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Marziali M, Pugliese P, Losardo AA, Ribersani M, Anastasi E, Angeloni A, Pavan A, Gentile G. Efficacy and safety of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in a cohort of 90 transfusion dependent thalassemia patients. Transfus Med 2024. [PMID: 38632665 DOI: 10.1111/tme.13038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- M Marziali
- Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine Unit, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - P Pugliese
- Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine Unit, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - A A Losardo
- Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine Unit, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - M Ribersani
- Hematology, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - E Anastasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - A Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - A Pavan
- Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine Unit, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - G Gentile
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
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Tortolini C, Gigli V, Angeloni A, Tasca F, Thanh NTK, Antiochia R. A disposable immunosensor for the detection of salivary MMP-8 as biomarker of periodontitis. Bioelectrochemistry 2024; 156:108590. [PMID: 37976772 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2023.108590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
This work describes the development of a novel voltammetric immunosensor for the detection of salivary MMP-8 at the point-of-care. The electrochemical platform was based on a graphene (GPH) screen-printed electrode (SPE) functionalized by gold-nanospheres (AuNSs) and antibodies against MMP-8 protein (anti-MMP-8). The functionalization with anti-MMP-8 was realized by using 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (11-MUA), thanks to its ability to give strong sulfur bonds with its -SH end, and to cross-link the -NH2 groups of the antibody molecule with the other -COOH end, using the traditional EDC-NHS method. The voltammetric sensor showed good performances with a linear range of 2.5-300 ng mL-1, a LOD value of 1.0 ± 0.1 ng mL-1 and a sensitivity of 0.05 µA mL cm-2 ng-1. Moreover, the proposed immunosensor was tested in real saliva samples, showing comparable results to those obtained with the conventional ELISA method. The biosensor was single-use and cost-effective and required a small quantity of test medium and a short preparation time, representing a very attractive biosensor for MMP-8 detection in human saliva.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Tortolini
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria Gigli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Federico Tasca
- Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, Department of Materials Chemistry, University of Santiago of Chile, Av. Libertador Bernardo ÓHiggins 3363, 8320000 Estacion Central, Santiago, Chile
| | - Nguyen T K Thanh
- Biophysics Group, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK; UCL Healthcare Biomagnetic and Nanomaterials Laboratories, Royal Institution of Great Britain, 21 Albermarle Street, London W1S 4BS, UK
| | - Riccarda Antiochia
- Department of Chemistry and Drug Technologies, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
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Leopizzi M, Mundo L, Messina E, Campolo F, Lazzi S, Angeloni A, Marchese C, Leoncini L, Giordano C, Slack F, Trivedi P, Anastasiadou E. Epstein-Barr virus-encoded EBNA2 downregulates ICOSL by inducing miR-24 in B-cell lymphoma. Blood 2024; 143:429-443. [PMID: 37847858 PMCID: PMC10862363 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2023021346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Hematological malignancies such as Burkitt lymphoma (BL), Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cause significant morbidity in humans. A substantial number of these lymphomas, particularly HL and DLBCLs have poorer prognosis because of their association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Our earlier studies have shown that EBV-encoded nuclear antigen (EBNA2) upregulates programmed cell death ligand 1 in DLBCL and BLs by downregulating microRNA-34a. Here, we investigated whether EBNA2 affects the inducible costimulator (ICOS) ligand (ICOSL), a molecule required for efficient recognition of tumor cells by T cells through the engagement of ICOS on the latter. In virus-infected and EBNA2-transfected B-lymphoma cells, ICOSL expression was reduced. Our investigation of the molecular mechanisms revealed that this was due to an increase in microRNA-24 (miR-24) by EBNA2. By using ICOSL 3' untranslated region-luciferase reporter system, we validated that ICOSL is an authentic miR-24 target. Transfection of anti-miR-24 molecules in EBNA2-expressing lymphoma cells reconstituted ICOSL expression and increased tumor immunogenicity in mixed lymphocyte reactions. Because miR-24 is known to target c-MYC, an oncoprotein positively regulated by EBNA2, we analyzed its expression in anti-miR-24 transfected lymphoma cells. Indeed, the reduction of miR-24 in EBNA2-expressing DLBCL further elevated c-MYC and increased apoptosis. Consistent with the in vitro data, EBNA2-positive DLBCL biopsies expressed low ICOSL and high miR-24. We suggest that EBV evades host immune responses through EBNA2 by inducing miR-24 to reduce ICOSL expression, and for simultaneous rheostatic maintenance of proproliferative c-MYC levels. Overall, these data identify miR-24 as a potential therapeutically relevant target in EBV-associated lymphomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Leopizzi
- Department of Medico-surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University, Latina, Italy
| | - Lucia Mundo
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Elena Messina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Campolo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Lazzi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Cinzia Marchese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Leoncini
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Carla Giordano
- Department of Radiology, Oncology and Pathology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Frank Slack
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Pankaj Trivedi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Eleni Anastasiadou
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
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Piombarolo A, Ialongo C, Bizzarri M, Angeloni A. Systems Biology and Inborn Error of Metabolism: Analytical Strategy in Investigating Different Biochemical/Genetic Parameters. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2745:191-210. [PMID: 38060187 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3577-3_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) are a group of about 500 rare genetic diseases with large diversity and complexity due to number of metabolic pathways involved in. Establishing a correct diagnosis and identifying the specific clinical phenotype is consequently a difficult task. However, an inclusive diagnosis able in capturing the different clinical phenotypes is mandatory for successful treatment. However, in contrast with Garrod's basic assumption "one-gene one-disease," no "simple" correlation between genotype-phenotype can be vindicated in IEMs. An illustrative example of IEM is Phenylketonuria (PKU), an autosomal recessive inborn error of L-phenylalanine (Phe) metabolism, ascribed to variants of the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene encoding for the enzyme complex phenylalanine-hydroxylase. Blood values of Phe allow classifying PKU into different clinical phenotypes, albeit the participation of other genetic/biochemical pathways in the pathogenetic mechanisms remains elusive. Indeed, it has been shown that the most serious complications, such as cognitive impairment, are not only related to the gene dysfunction but also to the patient's background and the participation of several nongenetic factors.Therefore, a Systems Biology-based strategy is required in addressing IEM complexity, and in identifying the interplay between different pathways in shaping the clinical phenotype. Such an approach should entail the concerted investigation of genomic, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics profiles altogether with phenylalanine and amino acids metabolism. Noticeably, this "omic" perspective could be instrumental in planning personalized treatment, tailored accordingly to the disease profile and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Piombarolo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristiano Ialongo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Mariano Bizzarri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
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Tortolini C, Gigli V, Rizzo F, Lenzi A, Bizzarri M, Angeloni A, Antiochia R. Stereoselective Voltammetric Biosensor for Myo-Inositol and D-Chiro-Inositol Recognition. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:9211. [PMID: 38005597 PMCID: PMC10674735 DOI: 10.3390/s23229211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
This paper describes the development of a simple voltammetric biosensor for the stereoselective discrimination of myo-inositol (myo-Ins) and D-chiro-inositol (D-chiro-Ins) by means of bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption onto a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) graphite screen-printed electrode (MWCNT-GSPE), previously functionalized by the electropolymerization of methylene blue (MB). After a morphological characterization, the enantioselective biosensor platform was electrochemically characterized after each modification step by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results show that the binding affinity between myo-Ins and BSA was higher than that between D-chiro-Ins and BSA, confirming the different interactions exhibited by the novel BSA/MB/MWCNT/GSPE platform towards the two diastereoisomers. The biosensor showed a linear response towards both stereoisomers in the range of 2-100 μM, with LODs of 0.5 and 1 μM for myo-Ins and D-chiro-Ins, respectively. Moreover, a stereoselectivity coefficient α of 1.6 was found, with association constants of 0.90 and 0.79, for the two stereoisomers, respectively. Lastly, the proposed biosensor allowed for the determination of the stereoisomeric composition of myo-/D-chiro-Ins mixtures in commercial pharmaceutical preparations, and thus, it is expected to be successfully applied in the chiral analysis of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs of forensic interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Tortolini
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.T.); (V.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.); (M.B.); (A.A.)
| | - Valeria Gigli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.T.); (V.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.); (M.B.); (A.A.)
| | - Flavio Rizzo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.T.); (V.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.); (M.B.); (A.A.)
| | - Andrea Lenzi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.T.); (V.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.); (M.B.); (A.A.)
| | - Mariano Bizzarri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.T.); (V.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.); (M.B.); (A.A.)
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.T.); (V.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.); (M.B.); (A.A.)
| | - Riccarda Antiochia
- Department of Chemistry and Drug Technologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
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Capuano C, De Federicis D, Ciuti D, Turriziani O, Angeloni A, Anastasi E, Giannini G, Belardinilli F, Molfetta R, Alvaro D, Palmieri G, Galandrini R. Impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on FcγRIIIA/CD16 dynamics in Natural Killer cells: relevance for antibody-dependent functions. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1285203. [PMID: 38045702 PMCID: PMC10693335 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1285203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Natural Killer (NK) cells contribute to the protective effects of vaccine-induced antibodies thanks to the low affinity receptor for IgG, FcγRIIIA/CD16, whose aggregation leads to the killing of infected cells and IFNγ release, through which they potentiate adaptive immune responses. Methods Forty-seven healthy young individuals undergoing either homologous (ChAdOx1-S/ChAdOx1-S) or heterologous (ChAdOx1-S/BNT162B2) SARS-CoV-2 vaccination settings were recruited. Peripheral blood samples were collected immediately prior to vaccination and 8 weeks after the booster dose. The phenotypic and functional profile of NK cells was evaluated by flow cytometry at both time points. Serum samples were tested to evaluate circulating anti-Spike IgG levels and cytomegalovirus serostatus. CD16 F158V polymorphism was assessed by sequencing analysis. Results The downregulation of CD16 and the selective impairment of antibody-dependent cytotoxicity and IFNγ production in CD56dim NK population, persisting 8 weeks after boosting, were observed in heterologous, but not in homologous SARS-CoV-2 vaccination scheme. While the magnitude of CD16-dependent functions of the global CD56dim pool correlated with receptor levels before and after vaccination, the responsivity of NKG2C+ subset, that displays amplified size and functionality in HCMV+ individuals, resulted intrinsically insensitive to CD16 levels. Individual CD16 responsiveness was also affected by CD16F158V polymorphism; F/F low affinity individuals, characterized by reduced CD16 levels and functions independently of vaccination, did not show post-vaccinal functional impairment with respect to intermediate and high affinity ones, despite a comparable CD16 downregulation. Further, CD16 high affinity ligation conditions by means of afucosylated mAb overcame vaccine-induced and genotype-dependent functional defects. Finally, the preservation of CD16 expression directly correlated with anti-Spike IgG titer, hinting that the individual magnitude of receptor-dependent functions may contribute to the amplification of the vaccinal response. Conclusion This study demonstrates a durable downmodulation of CD16 levels and Ab-dependent NK functions after SARS-CoV-2 heterologous vaccination, and highlights the impact of genetic and environmental host-related factors in modulating NK cell susceptibility to post-vaccinal Fc-dependent functional impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Capuano
- Departmental Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, UniCamillus-Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences, Rome, Italy
| | - Davide De Federicis
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniel Ciuti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuela Anastasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Giannini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Rosa Molfetta
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Domenico Alvaro
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriella Palmieri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Manti F, Nardecchia F, De Leo S, Carducci C, Romani C, Palermo L, Angeloni A, Leuzzi V. Towards precision medicine for phenylketonuria: The effect of restoring a strict metabolic control in adult patients with early-treated phenylketonuria. Mol Genet Metab 2023; 140:107666. [PMID: 37549444 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2023.107666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Neonatal screening and early treatment have changed the natural history of PKU, preventing severe neurological and intellectual disability. Nevertheless, the outcome of the disease in early-treated adult patients (ETPKU) is less than optimal, the predictive value of metabolic biomarkers is feeble, and the recommended levels of blood phenylalanine (Phe) for adulthood are controversial. A crucial question whose answer will improve our understanding and treatment of PKU is whether cognitive outcomes can be modulated by levels of Phe even in early-treated adults. To address this question, we carried out an interventional study in seven ETPKU women planning a pregnancy. METHODS They underwent an extensive neurocognitive assessment at baseline, and 3 and 6 months after having attained the blood Phe concentration recommended to prevent PKU fetopathy, but before pregnancy. RESULTS After 3 and 6 months with a stable blood Phe level of about 240 μmol/L, all participants experienced significant improvements in almost all neurocognitive domains and tasks. IQ also increased of 11 to 21 points from the last assessment before enrolment. This pattern remained strong and consistent after correction for multiple comparisons. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that a) strong cognitive improvement is possible even in adulthood and may be demonstrated by lowering Phe near normal levels; b) testing cognition under different metabolic conditions may unveil an individual vulnerability to Phe. These results pave the way for personalised treatment of the disease in adults with ETPKU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Manti
- Department of Human Neuroscience - Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Nardecchia
- Department of Human Neuroscience - Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Sabrina De Leo
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Carducci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Romani
- School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
| | - Liana Palermo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Leuzzi
- Department of Human Neuroscience - Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
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Citarella A, Besharat ZM, Trocchianesi S, Autilio TM, Verrienti A, Catanzaro G, Splendiani E, Spinello Z, Cantara S, Zavattari P, Loi E, Romei C, Ciampi R, Pezzullo L, Castagna MG, Angeloni A, Elisei R, Durante C, Po A, Ferretti E. Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma is characterized by specific fragmentation and methylation changes with diagnostic value. Biomark Res 2023; 11:82. [PMID: 37726827 PMCID: PMC10510276 DOI: 10.1186/s40364-023-00522-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC) is a rare neuroendocrine tumour whose diagnosis includes evaluating calcitonin serum levels, which can present fluctuations unrelated to MTC. Here, we investigated circulating DNA fragmentation and methylation changes as potential biomarkers using ddPCR on cell-free DNA (cfDNA) isolated from the plasma of MTC patients. For cfDNA fragmentation analysis, we investigated the fragment size distribution of a gene family and calculated short fragment fraction (SFF). Methylation analyses evaluated the methylation levels of CG_16698623, a CG dinucleotide in the MGMT gene that we found hypermethylated in MTC tissues by analyzing public databases. The SFF ratio and methylation of CG_16698623 were significantly increased in plasma from MTC patients at diagnosis, and patients with clinical remission or stable disease at follow-up showed no significant SFF difference compared with healthy subjects. Our data support the diagnostic value of cfDNA traits that could enable better management of MTC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Citarella
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00161, Italy
| | - Zein Mersini Besharat
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00161, Italy
| | - Sofia Trocchianesi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00161, Italy
| | - Tanja Milena Autilio
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00161, Italy
| | - Antonella Verrienti
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00161, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Catanzaro
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00161, Italy
| | - Elena Splendiani
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Foro Italico, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Zaira Spinello
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00161, Italy
| | - Silvia Cantara
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Neurological Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Patrizia Zavattari
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Unit of Biology and Genetics, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, 09042, Italy
| | - Eleonora Loi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Unit of Biology and Genetics, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, 09042, Italy
| | - Cristina Romei
- Endocrine Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, 56126, Italy
| | - Raffaele Ciampi
- Endocrine Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, 56126, Italy
| | - Luciano Pezzullo
- Thyroid Surgical Unit, IRCCS Fondazione G.Pascale, Naples, 80131, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Castagna
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Neurological Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00161, Italy
| | - Rosella Elisei
- Endocrine Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, 56126, Italy
| | - Cosimo Durante
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00161, Italy
| | - Agnese Po
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00161, Italy.
