The Regulatory Approach for Faecal Microbiota Transplantation as Treatment for Infection in Italy.

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is regarded as an efficacious treatment for recurrent infection. Unfortunately, widespread patient access is hindered by regulatory hurdles, which are the primary barriers to incorporating FMT into clinical practice. At the European and International level, there is no uniform perspective on FMT classification, and a coordinated effort is desirable to solve this regulatory puzzle.

Intermediate-Intensity Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Reduces Serum Neurofilament Light Chains and Brain Atrophy in Aggressive Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is highly effective in reducing new inflammatory activity in aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS). A remarkable decrease of serum neurofilament light chains (sNfL) concentration, a marker of axonal damage, was reported in MS following high-intensity regimen AHSCT, but hints for potential neurotoxicity had emerged. sNfL and brain atrophy were therefore analysed in a cohort of patients with aggressive MS treated with intermediate-intensity AHSCT, exploring whether sNfL might be a reliable marker of disability progression independent from new inflammation (i.

The Italian National Faecal Microbiota Transplantation Program: a coordinated effort against Clostridioides difficile infection.

Clostridioides (previously Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI) is a common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, whose symptoms range from mild diarrhea to life-threatening pseudomembranous colitis. CDI is characterized by significant recurrence rate following initial resolution and recurrent C. difficile infection (rCDI) represents an onerous burden for the healthcare systems.

The acidic tumor microenvironment drives a stem-like phenotype in melanoma cells.

Acidosis characterizes the microenvironment of most solid tumors and is considered a new hallmark of cancer. It is mainly caused by both "aerobic" and "anaerobic" glycolysis of differently adapted cancer cells, with the final product lactic acid being responsible of the extracellular acidification. Many evidences underline the role of extracellular acidosis in tumor progression.

The TCR Repertoire Reconstitution in Multiple Sclerosis: Comparing One-Shot and Continuous Immunosuppressive Therapies.

Natalizumab (NTZ) and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) are two successful treatments for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), an autoimmune T-cell-driven disorder affecting the central nervous system that is characterized by relapses interspersed with periods of complete or partial recovery. Both RRMS treatments have been documented to impact T-cell subpopulations and the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire in terms of clone frequency, but, so far, the link between T-cell naive and memory populations, autoimmunity, and treatment outcome has not yet been established hindering insight into the post-treatment TCR landscape of MS patients. To address this important knowledge gap, we tracked peripheral T-cell subpopulations (naïve and memory CD4+ and CD8+) across 15 RRMS patients before and after two years of continuous treatment (NTZ) and a single treatment course (AHSCT) by high-throughput TCRß sequencing.