Blood CD45/CD3 lymphocyte-released extracellular vesicles and mortality in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019.

Background: The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represented a major public health concern. Growing evidence shows that plasma of COVID-19 patients contains large numbers of circulating extracellular vesicles (cEVs) that correlate with disease severity and recovery. In this study, we sought to characterize the longitudinal cEV signature in critically ill COVID-19 patients during hospitalization and its relation to mortality risk.

Epitranscriptome: A Novel Regulatory Layer during Atherosclerosis Progression.

RNA modifications have recently gained great attention due to their extensive regulatory effects in a wide range of cellular networks and signaling pathways. In cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), several RNA changes, called "epitranscriptome" alterations, are found in all RNA molecules (tRNA, rRNA, mRNA, and ncRNAs). Unlike the epigenetic process, which influences the progression of atherosclerosis (AS), its transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms are still unknown.

Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Novel MED9 Short Isoform Identification.

Familial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is among the leading indications for heart transplantation. DCM alters the transcriptomic profile. The alteration or activation/silencing of physiologically operating transcripts may explain the onset and progression of this pathological state.

Mediator complex in neurological disease.

Neurological diseases, including traumatic brain injuries, stroke (haemorrhagic and ischemic), and inherent neurodegenerative diseases cause acquired disability in humans, representing a leading cause of death worldwide. The Mediator complex (MED) is a large, evolutionarily conserved multiprotein that facilities the interaction between transcription factors and RNA Polymerase II in eukaryotes. Some MED subunits have been found altered in the brain, although their specific functions in neurodegenerative diseases are not fully understood.

Basic Pathogenic Mechanisms and Epigenetic Players Promoted by Extracellular Vesicles in Vascular Damage.

Both progression from the early pathogenic events to clinically manifest cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and cancer impact the integrity of the vascular system. Pathological vascular modifications are affected by interplay between endothelial cells and their microenvironment. Soluble factors, extracellular matrix molecules and extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging determinants of this network that trigger specific signals in target cells.

Spontaneous cancer remission after COVID-19: insights from the pandemic and their relevance for cancer treatment.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, it emerged that the risk of severe outcomes was greater in patients with co-morbidities, including cancer. The huge effort undertaken to fight the pandemic, affects the management of cancer care, influencing their outcome. Despite the high fatality rate of COVID-19 disease in cancer patients, rare cases of temporary or prolonged clinical remission from cancers after SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported.

De novo DNA methylation induced by circulating extracellular vesicles from acute coronary syndrome patients.

Background And Aims: DNA methylation is associated with gene silencing, but its clinical role in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remains to be elucidated. We hypothesized that extracellular vesicles (EVs) may carry epigenetic changes, showing themselves as a potentially valuable non-invasive diagnostic liquid biopsy. We isolated and characterized circulating EVs of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients and assessed their role on DNA methylation in epigenetic modifications.

Machine Learning and Bioinformatics Framework Integration to Potential Familial DCM-Related Markers Discovery.

Objectives: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by a specific transcriptome. Since the DCM molecular network is largely unknown, the aim was to identify specific disease-related molecular targets combining an original machine learning (ML) approach with protein-protein interaction network.

Methods: The transcriptomic profiles of human myocardial tissues were investigated integrating an original computational approach, based on the Custom Decision Tree algorithm, in a differential expression bioinformatic framework.

DNA Methylation Profile of the SREBF2 Gene in Human Fetal Aortas.

Increasing evidence suggests that maternal cholesterol represents an important risk factor for atherosclerotic disease in offspring already during pregnancy, although the underlying mechanisms have not yet been elucidated. Eighteen human fetal aorta samples were collected from the spontaneously aborted fetuses of normal cholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic mothers. Maternal total cholesterol levels were assessed during hospitalization.

Soft drinks and sweeteners intake: Possible contribution to the development of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases. Beneficial or detrimental action of alternative sweeteners?

The rapid increase in obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) has been related to the rise in sugar-added foods and sweetened beverages consumption. An interesting approach has been to replace sugar with alternative sweeteners (AS), due to their impact on public health. Preclinical and clinical studies, which analyze the safety of AS intake, are still limited.

Integrated analysis of DNA methylation profile of HLA-G gene and imaging in coronary heart disease: Pilot study.

Aims: Immune endothelial inflammation, underlying coronary heart disease (CHD) related phenotypes, could provide new insight into the pathobiology of the disease. We investigated DNA methylation level of the unique CpG island of HLA-G gene in CHD patients and evaluated the correlation with cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) features.

Methods: Thirty-two patients that underwent CCTA for suspected CHD were enrolled for this study.

An integrated approach to coronary heart disease diagnosis and clinical management.

