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Stolfi P, Castiglione F. Emulating complex simulations by machine learning methods. BMC Bioinformatics 2021; 22:483. [PMID: 34772335 PMCID: PMC8588594 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-021-04354-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of the present paper is to construct an emulator of a complex biological system simulator using a machine learning approach. More specifically, the simulator is a patient-specific model that integrates metabolic, nutritional, and lifestyle data to predict the metabolic and inflammatory processes underlying the development of type-2 diabetes in absence of familiarity. Given the very high incidence of type-2 diabetes, the implementation of this predictive model on mobile devices could provide a useful instrument to assess the risk of the disease for aware individuals. The high computational cost of the developed model, being a mixture of agent-based and ordinary differential equations and providing a dynamic multivariate output, makes the simulator executable only on powerful workstations but not on mobile devices. Hence the need to implement an emulator with a reduced computational cost that can be executed on mobile devices to provide real-time self-monitoring. RESULTS Similarly to our previous work, we propose an emulator based on a machine learning algorithm but here we consider a different approach which turn out to have better performances, indeed in terms of root mean square error we have an improvement of two order magnitude. We tested the proposed emulator on samples containing different number of simulated trajectories, and it turned out that the fitted trajectories are able to predict with high accuracy the entire dynamics of the simulator output variables. We apply the emulator to control the level of inflammation while leveraging on the nutritional input. CONCLUSION The proposed emulator can be implemented and executed on mobile health devices to perform quick-and-easy self-monitoring assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Stolfi
- Institute for Applied Computing, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy.
| | - Filippo Castiglione
- Institute for Applied Computing, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy
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Stolfi P, Valentini I, Palumbo MC, Tieri P, Grignolio A, Castiglione F. Potential predictors of type-2 diabetes risk: machine learning, synthetic data and wearable health devices. BMC Bioinformatics 2020; 21:508. [PMID: 33308172 PMCID: PMC7733701 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-020-03763-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of a recent research project was the investigation of the mechanisms involved in the onset of type 2 diabetes in the absence of familiarity. This has led to the development of a computational model that recapitulates the aetiology of the disease and simulates the immunological and metabolic alterations linked to type-2 diabetes subjected to clinical, physiological, and behavioural features of prototypical human individuals. RESULTS We analysed the time course of 46,170 virtual subjects, experiencing different lifestyle conditions. We then set up a statistical model able to recapitulate the simulated outcomes. CONCLUSIONS The resulting machine learning model adequately predicts the synthetic dataset and can, therefore, be used as a computationally-cheaper version of the detailed mathematical model, ready to be implemented on mobile devices to allow self-assessment by informed and aware individuals. The computational model used to generate the dataset of this work is available as a web-service at the following address: http://kraken.iac.rm.cnr.it/T2DM .
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Stolfi
- Institute for Applied Mathematics, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Paolo Tieri
- Institute for Applied Mathematics, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Grignolio
- Research Ethics and Integrity Interdepartmental Center, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy
- Medical Humanities - International MD Program, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Filippo Castiglione
- Institute for Applied Mathematics, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy
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Wang L, Liu T, Liang R, Wang G, Liu Y, Zou J, Liu N, Zhang B, Liu Y, Ding X, Cai X, Wang Z, Xu X, Ricordi C, Wang S, Shen Z. Mesenchymal stem cells ameliorate β cell dysfunction of human type 2 diabetic islets by reversing β cell dedifferentiation. EBioMedicine 2020; 51:102615. [PMID: 31918404 PMCID: PMC7000334 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.102615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background A physiological hallmark of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is β cell dysfunction. Despite adequate treatment, it is an irreversible process that follows disease progression. Therefore, the development of novel therapies that restore β cell function is of utmost importance. Methods This study aims to unveil the mechanistic action of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by investigating its impact on isolated human T2DM islets ex vivo and in vivo. Findings We propose that MSCs can attenuate β cell dysfunction by reversing β cell dedifferentiation in an IL-1Ra-mediated manner. In response to the elevated expression of proinflammatory cytokines in human T2DM islet cells, we observed that MSCs was activated to secret IL-1R antagonist (IL-1Ra) which acted on the inflammed islets and reversed β cell dedifferentiation, suggesting a crosstalk between MSCs and human T2DM islets. The co-transplantation of MSCs with human T2DM islets in diabetic SCID mice and intravenous infusion of MSCs in db/db mice revealed the reversal of β cell dedifferentiation and improved glycaemic control in the latter. Interpretation This evidence highlights the potential of MSCs in future cell-based therapies regarding the amelioration of β cell dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Wang
- Organ Transplant Centre, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Nankai University, Tianjin 300192, China; NHC Key Laboratory for Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Tengli Liu
- NHC Key Laboratory for Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin 300384, China; Diabetes Research Institute Federation, Hollywood, FL 33021, USA
| | - Rui Liang
- NHC Key Laboratory for Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin 300384, China; Diabetes Research Institute Federation, Hollywood, FL 33021, USA
| | - Guanqiao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Transplant Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - Yaojuan Liu
- NHC Key Laboratory for Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Jiaqi Zou
- NHC Key Laboratory for Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Na Liu
- NHC Key Laboratory for Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Boya Zhang
- Organ Transplant Centre, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Nankai University, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Transplant Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - Xuejie Ding
- Organ Transplant Centre, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Nankai University, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - Xiangheng Cai
- The First Central Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Zhiping Wang
- Organ Transplant Centre, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Nankai University, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - Xiumin Xu
- Diabetes Research Institute, Cell Transplant Centre; Department of Surgery; Department Medicine; Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; The Cure Alliance, Miami, FL 33137, USA; Diabetes Research Institute Federation, Hollywood, FL 33021, USA
| | - Camillo Ricordi
- Diabetes Research Institute, Cell Transplant Centre; Department of Surgery; Department Medicine; Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; The Cure Alliance, Miami, FL 33137, USA; Diabetes Research Institute Federation, Hollywood, FL 33021, USA
| | - Shusen Wang
- Organ Transplant Centre, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Nankai University, Tianjin 300192, China; NHC Key Laboratory for Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin 300384, China; Diabetes Research Institute Federation, Hollywood, FL 33021, USA.
| | - Zhongyang Shen
- Organ Transplant Centre, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Nankai University, Tianjin 300192, China; Key Laboratory of Transplant Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tianjin 300192, China.