| | - Elisabetta Ferretti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00161, Italy
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Marino L, Criniti A, Guida S, Bucci T, Ballesio L, Suppa M, Galardo G, Vacca A, Santulli M, Angeloni A, Lubrano C, Gandini O. Interleukin 18 and IL-18 BP response to Sars-CoV-2 virus infection. Clin Exp Med 2023; 23:1243-1250. [PMID: 36385417 PMCID: PMC9668240 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-022-00943-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 infection is crucial to the patient outcome. IL-18 is involved in the lymphocyte response to the disease and it is well established its important role in the complex developing of the host response to viral infection. This study aims at the analysis of the concentrations of IL-18, IL-18BP, INF-γ at the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. The serum levels of measured interleukins were obtained through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Furthermore, the free fraction of IL-18 was numerically evaluated. The enrolled patients were divided in two severity groups according to a threshold value of 300 for the ratio of arterial partial pressure of oxygen and fraction of inspired oxygen fraction and according to the parenchymal involvement as evaluated by computerized tomography at the admittance. In the group of patients with a more severe disease, a significant increase of the IL-18, INF-γ and IL-18BP levels have been observed, whereas the free IL-18 component values were almost constant. The results confirm that, at the onset of the disease, the host response keep the inflammatory cytokines in an equilibrium and support the hypothesis to adopt the IL-18BP modulation as a possible and effective therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Marino
- Emergency Medicine Unit, Department of Emergency‐Acceptance, Critical Areas and Trauma, Policlinico “Umberto I”, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Criniti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Sofia Guida
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Tommaso Bucci
- Department of General Surgery and Surgical Specialties “Paride Stefanini”, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Ballesio
- Department of Radiology, Anatomo-Pathology and Oncology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Marianna Suppa
- Emergency Medicine Unit, Department of Emergency‐Acceptance, Critical Areas and Trauma, Policlinico “Umberto I”, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Gioacchino Galardo
- Department of General Surgery and Surgical Specialties “Paride Stefanini”, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Vacca
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Santulli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Lubrano
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Orietta Gandini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Pontecorvi P, Ceccarelli S, Cece F, Camero S, Lotti LV, Niccolai E, Nannini G, Gerini G, Anastasiadou E, Scialis ES, Romano E, Venneri MA, Amedei A, Angeloni A, Megiorni F, Marchese C. Assessing the Impact of Polyethylene Nano/Microplastic Exposure on Human Vaginal Keratinocytes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11379. [PMID: 37511139 PMCID: PMC10380279 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The global rise of single-use throw-away plastic products has elicited a massive increase in the nano/microplastics (N/MPLs) exposure burden in humans. Recently, it has been demonstrated that disposable period products may release N/MPLs with usage, which represents a potential threat to women's health which has not been scientifically addressed yet. By using polyethyl ene (PE) particles (200 nm to 9 μm), we showed that acute exposure to a high concentration of N/MPLs induced cell toxicity in vaginal keratinocytes after effective cellular uptake, as viability and apoptosis data suggest, along with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. The internalised N/MPLs altered the expression of junctional and adherence proteins and the organisation of the actin cortex, influencing the level of genes involved in oxidative stress signalling pathways and that of miRNAs related to epithelial barrier function. When the exposure to PE N/MPLs was discontinued or became chronic, cells were able to recover from the negative effects on viability and differentiation/proliferation gene expression in a few days. However, in all cases, PE N/MPL exposure prompted a sustained alteration of DNA methyltransferase and DNA demethylase expression, which might impact epigenetic regulation processes, leading to accelerated cell ageing and inflammation, or the occurrence of malignant transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Pontecorvi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Ceccarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Cece
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Camero
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Lavinia Vittoria Lotti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Niccolai
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Giulia Nannini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Giulia Gerini
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Eleni Anastasiadou
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Via di Grottarossa 1035, 00189 Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Sofia Scialis
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, University "G. D'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 31, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Enrico Romano
- Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Mary Anna Venneri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Amedeo Amedei
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Megiorni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Cinzia Marchese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
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11
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Boscarino G, Carducci C, Conti MG, Podagrosi M, Gigliello A, Di Chiara M, Bartolucci M, Brunelli R, Parisi P, Angeloni A, Terrin G. Early Energy Intake and Amino Acid Profile in Preterm Newborns: A Quasi-Experimental Study. Nutrients 2023; 15:2917. [PMID: 37447243 PMCID: PMC10343583 DOI: 10.3390/nu15132917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: An increased protein intake via parenteral nutrition (PN) in early life is associated with an improvement of the nitrogen balance in preterm newborns. However, the role of energy intake on amino acid (AA) utilization provided by PN remains to be defined. We investigated the effects of energy intake on blood AA levels and profiles. (2) Methods: Quasi-experimental study including preterm very low birth weight newborns who received an energy enhanced PN (Cohort A) or an energy standard PN (Cohort B), with a similar protein amount in the first week of life. Blood AA levels were measured between three and seven days of life (T0) and at fifteen days of life (T1) and compared between the two study cohorts. (3) Results: AA levels of 40 newborns from each group were analyzed. No difference was found for total essential and non-essential blood AA concentration at T0 between the two study cohorts. At T1, we found a significantly higher blood concentration of leucine, isoleucine and proline, and a significantly lower concentration of tyrosine in Cohort B. However, multivariate analysis did not confirm this result. (4) Conclusions: An enhanced PN protocol in terms of energy but not of protein did not influence AA levels and profiles. Considering the high risk of side effects, we suggest exercising caution when administering high energy intake via PN in the first week of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Boscarino
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy (R.B.)
| | - Claudia Carducci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Giulia Conti
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy (R.B.)
| | - Maria Podagrosi
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy (R.B.)
| | - Annamaria Gigliello
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Di Chiara
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy (R.B.)
| | - Monica Bartolucci
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy (R.B.)
| | - Roberto Brunelli
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy (R.B.)
| | - Pasquale Parisi
- Department of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sense Organs (NESMOS), Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sant Andrea Hospital University, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Gianluca Terrin
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy (R.B.)
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12
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Anastasi E, Farina A, Granato T, Colaiacovo F, Pucci B, Tartaglione S, Angeloni A. Recent Insight about HE4 Role in Ovarian Cancer Oncogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10479. [PMID: 37445657 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently, ovarian cancer (OC) is a target of intense biomarkers research because of its frequent late diagnosis and poor prognosis. Serum determination of Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) is a very important early detection test. Most interestingly, HE4 plays a unique role in OC as it has been implicated not only in OC diagnosis but also in the prognosis and recurrence of this lethal neoplasm, actually acting as a clinical biomarker. There are several evidence about the predictive power of HE4 clinically, conversely less has been described concerning its role in OC oncogenesis. Based on these considerations, the main goal of this review is to clarify the role of HE4 in OC proliferation, angiogenesis, metastatization, immune response and also in the development of targeted therapy. Through a deeper understanding of its functions as a key molecule in the oncogenetic processes underlying OC, HE4 could be possibly considered as an essential resource not only for diagnosis but also for prognosis and therapy choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Anastasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Farina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Teresa Granato
- CNR-IBPM, Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Flavia Colaiacovo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Beatrice Pucci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Tartaglione
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
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13
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Farina A, Colaiacovo F, Gianfrate M, Pucci B, Angeloni A, Anastasi E. Ovarian Cancer Biomarkers in the COVID-19 Era. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023; 20:5994. [PMID: 37297598 PMCID: PMC10252324 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20115994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Ovarian Cancer (OC) diagnosis is entrusted to CA125 and HE4. Since the latter has been found increased in COVID-19 patients, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the influence of SARS-CoV-2 infection on OC biomarkers. HE4 values above the cut-off were observed in 65% of OC patients and in 48% of SARS-CoV-2-positive patients (not oncologic patients), whereas CA125 values above the cut-off were observed in 71% of OC patients and in 11% of SARS-CoV-2 patients. Hence, by dividing the HE4 levels into quartiles, we can state that altered levels of HE4 in COVID-19 patients were mostly detectable in quartile I (151-300 pmol/L), while altered levels in OC patients were mostly clustered in quartile III (>600, pmol/L). In light of these observations, in order to better discriminate women with ovarian cancer versus those with COVID-19, we established a possible HE4 cut-off of 328 pmol/L by means of a ROC curve. These results demonstrate that the reliability of HE4 as a biomarker in ovarian cancer remains unchanged, despite COVID-19 interference; moreover, it is important for a proper diagnosis that whether the patient has a recent history of SARS-CoV-2 infection is determined.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Emanuela Anastasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.F.)
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14
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Gaeta A, Angeloni A, Napoli A, Pucci B, Cinti L, Roberto P, Colaiacovo F, Berardelli E, Farina A, Antonelli G, Anastasi E. Anti-N SARS-CoV-2 assays for evaluation of natural viral infection. J Immunol Methods 2023; 518:113486. [PMID: 37156408 PMCID: PMC10163944 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2023.113486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, required the development of different diagnostic tests. While reverse transcriptase real-time PCR (RT-PCR) remains the first-line test of choice in acute infection diagnosis, anti-N antibodies serological assays provide a valuable tool to differentiate natural SARS-CoV-2 immunological response from that induced by vaccination, thus the goal of our study was to evaluate three serological tests agreement for these antibodies detection. METHODS Three anti-N different tests were examined in 74 sera from patients referred or not COVID infection: immunochromatographic rapid test (Panbio™ COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Device Abbott, Germany), ELISA kit (NovaLisa® SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM NovaTech Immunodiagnostic GmbH, Germany) and ECLIA immunoassay (Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Roche Diagnostics, Manheim, Germany). RESULTS Qualitative comparison of the three analytical methods revealed a moderate agreement between ECLIA immunoassay and immunochromatographic rapid test (Cohen kappa coefficient κ = 0.564). Correlation analysis indicated weak positive correlation between total Ig (IgT) detected by ECLIA immunoassay and IgG by ELISA test (p < 0.0001), the analysis of ECLIA IgT and IgM ELISA detected, showed no statistical correlation. CONCLUSION Comparison between of three analytical systems available for anti-N SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibodies showed a general agreement when compared to detect total and G class immunoglobulins, while doubtful or discordant results have been highlighted for IgT and IgM class. Anyway, all the tests examined provide reliable results to assess the serological status of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelia Gaeta
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy..
