Publications by authors named "Mercogliano M"

Article Synopsis
  • Lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) are crucial molecules in immunology and vaccinology, extensively studied for their significant impact across various scientific fields.
  • Research predominantly focuses on the activation of the immune response through the MD-2/TLR4 complex, which is the primary known pathway for LPS sensing.
  • This review examines other LPS recognition systems and their interconnected signaling pathways, emphasizing their importance in maintaining health and their roles in severe diseases, which could lead to new treatments for immune-related conditions.
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The nitrogen-fixing rhizobia-legume symbiosis relies on a complex interchange of molecular signals between the two partners during the whole interaction. On the bacterial side, different surface polysaccharides, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and exopolysaccharide (EPS), might play important roles for the success of the interaction. In a previous work we studied two Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 mutants affected in the rkpK and lpsL genes, which are responsible for the production of glucuronic acid and galacturonic acid, respectively.

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Background: Violence against healthcare workers is an escalating public health concern, affecting the quality of care, and causing significant psychological and physical effects on healthcare professionals. This study analysed the trend in aggressions in healthcare settings in the pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods.

Methods: An observational descriptive study was conducted to analyse reports of violence against healthcare workers from January 2018 to June 2023 at a Local Health Authority "ASL3" in the Liguria region of Italy.

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Background: Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative forms of dementia affect 8 million Europeans. Assistive technologies are suggested to reduce the burden of care and improve the quality of life of person living with dementia. Nonetheless, the acceptance and attitudes toward technological interventions pose challenges not only for people living with dementia and caregivers but also for healthcare workers.

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Cold environments are predominant over the Earth and are inhabited by bacteria able to cope with a series of simultaneous environmental pressures. Gram-negative species of the genus are the predominant ones isolated from cold habitats, making them an excellent model for studying the mechanisms of bacterial adaptation to the most extreme habitats on our planet. Here we focused on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structure and the outer membrane dynamics of sp.

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In aqueous environment amphiphilic molecules organize themselves into supramolecular structures deeply affecting the chemo-physical properties. Supramolecular assemby is also crucial in the pharmaceutical development of bioactive lipophilic molecules whose attitude to self-aggregate is a recognized factor affecting the in vivo pharmacokinetic, but can also play a crucial role in the interaction with the biological targets in in vitro tests. In aqueous solution, amphiphilic drugs exist in a complex equilibrium involving free monomers, oligomers and larger supramolecular aggregates held together by noncovalent bonds.

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Background: The Herpes Zoster (HZ) poses a significant public health threat, leading to morbidity and occasional mortality in unvaccinated adults aged 50 and older. With over 95 % of individuals in this age group globally having prior exposure to Varicella-Zoster Virus, a substantial portion of the world's population is susceptible to developing HZ. Without vaccination, individuals reaching 85 years face a 50 % lifetime risk of HZ.

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Medical residents constitute a vulnerable population susceptible to mental health disorders. In Italy, this was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when medical residents served on the front line and provided significant support to healthcare services. Therefore, the working group on "Public Mental Health" of the Medical Residents' Council of the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine, and Public Health (S.

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Introduction: Vaccines are the most cost-effective and straightforward intervention against severe infectious diseases. However, in Europe and in Italy, paediatric vaccination coverage for certain vaccines remains suboptimal, with considerable regional differences in Italy. Vaccine coverage varies significantly due to socio-economic and organisational factors.

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Recently, we described synthetic sulfolipids named Sulfavants as a novel class of molecular adjuvants based on the sulfoquinovosyl-diacylglycerol skeleton. The members of this family, Sulfavant A (), Sulfavant R (), and Sulfavant S (), showed important effects on triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2)-induced differentiation and maturation of human dendritic cells (hDC), through a novel cell mechanism underlying the regulation of the immune response. As these molecules are involved in biological TREM2-mediated processes crucial for cell survival, here, we report the synthesis and application of a fluorescent analogue of Sulfavant A bearing the 4,4-difluoro-1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza--indacene moiety (Me-BODIPY).

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Despite the existing body of evidence, there is still limited knowledge about the impact of SARS-CoV-2 positivity on delivery outcomes. We aimed to assess the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection in women who gave birth at the University Hospital "Federico II" of Naples, Italy, between 2020 and 2021. We conducted a retrospective single-center population-based observational study to assess the differences in the caesarean section and preterm labor rates and the length of stay between women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and those who tested negative at the time of labor.

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Introduction: Despite proven efficacy, HPV vaccination coverage is still suboptimal. Factors influencing vaccination uptake are education attainment, socio-economic position, and knowledge about HPV. This study aimed to assess HPV vaccination uptake and its correlates among medical students and identify logistic-organizational barriers, knowledge, and attitudes with regard towards HPV vaccination to improve current public health vaccination strategies.

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Introduction: In Europe, there is still suboptimal tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) booster coverage. This study aimed to assess coverage status, knowledge, and attitude on Tdap vaccination in healthcare workers (HcWs) of the University Hospital "Federico II" in Naples, Southern Italy, in 2022, to improve current vaccination strategies.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated anonymous questionnaire.

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Immunotherapy has changed the course of cancer treatment. The initial steps were made through tumor-specific antibodies that guided the setup of an antitumor immune response. A new and successful generation of antibodies are designed to target immune checkpoint molecules aimed to reinvigorate the antitumor immune response.

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Background: We aim to evaluate whether fertility, pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding have been actually improving in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), compared with general population, and in relation to treatment features.

Methods: We included 2018-2020 population-level healthcare data on women with MS living in the Campania region (Italy). Fertility, pregnancy and delivery outcomes were obtained from Certificate of Delivery Assistance; breastfeeding was collected up to 6 months after delivery by trained personnel.

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Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the leading cause of death. HER2 overexpression is found in approximately 20% of breast cancers and is associated with a poor prognosis and a shorter overall survival. Tratuzumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against the HER2 receptor, is the standard of care treatment.

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Background: The success of HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer treatment with trastuzumab, an antibody that targets HER2, relies on immune response. We demonstrated that TNFα induces mucin 4 (MUC4) expression, which shields the trastuzumab epitope on the HER2 molecule decreasing its therapeutic effect. Here, we used mouse models and samples from HER2+ breast cancer patients to unravel MUC4 participation in hindering trastuzumab effect by fostering immune evasion.

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CARD11-associated diseases are monogenic inborn errors of immunity involving immunodeficiency, predisposition to malignancy and immune dysregulation such as lymphoproliferation, inflammation, atopic and autoimmune manifestations. Defects in  can present as mutations that confer a complete or a partial loss of function (LOF) or contrarily, a gain of function (GOF) of the affected gene product. We report clinical characteristics, immunophenotypes and genotypes of 15 patients from our center presenting with CARD11-associated diseases.

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Studies have shown that the pandemic has led to an increase in sick leave periods among healthcare workers (HCWs); however, this might have changed over time considering increase in vaccination coverage and change in COVID-19 variant predominance. Therefore, we conducted an observational study to evaluate whether the type of symptoms and the duration of sick leave period for healthcare workers working in a large university hospital in the South of Italy changed between January 2021 and January 2022; 398 cases of COVID-19 were identified for a total of 382 subjects involved. A total of 191 subjects answered the questionnaire about symptoms; of these, 79 had COVID-19 during the period from March 2020 until February 2022.

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