Old and new immunophenotypic markers in multiple myeloma for discrimination of responding and relapsing patients: The importance of "normal" residual…

2014

Background Multiple myeloma is an incurable disease characterized by proliferation of clonal malignant plasma cells (CPCs), which can be immunophenotypically distinguished from polyclonal plasma cells (PPCs) by multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC). The utility of PPCs analysis in detecting prognostic and predictive information is still a matter of debate. Methods: we tested the ability of 11 MFC markers in detecting differences in the immunophenotype of CPCs and PPCs among patients in various disease stages; we verified if these markers could be associated with disease stage/response to therapy despite the role of clinical parameters. Results: significant changes in the expression of markers…

Biomarkers and Inflammatory Network in Aging: Targets for Therapies

2013

The importance of the interactions between KIRs and HLA ligands in the development of human autoimmune and viral diseases

2017

Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) regulate the activation of natural killer cells through their interaction with human leucocyte antigens (HLA). KIR and HLA loci are highly polymorphic, and certain KIR/HLA combinations have been found to protect against viral infections or to predispose to autoimmune disorders. In particular, some activating KIR profiles may be detrimental in autoimmune pathogenesis, and specific KIR genes may be particularly aggressive in the clearance of different microorganisms, protecting individuals in the control of a given pathogen. Here we reviewed a growing body of evidence purporting the influence of KIR polymorphism and KIR-HLA interaction in the develo…

Weak D and partial D: our experience in daily activity

2011

Phenoloxidase-dependent cytotoxic mechanism in ascidian (Styela plicata) hemocytes active against erythrocytes and K562 tumor cells.

1997

The cytotoxic activity against rabbit erythrocytes (RE) and human K562 tumor cells by Styela plicata hemocytes was significantly related to the phenoloxidase (PO) which converts phenols to quinone and initiates the melanogenic pathway. The effector hemocyte population, separated in a Percoll density gradient band, enriched in a granulocyte type named "morula cells", was examined with RE in a hemocyte cytotoxic assay and plaque forming cell assay. Inhibition experiments with the copper chelating agents 1-phenyl-2-thiourea and tropolone, the substrate analogue sodium benzoate and sodium ascorbate support the notion that hemocyte cytotoxic activity is a PO-dependent mechanism. Treatments of he…

Pro-inflammatory alleles play an opposite role in acute myocardial infarction and in longevity

2006

SIGNIFICATO PROGNOSTICO DELL’MMP-9 IN PAZIENTI CON SINDROME CORONARICA ACUTA

2007

La malattia: dagli sciamani alla medicina di precisione

2016

This book is not only an introductory refocusing of the foundations of Pathology general, but it would also be an excellent guide to intelligently instruct a solid, more advanced and necessary reform of medical curricula. The General Pathology has represented, at the origins and in the phase of greater scientific development of medicine, the space for meeting and integration between the two more advanced experimental applications applied to the study of diseases. A little abandoned in its function of theoretical synthesis from the advent of EBM (evidence based medicine), in the face of the challenges represented from the flow of genomic data and from the expectations of seeing a new persona…

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps impact in severe asthma patients: Evidences from the Severe Asthma Network Italy (SANI) registry

2020

Abstract Background The clinical and laboratory features of patients enrolled in the Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI) registry, a web-based observatory collecting demographic, clinical, functional and inflammatory data of patients with severe asthma were evaluated, with a special emphasis to chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP). Methods For each eligible patients the following information has been collected: demographic data, clinical features, asthma control in the previous month according to the GINA (Global INitiative for Asthma) Guidelines and standardized questionnaires, concomitant regular and on demand treatments and inflammatory markers. Results 695 patients wit…

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INFLAMMATORY MOLECULE CRP POLYMORPHISM AND ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN A COHORT OF SICILIAN YOUNG PATIENTS

2004

Triggering of Toll-like receptors in the elderly. A pilot study relevant for vaccination

2017

The impaired ability of the elderly to mount an efficient immune response after exposure to microbes or vaccines represents a major challenge in protection against pathogens in ageing. Recently studies have shown that stimulation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), using stimulatory ligands, can enhance vaccine efficacy by a number of mechanisms, including the activation of innate immune cells and the consequent production of inflammatory cytokines.

