175 results on '"Francesco, Drago"'
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2. Two cases of Monkeypox virus infection without detectable cutaneous/mucosal lesions
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Giulia Ciccarese, Giorgia Brucci, Antonio Di Biagio, Francesco Drago, Bruno Caccianotti, sergio Lo Caputo, Gaetano Serviddio, and Teresa Santantonio
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- 2023
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3. Monkeypox outbreak in Genoa, Italy: Clinical, laboratory, histopathologic features, management, and outcome of the infected patients
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Giulia Ciccarese, Antonio Di Biagio, Bianca Bruzzone, Antonio Guadagno, Lucia Taramasso, Giorgio Oddenino, Giorgia Brucci, Laura Labate, Vanessa De Pace, Mario Mastrolonardo, Francesco Broccolo, Giacomo Robello, Francesco Drago, Matteo Bassetti, and Aurora Parodi
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Infectious Diseases ,Virology - Published
- 2023
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4. Clinical, diagnostic features and complications of hand, foot, and mouth disease caused by coxsackievirus A6 in children and adults
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Giulia Ciccarese, Francesco Broccolo, Gaetano Serviddio, and Francesco Drago
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Infectious Diseases ,Virology - Published
- 2022
5. Comment on ‘Negative <scp>SARS‐CoV</scp> ‐2 antibodies in patients with positive immunohistochemistry for spike protein in pityriasis rosea‐like eruptions’
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Giulia Ciccarese, Francesco Broccolo, Aurora Parodi, and Francesco Drago
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Infectious Diseases ,Dermatology - Published
- 2022
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6. High-throughput nanopore sequencing of Treponema pallidum tandem repeat genes arp and tp0470 reveals clade-specific patterns and recapitulates global whole genome phylogeny
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Nicole AP Lieberman, Thaddeus D Armstrong, Benjamin Chung, Daniel Pfalmer, Christopher M Hennelly, Austin Haynes, Emily Romeis, Qian-Qiu Wang, Rui-Li Zhang, Cai-Xia Kou, Giulia Ciccarese, Ivano Dal Conte, Marco Cusini, Francesco Drago, Shu-ichi Nakayama, Kenichi Lee, Makoto Ohnishi, Kelika A Konda, Silver K Vargas, Maria Eguiluz, Carlos F Caceres, Jeffrey D Klausner, Oriol Mitja, Anne Rompalo, Fiona Mulcahy, Edward W Hook, Irving F Hoffmann, Mitch M Matoga, Heping Zheng, Bin Yang, Eduardo Lopez-Medina, Lady G Ramirez, Justin D Radolf, Kelly L Hawley, Juan C Salazar, Sheila A Lukehart, Arlene C Seña, Jonathan B Parr, Lorenzo Giacani, and Alexander L Greninger
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Sequencing of most Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum) genomes excludes repeat regions in tp0470 and the tp0433 gene, encoding the acidic repeat protein (arp). As a first step to understanding the evolution and function of these genes and the proteins they encode, we developed a protocol to nanopore sequence tp0470 and arp genes from 212 clinical samples collected from ten countries on six continents. Both tp0470 and arp repeat structures recapitulate the whole genome phylogeny, with subclade-specific patterns emerging. The number of tp0470 repeats is on average appears to be higher in Nichols-like clade strains than in SS14-like clade strains. Consistent with previous studies, we found that 14-repeat arp sequences predominate across both major clades, but the combination and order of repeat type varies among subclades, with many arp sequence variants limited to a single subclade. Although strains that were closely related by whole genome sequencing frequently had the same arp repeat length, this was not always the case. Structural modelling of TP0470 suggested that the eight residue repeats form an extended α-helix, predicted to be periplasmic. Modeling of the ARP revealed a C-terminal sporulation-related repeat (SPOR) domain, predicted to bind denuded peptidoglycan, with repeat regions possibly incorporated into a highly charged β- sheet. Outside of the repeats, all TP0470 and ARP amino acid sequences were identical. Together, our data, along with functional considerations, suggests that both TP0470 and ARP proteins may be involved in T. pallidum cell envelope remodeling and homeostasis, with their highly plastic repeat regions playing as-yet-undetermined roles.
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- 2022
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7. Pityriasis rosea during COVID-19 and its pathogenesis
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Francesco Drago and Giulia Ciccarese
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Dermatology - Published
- 2022
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8. High-throughput nanopore sequencing of
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Nicole A P, Lieberman, Thaddeus D, Armstrong, Benjamin, Chung, Daniel, Pfalmer, Christopher M, Hennelly, Austin, Haynes, Emily, Romeis, Qian-Qiu, Wang, Rui-Li, Zhang, Cai-Xia, Kou, Giulia, Ciccarese, Ivano Dal, Conte, Marco, Cusini, Francesco, Drago, Shu-Ichi, Nakayama, Kenichi, Lee, Makoto, Ohnishi, Kelika A, Konda, Silver K, Vargas, Maria, Eguiluz, Carlos F, Caceres, Jeffrey D, Klausner, Oriol, Mitja, Anne, Rompalo, Fiona, Mulcahy, Edward W, Hook, Irving F, Hoffman, Mitch M, Matoga, Heping, Zheng, Bin, Yang, Eduardo, Lopez-Medina, Lady G, Ramirez, Justin D, Radolf, Kelly L, Hawley, Juan C, Salazar, Sheila A, Lukehart, Arlene C, Seña, Jonathan B, Parr, Lorenzo, Giacani, and Alexander L, Greninger
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Sequencing of most
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- 2022
9. Oncoviruses and melanomas: A retrospective study and literature review
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Giulia Ciccarese, Francesco Drago, Francesco Broccolo, Angela Pastorino, Laura Pizzatti, Laura Atzori, Luca Pilloni, Davide Santinelli, Alice Urbani, Aurora Parodi, Carlo Tomasini, and Franco Rongioletti
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Infectious Diseases ,Virology - Abstract
The role of human oncoviruses in melanoma has been poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between oncoviruses and melanomas searching for human papillomavirus (HPV), Epstein Barr virus (EBV), and human herpesvirus 8DNA in melanoma specimens. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of cutaneous, mucosal, and ocular melanomas (OM) were selected from the Pathology Departments of the Galliera Hospital (Genoa) and the University Hospitals of Turin and Cagliari. Cutaneous and mucosal nevi have been collected as controls. The oncoviruses search has been performed with different polymerase chain reaction reagent kits. Fifty-four melanomas (25 mucosal, 12 ocular, and 17 cutaneous) and 26 nevi (15 cutaneous and 11 mucosal) specimens were selected. The detection rate for one of the investigated oncoviruses was 17% in mucosal, 20% in ocular, and 0% in cutaneous melanomas (CMs). Despite the differences between groups seeming remarkable, there was no statistical significance (p 0.5). Our data do not support a primary role of oncoviruses in melanoma carcinogenesis; however, the finding of HPV and EBV DNA in a considerable fraction of mucosal and OMs suggests that these viruses may act as cofactors in the development of extra-CMs.