| | - Anna Napoli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Beatrice Pucci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Lilia Cinti
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Piergiorgio Roberto
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Flavia Colaiacovo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Elena Berardelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Antonella Farina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Guido Antonelli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Emanuela Anastasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
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15
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Terracina S, Pallaria A, Lucarelli M, Angeloni A, De Angelis A, Ceci FM, Caronti B, Francati S, Blaconà G, Fiore M, Ferraguti G. Urine Dipstick Analysis on Automated Platforms: Is a Reliable Screening Tool for Proteinuria? An Experience from Umberto I Hospital in Rome. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11041174. [PMID: 37189791 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11041174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Urinalysis is commonly used as a screening tool for kidney disease. In many cases, the dipstick urine assay includes the assessment of albumin/protein and creatinine; consequently, the value of their ratio is available on the urine section report. Identification of albuminuria/proteinuria at early stages is an important issue to prevent or at least delay the onset of chronic kidney disease (CKD), kidney failure, and the progression of cardiovascular damage linked to the kidney's loss of function. Sensitive and specific diagnostic methods are required for the assessment of such an important biomarker: urine albumin, creatinine, and their ratio (ACR) measured with quantitative assays are considered the gold standard. Routine dipstick methods (more rapid and at a lower cost) are intended for wide population screening. The aim of our study was to verify the reliability of an automated urinalysis dipstick method by comparing the results with the quantitative test of creatinine and albumin performed on a clinical chemistry platform. The first-morning voids of 249 patients who arrived from different departments were analyzed in the Central Laboratory of the University Hospital Policlinico Umberto I in Rome. We found a good correlation between the two assays, even though we observed that the dipstick assessment tends to overestimate the ACR's value, disclosing a higher number of false positives if compared to the reference method. As an important novelty in this study, we analyzed our data considering age (starting from pediatric to geriatric patients) and sex as variables for a sub-stratification of the participants. Our results show that positive values need to be confirmed with quantitative methods, especially in women and younger people, and that from samples that resulted as diluted at the dipstick assay, the ACR's values can be obtained if they are reanalyzed with quantitative assays. Moreover, patients with microalbuminuria (ACR 30-300 mg/g) or severe albumin urinary excretion (ACR > 300 mg/g) should be reanalyzed using quantitative methods to obtain a more reliable calculation of the ACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Terracina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Pallaria
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Lucarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Annarita De Angelis
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Flavio Maria Ceci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Brunella Caronti
- Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University Hospital of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Francati
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Blaconà
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Fiore
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, IBBC-CNR, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giampiero Ferraguti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
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16
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Bizzarri M, Monti N, Piombarolo A, Angeloni A, Verna R. Myo-Inositol and D-Chiro-Inositol as Modulators of Ovary Steroidogenesis: A Narrative Review. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15081875. [PMID: 37111094 PMCID: PMC10145676 DOI: 10.3390/nu15081875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Myo-inositol is a natural polyol, the most abundant among the nine possible structural isomers available in living organisms. Inositol confers some distinctive traits that allow for a striking distinction between prokaryotes and eukaryotes, the basic clusters into which organisms are partitioned. Inositol cooperates in numerous biological functions where the polyol participates or by furnishing the fundamental backbone of several related derived metabolites, mostly obtained through the sequential addition of phosphate groups (inositol phosphates, phosphoinositides, and pyrophosphates). Overall myo-inositol and its phosphate metabolites display an entangled network, which is involved in the core of the biochemical processes governing critical transitions inside cells. Noticeably, experimental data have shown that myo-inositol and its most relevant epimer D-chiro-inositol are both necessary to permit a faithful transduction of insulin and of other molecular factors. This improves the complete breakdown of glucose through the citric acid cycle, especially in glucose-greedy tissues, such as the ovary. In particular, while D-chiro-inositol promotes androgen synthesis in the theca layer and down-regulates aromatase and estrogen expression in granulosa cells, myo-inositol strengthens aromatase and FSH receptor expression. Inositol effects on glucose metabolism and steroid hormone synthesis represent an intriguing area of investigation, as recent results have demonstrated that inositol-related metabolites dramatically modulate the expression of several genes. Conversely, treatments including myo-inositol and its isomers have proven to be effective in the management and symptomatic relief of a number of diseases associated with the endocrine function of the ovary, namely polycystic ovarian syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariano Bizzarri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00160 Rome, Italy
- Systems Biology Group Lab, Sapienza University, 00160 Rome, Italy
| | - Noemi Monti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00160 Rome, Italy
| | - Aurora Piombarolo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00160 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00160 Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Verna
- Systems Biology Group Lab, Sapienza University, 00160 Rome, Italy
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17
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Ialongo C, Sapio M, Angeloni A. Analytical Performance of the New Siemens Affinity Chrome-Mediated Immunoassay Everolimus Assay and Its Interchangeability With the Thermo Quantitative Microsphere System for Routine Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Patients After Solid Organ Transplantation. Ther Drug Monit 2023; 45:217-222. [PMID: 36920504 DOI: 10.1097/ftd.0000000000001009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A new homogeneous affinity chrome-mediated immunoassay (ACMIA) "EVRO" from Siemens Healthcare was evaluated for therapeutic drug monitoring of everolimus (EVL) with automated sample pretreatment and compared with quantitative microsphere system (QMS) "EVER" from Thermo Fisher Scientific. METHODS Imprecision, inaccuracy, and limit of quantitation (LoQ) of ACMIA/EVRO were verified using both hemolysate quality control (QC) samples and pooled whole blood specimens. The interchangeability of methods and the agreement of results were analyzed using 72 specimens (from 38, 30, and 4 kidney, liver, and lung transplant recipients, respectively). RESULTS Within-run imprecision ranged within %CV = 2.81-2.53 with pooled whole blood specimens and within %CV = 2.88-2.53 with QCs; total imprecision with QCs was within %CV = 2.14-1.51. Inaccuracy with value assigned QC was %△ = 5.36 at the 5.6 ng/mL level and %△ = 5.56 at the 11.7 ng/mL level. LoQ was 0.93 ng/mL (%CV = 10). Passing-Bablok regression showed a constant bias of 0.679 ng/mL (95% CI: 0.216-1.026) and a proportional bias of 1.326 (95% CI: 1.240-1.425). Bland-Altman analysis showed 5/72 (6.9%) paired differences exceeding the limits of agreement and 1/72 (1.4%) paired differences exceeding 1.96 SD to a combined bias of 39.9% after detrending. CONCLUSIONS ACMIA/EVRO shows satisfactory analytical performances that comply with recommendations, but it does not fulfill requirements for interchangeability with QMS/EVER. Particularly, this new assay using sirolimus-specific antibody shows a sizable proportional bias versus the more specific comparator, which may be because of EVL metabolites. This is supported by the lack of agreement for individual differences in most samples collected at the peak concentration (C2). Therefore, further evidence is needed to support the transition of EVL level monitoring from QMS/EVER to ACMIA/EVRO without making extensive changes to both reference interval and patient's baseline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiano Ialongo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, "Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy
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18
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Anastasi E, Scaramuzzino S, Viscardi MF, Viggiani V, Piccioni MG, Cacciamani L, Merlino L, Angeloni A, Muzii L, Porpora MG. Efficacy of N-Acetylcysteine on Endometriosis-Related Pain, Size Reduction of Ovarian Endometriomas, and Fertility Outcomes. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023; 20:4686. [PMID: 36981595 PMCID: PMC10048621 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20064686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endometriosis is a chronic, estrogen-dependent, inflammatory disease, whose pivotal symptoms are dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and chronic pelvic pain (CPP). Besides the usual medical treatments, recent evidence suggests there are potential benefits of oral N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on endometriotic lesions and pain. The primary objective of this prospective single-cohort study was to confirm the effectiveness of NAC in reducing endometriosis-related pain and the size of ovarian endometriomas. The secondary objective was to assess if NAC may play a role in improving fertility and reducing the Ca125 serum levels. METHODS Patients aged between 18-45 years old with a clinical/histological diagnosis of endometriosis and no current hormonal treatment or pregnancy were included in the study. All patients received quarterly oral NAC 600 mg, 3 tablets/day for 3 consecutive days of the week for 3 months. At baseline and after 3 months, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia and CPP were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale score (VAS), while the size of the endometriomas was estimated through a transvaginal ultrasound. Analgesics (NSAIDs) intake, the serum levels of Ca125 and the desire for pregnancy were also investigated. Finally, the pregnancy rate of patients with reproductive desire was evaluated. RESULTS One hundred and twenty patients were recruited. The intensity of dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia and CPP significantly improved (p < 0.0001). The use of NSAIDs (p = 0.001), the size of the endometriomas (p < 0.0001) and the serum levels of Ca125 (p < 0.0001) significantly decreased. Among the 52 patients with reproductive desire, 39 successfully achieved pregnancy within 6 months of starting therapy (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Oral NAC improves endometriosis-related pain and the size of endometriomas. Furthermore, it decreases Ca125 serum levels and may improve fertility in patients with endometriosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Anastasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Scaramuzzino
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Federica Viscardi
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Viggiani
- Department of Molecular Medicine, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Piccioni
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Cacciamani
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Merlino
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Ludovico Muzii
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Porpora
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
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Ceci FM, Ferraguti G, Lucarelli M, Angeloni A, Bonci E, Petrella C, Francati S, Barbato C, Di Certo MG, Gabanella F, Gavaruzzi F, Mastroianni CM, Minni A, Greco A, Ralli M, Ceccanti M, Tarani L, Fiore M. Investigating Biomarkers for COVID-19 Morbidity and Mortality. Curr Top Med Chem 2023:CTMC-EPUB-129692. [PMID: 36815637 DOI: 10.2174/1568026623666230222094517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE This retrospective study aims to disclose further early parameters of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. METHODS Three hundred and eighty-two COVID-19 patients, recruited between March and April 2020, were divided into three groups according to their outcome: (1) hospital ward group (patients who entered the hospital wards and survived); (2) intensive care unit (ICU) group (patients who attended the ICU and survived); (3) the deceased group (patients admitted to ICU with a fatal outcome). We investigated routine laboratory parameters such as albumin, glycemia, hemoglobin amylase, lipase, AST, ALT, GGT, LDH, CK, MGB, TnT-hs, IL-6, ferritin, CRP, PCT, WBC, RBC, PLT, PT, INR, APTT, FBG, and D-dimer. Blood withdrawal was carried out at the beginning of the hospitalization period. RESULTS ANOVA and ROC data evidenced that the concomitant presence of alterations in albumin, lipase, AST, ALT, LDH, MGB, CK, IL-6, ferritin in women, CRP and D-dimer is an early sign of fatal outcomes. CONCLUSION The present study confirms and extends the validity of routine laboratory biomarkers (i.e., lipase, AST, ALT, LDH, CK, IL-6, ferritin in women, CRP and D-dimer) as indicators of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, the investigation suggests that both gross changes in albumin and MGB, markers of liver and heart damage, may early disclose COVID-19 fatal outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavio Maria Ceci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giampiero Ferraguti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Lucarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Enea Bonci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Petrella
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Francati
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Francesca Gavaruzzi
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Antonio Minni
- Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Greco
- Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo Ralli
- Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Mauro Ceccanti
- Società Italiana per il Trattamento dell'Alcolismo e le sue Complicanze (SITAC), Rome, Italy
| | - Luigi Tarani
- Department of Pediatrics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Fiore
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy
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Petrella C, Zingaropoli MA, Ceci FM, Pasculli P, Latronico T, Liuzzi GM, Ciardi MR, Angeloni A, Ettorre E, Menghi M, Barbato C, Ferraguti G, Minni A, Fiore M. COVID-19 Affects Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Neurofilament Light Chain in Aged Men: Implications for Morbidity and Mortality. Cells 2023; 12:cells12040655. [PMID: 36831321 PMCID: PMC9954454 DOI: 10.3390/cells12040655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND METHODS Severe COVID-19 is known to induce neurological damage (NeuroCOVID), mostly in aged individuals, by affecting brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 and 9 and the neurofilament light chain (NFL) pathways. Thus, the aim of this pilot study was to investigate BDNF, MMP-2, MMP-9, and NFL in the serum of aged men affected by COVID-19 at the beginning of the hospitalization period and characterized by different outcomes, i.e., attending a hospital ward or an intensive care unit (ICU) or with a fatal outcome. As a control group, we used a novelty of the study, unexposed age-matched men. We also correlated these findings with the routine blood parameters of the recruited individuals. RESULTS We found in COVID-19 individuals with severe or lethal outcomes disrupted serum BDNF, NFL, and MMP-2 presence and gross changes in ALT, GGT, LDH, IL-6, ferritin, and CRP. We also confirmed and extended previous data, using ROC analyses, showing that the ratio MMPs (2 and 9) versus BDNF and NFL might be a useful tool to predict a fatal COVID-19 outcome. CONCLUSIONS Serum BDNF and NFL and/or their ratios with MMP-2 and MMP-9 could represent early predictors of NeuroCOVID in aged men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Petrella
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (C.P.); (M.F.)
| | - Maria Antonella Zingaropoli
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Flavio Maria Ceci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Patrizia Pasculli
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Tiziana Latronico
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70121 Bari, Italy
| | - Grazia Maria Liuzzi
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70121 Bari, Italy
| | - Maria Rosa Ciardi
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Evaristo Ettorre
- Department of Clinical, Internal Medicine, Anesthesiologic and Cardiovascular Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Michela Menghi
- Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Christian Barbato
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giampiero Ferraguti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Minni
- Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, ASL Rieti-Sapienza University, Ospedale San Camillo de Lellis, Viale Kennedy, 02100 Rieti, Italy
| | - Marco Fiore
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (C.P.); (M.F.)
