Marco Infante

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine | UM · Diabetes Research Institute (DRI)

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease leading to immune-mediated destruction of pancreatic beta cells, resulting in the need for insulin therapy. The incidence of T1D is increasing worldwide, thus prompting researchers to investigate novel immunomodulatory strategies to halt autoimmunity and modify disease progression. T1D is consid...

The antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has long been used as a disease‐modifying antirheumatic drug for the treatment of several inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Over the last three decades, various studies have shown that HCQ plays also a role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis. Although the mechanisms of action underlying the glucos...

Over the last few years, technological advances have led to tremendous improvement in the management of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Artificial pancreas systems have been shown to improve glucose control compared with conventional insulin pump therapy. However, clinically significant hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic episodes still occur with the artificial...

Insulin represents the paramount anabolic hormone and the master regulator of glucose, lipid, and protein metabolism. This chapter describes the sequential stages of the physiologic journey of insulin in the human body, from its synthesis/secretion to its action in peripheral tissues and, ultimately, to its clearance and degradation. These stages i...

The growing global epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus has determined an increased prevalence of NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), making it the most common chronic liver disease in the Western world and a leading cause of liver transplantation. In the last few years, a rising number of studies conducted both on animal and hum...

Background: Obesity is a pandemic disease characterized by excessive severe body comorbidities. Reduction in fat accumulation represents a mechanism of prevention, and the replacement of white adipose tissue (WAT) with brown adipose tissue (BAT) has been proposed as one promising strategy against obesity. In the present study, we sought to investig...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2), was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 2020, causing unprecedented disease with million deaths across the globe, mostly adults. Indeed, children accounted for only a few percent of cases. Italy was...

Objective: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and impaired kidney function are associated with a higher risk of poor outcomes of COVID-19. We conducted a retrospective study in hospitalized T2DM patients with COVID-19 to assess the association between in-hospital mortality and admission values of different hematological/biochemical parameters, includ...

Introduction : Diabetes of the exocrine pancreas (DEP; a.k.a. pancreatic diabetes or pancreatogenic diabetes or type 3c diabetes mellitus or T3cDM) refers to different diabetes types resulting from disorders of the exocrine pancreas and is characterized by the structural and functional loss of glucose-normalizing insulin secretion in the context of...

Over the last decades, the growing prevalence of insulin resistance has dramatically contributed to the global epidemic of metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, there is an unmet need for novel nutritional and pharmacological strategies aimed to prevent or treat insulin resistance and its rela...

Pregnancy is physiologically associated with a gradual increase in insulin resistance, which acts as a physiologic adaptive mechanism to ensure the adequate supply of glucose to the rapidly growing fetus. However, an early adaptive increase in beta-cell glucose sensitivity and beta-cell insulin secretion maintains glucose homeostasis during normal...

The large, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial VITAL (Vitamin D and omega 3 trial) recently confirmed that vitamin D and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) co-supplementation (VIDOM) can reduce the incidence of autoimmune diseases. Based on these relevant results, this commentary summarizes the molecular mechanisms behind the...

Introduction: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) represents a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in subjects with diabetes and develops in more than one third of diabetic patients. Steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs - eplerenone and spironolactone) reduce mortality in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction...

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) represents a risk factor for bone loss and impaired bone quality. Material and methods: We conducted an exploratory retrospective cross-sectional study involving youths with new-onset T1D, to investigate the relationship between lumbar spine dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and phalangeal quantitative ul...

Type 1 diabetes (T1D), which is caused by the autoimmune destruction of insulin-secreting pancreatic beta cells, represents a high-risk category requiring COVID-19 vaccine prioritization. Although COVID-19 vaccination can lead to transient hyperglycemia (vaccination-induced hyperglycemia; ViHG), its influence on the course of the clinical remission...

Corresponding Author and Presenter: Dr. Marco Infante

KPD is classically regarded as an atypical form of diabetes caused by near-complete beta-cell failure. A 37-year-old Egyptian man (BMI: 27.7 Kg/m2) presented with hyperglycemia (362 mg/dL) and DKA (arterial pH 7.20, ketonemia 5.0 mmol/L, ketonuria 80 mg/dL) . He was afebrile, with recent polyuria, polydipsia and weight loss. HbA1c was 107 mmol/mol...

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease caused by the immune-mediated destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. However, the canonical notion that T1D is a beta-cell-specific and T-cell-mediated disease characterized by the complete loss of beta-cell mass and function has recently been questioned. Indeed, T1D is characterized b...

Systemic inflammation represents a shared pathophysiological mechanism which underlies the frequent clinical associations among chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (CIRDs), insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and chronic diabetes complications, including cardiovascular disease. Therefore, targeted anti-inflammatory therapies are attracti...

