Publications by authors named "Livia Pisciotta"

Recessively inherited limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 1, caused by mutations in the calpain 3 gene, is the most common limb-girdle muscular dystrophy worldwide. Recently, cases of autosomal dominant calpainopathy have been described. A man was referred to our neurological outpatient clinic at the age of 54 for persistent hyperCKemia (>1000 U/l) associated with muscle fatigue and myalgia.

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Background: The aging population is associated with a net increase in the incidence and prevalence of chronic-degenerative diseases, particularly neurocognitive disorders. Therefore, the identification of preventative strategies to restrain the burden of such chronic conditions is of key relevance. Red wine and its components have accumulated evidence regarding their positive effects in terms of neurological pathologies associated with neurocognitive symptoms.

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Recent scientific research has shown that the ketogenic diet may have potential benefits in a variety of medical fields, which has led to the diet receiving a substantial amount of attention. Clinical and experimental research on brain tumors has shown that the ketogenic diet has a satisfactory safety profile. This safety profile has been established in a variety of applications, including the management of obesity and the treatment of drug-resistant epileptic cases.

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  • * Management of dyslipidemia in pregnant women, especially those with inherited forms, requires tailored dietary adjustments and may involve pharmacological treatments, although these can be limited by cost and risks.
  • * A personalized, multidisciplinary approach is critical for optimizing health outcomes, with an emphasis on evidence-based practices and understanding the physiological changes in lipid metabolism during pregnancy.
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  • Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a rare disorder linked with neurological and heart issues, particularly the ATP1A3-D801N variant, which causes a shorter QT interval and arrhythmia risks.
  • A study at Duke University evaluated heart rate (HR) and QT intervals in individuals with AHC, revealing that those with the variant had less QT prolongation at lower HR compared to healthy controls.
  • The findings suggest that individuals with ATP1A3-D801N show abnormal heart rhythms, indicating a need for closer monitoring and intervention for potential heart issues.
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  • - Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS) is a rare genetic disorder that involves intellectual disabilities, unique facial features, and unusually large thumbs and toes, with most cases linked to specific genetic variants.
  • - The syndrome is considered a chromatinopathy due to the mutations affecting genes involved in epigenomic regulation, making it difficult to diagnose based solely on phenotype due to its varied presentation.
  • - A case study of a patient with a rare form of RTS highlights the issue of potential underdiagnosis for milder cases, suggesting that combining phenotype-based diagnostics with advanced genetic sequencing techniques may improve detection rates.
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Background And Aims: While serum osteopontin (OPN)'s established role in cardiometabolic risk is recognized, its potential as a predictor of metabolic syndrome (MetS) improvement through a urine assay has not yet been demonstrated. In this study, we propose its potential predictive role over a 12-month period of standard care, with the ability to complement anthropometric measures.

Methods And Results: Hierarchical clustering revealed a notable association of urinary OPN (uOPN) with MetS criteria and overcame anthropometric measures in predicting the improvement at 12 months (OR of 2.

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Fibromyalgia (FM) is a multidimensional disorder in which intense chronic pain is accompanied by a variety of psychophysical symptoms that impose a burden on the patients' quality of life. Despite the efforts and the recent advancement in research, FM pathogenesis and effective treatment remain unknown. Recently, the possible role of dietary patterns and/or components has been gaining attention.

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This narrative review delves into the intricate relationship between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and food intolerances. IBS, a chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder, is characterized by symptoms like abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. The prevalence of IBS has increased globally, especially among young adults.

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Background: Adipokines are key mediators of inflammation in metabolic syndrome perpetuating the effect of excess nutrient intake by setting a self-maintaining vicious circle. Here, we assess levels of adiponectin and leptin in a cohort of individuals with MetS undergoing dietary and behavioral counselling. Specifically, we investigate their role as predictors of metabolic syndrome remission after 1 year.

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Despite the institution of an interdisciplinary Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) centre is encouraged, how it may improve patient care is still unknown. In a 5-year period following organisation of an IBD centre, hospitalisations per patient/year decreased (0.41-0.

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Background: Protein-sparing modified fast (PSMF) diet is a very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet administered to patients with obesity, which preserves lean mass and suppresses appetite as well as continuous enteral feeding. Thus, we aim to evaluate the effect of the PSMF diet administered continuously by nasogastric tube (NGT) or orally.

