Publications by authors named "Laura Rigon"

Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II) is a neurometabolic disorder, due to the deficit of the lysosomal hydrolase iduronate 2-sulfatase (IDS). This leads to a severe clinical condition caused by a multi-organ accumulation of the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs/GAG) heparan- and dermatan-sulfate, whose elevated levels can be detected in body fluids. Since 2006, enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been clinically applied, showing efficacy in some peripheral districts.

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Deficit of the IDUA (α-L-iduronidase) enzyme causes the lysosomal storage disorder mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I), a rare pediatric neurometabolic disease, due to pathological variants in the gene and is characterized by the accumulation of the undegraded mucopolysaccharides heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate into lysosomes, with secondary cellular consequences that are still mostly unclarified. Here, we report a new fruit fly RNAi-mediated knockdown model of a homolog () displaying a phenotype mimicking some typical molecular features of Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSD). In this study, we showed that is a vital gene in and that ubiquitous reduction of its expression leads to lethality during the pupal stage, when the precise degradation/synthesis of macromolecules, together with a functional autophagic pathway, are indispensable for the correct development to the adult stage.

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Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) represent a complex and heterogeneous group of rare genetic diseases due to mutations in genes coding for lysosomal enzymes, membrane proteins or transporters. This leads to the accumulation of undegraded materials within lysosomes and a broad range of severe clinical features, often including the impairment of central nervous system (CNS). When available, enzyme replacement therapy slows the disease progression although it is not curative; also, most recombinant enzymes cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, leaving the CNS untreated.

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Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II) is a lysosomal storage disorder that occurs due to the deficit of the lysosomal enzyme iduronate 2-sulfatase (IDS) that leads to the storage of the glycosaminoglycan heparan- and dermatan-sulfate in all organs and tissues. It is characterized by important clinical features and the severe form presents with a heavy neurological involvement. However, almost nothing is known about the neuropathogenesis of MPS II.

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Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II, Hunter syndrome) was first described by Dr. Charles Hunter in 1917. Since then, about one hundred years have passed and Hunter syndrome, although at first neglected for a few decades and afterwards mistaken for a long time for the similar disorder Hurler syndrome, has been clearly distinguished as a specific disease since 1978, when the distinct genetic causes of the two disorders were finally identified.

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Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPSII) is a lysosomal storage disorder due to the deficit of the enzyme iduronate 2-sulfatase (IDS), which leads to the accumulation of glycosaminoglycans in most organ-systems, including the brain, and resulting in neurological involvement in about two-thirds of the patients. The main treatment is represented by a weekly infusion of the functional enzyme, which cannot cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the central nervous system. In this study, a tailored nanomedicine approach based on brain-targeted polymeric nanoparticles (g7-NPs), loaded with the therapeutic enzyme, was exploited.

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Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are a subgroup of 11 monogenic lysosomal storage disorders due to the deficit of activity of the lysosomal hydrolases deputed to the degradation of mucopolysaccharides. Although individually rare, all together they account for at least 1:25,000 live births. In this study, we present the genetic analysis of a population of 71 MPS patients enrolled in a multicenter Italian study.

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Dried blood spot (DBS) technology is a cheap and easy method largely applied in newborn screening. Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are characterized by the deficit of enzymes that degrade glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) characterized by progressive worsening of the conditions. For a possible early diagnosis of MPS, we developed a method of uronic acid (UA)-GAGs determination in DBS of 600 healthy newborns and from a small group of MPS subjects matched for age.

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Skeletal abnormalities represent a major clinical burden in patients affected by the lysosomal storage disorder mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPSII, OMIM #309900). While extensive research has emphasized the detrimental role of stored glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the bone marrow (BM), a limited understanding of primary cellular mechanisms underlying bone defects in MPSII has hampered the development of bone-targeted therapeutic strategies beyond enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). We here investigated the involvement of key signaling pathways related to the loss of iduronate-2-sulfatase activity in two different MPSII animal models, D.

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Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) are a group of about 50 genetic metabolic disorders, mainly affecting children, sharing the inability to degrade specific endolysosomal substrates. This results in failure of cellular functions in many organs, including brain that in most patients may go through progressive neurodegeneration. In this study, we analyzed the brain of the mouse model for Hunter syndrome, a LSD mostly presenting with neurological involvement.

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Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSDs) are a group of metabolic syndromes, each one due to the deficit of one lysosomal enzyme. Many LSDs affect most of the organ systems and overall about 75% of the patients present neurological impairment. Enzyme Replacement Therapy, although determining some systemic clinical improvements, is ineffective on the CNS disease, due to enzymes' inability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

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Purpose: to develop a tool for measuring the difficulty of intravenous line insertion in cancer patients (DIVA-CP) receiving peripheral chemotherapy.

Methods: a pilot-validation study divided into two phases was performed in a north-eastern Italian outpatient chemotherapy centre. In the first phase, a review of the literature and brainstorming sessions/direct discussions among expert oncology nurses were used to develop items on the DIVA-CP tool, and a panel of expert oncology nurses assessed the tool face and content validity.

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Background: Hunter syndrome (HS) is a lysosomal storage disease caused by iduronate-2-sulfatase (IDS) deficiency and loss of ability to break down and recycle the glycosaminoglycans, heparan and dermatan sulfate, leading to impairment of cellular processes and cell death. Cell activities and functioning of intracellular organelles are controlled by the clock genes (CGs), driving the rhythmic expression of clock controlled genes (CCGs). We aimed to evaluate the expression of CGs and downstream CCGs in HS, before and after enzyme replacement treatment with IDS.

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Autosomal dominant lateral temporal epilepsy (ADTLE) is an inherited epileptic syndrome characterized by ictal auditory symptoms or aphasia, negative MRI findings, and relatively benign evolution. Mutations responsible for ADLTE have been found in the LGI1 gene. The functions of the Lgi1 protein apparently are mediated by interactions with members of the ADAM protein family: it binds the postsynaptic receptor ADAM22 to regulate glutamate-AMPA currents at excitatory synapses and also the ADAM23 receptor to promote neurite outgrowth in vitro and dendritic arborization in vivo.

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