@article {10794, title = {Gut microbiota characterisation in obese patients before and after bariatric surgery.}, journal = {Benef Microbes}, volume = {9}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 Apr 25}, pages = {367-373}, abstract = {

Intestinal microbiota analysis of obese patients after bariatric surgery showed that Proteobacteria decreased after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG), while it increased after laparoscopic gastric bypass (LGB). Comparing to normal weight (NW) patients, obese patients that were selected for SG showed an almost equal amount of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes and the ratio was not affected by the surgery. Obese patients before LGB showed a predominance of Bacteroidetes, whose amount regained a relative abundance similar to NW patients after surgery. Obese patients before LGB showed the predominance of Bacteroides, which decreased after surgery in favour of Prevotella, a bacterium associated with a healthy diet. The bacteria detected at the highest percentages belonged to biofilm forming species. In conclusion, in this study, we found that the characterization of the gut microbial communities and the modality of mucosal colonisation have a central role as markers for the clinical management of obesity and promote the maintenance of good health and the weight loss.

}, keywords = {Adult, Bariatric Surgery, Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Humans, Laparoscopy, Microbiota, Middle Aged, Obesity, Young Adult}, issn = {1876-2891}, doi = {10.3920/BM2017.0152}, author = {Campisciano, G and Palmisano, S and Cason, C and Giuricin, M and Silvestri, M and Guerra, M and Macor, D and De Manzini, N and Croc{\'e}, L S and Comar, M} } @article {10499, title = {A Novel Panel of Serum Biomarkers for MPM Diagnosis.}, journal = {Dis Markers}, volume = {2017}, year = {2017}, month = {2017}, pages = {3510984}, abstract = {

Exposure to asbestos is the main cause of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a highly aggressive cancer of the pleura. Since the only tools for early detection are based on radiological tests, some authors focused on serum markers (i.e., mesothelin). The aim of this study was the evaluation of new serum biomarkers to be used individually or in combination, in order to improve the outcome of patients whose disease would be diagnosed at an earlier stage. Serum and plasma were available from 43 subjects previously exposed to asbestos and 27 MPM patients, all being epithelioid type. All the new markers found differentially expressed in MPM and healthy subjects, by proteomic and genomic approaches, have been validated in the serum by the use of specific ELISA. The combined approach, using tools of genomics and proteomics, is found to be highly innovative for this type of disease and led to the identification of new serum markers in the diagnosis of MPM. These results, if confirmed in a larger series, may have a strong impact in this area, because early detection of this cancer in people at high risk could significantly improve the course of the disease and the clinical approach to an individualized therapy.

}, keywords = {Aged, Biomarkers, Tumor, Blood Proteins, Case-Control Studies, Female, Humans, Lung Neoplasms, Male, Mesothelioma, Middle Aged, Proteome}, issn = {1875-8630}, doi = {10.1155/2017/3510984}, author = {Bonotti, A and Foddis, R and Landi, S and Melaiu, O and De Santi, C and Giusti, L and Donadio, E and Ciregia, F and Mazzoni, M R and Lucacchini, A and Bovenzi, M and Comar, M and Pantani, E and Pistelli, A and Cristaudo, A} } @article {8324, title = {Chemokines involved in the early inflammatory response and in pro-tumoral activity in asbestos-exposed workers from an Italian coastal area with territorial clusters of pleural malignant mesothelioma.}, journal = {Lung Cancer}, volume = {94}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Apr}, pages = {61-7}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVES: Immune mediators are likely to be relevant for the biological response to asbestos exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between immune mediators involved in inflammation, cell survival and angiogenesis, and asbestos-related diseases in workers from a coastal area of North-East Italy with a high incidence of pleural malignant mesothelioma (PMM).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A selected custom set of 12 soluble mediators was evaluated with a Luminex platform in sera, pleural fluid and mesothelioma biopsies from 123 asbestos-exposed workers (38 free from pleural-pulmonary disorders, 46 with non-malignant asbestos diseases, 39 with PMM) and in sera from 33 healthy controls from the same territorial area.

RESULTS: Increased immune mediator concentrations were observed in the sera of the asbestos-exposed workers compared to controls for human fibroblast growth factor (FGF-b), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), CCL5 (RANTES), CXCL10 (IP-10), CLEC11A (SCGF-b), CCL27 (CTACK), CCL11 (EOTAXIN), IL-5 and IL-6 (p<0.001). The chemokines IP-10 and RANTES were associated with the severity of asbestos-related diseases. In the workers with PMM, the immune proteins secreted by mesothelioma biopsies showed detectable levels of RANTES, VEGF, and IP-10. In the same workers with PMM, a significant relationship between serum and pleural fluid concentrations was found for RANTES alone.

