Publications by authors named "Robert Pignolo"

Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to identify differences in demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and beliefs about COVID-19 between individuals who have had the infection and those who haven't.
  • It involved a survey of 1,758 adults aged 50 and older in southeast Minnesota, collecting responses on 42 items related to COVID-19 from June 2021 to February 2022.
  • Results indicated that certain demographics and adherence to public health measures, like vaccinations, were linked to lower infection rates, emphasizing the need for ongoing public health initiatives based on these protective factors.
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Background: The incidence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-acute respiratory infection (ARI) in community-dwelling adults after the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown. Our aim was to assess the incidence of RSV-ARI in adults aged 18 to 64 years over 2 consecutive RSV seasons (October-April 2022-2024) in 4 US states.

Methods: This community-based prospective cohort study comprised 7501 participants in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida, and Arizona.

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Background: Longevity is increasing worldwide due to improvements in healthcare and living standards. Aging is often associated with disability and multiple health concerns. To address these challenges, effective interventions are essential.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The ACVR1 mutations disrupt normal bone growth and influence various bodily systems, including inflammation, wound healing, and pain sensitivity.
  • * The article discusses the complex features of FOP, suggests ways to address these symptoms, and identifies critical gaps in current knowledge about the disorder.
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Article Synopsis
  • Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare disorder causing painful flare-ups and abnormal bone growth, known as heterotopic ossification (HO).
  • In a clinical trial, patients receiving the anti-activin A antibody garetosmab experienced fewer severe and lengthy flare-ups compared to those given a placebo, leading to a notable difference in quality of life.
  • The study found that 71% of placebo patients had flare-ups linked to new HO lesions, while garetosmab reduced the severity, duration, and frequency of these flare-ups throughout the trial.
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Geroscience posits that molecular drivers underlie the aging process. Gerotherapeutics entail strategies to counter molecular drivers of aging to reduce the chronic diseases and geriatric syndromes they trigger. Although the concept of gerotherapeutics for prevention has generated much excitement, the implications of prescribing potentially harmful medications to older adults who are "healthy" have been associated with many delays.

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Soft tissue aneurysmal bone cysts (STABCs) are rare neoplasms histopathologically identical to aneurysmal bone cysts. These benign lesions are characterized by thin, peripheral ossification and no skeletal continuity. STABC may be difficult to distinguish from myositis ossificans (MO) and malignant entities from imaging and fine needle aspiration, due to rarity and overlapping features.

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Article Synopsis
  • Heterotopic ossification (HO) involves unintended bone formation in muscle and soft tissues, caused by genetic factors or trauma, with Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) as a specific genetic variant linked to mutations in the ACVR1 gene.
  • The study highlights the importance of the cilia in stem cells, where the ACVR1 protein interacts with other factors involved in HO signaling, suggesting a complex relationship between these components.
  • Results indicate that targeting cilia in affected tissues could be a promising therapeutic approach to treat both genetic and trauma-induced cases of HO, as it successfully reduced abnormal bone formation in lab models.
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Cells expressing features of senescence, including upregulation of p21 and p16, appear transiently following tissue injury, yet the properties of these cells or how they contrast with age-induced senescent cells remains unclear. Here, we used skeletal injury as a model and identified the rapid appearance following fracture of p21+ cells expressing senescence markers, mainly as osteochondroprogenitors (OCHs) and neutrophils. Targeted genetic clearance of p21+ cells suppressed senescence-associated signatures within the fracture callus and accelerated fracture healing.

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Article Synopsis
  • Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the abnormal formation of bone outside the usual skeleton, caused by genetic mutations or acquired factors like injury and aging.
  • Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is the most severe genetic form of HO, linked to specific mutations and characterized by relentless progression.
  • Cellular senescence, a key feature of aging that contributes to HO, may present new treatment opportunities by targeting these senescent cells for both FOP and acquired HO.
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Single case studies of extraordinary disease resilience may provide therapeutic insight into conditions for which no definitive treatments exist. An otherwise healthy 35-year-old man (patient-R) with the canonical pathogenic ACVR1R206H variant and the classic congenital great toe malformation of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) had extreme paucity of post-natal heterotopic ossification (HO) and nearly normal mobility. We hypothesized that patient-R lacked a sufficient post-natal inflammatory trigger for HO.

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Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP; MIM# 135100) is an ultra-rare congenital disorder caused by gain-of-function point mutations in the Activin receptor A type I (, also known as ) gene. FOP is characterized by episodic heterotopic ossification (HO) in skeletal muscles, tendons, ligaments, or other soft tissues that progressively causes irreversible loss of mobility. FOP mutations cause mild ligand-independent constitutive activation as well as ligand-dependent bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway hypersensitivity of mutant ACVR1.