Methods: Patients with a body mass index (BMI) > 34.

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Introduction: Nowadays, whole-exome sequencing (WES) analysis is an essential part in the diagnostic pathway of individuals with complex phenotypes when routine exams, such as array-CGH and gene panels, have proved inconclusive. However, data on the diagnostic rate of WES analysis in adult individuals, negative to first-tier tests, are lacking. This is because initiatives with the aim of diagnosing rare diseases focus mainly on pediatric unsolved cases.

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Identifying oncological applications for drugs that are already approved for other medical indications is considered a possible solution for the increasing costs of cancer treatment. Under the hypothesis that nutritional stress through fasting might enhance the antitumour properties of at least some non-oncological agents, by screening drug libraries, we find that cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitors (CBIs), including simvastatin, have increased activity against cancers of different histology under fasting conditions. We show fasting's ability to increase CBIs' antitumour effects to depend on the reduction in circulating insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 and leptin, which blunts the expression of enzymes from the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway and enhances cholesterol efflux from cancer cells.

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Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases remain the main cause of mortality worldwide, due to a poor control of modifiable risk factors for atherosclerosis. High levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol represent the most relevant actor in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, as well as the main target of prevention strategies. Although lipid-lowering treatments were shown to be effective for cardiovascular prevention, several barriers (e.

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Detection and treatment of patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) starting from childhood is fundamental to reduce morbidity and mortality. The activity of National realities such as the LIPIGEN (LIpid transPort disorders Italian GEnetic Network) Paediatric Group, founded in 2018, is a milestone in this context. The aim of this exploratory survey, conducted in October 2021 among Italian lipid clinics included in the LIPIGEN Paediatric Group, was to investigate the current clinical approach in the management and treatment of paediatric patients with suspected FH.

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Psoriasis is a chronic immune-dysregulated inflammatory disease and hypovitaminosis D is considered a risk factor. We conducted an online database search to review and meta-analyze the relationship between vitamin D, other bone metabolism parameters, and psoriasis. The efficacy of oral vitamin D supplementation in improving Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was also evaluated.

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Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is a rare genetic disease characterized by high plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and massive risk of premature atheromasia and cardiovascular events. HoFH is caused by mutations in several genes, such as LDLR, APOB, PCSK9 and LDLRAP1. If untreated, the average age of death is 18 years old, but fatalities within the first 5 years of age have been recorded.

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  • The study investigates the role of neutrophils and their degranulation markers in predicting improvements in metabolic syndrome (MetS) after dietary and behavioral counseling.
  • The research involved 127 MetS patients and found that higher baseline levels of certain inflammatory markers (like MMP8) correlated with the number of MetS criteria, while 57% of participants showed improvement after 6 months.
  • Low levels of MMP8 at baseline were identified as a predictor for better outcomes in MetS, underscoring the connection between inflammation and metabolic health.
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  • The LIPG gene, which produces endothelial lipase, when mutated can lead to primary hyperalphalipoproteinemia (HALP), a condition marked by high levels of HDL cholesterol.
  • A family study revealed that three members with elevated HDL-C levels also carried a harmful variant of the LIPG gene, which impacted their cholesterol and phospholipid levels.
  • This genetic variant led to lower cholesterol efflux capacity and altered HDL composition, indicating issues with the initial stages of cholesterol transport in the body.
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A eucaloric very low carbohydrate diet (EVLCD) is a diet with a daily caloric intake equal to the total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) with a carbohydrate content of <50 g/day. The literature on very low carbohydrate diets (VLCD) in type 1 diabetes (DM 1) is limited, although recently published scientific studies have highlighted their safety and efficacy in managing DM 1. In this retrospective analysis, we report the clinical data of 33 patients affected by DM 1 carrying out insulin therapy who switched voluntarily from their usual diet (high carb, low fat) to an EVLCD.

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High lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a well-established cardiovascular (CV) risk factor, but the effect of mildly elevated Lp(a) on CV health is largely unknown. Our aim was to evaluate if Lp(a) is associated with the severity of carotid atherosclerosis (CA) in the specific subset of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Subjects with diagnosed MetS and ultrasound-assessed CA were enrolled.

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