Publications by authors named "Alessandro Zerbini"

Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to identify genes that are differently expressed in temporal artery biopsies (TABs) from patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) showing varied inflammation patterns, specifically transmural inflammation (TMI) and inflammation limited to adventitia (ILA), compared to non-GCA controls.
  • - An analysis of 770 immune-related genes revealed that TABs with TMI had significantly more gene expression changes (256 upregulated and 31 downregulated) versus normal TABs, while TABs with ILA mostly resembled normal samples with fewer significant changes.
  • - The findings highlighted that TMI TABs exhibit a unique gene expression profile that contributes to understanding GCA's underlying mechanisms, as opposed to TABs with ILA
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Article Synopsis
  • * The study compared cytokine release from T cells in COVID-19 patients and vaccinated controls, focusing on differences during the acute phase of the disease and based on the need for non-invasive ventilation.
  • * Findings indicated that COVID-19 patients had distinct cytokine production patterns, but these differences did not explain the requirement for non-invasive ventilation.
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Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an inflammatory disease of large/medium-sized arteries. MiRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that inhibit gene expression at post-transcriptional level. Several miRNAs have been shown to be dysregulated in temporal artery biopsies (TABs) from GCA patients, but their role is unknown.

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Objective And Design: We aimed to identify cytokines whose concentrations are related to lung damage, radiomic features, and clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients.

Material Or Subjects: Two hundred twenty-six patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and chest computed tomography (CT) images were enrolled.

Methods: CCL18, CHI3L1/YKL-40, GAL3, ANG2, IP-10, IL-10, TNFα, IL-6, soluble gp130, soluble IL-6R were quantified in plasma samples using Luminex assays.

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Freezing and thawing have the potential to alter the gross and histologic appearance of tissues, causing damage to individual cells and disrupting the overall architecture. In forensic investigations, freezing and thawing can play a crucial role in cases of unknown cause of death. Perpetrators may use freezing preservation to conceal the body or obscure the time of death.

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Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) allows the explore not only the anterior chamber but also the front part of the vitreous cavity. Our cross-sectional single-centre study investigated whether AS-OCT can distinguish between vitreous involvement due to vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL) and vitritis in uveitis. We studied AS-OCT images from 28 patients (11 with biopsy-proven VRL and 17 with differential diagnosis uveitis) using publicly available radiomics software written in MATLAB.

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BackgroundUnderstanding the epidemiology of reinfections is crucial for SARS-CoV-2 control over a long period.AimTo evaluate the risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection by vaccination status, predominant variant and time after first infection.MethodsWe conducted a cohort study including all residents in the Reggio Emilia province on 31 December 2019, followed up until 28 February 2022 for SARS-CoV-2 first infection and reinfection after 90 days.

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Anterior uveitis has various causes, but the majority of cases are viral induced. The most common viral anterior uveitis etiology includes double-stranded DNA viruses of the family, including Alpha herpes virinae (herpes simplex 1 and 2 and varicella zoster virus), Beta herpesvirinae (cytomegalovirus), and less frequently, Gamma herpesvirinae (Epstein-Barr virus). In the last few decades, a growing body of evidence has correlated Fuchs uveitis etiology to the rubella virus from the family, which has a single-stranded RNA genome.

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Background and Objectives: A cross-sectional single-center study was conducted to investigate the etiology in hypertensive anterior uveitis whose clinical features are not fully distinctive from cytomegalovirus or from rubella virus and to demonstrate the possible coexistence of both these viruses in causing anterior uveitis. Materials and Methods: The clinical charts of a cohort of patients with hypertensive viral anterior uveitis of uncertain origin consecutively seen in a single center from 2019 to 2022 were retrospectively reviewed; data on the clinical features, aqueous polymerase chain reaction, and antibody response to cytomegalovirus and rubella virus were collected. Results: Forty-three eyes of as many subjects with viral anterior uveitis of uncertain origin were included.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the generation time of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, which became globally dominant by late 2021, replacing the Delta variant.
  • Researchers analyzed data from over 23,000 infected individuals in Italy using Bayesian methods to estimate key transmission metrics, including intrinsic generation time and household serial interval.
  • Findings suggest that the Omicron variant's intrinsic generation time is similar to previous variants, emphasizing the importance of pre-symptomatic transmission in its spread and aiding in the planning of public health measures.
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  • - Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is a promising treatment for severe asthma, but identifying which patients will benefit the most poses a challenge, and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood.
  • - In a study of 27 severe asthma patients, 81% were considered responders to BT based on improvements in asthma control and medication reduction; specific gene expression changes were observed post-treatment.
  • - The findings suggest that BT effectively triggers airway remodeling regardless of asthma endotype, highlighting the potential for certain biomarkers to predict treatment response and clinical outcomes.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines can cause transient local and systemic post-vaccination reactions. The aim of this study was to report uveitis and other ocular complications following COVID-19 vaccination. The study included 42 eyes of 34 patients (20 females, 14 males), with a mean age of 49.

