Publications by authors named "Maurizi A"

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory cutaneous disease characterized by recurrent painful nodules, abscesses and sinus tract on the apocrine gland-bearing skin. The role of sex hormones in the pathogenesis as well as the use of hormonal treatment in the management of HS is still debated. We performed a retrospective cohort study including 183 patients to assess the influence of combined estrogen-progestin oral contraceptive (COC) in HS onset and disease severity.

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Glycogen storage disease (GSD) is the most prevalent inherited disorder of glycogen metabolism for which no causal treatment is available. In recent years, thanks to the improved clinical management, the life expectancy of these patients extended, disclosing previously unidentified adverse conditions in other organs. In this study, we evaluated the clinical bone complications and the cellular responses in 20 patients (aged 14.

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Aims: This study aimed to assess the proportions of type 2 diabetes (T2D) subjects meeting cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) criteria for sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) and estimate SGLT2i utilization, along with associated demographic and clinical characteristics, in a primary care setting.

Methods: T2D patients in Italy were selected between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022, from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database. Representativeness was determined by dividing patients meeting key inclusion criteria for four CVOTs (CANVAS, DECLARE-TIMI 58, EMPA-REG OUTCOME, VERTIS-CV) to the total T2D population.

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Introduction: The underdiagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains a significant public health concern. The Early chroNic kiDney disease pOint of caRe Screening (ENDORSE) project aimed to evaluate the clinical and economic implications of a targeted training intervention for general practitioners (GPs) to enhance CKD awareness and early diagnosis.

Methods: Data on estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) and Urinary Albumin-Creatinine Ratio (uACR) were collected by 53 Italian GPs from 112,178 patients at baseline and after six months.

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Autosomal dominant osteopetrosis type 2 (ADO2) is a rare inherited bone disorder characterised by dense but brittle bones. It displays striking phenotypic variability, with the most severe symptoms, including blindness and bone marrow failure. Disease management largely relies on symptomatic treatment since there is no safe and effective treatment.

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  • * Sarcopenia (muscle loss) and osteoporosis (bone loss) are closely linked, with each condition serving as a predictor for the other, indicating the need for integrated research approaches.
  • * A recent workshop emphasized the importance of muscle characterization in musculoskeletal studies, advocating for more recognition and research on muscle phenotyping in both human and animal models like zebrafish and mice.
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  • Pre-proenkephalin 1 (Penk1) is a pro-neuropeptide linked to analgesic properties and was found to be significantly downregulated in osteoblasts under microgravity conditions, as well as in bone from various models of mechanical unloading.
  • Despite high expression levels in mouse bone, global deletion of Penk1 did not produce noticeable changes in bone metabolism, indicating that its absence does not drastically alter bone structure.
  • In vitro studies showed that inhibiting Penk1 in mature osteoblasts led to changes in gene expression related to bone metabolism, and primary osteoblasts from Penk1 knockout mice exhibited reduced differentiation and metabolic activity, demonstrating Penk1's role in bone response to mechanical changes
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Antibiotic resistance of Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria is becoming increasingly prevalent. For this reason, the search for new molecules that can overcome current resistance and also recover antibiotics that are no longer effective is becoming increasingly urgent. Our research group at the 'Polytechnic University of Marche' managed to study the effectiveness of certain antimicrobial peptides (AMPs).

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Rare skeletal diseases are still in need of proper clinically available transfection agents as the major challenge for first-in-human translation relates to intrinsic difficulty in targeting bone without exacerbating any inherent toxicity due to used vector. SiSaf's silicon stabilized hybrid lipid nanoparticles (sshLNPs) constitute next-generation non-viral vectors able to retain the integrity and stability of constructs and to accommodate considerable payloads of biologicals, without requiring cold-chain storage. sshLNP was complexed with a small interfering RNA (siRNA) specifically designed against the human mRNA.

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In the last decades, the concept of adipose organ has emerged, giving adipose tissue an active endocrine and immunologic function through the secretion of multiple cytokines and chemokines that seem to be implicated in the development and progression of several cancer, including cutaneous melanoma. In this pilot experimental study, we analyzed the expression in the peritumor subcutaneous adipose tissue of the most significant adipokines involved in the processes of carcinogenesis and metastasis in a population of melanoma patients and in two control groups composed of melanocytic nevi and epidermoid cysts, respectively. We correlated the results obtained with the main disease prognostic factors observing a statistically significant increase in the expression of PAI1, LEP, CXCL1, NAMPT, and TNF-α at the level of the peritumor tissue of the melanoma samples compared to the control groups and a correlation of the same with the histopathological prognostic factor of melanoma.

