Immunological and homeostatic pathways of alpha -1 antitrypsin: a new therapeutic potential.

α -1 antitrypsin (A1AT) is a 52 kDa acute-phase glycoprotein belonging to the serine protease inhibitor superfamily (SERPIN). It is primarily synthesized by hepatocytes and to a lesser extent by monocytes, macrophages, intestinal epithelial cells, and bronchial epithelial cells. A1AT is encoded by SERPINA1 locus, also known as PI locus, highly polymorphic with at least 100 allelic variants described and responsible for different A1AT serum levels and function.

Emerging Microorganisms and Infectious Diseases: One Health Approach for Health Shared Vision.

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are newly emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases identifies the following as emerging infectious diseases: SARS, MERS, COVID-19, influenza, fungal diseases, plague, schistosomiasis, smallpox, tick-borne diseases, and West Nile fever. The factors that should be taken into consideration are the genetic adaptation of microbial agents and the characteristics of the human host or environment.

A Focus on the Pathophysiology of Adrenomedullin Expression: Endothelitis and Organ Damage in Severe Viral and Bacterial Infections.

Adrenomedullin (ADM) is a peptide hormone produced primarily in the adrenal glands, playing a crucial role in various physiological processes. As well as improving vascular integrity and decreasing vascular permeability, ADM acts as a vasodilator, positive inotrope, diuretic, natriuretic and bronchodilator, antagonizing angiotensin II by inhibiting aldosterone secretion. ADM also has antihypertrophic, anti-apoptotic, antifibrotic, antioxidant, angiogenic and immunoregulatory effects and antimicrobial properties.

Role of the Gut Microbiota in Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Spondylarthritis: An Update on the Gut-Joint Axis.

Dysregulation of the gut microbiota and their metabolites is involved in the pathogenic process of intestinal diseases, and several pieces of evidence within the current literature have also highlighted a possible connection between the gut microbiota and the unfolding of inflammatory pathologies of the joints. This dysregulation is defined as the "gut-joint axis" and is based on the joint-gut interaction. It is widely recognized that the microbiota of the gut produce a variety of compounds, including enzymes, short-chain fatty acids, and metabolites.

Saxagliptin/dapagliflozin is non-inferior to insulin glargine in terms of β-cell function in subjects with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults: A 12-month, randomized, comparator-controlled pilot study.

Aim: To compare the efficacy and safety of saxagliptin/dapagliflozin and insulin glargine in people with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA).

Methods: In this phase 2b multicentre, open-label, comparator-controlled, parallel-group, non-inferiority study, we randomly assigned 33 people with LADA who had a fasting C-peptide concentration ≥0.2 nmol/L (0.

The influence of gut microbiome on periprosthetic joint infections: State-of-the art.

Early periprosthetic joint infection constitutes one of the most frightening complications of joint replacement. Recently, some evidence has highlighted the potential link between dysregulation of the gut microbiota and degenerative diseases of joints. It has been hypothesized that microbiome dysbiosis may increase the risk of periprosthetic joint infection by facilitating bacterial translocation from these sites to the bloodstream or by impairing local or systemic immune responses.

Mid-Regional Pro-Adrenomedullin Can Predict Organ Failure and Prognosis in Sepsis?

Sepsis causes immune dysregulation and endotheliitis, with an increase in mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM). The aim of the study is to determine an MR-proADM value that, in addition to clinical diagnosis, can identify patients with localized infection or those with sepsis/septic shock, with specific organ damage or with the need for intensive care unit (ICU) transfer and prognosis. The secondary aim is to correlate the MR-proADM value with the length of stay (LOS).

Associated effects of clinical characteristics, risk factors, and comorbidity on disease severity and mortality among patients with COVID-19 in Sulaimani City/ Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The effects of clinical symptoms, laboratory indicators, and comorbidity status of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients on the severity of disease and the risk of death were investigated. Questionnaires and electronic medical records of 371 hospitalized COVID-19 patients were used for data collection (demographics, clinical manifestation, comorbidities, laboratory data). Association among categorical variables was determined using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (P-value ≤0.