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Masi D, Gangitano E, Criniti A, Ballesio L, Anzuini A, Marino L, Gnessi L, Angeloni A, Gandini O, Lubrano C. Obesity-Associated Hepatic Steatosis, Somatotropic Axis Impairment, and Ferritin Levels Are Strong Predictors of COVID-19 Severity. Viruses 2023; 15:v15020488. [PMID: 36851702 PMCID: PMC9968194 DOI: 10.3390/v15020488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The full spectrum of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients has not yet been defined. This study aimed to evaluate which parameters derived from CT, inflammatory, and hormonal markers could explain the clinical variability of COVID-19. We performed a retrospective study including SARS-CoV-2-infected patients hospitalized from March 2020 to May 2021 at the Umberto I Polyclinic of Rome. Patients were divided into four groups according to the degree of respiratory failure. Routine laboratory examinations, BMI, liver steatosis indices, liver CT attenuation, ferritin, and IGF-1 serum levels were assessed and correlated with severity. Analysis of variance between groups showed that patients with worse prognoses had higher BMI and ferritin levels, but lower liver density, albumin, GH, and IGF-1. ROC analysis confirmed the prognostic accuracy of IGF-1 in discriminating between patients who experienced death/severe respiratory failure and those who did not (AUC 0.688, CI: 0.587 to 0.789, p < 0.001). A multivariate analysis considering the degrees of severity of the disease as the dependent variable and ferritin, liver density, and the standard deviation score of IGF-1 as regressors showed that all three parameters were significant predictors. Ferritin, IGF-1, and liver steatosis account for the increased risk of poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients with obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Masi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Gangitano
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Criniti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Ballesio
- Department of Radiology, Anatomo–Pathology and Oncology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Anzuini
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Marino
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Emergency Medicine Unit, Department of Emergency-Acceptance, Critical Areas and Trauma, Policlinico “Umberto I”, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Lucio Gnessi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Emergency Medicine Unit, Department of Emergency-Acceptance, Critical Areas and Trauma, Policlinico “Umberto I”, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Orietta Gandini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Lubrano
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence:
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Colonnello E, Criniti A, Lorusso E, Curreli M, Santulli M, Angeloni A, Gnessi L, Gandini O, Lubrano C. Thyroid hormones and platelet activation in COVID-19 patients. J Endocrinol Invest 2023; 46:261-269. [PMID: 36064879 PMCID: PMC9444103 DOI: 10.1007/s40618-022-01896-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To retrospectively describe the association between thyroid hormones (TH) and platelet activation, as represented by mean platelet volume (MPV), in a cohort of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 with no known thyroid disease, and to correlate these data with the severity of COVID-19 and the occurrence of death/ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome). METHODS 103 patients with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing-confirmed COVID-19 and hospitalized were enrolled. Serum samples were collected from patients upon admission before starting any treatment. Chi-squared test was used to determine the association between euthyroid sick syndrome (ESS) and COVID-19 severity. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate the best independent predictors of COVID-19 deaths/ARDS. RESULTS 39/103 (37.9%) of patients were found to have ESS, and this condition was an independent predictor for the severity of COVID-19 (p = 0.003). Lower TSH and lower FT3/FT4 ratio correlated with higher MPV (p = 0,001 and p = 0.010), with an opposite trend with respect to what has been documented in non-COVID patients. Increasing MPV and lower FT3 significantly increased the risk, in COVID-19 patients, of an adverse outcome of death/ARDS. CONCLUSION Increased platelet activation, as represented by increased MPV, has already been reported to correlate with COVID-19 severity, possibly as a consequence of cytokine release. We demonstrated, in a cohort of 103 patients with COVID-19, that MPV is inversely correlated to TH levels, in particular in the case of ESS, where downregulation of TH axis may occur in case of systemic cytokine inflammation and more severe outcomes (death/ARDS). That ESS itself may directly cause platelet activation, as demonstrated by higher MPV in these patients, is an interesting hypothesis which deserves further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Colonnello
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - A Criniti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - E Lorusso
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - M Curreli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - M Santulli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - A Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - L Gnessi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - O Gandini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - C Lubrano
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
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Sessa R, Filardo S, Masciullo L, Di Pietro M, Angeloni A, Brandolino G, Brunelli R, D’Alisa R, Viscardi MF, Anastasi E, Porpora MG. SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Pregnancy: Clues and Proof of Adverse Outcomes. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023; 20:2616. [PMID: 36767980 PMCID: PMC9915124 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20032616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) represents one of the most threatening viral infections in the last decade. Amongst susceptible individuals, infected pregnant women might be predisposed to severe complications. Despite the extensive interest in SARS-CoV-2 research, the clinical course of maternal infection, the vertical transmission and the neonatal outcomes have not been completely understood yet. The aim of our study was to investigate the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection, obstetric outcomes and vertical transmission. METHODS A prospective observational study was performed, enrolling unvaccinated pregnant patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 (cases) and matched with uninfected pregnant women (controls). Maternal and neonatal nasopharyngeal swabs, maternal and cord blood, amniotic fluid and placenta tissue samples were collected; blood samples were tested for anti-S and anti-N antibodies, and histologic examination of placental tissues was performed. RESULTS The cases showed a significant association with the development of some obstetric complications, such as intrauterine growth restriction and pregnancy-associated hypothyroidism and diabetes, as compared to controls; their newborns were more likely to have a low birth weight and an arterial umbilical pH less than 7. The viral genome was detected in maternal and cord blood and placental samples in six cases. CONCLUSIONS Pregnant women positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection are more likely to develop severe obstetric outcomes; their newborns could have a low birth weight and arterial pH. Vertical transmission seems a rare event, and further investigation is strongly needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Sessa
- Microbiology Section, Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Simone Filardo
- Microbiology Section, Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Luisa Masciullo
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Marisa Di Pietro
- Microbiology Section, Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriella Brandolino
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Brunelli
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Rossella D’Alisa
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Federica Viscardi
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuela Anastasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Porpora
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
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Ialongo C, D'alessandro A, Sapio M, Angeloni A, Porzio O. Evaluation of the interchangeability between the new fully-automated affinity chrome-mediated immunoassay (ACMIA) and the Quantitative Microsphere System (QMS) with a CE-IVD-certified LC-MS/MS assay for therapeutic drug monitoring of everolimus after solid organ transplantation. Clin Chem Lab Med 2023; 61:245-250. [PMID: 36330751 DOI: 10.1515/cclm-2022-0699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aims to evaluate the interchangeability between the Siemens Healthineers' "EVRO" new affinity chrome-mediated immunoassay (ACMIA/EVRO) and Thermo Fisher Scientific's "EVER" Quantitative Microsphere System (QMS/EVER) with Chromsystems' CE-IVD-certified "MassTox" liquid-chromatography/tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay for the therapeutic drug monitoring of everolimus. METHODS A single lot of reagent, calibrators and controls were used for each assay. A total of 67 whole blood samples (n=67) from patients receiving solid organ transplant were analyzed (n=31 with kidney transplant and n=36 with liver transplant); Passing-Bablok regression and Bland-Altman difference plot were used to evaluate bias and individual agreement; LC-MS/MS analysis was used to measure the actual concentrations of calibrators and controls compared to the assigned value. RESULTS ACMIA/EVRO did not show any systematic bias compared to LC-MS/MS (intercept=0.244 ng/mL, 95% CI: -0.254 to 0.651 ng/mL). Nevertheless, significant proportional bias (slope=1.511, 95% CI: 1.420 to 1.619) associated to a combined bias of 44.8% (95% CI: 41.2-48.3%) was observed. Conversely, QMS/EVER did not show any bias at both systematic (intercept=-0.151 ng/mL, 95% CI: -0.671 to 0.256 ng/mL) and proportional level (slope=0.971, 95% CI: 0.895 to 1.074) with a non-statistically significant combined bias of -3.6% (95% CI: -8.4-1.1%). Based on a concentration of calibrators and controls above the assigned value for both the analytical methods, in the ACMIA/EVRO a correction which was approximately one-third of the correction for the QMS/EVER was observed. CONCLUSIONS ACMIA/EVRO but not QMS/EVER shows a lack of interchangeability with the CE-IVD-certified LC-MS/MS assay. We hypothesize that, as the ACMIA/EVRO uses an anti-sirolimus antibody, the under-corrected assigned value in the assay calibrators was not sufficient to reproduce the everolimus metabolites cross-reactivity occurring in real samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiano Ialongo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, "Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Maria Sapio
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, "Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, "Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy
| | - Ottavia Porzio
- Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory, IRCCS "Bambino Gesù" Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
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Mastrangelo M, Tolve M, Artiola C, Bove R, Carducci C, Carducci C, Angeloni A, Pisani F, Leuzzi V. Phenotypes and Genotypes of Inherited Disorders of Biogenic Amine Neurotransmitter Metabolism. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14020263. [PMID: 36833190 PMCID: PMC9957200 DOI: 10.3390/genes14020263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Inherited disorders of biogenic amine metabolism are genetically determined conditions resulting in dysfunctions or lack of enzymes involved in the synthesis, degradation, or transport of dopamine, serotonin, adrenaline/noradrenaline, and their metabolites or defects of their cofactor or chaperone biosynthesis. They represent a group of treatable diseases presenting with complex patterns of movement disorders (dystonia, oculogyric crises, severe/hypokinetic syndrome, myoclonic jerks, and tremors) associated with a delay in the emergence of postural reactions, global development delay, and autonomic dysregulation. The earlier the disease manifests, the more severe and widespread the impaired motor functions. Diagnosis mainly depends on measuring neurotransmitter metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid that may address the genetic confirmation. Correlations between the severity of phenotypes and genotypes may vary remarkably among the different diseases. Traditional pharmacological strategies are not disease-modifying in most cases. Gene therapy has provided promising results in patients with DYT-DDC and in vitro models of DYT/PARK-SLC6A3. The rarity of these diseases, combined with limited knowledge of their clinical, biochemical, and molecular genetic features, frequently leads to misdiagnosis or significant diagnostic delays. This review provides updates on these aspects with a final outlook on future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Mastrangelo
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Manuela Tolve
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Cristiana Artiola
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Rossella Bove
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Carducci
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Carducci
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Pisani
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-649972930; Fax: +39-64440232
| | - Vincenzo Leuzzi
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy
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Tortolini C, Gigli V, Angeloni A, Galantini L, Tasca F, Antiochia R. Disposable Voltammetric Immunosensor for D-Dimer Detection as Early Biomarker of Thromboembolic Disease and of COVID-19 Prognosis. Biosensors (Basel) 2022; 13:bios13010043. [PMID: 36671877 PMCID: PMC9855840 DOI: 10.3390/bios13010043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we report on the development of a simple electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of D-dimer protein in human plasma samples. The immunosensor is built by a simple drop-casting procedure of chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) as biocompatible support, Protein A (PrA), to facilitate the proper orientation of the antibody sites to epitopes as a capture biomolecule, and the D-dimer antibody onto a carboxyl functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes screen printed electrode (MWCNTs-SPE). The CSNPs have been morphologically characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) techniques. Successively, the electrochemical properties of the screen-printed working electrode after each modification step have been characterized by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The resulting MWCNTs-CSNPs-PrA-D-dimer Ab immunosensor displays an optimal and promising platform for antibody immobilization and specific D-dimer detection. DPV has been used to investigate the antigen/antibody interaction at different D-dimer concentrations. The proposed voltammetric immunosensor allowed a linear range from 2 to 500 μg L-1 with a LOD of 0.6 μg L-1 and a sensitivity of 1.3 μA L μg-1 cm-2. Good stability and a fast response time (5 s) have been reported. Lastly, the performance of the voltammetric immunosensor has been tested in human plasma samples, showing satisfactory results, thus attesting to the promising feasibility of the proposed platform for detecting D-dimer in physiological samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Tortolini
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, V.le Regina Elena 324, 00166 Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria Gigli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, V.le Regina Elena 324, 00166 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, V.le Regina Elena 324, 00166 Rome, Italy
| | - Luciano Galantini
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Federico Tasca
- Departamento de Química de los Materiales, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Casilla 40, Correo 33, Sucursal Matucana, Santiago 9170022, Chile
| | - Riccarda Antiochia
- Department of Chemistry and Drug Technologies, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
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Abiusi E, Vaisfeld A, Fiori S, Novelli A, Spartano S, Faggiano MV, Giovanniello T, Angeloni A, Vento G, Santoloci R, Gigli F, D'Amico A, Costa S, Porzi A, Panella M, Ticci C, Daniotti M, Sacchini M, Boschi I, Dani C, Agostiniani R, Bertini E, Lanzone A, Lamarca G, Genuardi M, Pane M, Donati MA, Mercuri E, Tiziano FD. Experience of a 2-year spinal muscular atrophy NBS pilot study in Italy: towards specific guidelines and standard operating procedures for the molecular diagnosis. J Med Genet 2022:jmg-2022-108873. [PMID: 36414255 DOI: 10.1136/jmg-2022-108873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is due to the homozygous absence of SMN1 in around 97% of patients, independent of the severity (classically ranked into types I-III). The high genetic homogeneity, coupled with the excellent results of presymptomatic treatments of patients with each of the three disease-modifying therapies available, makes SMA one of the golden candidates to genetic newborn screening (NBS) (SMA-NBS). The implementation of SMA in NBS national programmes occurring in some countries is an arising new issue that the scientific community has to address. We report here the results of the first Italian SMA-NBS project and provide some proposals for updating the current molecular diagnostic scenario. METHODS The screening test was performed by an in-house-developed qPCR assay, amplifying SMN1 and SMN2. Molecular prognosis was assessed on fresh blood samples. RESULTS We found 15 patients/90885 newborns (incidence 1:6059) having the following SMN2 genotypes: 1 (one patient), 2 (eight patients), 2+c.859G>C variant (one patient), 3 (three patients), 4 (one patient) or 6 copies (one patient). Six patients (40%) showed signs suggestive of SMA at birth. We also discuss some unusual cases we found. CONCLUSION The molecular diagnosis of SMA needs to adapt to the new era of the disease with specific guidelines and standard operating procedures. In detail, SMA diagnosis should be felt as a true medical urgency due to therapeutic implications; SMN2 copy assessment needs to be standardised; commercially available tests need to be improved for higher SMN2 copies determination; and the SMN2 splicing-modifier variants should be routinely tested in SMA-NBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Abiusi