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Purpose: To investigate the role of combined systemic and local chemotherapy in improving the survival of patients with vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL).

Methods: Patients with VRL consecutively seen from 2006 to 2020 were retrospectively reviewed; data on the presence and time of central nervous system (CNS) involvement and treatment regimen (systemic, local or combined chemotherapy) were collected. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated for each group.

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Objective: The aims of this study were to develop a multiparametric prognostic model for death in COVID-19 patients and to assess the incremental value of CT disease extension over clinical parameters.

Methods: Consecutive patients who presented to all five of the emergency rooms of the Reggio Emilia province between February 27 and March 23, 2020, for suspected COVID-19, underwent chest CT, and had a positive swab within 10 days were included in this retrospective study. Age, sex, comorbidities, days from symptom onset, and laboratory data were retrieved from institutional information systems.

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Background And Aim: This study assesses whether individuals with substance use disorder are at greater risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection than people in the general population.

Methods: A population-based study was conducted including 3,780 individuals, diagnosed with alcohol or other drug dependence and cared for by the addiction service (AS) in the province of Reggio Emilia. Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) and relative 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of being tested and of being SARS-CoV-2 positive in the population of interest compared with those in the general population of Reggio Emilia were calculated.

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A subset of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) developed a condition of hyper-inflammation, which can cause multi-organ damage and the more severe forms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can promote tissue regeneration and modulate immune responses and, thus, have the rational requirements to be used to counteract SARS-CoV-2-induced pneumonia and hyper-inflammation. The aim of the present study was to gain insight into possible mechanisms of action of MSCs obtained from human dental pulp [dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs)] in COVID-19 patients.

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Background: Laboratory data and computed tomography (CT) have been used during the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly to determine patient prognosis and guide clinical management. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between CT findings and laboratory data in a cohort of COVID-19 patients.

Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study including consecutive patients presenting to the Reggio Emilia (Italy) province emergency rooms for suspected COVID-19 for one month during the outbreak peak, who underwent chest CT scan and laboratory testing at presentation and resulted positive for SARS-CoV-2.

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Background: The aim was to evaluate the hepatitis C virus (HCV) cascade of care in the general population (GP) and in two high-risk populations: patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and substance users (AS) in treatment in Reggio Emilia Province, Italy.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted that included 534,476 residents of the Reggio Emilia Province, of whom 32,800 were DM patients and 2726 AS patients. Age-adjusted prevalence was calculated using the direct method of adjustment based on the age-specific structure of EU population.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to find predictors of clinical improvement and risk of intubation or death in severe COVID-19 patients treated with tocilizumab, focusing on monitoring IL-6 and CRP levels over time.
  • A total of 173 patients were monitored, with improvements tracked via a six-category scale and CRP/IL-6 levels measured before and at intervals after treatment.
  • Results indicated that higher initial and early CRP levels were linked to poorer outcomes, while a baseline CRP cut-off of 15.8 mg/dl could effectively predict risk of intubation or death.
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The outbreak of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) started in China in December 2019. COVID-19 patients at presentation show a wide spectrum of clinical and pathological involvement. We report two cases of respiratory insufficiency due to COVID-19 pneumonia that occurred in adults without a history of respiratory diseases.

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Objectives: To determine the timing of viral clearance (first negative RT-PCR on nasopharyngeal swab) and the probability of viral clearance confirmation (two consecutive negative swabs) in COVID-19 patients and to identify related determinants.

Design: Population-based prospective cohort study on archive data.

Setting: Preventive services and hospital care in the Reggio Emilia province, northern Italy.

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Non-infectious uveitis are intraocular inflammatory conditions caused by dysregulated activation of the immune response without any detectable infectious agents. The aim of this study was to explore potential markers and therapeutic targets for two distinct types of non-infectious uveitis associated with Behçet's disease (BD) and Vogt Koyanagi Harada (VKH) disease. Concentrations of 27 cytokines were investigated in aqueous humor (AH) samples from patients with active uveitis vs.

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Aims of this population-based cohort study was to compare the overall and site-specific cancer incidence in individuals with alcohol or drug use disorders with incidence of the general population, and to estimate excess cancer risk in a subgroup of individuals who have hepatitis C virus or HIV infection. The study included 4373 residents of Reggio Emilia province diagnosed with alcohol or drug use disorders during the period from 1 January 1985 to 31 December 2014. All newly diagnosed cancers registered from 1 January 1996 to 31 December 2014 were taken into account to calculate the standardised incidence ratio (SIR) of cancers of any site and of site-specific cancers.

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