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- 2022
10. Pityriasis rosea and pityriasis rosea-like eruptions after COVID-19 vaccines
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Francesco Drago, Giulia Ciccarese, and Aurora Parodi
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Dermatology - Published
- 2022
11. Prevalence of genital HPV infection in STI and healthy populations and risk factors for viral persistence
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Aurora Parodi, Angela Pastorino, Francesco Drago, Maria Gabriella Mavilia, Giulia Ciccarese, Astrid Herzum, Stefania Casazza, Marih Dezzana, and Francesco Copello
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Adult ,Male ,0301 basic medicine ,Microbiology (medical) ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Alcohol Drinking ,030106 microbiology ,Alphapapillomavirus ,Cigarette Smoking ,Persistence (computer science) ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Medical microbiology ,Risk Factors ,Cytology ,medicine ,Humans ,Sex organ ,030212 general & internal medicine ,business.industry ,HPV Positive ,HPV infection ,virus diseases ,Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,female genital diseases and pregnancy complications ,Virus Latency ,Infectious Diseases ,Ureaplasma parvum ,Immunology ,Female ,Genital Diseases, Male ,Viral persistence ,business ,Genital Diseases, Female - Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a well-established carcinogenic agent. This study aimed to assess prevalence and persistence rate of genital HPV infection in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) patients and healthy subjects. The risk factors influencing the persistence of genital HPV infection were also investigated. The samples were collected with the ThinPrep liquid-based cytology system. Among the HPV-positive patients, those consenting were retested after 12 months. Overall, 145/292 subjects proved HPV positive with a higher prevalence (51%) in STI than in healthy population (43%). The persistence of genital HPV infection was statistically associated with female gender, HR-HPV infection, smoking, and Ureaplasma parvum infection.
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- 2020
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12. Oral erosions and petechiae during SARS‐CoV‐2 infection
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Martina Boatti, Giulia Ciccarese, Alice Porro, Aurora Parodi, Francesco Drago, and Shaun Ivan Muzic
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2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,SARS-CoV-2 ,business.industry ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Anti-Inflammatory Agents ,COVID-19 ,Immunoglobulins ,Methylprednisolone ,Virology ,Young Adult ,Purpura ,Infectious Diseases ,Humans ,Medicine ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Oral Ulcer ,Letter to the Editor ,medicine.drug - Published
- 2020
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13. Tinidazole: Another Therapeutic Option for Syphilis?
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Giulia Ciccarese, Alfredo Rebora, Francesco Drago, and Aurora Parodi
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Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,medicine.drug_class ,alternative treatment ,Antibiotics ,syphilis ,Administration, Oral ,Antitrichomonal Agents ,medicine.disease_cause ,Injections, Intramuscular ,030226 pharmacology & pharmacy ,Gastroenterology ,Young Adult ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Internal medicine ,Trichomonas vaginalis ,medicine ,Humans ,Pharmacology (medical) ,penicillin ,tinidazole ,Pharmacology ,Doxycycline ,Treponema ,biology ,business.industry ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Tinidazole ,Anti-Bacterial Agents ,Penicillin ,Metronidazole ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Penicillin G Benzathine ,Female ,Syphilis ,Trichomonas Vaginitis ,business ,medicine.drug - Abstract
After the incidental observation of an almost complete resolution of maculopapular eruption in a patient having simultaneously secondary syphilis and trichomonas vaginalis infection, we extended the treatment with tinidazole (500 mg 4 times daily for 7 days) to 10 other early syphilis patients before the start of the conventional penicillin treatment. All patients showed marked improvement of their lesions in a few days. After the introduction of the conventional penicillin regimen, the lesions further improved and VDRL titers declined at least 4-fold within 6 months in all patients. Tinidazole is a 5-nitroimidazole derivative as well as metronidazole but with a longer plasma half-life. It is activated intracellularly by bacterial/parasitic enzymes to a redox cytotoxic intermediate that damages large protein molecules and inhibits repair and transcription of DNA affecting also the cell wall. With this action, tinidazole might also have a synergic action with penicillin and doxycycline, facilitating the entry of such drugs. It is possible that tinidazole has the same bactericidal action on spirochetes other than Borrelia, such as Treponema pallidum, explaining its rapid therapeutic action on the lesions of early syphilis. Whether this action could be confirmed by studies on larger series of patients, tinidazole might be considered in case of allergy to penicillin or other antibiotics usually prescribed in syphilis.
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- 2020
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14. Dermatological manifestations of Epstein‐Barr virus systemic infection: a case report and literature review
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Giulia Ciccarese, Ilaria Trave, Aurora Parodi, Astrid Herzum, and Francesco Drago
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Adult ,Epstein-Barr Virus Infections ,Herpesvirus 4, Human ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,Mononucleosis ,Dermatology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Asymptomatic ,Young Adult ,030207 dermatology & venereal diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Ampicillin ,medicine ,Maculopapular rash ,Humans ,Infectious Mononucleosis ,Child ,Exanthem ,business.industry ,Acrodermatitis ,Exanthema ,Amoxicillin ,medicine.disease ,Epstein–Barr virus ,Pharyngitis ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,business ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a human herpesvirus spread in childhood by contact with saliva. In all populations, the great majority of people are infected by middle age. EBV can cause asymptomatic infection, nonspecific symptoms or, especially in adolescents and young adults, the infectious mononucleosis (IM), characterized by pharyngitis, lymphadenopathy, fatigue, and fever. Two main types of skin rashes, accounted as atypical exanthems, occur in patients with acute IM: a faint erythematous maculopapular eruption of 24-48 hours duration (5-15% of the patients) or a pruritic maculopapular rash in almost all patients receiving ampicillin or amoxicillin. Moreover EBV acute infection has been related to other cutaneous manifestations, such as Gianotti-Crosti syndrome, unilateral laterothoracic exanthem (especially in children), and others. In this study, we reported a case of atypical exanthem with an erythematous-papulovesicular pattern in a 22-year-old female patient with IM and performed a review of the literature of the cutaneous and mucosal eruptions occurring during EBV acute infections.
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- 2020
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15. The Economic Impact of Organized Crime Infiltration in the Legal Economy: Evidence from the Judicial Administration of Organized Crime Firms
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Francesco Drago and Francesca Calamunci
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organized crime ,firm level data ,policy evaluation ,Economy ,Spillover effect ,Exploit ,Confiscation ,European integration ,Law enforcement ,Profitability index ,Organised crime ,Business ,Economic impact analysis ,General Economics, Econometrics and Finance - Abstract
We analyze the economic consequences on firm profitability, performance, and investments of having another firm in the same market affiliated with a criminal organization. We do so by evaluating the spillover effects of a law providing the judicial administration of organized crime firms through the imposition of external managers in order to remove the connection to the criminal organization, and at the same time guarantee the continuity of production. By using detailed information on more than 180,000 companies, we exploit the firms’ yearly variation in the exposure to criminal firms’ judicial administration in their market (in the same province and industry). The empirical design allows us to control for confounding effects at the firm, market, and year levels. The results show that there is a large, positive spillover from the enforcement law, suggesting that the burden the organized crime firms impose on other firms is very large. Firms’ performance and turnover increases by 2.2 and 0.7%, respectively, in the first 4 years after an organized crime firm enters the status of judicial administration. Investments measured by tangible and intangible assets increase with the number of firms entering into judicial administration by 0.75%. These results suggest that intensifying confiscation measures against criminal organizations has a strong positive effect on the economy.
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- 2020
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16. Compliance Behavior in Networks: Evidence from a Field Experiment
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Francesco Drago, Friederike Mengel, and Christian Traxler
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Exploit ,05 social sciences ,Evasion (network security) ,Sample (statistics) ,Spillover effect ,Models of communication ,0502 economics and business ,Econometrics ,Economic anthropology ,Business ,050207 economics ,Enforcement ,General Economics, Econometrics and Finance ,License ,050205 econometrics - Abstract
This paper studies the spread of compliance behavior in neighborhood networks involving over 500,000 households in Austria. We exploit random variation from a field experiment which varied the content of mailings sent to potential evaders of TV license fees. Our data reveal a strong treatment spillover: 'untreated' households, who were not part of the experimental sample, are more likely to switch from evasion to compliance in response to the mailings received by their network neighbors. We analyze the spillover within a model of communication in networks based on DeGroot (1974). Consistent with the model, we find that (i) the spillover increases with the treated households' eigenvector centrality and that (ii) local concentration of equally treated households produces a lower spillover. These findings carry important implications for enforcement policies.