- Section of Genomic Medicine, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy
| | - Alessandro Vaisfeld
- Section of Genomic Medicine, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy
| | - Stefania Fiori
- Section of Genomic Medicine, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy
| | - Agnese Novelli
- Section of Genomic Medicine, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy
| | - Serena Spartano
- Section of Genomic Medicine, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy
| | - Maria Vittoria Faggiano
- Section of Genomic Medicine, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy
| | - Teresa Giovanniello
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Newborn Screening Center-Clinical Pathology Unit, Sapienza University of Rome, University Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Newborn Screening Center-Clinical Pathology Unit, Sapienza University of Rome, University Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, Roma, Italy
| | - Giovanni Vento
- Section of Pediatrics, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy.,Neonatology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario IRCCS "A. Gemelli", Roma, Italy
| | - Roberta Santoloci
- Obstetrics and Gynecology operating Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario IRCCS "A. Gemelli, Roma, Italy
| | - Francesca Gigli
- Neonatology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario IRCCS "A. Gemelli", Roma, Italy
| | - Adele D'Amico
- Unit of Neuromuscular and Neurodegenerative Disorders, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Simonetta Costa
- Section of Pediatrics, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy
| | - Alessia Porzi
- Section of Pediatrics, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy
| | - Mara Panella
- Obstetrics and Gynecology operating Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario IRCCS "A. Gemelli, Roma, Italy
| | - Chiara Ticci
- Unit of hereditary metabolic and muscular disorders, Meyer Children's University Hospital, Firenze, Italy
| | - Marta Daniotti
- Unit of hereditary metabolic and muscular disorders, Meyer Children's University Hospital, Firenze, Italy
| | - Michele Sacchini
- Unit of hereditary metabolic and muscular disorders, Meyer Children's University Hospital, Firenze, Italy
| | - Ilaria Boschi
- Forensic Medicine operating Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario IRCCS "A. Gemelli", Roma, Italy
| | - Carlo Dani
- Division of Neonatology, Careggi University Hospital of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Rino Agostiniani
- Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, ASL Toscana Centro, Florence, Italy
| | - Enrico Bertini
- Unit of Neuromuscular and Neurodegenerative Disorders, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonio Lanzone
- Obstetrics and Gynecology operating Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario IRCCS "A. Gemelli, Roma, Italy.,Section of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Lamarca
- Newborn Screening, Clinical Chemistry and Pharmacology Laboratory, Meyer Children's University Hospital, Firenze, Italy
| | - Maurizio Genuardi
- Section of Genomic Medicine, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy.,Medical Genetics operating Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario IRCCS "A. Gemelli", Roma, Italy
| | - Marika Pane
- Section of Child Psychiatry, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy.,Child Psychiatry operating Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario IRCCS "A. Gemelli", Roma, Italy
| | - Maria Alice Donati
- Unit of hereditary metabolic and muscular disorders, Meyer Children's University Hospital, Firenze, Italy
| | - Eugenio Mercuri
- Section of Child Psychiatry, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy.,Child Psychiatry operating Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario IRCCS "A. Gemelli", Roma, Italy
| | - Francesco Danilo Tiziano
- Section of Genomic Medicine, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy .,Medical Genetics operating Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario IRCCS "A. Gemelli", Roma, Italy
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Bizzarri M, Fedeli V, Piombarolo A, Angeloni A. Space Biomedicine: A Unique Opportunity to Rethink the Relationships between Physics and Biology. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10102633. [PMID: 36289894 PMCID: PMC9599147 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10102633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Space biomedicine has provided significant technological breakthroughs by developing new medical devices, diagnostic tools, and health-supporting systems. Many of these products are currently in use onboard the International Space Station and have been successfully translated into clinical practice on Earth. However, biomedical research performed in space has disclosed exciting, new perspectives regarding the relationships between physics and medicine, thus fostering the rethinking of the theoretical basis of biology. In particular, these studies have stressed the critical role that biophysical forces play in shaping the function and pattern formation of living structures. The experimental models investigated under microgravity conditions allow us to appreciate the complexity of living organisms through a very different perspective. Indeed, biological entities should be conceived as a unique magnification of physical laws driven by local energy and order states overlaid by selection history and constraints, in which the source of the inheritance, variation, and process of selection has expanded from the classical Darwinian definition. The very specific nature of the field in which living organisms behave and evolve in a space environment can be exploited to decipher the underlying, basic processes and mechanisms that are not apparent on Earth. In turn, these findings can provide novel opportunities for testing pharmacological countermeasures that can be instrumental for managing a wide array of health problems and diseases on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariano Bizzarri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University La Sapienza, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Systems Biology Group Lab, Dip. “P.Valdoni”, University La Sapienza, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Valeria Fedeli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University La Sapienza, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Systems Biology Group Lab, Dip. “P.Valdoni”, University La Sapienza, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Aurora Piombarolo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University La Sapienza, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Systems Biology Group Lab, Dip. “P.Valdoni”, University La Sapienza, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University La Sapienza, 00161 Rome, Italy
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29
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Baccolini V, Siena LM, Renzi E, Migliara G, Colaprico C, Romano A, Massimi A, Marzuillo C, De Vito C, Casini L, Antonelli G, Turriziani O, Angeloni A, D'Alba F, Villari P, Polimeni A. Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated risk factors: A testing program and nested case-control study conducted at Sapienza University of Rome between March and June 2021. Front Public Health 2022; 10:1010130. [PMID: 36339150 PMCID: PMC9627192 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1010130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background To safely resume in-person activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sapienza University of Rome implemented rigorous infection prevention and control measures, a successful communication campaign and a free SARS-CoV-2 testing program. In this study, we describe the University's experience in carrying out such a program in the context of the COVID-19 response and identify risk factors for infection. Methods Having identified resources, space, supplies and staff, from March to June 2021 Sapienza offered to all its enrollees a molecular test service (8.30 AM to 4 PM, Monday to Thursday). A test-negative case-control study was conducted within the program. Participants underwent structured interviews that investigated activity-related exposures in the 2 weeks before testing. Multivariable conditional logistic regression analyses were performed. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. Results A total of 8,959 tests were administered, of which 56 were positive. The detection trend followed regional tendencies. Among 40 cases and 80 controls, multivariable analysis showed that a known exposure to a COVID-19 case increased the likelihood of infection (aOR: 8.39, 95% CI: 2.38-29.54), while having a job decreased it (aOR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.06-0.88). Of factors that almost reached statistical significance, participation in activities in the university tended to reduce the risk (aOR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.09-1.06), while attendance at private gatherings showed an increasing risk trend (aOR: 3.48, 95% CI: 0.95-12.79). Age, gender, activities in the community, visiting bars or restaurants, and use of public transportation were not relevant risk factors. When those students regularly attending the university campus were excluded from the analysis, the results were comparable, except that attending activities in the community came close to having a statistically significant effect (aOR: 8.13, 95% CI: 0.91-72.84). Conclusions The testing program helped create a safe university environment. Furthermore, promoting preventive behavior and implementing rigorous measures in public places, as was the case in the university setting, contributed to limit the virus transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Baccolini
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Leonardo Maria Siena
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Erika Renzi
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy,*Correspondence: Erika Renzi
| | - Giuseppe Migliara
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Corrado Colaprico
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Romano
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Azzurra Massimi
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Carolina Marzuillo
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Corrado De Vito
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Leandro Casini
- Special Office for Prevention, Protection and High Vigilance, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Guido Antonelli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Villari
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Polimeni
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Science, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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30
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Tortolini C, Angeloni A, Antiochia R. A Comparative Study of Voltammetric vs Impedimetric Immunosensor for Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Detection at the Point-of-care. ELECTROANAL 2022; 35:ELAN202200349. [PMID: 36247366 PMCID: PMC9538619 DOI: 10.1002/elan.202200349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Here, a novel biosensing platform for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 usable both at voltammetric and impedimetric mode is reported. The platform was constructed on a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) screen-printed electrode (SPE) functionalized by methylene blue (MB), antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SP), a bioactive layer of chitosan (CS) and protein A (PrA). The voltammetric sensor showed superior performances both in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and spiked-saliva samples, with LOD values of 5.0±0.1 and 30±2.1 ng/mL, compared to 20±1.8 and 50±2.5 ng/mL for the impedimetric sensor. Moreover, the voltammetric immunosensor was tested in real saliva, showing promising results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Tortolini
- Department of Experimental MedicineUniversity of Rome “La Sapienza”Viale Regina Elena 32400166RomeItaly
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental MedicineUniversity of Rome “La Sapienza”Viale Regina Elena 32400166RomeItaly
| | - Riccarda Antiochia
- Department of Chemistry and Drug TechnologiesUniversity of Rome “La Sapienza”P.le Aldo Moro 500185RomeItaly
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Manganaro L, Celli V, Viggiani V, Berardelli E, Granato T, Tartaglione S, Farina A, Catalano C, Angeloni A, Anastasi E. CT imaging phenotypes linked to CA125 and HE4 biomarkers are highly predictive in discriminating between hereditary and sporadic ovarian cancer patients. Tumour Biol 2022; 44:171-185. [DOI: 10.3233/tub-211557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hereditary ovarian cancers (HOC) represent about 23% of ovarian cancer (OC) cases: they are most frequently related to germline mutations in the BRCA genes. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare CA125/HE4 serum levels and Computed Tomography (CT) features at time of ovarian cancer (OC) diagnosis in two populations: BRCA mutant and BRCA wild-type (WT) OC, and to investigate the relationship between this laboratory and radiological biomarker and BRCA mutation status. METHODS: This retrospective study included 60 newly diagnosed OC patients with FIGO stage IIIC-IV disease, tested for BRCA1/2 germline mutation status of which preoperative CT scan and serum tumor marker assay were available. RESULTS: The median level of CA125 (708 U/mL) was significantly higher (p < 0.002) in BRCA1/2 mutated patients than in WT patients (176 U/mL), whereas the median level of HE4 (492 pmol/L) was significantly higher (p < 0.002) in WT than in BRCA-mutated patients (252 pmol/L). BRCA mutation carriers showed a higher incidence of bilateral ovarian masses (p = 0.0303) characterized by solid structures (p < 0.00001), higher peritoneal tumor load, macronodular implants >2 cm (p = 0.000099), increased frequency of lymphadenopathies (p = 0.019), and metastasis (p = 0.052) compared to patients with BRCA WT. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor markers and CT patterns may help in identifying BRCA mutation status in OC directing patients towards a personalized treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Manganaro
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Veronica Celli
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Viggiani
- Department of Molecular Medicine, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Berardelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Teresa Granato
- CNR-IBPM, National Research Council, Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Tartaglione
- Department of Experimental Medicine “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Farina
- Department of Experimental Medicine “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Catalano
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuela Anastasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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32
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Anastasi E, Marziali M, Preziosi A, Berardelli E, Losardo AA, Ribersani M, Pugliese P, Farina A, Mancini P, Angeloni A. Humoral immune response to Comirnaty (BNT162b2) SARS-Cov2 mRNA vaccine in Thalassemia Major patients. Microbes Infect 2022; 24:104976. [PMID: 35381359 PMCID: PMC8977376 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2022.104976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
One of the most urgent needs worldwide is to vaccinate against SARS-CoV-2 as many people as possible. We evaluated humoral response to Comirnaty vaccine in Thalassemia Major patients (TM). We measured SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies against Spike protein in 57 TM patients and 58 healthy blood donors (HBD). TM and HBD subjects revealed a homogeneous serological response to the Comirnaty (Mean ± SD; TM = 1917,21 ± 1384,49; HBD = 2039,81 ± 1064,44; p = 0,5884). No statistically significant differences were observed among two groups. Interestingly, we observed in 73.3% of asplenic patients Ab-S titres above 800 BAU, whereas only in 26% of non splenectomized patients showed Ab-S titres above 800 BAU). This differences were statistically significant p < 0.039. Further measurement on other Ab types was needed for better understanding humoral response to Comirnaty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Anastasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto 1, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy.
