0000000000353625

AUTHOR

Alessandro Lucchesi

Management of Kidney Transplantation in a Factor VII-Deficient Patient: Case Report

Transplantation in patients with congenital bleeding disorders is a challenge requiring an integrated approach of various specialists. Renal transplantation, the most frequent type of solid organ transplantation, is rarely performed in individuals with congenital hemorrhagic disorders. We performed a renal transplantation in a 53-year-old man with end-stage renal disease and congenital coagulation factor VII deficiency, a rare bleeding disorder with a peculiar clinical picture requiring replacement therapy in surgical interventions. Perioperative bleeding was successfully prevented by administration of recombinant activated factor VII. Treatment schedule, administration rate, and long-term …

research product

Epidemiology and Pattern of Resistance of Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Blood Samples in Hospitalized Patients: A Single Center Retrospective Analysis from Southern Italy

Background: Blood culturing remains the mainstream tool to inform an appropriate treatment in hospital-acquired bloodstream infections and to diagnose any bacteremia. Methods: A retrospective investigation on the prevalence of Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) and their resistance in hospitalized patients by age, sex, and units from blood cultures (BCs) was conducted from January 2018 to April 2020 at Sant’Elia hospital, Caltanissetta, southern Italy. We divided the patient age range into four equal intervals. Results: Multivariate demographic and microbiological variables did not show an association between bacteria distributions and gender and age. The distribution by units showed a higher pre…

research product

Oral high-dose sucrosomial iron vs intravenous iron in sideropenic anemia patients intolerant/refractory to iron sulfate: a multicentric randomized study

AbstractIron deficiency anemia is among the most frequent causes of disability. Intravenous iron is the quickest way to correct iron deficiency, bypassing the bottleneck of iron intestinal absorption, the only true mechanism of iron balance regulation in human body. Intravenous iron administration is suggested in patients who are refractory/intolerant to oral iron sulfate. However, the intravenous way of iron administration requires several precautions; as the in-hospital administration requires a resuscitation service, as imposed in Europe by the European Medicine Agency, it is very expensive and negatively affects patient’s perceived quality of life. A new oral iron formulation, Sucrosomi…

research product

Atypical presentations of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura in middle-aged women with recurrent cerebral macrovascular thrombosis: a case report

Dear Editor, In the current clinical practice, minimal criteria to define thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) are the presence of signs of microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia and low platelet (PLT) count [1]. TTP relapses (20–50 % of cases) are defined as the recurrence of acute TTP symptoms 30 days after the first episode, while exacerbations occur within 30 days [2]. We here report on an atypical case of acquired TTP where minimal criteria were met only after many recurrent macrovascular ischemic events. A 42-year old Caucasian woman with a history of coronary and cerebral ischemic events was admitted on June 2013, following a recurrent transient ischemic attack (TIA). She had sever…

research product

Immune Thrombocytopenia in Antiphospholipid Syndrome: Is It Primary or Secondary?

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is frequently associated with thrombocytopenia, in most cases mild and in the absence of major bleedings. In some patients with a confirmed APS diagnosis, secondary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) may lead to severe thrombocytopenia with consequent major bleeding. At the same time, the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in patients with a diagnosis of primary ITP has been reported in several studies, although with some specific characteristics especially related to the variety of antigenic targets. Even though it does not enter the APS defining criteria, thrombocytopenia should be regarded as a warning sign of a “high risk” APS and thus thoroughly ev…

research product

Incidence and Management Of Venous Thrombosis In Acute Leukemia: A Multicenter Study

Abstract Background Venous thrombosis (VT) frequently complicates the clinical course of cancer. Reported incidence of VT in many hematological neoplasms is up to 10%, a value comparable to that of solid tumors. Available data on the incidence and management of VT in Acute Leukemia (AL) are scanty and quite discordant. We have performed a multicenter retrospective study with the primary objective to evaluate the incidence of venous thrombotic complications in a population of patients with AL. Secondary objective was to evaluate the management of these complications in patients with AL. Materials and Methods Available clinical records of out and in-patients diagnosed with AL from January 200…

research product

Genetics and Pathogenetic Role of Inflammasomes in Philadelphia Negative Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms: A Narrative Review

The last decade has been very important for the quantity of preclinical information obtained regarding chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and the following will be dedicated to the translational implications of the new biological acquisitions. The overcoming of the mechanistic model of clonal evolution and the entry of chronic inflammation and dysimmunity into the new model are the elements on which to base a part of future therapeutic strategies. The innate immune system plays a major role in this context. Protagonists of the initiation and regulation of many pathological aspects, from cytokine storms to fibrosis, the NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasomes guide and condition the natural hi…

research product

Antimicrobial prophylaxis in patients with immune thrombocytopenia treated with rituximab: a retrospective multicenter analysis

The primary aim of this study was to describe the use of primary anti-infective prophylaxis (AP) in common clinical practice in patients affected by immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and treated with RTX. Population studied consisted of patients affected by ITP (age ≥ 18 years) who had received at least one dose of RTX from January 2008 to June 2018. Five Italian haematology centres participated in the current study. Data were retrospectively collected: demographic data (age, gender), concomitant comorbidities and previous therapies for ITP, characteristics of AP, the occurrence of infections and their management. The ITP cohort consisted of 67 patients sub-grouped into two categories according…

research product

Immunogenicity and safety of the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine in adults with haematological malignancies: a phase 3, randomised, clinical trial and post-hoc efficacy analysis

BACKGROUND: The adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix) can prevent herpes zoster in older adults and autologous haemopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. We evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of this vaccine in adults with haematological malignancies receiving immunosuppressive cancer treatments. METHODS: In this phase 3, randomised, observer-blind, placebo-controlled study, done at 77 centres worldwide, we randomly assigned (1:1) patients with haematological malignancies aged 18 years and older to receive two doses of the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine or placebo 1-2 months apart during or after immunosuppressive cancer treatments, and stratified participants acco…

research product

Genetic regulation of iron homeostasis in sideropenic patients with mild COVID-19 disease under a new oral iron formulation: Lessons from a different perspective.