The major issue in coronary heart disease (CHD) diagnosis and management is that symptoms onset in an advanced state of disease. Despite the availability of several clinical risk scores, the prediction of cardiovascular events is lacking, and many patients at risk are not well stratified according to the canonical risk factors alone. Therefore, adequate risk assessment remains the most challenging issue.

Emerging strategies of blood group genotyping for patients with hemoglobinopathies.

Red cell alloimmunization is a serious problem in chronically transfused patients. A number of high-throughput DNA assays have been developed to extend or replace traditional serologic antigen typing. DNA-based typing methods may be easily automated and multiplexed, and provide reliable information on a patient.

Infections and cardiovascular disease: is Bartonella henselae contributing to this matter?

Cardiovascular disease is still the major cause of death worldwide despite the remarkable progress in its prevention and treatment. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have recently emerged as key players of vascular repair and regenerative medicine applied to cardiovascular disease. A large amount of effort has been put into discovering the factors that could aid or impair the number and function of EPCs, and also into characterizing these cells at the molecular level in order to facilitate their therapeutic applications in vascular disease.

Epitope-specificities of HLA antibodies: the effect of epitope structure on Luminex technique-dependent antibody reactivity.

The search of HLA antibodies is currently more accessible by solid-phase techniques (Luminex) in the immunized patients leading to an expansion of the antibody patterns. The aim of this study was to investigate low median fluorescence intensity value in unexpected reactivity patterns. Here, we performed HLAMatchmaker analyses to evaluate the potential functional epitopes that can elicit HLA-specific alloantibody responses in a pregnancy-sensitized woman with an epitope defined by the 82LR.

Erythrocyte genotyping for transfusion-dependent patients at the Azienda Universitaria Policlinico of Naples.

Background And Objectives: Although minor erythrocyte antigens are not considered clinically significant in sporadic transfusions, they may be relevant for multi-transfusion patients. When serological assay is not conceivable, molecular genotyping allows predicting the red blood cell phenotype, extending the typing until minor blood groups. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of blood group genotyping and compare the molecular typing of erythrocyte antigens with the established serological methods.

Epigenetic reprogramming in atherosclerosis.

Recent data support the involvement of epigenetic alterations in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The most widely investigated epigenetic mechanism is DNA methylation although also histone code changes occur during the diverse steps of atherosclerosis, such as endothelial cell proliferation, vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) differentiation, and inflammatory pathway activation. In this review, we focus on the main genes that are epigenetically modified during the atherogenic process, particularly nitric oxide synthase (NOS), estrogen receptors (ERs), collagen type XV alpha 1 (COL15A1), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), and ten-eleven translocation (TET), which are involved in endothelial dysfunction; gamma interferon (IFN-γ), forkhead box p3 (FOXP3), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), associated with atherosclerotic inflammatory process; and p66shc, lectin-like oxLDL receptor (LOX1), and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genes, which are regulated by high cholesterol and homocysteine (Hcy) levels.

Imaging techniques to evaluate cell therapy in peripheral artery disease: state of the art and clinical trials.

Cell-based therapies, as potential approach to cure peripheral artery disease (PAD), have been clinically investigated after promising results in preclinical models. The so far published studies are very heterogeneous, as different cell sources, cell types, amounts of administered cells and delivering strategies have been used. Overall, cell therapies for PAD bring about a general improvement of patient's clinical condition, even though conclusions cannot be established due to the small size and non-randomized design of these trials.

The roles of mediator complex in cardiovascular diseases.

Despite recent treatment advances, an increase in cardiovascular diseases (CVD) mortality is expected for the next years. Mediator (MED) complex plays key roles in eukaryotic gene transcription. Currently, while numerous studies have correlated MED alterations with several diseases, like cancer or neurological disorders, fewer studies have investigated MED role in CVD initiation and progression.

Comparison between screening and confirmatory serological assays in blood donors in a region of South Italy.

Background: Screening assays are needed in order to guarantee safety of donated blood, but a significant number of safe donations are removed from blood supply because of reactive screening results. It is important to evaluate the positive predictive value (PPV) of screening assays in order to modulate confirmatory algorithm and implement an adequate counseling.

Methods: An analysis of 17,912 blood donations has been conducted at Transfusion Medicine at Second University Naples, Italy, in 2009-2012.

Involvement of Mediator complex in malignancy.

Mediator complex (MED) is an evolutionarily conserved multiprotein, fundamental for growth and survival of all cells. In eukaryotes, the mRNA transcription is dependent on RNA polymerase II that is associated to various molecules like general transcription factors, MED subunits and chromatin regulators. To date, transcriptional machinery dysfunction has been shown to elicit broad effects on cell proliferation, development, differentiation, and pathologic disease induction, including cancer.