0000000001119218
AUTHOR
Argano Vincenzo
Tissue and circulating miRNAs as biomarkers in bicuspid aortic valve disease.
Recent data suggested that bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) with left-right (L-R), right-non coronary (R-NC) and left-non coronary (L-NC) cusp fusion represents distinct pathological entities1. The rate of aortic enlargement varies according to the pattern of cusps fusion, with faster rates of aortic sinus and ascending aortic dilatation associated with the L-R compared to R-NC and L-NC morphology. In our study, we sought to investigate the histological fea-tures of aneurysms associated to different BAV phenotypes and we looked for specific mi-croRNAs (miRNA) as biomarkers of medial degeneration severity in order to optimize surgi-cal indication and prevent catastrophic complications such as rup…
Native Mitral Valve Endocarditis Caused by Neisseria elongata subsp. nitroreducens in a Patient with Marfan Syndrome: First Case in Italy and Review of the Literature
Neisseria elongata(NE) is an aerobic Gram-negative organism that constitutes part of the commensal human normal oropharyngeal flora. Although previously considered not to be pathogenic, it has been recognized as an occasional cause of significant infections in humans. We report here the first case in Italy of infective endocarditis of a native prolapsing mitral valve in a patient with Marfan syndrome, caused by NE subspeciesnitroreducenswhich has been rarely isolated from clinical specimens. The culprit organism has been confirmed by mass spectrometry directly from the positive blood culture, as previously reported. The amplified gene has been deposited in GenBank under accession number KT5…