Paolo Pellegrino - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Paolo Pellegrino
On the Possible Relationship Between Anti-Streptolysin-O Titer and Neuropsychiatric Disorders Other than PANS
Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology, 2015
2008 IEEE/LEOS Winter Topical Meeting Series, 2008
Comprehensive studies on nonlinear refractive indices ͑n 2 ͒ of SiO 2 films containing Si nanocry... more Comprehensive studies on nonlinear refractive indices ͑n 2 ͒ of SiO 2 films containing Si nanocrystals and/or nanoclusters ͑SiO 2 : Si-ncs͒ are performed. The comparison of the nonlinear refractive indices with the electron spin resonance signals reveals that defect states play a major role in the large n 2 when the annealing temperature is low, i.e., when Si nanoclusters exist in films. On the other hand, when Si nanocrystals are grown by high-temperature annealing, the contribution of defect states becomes small and that of the quantized electronic states of Si nanocrystals becomes large. The present results demonstrate that both the defect states and the quantized electronic states should be taken into account to explain the origin of large n 2 of SiO 2 : Si-ncs and to optimize the structure to maximize n 2 .
2007 4th IEEE International Conference on Group IV Photonics, 2007
Associated to silicon nanocrystals, slot waveguides are promising components for the fabrication ... more Associated to silicon nanocrystals, slot waveguides are promising components for the fabrication of fast optical switches. We report here on the fabrication of slot waveguides with industrial microelectronic tools, especially DUV lithography. The filling of slot waveguides with silicon nanocrystals within SiO 2 by PECVD and LPCVD deposition results in almost filled waveguides owing to incorrect silicon etching profiles. We also report on slot waveguide alternative structure: the sandwiched waveguide. This structure eliminates the slot filling step and allows slot thickness as thin as desired. The association of silicon nanocrystals and slot waveguides, if used in a Mach-Zender Interferometer structure, will pave the way to the first compact alloptical XOR logic gate entirely fabricated with CMOS tools.
On vaccine's adjuvants and autoimmunity: Current evidence and future perspectives
Autoimmunity reviews, Jan 29, 2015
Adjuvants are compounds incorporated into vaccines to enhance immunogenicity and the development ... more Adjuvants are compounds incorporated into vaccines to enhance immunogenicity and the development of these molecules has become an expanding field of research in the last decades. Adding an adjuvant to a vaccine antigen leads to several advantages, including dose sparing and the induction of a more rapid, broader and strong immune response. Several of these molecules have been approved, including aluminium salts, oil-in-water emulsions (MF59, AS03 and AF03), virosomes and AS04. Adjuvants have recently been implicated in the new syndrome named "ASIA-Autoimmune/inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants", which describes an umbrella of clinical conditions including post-vaccination adverse reactions. Recent studies implicate a web of mechanisms in the development of vaccine adjuvant-induced autoimmune diseases, in particular, in those associated with aluminium-based compounds. Fewer and unsystematised data are instead available about other adjuvants, despite recent evidence i...
Immunogenicity and safety of the human papillomavirus vaccine in patients with autoimmune diseases: A systematic review
Vaccine, Jan 30, 2015
Whereas safety and efficacy of HPV vaccines in healthy women have been shown in several randomise... more Whereas safety and efficacy of HPV vaccines in healthy women have been shown in several randomised controlled clinical trials and in post marketing analyses, only few data exist in patients affected by autoimmune diseases. These issues are significant as autoimmune conditions are recognised as a risk factor for the persistence of HPV infection. Herein we review and systematise the existing literature to assess immunogenicity and safety of HPV vaccination in patients with autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The results of our literature revision suggest that the HPV vaccines are efficacious and safe in most of the patients affected by autoimmune diseases. Yet, some points of concern remain to be tackled, including the effects of concomitant therapies, the risk of disease exacerbation and the cost-effectiveness of such immunisation programmes in these populations.
