bacteriosis. The Pseudomonadaceae family represents one of the most frequent etiologic agents. Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) is a plant extract that contains different bioactive components, such as naringin, and exhibits a strong antibacterial and antioxidant activity. Over the last decade, GSE use as an alternative to chemical treatments in the food sector has been tested. However, to our knowledge, its application on mushroom crops has never been investigated. This study focuses on evaluating GSE efficacy in preventing P. eryngii yellowing. GSE antibiotic activity, inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations, and antibiofilm activity against several microorganisms were tested with the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion assay, the broth microdilution susceptibility test, and the Crystal violet assay, respectively. In vitro, the extract exhibited antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus 6538 and MRSA (wild type), Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, and Pseudomonas spp. (Pseudomonas aeruginosa 9027, P. fluorescens (wild type)). GSE application in vivo, in pre- and post-sprouting stages, effectively prevented bacterial infections and subsequent degradation in the mushroom crops: none of the P. eryngii treated manifested bacteriosis. Our findings support the use of GSE as an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to chemical treatments for protecting P. eryngii crops from bacterial contamination, consequently ensuring food safety and preventing financial losses due to spoilage. Furthermore, GSE’s potential health benefits due to its content in naringin and other bioactive components present new possibilities for its use as a nutraceutical in food fortification and supplementation.

The overexploitation of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus stock, as consequence of the growing roe market demand, has boosted the research for echinoderms rearing. Land-based facilities' chemical, physical, and microbiological characteristics are crucial for sea urchins’ health and human consumption of their products. In Italy, health-hygienic regulations for P. lividus rearing are still to be perfected by the authorities. In this context, we characterized the microbiological quality of a pilot land-based facility for sea urchin production at the University of Cagliari (Italy) to support technical production regulations development. The accredited Hygiene Laboratory of Cagliari University collected and analyzed the samples in June 2023. Mesophilic bacteria, Yeasts, and Molds were searched for in air and surfaces. Total coliforms and Escherichia coli, Enterococci, Pseudomonadaceae, Staphylococcus aureus, sulfite-reducing Clostridia, and Vibrio spp. were searched for in water samples. Vibrio spp. and Pseudomonas spp. were searched for in sea urchins’ gonads and coelomic fluid. Although air, surfaces, and water quality were satisfactory overall, some critical points should be monitored more strictly. Enterococci concentration was 250 CFU/100 ml in the water reserve, suggesting animal contamination (other than humans). Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most resistant to filtration processes, with a residual concentration of 6 CFU/250 ml after the second filtration. No colonies of Vibrio spp. and Pseudomonas spp. were isolated in sea urchins' gonads and coelomic fluid. Starting from the results, we provided targeted advice for developing technical production regulations, system monitoring, and facility routine maintenance in accordance with the “best practice” approach. This analysis could be considered a first step towards the elaboration of common regulations about the minimal standards for the breeding environment of P. lividus by national and regional authorities.

Power spectral density (PSD) and network analysis performed on functional correlation (FC) patterns represent two common approaches used to characterize Electroencephalographic (EEG) data. Despite the two approaches are widely used, their possible association may need more attention. To investigate this question, we performed a comparison between PSD and some widely used nodal network metrics (namely strength, clustering coefficient and betweenness centrality), using two different publicly available resting-state EEG datasets, both at scalp and source levels, employing four different FC methods (PLV, PLI, AEC and AEC _C ). Here we show that the two approaches may provide similar information and that their correlation depends on the method used to estimate FC. In particular, our results show a strong correlation between PSD and nodal network metrics derived from FC methods (PLV and AEC) that do not limit the effects of volume conduction/signal leakage. The correlations are less relevant for more conservative FC methods (AEC _C ). These findings suggest that the results derived from the two different approaches may be not independent and should not be treated as distinct analyses. We conclude that it may represent good practice to report the findings from the two approaches in conjunction to have a more comprehensive view of the results.