LRIOG - La Rivista Italiana di Ostetrica e Ginecologia. Volume 2022, Issue 1 (March 1, 2022): 95-106. p-ISSN: 1724-6776. e-ISSN: 1824-0283. DOI: 10.53146/lriog1202162 [Article in Italian]. Metabolic syndrome is a complex disorder characterized by the co-occurrence of several known cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, insulin resistance,...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of glucose control, diabetes-related complications and cardiometabolic risk factors on the risk of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) and DFU complications in Albanian adult inpatients with T2D. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective case-control study on 482 Albanian adult inpatients...

LRIOG - La Rivista Italiana di Ostetrica e Ginecologia. Volume 2021, Issue 4 (December 1, 2021): 51-59. p-ISSN: 1724-6776. e-ISSN: 1824-0283. DOI: 10.53146/lriog1202148 [Article in Italian]. Abstract: Since March 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome cor...

Objective: Evidence supports a sex disparity in clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients, with men exhibiting higher mortality rates compared to women. We aimed to test the correlation between serum levels of sex hormones [total testosterone, estradiol (E2), estradiol to testosterone (E2/T) ratio, progesterone), prolactin and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25...

To date, metformin remains the first-line oral glucose-lowering drug used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes thanks to its well-established long-term safety and efficacy profile. Indeed, metformin is the most widely used oral insulin-sensitizing agent, being prescribed to more than 100 million people worldwide, including patients with prediabetes...

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) represent the most common types of autoimmune diabetes and are characterized by different age of onset, degrees of immune-mediated destruction of pancreatic beta cells and rates of disease progression towards insulin dependence. Several immunotherapies aimed to counteract autoimm...

A dysregulated immune response characterized by the hyperproduction of several pro-inflammatory cytokines (a.k.a. 'cytokine storm') plays a central role in the pathophysiology of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In this Perspective article we discuss the evidence...

Objective: Preliminary findings suggest a relationship between lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and incidence and severity of COVID-19. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between vitamin D status at admission and different markers of inflammation, coagulation, and sepsis in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. M...

Background: Allosensitization has been reported after discontinuation of immunosuppression following graft failure in islet transplantation (ITx) recipients, though duration of its persistence is unknown. Methods: We evaluated 35 patients with type 1 diabetes who received ITx, including 17 who developed graft failure (ITx alone, n=13; ITx plus b...

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a serious autoimmune disease characterized by progressive destruction of pancreatic beta cells, leading to lifelong dependence on exogenous insulin. Available therapies focus primarily on insulin replacement, either directly or through transplantation/regeneration of insulin-secreting cells. Despite tremendous advances in r...

Although osteoporosis has long been mislabeled as a women’s disease, during the last decades the scientific community has acknowledged that male osteoporosis also represents an important public health and economic issue, being responsible for an increased risk of fragility fractures which show a particularly poor prognosis in men. Specifically, ost...

Introduction: Mononeuritis multiplex (MM) is an unusual form of peripheral neuropathy involving at least two noncontiguous peripheral nerve trunks. The pure sensory form of MM occurs rarely. Immunoglobulin (Ig)G subclass deficiency is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder. Up to 50% of adults with selective subnormal IgG1 levels or s...

Abstract. – INTRODUCTION: Mononeuritis multiplex (MM) is an unusual form of peripher- al neuropathy involving at least two noncontig- uous peripheral nerve trunks. The pure sensory form of MM occurs rarely. Immunoglobulin (Ig)G subclass deficiency is a clinically and genetical- ly heterogeneous disorder. Up to 50% of adults with selective subnormal...

Introduction Over the last few months, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has posed a serious threat to public health on a global scale. Given the current lack of an effective vaccine, several drugs have been repurposed for treatment and prophylaxis of COVID-19 in an attempt to find an effective...

Since excessive sugar consumption has been related to the development of chronic metabolic diseases prevalent in the western world, the use of sweeteners has gradually increased worldwide over the last few years. Although low-and non-calorie sweeteners may represent a valuable tool to reduce calorie intake and prevent weight gain, studies investiga...

Recurrence of autoimmunity and allograft rejection represent major challenges that impact the success of islet transplantation. Despite the remarkable improvements achieved in immunosuppression strategies after the publication of the Edmonton protocol, long-term data of intra-hepatic islet transplantation show a gradual decline in beta-cell functio...

Abstract RANKL/RANK/OPG system consists of three essential signaling molecules: i) the receptor activator of nuclear factor (NF)-kB-ligand (RANKL), ii) the receptor activator of NF-kB (RANK), and iii) the soluble decoy receptor osteoprotegerin (OPG). Although this system is critical for the regulation of osteoclast differentiation/activation and ca...

