Publications by authors named "Agostini L"

Centrioles play central roles in ciliogenesis and mitotic spindle assembly. Once assembled, centrioles exhibit long-term stability, a property essential for maintaining numerical control. How centriole stability is achieved and how it is lost in certain biological contexts are still not completely understood.

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SSNA-1 is a fibrillar protein localized at the area where dynamic microtubule remodeling occurs including centrosomes. Despite the important activities of SSNA1 to microtubules such as nucleation, co-polymerization, and lattice sharing microtubule branching, the underlying molecular mechanism have remained unclear due to a lack of structural information. Here, we determined the cryo-EM structure of SSNA-1 at 4.

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  • Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a rare condition often misdiagnosed, particularly in patients with connective tissue disorders like Marfan Syndrome, which can lead to structural weaknesses in the spinal dural membrane and increased risk of CSF leaks.
  • A 52-year-old woman with genetically confirmed Marfan Syndrome presented with severe headaches and diplopia; imaging revealed complications such as dural ectasia and subdural hematoma, which were effectively managed with bed rest and corticosteroids.
  • A review of 25 studies on SIH treatment in patients with Marfan Syndrome indicated high success rates for symptoms improvement, particularly with epidural blood patches and conservative treatments.
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Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have a high mortality rate, and despite the several available therapeutic targets, non-response to antihypertensives remains a common problem. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are important classes of drugs recommended as first-line therapy for several CVDs. However, response to ACEIs and ARBs varies among treated patients.

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Background: In Italy, longstanding limitations in the existing reporting system of the inpatient rehabilitation activities have been reported. The Hospital Discharge form (HDF) primarily uses ICD codes that inadequately capture the functional status and rehabilitation needs of patients, impacting equity of care and service evaluation. Therefore, the Italian Ministry of Health (IMH) launched an initiative aimed at developing a new reporting system to be specifically adopted in the inpatient rehabilitation setting.

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Alloxan-induced diabetic rats present with hypothyroidism. When treated with triiodothyronine (T3), glycemia and proinflammatory cytokine expression are downregulated, improving insulin sensitivity. The effectiveness of associating T3 with insulin (replacement dose [6 U] and [3 U]) in controlling glycemia was investigated in this experimental model.

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  • The study investigates the use of the Robotic 3D Exoscope AEOS Aesculap in surgeries of the posterior cranial fossa (PCF), focusing on three surgical approaches: retrosigmoid, midline suboccipital, and supracerebellar infratentorial.
  • It involves feedback from 21 surgeons who participated in surgeries on 38 patients, revealing that the exoscope offers advantages in ergonomics (67%), magnification (52%), and visualization, while challenges include issues with color vision (16.76%) and manual mobility (24%).
  • The research also includes a literature review, ultimately identifying 17 relevant articles with 153 additional patients, making it the first study to analyze ex
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Introduction: The association between trigonocephaly and Sylvian fissure arachnoid cysts (ACs) has been occasionally reported in the literature. However, the real incidence of this association and its clinical relevance remain unknown.

Methods: The authors collected and retrospectively reviewed all clinical charts and CT scans of patients surgically treated for trigonocephaly at the Pediatric Neurosurgical Department of Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "Agostino Gemelli" IRCCS from January 2014 to June 2023.

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Objective: To assess which improvements and side effects are considered most important by patients with OSA treated with a MAD.

Methods: A specific questionnaire consisting of 20 questions, including 10 questions on improvements and 10 on side effects, was developed and mailed to all subjects (54).

Results: 42 patients, participated in the survey by answering the questionnaire.

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Background: Central Illustration : G Protein Subunit Beta 3 (GNB3) Variant Is Associated with Biochemical Changes in Brazilian Patients with Hypertension.

Background: Genes and their variants associated with environmental factors contribute to the development of the hypertensive phenotype. The G protein beta 3 subunit gene (GNB3) is involved in the intracellular signaling process, and its variants have been related to susceptibility to arterial hypertension.

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Recently, advances in molecular biology and bioinformatics have allowed a more thorough understanding of tumorigenesis in aggressive PitNETs (pituitary neuroendocrine tumors) through the identification of specific essential genes, crucial molecular pathways, regulators, and effects of the tumoral microenvironment. Target therapies have been developed to cure oncology patients refractory to traditional treatments, introducing the concept of precision medicine. Preliminary data on PitNETs are derived from preclinical studies conducted on cell cultures, animal models, and a few case reports or small case series.

