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Trevisan G, Ruscio M, Cinco M, Nan K, Forgione P, Di Meo N, Tranchini P, Nacca M, Trincone S, Rimoldi SG, Giacomet V, Ricci M, Melandri D, Artioli S, Monteforte P, Stinco G, Bonin S. The history of Lyme disease in Italy and its spread in the Italian territory. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1128142. [PMID: 37397497 PMCID: PMC10312113 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1128142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common vector-borne zoonotic inflammatory disease in the Northern Hemisphere. In Italy, the first case was diagnosed in 1985 in a woman in Liguria, while the second, in 1986 in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, documenting the infection in northern Italy. Both diagnoses were confirmed by serological assessment by an indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) technique. Borrelia cultivation from both Ixodes ricinus ticks and human lesions in Trieste (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) identified Borrelia afzelii as the prevalent genospecies; nevertheless, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu stricto), and Borrelia valaisiana (VS116 Group) were also detected, although less frequently. LB was also documented in other Italian regions: in Tuscany (1991), Trentino-Alto Adige (1995-1996), Emilia-Romagna (1998), Abruzzo (1998), and more recently, Lombardy. Nevertheless, data on LB in other Italian regions, especially in southern Italy and islands, are poor. The aim of this study is to document the spread of LB in Italy through the collection of data from LB patients in eight Italian hospitals located in different Italian regions. Diagnostic criteria for LB diagnosis are as follows: i) the presence of erythema migrans (EM) or ii) a clinical picture suggestive of LB, confirmed by serological tests and/or PCR positivity for Borrelia detection. In addition, data also included the place of residence (town and region) and the place where patients became infected. During the observation period, 1,260 cases were gathered from the participating centers. Although different in extent from northern Italy to central/southern Italy, this study shows that LB is widespread throughout Italy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giusto Trevisan
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Maurizio Ruscio
- Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata Giuliano Isontina, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia Lyme Disease Regional Center, Trieste, Italy
| | - Marina Cinco
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Katiuscia Nan
- Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata Giuliano Isontina, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia Lyme Disease Regional Center, Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Nicola Di Meo
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata Giuliano Isontina, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia Lyme Disease Regional Center, Trieste, Italy
| | - Paolo Tranchini
- Dermatology Unit, Lyme Disease Regional Center, Naples, Italy
| | - Massimo Nacca
- Department Dermatology and Venereology, Azienda Ospedaliera di Rilevanza Nazionale Sant’Anna e San Sebastiano, Caserta, Italy
| | - Silvana Trincone
- Dermatology and Venereology Operating Unit—Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, Italy
| | - Sara Giordana Rimoldi
- Microbiology, Virology, and Bioemergency Unit, Azienda Socio Territoriale Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milano, Italy
| | - Vania Giacomet
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences L. Sacco, Milano, Italy
| | - Michela Ricci
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences L. Sacco, Milano, Italy
| | - Davide Melandri
- Dermatology and Venereology Operating Unit—Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, Italy
| | - Stefania Artioli
- Infectious Disease Unit, Internal Medicine Department S. Andrea Hospital, La Spezia, Italy
| | | | - Giuseppe Stinco
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Serena Bonin
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
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Hubbard JR, Mattmueller DR, Steinberg JJ, Poppas DP, Sledge CB. Effect of steroid hormones on endotoxin-mediated cartilage degradation. Mol Cell Biochem 1988; 79:31-7. [PMID: 3374477 DOI: 10.1007/bf00229395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Cartilage degradation is a characteristic feature of various types of human arthritis, notably rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. The influence of glucocorticoid and other steroid hormones on cartilage proteoglycan breakdown was examined in a model system in which breakdown is readily quantified by the release of proteoglycan from cultured bovine nasal cartilage discs. Endotoxin (bacterial lipopolysaccharides) treatment enhanced the depletion of cartilage proteoglycan by 2-3 fold. This was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner by hydrocortisone (10(-9) to 10(-5) M) or other glucocorticoid hormones (dexamethasone, prednisolone, cortisone). Inhibition required the continued presence of the steroid. Removal of hydrocortisone (3 x 10(-7) M) after 4 days from endotoxin-treated cultures resulted in the rapid restoration of an endotoxin response, so that proteoglycan release approached maximum levels during a second 4-day culture period. Other C-21 steroid hormones (progesterone, aldosterone) were also inhibitory at 10(-5) M, but testosterone and beta-estradiol showed little influence on endotoxin action. Proteoglycan products of smaller average mol wt (Sepharose CL-2B chromatography), consistent with core protein cleavages, were released from endotoxin-treated cartilage. Cleavage was unaffected by beta-estradiol, partially blocked by aldosterone and largely prevented by hydrocortisone administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Hubbard
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
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