Publications by authors named "Damato M"

N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) is a member of the NDRG family of intracellular proteins and plays a central role in a wide range of biological processes including stress response, differentiation, and metabolism. The overexpression of NDRG1 is an indicator of poor prognosis in various types of cancer. Here, we found that NDRG1 is an independent prognostic marker of poor outcome in breast cancer (BC).

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  • The study aimed to find protein signatures in blood that could help identify individuals at high risk for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), specifically Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis.
  • Researchers analyzed blood samples from a large population, utilizing machine-learning methods to identify and validate these protein signatures across multiple cohorts.
  • A specific combination of 29 proteins was effective in differentiating preclinical CD cases from controls, achieving a high accuracy, while the prediction for ulcerative colitis was less robust but still significant.
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Background & Aims: Limiting the dietary intake of certain carbohydrates has therapeutic effects in some but not all irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients. We investigated genetic variation in human Carbohydrate-Active enZYmes (hCAZymes) genes in relationship to the response to a FODMAP-lowering diet in the DOMINO study.

Methods: hCAZy polymorphism was studied in patients with IBS from the dietary (FODMAP-lowering; n = 196) and medication (otilonium bromide; n = 54) arms of the DOMINO trial via targeted sequencing of 6 genes of interest (AMY2B, LCT, MGAM, MGAM2, SI, and TREH).

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  • - This study found two types of patients with severe eosinophilic asthma who respond differently to the medication mepolizumab.
  • - Patients with a family history of asthma, positive skin tests, and higher lung function showed better responses to treatment.
  • - The findings emphasize the importance of tailoring treatment plans to individual patient characteristics for improved outcomes.
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Introduction: At the end of 2019 a new virus, called SARS-CoV-2, emerged in Wuhan, China. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health system of the Tuscany Region and the response implemented by the South-Eastern Local Health Unit, also in view of the new reform of territorial healthcare established by Ministerial Decree No. 77 of 2022.

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Introduction: Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is a disorder of gut-brain interaction of unknown origin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the global prevalence of this disorder and its associated factors.

Methods: Data were collected from nationwide Internet surveys in 26 countries, with subjects evenly distributed by age, sex, and country.

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  • Coenzyme A (CoA) is super important for our cells because it helps make and break down energy sources in our bodies.
  • Problems with CoA can cause rare genetic diseases, like CoPAN and PCH 12, that are really serious and affect brain development.
  • Scientists created a special mouse model to study how CoA issues affect the brain, finding that it leads to different problems, like bad behavior and brain growth issues.
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  • A low FODMAP diet is an effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and a starch- and sucrose-reduced diet (SSRD) shows similar results, making it worth comparing.
  • In a study with 155 IBS patients, both diets were tested for a 4-week period, measuring various health indicators including gastrointestinal symptoms and weight changes.
  • Both diets had high responder rates indicating improvement, but SSRD participants experienced more significant weight and BMI reductions, although these changes were not maintained at the 5-month follow-up.
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While COVID-19's urgency has diminished since its emergence in late 2019, it remains a significant public health challenge. Recent research reveals that the molecular intricacies of this virus are far more complex than initially understood, with numerous post-translational modifications leading to diverse proteoforms and viral particle heterogeneity. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics of patient serum/plasma emerges as a promising complementary approach to traditional diagnostic methods, offering insights into SARS-CoV-2 protein dynamics and enhancing understanding of the disease and its long-term consequences.

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Background: Biological therapies, such as mepolizumab, have transformed the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma. Although mepolizumab's short-term effectiveness is established, there is limited evidence on its ability to achieve long-term clinical remission.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of mepolizumab, explore its potential to induce clinical and sustained remission, and identify baseline factors associated with the likelihood of achieving remission over 24 months.

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  • Traditional cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension don’t fully explain the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), indicating the need to explore additional risk factors.
  • The study investigates the link between constipation and MACE using data from the UK Biobank, revealing that individuals with constipation have a significantly higher risk of developing conditions like heart failure, ischemic stroke, and acute coronary syndrome.
  • Positive genetic correlations were found between constipation and these MACE subgroups, suggesting that constipation may be an underestimated risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, prompting the need for more research into its implications and underlying mechanisms.
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Lung diseases affect pulmonary and respiratory function and are caused by bacterial viral and fungal infection as well as environmental factors. Unfortunately, symptom overlap between various pulmonary diseases often prevents clear differentiation and uncertain diagnosis. Accordingly, identification of specific markers of inflammatory activity in early disease stage could potential unveil the intrinsic molecular mechanisms of the underlying pathology.

