Sharmila Fagoonee

Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging (CNR)

Obesity has become one of modern society's most serious health problems. Studies from the last 30 years revealed a direct relationship between imbalanced energy intake and increased healthcare costs related to the treatment or management of obesity. Recent research has highlighted significant effects of gut microbial composition on obesity. We aime...

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic immune-inflammatory disease of the liver, generally considered a rare condition. The clinical manifestation is extremely varied and can range from paucisymptomatic forms to severe hepatitis. Chronic liver damage causes activation of hepatic and inflammatory cells leading to inflammation and oxidative stress t...

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are double membrane vesicles, abundant in all biological fluids. However, the characterization of EVs in aqueous humor (AH) is still limited. The aim of the present work was to characterize EVs isolated from AH (AH-EVs) in terms of surface markers of cellular origin and functional properties. We obtained AHs from patien...

Metastatic melanoma has less frequency, but considered as the most dreaded cancer. The combination of nivolumab & ipilimumab is proving their mettle in treating metastatic melanoma. The patients when administered with the combination of nivolumab & ipilimumab have shown improved median progression free survival, objective response rate and overall...

Severe corneal damage leads to complete vision loss, thereby affecting life quality and impinging heavily on the healthcare system. Current clinical approaches to manage corneal wounds suffer from severe drawbacks, thus requiring the development of alternative strategies. Of late, mesenchymal stromal/stem cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (...

Several lines of evidences have implicated the resident microbiome as a key factor in the modulation of host physiology and pathophysiology; including the resistance to cancers. Gut microbiome heavily influences host lipid homeostasis by their modulatory effects on the metabolism of bile acids (BAs). Microbiota-derived BA metabolites such as deoxyc...

Chronic hepatitis (CH) of dysmetabolic or viral etiology has been associated with poor prognosis in patients who experienced the severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus-2 (SARS-Cov-2) infection. We aimed to explore the impact of SARS-Cov-2 infection on disease severity in a group of patients with CH. Forty-two patients with CH of different etiol...

Background: Glypican-3 (GPC-3) is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan overexpressed by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Several studies highlighted the diagnostic and prognostic value of GPC-3 expression in liver tissue, while data on the reliability of serum GPC-3 are limited and conflicting. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of serum GPC...

Background: University students are a high-risk group for stress, consumption of junk food and significant weight gain over a short period. Inadequate vitamin D intake has been linked to many health issues, including chronic headache, apathy, aggression and depression. Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency led to dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. The p...

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease and activation of WNT and TGFβ mediated oncogenic pathways is frequently observed in this pathology. However, to date, limited reports have been published addressing the association of circadian clock with CRC pathogenesis and stratification. The current study aims at assessing the exp...

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by a complex clinical picture that includes non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. In the last decades, several studies have shown that NAFLD increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. In a prospective pilot study, the benefit of treatment with phosphatidylcoline in N...

Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), causal agent of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has infected millions of people worldwide. Currently, the scientific community debates on the direct viral responsibility of liver damage or whether the observed changes are secondary manifestations of systemic inflamma...

Stem cells are very promising for the treatment of a plethora of human diseases. Numerous clinical studies have been conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of various stem cell types. Factors that ensure successful therapeutic outcomes in patients are cell-based parameters such as source, viability, and number, as well as frequency and timing...

Background: Since liver fibrosis is one of the most accurate predictors of prognosis in hepatopatic patients, its accurate assessment and staging is a major public health issue. Transient elastography (TE, Fibroscan®) and shear wave elastography (SWE) represent the gold standard techniques among non-invasive methods to assess liver fibrosis. Contr...

During the last decade, relevant advances have been made in the knowledge of the pathogenetic mechanisms of gastrointestinal (GI) tract disorders [...].

The newly described SARS-CoV-2 respiratory virus is now righteously presenting as an ominous threat, based on the speed with which it originated a zoonosis from bats; advancing at a similar rate, the virus has placed mankind before a pandemic, with an infection toll of some 431 million, and a lethality of 5,9 million (as of 25 February 2022). The s...