Meningococcal Conjunctivitis in a 54-Year-Old Man: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Neisseria meningitidis represents an uncommon pathogen of acute bacterial conjunctivitis. In this brief report, we describe a case of meningococcal conjunctivitis in an immunocompetent adult male, with a review of the literature. The patient went to the outpatient ophthalmology clinic complaining of severe ocular discomfort, burning, and redness for more than 2 weeks and, at slit lamp examination, he was diagnosed with a mild conjunctivitis.

Postoperative procalcitonin is a biomarker for excluding the onset of clinically relevant pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Background: Early detection and therapy of pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy is crucial to improve outcomes of this surgery. Since it is not clear if procalcitonin (PCT), can predict the onset of clinically relevant post-operative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF), we aimed to investigate this ability.

Methods: One-hundred-thirty pancreaticoduodenectomies (PD) were analyzed.

Molecular In-Depth on the Epidemiological Expansion of SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the generation of new variants periodically recurs. The XBB.1.

Neutralizing Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Beta and Omicron Variants Inhibition Comparison after BNT162b2 mRNA Booster Doses with a New PETIA sVNT Assay.

Background: Monitoring antibody response following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is strategic, and neutralizing antibodies represent the gold standard. The neutralizing response to Beta and Omicron VOCs was evaluated versus the gold standard by a new commercial automated assay.

Methods: Serum samples from 100 healthcare workers from the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Biomedico and the Pescara Hospital were collected.

Phylogenetic analysis of from fecal and mucosal microbiota of IBS and IBD patients.

Background: is the most abundant member of the genus that inhabits the human large intestines. Evidences correlated the increase in abundance to inflammatory disorders, suggesting a pathobiont role.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the phylogenetic dynamics of in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and in healthy volunteers (CTRL).

Implications of Possible HBV-Driven Regulation of Gene Expression in Stem Cell-like Subpopulation of Huh-7 Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Line.

Elevated levels of STIM1, an endoplasmic reticulum Ca sensor/buffering protein, appear to be correlated with poor cancer prognosis in which microRNAs are also known to play critical roles. The purpose of this study is to investigate possible HBV origins of specific microRNAs we identified in a stem cell-like subpopulation of Huh-7 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines with enhanced and/or expression that mimicked poor cancer prognosis. Computational strategies including phylogenetic analyses were performed on miRNome data we obtained from an EpCAM- and CD133-expressing Huh-7 HCC stem cell-like subpopulation with enhanced and/or expression originally cultured in the present work.

SARS-CoV-2 Variants in COVID-19 Disease: A Focus on Disease Severity and Vaccine Immunity in Patients Admitted to the Emergency Department.

Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants along with vaccinations are fundamental for severe COVID-19 disease prevention. A study was performed that focused on 43 patients with the SARS-CoV-2 infection who were admitted to the Emergency Department. RT-PCR-positive nasopharyngeal samples were sequenced using the MiSeq II system for variant detection.

Reduced early response to SARS-CoV2 vaccination in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, a 6 months follow-up study: The CoVaDiab study I.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus worsens the prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and vaccination has been the major tool for reducing the risk of hospitalisation, and mortality. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the response to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in subjects with diabetes and controls. Differences between type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D) diabetes and clinical determinants of vaccination response were also evaluated.

Genetic Variability of the Monkeypox Virus Clade IIb B.1.

Monkeypox is caused by a sylvatic, double-stranded DNA zoonotic virus. Since 1 January 2022, monkeypox cases have been reported to WHO from 106 Member States across six WHO regions, and as of 2 October 2022, a total of 68,900 confirmed cases, including 25 deaths, occurred. Here, by using a whole genome approach, we perform a genetic and phylodynamic survey of the monkeypox virus Clade IIb B.