| | - Marco Marziali
- Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine Unit, Policlinico Umberto 1, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Adele Preziosi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto 1, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Elena Berardelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto 1, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Anna Annunziata Losardo
- Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine Unit, Policlinico Umberto 1, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Michela Ribersani
- Hematology, Policlinico Umberto 1, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Pellegrina Pugliese
- Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine Unit, Policlinico Umberto 1, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonella Farina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto 1, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Patrizia Mancini
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto 1, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto 1, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
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33
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Ruoppolo M, Malvagia S, Boenzi S, Carducci C, Dionisi-Vici C, Teofoli F, Burlina A, Angeloni A, Aronica T, Bordugo A, Bucci I, Camilot M, Carbone MT, Cardinali R, Carducci C, Cassanello M, Castana C, Cazzorla C, Ciatti R, Ferrari S, Frisso G, Funghini S, Furlan F, Gasperini S, Gragnaniello V, Guzzetti C, La Marca G, La Spina L, Lorè T, Meli C, Messina M, Morrone A, Nardecchia F, Ortolano R, Parenti G, Pavanello E, Pieragostino D, Pillai S, Porta F, Righetti F, Rossi C, Rovelli V, Salina A, Santoro L, Sauro P, Schiaffino MC, Simonetti S, Vincenzi M, Tarsi E, Uccheddu AP. Expanded Newborn Screening in Italy Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Two Years of National Experience. Int J Neonatal Screen 2022; 8:ijns8030047. [PMID: 35997437 PMCID: PMC9397032 DOI: 10.3390/ijns8030047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Newborn screening (NBS) for inborn errors of metabolism is one of the most advanced tools for secondary prevention in medicine, as it allows early diagnosis and prompt treatment initiation. The expanded newborn screening was introduced in Italy between 2016 and 2017 (Law 167/2016; DM 13 October 2016; DPCM 12-1-2017). A total of 1,586,578 infants born in Italy were screened between January 2017 and December 2020. For this survey, we collected data from 15 Italian screening laboratories, focusing on the metabolic disorders identified by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) based analysis between January 2019 and December 2020. Aminoacidemias were the most common inborn errors in Italy, and an equal percentage was observed in detecting organic acidemias and mitochondrial fatty acids beta-oxidation defects. Second-tier tests are widely used in most laboratories to reduce false positives. For example, second-tier tests for methylmalonic acid and homocysteine considerably improved the screening of CblC without increasing unnecessary recalls. Finally, the newborn screening allowed us to identify conditions that are mainly secondary to a maternal deficiency. We describe the goals reached since the introduction of the screening in Italy by exchanging knowledge and experiences among the laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Ruoppolo
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate Scarl, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Sabrina Malvagia
- Newborn Screening, Clinical Chemistry and Pharmacology Lab, Meyer Children’s University Hospital, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Sara Boenzi
- Division of Metabolic Disease, Bambino Gesù Childrens Hospital IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Carducci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Dionisi-Vici
- Division of Metabolic Disease, Bambino Gesù Childrens Hospital IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Teofoli
- Department of Mother and Child, The Regional Center for Neonatal Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment of Inherited Congenital Metabolic and Endocrinological Diseases, AOUI, 37126 Verona, Italy
| | - Alberto Burlina
- Division of Inherited Metabolic Diseases, University Hospital of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Bordugo
- Inherited Metabolic Disease Unit, Pediatric Department, AOUI, 37126 Verona, Italy
| | - Ines Bucci
- Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST) and Department of Medicine and Aging Science, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Marta Camilot
- Department of Mother and Child, The Regional Center for Neonatal Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment of Inherited Congenital Metabolic and Endocrinological Diseases, AOUI, 37126 Verona, Italy
| | | | - Roberta Cardinali
- U.O.S.D. Screening Neonatale e Patologia Clinica AOU Policlinico Consorziale Ospedale Pediatrico Giovanni XXII Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
| | - Claudia Carducci
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Michela Cassanello
- LABSIEM (Laboratory for the Study of Inborn Errors of Metabolism), Pediatric Clinic, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Chiara Cazzorla
- Division of Inherited Metabolic Diseases, University Hospital of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Renzo Ciatti
- Centro Screening Neonatale Regione Marche, U.O.C. Neuropsichiatria Infantile—A.O. Ospedali Riuniti Marche Nord, 61032 Fano, Italy
| | - Simona Ferrari
- UO Genetica Medica, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giulia Frisso
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate Scarl, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Silvia Funghini
- Newborn Screening, Clinical Chemistry and Pharmacology Lab, Meyer Children’s University Hospital, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Francesca Furlan
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Pediatria Alta Intensità di Cura, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | | | - Vincenza Gragnaniello
- Division of Inherited Metabolic Diseases, University Hospital of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Chiara Guzzetti
- SSD Endocrinologia Pediatrica e Centro Screening Neonatale, Ospedale Pediatrico Microcitemico “A. Cao”, 09121 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giancarlo La Marca
- Newborn Screening, Clinical Chemistry and Pharmacology Lab, Meyer Children’s University Hospital, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Luisa La Spina
- Laboratorio Screening Neonatale—Clinica Pediatrica AOU Policlinico “G. Rodolico-San Marco”, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Tania Lorè
- U.O.S.D. Screening Neonatale e Patologia Clinica AOU Policlinico Consorziale Ospedale Pediatrico Giovanni XXII Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
| | - Concetta Meli
- Laboratorio Screening Neonatale—Clinica Pediatrica AOU Policlinico “G. Rodolico-San Marco”, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - MariaAnna Messina
- Laboratorio Screening Neonatale—Clinica Pediatrica AOU Policlinico “G. Rodolico-San Marco”, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Amelia Morrone
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Neurometabolic Diseases, Neuroscience Department, Meyer Children’s University Hospital, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Francesca Nardecchia
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze Umane—Unità di Neuropsichiatria Infantile Università Roma Sapienza, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Rita Ortolano
- UO Pediatria, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Parenti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Traslazionali Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Enza Pavanello
- SS Screening Prenatale e Neonatale, SC Biochimica Clinica, AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Damiana Pieragostino
- Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST) and Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Sara Pillai
- SSD Endocrinologia Pediatrica e Centro Screening Neonatale, Ospedale Pediatrico Microcitemico “A. Cao”, 09121 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Francesco Porta
- SC Pediatria-Malattie Metaboliche, Ospedale Infantile Regina Margherita AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Francesca Righetti
- Centro Laboratoristico Regionale di Riferimento Screening Neonatale e Malattie Endocrino-Metaboliche UO Pediatria IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudia Rossi
- Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST) and Department of Psychological, Health and Territory Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Valentina Rovelli
- Clinical Department of Pediatrics, San Paolo Hospital, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, University of Milan, 20142 Milano, Italy
| | - Alessandro Salina
- LABSIEM (Laboratory for the Study of Inborn Errors of Metabolism), Pediatric Clinic, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Pina Sauro
- SS Screening Prenatale e Neonatale, SC Biochimica Clinica, AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | | | - Simonetta Simonetti
- U.O.S.D. Screening Neonatale e Patologia Clinica AOU Policlinico Consorziale Ospedale Pediatrico Giovanni XXII Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
| | - Monica Vincenzi
- Department of Mother and Child, The Regional Center for Neonatal Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment of Inherited Congenital Metabolic and Endocrinological Diseases, AOUI, 37126 Verona, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Tarsi
- Centro Screening Neonatale Regione Marche, U.O.C. Neuropsichiatria Infantile—A.O. Ospedali Riuniti Marche Nord, 61032 Fano, Italy
| | - Anna Paola Uccheddu
- SSD Endocrinologia Pediatrica e Centro Screening Neonatale, Ospedale Pediatrico Microcitemico “A. Cao”, 09121 Cagliari, Italy
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Anastasi E, Manganaro L, Guiducci E, Ciaglia S, Dolciami M, Spagnoli A, Alessandri F, Angeloni A, Vestri A, Catalano C, Ricci P. Association of serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 and chest CT as potential prognostic factors in severe acute respiratory syndrome SARS-CoV-2: a preliminary experience. Radiol Med 2022; 127:725-732. [PMID: 35704156 PMCID: PMC9199475 DOI: 10.1007/s11547-022-01504-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To correlate in COVID-19 pneumonia CT-based semi-quantitative score of pulmonary involvement with high serum levels of KL-6, a biomarker of disease severity. METHODS Between March 28 to May 21, 2020, 196 patients with strong suspicion of SARS-CoV-2 were evaluated with RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2, chest CT scan and blood test, including KL-6 serum protein, in our Emergency Unit. The final population included only patients who underwent blood sampling for KL-6 within 5 days from CT scan (n = 63), including n = 37 COVID-19-positive patients and n = 26 with negative RT-PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 (control group). A semi-quantitative CT score was calculated based on the extent of lobar involvement (0:0%; 1, < 5%; 2:5-25%; 3:26-50%; 4:51-75%; 5, > 75%; range 0-5; global score 0-25). RESULTS CT score was significantly correlated with serum value of KL-6 (r = 27, p = 0.035). This correlation was also present in COVID-19 positive patients (r = 0.423, p = 0.009) and CT score median value was significantly higher in patients with high KL-6 value (> 400 U/mL; 12.00, IQR 5.00-18.00, p-value 0.027). In control group, no statistically significant correlation was found between CT score and KL-6 value and CT score was higher in patients with high KL-6, although this difference was not statistically significant (5.00, IQR:1.75-8.00 versus 3.50, IQR:2.00-6.50). "Crazy paving" at the right upper (n = 8; 61.5%) and middle lobe (n = 4; 30.8%) and "consolidation" at the middle lobe (n=5; 38.5%) were observed in COVID-19 group with a significant difference between patients with high KL-6 value. CONCLUSION CT score is highly correlated with KL-6 value in COVID-19 patients and might be beneficial to speed-up diagnostic workflow in symptomatic cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Anastasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, AOU Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Manganaro
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, AOU Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Guiducci
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, AOU Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Simone Ciaglia
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, AOU Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Miriam Dolciami
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, AOU Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Spagnoli
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, AOU Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Alessandri
- Department of General and Specialist Surgery, AOU Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, AOU Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Annarita Vestri
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, AOU Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Catalano
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, AOU Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Ricci
- Emergency Radiology Unit, Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Radiology, AOU Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy. .,Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, AOU Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy.
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La Rocca U, Giovannetti G, Maldarelli F, Farinelli M, Piazzolla M, Angeloni A, Pugliese F, Coluzzi S. Blood transfusion needs in COVID-19 patients: An observational prospective unicentric study. Transfus Med 2022; 32:343-345. [PMID: 35698763 PMCID: PMC9350398 DOI: 10.1111/tme.12886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ursula La Rocca
- Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Molecular Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Gianluca Giovannetti
- Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Maldarelli
- Department of General Surgery, Surgical Specialities and Organ Transplantation "Paride Stefanini", Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Mirella Farinelli
- Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Mario Piazzolla
- Department of General Surgery, Surgical Specialities and Organ Transplantation "Paride Stefanini", Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Pugliese
- Department of General Surgery, Surgical Specialities and Organ Transplantation "Paride Stefanini", Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Serelina Coluzzi
- Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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36
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Frasca F, Scordio M, Santinelli L, Gabriele L, Gandini O, Criniti A, Pierangeli A, Angeloni A, Mastroianni CM, d'Ettorre G, Viscidi RP, Antonelli G, Scagnolari C. Anti-IFN-α/-ω neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients correlate with downregulation of IFN response and laboratory biomarkers of disease severity. Eur J Immunol 2022; 52:1120-1128. [PMID: 35419822 PMCID: PMC9087404 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202249824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A significant number of COVID‐19 patients were shown to have neutralizing antibodies (NAB) against IFN; however, NAB specificity, fluctuation over time, associations with biochemical and hematological parameters, and IFN gene expression are not well characterized. Binding antibodies (BAB) to IFN‐α/‐β were screened in COVID‐19 patients’ serum. All BAB positive sera, and a subset of respiratory samples, were tested for NAB against IFN‐α/‐β/‐ω, using an antiviral bioassay. Transcript levels of IFN‐α/‐β/‐ω and IFN‐stimulated genes (ISGs) were quantified. Anti‐IFN‐I BAB were found in 61 out of 360 (17%) of patients. Among BAB positive sera, 21.3% had a high NAB titer against IFN‐α. A total of 69.2% of anti‐IFN‐α NAB sera displayed cross‐reactivity to IFN‐ω. Anti‐IFN‐I NAB persisted in all patients. NAB to IFN‐α were also detected in 3 out of 17 (17.6%) of respiratory samples. Anti‐IFN‐I NAB were higher in males (p = 0.0017), patients admitted to the ICU (p < 0.0001), and patients with a fatal outcome (p < 0.0001). NAB were associated with higher levels of CRP, LDH, d‐Dimer, and higher counts of hematological parameters. ISG‐mRNAs were reduced in patients with persistently NAB titer. NAB are detected in a significant proportion of severe COVID‐19. NAB positive patients presented a defective IFN response and increased levels of laboratory biomarkers of disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Frasca
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Mirko Scordio
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Letizia Santinelli
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Gabriele
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Orietta Gandini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Criniti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Pierangeli
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio M Mastroianni
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriella d'Ettorre
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Raphael P Viscidi
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Guido Antonelli
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Carolina Scagnolari
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Puliani G, Sesti F, Anastasi E, Verrico M, Tarsitano MG, Feola T, Campolo F, Di Gioia CRT, Venneri MA, Angeloni A, Appetecchia M, Lenzi A, Isidori AM, Faggiano A, Giannetta E. Angiogenic factors as prognostic markers in neuroendocrine neoplasms. Endocrine 2022; 76:208-217. [PMID: 35088292 DOI: 10.1007/s12020-021-02942-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Angiogenic markers in neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) have recently received increasing attention, but their clinical role remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of angiogenic markers in NEN aggressiveness and prognosis. METHODS We performed a prospective observational study including 46 consecutive patients with proven NENs of pulmonary (45.65%) and gastro-entero-pancreatic (GEP) (54.35%) origin and 29 healthy controls. Circulating pro-angiogenic factors were measured by ELISA assay. ANG2 tissue expression was evaluated in a subgroup of ten patients by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS The study demonstrated a significantly higher level of ANG2, ANG1, sTIE2, and PROK2 in patients affected by NENs compared to controls. In the NENs' group we measured that: (i) ANG2 levels were higher in poorly vs well-differentiated NENs: 4.85 (2.75-7.42) vs 3.16 (1.66-6.36) ng/ml, p = 0.046 and in tumor stage 3-4 compared to stage 1-2: 4.24 (2.66-8.72) vs 2.73 (1.53-5.70), p = 0.044; (ii) ANG2 and PROK2 were significantly higher in patents with progressive disease compared to stable disease: ANG2 = 6.26 (3.98-10.99) vs 2.73 (1.65-4.36) pg/ml, p = 0.001; PROK2 = 29.19 (28.42-32.25) vs 28.37 (28.14-28.91) pg/ml, p = 0.035. Immunohistochemistry confirmed ANG2 expression in tumor specimens. CONCLUSIONS We documented higher levels of angiogenic markers in NENs, with an association between ANG2 serum levels and NENs morphology and staging. In both GEP and lung NENs, ANG2 and PROK2 are higher in case of tumor progression, suggesting a potential role as prognostic markers in NENs patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Puliani
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Oncological Endocrinology Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Franz Sesti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuela Anastasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Monica Verrico
- Medical Oncology Unit A, Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Tiziana Feola
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Neuroendocrinology, Neuromed Institute, IRCCS, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Federica Campolo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Mary Anna Venneri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Marialuisa Appetecchia
- Oncological Endocrinology Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Lenzi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Antongiulio Faggiano
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Giannetta
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
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Siri B, Olivieri G, Angeloni A, Cairoli S, Carducci C, Cotugno G, Di Michele S, Giovanniello T, La Marca G, Lepri FR, Novelli A, Rossi C, Semeraro M, Dionisi-Vici C. The diagnostic challenge of mild citrulline elevation at newborn screening. Mol Genet Metab 2022; 135:327-332. [PMID: 35279366 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2022.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Citrulline is a target analyte measured at expanded newborn screening (NBS) and its elevation represents a biomarker for distal urea cycle disorders and citrin deficiency. Altered ratios of citrulline with other urea cycle-related amino acids are helpful for the differential diagnosis. However, the use of cut-off values in screening programmes has raised the issue about the interpretation of mild elevation of citrulline levels detected at NBS, below the usual range observed in the "classical/severe" forms of distal urea cycle disorders and in citrin deficiency. Herein, we report ten subjects with positive NBS for a mild elevation of citrulline (<100 μmol/L), in whom molecular investigations revealed carriers status for argininosuccinate synthase deficiency, a milder form of argininosuccinate lyase deficiency and two other diseases, lysinuric protein intolerance and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase deficiency, not primarily affecting the urea cycle. To guide the diagnostic process, we have designed an algorithm for mild citrulline elevation (<100 μmol/L) at NBS, which expands the list of disorders to be included in the differential diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Siri
- Division of Metabolism, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy; Department of Paediatrics, Città della Salute e della Scienza, OIRM, Univerisity of Turin, Italy.