CONCLUSIONS: Occupational exposure to asbestos seems to drive the production of specific growth factors dually involved in the early inflammatory response and in pro-tumoral activity before clinical evidence of related disorders, suggesting that their over-expression may precede the onset of asbestos-related diseases. These findings suggest that some chemokines may have a prognostic role in the progression of asbestos-related diseases and could be used for the health surveillance of either workers with an occupational history of asbestos exposure or patients affected by non-malignant asbestos-related diseases.

}, issn = {1872-8332}, doi = {10.1016/j.lungcan.2016.01.020}, author = {Comar, M and Zanotta, N and Zanconati, F and Cortale, M and Bonotti, A and Cristaudo, A and Bovenzi, M} } @article {8511, title = {Detection of Malawi polyomavirus sequences in secondary lymphoid tissues from Italian healthy children: a transient site of infection.}, journal = {Virol J}, volume = {13}, year = {2016}, month = {2016}, pages = {97}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: The novel Malawi polyomavirus (MWPyV) was initially detected in stool specimens from healthy children and children with gastrointestinal symptoms, mostly diarrhea, indicating that MWPyV might play a role in human gastroenteric diseases. Recently, MWPyV sequences were additionally identified in respiratory secretions from both healthy and acutely ill children suggesting that MWPyV may have a tropism for different human tissues. This study was designed to investigate the possible sites of latency/persistence for MWPyV in a cohort of healthy Italian children.

METHODS: Specimens (n{\textdegree} 500) of tonsils, adenoids, blood, urines and feces, from 200 healthy and immunocompetent children (age range: 1-15 years) were tested for the amplification of the MWPyV LT antigen sequence by quantitative real-time PCR. Samples (n{\textdegree} 80) of blood and urines from 40 age-matched children with autoimmune diseases, were screened for comparison. Polyomaviruses JC/BK and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) were also tested as markers of infection in all samples using the same molecular technique.

RESULTS: In our series of healthy children, MWPyV was detected only in the lymphoid tissues showing a prevalence of 6 \% in tonsils and 1 \% in adenoids, although with a low viral load. No JCPyV or BKPyV co-infection was found in MWPyV positive samples, while EBV showed a similar percentage of both in tonsils and adenoids (38 and 37 \%). Conversely, no MWPyV DNA was detected in stool from babies with gastroenteric syndrome. With regards to autoimmune children, neither MWPyV nor BKPyV were detected in blood, while JCPyV viremia was observed in 15 \% (6/40) of children treated with Infliximab. Urinary BKPyV shedding was observed in 12.5 \% (5/40) while JCPyV in 100 \% of the samples.

CONCLUSIONS: The detection of MWPyV sequences in tonsils and adenoids of healthy children suggests that secondary lymphoid tissues can harbour MWPyV probably as transient sites of persistence rather than actual sites of latency.

}, issn = {1743-422X}, doi = {10.1186/s12985-016-0553-z}, author = {Papa, N and Zanotta, N and Knowles, A and Orzan, E and Comar, M} } @article {1744, title = {Epidemiological and molecular assessment of a measles outbreak in a highly vaccinated population of northeast Italy.}, journal = {Epidemiol Infect}, volume = {139}, year = {2011}, month = {2011 Nov}, pages = {1727-33}, abstract = {

Two distinct measles outbreaks, unrelated from the epidemiological point of view but caused by genetically related strains, occurred in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy. Forty-two cases were reported during the period April-May 2008. In the first outbreak the index case was a teacher who introduced the virus into the Pordenone area, involving eight adolescents and young adults. The other concomitant outbreak occurred in the city of Trieste with 33 cases. The containment of the epidemics can be explained by the high MMR vaccine coverage in an area where the first dose was delivered to 93{\textperiodcentered}4\% and the second dose to 88{\textperiodcentered}3\% of the target children. Phylogenetic analysis of 14 measles virus strains showed that they belonged to a unique D4 genotype indistinguishable from the MVs/Enfield.GBR/14.07 strain, probably introduced from areas (i.e. Piedmont and Germany) where this genotype was present or had recently caused a large epidemic.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Chi-Square Distribution, Child, Child, Preschool, Community-Acquired Infections, Disease Outbreaks, Female, Humans, Immunization Schedule, Infant, Italy, Male, Measles, Measles Vaccine, Measles virus, Middle Aged, Molecular Epidemiology, Phylogeny}, issn = {1469-4409}, doi = {10.1017/S095026881100032X}, author = {D{\textquoteright}Agaro, P and Molin, G Dal and Gallo, T and Rossi, T and Santon, D and Busetti, M and Comar, M and Campello, C} }