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- 2020
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17. The significance of investigating clinical, histopathologic and virological features in pityriasis rosea and pityriasis rosea-like eruptions following COVID-19 vaccinations
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Giulia Ciccarese, Aurora Parodi, and Francesco Drago
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Pityriasis Rosea ,COVID-19 Vaccines ,Vaccination ,COVID-19 ,Humans ,Dermatology ,General Medicine ,Exanthema - Published
- 2022
18. 5‐Fluorouracil 0.5%/salicylic acid 10% solution in the treatment of ano‐genital warts
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Giulia Ciccarese, Aurora Parodi, and Francesco Drago
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Adult ,Male ,Imiquimod ,Treatment Outcome ,Condylomata Acuminata ,Humans ,Pain ,Female ,Fluorouracil ,Dermatology ,General Medicine ,Warts ,Salicylic Acid - Abstract
Different therapeutic modalities for ano-genital warts (AGWs) are available but data on the efficacy of 5-fluorouracil 0.5%/salicylic acid 10% solution (5FU/SAsol) in the treatment of AGWs are scarse. We enrolled 17 patients with AGWs (14 males, 3 females with a mean age of 34.2 years) who gave written informed consent to the off-label use of topical 5FU/Sasol. Response to treatment was assessed based on the AGWs number: complete if there was complete clearance of the lesions; partial if there was50% decrease in the lesion number and none if there was50% decrease in the lesion number. Considering together partial and complete treatment response, 88% of the patients at 3 months and 94% at 6 months benefited from the 5FU/SAsol treatment. 5FU/SAsol was well tolerated by all the patients except one who experienced a burning sensation immediately after the application. The clearance rate that we found for 5-FU/SAsol after 3 months of treatment is comparable with that of the other commonly used therapeutic modalities (liquid nitrogen cryotherapy, imiquimod 5% cream). However, several patients on imiquimod and almost who underwent cryotherapy reported pain as adverse event while a mild pain was rarely reported with 5-FU/Sasol. In conclusion, although nowadays in Italy 5-FU/SAsol is marketed only for the treatment of actinic keratosis, our study described its effectiveness and tolerability also in the treatment of AGWs. Our data suggest that 5-FU/SAsol should be considered not only in case of resistant/recurrent AGWs but also as the first therapeutic option, especially when the number of lesions is small.
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- 2022
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19. Ulcer of the penis due to mycoplasma hominis infection: an example of pseudo-chancre
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Giulia Ciccarese, Mattia Fabio Molle, Francesco Drago, and Aurora Parodi
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Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,business.industry ,Dermatology ,medicine.disease ,Chancre ,Mycoplasma hominis ,Infectious Diseases ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Humans ,Medicine ,Mycoplasma hominis infection ,Syphilis ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Ulcer ,Penis - Published
- 2022
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20. Sudden onset of vitiligo after COVID‐19 vaccine
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Aurora Parodi, Giulia Ciccarese, Samuele Boldrin, Matilde Pattaro, and Francesco Drago
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Hypopigmentation ,2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,Letter ,COVID-19 Vaccines ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,SARS-CoV-2 ,business.industry ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Vitiligo ,COVID-19 ,Dermatology ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Virology ,Humans ,Medicine ,Letters ,Age of Onset ,business ,Sudden onset - Published
- 2021
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21. Pityriasis rosea, human herpesvirus 6 infection and pregnancy
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Francesco Drago, Giulia Ciccarese, Stefania Casazza, and Aurora Parodi
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Pityriasis Rosea ,Infectious Diseases ,Pregnancy ,Herpesvirus 6, Human ,Virology ,Humans ,Roseolovirus Infections ,Female ,Herpesvirus 7, Human - Published
- 2022
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22. Follmann balanitis and anetoderma in secondary syphilis
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Giulia Ciccarese, Aurora Parodi, and Francesco Drago
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medicine.medical_specialty ,business.industry ,Anetoderma ,syphilis ,Balanitis ,Dermatology ,Secondary syphilis ,medicine.disease ,Follmann balanitis ,RL1-803 ,Medicine ,business ,secondary syphilis - Abstract
Syphilitic balanitis of Follmann (FB) is a rarely described manifestation of primary syphilis that was first reported in 1948. Its clinical appearance may be heterogeneous varying from painful edematous balanoposthitis to superficial erosive balanitis and asymptomatic glans induration. We described a patient presenting with FB, as manifestation of primary syphilis, and concurrent anetoderma, as manifestation of secondary syphilis. The association of these lesions was never described to date.
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- 2021
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23. Genome sequencing of 196 Treponema pallidum strains from six continents reveals additional variability in vaccine candidate genes and dominance of Nichols clade strains in Madagascar
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Anne Rompalo, Lukehart S, Giulia Ciccarese, Francesco Drago, Makoto Ohnishi, KyeongEun Lee, Maria Eguiluz, Oriol Mitjà, Michelle J. Lin, Kelika A. Konda, Hong Xie, Alexander L. Greninger, Shretha L, Jeffrey D. Klausner, Marco Cusini, Edward W. Hook, Nguyen T, Zhang R, Pavitra Roychoudhury, Carlos F. Caceres, Shu-ichi Nakayama, Romeis E, Meei-Li Huang, Mulcahy F, Silver K. Vargas, Casto Am, Dal Conte I, Kou C, Giacani L, Qian-Qiu Wang, Lieberman Na, Haynes Am, and Frank DiMaio
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Genetics ,Congenital syphilis ,Treponema ,Phylogenetics ,medicine ,Subclade ,Syphilis ,Biology ,Clade ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Genome ,DNA sequencing - Abstract
In spite of its immutable susceptibility to penicillin, Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum) subsp. pallidum continues to cause millions of cases of syphilis each year worldwide, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality and underscoring the urgency of developing an effective vaccine to curtail the spread of the infection. Several technical challenges, including absence of an in vitro culture system until very recently, have hampered efforts to catalog the diversity of strains collected worldwide. Here, we provide near-complete genomes from 196 T. pallidum strains – including 191 T. pallidum subsp. pallidum – sequenced directly from patient samples collected from 8 countries and 6 continents. Maximum likelihood phylogeny revealed that samples from most sites were predominantly SS14 clade. However, 99% (84/85) of the samples from Madagascar formed two of the five distinct Nichols subclades. Although recombination was uncommon in the evolution of modern circulating strains, we found multiple putative recombination events between T. pallidum subsp. pallidum and subsp. endemicum, shaping the genomes of several subclades. Temporal analysis dated the most recent common ancestor of Nichols and SS14 clades to 1717 (95% HPD: 1543-1869), in agreement with other recent studies. Rates of SNP accumulation varied significantly among subclades, particularly among different Nichols subclades, and was associated in the Nichols A subclade with a C394F substitution in TP0380, a ERCC3-like DNA repair helicase. Our data highlight the role played by variation in genes encoding putative surface-exposed outer membrane proteins in defining separate lineages, and provide a critical resource for the design of broadly protective syphilis vaccines targeting surface antigens.Author SummaryEach year, millions of new cases of venereal and congenital syphilis, caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum) subsp. pallidum, are diagnosed worldwide, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Alongside endemic circulation of syphilis in low-income countries, disease resurgence in high-income nations has underscored the need for a vaccine. Due to prior technological limitations in culturing and sequencing the organism, the extent of the genetic diversity within modern strains of T. pallidum subsp. pallidum remains poorly understood, hampering development of a broadly protective vaccine. In this study, we obtained 196 near-complete T. pallidum genomes directly from clinical swabs from eight countries across six continents. Of these, 191 were identified as T. pallidum subsp. pallidum, including 90 Nichols clade genomes. Bayesian analysis revealed a high degree of variance in mutation rate among subclades. Interestingly, a Nichols subclade with a particularly high mutation rate harbors a non-synonymous mutation in a putative DNA repair helicase. Coupling sequencing data with protein structure prediction, we identified multiple novel amino acid variants in several proteins previously identified as potential vaccine candidates. Our data help inform current efforts to develop a broadly protective syphilis vaccine.
