Tackling bacterial infections of the bone: PTX3 as new diagnostic tool and therapeutic target

Osteomyelitis (OM) is a severe musculoskeletal infection mainly caused by the opportunistic bacterium S. aureus (SA) that occurs after fracture, surgery, or secondary to vascular spread of the pathogen to skeletal sites. Several factors, including presence of foreign bodies (implants) and dysmetabolic diseases (diabetes), make the bone susceptible to infections. OM manifests with extensive tissue remodeling and inflammation. Host immune reactions and SA survival strategies coordinately affect...

IgA and Macrophages Modulation in the Choroid Plexus: Bridging Adaptive and Innate Immunity in the Gut-Brain Axis

Combined immunotherapy with TLR ligands in pancreatic cancer elicits strong anti-tumor response and boosts interferon-mediated killing of tumor cells

The incidence and the lethality of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is alarmingly increasing in the last decades worldwide and novel therapies are urgently needed to face this malignancy. In this project, we investigated the therapeutic potential of poly(I:C) (pIC) and resiquimod (R848), two Toll-like receptor agonists, in different preclinical models of PDAC. We found that, when used in combination, pIC+R848 elicit a potent antitumoral response in all the in vivo models investigated, ...

Total marrow and lymph nodes irradiation in conditioning regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation Artificial Intelligence algorithms to automate the Total Marrow and Lymph-node Irradiation by VMAT optimization using WB-CT/MRI and synthetic WB-CT - The AutoMI project

Purpose/Objective The AuToMI project focuses on improving the TMLI clinical workflow and automating radiotherapy procedures through the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The primary goal is to streamline and enhance the efficiency of the radiotherapy treatment process by automating two critical steps: contouring of the target volumes and treatment plan optimization. In parallel, the project aims to integrate whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) to improve the accuracy of ...

Total marrow and lymph nodes irradiation in conditioning regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation Artificial Intelligence algorithms to automate the Total Marrow and Lymph-node Irradiation by VMAT optimization using WB-CT/MRI and synthetic WB-CT - The AutoMI project

Purpose/Objective The AuToMI project focuses on improving the TMLI clinical workflow and automating radiotherapy procedures through the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The primary goal is to streamline and enhance the efficiency of the radiotherapy treatment process by automating two critical steps: contouring of the target volumes and treatment plan optimization. In parallel, the project aims to integrate whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) to improve the accuracy of ...

Total marrow and lymph nodes irradiation in conditioning regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation Artificial Intelligence algorithms to automate the Total Marrow and Lymph-node Irradiation by VMAT optimization using WB-CT/MRI and synthetic WB-CT - The AutoMI project

Purpose/Objective The AuToMI project focuses on improving the TMLI clinical workflow and automating radiotherapy procedures through the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The primary goal is to streamline and enhance the efficiency of the radiotherapy treatment process by automating two critical steps: contouring of the target volumes and treatment plan optimization. In parallel, the project aims to integrate whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) to improve the accuracy of ...

Antibody-independent activation of complement and its regulation on multiple membrane layers of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes

Malaria, caused by Plasmodium falciparum, remains a significant health burden, especially in tropical regions, as the parasite develops within human red blood cells (RBCs). The complement system initiates an early immune response against the parasite, but P. falciparum effectively evades complement-mediated killing. This study investigates how complement proteins deposit and are regulated on infected RBCs (iRBCs) and merozoites in the absence of parasite-specific antibodies. We show that fact...

iPSC-based Models of Genetic Dilated Cardiomyopathy: from Mechanisms to Personalized Therapies

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a primary disease of the heart muscle, characterized by enlargement of the left ventricle and systolic dysfunction, which results in progressive heart failure. Approximately 30-50% of cases are familial and are caused by mutations in more than 50 different genes. Among these, sarcomeric protein Titin is the most frequently associated with DCM, accounting for 25% of familiar cases. Although less frequent in DCM cases (4-7%), mutations in LMNA gene, encoding ...

iPSC-based Models of Genetic Dilated Cardiomyopathy: from Mechanisms to Personalized Therapies

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a primary disease of the heart muscle, characterized by enlargement of the left ventricle and systolic dysfunction, which results in progressive heart failure. Approximately 30-50% of cases are familial and are caused by mutations in more than 50 different genes. Among these, sarcomeric protein Titin is the most frequently associated with DCM, accounting for 25% of familiar cases. Although less frequent in DCM cases (4-7%), mutations in LMNA gene, encoding ...