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Paget's disease (PDB) is a late-onset bone remodeling disorder with a broad spectrum of symptoms and complications. One of the most aggressive forms is caused by the P937R mutation in the ZNF687 gene. Although the genetic involvement of ZNF687 in PDB has been extensively studied, the molecular mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear.

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Antibiotic resistance is rapidly increasing, and new anti-infective therapies are urgently needed. In this regard, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) may represent potential candidates for the treatment of infections caused by multiresistant microorganisms. In this narrative review, we reported the experience of our research group over 20 years.

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  • The ChoCO-W study aimed to examine the effects of COVID-19 on the clinical presentation and outcomes of acute cholecystitis, particularly focusing on the rise of gangrenous cases during the pandemic.
  • Over 2,800 patients from 42 countries were enrolled, with a notable 6.9% testing positive for COVID-19, revealing a significantly higher prevalence of preexisting conditions and more severe outcomes in this group compared to those without the virus.
  • Patients with COVID-19 experienced higher postoperative complications (32.2% vs. 11.7%), longer hospital stays (13.21 days vs. 6.51 days), increased mortality rates (13.4% vs. 1.7
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  • Bullous pemphigoid is a rare autoimmune blistering skin disease mostly affecting elderly individuals, caused by autoantibodies targeting BP180 and BP230.
  • Systemic corticosteroids and immunosuppressants are key treatments, but their long-term use can lead to significant side effects, posing management challenges.
  • Ongoing research into the disease's pathogenesis has led to the development of new therapies aimed at specific inflammatory mediators, showing promise in reducing side effects for refractory cases.
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Monogenic high bone mass (HBM) disorders are characterized by an increased amount of bone in general, or at specific sites in the skeleton. Here, we describe 59 HBM disorders with 50 known disease-causing genes from the literature, and we provide an overview of the signaling pathways and mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of these disorders. Based on this, we classify the known HBM genes into HBM (sub)groups according to uniform Gene Ontology (GO) terminology.

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  • Osteopetrosis presents a challenging medical issue due to the lack of effective and safe treatments for its various forms.
  • Recent research advancements in understanding the disease's causes and the development of specialized models are aiding the creation of targeted therapies.
  • Innovative experimental approaches being explored include gene correction in stem cells, gene therapy, protein replacement, and other methods to improve treatment outcomes for osteopetrosis.
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Aim: To evaluate the ability of ladarixin (LDX, 400 mg twice-daily for three cycles of 14 days on/14 days off), an inhibitor of the CXCR1/2 chemokine receptors, to maintain C-peptide production in adult patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes.

Materials And Methods: A double-blind, randomized (2:1), placebo-controlled study was conducted in 45 males and 31 females (aged 18-46 years) within 100 days of the first insulin administration. The primary endpoint was the area under the curve (AUC) for C-peptide in response to a 2-hour mixed meal tolerance test (AUC ) at week 13 ± 1.

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Breast cancer cells that interact with spindle-shaped N-Cadherin Osteoblasts (SNOs) are recognised to become dormant through a Notch2-dependent mechanism. We found that Notch2 human BrCa MDA-MB231 (MDA) cells also expressed high level of N-Cadherin. This prompted us to hypothesize that N-Cadherin could have a role in MDA-SNO interaction.

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Lipocalin 2 (Lcn2) is an adipokine involved in bone and energy metabolism. Its serum levels correlate with bone mechanical unloading and inflammation, two conditions representing hallmarks of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Therefore, we investigated the role of Lcn2 in bone loss induced by muscle failure in the mouse model of DMD.

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Genetic disorders of the skeleton encompass a diverse group of bone diseases differing in clinical characteristics, severity, incidence and molecular etiology. Of particular interest are the monogenic rare bone mass disorders, with the underlying genetic defect contributing to either low or high bone mass phenotype. Extensive, deep phenotyping coupled with high-throughput, cost-effective genotyping is crucial in the characterization and diagnosis of affected individuals.

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Objective: During rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the angiogenic processes, occurring with pannus-formation, may be a therapeutic target. JAK/STAT-pathway may play a role and the aim of this work was to investigate the inhibiting role of a JAK-inhibitor, tofacitinib, on the angiogenic mechanisms occurring during RA.

Methods: After ethical approval, JAK-1, JAK-3, STAT-1, STAT-3 and VEGF expression was evaluated on RA-synovial-tissues.

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Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly recognized as integral signaling vehicles in several types of cancers, including bone malignancies. However, the specific mechanisms by which EVs influence osteosarcoma progression have not been fully determined. We evaluated the effects of EVs derived from the human osteosarcoma cell line MNNG/HOS (MNNG/HOS-EVs) on bone resident cells.

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