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- 2021
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24. Pityriasis rosea during COVID‐19: Pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment
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Giulia Ciccarese, Francesco Drago, Eugenio Marinaro, and Aurora Parodi
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Pityriasis Rosea ,Infectious Diseases ,Virology ,COVID-19 ,Humans ,Skin - Published
- 2022
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25. Distinct genotypes and phenotypes in European and American strains of Drosophila suzukii: implications for biology and management of an invasive organism
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Lino Ometto, Josefa González, Marco Valerio Rossi-Stacconi, Gabriella Tait, Francesco Drago, Gianfranco Anfora, Silvia Ghirotto, Omar Rota-Stabelli, Rupinder Kaur, and Vaughn M. Walton
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Life table ,0106 biological sciences ,Population genetics ,Range (biology) ,Plant Science ,Biology ,Comparative genomics ,Drosophila suzukii ,Intraspecific variations ,Invasive insect ,Parasitoid ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Genome ,Economica ,Genotype ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Genetic diversity ,Ecology ,Ambientale ,Phenotypic trait ,biology.organism_classification ,Colonisation ,010602 entomology ,Settore AGR/11 - ENTOMOLOGIA GENERALE E APPLICATA ,Evolutionary biology ,Insect Science ,Intraspecifc variations ,Agronomy and Crop Science - Abstract
A clearer understanding of the structure of pest populations in newly invaded areas is a key step towards their effective management. Here, we use Drosophila suzukii as a model to highlight how populations from separate geographical regions differ in their genetic and phenotypic traits, including those associated with their invasiveness. New X-linked data indicate the presence of at most three D. suzukii genetic clusters in Europe, while North American populations are characterised by a larger genetic diversity. We found a likely new colonisation event from America to Italy and demonstrate that reference genomes from Italian and Californian populations lay in highly distant clusters. Comparative genomics indicate that these two genomes bear the traces of distinct evolutionary forces and are genetically distant, having diversified long ago in their native Asian range. Phenotypic studies further indicate that European and North American populations have differences in hatch rate, generation time, and parasitoid susceptibility. The observed genotypic and phenotypic differences likely represent a small fraction of the features unique to each of the two populations. The results provide some new insights towards both fundamental and management studies on invasive pests, particularly when findings are transferred across populations found in different geographical regions.
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- 2019
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26. Efficacy Assessment of a Topically Applied Nitric–Zinc Complex Solution for the Treatment of External Ano-genital Warts in 100 Patients
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Francesco Drago, Corinne Granger, Giulia Ciccarese, and Aurora Parodi
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Laser surgery ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Electrosurgery ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Dermatology ,Cryosurgery ,Genital warts ,030207 dermatology & venereal diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,lcsh:Dermatology ,Sexually transmitted infections ,Medicine ,Anal warts ,In patient ,Original Research ,Nitric zinc complex ,business.industry ,lcsh:RL1-803 ,medicine.disease ,Plastic surgery ,Tolerability ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Oral and maxillofacial surgery ,business - Abstract
Introduction External ano-genital warts (AGWs) due to human papilloma virus infection are the most common sexually transmitted ano-genital lesions of viral origin worldwide. Treatments include topical chemicals/drugs, excisional surgery, cryosurgery, electrosurgery and laser surgery. Nitric-zinc complex (NZC) is a new topically applied solution containing nitric acid, zinc, copper and organic acids that induces a caustic effect on condyloma. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of NZC in the treatment of AGWs. Methods Patients attending for AGWs between September 2016 and February 2018 were retrospectively studied. They received at least one NZC application for a maximum of four treatments (V0, V1, V2, V3) with average intervals of 25 days between sessions. Recurrences were evaluated at 3 and 6 months after clearance. Results One hundred patients (70 males, 30 females) with a mean age of 36.39 years were studied. The total number of AGWs diagnosed at the baseline visit (V0) in all patients was 418 with a mean of 4.18 AGWs per patient. A wart cure rate of 92% was observed in ≤ 4 treatment sessions (383 lesions cured at visit 4, V4, out of 418 lesions at baseline), with a cure rate of 49% with only one NZC application. Complete clearance was observed in 25, 52, 72 and 84% of patients at V1, V2, V3 and V4, respectively. Relapses were observed in 29% of patients at 3 months and in 5% at 6 months. Of note, patients with ≤ 5 AGWs at V0 showed better clearance results than patients with > 5 lesions (p
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- 2019
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27. The Leech Nervous System: A Valuable Model to Study the Microglia Involvement in Regenerative Processes
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Christophe Lefebvre, Pierre-Eric Sautière, Jacopo Vizioli, Francesco Drago, and Françoise Le Marrec-Croq
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- 2021
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28. Eruptive Pseudoangiomatosis, Eruptive Hypomelanosis and Paraviral Exanthems
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Giulia Ciccarese and Francesco Drago
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medicine.medical_specialty ,Eruptive pseudoangiomatosis ,business.industry ,Pityriasis lichenoides ,Gianotti–Crosti syndrome ,medicine.disease ,Rash ,Dermatology ,Asymmetric periflexural exanthem of childhood ,Pityriasis rosea ,Medicine ,medicine.symptom ,Infectious disease (athletes) ,business ,Exanthem - Abstract
An exanthem is any eruptive skin rash that may be associated with lesions of the mucous membranes, fever or systemic symptoms. It may be the manifestation of an infectious disease or an adverse reaction to drugs. Six exanthems have been classified as classic; others with different morphology have been defined “atypical exanthems”.
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- 2021
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29. Study on the impact of sexually transmitted infections on Quality of Life, mood and sexual function
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Giulia CICCARESE, Francesco DRAGO, Francesco COPELLO, Giorgia BODINI, Alfredo REBORA, and Aurora PARODI
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Affect ,Infectious Diseases ,Sexual Behavior ,Quality of Life ,Sexually Transmitted Diseases ,Humans ,Dermatology ,Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - Abstract
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) may impact on the patient's physical, psychological and sexual health and negatively influence their Quality of Life (QOL). Studies on this topic are scarce. This study aimed to assess the impact of STIs different from HIV on QOL, mood and sexual functioning in the patients attending our STIs center in comparison with patients affected by chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).An anonymous questionnaire was provided. It included 3 validated questionnaires: the European Quality of Life 5 dimensions 5 levels; the Beck Depression Inventory-II for depressive symptoms; the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ) for sexual functioning.Seventy-three STIs patients and 51 IBD patients participated in the study. The mean EQ-5D-5L questionnaire scores were 86.72 in STIs and 89.21 in IBD patients, without statistically significant difference between the two groups. Symptoms of depression were more common and severe in STIs patients compared to IBD patients. Sexual functioning was slightly worse in STIs patients than in IBD patients.This is one the very few studies focused on the impact of STIs on patient's physical, psychological and sexual health. Physicians dealing with STIs should consider the possible psychological consequences of the disease.
