Pentraxin 3 deficiency protects from the metabolic inflammation associated to diet-induced obesity.

Aims: Low-grade chronic inflammation characterizes obesity and metabolic syndrome. Here, we aim at investigating the impact of the acute-phase protein long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) on the immune-inflammatory response occurring during diet-induced obesity.

Methods And Results: PTX3 deficiency in mice fed a high-fat diet for 20 weeks protects from weight gain and adipose tissue deposition in visceral and subcutaneous depots.

Atorvastatin reduces long pentraxin 3 expression in vascular cells by inhibiting protein geranylgeranylation.

Background: The long pentraxin PTX3 is an acute-phase multi-functional protein that might play both positive and detrimental effects under different pathophysiological conditions. We previously showed that statins down-regulate the release of PTX3 in human endothelial cells (ECs). The present study investigated the mechanism mediating this effect, its occurrence in other cells involved in atherogenesis, and whether it takes place in experimental atherosclerosis.

Inherited CARD9 deficiency in otherwise healthy children and adults with Candida species-induced meningoencephalitis, colitis, or both.

Background: Invasive infections of the central nervous system (CNS) or digestive tract caused by commensal fungi of the genus Candida are rare and life-threatening. The known risk factors include acquired and inherited immunodeficiencies, with patients often displaying a history of multiple infections. Cases of meningoencephalitis, colitis, or both caused by Candida species remain unexplained.

PTX3 is an extrinsic oncosuppressor regulating complement-dependent inflammation in cancer.

PTX3 is an essential component of the humoral arm of innate immunity, playing a nonredundant role in resistance against selected microbes and in the regulation of inflammation. PTX3 activates and regulates the Complement cascade by interacting with C1q and with Factor H. PTX3 deficiency was associated with increased susceptibility to mesenchymal and epithelial carcinogenesis.

Inherited CARD9 deficiency in 2 unrelated patients with invasive Exophiala infection.

Background: Exophiala species are mostly responsible for skin infections. Invasive Exophiala dermatitidis disease is a rare and frequently fatal infection, with 42 cases reported. About half of these cases had no known risk factors.

The humoral pattern recognition molecule PTX3 is a key component of innate immunity against urinary tract infection.

Immunity in the urinary tract has distinct and poorly understood pathophysiological characteristics and urinary tract infections (UTIs) are important causes of morbidity and mortality. We investigated the role of the soluble pattern recognition molecule pentraxin 3 (PTX3), a key component of the humoral arm of innate immunity, in UTIs. PTX3-deficient mice showed defective control of UTIs and exacerbated inflammation.

Genetic PTX3 deficiency and aspergillosis in stem-cell transplantation.

Background: The soluble pattern-recognition receptor known as long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) has a nonredundant role in antifungal immunity. The contribution of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PTX3 to the development of invasive aspergillosis is unknown.

Methods: We screened an initial cohort of 268 patients undergoing hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) and their donors for PTX3 SNPs modifying the risk of invasive aspergillosis.

The "sweet" side of a long pentraxin: how glycosylation affects PTX3 functions in innate immunity and inflammation.

Innate immunity represents the first line of defense against pathogens and plays key roles in activation and orientation of the adaptive immune response. The innate immune system comprises both a cellular and a humoral arm. Components of the humoral arm include soluble pattern recognition molecules (PRMs) that recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns and initiate the immune response in coordination with the cellular arm, therefore acting as functional ancestors of antibodies.

Influence of pentraxin 3 (PTX3) genetic variants on myocardial infarction risk and PTX3 plasma levels.

PTX3 is a long pentraxin of the innate immune system produced by different cell types (mononuclear phagocytes, dendritic cells, fibroblasts and endothelial cells) at the inflammatory site. It appears to have a cardiovascular protective function by acting on the immune-inflammatory balance in the cardiovascular system. PTX3 plasma concentration is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) but the influence of PTX3 genetic variants on PTX3 plasma concentration has been investigated very little and there is no information on the association between PTX3 variations and AMI.

TIR8/SIGIRR is an Interleukin-1 Receptor/Toll Like Receptor Family Member with Regulatory Functions in Inflammation and Immunity.

Interleukin-1R like receptors (ILRs) and Toll Like Receptors (TLRs) are key receptors of innate immunity, inflammation, and orientation of the adaptive response. They belong to a superfamily characterized by the presence of a conserved intracellular domain, the Toll/IL-1R (TIR) domain, which is involved in the activation of a signaling cascade leading to activation of transcription factors associated to inflammation. The activation of inflammatory responses and immunity by ILRs or TLRs signaling is potentially detrimental for the host in acute and chronic conditions and is tightly regulated at different levels by receptor antagonists, decoy receptors or signaling molecules, and miRNAs.

The long pentraxin PTX3 at the crossroads between innate immunity and tissue remodelling.

Innate immunity represents the first line of defence against pathogens and plays key roles in the activation and orientation of the adaptive immune response. The innate immune system comprises both a cellular and a humoral arm. Components of the humoral arm include soluble pattern recognition molecules that recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns and initiate the immune response in coordination with the cellular arm, therefore acting as functional ancestors of antibodies.

[Correlation between radiologic and ultrasonographic patterns and clinical manifestations in symptomatic hip osteoarthritis].

Increasing amounts of data have recently been published regarding ultrasonographic (US) findings of osteoarthritic joints, but very few data concern hip joints. In the current study we described US patterns concerning 490 patients affected by symptomatic hip osteoarthritis (OA) who underwent to intra-articular injections of hyaluronic products under US guidance. All patients were studied by US and X-ray of hip, clinical evaluation was assessed by the followings indexes: Lequesne, pain VAS, ICED, Global Physician Assessment and Global Patient Assessment.