| | - Giorgia Olivieri
- Division of Metabolism, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome and Newborn Screening Center, Clinical Pathology Unit, University Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Cairoli
- Division of Metabolism and Metabolic Diseases Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Carducci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome and Newborn Screening Center, Clinical Pathology Unit, University Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Cotugno
- Division of Metabolism, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Teresa Giovanniello
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome and Newborn Screening Center, Clinical Pathology Unit, University Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy
| | - Giancarlo La Marca
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence and Newborn Screening, Clinical Chemistry and Pharmacology Lab, Meyer Children's University Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesca Romana Lepri
- Translational Cytogenomics Research Unit, Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Novelli
- Translational Cytogenomics Research Unit, Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Rossi
- Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio", University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Michela Semeraro
- Division of Metabolism and Metabolic Diseases Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Dionisi-Vici
- Division of Metabolism, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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Ialongo C, Sapio M, Antetomaso LE, Angeloni A. The importance of regulation (EU) 2017/746 for quality control in medical laboratories. Biochem Med (Zagreb) 2022; 32:010301. [PMID: 34955668 PMCID: PMC8672393 DOI: 10.11613/bm.2022.010301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Cristiano Ialongo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, 'Sapienza' University, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Sapio
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, 'Sapienza' University, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, 'Sapienza' University, Rome, Italy
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40
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Ceci FM, Fiore M, Gavaruzzi F, Angeloni A, Lucarelli M, Scagnolari C, Bonci E, Gabanella F, Di Certo MG, Barbato C, Petrella C, Greco A, Vincentiis MD, Ralli M, Passananti C, Poscia R, Minni A, Ceccanti M, Tarani L, Ferraguti G. Early Routine Biomarkers of SARS-CoV-2 Morbidity and Mortality: Outcomes from an Emergency Section. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12010176. [PMID: 35054342 PMCID: PMC8774587 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12010176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. COVID-19 is a severe acute respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a virus belonging to the Coronaviridae family. This disease has spread rapidly around the world and soon became an international public health emergency leading to an unpredicted pressure on the hospital emergency units. Early routine blood biomarkers could be key predicting factors of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality as suggested for C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, prothrombin and D-dimer. This study aims to identify other early routine blood biomarkers for COVID-19 severity prediction disclosed directly into the emergency section. Methods. Our research was conducted on 156 COVID-19 patients hospitalized at the Sapienza University Hospital “Policlinico Umberto I” of Rome, Italy, between March 2020 and April 2020 during the paroxysm’s initial phase of the pandemic. In this retrospective study, patients were divided into three groups according to their outcome: (1) emergency group (patients who entered the emergency room and were discharged shortly after because they did not show severe symptoms); (2) intensive care unit (ICU) group (patients who attended the ICU after admission to the emergency unit); (3) the deceased group (patients with a fatal outcome who attended the emergency and, afterward, the ICU units). Routine laboratory tests from medical records were collected when patients were admitted to the emergency unit. We focused on Aspartate transaminase (AST), Alanine transaminase (ALT), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Creatine kinase (CK), Myoglobin (MGB), Ferritin, CRP, and D-dimer. Results. As expected, ANOVA data show an age morbidity increase in both ICU and deceased groups compared with the emergency group. A main effect of morbidity was revealed by ANOVA for all the analyzed parameters with an elevation between the emergency group and the deceased group. Furthermore, a significant increase in LDH, Ferritin, CRP, and D-dimer was also observed between the ICU group and the emergency group and between the deceased group and ICU group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses confirmed and extended these findings. Conclusions. This study suggests that the contemporaneous presence of high levels of LDH, Ferritin, and as expected, CRP, and D-dimer could be considered as potential predictors of COVID-19 severity and death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavio Maria Ceci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (F.M.C.); (A.A.); (M.L.); (E.B.); (G.F.)
| | - Marco Fiore
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (F.G.); (M.G.D.C.); (C.B.); (C.P.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Francesca Gavaruzzi
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy;
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (F.M.C.); (A.A.); (M.L.); (E.B.); (G.F.)
| | - Marco Lucarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (F.M.C.); (A.A.); (M.L.); (E.B.); (G.F.)
| | - Carolina Scagnolari
- Laboratory of Virology, Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy;
| | - Enea Bonci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (F.M.C.); (A.A.); (M.L.); (E.B.); (G.F.)
| | - Francesca Gabanella
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (F.G.); (M.G.D.C.); (C.B.); (C.P.)
| | - Maria Grazia Di Certo
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (F.G.); (M.G.D.C.); (C.B.); (C.P.)
| | - Christian Barbato
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (F.G.); (M.G.D.C.); (C.B.); (C.P.)
| | - Carla Petrella
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (F.G.); (M.G.D.C.); (C.B.); (C.P.)
| | - Antonio Greco
- Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (A.G.); (M.D.V.); (M.R.); (A.M.)
| | - Marco De Vincentiis
- Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (A.G.); (M.D.V.); (M.R.); (A.M.)
| | - Massimo Ralli
- Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (A.G.); (M.D.V.); (M.R.); (A.M.)
| | - Claudio Passananti
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology (IBPM-CNR), 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Roberto Poscia
- Unita di Ricerca Clinica e Clinical Competence-Direzione Generale, AOU Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Roma, Italy;
| | - Antonio Minni
- Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (A.G.); (M.D.V.); (M.R.); (A.M.)
| | - Mauro Ceccanti
- Società Italiana per il Trattamento dell’Alcolismo e le sue Complicanze (SITAC), 00184 Roma, Italy;
| | - Luigi Tarani
- Department of Pediatrics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy;
| | - Giampiero Ferraguti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy; (F.M.C.); (A.A.); (M.L.); (E.B.); (G.F.)
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Watanabe M, Balena A, Masi D, Tozzi R, Risi R, Caputi A, Rossetti R, Spoltore ME, Biagi F, Anastasi E, Angeloni A, Mariani S, Lubrano C, Tuccinardi D, Gnessi L. Rapid Weight Loss, Central Obesity Improvement and Blood Glucose Reduction Are Associated with a Stronger Adaptive Immune Response Following COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10010079. [PMID: 35062740 PMCID: PMC8780354 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10010079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Obesity is associated with a poor COVID-19 prognosis, and it seems associated with reduced humoral response to vaccination. Public health campaigns have advocated for weight loss in subjects with obesity, hoping to eliminate this risk. However, no evidence proves that weight loss leads to a better prognosis or a stronger immune response to vaccination. We aimed to investigate the impact of rapid weight loss on the adaptive immune response in subjects with morbid obesity. Twenty-one patients followed a hypocaloric, very-low-carbohydrate diet one week before to one week after the two mRNA vaccine doses. The diet’s safety and efficacy were assessed, and the adaptive humoral (anti-SARS CoV-2 S antibodies, Abs) and cell-mediated responses (IFNγ secretion on stimulation with two different SARS CoV-2 peptide mixes, IFNγ-1 and IFNγ-2) were evaluated. The patients lost ~10% of their body weight with metabolic improvement. A high baseline BMI correlated with a poor immune response (R −0.558, p = 0.013 for IFNγ-1; R −0.581, p = 0.009 for IFNγ-2; R −0.512, p = 0.018 for Abs). Furthermore, there was a correlation between weight loss and higher IFNγ-2 (R 0.471, p = 0.042), and between blood glucose reduction and higher IFNγ-1 (R 0.534, p = 0.019), maintained after weight loss and waist circumference reduction adjustment. Urate reduction correlated with higher Abs (R 0.552, p = 0.033). In conclusion, obesity is associated with a reduced adaptive response to a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, and weight loss and metabolic improvement may reverse the effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikiko Watanabe
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (D.M.); (R.R.); (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.E.S.); (F.B.); (S.M.); (C.L.); (L.G.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Angela Balena
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (D.M.); (R.R.); (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.E.S.); (F.B.); (S.M.); (C.L.); (L.G.)
| | - Davide Masi
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (D.M.); (R.R.); (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.E.S.); (F.B.); (S.M.); (C.L.); (L.G.)
| | - Rossella Tozzi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Renata Risi
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (D.M.); (R.R.); (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.E.S.); (F.B.); (S.M.); (C.L.); (L.G.)
| | - Alessandra Caputi
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (D.M.); (R.R.); (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.E.S.); (F.B.); (S.M.); (C.L.); (L.G.)
| | - Rebecca Rossetti
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (D.M.); (R.R.); (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.E.S.); (F.B.); (S.M.); (C.L.); (L.G.)
| | - Maria Elena Spoltore
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (D.M.); (R.R.); (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.E.S.); (F.B.); (S.M.); (C.L.); (L.G.)
| | - Filippo Biagi
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (D.M.); (R.R.); (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.E.S.); (F.B.); (S.M.); (C.L.); (L.G.)
| | - Emanuela Anastasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (E.A.); (A.A.)
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (E.A.); (A.A.)
| | - Stefania Mariani
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (D.M.); (R.R.); (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.E.S.); (F.B.); (S.M.); (C.L.); (L.G.)
| | - Carla Lubrano
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (D.M.); (R.R.); (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.E.S.); (F.B.); (S.M.); (C.L.); (L.G.)
| | - Dario Tuccinardi
- Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, 00128 Rome, Italy;
| | - Lucio Gnessi
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (D.M.); (R.R.); (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.E.S.); (F.B.); (S.M.); (C.L.); (L.G.)
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Ceci FM, Fiore M, Agostinelli E, Tahara T, Greco A, Ralli M, Polimeni A, Lucarelli M, Colletti R, Angeloni A, Tirassa P, Ceccanti M, Messina MP, Vitali M, Petrella C, Ferraguti G. Urinary ethyl glucuronide for the assessment of alcohol consumption during pregnancy: Comparison between biochemical data and screening questionnaires. Curr Med Chem 2021; 29:3125-3141. [PMID: 34823457 DOI: 10.2174/0929867328666211125100329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is a metabolite of ethanol used as a marker of alcohol drinking and is identified in urine. Gestational alcohol drinking harms the fetus, so, disclosing any form of use and abuse of this substance during pregnancy is crucial. Many discovery methods have been planned to overcome this question, including that of using screening questionnaires as the AUDIT-C, T-ACE/TACER-3, and TWEAK. AIM The aim and novelties of this study were to compare biochemical data from urinary EtG assays (cut-off 100 ng/mL for risking drinking behavior) with the outcome of questionnaires and of a food diary routinely used in our hospital; moreover, for the first time, we analyzed in pregnant women the EtG values normalized by the amount of creatinine excreted according to methods previously established [1]. METHODS Random urine samples were collected from 309 pregnant women immediately after being interviewed. EtG was quantified using an enzyme immunoassay and urinary creatinine was assessed using an enzymatic colorimetric method. Women that had not exhaustively answered one of the questionnaires, or that refused to provide urine samples were excluded. In the end, 309 women had a complete set of data and were considered for this study. Urine creatinine measurements were performed to determine if urine dilution might have resulted in false negatives in the challenge study. In order to accomplish this objective, as urinary creatinine concentrations are, on average, approximately 1 mg/mL, we used a normalized value of 100 ng EtG/mg Creatinine [1]. RESULTS Our data show that 20.4% of the pregnant women in the study were over the established normalized cut-off value. Poor to null concordance (unweighted k < 0.2) was found between EtG data and the screening interviews, that show, on average, lower levels of alcohol consumption. CONCLUSION In conclusion, this study provides evidence that the assessment of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy, only indirectly estimated with questionnaires and food diary, can produce misleading ratings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavio Maria Ceci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome. Italy
| | - Marco Fiore
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Rome. Italy
| | - Enzo Agostinelli
- Department of Sensory Organs, Medical Faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome. Italy
| | - Tomoaki Tahara
- Department of Sensory Organs, Medical Faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome. Italy
| | - Antonio Greco
- Department of Sensory Organs, Medical Faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome. Italy
| | - Massimo Ralli
- Department of Odontostomatological and Maxillofacial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome. Italy
| | | | - Marco Lucarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome. Italy
| | - Roberta Colletti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome. Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Sensory Organs, Medical Faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome. Italy
| | - Paola Tirassa
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Rome. Italy
| | - Mauro Ceccanti
- Sitac, Societa' Italiana per lo Studio delle Patologie Alcool Derivate. Rome, Italy; Sapienza University of Rome. Italy
| | | | | | - Carla Petrella
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Rome. Italy
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43
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Scrivo R, Anastasi E, Castellani C, Conti F, Angeloni A, Granato T. Ovarian reserve in patients with spondyloarthritis: impact of biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs on fertility status. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2021; 40:1738-1743. [DOI: 10.55563/clinexprheumatol/osg0fu] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rossana Scrivo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Internistiche, Anestesiologiche e Cardiovascolari, UOC Reumatologia, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
| | - Emanuela Anastasi
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Castellani
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Internistiche, Anestesiologiche e Cardiovascolari, UOC Reumatologia, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Conti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Internistiche, Anestesiologiche e Cardiovascolari, UOC Reumatologia, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Teresa Granato
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-IBPM), Rome, Italy
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44
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Ceci FM, Ceccanti M, Petrella C, Vitali M, Messina MP, Chaldakov GN, Greco A, Ralli M, Lucarelli M, Angeloni A, Fiore M, Ferraguti G. Alcohol Drinking, Apolipoprotein Polymorphisms and the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases. Curr Neurovasc Res 2021; 18:150-161. [PMID: 33823779 PMCID: PMC8778646 DOI: 10.2174/1567202618666210406123503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Lipoprotein disorders are a major risk factor for atherosclerotic neuro-cardiovascular disease (ACVD) and are heavily influenced by lifestyle, including alcohol drinking. Moderate drinkers have a lower ACVD risk than abstainers due to their higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, an important protective factor against ACVD. On the contrary, heavy drinking increases ACVD risk. According to an extensive literature body, ethanol intoxication modifies lipid serum profile and induces endothelial dysfunction. Single nucleotide polymorphisms may influence the relationship between alcohol drinking, HDL cholesterol level, and atherosclerotic risk. The risk of ACVD in heavy drinkers seems enhanced in patients with apolipoprotein E4 allele, interleukin- 6-174 polymorphism, and cholesteryl ester transfer protein TaqIB polymorphism. Apolipoprotein E4 is a known risk factor for ACVD, while apolipoprotein E2 has mixed effects. Therefore, even if a "protective role" may be attributed to moderate drinking, this effect cannot be extended to everyone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavio M Ceci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Mauro Ceccanti
- Sitac, Societa' Italiana per lo Studio delle Patologie Alcool Derivate. Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Petrella
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Section of Neurobiology, (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy
| | | | - Marisa P Messina
- Department of Gynecology, Obstetric, and Urology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - George N Chaldakov
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University, and Institute for Advanced Study, Varna, Bulgaria
| | - Antonio Greco
- Department of Sense Organs, Medical faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo Ralli
- Department of Sense Organs, Medical faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Lucarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Fiore
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Section of Neurobiology, (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy
| | - Giampiero Ferraguti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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45
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Verna R, Alallon W, Murakami M, Hayward CPM, Harrath AH, Alwasel SH, Sumita NM, Alatas O, Fedeli V, Sharma P, Fuso A, Capuano DM, Capalbo M, Angeloni A, Bizzarri M. Analytical Performance of COVID-19 Detection Methods (RT-PCR): Scientific and Societal Concerns. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:660. [PMID: 34357032 PMCID: PMC8305061 DOI: 10.3390/life11070660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. Health and social management of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, responsible for the COVID-19 disease, requires both screening tools and diagnostic procedures. Reliable screening tests aim at identifying (truely) infectious individuals that can spread the viral infection and therefore are essential for tracing and harnessing the epidemic diffusion. Instead, diagnostic tests should supplement clinical and radiological findings, thus helping in establishing the diagnosis. Several analytical assays, mostly using RT-PCR-based technologies, have become commercially available for healthcare workers and clinical laboratories. However, such tests showed some critical limitations, given that a relevant number of both false-positive and false-negative cases have been so far reported. Moreover, those analytical techniques demonstrated to be significantly influenced by pre-analytical biases, while the sensitivity showed a dramatic time dependency. Aim. Herein, we critically investigate limits and perspectives of currently available RT-PCR techniques, especially when referring to the required performances in providing reliable epidemiological and clinical information. Key Concepts. Current data cast doubt on the use of RT-PCR swabs as a screening procedure for tracing the evolution of the current SARS-COV-2 pandemic. Indeed, the huge number of both false-positive and false-negative results deprives the trustworthiness of decision making based on those data. Therefore, we should refine current available analytical tests to quickly identify individuals able to really transmit the virus, with the aim to control and prevent large outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Verna
- In Unam Sapientiam, 00185 Rome, Italy;
- WASPaLM, CT Corporation, P.O. Box 4349, Carol Stream, IL 60197-4349, USA;
- Academy for Health and Clinical Research, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Walter Alallon
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hospital de Clínicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11000, Uruguay;
| | - Masami Murakami
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-15 Showa-Machi, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan;
| | - Catherine P. M. Hayward
- Health Science Center, Departments of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, and Medicine, Room 2N29A, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5, Canada;
| | - Abdel Halim Harrath
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.H.H.); (S.H.A.)
