Serena Vita | Università degli Studi "La Sapienza" di Roma (original) (raw)

Papers by Serena Vita

International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2020

We report two cases of COronaVIrus Disease-19 in patients with Down Syndrome and describe the ide... more We report two cases of COronaVIrus Disease-19 in patients with Down Syndrome and describe the identification, diagnosis, clinical course, and management of the infection. Down Syndrome, which is caused by trisomy 21, is characterized by immune dysregulation, anatomical differences in the upper respiratory tract, and higher rate of comorbidities. All these risk factors can contribute to more severe clinical presentations of COVID-19. It is essential to raise awareness of the clinical relevance of SARS-COV-2 infection in DS patients, as well in other most vulnerable patients in order to improve their management and treatment and to candidate these individuals for vaccination, once available.

BMC research notes, Jan 13, 2017

Pediatric tuberculous meningitis is a highly morbid, often fatal disease. Its prompt diagnosis an... more Pediatric tuberculous meningitis is a highly morbid, often fatal disease. Its prompt diagnosis and treatment saves lives, in fact delays in the initiation of therapy have been associated with high mortality rates. This is a case of an Italian child who was diagnosed with tuberculous meningitis after a history of a month of headache, fatigue and weight loss. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed a lymphocytic pleocytosis with predominance and decreased glucose concentration. Microscopy and conventional diagnostic tests to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis were negative, while a non classical method based on intracellular cytokine flow cytometry response of CD4 cells in cerebral spinal fluid helped us to address the diagnosis, that was subsequently confirmed by a nested polymerase chain reaction amplifying a 123 base pair fragment of the M. tuberculosis DNA. We diagnosed tuberculous meningitis at an early stage through an innovative immunological approach, supported by a nested poly...

Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2014

Poster PO 119. Infection, Suppl II 37: 100-101

Form per Poster Autore che presenta il lavoro Cognome e Nome_______ Russo Gianluca ______________... more Form per Poster Autore che presenta il lavoro Cognome e Nome_______ Russo Gianluca ______________________ Istituto _Dip. Malattie Infettive e Tropicali, Università di Roma "Sapienza" Indirizzo privato Viale del Policlinico 155 Cap 00161; Città Roma; Prov. RM; Tel 06 49970313; Fax__0649972625_

Mono-and multifunctional specific CD4 + and CD8 + T-cell responses were evaluated to improve the ... more Mono-and multifunctional specific CD4 + and CD8 + T-cell responses were evaluated to improve the immune-based detection of active tuberculosis (TB) and latent infection (LTBI). We applied flow cytometry to investigate cytokines profile (IFN-, TNF-, and IL-2) of T cells after stimulation with TB antigens in 28 TB-infected subjects (18 active TB and 10 LTBI) and 10 uninfected controls. Cytokines production by CD4 + T cells at single-cell levels was higher in TB-infected subjects than uninfected controls ( < 0.0001). Assigning to activated CD4 + T cells, producing any of the three cytokines, a cut-off >0.45%, it was possible to differentiate TB-infected (>0.45%) by uninfected subjects (<0.45%). Among TB-infected subjects, the frequencies of multifunctional CD4 + T cells, simultaneously producing all 3 cytokines, are lower in active TB than LTBI subjects ( = 0.003). Thus, assigning to triplepositive CD4 + T cells a cut-off <0.182%, TB-infected individuals could be classified as active TB subjects (<0.182%) or LTBI subjects (>0.182%). The magnitude of CD8 + T-cell responses showed no differences between active TB and LTBI. Multifunctional CD4 + T-cell responses could have the potential to identify at single time point subjects without TB infection and patients having active or latent TB.

Journal of public health (Oxford, England), Jan 28, 2015

Data on diseases' determinants and health status of asylum seekers (ASs) are limited. We perf... more Data on diseases' determinants and health status of asylum seekers (ASs) are limited. We performed a cross-sectional retrospective study in a large ASs centre in Italy. Data were collected during a 1-year period. Descriptive statistics were calculated. A χ(2) test was used to assess the association between socio-demographics characteristics of ASs and screening test results. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify diseases' predictors by using ICD-10 diagnoses classification as outcome variable, socio-demographic characteristics as independent variable and visits' number as confounding variable. Overall, data on 792 ASs (mean age 27 years, 80% males, 58% from Africa) were assessed, 43% underwent voluntary infectious diseases screening and 2843 diagnoses were recorded. The most frequent diagnoses were: respiratory diseases, symptoms/signs not elsewhere classified, digestive diseases and infectious diseases. Gender was the most frequent predictor ...