Liver fibrosis is a key pathological precondition for hepatocellular carcinoma in which the severity is confidently correlated with liver cancer. Liver fibrosis, characterized by gradual cell loss and excessive extracellular matrix deposition, can be reverted if detected at the early stage. The gold standard for staging and diagnosis of liver fibro...

This is a prospective and comparative study including 76 consecutive patients performing EUS-FNB for pancreatic and extrapancreatic solid lesions, randomized by alternate allocation to macroscopic on-site evaluation (MOSE) (40 patients) or to a conventional technique (40 patients), with three passes each. MOSE samples were differentiated into score...

Phytol (PHY), a diterpenoid, is known for its various bio-pharmacological activities. However, its toxicological profile has yet to be evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytogenotoxicological profile of PHY in Wistar albino rats. Forty-five female non-pregnant rats were treated acutely and subchronically with PHY at doses of 300 a...

Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) is a mucin-degrading bacterium that commonly lives in the intestinal mucus layer. It is normally detected in human faecal specimens and is one of the few bacteria potentially associated to obesity development. In this narrative review, possible mechanisms that support how A. muciniphila is implicated in the...

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease characterized by erythematous plaques that can extend along the entire skin surface. In the latest years, it has been shown that serum calprotectin correlated strongly with several inflammatory biomarkers. Since high levels of calprotectin have been found in psoriatic lesions,...

The human gut is an intensively colonized organ containing microorganisms that can be health-promoting or pathogenic. This feature led to the development of functional foods aiming to fortify the former category at the expense of the latter. Since long, cultured products, including probiotics fortification, have been used for humans as live microbi...

Celiac disease (CD) is a chronic, small-intestinal, immune-mediated enteropathy due to gluten exposition in genetically predisposed individuals. It occurs in about 1% of the population and often remains an underdiagnosed condition. This could be due to the fact that the adult population often lacks the classical signs and symptoms of CD, manifestin...

Purpose: Plant-derived phytochemicals have shown epigenetic modulatory effect in different types of cancer by reversing the pattern of DNA methylation and chromatin modulation, thereby restoring the function of silenced tumor-suppressor genes. In the present study, attempts have been made to explore chrysin-mediated epigenetic alterations in HeLa c...

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disorder characterized by troublesome symptoms (classically, heartburn and regurgitation). Repeated or prolonged exposure to gastric contents may cause irritation and inflammation of the esophageal mucosa. RefluG™ is a medical device conceived to form a physical barrier on contact with...

Aims Biliary diseases represent around 10% of all chronic liver diseases and affect both adults and children. Currently available biochemical tests detect cholestasis but not early liver fibrosis. Circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) provide a non-invasive, real-time molecular snapshot of the injured organ. We thus aimed at searching for a pane...

Oxygen is indispensable for most organisms on the earth because of its role in respiration. However, it is also associated with several unwanted effects which may sometimes prove fatal in the long run. Such effects are more evident in cells exposed to strong oxidants containing reactive oxygen species (ROS). The adverse outcomes of oxidative metabo...

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Although various approaches are implemented to improve the health condition of GI patients, none of the treatment protocols promise for eradicating cancer. However, a treatment mechanism against any kind of disease condition is already existing executing inside the huma...

Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor sites for severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the disease called COVID-19 are present in the liver, especially in correspondence with cholangiocytes. Liver damage during SARS-CoV-2 infection can be due to several mechanism including direct cytopathic effect, s...

Infection with SARS‑CoV‑2, responsible for COVID‑19, has spread all over the world since the beginning of 2020. Healthcare providers and researchers have been overwhelmed not only by the rapid diffusion of the disease resulting in a pandemic with more than 4 million cases of death, but also by the lack of therapeutic options. After more than 1 year...

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a Gram-negative bacterium involved in the development of gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, gastric adenocarcinoma, and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. Unexplained iron deficiency anemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and vitamin B12 deficiency have also been related to H. pylori infection, whereas...

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder which presents with abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. It affects about 20% of the general population, mainly women, and has a considerable impact on the quality of life and health care costs. Four different entities of IBS have been identified: IBS with constipa...

