Manuela Colosimo - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Manuela Colosimo

Reports, 2021

Ralstonia pickettii is an opportunistic bacillus found in Pseudomonas species, with the ability t... more Ralstonia pickettii is an opportunistic bacillus found in Pseudomonas species, with the ability to induce systemic infections. We report the case of a 69-year-old man, with a clinical history of myeloma, Type IIdiabetes, renal failure (grade IV), and colon cancer, that developed a severe bacterial infection, with acute asthenia and a fever, that appeared at the end of dialysis. Using theMALDI-TOF technology, the bacillus Ralstonia pickettii was identified, and an antimicrobial treatment was quickly started with a rapid microbiological remission.

COVID

In December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic age... more In December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), emerged in Wuhan, China. Several variants of concern (VOCs) have been identified so far. Recently, the B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant of SARS-CoV-2 spread rapidly worldwide. We describe the first case of the Omicron genetic lineage BA.1 in our region. The patient is a physician who traveled to Johannesburg (South Africa) and returned to Reggio Calabria (Italy). He underwent a SARS-CoV-2 screening before leaving—a required procedure where travelers present a negative PCR test one-day prior to departing. Three days after arriving in Italy, he started experiencing cold symptoms. Clinically, he was without fever or severe respiratory symptoms and reported suffering from a cold and sore throat. The nasopharyngeal swab specimen was tested by TaqPath COVID-19 RT-PCR and sequenced by Sanger sequencing, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) data were process...

Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 2014

We report a man with septic olecranon bursitis who had an early development of meningitis. A 74-y... more We report a man with septic olecranon bursitis who had an early development of meningitis. A 74-year-old man presented to the emergency room with malaise, headache, mental confusion, a fever unsuccessfully treated with oral NSAIDs and ice, and with a 10-day history of pain and swelling in his right elbow. Clinical and laboratory evaluation excluded other causes and microbiological evaluation documented a S. agalactiae infection. Antibiotic treatment induced a rapid improvement, without the development of side effects. This is the first report on olecranon bursitis and concomitant meningitis related to S. agalactiae infection.

Mycoplasma hominis is commonly involved in genitourinary tract infections. We report a 59-year-ol... more Mycoplasma hominis is commonly involved in genitourinary tract infections. We report a 59-year-old man who developed a M. hominis-associated mediastinitis following acute tonsillar infection.

Uro, 2021

This is a critical review of the current literature data about sexual dysfunction as a potential ... more This is a critical review of the current literature data about sexual dysfunction as a potential side effect related to drugs commonly used for the treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms. In this narrative review, we analyzed data from the literature related to the development of sexual dysfunctions during the treatment of BPH or LUTS. Both α-blockers and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) can induce erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory disorders and a reduction in sexual desire. The sexual side effect profile of these drugs is different. Among the α-blockers, silodosin appears to have the highest incidence of ejaculatory disorders. Persistent sexual side effects after the discontinuation of finasteride have been recently reported; however, further studies are needed to clarify the true incidence and the significance of this finding. However, most of the published studies are affected by a weak methodology and other important limitations, with onl...

Background: The new Coronavirus identified in Whuan at the end of 2019 (SARS-CoV-2) belongs to th... more Background: The new Coronavirus identified in Whuan at the end of 2019 (SARS-CoV-2) belongs to the Beta Coronavirus genus and is responsible for the new Coronavirus 2019 pandemia (COVID-19). Infected children may be asymptomatic or present fever, dry cough, fatigue or gastrointestinal symptoms. The CDC recommends that clinicians should decide to test patients based on the presence of signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19. Material and methods: 42 children (the majority < 5 years of age) were referred, to our Pediatric Department, as possible cases of COVID-19 infection. Blood analysis, chest X-ray, and naso-oropharyngeal swab specimens for viral identification of COVID-19 were requested. Results: None of the screened children resulted positive for COVID-19 infection. At first presentation, the most frequent signs and symptoms were: fever (71.4%), fatigue (35.7%) and cough (30.9%). An high C-reactive protein value and abnormalities of chest X-ray (bronchial wall thickening) ...