Background: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) needs iron to replicate itself. Coronaviruses are able to upregulate Chop/Gadd153 and Arg1 genes, consequently leading to CD8 lymphocytes decrease, degradation of asparagine and decreased nitric oxide (NO), thus impairing immune response and antithrombotic functions. Little is known about regulation of genes involved in iron metabolism in pauci symptomatic patients with COVID-19 disease or in patients with iron deficiency treated with sucrosomial iron. Methods: Whole blood was taken from the COVID-19 patients and from patients with sideropenic anemia, treated or not (control group) with iron supplementations. Enrolled …

research product

Management of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) in Patients with Acute Leukemia: Results from a Multicenter Study

Abstract Background In the last decades, evaluation of thrombotic complications secondary to acute leukemia (AL) has been poorly investigated. Only scant data are available on management and prevention of thrombosis in this setting. We performed a multicenter retrospective study with the aim to evaluate the management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with AL and to report the most commonly adopted regimens of treatment. Materials and methods Available clinical records of out and in-patients diagnosed with AL from January 2008 to June 2013 in 7 Reference Regional Hospitals were analyzed. Cases of VTE, including thrombosis in atypical sites [Retinal occlusion (RO) and Cerebral Sinu…

research product

Management of venous thromboembolism in patients with acute leukemia at high bleeding risk: a multi-center study

In the last decades, evaluation of clinically relevant thrombotic complications in patients with acute leukemia (AL) has been poorly investigated. The authors performed a multi-center study to evaluate the management of symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adult patients with AL. The intention was to find as clinically relevant the following: symptomatic Venous Thrombosis (VT) occurred in typical (lower limbs) and atypical (cerebral, upper limbs, abdominal, etc) sites with or without pulmonary embolism (PE). Over a population of 1461 patients with AL, 22 cases of symptomatic VTE were recorded in hospitalized patients with a mean age of 54.6 years. The absolute incidence of VTE was 1.…

research product

Circulating Endothelial Cell Levels Correlate with Treatment Outcomes of Splanchnic Vein Thrombosis in Patients with Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Circulating endothelial cells (CECs) are viable, apoptotic or necrotic cells, identified by CD 146 surface antigen expression, considered a biomarker of thrombotic risk, given their active role in inflammatory, procoagulant and immune processes of the vascular compartment. Growing evidence establishes that CECs are also involved in the pathogenesis of several hematological and solid malignancies. The primary aim of this study was to verify if CEC levels could predict both the course and treatment responses of splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT), either in patients affected by myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) or liver disease. Thus, a retrospective multicenter study was performed; fifteen pa…

research product

Platelets Contribution to Thrombin Generation in Philadelphia-Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms: The "Circulating Wound" Model.

Current cytoreductive and antithrombotic strategies in MPNs are mostly based on cell counts and on patient’s demographic and clinical history. Despite the numerous studies conducted on platelet function and on the role of plasma factors, an accurate and reliable method to dynamically quantify the hypercoagulability states of these conditions is not yet part of clinical practice. Starting from our experience, and after having sifted through the literature, we propose an in-depth narrative report on the contribution of the clonal platelets of MPNs—rich in tissue factor (TF)—in promoting a perpetual procoagulant mechanism. The whole process results in an unbalanced generation of thrombin and i…

research product

Effect of Recombinant Zoster Vaccine on Incidence of Herpes Zoster After Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation A Randomized Clinical Trial

###EgeUn###

research product

Sorafenib as a feasible therapeutic option in haemophiliacs with hepatocellular carcinoma

hepatocellular carcinoma, haemophilia, treatment

research product

Clinical and biological data on the use of hydroxychloroquine against SARS-CoV-2 could support the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the pathogenesis of respiratory disease

The use of hydroxychloroquine (HCL) has been very common in countries with a rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), although controversial and the subject of heated scientific discussions with implications for the whole society. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

research product

Evidence of jak2 val617phe positive essential thrombocythemia with splanchnic thrombosis during estroprogestinic treatment

The discovery of the Janus kinase 2 Val617Phe mutation has brought new insights into the development of myeloproliferative disorders; however, the pathogenesis of essential thrombocythemia and its related thrombotic complications has not been completely understood. Although the Janus kinase 2 Val617Phe mutation confirms the initially suspected clonal character of the disease, factors influencing clonal transformation and expansion in the bone marrow have not been fully detected. Furthermore, patients affected by essential thrombocythemia who are carriers of the Janus kinase 2 Val617Phe mutation show a higher incidence of venous thromboembolism both before, and at the time of diagnosis, comp…

research product

Clostridium difficile Induced Inflammasome Activation and Coagulation Derangements

C. difficile enterocolitis (CDAC) is the most common hospital infection, burdened by an increased incidence of coagulation-related complications such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) as well as a significant sepsis-related mortality. In this review, we analyzed the available data concerning the correlation between coagulation complications related to C. difficile infection (CDI) and inflammasome activation, in particular the pyrin-dependent one. The little but solid available preclinical and clinical evidence shows that inflammasome activation increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). As proof of this, it has been observed that in vitr…

research product