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- 2020
30. Study on the impact of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) on quality of life, mood and sexual function
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Aurora Parodi, Alfredo Rebora, Giulia Ciccarese, Giorgia Bodini, Francesco Copello, and Francesco Drago
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business.industry ,Sexual functioning ,Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ,Dermatology ,Disease ,urologic and male genital diseases ,Infectious Diseases ,Mood ,Quality of life ,Medicine ,Sexual function ,business ,Depression (differential diagnoses) ,Clinical psychology ,Reproductive health - Abstract
BACKGROUND Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) may impact on the patient's physical, psychological and sexual health and negatively influence their quality of life (QOL). Studies on this topic are scarce. This study aimed to assess the impact of STIs different from HIV on QOL, mood and sexual functioning in the patients attending our STIs center in comparison with patients affected by chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). METHODS An anonymous questionnaire was provided. It included 3 validated questionnaires: the European Quality of Life 5 dimensions 5 levels; the Beck Depression Inventory-II for depressive symptoms; the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ) for sexual functioning. RESULTS Seventy-three STIs patients and 51 IBD patients partecipated in the study. The mean EQ-5D-5L questionnaire scores were 86.72 in STIs and 89.21 in IBD patients, without statistically significant difference between the two groups. Symptoms of depression were more common and severe in STIs patients compared to IBD patients. Sexual functioning was slightly worse in STIs patients than in IBD patients. CONCLUSIONS this is one the very few studies focused on the impact of STIs on patient's physical, psychological and sexual health. Physicians dealing with STIs should take into account the possible psychological consequences of the disease.
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- 2020
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31. Estimation of Full-Length TprK Diversity in Treponema pallidum subsp
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Amin, Addetia, Michelle J, Lin, Quynh, Phung, Hong, Xie, Meei-Li, Huang, Giulia, Ciccarese, Ivano, Dal Conte, Marco, Cusini, Francesco, Drago, Lorenzo, Giacani, and Alexander L, Greninger
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Adult ,Male ,syphilis ,Porins ,urologic and male genital diseases ,Host-Microbe Biology ,Bacterial Proteins ,tprK ,Animals ,Humans ,Treponema ,immune evasion ,PacBio ,gene conversion ,High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ,Genomics ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,Middle Aged ,bacterial infections and mycoses ,Antigenic Variation ,female genital diseases and pregnancy complications ,T. pallidum ,Italy ,Rabbits ,Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins ,Research Article - Abstract
Syphilis continues to be a significant public health issue in both low- and high-income countries, including the United States where the rate of syphilis infection has increased over the past 5 years. Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, the causative agent of syphilis, carries the outer membrane protein TprK that undergoes segmental gene conversion to constantly create new sequences. We performed full-length deep sequencing of TprK to examine TprK diversity in clinical T. pallidum subsp. pallidum strains. We then combined our results with data from all samples for which TprK deep sequencing results were available. We found almost no overlap in TprK sequences between different patients. Moreover, our data allowed us to estimate the total number of TprK variants that T. pallidum subsp. pallidum can potentially generate. Our results support how the T. pallidum subsp. pallidum TprK antigenic variation system is an equal adversary of the human immune system leading to pathogen persistence in the host., Immune evasion and disease progression of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum are associated with sequence diversity in the hypervariable outer membrane protein TprK. Previous attempts to study variation within TprK have sequenced at depths insufficient to fully appreciate the hypervariable nature of the protein, failed to establish linkage between the protein’s seven variable regions, or were conducted on isolates passed through rabbits. As a consequence, a complete profile of tprK during infection in the human host is still lacking. Furthermore, prior studies examining how T. pallidum subsp. pallidum uses its repertoire of genomic donor sites to generate diversity within the variable regions of the tprK have yielded a partial understanding of this process due to the limited number of tprK alleles examined. In this study, we used short- and long-read deep sequencing to directly characterize full-length tprK alleles from T. pallidum subsp. pallidum collected from early lesions of patients attending two sexually transmitted infection clinics in Italy. We demonstrate that strains collected from cases of secondary syphilis contain significantly more unique variable region sequences and full-length TprK sequences than those from cases of primary syphilis. Our data, combined with recent data available on Chinese T. pallidum subsp. pallidum specimens, show the near-complete absence of overlap in TprK sequences among the 41 specimens profiled to date. We further estimate that the potential antigenic variability carried by TprK rivals that of current estimates of the human adaptive immune system. These data underscore the immunoevasive ability of TprK that allows T. pallidum subsp. pallidum to establish lifelong infection.
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- 2020
32. Rhino‐cerebral and cutaneous zygomycosis: An increasingly emerging life‐threating infection
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Riccardo Merli, Aurora Parodi, Agostino Persi, Francesco Drago, and Giulia Ciccarese
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medicine.medical_specialty ,Antifungal Agents ,business.industry ,MEDLINE ,Dermatology ,General Medicine ,Nose ,medicine.disease ,Zygomycosis ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,medicine ,Humans ,business - Published
- 2020
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33. Pityriasis rosea during omalizumab treatment for chronic spontaneous urticaria
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Mario Vaccaro, Giulia Ciccarese, Serafinella P. Cannavò, Francesco Drago, and Ilenia Marafioti
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Pityriasis Rosea ,Urticaria ,Herpesvirus 6, Human ,viruses ,human herpesvirus 6 ,human herpesvirus 7 ,omalizumab ,pityiriasis rosea ,urticaria ,Herpesvirus 7, Human ,Omalizumab ,Dermatology ,Disease ,Serology ,030207 dermatology & venereal diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Immune system ,Anti-Allergic Agents ,medicine ,Humans ,Chronic Urticaria ,biology ,business.industry ,General Medicine ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,Titer ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Chronic Disease ,Immunology ,Pityriasis rosea ,Etiology ,Human herpesvirus 6 ,business ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Pityriasis rosea (PR) is an exanthematous disease whose etiology is related to reactivation of herpes human herpesviruses 6 (HHV-6) and 7 (HHV-7). We observed two cases of PR arising during omalizumab therapy for chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). Here we report for the first time PR occurring during omalizumab treatment. After PR diagnosis, viral serology was performed. Data in literature about omalizumab mechanism of action, PR and HHV-6/7 infection were analyzed in order to identify possible correlations. In both our cases IgM against HHV-6 and HHV-7 were negative. The first patient presented altered IgG titers for both viruses (1:160 and 1:80, respectively) while only HHV-6 IgG (1:320) were detected in the second patient. From data in literature, we consider it presumable that apoptotic immune cells due to omalizumab immunomodulation could release viral proteins produced from integrated DNA. This could elicit cutaneous cross-reactivity and PR onset. In conclusion, we think there is a link between omalizumab therapy and PR occurring in patients with CSU. Our case history is too small to draw firm conclusions. Data collection of similar cases could be helpful to improve our knowledge.
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- 2020
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34. Annular and arciform lesions of the palms as unique manifestations of secondary syphilis
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Giulia Ciccarese, Cinzia Buligan, Francesco Drago, Marco Turina, Maria Parodi, Aurora Parodi, and Emanuele Cozzani
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Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Dermatology ,Secondary syphilis ,arciform lesions ,030207 dermatology & venereal diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Medicine ,Humans ,Pharmacology (medical) ,Syphilis ,Treponema pallidum ,Skin ,business.industry ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,annular lesions ,Syphilis, Cutaneous ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Infectious Diseases ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Palm ,business ,Skin lesion - Abstract
We describe a patient presenting with annular-arciform symmetric lesions of the palms as the unique manifestation of secondary syphilis. The polymorphism of skin lesions in secondary syphilis depends entirely on the degree of inflammatory infiltrate, the level of vascular involvement and the resulting ischemia of the skin. Besides the transient and diffuse maculo-papules (roseola syphilitica), secondary syphilis skin lesions may have different morphology and shape. It has already been reported that in cases of reinfections by Treponema pallidum the skin lesions may be arciform, as in our patient, and asymmetric. Indeed, previous syphilis may attenuate the clinical and laboratory manifestations of a new infection with T.pallidum, that occurs with less severe skin manifestations or presents as latent syphilis. However, to our knowledge, annular-arciform lesions of the palms as unique manifestations of secondary syphilis have never been described. Clinicians should be well trained to recognize the atypical presentations of syphilis, especially in patients who have already received a syphilis diagnosis, since its incidence is steadily increasing in Europe, especially in men having sex with men.