Liver cirrhosis is an increasing global public health burden, representing a relevant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Hepatogenous diabetes (HD) is defined as an acquired condition of impaired glucose regulation due to the loss of liver function caused by cirrhosis, which exacerbates the poor long-term prognosis of cirrhotic patients. N...

Cognitive dysfunction has been increasingly considered as a major comorbidity of diabetes mellitus, which can result in non-adherence to recommended therapies and higher risk of hypoglycemic events. Although the exact mechanisms underlying the relationship between markers of insulin homeostasis and cognitive decline in patients with diabetes are st...

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory chronic disease affecting arterial vessels and leading to vascular diseases, such as stroke and myocardial infarction. The relationship between atherosclerosis and risk of neurodegeneration has been established, in particular with vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID). Systemic atherosclerosis increase...

The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) was originally identified as a regulator of blood pressure, able to modulate renal sodium handling in response to its principal ligand aldosterone. MR is expressed in several extra-renal tissues, including the heart, vasculature, and adipose tissue. More recent studies have shown that extra-renal MR plays a relev...

Sommario La very-low-calorie-ketogenic-diet (VLCKD) rappresenta un valido strumento nel trattamento dell’obesità e delle sue comorbidità. Il vantaggio di una VLCKD rispetto a un trattamento ipocalorico tradizionale è rappresentato dal rapido calo ponderale, dal mantenimento della massa muscolare e dalla riduzione dell’appetito. La VLCKD è spesso ut...

Chronic inflammation has been linked to the progression of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Supplementation with vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory properties, may slow or stop the progression of T1D. A field study is underway to assess the relationship between these nutrients and T1D progression among auto-antibody positive indi...

The recent article by Thuzar et al. (1) has shown for the first time that treatment of adult humans with the MR antagonist spironolactone (spiro) is capable of increasing brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity and thermogenesis, suggesting that MR antagonists (MRAs) may lead to beneficial metabolic effects and represent a valid approach to fight obesi...

Insulin autoimmune syndrome is an unusual cause of spontaneous hypoglycaemia in non-Asian populations. In the majority of cases, this syndrome appears a few weeks after the administration of drugs containing a sulfhydryl group. A strong association between this syndrome and HLA-DR4 has been shown. Only seven cases have been described in non-Asian p...

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by abnormal development of cognitive, social, and communicative skills. Although ASD aetiology and pathophysiology are still unclear, various nutritional factors have been investigated as potential risk factors for ASD development, including omega-...

Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) has been recently identified in adipose tissue, where its excessive activation contributes to several metabolic derangements often observed in obesity and metabolic syndrome. Recent findings support the existence of a bidirectional cross-talk between adipose tissue and adrenal glands, contributing to obesity-related...

Official Journal of the International Union of Aesthetic Medicine - UIME "Mineralocorticoid receptor has been recently identified in several extra-renal tissues, including adipose tissue, where its hyperactivation contributes to some metabolic derangements frequently observed in obesity and metabolic syndrome, such as adipocyte hypertrophy, increa...

Objective: Osteomalacia is a metabolic bone disease characterized by impaired mineralization with increased non-mineralized osteoid tissue, increased frailty, and reduced bone mineral density. A common cause of osteomalacia in adults and the elderly is severe deficiency of vitamin D, which leads to chronic hypocalcemia, hypophosphatemia, and second...

Corticosteroids are secreted by the adrenal glands and control the functions of adipose tissue via the activation of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR). In turn, adipocytes release a large variety of adipokines into the bloodstream, regulating the function of several organs and tissues, including the adrenal glands, he...

Poster session - Annual meeting of Italian Society of Endocrinology (Rome, June 2017)

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and a steroid hormone that plays a central role in maintaining calcium-phosphorus and bone homeostasis in close interaction with parathyroid hormone, acting on its classical target tissues, namely, bone, kidney, intestine, and parathyroid glands. However, vitamin D endocrine system regulates several genes (about 3...

Sommario L’anoressia nervosa è un disturbo del comportamento alimentare a chiara preponderanza femminile, con una prevalenza stimata nella popolazione generale pari a circa lo 0,3–0,9% nelle donne e meno dello 0,3% negli uomini. Secondo i criteri stabiliti dalla quinta edizione del Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) l’ano...

Sommario Il recettore mineralcorticoide (MR) è stato recentemente identificato in diversi tessuti extra-renali, tra cui il tessuto adiposo, ove svolge funzioni importanti nel controllo della funzione adipocitaria. L’espressione di MR a livello del tessuto adiposo è più elevata nell’obesità; ciò suggerisce che la sua eccessiva attivazione determina...