PLOS ONE

The multifunctional role of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in lung diseases is well established. A... more The multifunctional role of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in lung diseases is well established. As the lungs are greatly affected in COVID-19, we evaluated serum NSE levels in COVID-19 patients with and without dyspnea. In this study, we evaluated both SARS-CoV-2-infected and uninfected patients aged >18 years who were referred to hospitals in Catanzaro, Italy from March 30 to July 30, 2020. Epidemiological, clinical, and radiological characteristics, treatment, and outcome data were recorded and reviewed by a trained team of physicians. In total, 323 patients (178 men, 55.1% and 145 women, 44.9%) were enrolled; of these, 128 were COVID-19 patients (39.6%) and 195 were control patients (60.4%). Westergren’s method was used to determine erythroid sedimentation rate. A chemiluminescence assay was used for measurement of interleukin-6, procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, and NSE. We detected significantly higher NSE values (P<0.05) in COVID-19 patients than in controls. Interestin...

Nutrients

Vitamin D might play a role in counteracting COVID-19, albeit strong evidence is still lacking in... more Vitamin D might play a role in counteracting COVID-19, albeit strong evidence is still lacking in the literature. The present multicenter real-practice study aimed to evaluate the differences of 25(OH)D3 serum levels in adults tested for SARS-CoV-2 (acute COVID-19 patients, subjects healed from COVID-19, and non-infected ones) recruited over a 6-month period (March–September 2021). In a sample of 117 subjects, a statistically significant difference was found, with acute COVID-19 patients demonstrating the lowest levels of serum 25(OH)D3 (9.63 ± 8.70 ng/mL), significantly lower than values reported by no-COVID-19 patients (15.96 ± 5.99 ng/mL, p = 0.0091) and healed COVID-19 patients (11.52 ± 4.90 ng/mL, p > 0.05). Male gender across the three groups displayed unfluctuating 25(OH)D3 levels, hinting at an inability to ensure adequate levels of the active vitamin D3 form (1α,25(OH)2D3). As a secondary endpoint, we assessed the correlation between serum 25(OH)D3 levels and pro-inflamm...

Journal of Clinical Immunology

Reports — Medical Cases, Images, and Videos

The nasopharyngeal swab is commonly used for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Since the swa... more The nasopharyngeal swab is commonly used for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Since the swab is performed in this site, of course, it cannot detect the presence of the virus in other tissue districts such as the lung, brain, or bowel. In the present case report, the nasopharyngeal swab was negative twice. From this, the patient discontinued antiviral therapy. Nasopharyngeal swabs were maintained negative until five days later, when we recorded a severe impairment of the patient’s clinical condition. At this time, the bronchoalveolar lavage was positive for SARS-CoV-2. The purpose of the case herein described is to suggest paying attention to the nasopharyngeal swab result. A negative detection in nasopharyngeal swab could not be indicative of COVID-19 recovery.

3 Biotech

The important physiological and pathophysiological roles of intestinal human microbiome (HMB) in ... more The important physiological and pathophysiological roles of intestinal human microbiome (HMB) in human health have been emerging, owing to the access to molecular biology techniques. Herein we evaluated, for the first time, the intestinal HMB through direct hybridization approach using n-counter flex DX technology which bypasses the amplification procedure currently applied by other technologies to study the human microbiome. To this purpose, a clinical study was carried out on fecal samples, recruiting both healthy volunteers (N-FOB) and subjects positive for occult blood (P-FOB). A relevant custom panel of 79 16S rRNA target gene was engineered and 32 of them displayed a variation between the two clusters of subjects. Our findings revealed that bacteria belonging to Proteobacteria have higher distribution in P-FOB describing dysbiosis. Similarly, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes phylum display high distribution in P-FOB. Of interest, the presence of Clostridium difficile that belongs ...