The Journal of infectious diseases, 2014

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection directly targets vascular endothelium and smooth muscle and at o... more Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection directly targets vascular endothelium and smooth muscle and at older ages is associated with accelerated vascular pathology and mortality. CMV-specific cellular immunity might directly contribute to this process. Conventional ex vivo activation-induced T-cell responses to 19 dominant CMV antigens, along with CMV-specific inducible regulatory-type CD4+ T cells (iTregs), were measured in healthy older people, using a novel protocol that included classic Treg markers alongside the activation marker CD134. Measurements were correlated with diastolic, systolic, and mean arterial blood pressure, a surrogate marker for arterial stiffness. CMV-specific iTregs recognized the same antigens as conventional CD4+ T cells and were significantly more frequent at older ages. They suppressed antigen-specific and nonspecific proliferation and in large part expressed Foxp3. Frequencies of CMV-specific iTregs and CD8+ T cells (summated response) were significantly ass...

Infection with Cytomegalovirus is associated with accelerated immunosenescence. Expansions of CMV... more Infection with Cytomegalovirus is associated with accelerated immunosenescence. Expansions of CMV-specific T cell responses have previously been demonstrated to affect the ability of T cells to respond to other infections. Most people above 60 years of age display M. tuberculosis-specific immunity because of vaccination, exposure, or both. T-cell responses can be assessed by measuring intracellular IFN-γ in vitro after tuberculin stimulation. Here we investigated tuberculin-specific CD4 T-cell responses in independently living healthy older people in the South of England using flow-cytometry. Individuals were investigated for tuberculin and CMV-specific Tcell immunity using in vitro antigen stimulation followed by intracellular staining for IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL2, as well as degranulation and CD154 upregulation. We also examined a control group of younger individuals (20-35 years of age). There was no significant difference between older and young people in regards to tuberculin responsiveness of CD4 T-cells; however, older people seemed to show more outliers. Increased responsiveness to tuberculin was significantly correlated to CMV responsiveness but not age. In older donors, the memory phenotype of tuberculin-induced T-cells was significantly skewed towards a more terminal differentiation phenotype in CMV-infected compared to uninfected individuals and the degree of skewing correlated quantitatively with the size of the CMV-specific CD4 T-cell response. This is a fundamental advance over previous reports of changes of the tuberculin-specific CD4 T-cell response with CMV serostatus. Our results show that how the immune system responds to CMV has a fundamental impact on the phenotype and function of the immune response to mycobacterial antigens in older life.

Experimental Gerontology, 2014

Infection with Cytomegalovirus is associated with accelerated immunosenescence. Expansions of CMV... more Infection with Cytomegalovirus is associated with accelerated immunosenescence. Expansions of CMV-specific T cell responses have previously been demonstrated to affect the ability of T cells to respond to other infections. Most people above 60 years of age display M. tuberculosis-specific immunity because of vaccination, exposure, or both. T-cell responses can be assessed by measuring intracellular IFN-γ in vitro after tuberculin stimulation. Here we investigated tuberculin-specific CD4 T-cell responses in independently living healthy older people in the South of England using flow-cytometry. Individuals were investigated for tuberculin and CMV-specific Tcell immunity using in vitro antigen stimulation followed by intracellular staining for IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL2, as well as degranulation and CD154 upregulation. We also examined a control group of younger individuals (20-35 years of age). There was no significant difference between older and young people in regards to tuberculin responsiveness of CD4 T-cells; however, older people seemed to show more outliers. Increased responsiveness to tuberculin was significantly correlated to CMV responsiveness but not age. In older donors, the memory phenotype of tuberculin-induced T-cells was significantly skewed towards a more terminal differentiation phenotype in CMV-infected compared to uninfected individuals and the degree of skewing correlated quantitatively with the size of the CMV-specific CD4 T-cell response. This is a fundamental advance over previous reports of changes of the tuberculin-specific CD4 T-cell response with CMV serostatus. Our results show that how the immune system responds to CMV has a fundamental impact on the phenotype and function of the immune response to mycobacterial antigens in older life.

Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2014

Chronic cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been associated with immunosenescence and immunoactiv... more Chronic cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been associated with immunosenescence and immunoactivation in the general population. In human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected people, CMV coinfection, in addition to residual HIV replication and microbial translocation, has been proposed as a key factor in sustaining immune activation, even in individuals with a controlled HIV load. Patients from the ICONA Study with at least 1 CMV immunoglobulin G (IgG) test available without active CMV disease were included in the analysis. AIDS-defining event or AIDS-related death and severe non-AIDS-defining event or non-AIDS-related death were taken as clinical progression end points. Independent predictors of CMV were identified by multivariable logistic regression. Probabilities of reaching the end points were estimated by survival analyses. A total of 6111 subjects were included, of whom 5119 (83.3%) were CMV IgG positive at baseline. Patients with CMV IgG positivity at baseline were more likely to develop a severe non-AIDS-defining event/non-AIDS-related death (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.53 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.08-2.16]. In particular, CMV seropositivity was an independent risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (adjusted HR, 2.27 [95% CI, .97-5.32]). In our study population, CMV/HIV coinfection was associated with the risk of severe non-AIDS-defining events/non-AIDS-related death, especially with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, independently of other prognostic factors. This finding supports a potential independent role of CMV coinfection in vascular/degenerative organ disorders in HIV-infected subjects.

Journal of public health (Oxford, England), Jan 28, 2015

Data on diseases' determinants and health status of asylum seekers (ASs) are limited. We perf... more Data on diseases' determinants and health status of asylum seekers (ASs) are limited. We performed a cross-sectional retrospective study in a large ASs centre in Italy. Data were collected during a 1-year period. Descriptive statistics were calculated. A χ(2) test was used to assess the association between socio-demographics characteristics of ASs and screening test results. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify diseases' predictors by using ICD-10 diagnoses classification as outcome variable, socio-demographic characteristics as independent variable and visits' number as confounding variable. Overall, data on 792 ASs (mean age 27 years, 80% males, 58% from Africa) were assessed, 43% underwent voluntary infectious diseases screening and 2843 diagnoses were recorded. The most frequent diagnoses were: respiratory diseases, symptoms/signs not elsewhere classified, digestive diseases and infectious diseases. Gender was the most frequent predictor ...

International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2020

We report two cases of COronaVIrus Disease-19 in patients with Down Syndrome and describe the ide... more We report two cases of COronaVIrus Disease-19 in patients with Down Syndrome and describe the identification, diagnosis, clinical course, and management of the infection. Down Syndrome, which is caused by trisomy 21, is characterized by immune dysregulation, anatomical differences in the upper respiratory tract, and higher rate of comorbidities. All these risk factors can contribute to more severe clinical presentations of COVID-19. It is essential to raise awareness of the clinical relevance of SARS-COV-2 infection in DS patients, as well in other most vulnerable patients in order to improve their management and treatment and to candidate these individuals for vaccination, once available.

BMC research notes, Jan 13, 2017

Pediatric tuberculous meningitis is a highly morbid, often fatal disease. Its prompt diagnosis an... more Pediatric tuberculous meningitis is a highly morbid, often fatal disease. Its prompt diagnosis and treatment saves lives, in fact delays in the initiation of therapy have been associated with high mortality rates. This is a case of an Italian child who was diagnosed with tuberculous meningitis after a history of a month of headache, fatigue and weight loss. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed a lymphocytic pleocytosis with predominance and decreased glucose concentration. Microscopy and conventional diagnostic tests to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis were negative, while a non classical method based on intracellular cytokine flow cytometry response of CD4 cells in cerebral spinal fluid helped us to address the diagnosis, that was subsequently confirmed by a nested polymerase chain reaction amplifying a 123 base pair fragment of the M. tuberculosis DNA. We diagnosed tuberculous meningitis at an early stage through an innovative immunological approach, supported by a nested poly...

Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2014

Poster PO 119. Infection, Suppl II 37: 100-101

Form per Poster Autore che presenta il lavoro Cognome e Nome_______ Russo Gianluca ______________... more Form per Poster Autore che presenta il lavoro Cognome e Nome_______ Russo Gianluca ______________________ Istituto _Dip. Malattie Infettive e Tropicali, Università di Roma "Sapienza" Indirizzo privato Viale del Policlinico 155 Cap 00161; Città Roma; Prov. RM; Tel 06 49970313; Fax__0649972625_

Mono-and multifunctional specific CD4 + and CD8 + T-cell responses were evaluated to improve the ... more Mono-and multifunctional specific CD4 + and CD8 + T-cell responses were evaluated to improve the immune-based detection of active tuberculosis (TB) and latent infection (LTBI). We applied flow cytometry to investigate cytokines profile (IFN-, TNF-, and IL-2) of T cells after stimulation with TB antigens in 28 TB-infected subjects (18 active TB and 10 LTBI) and 10 uninfected controls. Cytokines production by CD4 + T cells at single-cell levels was higher in TB-infected subjects than uninfected controls ( < 0.0001). Assigning to activated CD4 + T cells, producing any of the three cytokines, a cut-off >0.45%, it was possible to differentiate TB-infected (>0.45%) by uninfected subjects (<0.45%). Among TB-infected subjects, the frequencies of multifunctional CD4 + T cells, simultaneously producing all 3 cytokines, are lower in active TB than LTBI subjects ( = 0.003). Thus, assigning to triplepositive CD4 + T cells a cut-off <0.182%, TB-infected individuals could be classified as active TB subjects (<0.182%) or LTBI subjects (>0.182%). The magnitude of CD8 + T-cell responses showed no differences between active TB and LTBI. Multifunctional CD4 + T-cell responses could have the potential to identify at single time point subjects without TB infection and patients having active or latent TB.

Journal of public health (Oxford, England), Jan 28, 2015

Data on diseases' determinants and health status of asylum seekers (ASs) are limited. We perf... more Data on diseases' determinants and health status of asylum seekers (ASs) are limited. We performed a cross-sectional retrospective study in a large ASs centre in Italy. Data were collected during a 1-year period. Descriptive statistics were calculated. A χ(2) test was used to assess the association between socio-demographics characteristics of ASs and screening test results. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify diseases' predictors by using ICD-10 diagnoses classification as outcome variable, socio-demographic characteristics as independent variable and visits' number as confounding variable. Overall, data on 792 ASs (mean age 27 years, 80% males, 58% from Africa) were assessed, 43% underwent voluntary infectious diseases screening and 2843 diagnoses were recorded. The most frequent diagnoses were: respiratory diseases, symptoms/signs not elsewhere classified, digestive diseases and infectious diseases. Gender was the most frequent predictor ...

The Journal of infectious diseases, 2014

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection directly targets vascular endothelium and smooth muscle and at o... more Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection directly targets vascular endothelium and smooth muscle and at older ages is associated with accelerated vascular pathology and mortality. CMV-specific cellular immunity might directly contribute to this process. Conventional ex vivo activation-induced T-cell responses to 19 dominant CMV antigens, along with CMV-specific inducible regulatory-type CD4+ T cells (iTregs), were measured in healthy older people, using a novel protocol that included classic Treg markers alongside the activation marker CD134. Measurements were correlated with diastolic, systolic, and mean arterial blood pressure, a surrogate marker for arterial stiffness. CMV-specific iTregs recognized the same antigens as conventional CD4+ T cells and were significantly more frequent at older ages. They suppressed antigen-specific and nonspecific proliferation and in large part expressed Foxp3. Frequencies of CMV-specific iTregs and CD8+ T cells (summated response) were significantly ass...

Infection with Cytomegalovirus is associated with accelerated immunosenescence. Expansions of CMV... more Infection with Cytomegalovirus is associated with accelerated immunosenescence. Expansions of CMV-specific T cell responses have previously been demonstrated to affect the ability of T cells to respond to other infections. Most people above 60 years of age display M. tuberculosis-specific immunity because of vaccination, exposure, or both. T-cell responses can be assessed by measuring intracellular IFN-γ in vitro after tuberculin stimulation. Here we investigated tuberculin-specific CD4 T-cell responses in independently living healthy older people in the South of England using flow-cytometry. Individuals were investigated for tuberculin and CMV-specific Tcell immunity using in vitro antigen stimulation followed by intracellular staining for IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL2, as well as degranulation and CD154 upregulation. We also examined a control group of younger individuals (20-35 years of age). There was no significant difference between older and young people in regards to tuberculin responsiveness of CD4 T-cells; however, older people seemed to show more outliers. Increased responsiveness to tuberculin was significantly correlated to CMV responsiveness but not age. In older donors, the memory phenotype of tuberculin-induced T-cells was significantly skewed towards a more terminal differentiation phenotype in CMV-infected compared to uninfected individuals and the degree of skewing correlated quantitatively with the size of the CMV-specific CD4 T-cell response. This is a fundamental advance over previous reports of changes of the tuberculin-specific CD4 T-cell response with CMV serostatus. Our results show that how the immune system responds to CMV has a fundamental impact on the phenotype and function of the immune response to mycobacterial antigens in older life.

