Publications by authors named "Iafusco F"

The hemostatic system is characterized by a delicate balance between pro- and anticoagulant forces, and the smallest alteration can cause serious events such as hemorrhages or thrombosis. Although exercise has been shown to play a protective role in athletes, several factors may increase the risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), including hemoconcentration induced by exertion, immobilization following sports injuries, frequent long-distance flights, dehydration, and the use of oral contraceptives in female athletes. Biomarkers such as D-dimer, Factor VIII, thrombin generation, inflammatory cytokines, and leukocyte count are involved in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), although their interpretation is complex and may indicate the presence of other conditions such as infections, inflammation, and heart disease.

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Background: Individuals with thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia (TRMA) mainly manifest macrocytic anemia, sensorineural deafness, ocular complications, and nonautoimmune diabetes. Macrocytic anemia and diabetes may be responsive to high-dosage thiamine treatment, in contrast to sensorineural deafness. Little is known about the efficacy of thiamine treatment on ocular manifestations.

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Insulin receptor gene (INSR) mutations are a relatively rare and diverse cause of insulin resistance (IR), typically associated with a lean phenotype. However, we present a unique case of severe obesity and Type A severe IR syndrome in a patient with a heterozygous mutation of the INSR gene. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis was conducted to identify the genetic variant.

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In pediatric diabetology, a precise diagnosis is very important because it allows early and correct clinical management of the patient. Monogenic diabetes (MD), which accounts for 1-6% of all pediatric-adolescent diabetes cases, is the most relevant example of precision medicine. The definitive diagnosis of MD, possible only by genetic testing, allows us to direct patients to more appropriate therapy in relation to the identified mutation.

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Wolfram Syndrome (WS) is a very rare genetic disorder characterized by several symptoms that occur from childhood to adulthood. Usually, the first clinical sign is non-autoimmune diabetes even if other clinical features (optic subatrophy, neurosensorial deafness, diabetes insipidus) may be present in an early state and may be diagnosed after diabetes' onset. Prognosis is poor, and the death occurs at the median age of 39 years as a consequence of progressive respiratory impairment, secondary to brain atrophy and neurological failure.

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Monogenic diabetes (MD) represents a heterogeneous group of disorders whose most frequent form is maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY). MD is predominantly caused by a mutation in a single gene. We report a case of a female patient with suspected MD and a positive family history for diabetes and obesity.

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Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common autosomal recessive disease in the Caucasian population and is caused by mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator () gene that encodes for a chloride/bicarbonate channel expressed on the membrane of epithelial cells of the airways and of the intestine, as well as in cells with exocrine and endocrine functions. A common nonpulmonary complication of CF is cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD), a distinct form of diabetes due to insulin insufficiency or malfunction secondary to destruction/derangement of pancreatic betacells, as well as to other factors that affect their function. The prevalence of CFRD increases with age, and 40-50% of CF adults develop the disease.

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Congenital diabetes mellitus is a rare disorder characterized by hyperglycemia that occurs shortly after birth. We define "Diabetes of Infancy" if hyperglycemia onset before 6 months of life. From the clinical point of view, we distinguish two main types of diabetes of infancy: transient (TNDM), which remits spontaneously, and permanent (PNDM), which requires lifelong treatment.

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Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by irreversible, autoimmune, pancreatic -cell destruction. During the disease, some patients experience a phase of Partial Clinical Remission (PCR) known as "." This is a transitory period that is characterized by insulin production by residual cells following DM diagnosis and initiating the insulin therapy.

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Aims: Many authors do not recommend hypoglycemic treatment during pregnancy in women affected by monogenic diabetes due to heterozygous glucokinase (GCK) mutations (MODY 2) in case of affected fetus, because maternal hyperglycemia would be necessary to achieve a normal birthweight. We aimed to evaluate differences in birthweight between MODY 2 affected children according to the parent who carried the mutation.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 48 MODY 2 affected children, whose mothers did not receive hypoglycemic treatment during pregnancy, divided into two groups according to the presence of the mutation in the mother (group A) or in the father (group B).

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The aim of the study has been to evaluate, retrospectively, if the association of urolithiasis different pathogenetic factors increases stone formation and recurrences. The study included 41 children, 20 males and 21 females, aged 3-15 years, divided into three groups: patients with hypercalciuric or normocalciuric urolithiasis and isolated hypercalciuria. In all of them renal function, blood and urinary pH, serum and urinary electrolytic levels, citraturia (dosed with anenzymatic quantitative method), oxalaturia (enzymatic colorimetric method), urinary glycosaminoglycans (dosed by means of cetylpyridinum chloride precipitation and quantitative analysis) have been considered.

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We report an 18-year-old boy with common variable immunodeficiency who presented with splenomegaly as well as left axillary and lateral cervical lymphadenopathy. Main laboratory investigations showed severe thrombocytopenia. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA was detected in the patient's throat-washing specimens and lymph node biopsy.

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We describe an infant with juvenile chronic myelogenous leukemia (JCML), the diagnosis of which was made by the characteristic clinical and hematologic findings. The absence of a related HLA-compatible donor for bone marrow transplantation coupled with the awareness that chemotherapy is usually ineffective prompted our decision to treat the patient with lymphoblastoid interferon-alpha [alpha(Ly)-IFN]. During the 26-month course of treatment with alpha(Ly)-IFN an incomplete regression of hematologic and clinical findings was achieved.

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Here we report two children with Aase-Smith syndrome (triphalangeal thumbs and congenital red cell plasia). In vitro growth of erythroid colonies was normal in the first patient and totally absent in the other. In both patients, treatment with glucocorticoids induced remission of anemia.

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Adherence, metabolic burst and chemotaxis of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) were examined in 15 children before and seven days after measles-mumps-rubella vaccine administration. In all children, PMN functions were significantly reduced on the seventh day. Adherence, metabolic burst and chemotaxis tested in three subjects one month after vaccination had returned to normal values.

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In macroamylasemia, a macromolecular complex consisting of amylase linked to immunoglobulins circulates in the plasma and usually causes benign hyperamylasemia with low or normal amylasuria. Macroamylasemia is extremely rare in pediatric patients as it has been described in only four patients. We report herein the case of a 5-year-old girl with abdominal pain and macroamylasemia.

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The adherence of polymorphonuclear neutrophils was examined in 16 children affected by enteritis, pneumonia, hepatitis and infectious mononucleosis. The results were compared with those obtained in 30 healthy adult volunteers and in 15 healthy children of the same age. Adhesiveness was significantly higher in adults than in healthy children, and significantly higher in healthy children than in children with viral infection.

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