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Cells expressing features of senescence, including upregulation of p21 and p16, appear transiently following tissue injury, yet the properties of these cells or how they contrast with age-induced senescent cells remains unclear. Here, we used skeletal injury as a model and identified the rapid appearance following fracture of p21+ cells expressing senescence markers, mainly as osteochondroprogenitors (OCHs) and neutrophils. Targeted genetic clearance of p21+ cells suppressed senescence-associated signatures within the fracture callus and accelerated fracture healing.

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Research cannot maximize population health unless it improves health for all members of the public, including special populations such as children, older adults, and people living with rare diseases. Each of these categories require special considerations when planning and performing clinical trials, and common threads of ethical conduct of research in vulnerable populations appear throughout. In this review, definitions of each of the three categories of special population (children, older adults, and rare diseases) are discussed in terms of US research regulations, the unique challenges to conducting clinical trials for these special populations, critical ethical issues, and opportunities for innovative ways to design and operationalize clinical trials in special populations.

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Article Synopsis
  • The background discusses the challenges of designing clinical trials for ultra-rare diseases like Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) and highlights the role of palovarotene, a selective retinoic acid receptor gamma agonist, in this research.
  • The methods outline three key studies: a natural history study (PVO-1A-001), a randomized phase II trial (PVO-1A-201), and its open-label extension (PVO-1A-202), detailing their designs, treatment regimens, and assessment of disease progression and flare-up outcomes.
  • The results emphasized the recruitment of participants, with significant insights reported from the studies on the suitability of endpoints and the effectiveness of imaging
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Article Synopsis
  • - Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare condition that causes painful heterotopic ossification in connective tissues, leading to disability.
  • - In the LUMINA-1 phase 2 trial, adults with FOP were given either garetosmab (an activin A-blocking antibody) or a placebo over two 28-week periods, focusing on safety and effects on HO lesions.
  • - Although the primary efficacy endpoint was not met in the first period, garetosmab significantly reduced the development of new HO lesions in the second period compared to placebo, with ongoing investigations into its effectiveness.
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Introduction: Using a digital process that leverages electronic health records (EHRs) can ease many of the challenges presented by the traditional enrollment process for clinical trials. We tested if automated batch enrollment using a technology-enabled subject recruitment system (TESRS) enhances recruitment while preserving representation of research subjects for the study population in our study setting.

Methods: An ongoing community-based prospective adult cohort study was used to randomize 600 subjects who were eligible by age and residential address to TESRS (n = 300) and standard mailing method (n = 300), respectively, for 3 months.

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Article Synopsis
  • Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by abnormal bone growth (heterotopic ossification) triggered by tissue trauma, making surgical intervention risky for patients unless critical.
  • The study aimed to assess outcomes of normotopic fractures in FOP patients treated nonoperatively, focusing on fracture healing, incidence of flareups, formation of heterotopic ossification, and loss of mobility.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 31 FOP patients who sustained 48 fractures, tracking their conditions for up to 20 years, to better understand the implications of non-surgical treatment in this unique population.
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In addition to reducing fracture risk, zoledronic acid has been found in some studies to decrease mortality in humans and extend lifespan and healthspan in animals. Because senescent cells accumulate with aging and contribute to multiple co-morbidities, the non-skeletal actions of zoledronic acid could be due to senolytic (killing of senescent cells) or senomorphic (inhibition of the secretion of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype [SASP]) actions. To test this, we first performed senescence assays using human lung fibroblasts and DNA repair-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts, which demonstrated that zoledronic acid killed senescent cells with minimal effects on non-senescent cells.

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Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from bone marrow can support skeletal tissue repair and regeneration owing to their self-renewing capacity, differentiation ability, and trophic functions. Bone marrow-derived MSCs undergo dramatic changes with aging, including the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) which may largely contribute to age-related changes in bone tissue leading to osteoporosis. A mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach was used to investigate the MSC SASP.

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In addition to reducing fracture risk, zoledronate has been found in some studies to decrease mortality in humans and extend lifespan and healthspan in animals. Because senescent cells accumulate with aging and contribute to multiple co-morbidities, the non-skeletal actions of zoledronate could be due to senolytic (killing of senescent cells) or senomorphic (inhibition of the secretion of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype [SASP]) actions. To test this, we first performed senescence assays using human lung fibroblasts and DNA repair-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts, which demonstrated that zoledronate killed senescent cells with minimal effects on non-senescent cells.

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