Experimental Gerontology, 2014

Infection with Cytomegalovirus is associated with accelerated immunosenescence. Expansions of CMV... more Infection with Cytomegalovirus is associated with accelerated immunosenescence. Expansions of CMV-specific T cell responses have previously been demonstrated to affect the ability of T cells to respond to other infections. Most people above 60 years of age display M. tuberculosis-specific immunity because of vaccination, exposure, or both. T-cell responses can be assessed by measuring intracellular IFN-γ in vitro after tuberculin stimulation. Here we investigated tuberculin-specific CD4 T-cell responses in independently living healthy older people in the South of England using flow-cytometry. Individuals were investigated for tuberculin and CMV-specific Tcell immunity using in vitro antigen stimulation followed by intracellular staining for IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL2, as well as degranulation and CD154 upregulation. We also examined a control group of younger individuals (20-35 years of age). There was no significant difference between older and young people in regards to tuberculin responsiveness of CD4 T-cells; however, older people seemed to show more outliers. Increased responsiveness to tuberculin was significantly correlated to CMV responsiveness but not age. In older donors, the memory phenotype of tuberculin-induced T-cells was significantly skewed towards a more terminal differentiation phenotype in CMV-infected compared to uninfected individuals and the degree of skewing correlated quantitatively with the size of the CMV-specific CD4 T-cell response. This is a fundamental advance over previous reports of changes of the tuberculin-specific CD4 T-cell response with CMV serostatus. Our results show that how the immune system responds to CMV has a fundamental impact on the phenotype and function of the immune response to mycobacterial antigens in older life.

Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2014

Chronic cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been associated with immunosenescence and immunoactiv... more Chronic cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been associated with immunosenescence and immunoactivation in the general population. In human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected people, CMV coinfection, in addition to residual HIV replication and microbial translocation, has been proposed as a key factor in sustaining immune activation, even in individuals with a controlled HIV load. Patients from the ICONA Study with at least 1 CMV immunoglobulin G (IgG) test available without active CMV disease were included in the analysis. AIDS-defining event or AIDS-related death and severe non-AIDS-defining event or non-AIDS-related death were taken as clinical progression end points. Independent predictors of CMV were identified by multivariable logistic regression. Probabilities of reaching the end points were estimated by survival analyses. A total of 6111 subjects were included, of whom 5119 (83.3%) were CMV IgG positive at baseline. Patients with CMV IgG positivity at baseline were more likely to develop a severe non-AIDS-defining event/non-AIDS-related death (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.53 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.08-2.16]. In particular, CMV seropositivity was an independent risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (adjusted HR, 2.27 [95% CI, .97-5.32]). In our study population, CMV/HIV coinfection was associated with the risk of severe non-AIDS-defining events/non-AIDS-related death, especially with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, independently of other prognostic factors. This finding supports a potential independent role of CMV coinfection in vascular/degenerative organ disorders in HIV-infected subjects.

Journal of public health (Oxford, England), Jan 28, 2015

Data on diseases' determinants and health status of asylum seekers (ASs) are limited. We perf... more Data on diseases' determinants and health status of asylum seekers (ASs) are limited. We performed a cross-sectional retrospective study in a large ASs centre in Italy. Data were collected during a 1-year period. Descriptive statistics were calculated. A χ(2) test was used to assess the association between socio-demographics characteristics of ASs and screening test results. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify diseases' predictors by using ICD-10 diagnoses classification as outcome variable, socio-demographic characteristics as independent variable and visits' number as confounding variable. Overall, data on 792 ASs (mean age 27 years, 80% males, 58% from Africa) were assessed, 43% underwent voluntary infectious diseases screening and 2843 diagnoses were recorded. The most frequent diagnoses were: respiratory diseases, symptoms/signs not elsewhere classified, digestive diseases and infectious diseases. Gender was the most frequent predictor ...