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- 2020
35. Sexually transmitted infections in male prison inmates. Prevalence, level of knowledge and risky behaviours
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Giulia, Ciccarese, Francesco, Drago, Giorgio, Oddenino, Sara, Crosetto, Alfredo, Rebora, and Aurora, Parodi
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Adult ,Male ,Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ,Adolescent ,Prisoners ,Sexual Behavior ,Sexually Transmitted Diseases ,Middle Aged ,Health Risk Behaviors ,Young Adult ,Italy ,Risk Factors ,Prevalence ,Humans ,Aged ,Retrospective Studies - Abstract
Data on the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and risk factors among incarcerated people are few and data about STIs awareness among inmates are even lacking. This study aimed to assess prevalence of STIs, risky behaviours and STIs level of knowledge in male inmates of the Casa Circondariale-Genova Marassi, the main penitentiary in Genoa, Italy. Between January and June 2019, 662 inmate medical records were retrospectively examined to obtain clinical and laboratory data about STIs. To investigate the inmate level of knowledge of STIs and their risky behaviours, 111consenting participants answered, anonymously, a written questionnaire. One hundred and twenty-two patients had at least one infectious disease when entered the prison: HIV (1.8%), HBV (2.7%), HCV (12.5%) and syphilis (1.3%). When asked to select from a list of diseases which ones they thought to be sexually transmitted, only 12% of the inmates answered correctly; most of them ignored which body fluids are at risk for HIV transmission, which STIs can induce tumors and if any vaccination exists to prevent STIs. Substance abuse was common among inmates that frequently exchanged needles for injecting drugs. To reduce the STIs incidence, it is necessary to target high-risk populations: everyone entering a prison should be offered a systematic screening of all STIs, including those currently neglected. Since STIs knowledge among inmates is poor and risky behaviours are diffuse, informative interventions in prison may provide an opportunity to educate such a high-risk population.
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- 2020
36. Cervical, oral and anal Human papillomavirus infection in women attending the Dermatology Unit of a regional reference hospital in Genoa, Italy: a prevalence study
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Astrid, Herzum, Giulia, Ciccarese, Francesco, Drago, Angela, Pastorino, Marih, Dezzana, Maria Gabriella, Mavilia, Simona, Sola, Francesco, Copello, and Aurora, Parodi
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Cross-Sectional Studies ,Italy ,Papillomavirus Infections ,Humans ,Female ,Dermatology ,Hospitals - Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide. In women with genital infection, the virus can be transmitted by sex to the oral cavity of their partners and then to their own oral cavity. The aim of the present study was to establish the prevalence of cervical/anal/oral HPV infection in women attending the Dermatology Unit of the Policlinico San Martino of Genoa, the regional reference hospital in Liguria, Italy.Between January 2016 and December 2018, the female patients attending the STI center (cases) and those requiring a full body skin examination for skin cancer screening ("supposed" healthy population: controls) were recruited. Cervical/anal/oral samples were collected with ThinPrep liquid based cytology preparation system: polymerase chain reaction for HPV and cytological evaluation were performed. Overall, 85 cases and 31 controls were recruited.Cervical HPV infection was detected in 60% of the cases and 48% of the controls; anal HPV infection in 44% of the cases and 26% of the controls. Cervical and anal HPV infection resulted associated, especially in the control group. Moreover, 32% of the cases and 29% of the controls proved HPV positive in the oral cavity. In the cases of our series, prevalence of cervical, anal and oral HPV infection was higher compared with the controls.The high prevalence of anal-oral infections and the frequent association between anal and cervical infections, provide reason to suggest HPV screening also in the anal and oral regions, which may represent HPV reservoirs and grounds for cancer development.
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- 2020
37. Multiple arterial aneurysms: do not forget syphilitic etiology
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Giulia Merlo, Francesco Drago, Aurora Parodi, and Fiammetta Monacelli
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Pediatrics ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Arterial aneurysms ,business.industry ,medicine ,Etiology ,MEDLINE ,Cardiovascular diagnosis ,Syphilis ,Dermatology ,medicine.disease ,business - Published
- 2020
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38. Acute pain and postherpetic neuralgia related to Varicella zoster virus reactivation: Comparison between typical herpes zoster and zoster sine herpete
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Giulia Ciccarese, Astrid Herzum, Aurora Parodi, Francesco Drago, Francesco Broccolo, Alfredo Rebora, Drago, F, Herzum, A, Ciccarese, G, Broccolo, F, Rebora, A, and Parodi, A
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Male ,Herpesvirus 3, Human ,reactivation ,Neuralgia, Postherpetic ,zoster sine herpete (ZSH) ,medicine.disease_cause ,VZV ,Zoster Sine Herpete ,0302 clinical medicine ,Blood serum ,80 and over ,pain ,030212 general & internal medicine ,herpesviru ,Aged, 80 and over ,Analgesics ,herpesvirus ,varicella zoster ,varicella-zoster virus (VZV)-DNA ,Acute Pain ,Aged ,Drug Utilization ,Female ,Humans ,Middle Aged ,Virus Activation ,Rash ,Infectious Diseases ,Radicular pain ,030211 gastroenterology & hepatology ,medicine.symptom ,Human ,medicine.drug ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Visual analogue scale ,03 medical and health sciences ,Virology ,medicine ,Postherpetic neuralgia ,business.industry ,Herpesvirus 3 ,Varicella zoster virus ,medicine.disease ,Dermatology ,Opioid ,Neuralgia ,Postherpetic ,business - Abstract
Herpes zoster (HZ) is typically characterized by pain involving the area of vesicular eruption. Several patients, however, complain of unilateral radicular pain without rash (zoster sine herpete [ZSH]). To evaluate whether the severity and duration of pain and the use of analgesics are greater in ZSH patients than in typical HZ with rash, 16 consecutive patients with acute unilateral pain, without vesicular eruption (ZSH), were compared with 16 controls suffering from typical HZ eruption. Only patients with laboratory evidence of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) reactivation were selected. Serum samples were obtained from all patients at their initial visit and 1 and 2 months later. Monthly, the administered therapies and the average pain score (visual analog scale [VAS] score) were recorded. VZV DNA persisted statistically higher in ZSH sera than HZ sera 1 month after onset (P = 0.0007). ZSH patients averaged greater pain than HZ patients, scoring VAS 76.88 and 66.88 ( P = 0.0012), respectively. ZSH patients used significantly more opioid therapy than HZ patients ( P = 0.0449; OR, 9.00). This is the first study comparing pain in ZSH and HZ patients: greater severity and duration of pain and more opioid use was detected in patients with ZSH.
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- 2018
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39. Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum DNA and RNA in Semen of a Syphilis Patient Without Genital or Anal Lesions
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Francesco Drago, Charmie Godornes, Lorenzo Giacani, and Giulia Ciccarese
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Microbiology (medical) ,Semen ,Dermatology ,urologic and male genital diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,fluids and secretions ,0302 clinical medicine ,medicine ,Sex organ ,030212 general & internal medicine ,030505 public health ,Treponema ,biology ,urogenital system ,business.industry ,Transmission (medicine) ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,RNA ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Virology ,stomatognathic diseases ,Infectious Diseases ,chemistry ,Orchitis ,Syphilis ,0305 other medical science ,business ,DNA - Abstract
Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum DNA and RNA were detected in a semen specimen of a syphilis patient with no genital or anal sores and no clinically evident orchitis. No nucleic acids were found in a urine sample of the same patient collected immediately before the semen sample. Exposure to the syphilis agent through semen could account for transmission episodes in the absence of direct contact with a syphilitic sore.
