0000000000042987
AUTHOR
Elvira Ventura-spagnolo
Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Citrus bergamia Derivatives: Where Do We Stand?
Inflammatory diseases affect a large portion of the worldwide population, and chronic inflammation is a major risk factor for several dangerous pathologies. To limit the side effects of both synthetic and biological anti-inflammatory drugs, the use of herbal medicines, nutraceuticals and food supplements has increased tremendously as alternative and/or complementary medicine to treat several pathologies, including inflammation. During the last decades, the biological properties of Citrus bergamia (bergamot) derivatives have obtained important scientific achievements, and it has been suggested their use in a context of a multitarget pharmacological strategy. Here, we present an overview of t…
Modification of Interleukin-15 Serum Levels in Workers Exposed to Chemotherapeutic Agents
Cytostatic anticancer drugs are known as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic risk factors for health care workers occupationally exposed. It has been demonstrated that the administration of interleukin-15 in rat models of colon carcinoma protects against chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal toxicities. We found that occupational exposure to chemotherapeutic antiblastic agents in vivo modified circulating levels of interleukin-15 in 17 health care workers exposed to antineoplastic drugs in relation to their jobs and in as many healthy age- and sex-matched subjects. Health care workers displayed significantly higher circulating interleukin-15 levels compared to their age-matched control…
Lymphocyte Subsets and Inflammatory Cytokines of Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance and Multiple Myeloma
Almost all multiple myeloma (MM) cases have been demonstrated to be linked to earlier monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Nevertheless, there are no identified characteristics in the diagnosis of MGUS that have been helpful in differentiating subjects whose cancer may progress to a malignant situation. Regarding malignancy, the role of lymphocyte subsets and cytokines at the beginning of neoplastic diseases is now incontestable. In this review, we have concentrated our attention on the equilibrium between the diverse lymphocyte subsets and the cytokine system and summarized the current state of knowledge, providing an overview of the condition of the entire system in …
Death by Facial and Skull Injuries of a Motorcyclist Wearing a Full-Face Helmet: Case Report and Literature Review
We describe a case of death by facial and skull fractures with brain injuries of a motorcyclist wearing a full-face helmet. A 40-year-old man driving a high-powered motorcycle crashed violently into the rear of a stopped car. The main results from the autopsy revealed the deformation of the left orbito-zygomatic and fronto-temporoparietal regions corresponding to bone fractures with laceration at the left temporal lobe. The CT scan of the helmet revealed the detachment of the energy-absorbing liner. Moreover an impact speed of 93 Km/h resulted from the analysis of accident dynamics. We analysed the literature regarding the effectiveness of full-face helmets in reducing the risk of fatality …
Fatal Anaphylactic Shock Ceftriaxone-Induced in a 4-Year-Old Child
One of the most used cephalosporin in clinical practice is ceftriaxone. Anaphylaxis due to the administration of ceftriaxone is considered a rare event. Here, we report a case of fatal anaphylactic shock after the administration of ceftriaxone in a child who had tolerated the drug in past exposures. The allergic pathogenesis is sustained by the clinical data (short time between the inoculation of the drug and the onset of the symptoms; past exposure to the same molecule and probable sensitization) and the postmortem examination findings (polivisceral congestion and intense eosinophilia found in the histological examination).
IL-33/IL-31 Axis: A Potential Inflammatory Pathway
Cytokines play an important role in the regulation of the immune system (adaptive and innate). Given their importance in proinflammatory processes, cytokines have been used for understanding the pathogenesis and as biomarkers in many diseases. IL-31 and IL-33 are still considered novel cytokines. IL-31 controls signalling and regulates a huge amount of biological functions: it induces proinflammatory cytokines, regulates cell proliferation, and is involved also in tissue remodelling. On the other hand, IL-33 has been identified as an “alarmin” released from the epithelial cells and from different human tissues and organs after a damage following, that is, an inflammatory process. The aim of…
Possible Roles of IL-33 in the Innate-Adaptive Immune Crosstalk of Psoriasis Pathogenesis
Background. IL-33 belongs to the IL-1 family, playing a role in several biologic processes as well as in the pathogenesis of different diseases, including skin pathologies. It acts as an alarmin, released by damaged cells. Binding to a ST2 receptor, it stimulates many immune cells such as ILC2 and Th2 cells. IL-33/ST2 axis seems to be involved in Th17 response. According to this, a review was performed to analyze if IL-33 even interplay in the onset of psoriasis, a Th1/Th17 inflammatory disease. Methods. Data obtained from the included articles are study author name, publication date, group studied, clinical and biological variables, laboratory tests, and outcome of interest of the study. R…
Neurodegenerative diseases: Might citrus flavonoids play a protective role?
Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) result from the gradual and progressive degeneration of the structure and function of the central nervous system or the peripheral nervous system or both. They are characterized by deterioration of neurons and/or myelin sheath, disruption of sensory information transmission and loss of movement control. There is no effective treatment for ND, and the drugs currently marketed are symptom-oriented, albeit with several side effects. Within the past decades, several natural remedies have gained attention as potential neuroprotective drugs. Moreover, an increasing number of studies have suggested that dietary intake of vegetables and fruits can prevent or delay th…
Immunohistochemical detection of early myocardial infarction: a systematic review
The postmortem diagnosis of early myocardial infarction is a challenge for forensic pathologists because the routine histology is neither specific. Many authors have suggested the use of the immunohistochemistry to fill the gaps in the histological diagnosis of early myocardial infarction. This review aims to analyse advances of immunohistochemical detection of early cardiac damage due to ischaemia. To this purpose, we reviewed experimental studies that investigated immunohistochemical markers and their estimated timing of expression. The review was performed according to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, and a total of 23 studies assessing the immunohistochemical markers for the d…
Chlorinative stress in age-related diseases: A literature review
Abstract Aging is an agglomerate of biological long-lasting processes that result being inevitable. Main actors in this scenario are both long-term inflammation and oxidative stress. It has been proved that oxidative stress induce alteration in proteins and this fact itself is critically important in the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to diseases typical of aging. Among reactive species, chlorine ones such as hypochlorous acid (HOCl) are cytotoxic oxidants produced by activated neutrophils during chronic inflammation processes. HOCl can also cause damages by reacting with biological molecules. HOCl is generated by myeloperoxidase (MPO) and augmented serum levels of MPO have been desc…