Biomolecules

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in vascular wall degradation, and drugs... more Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in vascular wall degradation, and drugs able to modulate MMP activity can be used to prevent or treat aneurysmal disease. In this study, we evaluated the effects of statins on MMP-2, MMP-9, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in both plasma and tissue in patients with aneurysmal disease. Methods: We performed a prospective, single-blind, multicenter, control group clinical drug trial on 184 patients of both sexes >18 years old with a diagnosis of arterial aneurysmal disease. Enrolled patients were divided into two groups: Group I under statin treatment and Group II not taking statins. In addition, 122 patients without aneurysmal disease and under statin treatment were enrolled as a control group (Group III). The expression of MMPs and NGAL in plasma was evaluated using ELISA, while their expression in endothelial tissues was evaluated using Western blot. Results: The ELISA test revealed greater plasma lev...

Reports

Migraine pain is usually cyclic and may be evocated by inflammatory mediators released around the... more Migraine pain is usually cyclic and may be evocated by inflammatory mediators released around the nerves and blood vessels. Acute migraine pain is more common in women than in men, and correlates with age. In this study, we report the development of an acute migraine attack in a young man (32 years old), which led to his admission to the emergency department. The positive functional brain changes recorded by electroencephalogram (EEG) during the migraine attack, and the non-contrast brain computed tomography scan showed the presence of an arachnoid cyst, which explained the acute migraine attack inducing a misdiagnosis. Using the case described herein, we aim to draw the attention of clinic/scientific communities toward the existence of brain infections in absence of the typical symptoms (e.g., fever and/or rigor nucalis). Considering this case, we propose that when a diagnosis is uncertain the invasive liquor test should be performed.

Case Reports in Infectious Diseases, 2016

Microbiologia Medica, 2011

Aeromonas species are gram negative and able to induce systemic diseases (i.e., gastrointestinal,... more Aeromonas species are gram negative and able to induce systemic diseases (i.e., gastrointestinal, respiratory, and cardiovascular, diseases, in addition to infection of brain and soft tissues). In this study, we describe the development of necrotizing fasciitis in a young immunocompromised girl, with a low response to drug treatment and who died after some months.

Journal of Clinical Medicine

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of different analytic methods, ... more Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of different analytic methods, such as liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (EIA), and chemiluminescence immunoassays (CLIA), in order to highlight whether or not there is relative superiority amongst the assays. We analyzed two groups of subjects suffering from headache and two groups of healthy subjects. Design and Methods: We performed a prospective, single-blind single-center control-group study on 220 subjects with migraine. Subjects of both sexes >10 years old and with 12 months’ history of migraine were eligible for the study. As a control group, 120 healthy subjects were chosen by their family physician. Results: LC-MS/MS evaluation documented that in all enrolled subjects (migraine and control groups), the serum vitamin D3 levels were lower with respect to the normal range (30–...

Journal of Research in Medical Sciences the Official Journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Mar 16, 2014

We report a man with septic olecranon bursitis who had an early development of meningitis. Case S... more We report a man with septic olecranon bursitis who had an early development of meningitis. Case Summary: A 74-year-old man presented to the emergency room with malaise, headache, mental confusion, a fever unsuccessfully treated with oral NSAIDs and ice, and with a 10-day history of pain and swelling in his right elbow. Clinical and laboratory evaluation excluded other causes and microbiological evaluation documented a S. agalactiae infection. Antibiotic treatment induced a rapid improvement, without the development of side effects. Conclusion: This is the first report on olecranon bursitis and concomitant meningitis related to S. agalactiae infection.

Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 2014

Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 2013

Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum is a dimorphic fungus endemic in the eastern United States... more Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum is a dimorphic fungus endemic in the eastern United States and most countries of Latin America. Sporadic cases of histoplasmosis have been reported in Europe, mainly in immigrants or people returning from highly endemic areas. We report a case of 64-year-old Italian man with endophthalmitis, an unusual presentation of H. capsulatum infection. The patient shows redness, blurred vision, localized pain in the right eye. H. capsulatum was cultured from a vitreous biopsy and yeast forms were seen at histology. ª