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Recent major health shocks, such as the 2014-16 Ebola, the Zika outbreak, and, last but not least, the COVID-19 pandemic, have strongly contributed to drawing attention to the issue of resilience in the healthcare domain. Nevertheless, the scientific literature appears fragmented, creating difficulties in developing incremental research in this relevant managerial field.To fill this gap, this systematic literature review aims to provide a clear state of the art of the literature dealing with resilience in healthcare.

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Background: Iniencephaly is a rare, complex, and severe form of neural tube defect (NTD), usually associated with wide systemic involvement and poor prognosis. The malformation involves the occiput and the inion, variably combined with rachischisis of the upper cervical and thoracic spine. Although most patients are either stillborn or perish within a few hours after birth, there are reports linking iniencephaly and long survival.

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The recent research effort aiming to provide a royalty-free video format resulted in AOMedia Video 1 (AV1), which was launched in 2018. AV1 was developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia), which groups several major technology companies such as Google, Netflix, Apple, Samsung, Intel, and many others. AV1 is currently one of the most prominent video formats and has introduced several complex coding tools and partitioning structures in comparison to its predecessors.

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We examined whether (rs266729 and rs1501299) and (rs3918226 and rs1799983) SNPs or the haplotypes formed by them, affect blood pressure (BP) control in 196 patients with adherence to antihypertensive therapy grouped into controlled (BP <140/90 mmHg) and uncontrolled (BP ≥140/90 mmHg) hypertension. The average of the three most recent BP measurements was retrieved from the patients' electronic medical records. Adherence to antihypertensive therapy was evaluated using the Morisky-Green test.

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Introduction: Standard-of-care systemic chemotherapies for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) currently have limited clinical benefits, in addition to causing adverse side effects in many patients. One factor known to contribute to the poor chemotherapy response is the poor drug diffusion into PDAC tumors. Novel treatment methods are therefore drastically needed to improve targeted delivery of treatments.

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Aim: Good sleep is fundamental for development, particularly in children. Sleep can be fragmented by obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS). Children with Down syndrome (DS) are more likely to have obstructive sleep apnoea, due to their craniofacial characteristics.

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  • SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, affects the body by interacting with host-cell receptors via its spike protein (S protein).
  • The study reveals that the S protein triggers significant changes in platelets, which can lead to their permanent activation, a factor contributing to coagulopathies in COVID-19 patients.
  • Researchers found that the S protein binds to specific platelet integrins that induce filopodia formation, suggesting that these interactions play a role in the disease's severity and blood clotting complications.
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Introduction: The genetic component, including genes and their variants, plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of arterial hypertension (AH). Thus, clinical, epidemiological and genetic studies have been carried out to improve the understanding of disease mechanisms, improve diagnostic quality and contribute to prevention.

Objective: To determine the association of risk factors, biochemical parameters and different ACE gene polymorphisms with AH.

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Article Synopsis
  • SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, interacts with host-cell receptors through its spike protein, which is crucial for its high pathogenicity.
  • The study reveals that the spike protein can cause platelets to deform and activate irreversibly, suggesting a direct link between the virus and coagulopathies in COVID-19 patients.
  • Researchers found that the spike protein binds to specific integrin receptors on platelets, indicating that this interaction may play a role in the severe coagulation issues associated with COVID-19.
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Background: The exoscope has been proposed as a valid tool in 5-aminolevulinic acid-guided resection of high-grade gliomas. However, it is not clear if, beyond ergonomics, the exoscope provides a real benefit over the optical microscope (OM). The aim of this study was to compare the exoscope with the OM in terms of surgical visualization and workflow in 5-aminolevulinic acid-guided brain surgery.

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The onco-functional balance in neuro-oncology requires maximizing tumor removal while rigorously preserving patients' neurological status. When postoperative worsening prevents the implementation of oncologic treatments, palliative care service offers an individualized path for symptom and psychosocial distress relief. Here, we report on a series of 25 patients operated on for malignant brain tumor who did not undergo adjuvant treatments after neurosurgery; they represented 3.

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Aim: Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is a common clinical condition in which the throat narrows or collapses repeatedly during sleep, causing obstructive sleep apnoea events. This disorder is present in the paediatric population with a prevalence estimated between 1.2% and 5.

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