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- 2019
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40. Pityriasis Rosea during Pregnancy: Major and Minor Alarming Signs
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Alfredo Rebora, Aurora Parodi, Giulia Ciccarese, Astrid Herzum, and Francesco Drago
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Pityriasis Rosea ,Human herpesvirus 7 ,Constitutional symptoms ,Human herpesvirus 6 ,Herpesvirus 6, Human ,Herpesvirus 7, Human ,Disease ,030207 dermatology & venereal diseases ,0302 clinical medicine ,Pregnancy ,Risk Factors ,Medicine ,Viral ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Body surface area ,Obstetrics ,Gestational age ,Viral Load ,Muscle Hypotonia ,Patent ,Female ,Apgar score ,Viral load ,Foramen Ovale ,Human ,Adult ,Polyhydramnios ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Foramen Ovale, Patent ,Gestational Age ,Dermatology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Pityriasis rosea ,Abortion, Spontaneous ,Apgar Score ,DNA, Viral ,Humans ,Infant, Low Birth Weight ,Infant, Newborn ,Mouth Diseases ,Mouth Mucosa ,Pregnancy Complications ,Herpesvirus 6 ,Herpesvirus 7 ,business.industry ,Spontaneous ,Abortion ,Low Birth Weight ,Infant ,DNA ,Newborn ,medicine.disease ,business - Abstract
Background: Pityriasis rosea (PR) is a self-limiting exanthematous disease associated with human herpesvirus (HHV)-6 and/or HHV-7 reactivation. In pregnant women, PR may be associated with pregnancy complications. Objective: To determine relevant risk factors in the development of negative pregnancy outcome in PR. Methods: Between 2005 and 2017 at the Department of Dermatology, University of Genoa, we recruited 76 women who developed PR during pregnancy. In 60 patients without known risk factors for intrauterine fetal death (30 with pregnancy complications and 30 without) we analyzed the pregnancy week of PR onset, presence of enanthem and of constitutional symptoms, PR body surface area involvement, age, and in 50 patients (20 with pregnancy complications and 30 without), the viral load of HHV-6 and HHV-7 (copies/mL). Results: In logistic regression analysis, early onset of PR (p = 0.0017) and enanthem (p = 0.0392) proved to be significantly associated with pregnancy complications. HHV-6 viral load (copies/mL) (p < 0.0001), constitutional symptoms (p < 0.001), and PR body surface area involvement (p < 0.004) were also significantly associated with pregnancy complications. Conclusion: The onset of PR before week 15 and enanthem may be considered major risk factors that should alarm the dermatologist. Constitutional symptoms and involvement of > 50% of the body area may be considered minor risk factors.
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- 2018
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41. Prevention of non-melanoma skin cancers with nicotinamide in transplant recipients: a case-control study
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Ludovica Cogorno, Giulia Ciccarese, Francesco Drago, Luigina A Marsano, Camillo Calvi, and Aurora Parodi
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Male ,Niacinamide ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Skin Neoplasms ,Dermatology ,Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide ,Gastroenterology ,Organ transplantation ,030207 dermatology & venereal diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,0302 clinical medicine ,Internal medicine ,Biopsy ,medicine ,Carcinoma ,Humans ,Nicotinamide ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Actinic keratosis ,Case-control study ,medicine.disease ,Kidney Transplantation ,Liver Transplantation ,Surgery ,Keratosis, Actinic ,chemistry ,Case-Control Studies ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Vitamin B Complex ,Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ,Female ,Histopathology ,business - Abstract
Nicotinamide is the precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), an essential cofactor for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. It has recently been reported to be effective in reducing the rates of new non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) and actinic keratosis (AKs). We studied the efficacy of oral nicotinamide as treatment for AKs in transplant recipients. We recruited 38 transplant (eight liver and 30 kidney) patients with single or multiple AKs. Nineteen patients were randomly assigned to Group 1 and took nicotinamide 500 mg/daily (cases); the other 19 patients were randomly assigned to Group 2 without nicotinamide (controls). At base-line, AKs were identified, measured, and photographed for follow-up. Five patients underwent an AK biopsy for histopathology. Statistical analyses were performed using the Student t test. At baseline, no statistically significant differences were observed regarding AK size between the two groups. After six months, among the cases, AKs had significantly decreased in size in 18/19 patients (88%). Among these 18 patients, seven patients (42%) had shown complete clinical regression and no patient developed new AKs. Conversely, among the controls, 91% showed an increase in AK size and/or developed new AKs. Seven pre-existing AKs progressed to squamous-cell carcinoma. Nicotinamide appears to be effective in preventing and treating AKs, although the mechanisms are still unclear. Further studies with a larger sample of organ transplant recipients and a longer follow-up period are needed to further support our conclusions.
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- 2017
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42. Estimation of Full-Length TprK Diversity in Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum
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Hong Xie, Marco Cusini, Michelle Lin, Lorenzo Giacani, Francesco Drago, Giulia Ciccarese, Ivano Dal Conte, Amin Addetia, Alexander L. Greninger, Meei-Li Huang, and Quynh Phung
- Subjects
Genetics ,Treponema ,Disease progression ,Antigenic variation ,Subspecies ,Allele ,Biology ,biology.organism_classification ,Pathogen ,Deep sequencing - Abstract
Immune evasion and disease progression of Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum are associated with sequence diversity in the hypervariable, putative outer membrane protein TprK. Previous attempts to study variation within TprK have sequenced at depths insufficient to fully appreciate the hypervariable nature of the protein, failed to establish linkage between the protein’s 7 variable regions, or were conducted on strains passed through rabbits. As a consequence, a complete profiling of tprK during infection in the human host is still lacking. Furthermore, prior studies examining how T. pallidum uses its repertoire of genomic donor sites to generate diversity within the V regions of the tprK also yielded a partial understanding of this process, due to the limited number of tprK alleles examined. In this study, we used short- and long-read deep sequencing to directly characterize full-length tprK alleles from T. pallidum collected from early lesions of patients attending two STD clinics in Italy. Our data, combined with recent data available on Chinese T. pallidum strains, show the near complete absence of overlap in TprK sequences among the 41 strains profiled to date. Moreover, our data allowed us to redefine the boundaries of tprK V regions, identify 55 donor sites, and estimate the total number of TprK variants that T. pallidum can potentially generate. Altogether, our results support how T. pallidum TprK antigenic variation system is an unsurmountable obstacle for the human immune system to naturally achieve infection eradication, and reiterate the importance of this mechanism for pathogen persistence in the host.ImportanceSyphilis continues to be a significant public health issue in both low- and high-income nations, including the United States, where the number of infectious syphilis cases has increased dramatically over the past five years. T. pallidum, the causative agent of syphilis, encodes an outer membrane protein TprK that undergoes segmental gene conversion to constantly create new sequences. We performed deep TprK profiling to understand full-length TprK diversity in T. pallidum-positive clinical specimens and compared these to all samples for which TprK deep sequencing is available. We found almost no overlap in TprK sequences between different patients. We further estimate that the total baseline junctional diversity of full-length TprK rivals that of current estimates of the human adaptive immune system. These data underscore the immunoevasive ability of TprK that allows T. pallidum to establish lifelong infection.