Mediators of Inflammation, 2015
The inflammatory microenvironment induces tumours to acquire an aggressive and immunosuppressive ... more The inflammatory microenvironment induces tumours to acquire an aggressive and immunosuppressive behaviour. Since acid sphingomyelinase (A-SMase) downregulation in melanoma was shown to determine a malignant phenotype, we aimed here to elucidate the role of A-SMase in the regulation of tumour immunogenic microenvironment using in vivo melanoma models in which A-SMase was either downregulated or maintained at constitutively high levels. We found high levels of inflammatory factors in low A-SMase expressing tumours, which also displayed an immunosuppressive/protumoural microenvironment: high levels of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs), as well as low levels of dendritic cells (DCs). In contrast, the restoration of A-SMase in melanoma cells not only reduced tumour growth and immunosuppression, but also induced a high recruitment at tumour site of effector immune cells with an antitumoural function. Indeed, we observed a poor homing of MDSCs and Tregs and the increased recruitment of CD8 + and CD4 + T lymphocytes as well as the infiltration of DCs and CD8 + /CD44 high T lymphocytes. This study demonstrates that change of A-SMase expression in cancer cells is sufficient per se to tune in vivo melanoma growth and that A-SMase levels modulate immune cells at tumour site. This may be taken into consideration in the setting of therapeutic strategies.
Re: "Postelimination transmission of measles in the US
American journal of epidemiology, Jan 15, 2014
Drug design, development and therapy, 2014
We designed two Phase I studies that assessed healthy volunteers in order to evaluate the safety ... more We designed two Phase I studies that assessed healthy volunteers in order to evaluate the safety and to optimize the dosing of the combination of the drugs isosorbide dinitrate, a nitric oxide donor, and ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug. We designed these studies with the aim of designing a Phase II trial to evaluate the drugs' efficacy in patients affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy. For the first trial, ISOFEN1, a single-dose, randomized-sequence, open-label, active control, three-treatment cross-over study, was aimed at comparing the pharmacokinetics of ibuprofen 200 mg and isosorbide dinitrate 20 mg when given alone and concomitantly. The pharmacokinetics of ibuprofen given alone versus ibuprofen given concomitantly with isosorbide dinitrate were similar, as documented by the lack of statistically significant differences in the main drug's pharmacokinetic parameters (time to maximal concentration [Tmax], maximal concentration [Cmax], area under the cur...
Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 2014
Muscular dystrophies are a group of genetic and heterogeneous neuromuscular disorders characteriz... more Muscular dystrophies are a group of genetic and heterogeneous neuromuscular disorders characterized by the primary wasting of skeletal muscle. In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the most severe form of these diseases, the mutations in the dystrophin gene lead to muscle weakness and wasting, exhaustion of muscular regenerative capacity, and chronic local inflammation leading to substitution of myofibers by connective and adipose tissue. DMD patients suffer from continuous and progressive skeletal muscle damage followed by complete paralysis and death, usually by respiratory and/or cardiac failure. No cure is yet available, but several therapeutic approaches aiming at reversing the ongoing degeneration have been investigated in preclinical and clinical settings. Autophagy is an important proteolytic system of the cell and has a crucial role in the removal of proteins, aggregates, and organelles. Autophagy is constantly active in skeletal muscle and its role in tissue homeostasis is...
American Journal of Infection Control, 2015
Clinical practice protocols for the control and prevention of respiratory infections in rehabilit... more Clinical practice protocols for the control and prevention of respiratory infections in rehabilitation settings, especially regarding pediatric tracheostomized patients, are currently lacking. To tackle this issue, we conducted a systematization of our clinical management protocols, aiming at defining a decisional algorithm and describing its key points in more detail. We focused on infection control, improvement of respiratory functions, and weaning from tracheostomy.
Gastroenterology Research and Practice, 2015
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises several conditions with chronic or recurring immune re... more Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises several conditions with chronic or recurring immune response and inflammation of the gastrointestinal apparatus, of which ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are the commonest forms. This disease has a significant prevalence and it is of an unknown aethiology. Five-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and its derivatives are among the oldest drugs approved for the treatment of the IBD. In this review we reapprise aspects of 5-ASA mechanism of action, safety, and efficacy that in our opinion make it a valuable drug that can be fruitfully tailored in personalised treatments as a therapeutic option alongside other immune-modifying agents.
