https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144 2026-09-12T11:08:29Z 2026-09-12T11:08:29Z Silva, Ana Sanches Khwaldia, Khaoula Babiaka, Smith Borakaeyabe Sereikai, Jolanta Gruškienė, Rūta Çankaya, İffet İrem Tatlı Lampronti, Ilaria Chrysargyris, Antonios Hemanthkumar, Boyina Chakraborty, Sohini Rauf, Abdur Soković, Marina Petrović, Jovana Abdalla, Abdelmoneim K. Ahmed, Zienab F.R. Li, Hanbing Azzopardi, Joseph Ignatius Blundell, Renald https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148840 2026-09-01T10:12:26Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Technological innovations for enhancing phytonutrient content, stability, and bioavailability in foods Authors: Silva, Ana Sanches; Khwaldia, Khaoula; Babiaka, Smith Borakaeyabe; Sereikai, Jolanta; Gruškienė, Rūta; Çankaya, İffet İrem Tatlı; Lampronti, Ilaria; Chrysargyris, Antonios; Hemanthkumar, Boyina; Chakraborty, Sohini; Rauf, Abdur; Soković, Marina; Petrović, Jovana; Abdalla, Abdelmoneim K.; Ahmed, Zienab F.R.; Li, Hanbing; Azzopardi, Joseph Ignatius; Blundell, Renald Abstract: This review highlights innovative strategies aimed at increasing the content, stability, and efficacy of phytonutrients in food systems. Key approaches include genetic engineering to enhance biosynthetic pathways in crops, precision farming to optimize environmental conditions for phytochemical production, and the use of nanomaterials to improve phytonutrient stability, bioavailability, and absorption. Case studies and practical applications demonstrate the transformative potential of these technologies in both agriculture and food processing. Recent progress in computational and data-driven tools is opening new opportunities for personalized nutrition, enabling the tailoring of phytonutrient intake to individual health needs. At the same time, the implementation of these emerging approaches faces important challenges, including regulatory constraints, ethical considerations, economic limitations, and the need for long-term safety and sustainability assessments. Addressing these issues will require strong interdisciplinary collaboration, effective knowledge sharing, and closer integration of scientific research, policy development, and industrial application. Continued technological innovation will be essential to fully realize the potential of phytonutrient enhancement in supporting healthier and more sustainable food systems. By harnessing these technological advances, phytonutrient research is positioned to play a key role in promoting healthier populations, supporting plant-based diets, and contributing to more sustainable and resilient food systems.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Fang, Daozheng Cielecka-Piontek, Judyta Blundell, Renald Zhong, Zhangfeng Chen, Jihang https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148839 2026-09-01T10:07:19Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Elucidating the therapeutic potential of natural products in alleviating diabetic cardiomyopathy : contemporary progress and forthcoming opportunities Authors: Fang, Daozheng; Cielecka-Piontek, Judyta; Blundell, Renald; Zhong, Zhangfeng; Chen, Jihang Abstract: Background: Diabetes is a leading health challenge in the 21st century. According to the International Diabetes Federation, 783 million people will have diabetes by 2045. Diabetic cardiomyopathy is a prevalent complication of diabetes, characterized by the impaired left ventricular function that occurs independently of other cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, hypertension. Currently, there is a pronounced lack of effective therapeutic strategies specifically targeting diabetic cardiomyopathy; Purpose: This review aims to demonstrate natural products’ efficacy across different pathological dimensions of diabetic cardiomyopathy, thereby providing new insights for the therapy’s development of diabetic cardiomyopathy.; Methods: Based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a systematic literature search was conducted to identify all relevant studies published between January 1, 2015, and March 31, 2025. The following databases were queried: PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. To ensure comprehensiveness, particularly for research published in Chinese, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database was also searched.; Results: A total of 83 studies were retrieved that demonstrate the efficacy of natural products against diabetic cardiomyopathy, primarily targeting six predominant pathologies: fibrosis, oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, programmed cell death, and gut microbiota dysbiosis. Conclusion: Natural products exhibit promising therapeutic effects against diabetic cardiomyopathy, making them a key resource for novel therapy development targeting diabetic cardiomyopathy.