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- 2020
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43. The 'Great Lockdown': Inactive Workers and Mortality by COVID-19
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Francesco Drago, Nicola Borri, Chiara Santantonio, and Francesco Sobbrio
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education.field_of_study ,Government ,Geography ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Causal effect ,Population ,Psychological intervention ,Percentage point ,Demographic economics ,education ,Empirical design ,Municipal level - Abstract
In response to the Covid-19 outbreak, among other previous "non-pharmaceutical interventions'', on March 22, 2020 the Italian Government imposed an economic lockdown and ordered the closing of all non-essential economic activities. This paper estimates the causal effect of this measure on mortality by Covid-19 and on mobility patterns. The identification of the causal effect exploits the variation in the number of active workers across municipalities induced by the economic lockdown. The difference-in-difference empirical design compares outcomes in municipalities above and below the median variation in the share of active population before and after the lockdown within a province, also controlling for municipality-specific dynamics, daily-shocks at the provincial level and municipal unobserved characteristics. Our results show that the intensity of the economic lockdown is associated to a statistically significant reduction in mortality by Covid-19 and, in particular, for age groups between 30-64 and older. Back of the envelope calculations indicate that 4,793 deaths were avoided, in the 26 days between April 5 to April 30, in the 3,518 municipalities which experienced a more intense lockdown. Assuming linearity, a 1 percentage point reduction in the share of active population caused a 1.32 percentage points reduction in mortality by Covid-19. We also find that the economic lockdown, as expected, led to a reduction in human mobility. Several robustness checks corroborate our empirical findings.
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- 2020
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44. Urticaria associated with Epstein-Barr virus reactivation
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Emanuele Cozzani, Aurora Parodi, Giulia Merlo, and Francesco Drago
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Epstein-Barr Virus Infections ,Herpesvirus 4, Human ,Urticaria ,Remission, Spontaneous ,Histamine Antagonists ,Acyclovir ,Dermatology ,Antibodies, Viral ,medicine.disease_cause ,Antiviral Agents ,Young Adult ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Antigen ,medicine ,Humans ,Antigens, Viral ,Viral immunology ,biology ,business.industry ,Virus Activation ,Human physiology ,Epstein–Barr virus ,Virology ,chemistry ,DNA, Viral ,biology.protein ,Prednisone ,Capsid Proteins ,Female ,Antibody ,business ,DNA - Published
- 2019
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45. May syphilis protect against human papillomavirus infection? An example of heterologous immunity
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Giulia Ciccarese, Astrid Herzum, Francesco Drago, and Aurora Parodi
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Adult ,Male ,Latent ,MEDLINE ,Heterologous ,Comorbidity ,Dermatology ,Immunity, Heterologous ,Syphilis, Latent ,Risk Factors ,Immunity ,medicine ,Humans ,Syphilis ,Human papillomavirus ,Aged ,Retrospective Studies ,business.industry ,Papillomavirus Infections ,Case-control study ,Retrospective cohort study ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Italy ,Case-Control Studies ,Immunology ,Female ,business - Published
- 2019
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46. Skin eruption and cholestatic hepatic injury due to vismodegib
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Yiran Wei, Aurora Parodi, Francesco Drago, and Ilaria Trave
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medicine.medical_specialty ,Cholestasis ,Pyridines ,business.industry ,Vismodegib ,Antineoplastic Agents ,Dermatology ,medicine ,Humans ,Anilides ,Female ,Aged ,Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ,Drug Eruptions ,business ,medicine.drug - Published
- 2019
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47. Prevalence of genital, oral, and anal HPV infection among STI patients in Italy
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Giulia Ciccarese, Astrid Herzum, Francesco Drago, and Alfredo Rebora
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,Population ,Sexually Transmitted Diseases ,Reproductive Tract Infections ,Young Adult ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Virology ,Epidemiology ,Prevalence ,medicine ,Humans ,Sex organ ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Oral mucosa ,education ,Papillomaviridae ,Cervix ,Aged ,Aged, 80 and over ,Anus Diseases ,education.field_of_study ,business.industry ,Incidence (epidemiology) ,Papillomavirus Infections ,HPV infection ,virus diseases ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,female genital diseases and pregnancy complications ,Infectious Diseases ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Italy ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Liquid-based cytology ,Female ,Mouth Diseases ,business - Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a carcinogenic agent responsible for tumor development in many sexually involved tissues. We present a survey on the prevalence of HPV infection in a risk population for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The studied population was formed by 125 STI clinic attendees, who took part in a screening program on STIs. To be included in the study, the patients had to show no overt clinical signs of HPV infection. Genital (cervical in women, urethral in men), anal, and oral samples were collected with ThinPrep liquid based cytology preparation system. Overall, of the screened population, 56% proved positive for genital HPV, 37% for oral HPV, and 42% for anal HPV infection. Our data indicate that in STI patients, HPV infection is more prevalent, than previously estimated. Further studies are needed to better understand the epidemiological burden of HPV in sexually involved tissues, especially in the oral mucosa.
- Published
- 2016
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48. Modulation of gene expression in Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-infected lymphoid and epithelial cells
- Author
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Lisa Fusetti, Giulia Ciccarese, Francesco Broccolo, B Matteoli, Luca Ceccherini-Nelli, Susanna Esposito, A. Scaccino, Francesco Drago, Francesco Formica, Massimo Oggioni, Matteoli, B, Broccolo, F, Oggioni, M, Scaccino, A, Formica, F, Ciccarese, G, Drago, F, Fusetti, L, Esposito, S, and Ceccherini Nelli, L
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Cell type ,Cell ,Kaposi's sarcoma ,Inflammation ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,medicine.disease ,03 medical and health sciences ,030104 developmental biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Virology ,Gene expression ,Immunology ,gene expression ,medicine ,Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus ,medicine.symptom ,Signal transduction ,Gene ,HHV-8 - Abstract
Aim: To evaluate the gene expression changes that occur soon after the active infection of two susceptible cell types with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8). Materials & methods: The expression profile of 282 human genes involved in the inflammatory process was investigated in HHV-8 A1 or C3 subtype-infected and mock-infected human epithelial cells and lymphoid cells. Results: The HHV-8-induced transcriptional profiles in the epithelial and lymphoid cells were very different. A robust increase in the expression was found in genes belonging to different categories, especially the categories of inflammation response and signal transduction. Conclusion: These results indicate that during early infection, HHV-8 induces a variety of cell type-specific processes, thus providing infection signatures useful as potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
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- 2016
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- View/download PDF
49. Are genital ulcers always sexually transmitted? First report of scrotal ulcer caused bySerratia marcescensinfection
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Giulia Ciccarese, Francesco Drago, Margherita Cioni, Giampiero Rivara, and Lodovica Gariazzo
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,biology ,business.industry ,Dermatology ,biology.organism_classification ,Surgery ,030207 dermatology & venereal diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Scrotal ulcer ,Serratia marcescens ,medicine ,Sex organ ,030212 general & internal medicine ,business - Published
- 2017
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50. Cerebrospinal fluid tests for neurosyphilis diagnosis
- Author
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Giulia Ciccarese, Francesco Drago, and Aurora Parodi
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,030505 public health ,Treponema ,biology ,Hemagglutination ,business.industry ,Dermatology ,urologic and male genital diseases ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,female genital diseases and pregnancy complications ,Neurosyphilis ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Infectious Diseases ,Cerebrospinal fluid ,Particle agglutination ,medicine ,Syphilis ,030212 general & internal medicine ,0305 other medical science ,business ,After treatment - Abstract
Dear Editor, We agree with Shiva et al 1 about the relevance of assessing Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) titres in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of patients with suspected neurosyphilis. For many years, we have been using T. pallidum haemagglutination test (TPHA) both in diagnosing neurosyphilis and in the follow-up of our patients after treatment. It would have been interesting to know the trend of CSF-TPPA titres over time in Shiva’s …
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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