2005 Spanish Conference on Electron Devices, Proceedings, 2005
Since the discovery of conductivity in polymers and certain organic molecules, remarkable progres... more Since the discovery of conductivity in polymers and certain organic molecules, remarkable progress has been made in synthesizing organic materials, in understanding their properties and in developing them for use in electronic and optical devices [1]. Currently, polymer and organic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) [2], photovoltaic cells [3] and field effect transistor [4] are being pushed towards commercialization. Among all the conjugated polymers, poly(1,4-phenylenevinylene) or PPV as well as its derivative 2methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene or MEH-PPV have been extensively studied for LED applications. We present here a study of a single layer structure LED with MEH-PPV as the active organic layer. Optical and electrical characterization completes the study of the electroluminescence obtained from such device.
Non-Linear Optical Properties of Si Nanocrystals
3rd IEEE International Conference on Group IV Photonics, 2006., 2006
... Nonlinear Optical Properties of Si Nanocrystals. ... Rita Spano a1 , Massimo Cazzanelli a2 , ... more ... Nonlinear Optical Properties of Si Nanocrystals. ... Rita Spano a1 , Massimo Cazzanelli a2 , Nicola Daldosso a3 , Zeno Gaburro a4 , Luigi Ferraioli a5 , Luca Tartara a6 , Jin Yu a7 , Vittorio Degiorgio a8 , Sergi Hernandez a9 , Youcef Lebour a10 , Paolo Pellegrino a11 , Blas ...
Skeletal muscle, 2014
Nitric oxide (NO), generated in skeletal muscle mostly by the neuronal NO synthases (nNOSμ), has ... more Nitric oxide (NO), generated in skeletal muscle mostly by the neuronal NO synthases (nNOSμ), has profound effects on both mitochondrial bioenergetics and muscle development and function. The importance of NO for muscle repair emerges from the observation that nNOS signalling is defective in many genetically diverse skeletal muscle diseases in which muscle repair is dysregulated. How the effects of NO/nNOSμ on mitochondria impact on muscle function, however, has not been investigated yet. In this study we have examined the relationship between the NO system, mitochondrial structure/activity and skeletal muscle phenotype/growth/functions using a mouse model in which nNOSμ is absent. Also, NO-induced effects and the NO pathway were dissected in myogenic precursor cells. We show that nNOSμ deficiency in mouse skeletal muscle leads to altered mitochondrial bioenergetics and network remodelling, and increased mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR(mt)) and autophagy. The absence of ...
The epidemiological profile of ASIA syndrome after HPV vaccination: an evaluation based on the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting Systems
Immunologic Research, 2014
The term &amp... more The term "ASIA-Autoimmune/inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants" describes an umbrella of clinical conditions sharing similar signs or symptoms, including post-vaccination phenomena. No information is available on the epidemiology of the ASIA syndrome, especially following HPV vaccination. We carried out an analysis of the VAERS database to retrieve all cases of suspected ASIA syndrome according to the Shoenfeld and Agmon-Levin's guideline for the diagnosis. After causality assessment and case validation, 2,207 cases were considered probably or possibly related to vaccination. These represent the largest ASIA cohort ever reported and allowed us to estimate epidemiological and clinical characteristic of this syndrome. The commonest clinical manifestation observed were pyrexia (58%), myalgia (27%) and arthralgia or arthritis (19%), and the estimated reporting rate was of 3.6 cases per 100,000 doses of HPV vaccine distributed (95% CI 3.4-3.7). This study presents the first systematic estimation of ASIA incidence and expands the knowledge on this pathology. Further analyses are needed to identify genetic and non-genetic risk factors for ASIA syndrome.
Establishing the correlation between statins and cough: case series report and analysis of adverse drug reactions in the international databases
European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2014
ABSTRACT Dear Editor,Statins are generally well tolerated, even if muscle toxicity and interstiti... more ABSTRACT Dear Editor,Statins are generally well tolerated, even if muscle toxicity and interstitial lung disease (ILD) may occur [1, 2]. The association of cough with statins in the absence of lung injury has been reported only twice in the literature [3, 4]. To define better this association, we carried out an analysis from 2004 to 2012 using the Australian database of Adverse Event Notifications (DAEN), the Canada Vigilance Adverse Reaction Online Database and the United States Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) databases. We considered reports where statin was the only suspected drug for cough; suspected reports of ‘cough’ were detected using the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities code (MedDRA) at the Preferred Term (PT) level [5].We analysed 995 spontaneous reports of cough induced by statins including rosuvastatin, atorvastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin and pitavastatin (Table 1). Other adverse drug reactions were sometime ...