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Gorasso, Vanessa Morgado, Joana Nazaré Charalampous, Periklis Pires, Sara M. Haagsma, Juanita A. Santos, João Vasco Idavain, Jane Ngwa, Che Henry Noguer, Isabel Padron‑Monedero, Alicia Sarmiento, Rodrigo Pinheiro, Vera Von der Lippe, Elena Sletting Jakobsen, Lea Devleesschauwer, Brecht Plass, Dietrich Aasvang, Gunn Marit Ádám, Balázs Alkerwi, Ala’a Arabloo, Jalal Baltazar, Ana Lúcia Bektas Uysal, Hilal Bikbov, Boris Kocbach Bolling, Anette Borrell-Pages, Maria Carreras, Giulia Castelpietra, Giulio Chen-Xu, José Cilović Lagarija, Šeila Corso, Barbara Cuschieri, Sarah De Pauw, Robby Dhaouadi, Sonia Dokova, Klara Dopelt, Keren Economou, Mary Emeto, Theophilus I. Fantke, Peter Fischer, Florian Freitas, Alberto Galluzzo, Lucia García-González, Juan Manuel Gazzelloni, Federica Gissler, Mika Gkitakou, Artemis Gubes, Sezgin Guseva Canu, Irina Hincapié, Cesar A. Hynds, Paul Ilic, Irena Ilic, Milena Isola, Gaetano Kabir, Zubair Kolkhir, Pavel Meriç Konar, Naime Kretzschmar, Mirjam Kulimbet, Mukhtar La Vecchia, Carlo Ladeira, Carina Lassen, Brian Lauriola, Paolo Lehtomäki, Heli Levi, Miriam Majer, Marjeta McDonald, Scott A. Mechili, Enkeleint A. Misins, Janis Monasta, Lorenzo Muñoz Laguna, Javier Niranjan, Vikram Nola, Iskra Alexandra Obradović, Marija O’Caoimh, Rónán Öztürk, Nazife Pastorinho, M. Ramiro Petrou, Panagiotis Peyroteo, Mariana Reina Ortiz, Miguel Riva, Silvia Rocha-Gomes, João Adi Santoso, Cornelia Melinda Schmitt, Tugce Shigdel, Rajesh Sigurvinsdottir, Rannveig Soriano, Joan B. Sousa, Ana Catarina Sprügel, Maximilian Steiropoulos, Paschalis Tozija, Fimka Unim, Brigid Vandeninden, Bram Varga, Orsolya Vasic, Milena Viegas, Susana Vieira, Rafael Violante, Francesco S. Wyper, Grant M.A. Yigit, Vahit Zaletel, Jelka https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148786 2026-08-31T09:07:35Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Burden of disease attributable to risk factors in European countries : a scoping literature review Authors: Gorasso, Vanessa; Morgado, Joana Nazaré; Charalampous, Periklis; Pires, Sara M.; Haagsma, Juanita A.; Santos, João Vasco; Idavain, Jane; Ngwa, Che Henry; Noguer, Isabel; Padron‑Monedero, Alicia; Sarmiento, Rodrigo; Pinheiro, Vera; Von der Lippe, Elena; Sletting Jakobsen, Lea; Devleesschauwer, Brecht; Plass, Dietrich; Aasvang, Gunn Marit; Ádám, Balázs; Alkerwi, Ala’a; Arabloo, Jalal; Baltazar, Ana Lúcia; Bektas Uysal, Hilal; Bikbov, Boris; Kocbach Bolling, Anette; Borrell-Pages, Maria; Carreras, Giulia; Castelpietra, Giulio; Chen-Xu, José; Cilović Lagarija, Šeila; Corso, Barbara; Cuschieri, Sarah; De Pauw, Robby; Dhaouadi, Sonia; Dokova, Klara; Dopelt, Keren; Economou, Mary; Emeto, Theophilus I.; Fantke, Peter; Fischer, Florian; Freitas, Alberto; Galluzzo, Lucia; García-González, Juan Manuel; Gazzelloni, Federica; Gissler, Mika; Gkitakou, Artemis; Gubes, Sezgin; Guseva Canu, Irina; Hincapié, Cesar A.; Hynds, Paul; Ilic, Irena; Ilic, Milena; Isola, Gaetano; Kabir, Zubair; Kolkhir, Pavel; Meriç Konar, Naime; Kretzschmar, Mirjam; Kulimbet, Mukhtar; La Vecchia, Carlo; Ladeira, Carina; Lassen, Brian; Lauriola, Paolo; Lehtomäki, Heli; Levi, Miriam; Majer, Marjeta; McDonald, Scott A.; Mechili, Enkeleint A.; Misins, Janis; Monasta, Lorenzo; Muñoz Laguna, Javier; Niranjan, Vikram; Nola, Iskra Alexandra; Obradović, Marija; O’Caoimh, Rónán; Öztürk, Nazife; Pastorinho, M. Ramiro; Petrou, Panagiotis; Peyroteo, Mariana; Reina Ortiz, Miguel; Riva, Silvia; Rocha-Gomes, João; Adi Santoso, Cornelia Melinda; Schmitt, Tugce; Shigdel, Rajesh; Sigurvinsdottir, Rannveig; Soriano, Joan B.; Sousa, Ana Catarina; Sprügel, Maximilian; Steiropoulos, Paschalis; Tozija, Fimka; Unim, Brigid; Vandeninden, Bram; Varga, Orsolya; Vasic, Milena; Viegas, Susana; Vieira, Rafael; Violante, Francesco S.; Wyper, Grant M.A.; Yigit, Vahit; Zaletel, Jelka Abstract: Objectives: Within the framework of the burden of disease (BoD) approach, disease and injury burden estimates attributable to risk factors are a useful guide for policy formulation and priority setting in disease prevention. Considering the important differences in methods, and their impact on burden estimates, we conducted a scoping literature review to: (1) map the BoD assessments including risk factors performed across Europe; and (2) identify the methodological