RNA binding proteins are well recognized as critical regulators of tumorigenic processes through their capacity to modulate RNA biogenesis, including alternative splicing, RNA stability and mRNA translation. The RNA binding protein Epithelial Splicing Regulatory Protein 1 (ESRP1) can act as a tumor suppressor or promoter in a cell type- and disease...

Updated data about the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and its correlation with histological results are scarce. The aim of our study was to provide current data on the impact of H. pylori in a third-level endoscopy service. We performed a large, retrospective study analyzing the results of all histological samples of gastroscopy from...

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), main agents of several gastroduodenal diseases, represents a therapeutic challenge. Since the influence of age on the success of bacterial treatment remains uncertain, in this case-control study we assessed the efficacy of a standard H. pylori eradication therapy among elderly patients. Methods: In th...

Objective: Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) and traditional antacids are the common standard set of therapy for the management of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms. The aim of the current study was to evaluate efficacy and safety of a novel galactomannan-based liquid formulation in reducing typical GERD symptoms in patients not taking P...

Gut microbiota, a term that includes microorganisms present in the gastrointestinal tract, has become very attractive lately due to its propensity to act as a virtual organ with endocrine functions, generating various bio-active metabolites, while playing an important role in human health and diseases, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Focu...

Vitamin D deficiency has been recognized as a pandemic with many negative health consequences in many countries. Today the mechanisms of anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective action of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and in general the scientific justification for its effective use in the clinic of type-2 diabetes (T2D) is actively studied in the sci...

Despite the availability of an effective vaccination, chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is still a major health concern worldwide. Chronic HBV infection can lead to fibrosis accumulation and overtime to cirrhosis, the principal risk factor for liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma development. Liver biopsy is still considered the gold...

The first case of infection by SARS-CoV-2 (i.e., COVID-19) was officially recorded by the Italian National Health Service on 21 February 2020. Respiratory tract manifestations are the most common symptoms, such as gastrointestinal symptoms (GISs) like nausea or sickness, diarrhea, and anorexia, and psychological effects may be reported in affected...

Background: Contrasting data are available in the literature regarding the superiority of percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in very early or early (BCLA 0 or A) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aims: The primary outcome was to compare the efficacy of RFA and MWA in achieving complete response in cirrhotic pati...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently-closed-circular (ccc)DNA is the key molecule responsible for viral persistence within infected hepatocytes. The evaluation of HBV cccDNA is crucial for the management of patients with chronic HBV infection and for the personalization of treatment. However, the need for liver biopsy is the principal obstacle for th...

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) cause 80% of hepatotoxic-related deaths, and approximately 40% of cases of cirrhosis is due to alcohol. The relative risk of developing cirrhosis increases significantly for doses above 60 g/day for men and 20 g/day for women over a period of 10 years. Hence, there is a great opportunity to early detect both AUDs and li...

Ocular chemical and thermal burns are frequent causes of hospitalization and require immediate interventions and care. Various surgical and pharmacological treatment strategies are employed according to damage severity. Controlling inflammation and neovascularization while promoting normal ocular surface anatomy and function restoration is the prin...

Occult hepatitis C virus infection (OCI) is defined by the presence of detectable HCV-RNA in liver tissue but not in serum without detectable anti-HCV antibodies (seronegative or primary OCI ) or with detectable anti-HCV antibodies (seropositive or secondary OCI ). The latter is considered a persistence of virus activity after appropriate antiviral...

Pluripotent stem cells offer an array of possibilities for organ-specific regenerative therapy. Germline cell-derived pluripotent stem cells (GPSCs) have been successfully generated from mouse spermatogonial stem cells in long-term culture. Apart from phenotypic similarities, GPSCs share molecular features as well as pluripotency characteristics, s...

Wound healing, especially of chronic wounds, is still an unmet therapeutic area since assessment and management are extremely complicated. Although many efforts have been made to treat wounds, all strategies have achieved limited results for chronic wounds. Stem cell-based therapy is considered a promising approach for complex wounds such as those...