| | - Saleh H. Alwasel
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.H.H.); (S.H.A.)
| | - Nairo M. Sumita
- Grupo Fleury, Central Laboratory Division, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508, Brazil;
| | - Ozkan Alatas
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Eskisehir Osmangazi University Medical School, Eskisehir 33400, Turkey;
| | - Valeria Fedeli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, 00160 Rome, Italy; (V.F.); (A.F.); (A.A.)
| | - Praveen Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur 342005, India;
| | - Andrea Fuso
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, 00160 Rome, Italy; (V.F.); (A.F.); (A.A.)
| | - Daniela Maria Capuano
- WASPaLM, CT Corporation, P.O. Box 4349, Carol Stream, IL 60197-4349, USA;
- Academy for Health and Clinical Research, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Capalbo
- Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Marche Nord (DG), 61121 Pesaro, Italy;
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, 00160 Rome, Italy; (V.F.); (A.F.); (A.A.)
| | - Mariano Bizzarri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, 00160 Rome, Italy; (V.F.); (A.F.); (A.A.)
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46
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Ialongo C, Farina A, Labriola R, Angeloni A, Anastasi E. Vitamin D, SARS-CoV-2 and Causal Associations in Transversal Studies: The Time-Series Analysis to Reveal Potential Confounders. Comment on Gaudio et al. Vitamin D Levels Are Reduced at the Time of Hospital Admission in Sicilian SARS-CoV-2-Positive Patients. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 3491. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18:ijerph18136793. [PMID: 34202694 PMCID: PMC8297363 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18136793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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47
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Antonelli G, Anastasi E, Ciprani F, Cabral RJR, Ialongo C, Capobianchi MR, Turriziani O, Angeloni A. Asymptomatic individuals positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies negative on molecular swab. Lancet Microbe 2021; 2:e178. [PMID: 33969327 PMCID: PMC8096318 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-5247(21)00083-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Guido Antonelli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy.,Sapienza University Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Emanuela Anastasi
- Sapienza University Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy.,Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Ciprani
- Dipartimento di Pubblica Sicurezza, Direzione Centrale di Sanità, Ministero dell'Interno, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Cristiano Ialongo
- Sapienza University Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Maria R Capobianchi
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Lazzaro Spallanzani, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Ombretta Turriziani
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy.,Sapienza University Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Sapienza University Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy.,Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
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48
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Petrella C, Di Certo MG, Gabanella F, Barbato C, Ceci FM, Greco A, Ralli M, Polimeni A, Angeloni A, Severini C, Vitali M, Ferraguti G, Ceccanti M, Lucarelli M, Severi C, Fiore M. Mediterranean Diet, Brain and Muscle: Olive Polyphenols and Resveratrol Protection in Neurodegenerative and Neuromuscular Disorders. Curr Med Chem 2021; 28:7595-7613. [PMID: 33949928 DOI: 10.2174/0929867328666210504113445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The Mediterranean diet is worldwide recognized as a good prototype of nutrition due to the conspicuous intake of olive oil, nuts, red wine, legumes, fruit, and vegetables, all fundamental elements rich in antioxidant substances and polyphenols. Polyphenols are a wide range of phytochemicals and/or synthetic chemical compounds with proven beneficial properties for human health. In the present review, we critically summarize the well-characterized antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of polyphenols contained in the olives and extra virgin olive oil and of resveratrol, a non-flavonoid phenolic compound. We discussed the potential use of these polyphenols as pharmaceutical formulations for the treatment of human diseases. We also show the emerging importance of their consumption in the prevention and management of crucial neurodegenerative conditions (alcohol-related brain disorders and aging) and in neuromuscular disorders (Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy), where oxidative stress plays a predominant role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Petrella
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Section of Neurobiology, (IBBC-CNR), Rome. Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Di Certo
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Section of Neurobiology, (IBBC-CNR), Rome. Italy
| | - Francesca Gabanella
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Section of Neurobiology, (IBBC-CNR), Rome. Italy
| | - Christian Barbato
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Section of Neurobiology, (IBBC-CNR), Rome. Italy
| | - Flavio Maria Ceci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome. Italy
| | - Antonio Greco
- Department of Sense Organs, Medical faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome. Italy
| | - Massimo Ralli
- Department of Sense Organs, Medical faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome. Italy
| | - Antonella Polimeni
- Department of Odontostomatological and Maxillofacial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome. Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome. Italy
| | - Cinzia Severini
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Section of Neurobiology, (IBBC-CNR), Rome. Italy
| | | | - Giampiero Ferraguti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome. Italy
| | - Mauro Ceccanti
- Sitac, Societa' Italiana per lo Studio delle Patologie Alcool Derivate. Rome. Italy
| | - Marco Lucarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome. Italy
| | - Carola Severi
- Dept of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome. Italy
| | - Marco Fiore
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Section of Neurobiology, (IBBC-CNR), Rome. Italy
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Terlizzi V, Claut L, Tosco A, Colombo C, Raia V, Fabrizzi B, Lucarelli M, Angeloni A, Cimino G, Castaldo A, Marsiglio L, Timpano S, Cirilli N, Moroni L, Festini F, Piccinini P, Zavataro L, Bonomi P, Taccetti G, Southern KW, Padoan R. A survey of the prevalence, management and outcome of infants with an inconclusive diagnosis following newborn bloodspot screening for cystic fibrosis (CRMS/CFSPID) in six Italian centres. J Cyst Fibros 2021; 20:828-834. [PMID: 33883100 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcf.2021.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We evaluated the prevalence, Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene profile, clinical data, management and outcome for infants with a CFTR-related metabolic syndrome/CF Screen Positive, Inconclusive Diagnosis (CRMS/CFSPID) designation from six Italian centres. METHODS All newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) positive infants born from January 2011 to August 2018 with a CF diagnosis or a CRMS/CFSPID designation were enrolled. Data on sweat testing, genetics, clinical course and management were collected. RESULTS We enrolled 257 CF patientsand 336 infants with a CRMS/CFSPID designation (CF: CRMS/CFSPID ratio of 1:1.30).Blood immuno-reactive trypsinogen (IRT) was significantly lower in CRMS/CFSPID infants and the F508del variant accounted for only 20% of alleles. Children with CRMS/CFSPID showed a milder clinical course, pancreatic sufficiency compared to CF infants. Varied practice across centres was identified regarding sweat testing, chest radiograph (8-100%) and salt supplementation (11-90%). Eighteen (5.3%) CRMS/CFSPID infants converted or were reclassified to diagnosis of CF. Four infants (1.3%) developed a clinical feature consistent with a CFTR-related disorder (1.2%). Twenty-seven were re-classified as healthy carriers (8.0%) and 16 as healthy infants (4.8%). CONCLUSIONS We have identified considerable variability in the evaluation and management of infants with an inconclusive diagnosis following NBS across six Italian centres. CRMS/CFSPID is more regularly seen in this population compared to countries with higher prevalence of F508del.Conversion to a CF diagnosis was recorded in 18 (5.3%) of CRMS/CFSPID infants and in 16 was as a result of increasing sweat chloride concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vito Terlizzi
- Cystic Fibrosis Regional Reference Center, Department of Paediatric Medicine, Anna Meyer Children's University, Florence, Italy.
| | - Laura Claut
- Cystic Fibrosis Regional Reference Center, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonella Tosco
- Paediatric Unit, Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Cystic Fibrosis Regional Reference Center, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Carla Colombo
- Cystic Fibrosis Regional Reference Center, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Milan, Italy
| | - Valeria Raia
- Paediatric Unit, Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Cystic Fibrosis Regional Reference Center, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Benedetta Fabrizzi
- Cystic Fibrosis Regional Reference Center, Mother - Child Department, United Hospitals, Ancona, Italy
| | - Marco Lucarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Pasteur Institute Cenci Bolognetti Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Cimino
- Cystic Fibrosis Regional Reference Center, A.O.U. Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy
| | - Alice Castaldo
- Paediatric Unit, Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Cystic Fibrosis Regional Reference Center, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Laura Marsiglio
- Cystic Fibrosis Regional Support Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Silviana Timpano
- Cystic Fibrosis Regional Support Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Natalia Cirilli
- Cystic Fibrosis Regional Reference Center, Mother - Child Department, United Hospitals, Ancona, Italy
| | - Laura Moroni
- Cystic Fibrosis Regional Reference Center, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Milan, Italy
| | - Filippo Festini
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Lucia Zavataro
- Cystic Fibrosis Regional Reference Center, Department of Paediatric Medicine, Anna Meyer Children's University, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Giovanni Taccetti
- Cystic Fibrosis Regional Reference Center, Department of Paediatric Medicine, Anna Meyer Children's University, Florence, Italy
| | - Kevin W Southern
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Liverpool, Institute in the Park, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Rita Padoan
- Cystic Fibrosis Regional Support Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili Brescia, Brescia, Italy
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Farina A, Labriola R, Ialongo C, Suppa M, Viggiani V, Lucarelli M, Anastasi E, Angeloni A. Transient plasma cell dyscrasia in COVID-19 patients linked to IL-6 triggering. Microbes Infect 2021; 23:104808. [PMID: 33753206 PMCID: PMC7979272 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2021.104808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
An unusual clonal gammopathy was reported in COVID-19 patient but whether this anomaly is related or not to the disease has not yet been clarified. To this aim, we selected a cohort of 35 COVID-19 patients swab positive and investigated serological levels of IL-6, immune response to major viral antigens and electrophoretic profile. Elevated levels of IL-6 were accompanied by a significative humoral response to viral Spike protein, revealing an altered electrophoretic profile in the gamma region. We can conclude that elevated levels of IL-6 triggers humoral response inducing a transient plasma cell dyscrasia in severe COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Farina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 00161, Roma, Lazio, Italy
| | - R Labriola
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 00161, Roma, Lazio, Italy
| | - C Ialongo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 00161, Roma, Lazio, Italy
| | - M Suppa
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 00161, Roma, Lazio, Italy
| | - V Viggiani
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 00161, Roma, Lazio, Italy
| | - M Lucarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 00161, Roma, Lazio, Italy
| | - E Anastasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 00161, Roma, Lazio, Italy.
| | - A Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 00161, Roma, Lazio, Italy
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