choices in comparative risk assessment (CRA) and risk assessment methods.; Methods: We searched multiple literature databases, including grey literature websites and targeted public health agencies websites.; Results: A total of 113 studies were included in the synthesis and further divided into independent BoD assessments (54 studies) and studies linked to the Global Burden of Disease (59 papers). Our results showed that the methods used to perform CRA varied substantially across independent European BoD studies. While there were some methodological choices that were more common than others, we did not observe patterns in terms of country, year or risk factor. Each methodological choice can affect the comparability of estimates between and within countries and/or risk factors, since they might significantly influence the quantification of the attributable burden. From our analysis we observed that the use of CRA was less common for some types of risk factors and outcomes. These included environmental and occupational risk factors, which are more likely to use bottom-up approaches for health outcomes where disease envelopes may not be available.; Conclusions: Our review also highlighted misreporting, the lack of uncertainty analysis and the under-investigation of causal relationships in BoD studies. Development and use of guidelines for performing and reporting BoD studies will help understand differences, avoid misinterpretations thus improving comparability among estimates.

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148763 2026-08-28T10:40:37Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Comprehensive profiling of lung cancer markers for early screening and detection Abstract: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, largely due to late-stage diagnosis and the lack of effective non-invasive screening strategies. The stability of extracellular vesicles in biofluids, combined with their capacity to present cell-derived surface proteins, has led to growing interest in their potential as minimally invasive cancer biomarkers. While EV-based assays are not currently implemented for early cancer diagnosis, methodological challenges related to EV isolation, detection sensitivity and assay reproducibility remain key barriers to their clinical translation. The aim of this study was to comprehensively profile EV-associated surface markers relevant to lung cancer and to evaluate their robustness and detectability across different assay formats, isolation methods, and biological matrices. A multi-step analytical workflow was implemented using four non- small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines (A549, NCI-H1975, NCI-H460 and NCI-H520). Cell-surface marker expression was first characterised by flow cytometry to establish a biological reference. EVs were subsequently isolated using three approaches: polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation, size-exclusion chromatography (Izon qEV1), and polymer-based precipitation (SubXTM), and further characterised by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). EV surface marker detection was performed using antibody-based bead immunoprecipitation coupled to Luminex FLEXMAP 3D® assays in both single-plex and multiplex formats. Plasma spike-in experiments using tumour-derived EVs were performed to assess assay sensitivity in a clinically relevant matrix, and plasma samples from patients with metastatic lung cancer were analysed to explore translational feasibility. Distinct and biologically meaningful EV surface marker profiles were observed across lung cancer models. CD9 and CD63 were consistently detected across cell line-derived EVs, plasma spike-in experiments and patient plasma samples, with CD63 producing the strongest signal. Multiplex immunoprecipitation improved detection of several lower-abundance markers, including CD24, CD90, and CD274, compared with single-plex capture. Both Izon and SubXTM isolation methods enabled detection of tumour-derived EVs in plasma, however, Izon SEC produced a higher marker signal intensities across spike concentrations. In conclusion, this study establishes a robust technical framework for EV surface marker profiling in lung cancer and demonstrates the feasibility of immunoprecipitation-based bead assays for detecting biologically relevant EV markers. These findings support the potential of EV-associated surface proteins as candidates for future non-invasive lung cancer screening and early detection strategies. Description: M.Sc.(Melit.)

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