Late Onset of Vaccine-associated Measles in Adults
The American Journal of Medicine, 2014
Vaccine, 2014
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic progressive demyelinating disease affecting over 2.1 million pati... more Multiple sclerosis is a chronic progressive demyelinating disease affecting over 2.1 million patients worldwide. Patients affected by MS are exposed to an increased risk of infection from communicable diseases, which may lead to severe disease relapses.
MRS Proceedings, 2004
We study the optical and structural properties of rib-loaded waveguides working in the 600-900 nm... more We study the optical and structural properties of rib-loaded waveguides working in the 600-900 nm spectral range. A Si nanocrystal-rich SiO x with Si excess nominally ranging from 10 to 20% forms the active region of the waveguide. Starting materials were fused silica wafers and 2 µm-thick SiO 2 thermally grown onto Si substrate. Si nanocrystals were precipitated by annealing at 1100ºC after quadruple Si ion implantation to high doses in a flat profile. The complete phase separation and formation of Si nanocrystals were monitored by means of optical tools, such as Raman, optical absorption and photoluminescence. Grain size distribution was obtained by electron microscopy. The actual Si excess content was obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The rib-loaded structure of the waveguide was fabricated by photolitographic and reactive ion etching processes, with patterned rib widths ranging from 1 to 8 µm. M-lines spectroscopy measurements provided a direct measurement of the refractive index and thickness of the active layers versus Si excess. When coupling a probe signal at 780 nm or 633 nm into the waveguide, an attenuation of at least 11 dB/cm was observed. These propagation losses have been attributed to Mie scattering, waveguide irregularities and direct absorption by the silicon nanocrystals.
On the Possible Relationship Between Anti-Streptolysin-O Titer and Neuropsychiatric Disorders Other than PANS
Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology, 2015
2008 IEEE/LEOS Winter Topical Meeting Series, 2008
Comprehensive studies on nonlinear refractive indices ͑n 2 ͒ of SiO 2 films containing Si nanocry... more Comprehensive studies on nonlinear refractive indices ͑n 2 ͒ of SiO 2 films containing Si nanocrystals and/or nanoclusters ͑SiO 2 : Si-ncs͒ are performed. The comparison of the nonlinear refractive indices with the electron spin resonance signals reveals that defect states play a major role in the large n 2 when the annealing temperature is low, i.e., when Si nanoclusters exist in films. On the other hand, when Si nanocrystals are grown by high-temperature annealing, the contribution of defect states becomes small and that of the quantized electronic states of Si nanocrystals becomes large. The present results demonstrate that both the defect states and the quantized electronic states should be taken into account to explain the origin of large n 2 of SiO 2 : Si-ncs and to optimize the structure to maximize n 2 .
2007 4th IEEE International Conference on Group IV Photonics, 2007
Associated to silicon nanocrystals, slot waveguides are promising components for the fabrication ... more Associated to silicon nanocrystals, slot waveguides are promising components for the fabrication of fast optical switches. We report here on the fabrication of slot waveguides with industrial microelectronic tools, especially DUV lithography. The filling of slot waveguides with silicon nanocrystals within SiO 2 by PECVD and LPCVD deposition results in almost filled waveguides owing to incorrect silicon etching profiles. We also report on slot waveguide alternative structure: the sandwiched waveguide. This structure eliminates the slot filling step and allows slot thickness as thin as desired. The association of silicon nanocrystals and slot waveguides, if used in a Mach-Zender Interferometer structure, will pave the way to the first compact alloptical XOR logic gate entirely fabricated with CMOS tools.
