Publications by authors named "Matteo N Barbaglia"
Background And Aims: Sex hormones are widely recognised to act as protective factors against several viral infections. Specifically, females infected by the hepatitis C virus display higher clearance rates and reduced disease progression than those found in males. Through modulation of particle release and spread, 17β-oestradiol controls HCV's life cycle.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Genetic predisposition to accumulate liver fat (expressed by a polygenic risk score, GRS, based on the number of at-risk alleles of PNPLA3, TM6SF2, MBOAT7 and GCKR) may influence the probability of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatitis C treatment. Whether this holds true taking into account carriage of the HSD17B13:TA splice variant, also affecting lipogenesis, and achievement of viral clearance (SVR), is unknown.
Methods: PNPLA3, TM6SF2, MBOAT7, GCKR and HSD17B13 variants were determined in a cohort of 328 cirrhotic patients free of HCC before starting treatment with direct acting antivirals (DAA).
The treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) relies on liver resection, which is, however, burdened by a high rate of recurrence after surgery, up to 60% at 5 years. No pre-operative tools are currently available to assess the recurrence risk tailored to every single patient. Recently liquid biopsy has shown interesting results in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment allocation strategies in other types of cancers, since its ability to identify circulating tumor cells (CTCs) derived from the primary tumor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCirculating periostin has been suggested as a possible biomarker in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in Asian studies. In the present study, we aimed to test its still controversial relevance in a Caucasian population. In patients with histologically-proven NAFLD (N.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCognition was assessed in hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients, who did not meet the criteria for a minimal hepatic encephalopathy. Their liver function was compensated. We then disentangled potential cognitive changes associated with a sustained virologic response at 12 weeks (SVR-12), following treatment with direct antiviral agents (DAAs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study evaluates Gas6, sAxl, and sMer as potential biomarkers for detecting pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SS) and scleroderma spectrum disorders (SSD).
- Nineteen patients were identified with pulmonary hypertension (14 specifically with PAH), while 39 had ILD, and specific plasma biomarkers showed significant differences based on these conditions.
- Plasma sMer levels were higher in PAH patients, while Gas6 and sAxl levels varied with ILD severity, indicating their potential utility for identifying these cardiopulmonary complications in SS and SSD.
A single-nucleotide polymorphism causing a C to G change in the gene (rs738409) is associated with disease severity and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; the insertion variant rs72613567:TA of the 17-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 13 () mitigates this detrimental effect. Our aim was to evaluate if the same holds true in chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV). With a case control retrospective study design, we selected 110 patients who developed HCC on a background of HCV infection, matching each patient for sex and age (±30 months) to three HCV-infected, non-HCC patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is high, though its severity is often underestimated. Our aim is to provide an estimate of the prevalence of severe NAFLD in T2DM and identify its major predictors.
Methods: T2DM patients (=328) not previously known to have NAFLD underwent clinical assessment, transient elastography with measure of liver stiffness (LS) and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), and genotyping for patatin like phospholipase domain containing 3 () and 17β-hydroxysteroid-dehydrogenase type 13 ().
Article Synopsis
- The study evaluated Plasma Gas6 as a potential replacement for the Baveno VI criteria in assessing esophageal varices in patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease.
- In the cohort of 160 patients, 46% had esophageal varices, with varying sizes, and 21% met the Baveno VI criteria, demonstrating a sensitivity of 94% for detecting large varices.
- The findings suggest that Plasma Gas6 levels under 45 ng/ml could serve as an effective alternative screening method when traditional elastography methods are not available.
Background & Aims: Oestrogen and oestrogen-mediated signalling protect from hepatitis C virus through incompletely understood mechanisms. We aimed to ascertain which phase(s) of hepatitis C virus life cycle is/are affected by oestrogens.
Methods: Huh7 cells infected with the JFH1 virus (genotype 2a) were exposed to dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, progesterone and 17β-estradiol (tested with/without its receptor antagonist fulvestrant).