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The problem of artifacts in whole slide image acquisition, prevalent in both clinical workflows and research-oriented settings, necessitates human intervention and re-scanning. Overcoming this challenge requires developing quality control algorithms, that are hindered by the limited availability of relevant annotated data in histopathology. The manual annotation of ground-truth for artifact detection methods is expensive and time-consuming.

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  • Aortic regurgitation (AR) in people with a bicuspid valve (BAV) can be tricky to diagnose because the way blood flows can look different and make measurements hard to judge.
  • Traditional methods like echocardiography aren't always helpful for these patients.
  • Using a mix of different imaging techniques, like ultrasound, MRI, and CT scans, can help doctors better understand AR and decide if someone needs a valve replacement.
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  • Faecal biomarkers are significant for assessing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with the study focusing on their role in diagnosing and predicting disease progression.
  • The study included 65 Crohn's disease patients, 90 ulcerative colitis patients, symptomatic controls, and healthy controls, analyzing various biomarkers in faecal samples.
  • Key findings showed that calprotectin and myeloperoxidase were the most accurate in distinguishing IBD from other groups, and their levels could predict an aggressive disease course, especially with myeloperoxidase showing the strongest association.
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The collection and preservation of biological material before DNA analysis is critical for inter alia biomedical research, medical diagnostics, forensics and biodiversity conservation. In this study, we evaluate an in-house formulated buffer called the Forensic DNA Laboratory-buffer (FDL-buffer) for preservation of biological material for long term at room temperature. Human saliva stored in the buffer for 8 years, human blood stored for 3 years and delicate animal tissues from the jellyfish comb jelly sp.

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Background And Objective: Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown that benralizumab is characterized by a good profile of efficacy and safety, thereby being potentially able to elicit clinical remission on-treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA). The main goal of this multicentre observational study was to verify the effectiveness of benralizumab in inducing a sustained remission on-treatment of SEA in patients with or without comorbid chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).

Methods: Throughout 2 years of treatment with benralizumab, a four-component evaluation of sustained remission of SEA was performed, including the assessment of SEA exacerbations, use of oral corticosteroids (OCSs), symptom control and lung function.

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Improved biomarkers are needed for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease. Here we identify a diagnostic lipidomic signature for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease by analyzing blood samples from a discovery cohort of incident treatment-naïve pediatric patients and validating findings in an independent inception cohort. The lipidomic signature comprising of only lactosyl ceramide (d18:1/16:0) and phosphatidylcholine (18:0p/22:6) improves the diagnostic prediction compared with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.

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Objective: COASY, the gene encoding the bifunctional enzyme CoA synthase, which catalyzes the last two reactions of cellular de novo coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis, has been linked to two exceedingly rare autosomal recessive disorders, such as COASY protein-associated neurodegeneration (CoPAN), a form of neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA), and pontocerebellar hypoplasia type 12 (PCH12). We aimed to expand the phenotypic spectrum and gain insights into the pathogenesis of COASY-related disorders.

Methods: Patients were identified through targeted or exome sequencing.

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The Forensic Databases Advisory Board (FDAB), an independent board that assists the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG), has presented a First Report on ethical aspects of the following Forensic Genetic Frequency Databases (FGFD): EMPOP, STRidER and YHRD. The FDAB designed an ethical framework to evaluate the content of these FGFD, and the factors to be considered for retention and acceptance of submissions. The FDAB framework proposes to categorize submissions according to the risk of having contravened the universal ethical principles outlined by international organizations, and the guidelines adopted by the ISFG.

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Aims: Obtaining solid implant fixation is crucial in revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA) to avoid aseptic loosening, a major reason for re-revision. This study aims to validate a novel grading system that quantifies implant fixation across three anatomical zones (epiphysis, metaphysis, diaphysis).

Methods: Based on pre-, intra-, and postoperative assessments, the novel grading system allocates a quantitative score (0, 0.

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder, primarily associated with dopaminergic neuron depletion in the Substantia Nigra. Current treatment focuses on compensating for dopamine (DA) deficiency, but the blood-brain barrier (BBB) poses challenges for effective drug delivery. Using differentiated SH-SY5Y cells, we investigated the co-administration of DA and the antioxidant Grape Seed Extract (GSE) to study the cytobiocompability, the cytoprotection against the neurotoxin Rotenone, and their antioxidant effects.

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