On vaccine's adjuvants and autoimmunity: Current evidence and future perspectives
Autoimmunity reviews, Jan 29, 2015
Adjuvants are compounds incorporated into vaccines to enhance immunogenicity and the development ... more Adjuvants are compounds incorporated into vaccines to enhance immunogenicity and the development of these molecules has become an expanding field of research in the last decades. Adding an adjuvant to a vaccine antigen leads to several advantages, including dose sparing and the induction of a more rapid, broader and strong immune response. Several of these molecules have been approved, including aluminium salts, oil-in-water emulsions (MF59, AS03 and AF03), virosomes and AS04. Adjuvants have recently been implicated in the new syndrome named "ASIA-Autoimmune/inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants", which describes an umbrella of clinical conditions including post-vaccination adverse reactions. Recent studies implicate a web of mechanisms in the development of vaccine adjuvant-induced autoimmune diseases, in particular, in those associated with aluminium-based compounds. Fewer and unsystematised data are instead available about other adjuvants, despite recent evidence i...
Immunogenicity and safety of the human papillomavirus vaccine in patients with autoimmune diseases: A systematic review
Vaccine, Jan 30, 2015
Whereas safety and efficacy of HPV vaccines in healthy women have been shown in several randomise... more Whereas safety and efficacy of HPV vaccines in healthy women have been shown in several randomised controlled clinical trials and in post marketing analyses, only few data exist in patients affected by autoimmune diseases. These issues are significant as autoimmune conditions are recognised as a risk factor for the persistence of HPV infection. Herein we review and systematise the existing literature to assess immunogenicity and safety of HPV vaccination in patients with autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The results of our literature revision suggest that the HPV vaccines are efficacious and safe in most of the patients affected by autoimmune diseases. Yet, some points of concern remain to be tackled, including the effects of concomitant therapies, the risk of disease exacerbation and the cost-effectiveness of such immunisation programmes in these populations.
Mediators of Inflammation, 2015
The inflammatory microenvironment induces tumours to acquire an aggressive and immunosuppressive ... more The inflammatory microenvironment induces tumours to acquire an aggressive and immunosuppressive behaviour. Since acid sphingomyelinase (A-SMase) downregulation in melanoma was shown to determine a malignant phenotype, we aimed here to elucidate the role of A-SMase in the regulation of tumour immunogenic microenvironment using in vivo melanoma models in which A-SMase was either downregulated or maintained at constitutively high levels. We found high levels of inflammatory factors in low A-SMase expressing tumours, which also displayed an immunosuppressive/protumoural microenvironment: high levels of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs), as well as low levels of dendritic cells (DCs). In contrast, the restoration of A-SMase in melanoma cells not only reduced tumour growth and immunosuppression, but also induced a high recruitment at tumour site of effector immune cells with an antitumoural function. Indeed, we observed a poor homing of MDSCs and Tregs and the increased recruitment of CD8 + and CD4 + T lymphocytes as well as the infiltration of DCs and CD8 + /CD44 high T lymphocytes. This study demonstrates that change of A-SMase expression in cancer cells is sufficient per se to tune in vivo melanoma growth and that A-SMase levels modulate immune cells at tumour site. This may be taken into consideration in the setting of therapeutic strategies.
Re: "Postelimination transmission of measles in the US
American journal of epidemiology, Jan 15, 2014
Drug design, development and therapy, 2014
We designed two Phase I studies that assessed healthy volunteers in order to evaluate the safety ... more We designed two Phase I studies that assessed healthy volunteers in order to evaluate the safety and to optimize the dosing of the combination of the drugs isosorbide dinitrate, a nitric oxide donor, and ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug. We designed these studies with the aim of designing a Phase II trial to evaluate the drugs' efficacy in patients affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy. For the first trial, ISOFEN1, a single-dose, randomized-sequence, open-label, active control, three-treatment cross-over study, was aimed at comparing the pharmacokinetics of ibuprofen 200 mg and isosorbide dinitrate 20 mg when given alone and concomitantly. The pharmacokinetics of ibuprofen given alone versus ibuprofen given concomitantly with isosorbide dinitrate were similar, as documented by the lack of statistically significant differences in the main drug's pharmacokinetic parameters (time to maximal concentration [Tmax], maximal concentration [Cmax], area under the cur...
Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 2014
Muscular dystrophies are a group of genetic and heterogeneous neuromuscular disorders characteriz... more Muscular dystrophies are a group of genetic and heterogeneous neuromuscular disorders characterized by the primary wasting of skeletal muscle. In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the most severe form of these diseases, the mutations in the dystrophin gene lead to muscle weakness and wasting, exhaustion of muscular regenerative capacity, and chronic local inflammation leading to substitution of myofibers by connective and adipose tissue. DMD patients suffer from continuous and progressive skeletal muscle damage followed by complete paralysis and death, usually by respiratory and/or cardiac failure. No cure is yet available, but several therapeutic approaches aiming at reversing the ongoing degeneration have been investigated in preclinical and clinical settings. Autophagy is an important proteolytic system of the cell and has a crucial role in the removal of proteins, aggregates, and organelles. Autophagy is constantly active in skeletal muscle and its role in tissue homeostasis is...
American Journal of Infection Control, 2015
Clinical practice protocols for the control and prevention of respiratory infections in rehabilit... more Clinical practice protocols for the control and prevention of respiratory infections in rehabilitation settings, especially regarding pediatric tracheostomized patients, are currently lacking. To tackle this issue, we conducted a systematization of our clinical management protocols, aiming at defining a decisional algorithm and describing its key points in more detail. We focused on infection control, improvement of respiratory functions, and weaning from tracheostomy.
Gastroenterology Research and Practice, 2015
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises several conditions with chronic or recurring immune re... more Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises several conditions with chronic or recurring immune response and inflammation of the gastrointestinal apparatus, of which ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are the commonest forms. This disease has a significant prevalence and it is of an unknown aethiology. Five-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and its derivatives are among the oldest drugs approved for the treatment of the IBD. In this review we reapprise aspects of 5-ASA mechanism of action, safety, and efficacy that in our opinion make it a valuable drug that can be fruitfully tailored in personalised treatments as a therapeutic option alongside other immune-modifying agents.
2005 Spanish Conference on Electron Devices, Proceedings, 2005
Since the discovery of conductivity in polymers and certain organic molecules, remarkable progres... more Since the discovery of conductivity in polymers and certain organic molecules, remarkable progress has been made in synthesizing organic materials, in understanding their properties and in developing them for use in electronic and optical devices [1]. Currently, polymer and organic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) [2], photovoltaic cells [3] and field effect transistor [4] are being pushed towards commercialization. Among all the conjugated polymers, poly(1,4-phenylenevinylene) or PPV as well as its derivative 2methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene or MEH-PPV have been extensively studied for LED applications. We present here a study of a single layer structure LED with MEH-PPV as the active organic layer. Optical and electrical characterization completes the study of the electroluminescence obtained from such device.
Non-Linear Optical Properties of Si Nanocrystals
3rd IEEE International Conference on Group IV Photonics, 2006., 2006
... Nonlinear Optical Properties of Si Nanocrystals. ... Rita Spano a1 , Massimo Cazzanelli a2 , ... more ... Nonlinear Optical Properties of Si Nanocrystals. ... Rita Spano a1 , Massimo Cazzanelli a2 , Nicola Daldosso a3 , Zeno Gaburro a4 , Luigi Ferraioli a5 , Luca Tartara a6 , Jin Yu a7 , Vittorio Degiorgio a8 , Sergi Hernandez a9 , Youcef Lebour a10 , Paolo Pellegrino a11 , Blas ...
Skeletal muscle, 2014
Nitric oxide (NO), generated in skeletal muscle mostly by the neuronal NO synthases (nNOSμ), has ... more Nitric oxide (NO), generated in skeletal muscle mostly by the neuronal NO synthases (nNOSμ), has profound effects on both mitochondrial bioenergetics and muscle development and function. The importance of NO for muscle repair emerges from the observation that nNOS signalling is defective in many genetically diverse skeletal muscle diseases in which muscle repair is dysregulated. How the effects of NO/nNOSμ on mitochondria impact on muscle function, however, has not been investigated yet. In this study we have examined the relationship between the NO system, mitochondrial structure/activity and skeletal muscle phenotype/growth/functions using a mouse model in which nNOSμ is absent. Also, NO-induced effects and the NO pathway were dissected in myogenic precursor cells. We show that nNOSμ deficiency in mouse skeletal muscle leads to altered mitochondrial bioenergetics and network remodelling, and increased mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR(mt)) and autophagy. The absence of ...