Up to 30-70% of patients may experience mild and moderate side effects during iron therapy and this is often associated with a poor adherence to therapy. Anemia is frequent in patients with active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), due to both iron deficiency and chronic inflammation, therefore iron supplementation is frequently needed. Considering...

Background: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by hepatic steatosis with inflammation, ballooned hepatocytes, and possible fibrosis, which may progress to liver cirrhosis. Although liver biopsy, remains the diagnostic gold standard of NASH, several noninvasive biomarkers have been studied, to avoid the need for this invasive pro...

The world is now entering its 9th month of combat against a pandemic of deadly pneumonia. Started out from China in December 2019, the disease has been declared as caused by infection with a so far unknown RNA Coronavirus of the respiratory family, then named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS)-CoV-2. In the absence of a vaccine, a...

Background: Data regarding the effect of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) course are scarce and conflicting. Aims: To compare the incidence of refractory IBD in two groups (OLT and non-OLT) of patients affected by IBD and PSC. Methods: An observational, multicen...

Hepatic fibrosis is characterized by the disruption of normal liver architecture due to proliferation of hepatic myofibroblasts, and excess of extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. The final stage of liver diseases, cirrhosis, is common across the spectrum of chronic hepatitis such as viral hepatitis, alcoholic and non-alcoholic hepatitis, and aut...

The involvement of Helicobacter pylori infection in many extra-gastroduodenal manifestations remains a fascinating field of investigation. However, for several of these supposed associations, the potential pathogenic mechanism remains unclear. The present review highlights the main associations of H pylori with extra-gastroduodenal manifestations r...

Background and aims: Clearance of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is associated with improved glycometabolic control in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) but whether this effect is maintained over the long-term with a reduction of liver-related events (LRE) is still debated. To address these issues, we conducted a long-term prospective study on diabeti...

Background: Vitamin D3 (vit. D3) deficiency is considered as one of the main factors involved in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We assessed insulin resistance (IR), β-cell functional activity and metabolic profile according to 25(OH) vit. D3 status in patients with T2D. Methods: The study included 109 patients with T2D, divided in 3 g...

Cancer, one of the deadliest and undefeatable diseases, involves the deregulated growth of cells with the conferment of a high potential to metastasize [...]

Background and aims: The gut microbiota is a complex ecosystem containing bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeasts and other single-celled organisms. It is involved in the development and maintenance of both innate and systemic immunity of the body. Emerging evidence has shown its role in liver diseases through the immune system cross-talk. We review here...

A B S T R A C T Interest in impedance-based cellular assays is rising due to their remarkable advantages, including label-free, low cost, non-invasive, non-destructive, quantitative and real-time monitoring. In order to test their potential in cancer treatment decision and early detection of chemoresistance, we devised a new custom-made impedance m...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus are two conditions that commonly exist together in the context of the metabolic syndrome. Several scientific advances in understanding this association have identified insulin resistance as the key point in the pathogenesis of both diseases. The first line treatment suggested in the man...

Bifidobacterium longum (B. longum) ES1 is a probiotic strain capable of modulating microbiome composition, anti-inflammatory activity and intestinal barrier function. We investigated the use of B. Longum ES1 in the treatment of patients with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). Sixteen patients were treated for 8 or 12 weeks with...

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of pathologies characterized by liver damage without history of excessive alcohol intake. Advanced fibrosis, generally detected by transient elastography (TE), is the most significant predictor of poor prognosis and mortality among these patients. This study aimed at assessing the...

Significance: Liver fibrosis results from different etiologies and represents one of the most serious health issues worldwide. Fibrosis is the outcome of chronic insults on the liver and is associated with several factors, including abnormal iron metabolism. Recent Advances: Multiple mechanisms underlying the profibrogenic role of iron have been p...

Background The accuracy and costs of current diagnostic methods in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic cystic lesions still has ample room for improvement. Aims The aim of the study was to confirm the diagnostic yield of intracystic glucose in the diagnosis of pancreatic cyst subtypes. Methods We prospectively recruited all patients who unde...