Reply to: Kow CS et al. Are severe asthma patients at higher risk of developing severe outcomes from COVID-19?

2021

Compendio di Patologia Generale

2006

The role of immune response in ageing and longevity. A focus on B cell compartment

2017

The improvement of the quality of life of elderly people is going to become a priority because of the continuous increase in the number of centenarians. This render the studies of the processes involved in ageing of critical importance. Centenarians are a widely accepted model of successful ageing, a complex process which is influenced by several biological, environmental and lifestyle factors, because they have reached the extreme limits of life span overcoming the major age-related diseases. In centenarians model, several aspects have been studied, as inflammation, immune system, genetics and metabolism, to understand the secret of their long survival. It has been proposed that centenaria…

B cells and immunosenescence: a focus on IgG+IgD-CD27- (DN) B cells in aged humans.

2011

Immunosenescence contributes to the decreased ability of the elderly to control infectious diseases, which is also reflected in their generally poor response to new antigens and vaccination. It is known that the T cell branch of the immune system is impaired in the elderly mainly due to expansion of memory/effector cells that renders the immune system less able to respond to new antigens. B lymphocytes are also impaired in the elderly in terms of their response to new antigens. In this paper we review recent work on B cell immunosenescence focusing our attention on memory B cells and a subset of memory B cells (namely IgG(+)IgD(-)CD27(-)) that we have demonstrated is increased in healthy el…

16th IHIW: Immunogenetics of Aging

2013

Ageing is a process characterised by progressive loss of function in multiple different organ systems, such as the nervous, endocrine and immune systems. Current data showing that ageing processes may be associated with alterations in the immune system suggest that some of the genetic determinants of senescence might be polymorphic genes that regulate immune responses. The ‘Immunogenetics of Aging’ programme was a component introduced in the 14th International HLA and Immunogenetics Workshop (IHIWS) and developed further within the 15th and 16th. The aim of this component was to determine the contribution of immune genes to successful ageing and an increased capacity to reach the extreme li…

Updates in Pathobiology: Causality and Chance in Ageing, Age-Related Diseases and Longevity

2017

The relationship between causality and chance is an open discussion in many disciplines. Often, the boundary among these events is thin to understand if an occurrence is related to one or to both. In particular, ageing, the related diseases, and longevity are difficult to define as consequence of causality, chance or both.

Immunoinflammatory activation of the acute phase of ischemic stroke in relation to time of symptom onset, diabetic state and diagnostic subtype.

2005

Immunoinflammatory activation of the acute phase of ischemic stroke in relation to time of symptoms onset, diabetic state and diagnostic subtype.

2006

From cellular senescence to age-associated diseases: miRNAs as tools and targets for healthy ageing

2017

miRNAs are the most abundant RNA species to be found in cell-free blood, encapsulated within microvesicles or bound to proteins. miRNAs play essential roles in the regulation of various biological processes. Moreover, specific changes in miRNA transcription levels or miRNA secretory levels have been linked to the development and progression of certain age-related diseases. So, they might be an ideal target for modulating healthy ageing

Ruolo del recettore TLR4 nell’infarto e nella longevità

2004

Proceedings of the Symposium “Updates in Pathobiology: Causality and Chance in Ageing, Age-related diseases and Longevity”

2017

The Symposium "Updates in Pathobiology: Causality and Chance in Ageing, Age-related diseases and Longevity" was held on March 24 in Palermo, 2017 (Sala delle Capriate, Palazzo Chiaramonte Steri), the day after exams for obtaining the title of PhD in Molecular Medicine and Biotechnology XXIX, Cycle (Coordinator Prof. Calogero Caruso) by seven PhD candidates; four of them have been awarded the title of Doctor Europaeus.