The epidemiological profile of ASIA syndrome after HPV vaccination: an evaluation based on the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting Systems
Immunologic Research, 2014
The term &amp... more The term "ASIA-Autoimmune/inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants" describes an umbrella of clinical conditions sharing similar signs or symptoms, including post-vaccination phenomena. No information is available on the epidemiology of the ASIA syndrome, especially following HPV vaccination. We carried out an analysis of the VAERS database to retrieve all cases of suspected ASIA syndrome according to the Shoenfeld and Agmon-Levin's guideline for the diagnosis. After causality assessment and case validation, 2,207 cases were considered probably or possibly related to vaccination. These represent the largest ASIA cohort ever reported and allowed us to estimate epidemiological and clinical characteristic of this syndrome. The commonest clinical manifestation observed were pyrexia (58%), myalgia (27%) and arthralgia or arthritis (19%), and the estimated reporting rate was of 3.6 cases per 100,000 doses of HPV vaccine distributed (95% CI 3.4-3.7). This study presents the first systematic estimation of ASIA incidence and expands the knowledge on this pathology. Further analyses are needed to identify genetic and non-genetic risk factors for ASIA syndrome.
Establishing the correlation between statins and cough: case series report and analysis of adverse drug reactions in the international databases
European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2014
ABSTRACT Dear Editor,Statins are generally well tolerated, even if muscle toxicity and interstiti... more ABSTRACT Dear Editor,Statins are generally well tolerated, even if muscle toxicity and interstitial lung disease (ILD) may occur [1, 2]. The association of cough with statins in the absence of lung injury has been reported only twice in the literature [3, 4]. To define better this association, we carried out an analysis from 2004 to 2012 using the Australian database of Adverse Event Notifications (DAEN), the Canada Vigilance Adverse Reaction Online Database and the United States Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) databases. We considered reports where statin was the only suspected drug for cough; suspected reports of ‘cough’ were detected using the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities code (MedDRA) at the Preferred Term (PT) level [5].We analysed 995 spontaneous reports of cough induced by statins including rosuvastatin, atorvastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin and pitavastatin (Table 1). Other adverse drug reactions were sometime ...
Late Onset of Vaccine-associated Measles in Adults
The American Journal of Medicine, 2014
Vaccine, 2014
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic progressive demyelinating disease affecting over 2.1 million pati... more Multiple sclerosis is a chronic progressive demyelinating disease affecting over 2.1 million patients worldwide. Patients affected by MS are exposed to an increased risk of infection from communicable diseases, which may lead to severe disease relapses.
MRS Proceedings, 2004
We study the optical and structural properties of rib-loaded waveguides working in the 600-900 nm... more We study the optical and structural properties of rib-loaded waveguides working in the 600-900 nm spectral range. A Si nanocrystal-rich SiO x with Si excess nominally ranging from 10 to 20% forms the active region of the waveguide. Starting materials were fused silica wafers and 2 µm-thick SiO 2 thermally grown onto Si substrate. Si nanocrystals were precipitated by annealing at 1100ºC after quadruple Si ion implantation to high doses in a flat profile. The complete phase separation and formation of Si nanocrystals were monitored by means of optical tools, such as Raman, optical absorption and photoluminescence. Grain size distribution was obtained by electron microscopy. The actual Si excess content was obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The rib-loaded structure of the waveguide was fabricated by photolitographic and reactive ion etching processes, with patterned rib widths ranging from 1 to 8 µm. M-lines spectroscopy measurements provided a direct measurement of the refractive index and thickness of the active layers versus Si excess. When coupling a probe signal at 780 nm or 633 nm into the waveguide, an attenuation of at least 11 dB/cm was observed. These propagation losses have been attributed to Mie scattering, waveguide irregularities and direct absorption by the silicon nanocrystals.