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Palumbo MC, Morettini M, Tieri P, Diele F, Sacchetti M, Castiglione F. Personalizing physical exercise in a computational model of fuel homeostasis. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1006073. [PMID: 29698395 PMCID: PMC5919631 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The beneficial effects of physical activity for the prevention and management of several chronic diseases are widely recognized. Mathematical modeling of the effects of physical exercise in body metabolism and in particular its influence on the control of glucose homeostasis is of primary importance in the development of eHealth monitoring devices for a personalized medicine. Nonetheless, to date only a few mathematical models have been aiming at this specific purpose. We have developed a whole-body computational model of the effects on metabolic homeostasis of a bout of physical exercise. Built upon an existing model, it allows to detail better both subjects' characteristics and physical exercise, thus determining to a greater extent the dynamics of the hormones and the metabolites considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Concetta Palumbo
- Institute for Applied Computing (IAC) “Mauro Picone”, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy
| | - Micaela Morettini
- Department of Information Engineering, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Paolo Tieri
- Institute for Applied Computing (IAC) “Mauro Picone”, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy
| | - Fasma Diele
- Institute for Applied Computing (IAC) “Mauro Picone”, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo Sacchetti
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Rome, Italy
| | - Filippo Castiglione
- Institute for Applied Computing (IAC) “Mauro Picone”, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The pathophysiologic processes underlying the regulation of glucose homeostasis are considerably complex at both cellular and systemic level. A comprehensive and structured specification for the several layers of abstraction of glucose metabolism is often elusive, an issue currently solvable with the hierarchical description provided by multi-level models. In this study we propose a multi-level closed-loop model of whole-body glucose homeostasis, coupled with the molecular specifications of the insulin signaling cascade in adipocytes, under the experimental conditions of normal glucose regulation and type 2 diabetes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The ordinary differential equations of the model, describing the dynamics of glucose and key regulatory hormones and their reciprocal interactions among gut, liver, muscle and adipose tissue, were designed for being embedded in a modular, hierarchical structure. The closed-loop model structure allowed self-sustained simulations to represent an ideal in silico subject that adjusts its own metabolism to the fasting and feeding states, depending on the hormonal context and invariant to circadian fluctuations. The cellular level of the model provided a seamless dynamic description of the molecular mechanisms downstream the insulin receptor in the adipocytes by accounting for variations in the surrounding metabolic context. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The combination of a multi-level and closed-loop modeling approach provided a fair dynamic description of the core determinants of glucose homeostasis at both cellular and systemic scales. This model architecture is intrinsically open to incorporate supplementary layers of specifications describing further individual components influencing glucose metabolism.
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Schee genannt Halfmann S, Evangelatos N, Schröder-Bäck P, Brand A. European healthcare systems readiness to shift from ‘one-size fits all’ to personalized medicine. Per Med 2017; 14:63-74. [DOI: 10.2217/pme-2016-0061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Personalized medicine (PM) is no longer an abstract healthcare approach. It has become a reality over the last years and is already successfully applied in the various medical fields. Although there are success stories of implementing PM, there are still many more opportunities to further implement and make full use of the potential of PM. We assessed the system readiness of healthcare systems in Europe to shift from the predominant ‘one size fits all’ healthcare approach to PM. We conclude that European healthcare systems are only partially ready for PM. Key challenges such as integration of big data, health literacy, reimbursement and regulatory issues need to be overcome in order to strengthen the implementation and uptake of PM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Schee genannt Halfmann
- Maastricht Economic & Social Research Institute on Innovation & Technology (MERIT), Maastricht University, Boschstraat 24, 6211AX Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Nikolaos Evangelatos
- Maastricht Economic & Social Research Institute on Innovation & Technology (MERIT), Maastricht University, Boschstraat 24, 6211AX Maastricht, The Netherlands
- University Clinic for Emergency & Intensive Care Medicine, Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), Prof. Ernst-Nathan-Strasse 1, 90419 Nuremberg, Germany
| | - Peter Schröder-Bäck
- Department of International Health, School CAPHRI, Maastricht University, Duboisdomein 30, 6229 GT Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Faculty for Health & Human Sciences, University of Bremen, Grazer Strasse 2, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Angela Brand
- Maastricht Economic & Social Research Institute on Innovation & Technology (MERIT), Maastricht University, Boschstraat 24, 6211AX Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Morettini M, Storm F, Sacchetti M, Cappozzo A, Mazzà C. Effects of walking on low-grade inflammation and their implications for Type 2 Diabetes. Prev Med Rep 2015; 2:538-47. [PMID: 26844115 PMCID: PMC4721345 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Inflammatory cytokines released by hypertrophic adipocytes contribute to low-grade inflammation, a characteristic of Type 2 Diabetes. Skeletal muscle contraction during physical activity stimulates the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines able to counteract this inflammatory status. The aim of this study was to review the evidence of the effectiveness of walking as a physical activity intervention to reduce inflammation. The interplay between adipose tissue and skeletal muscle contributions was also investigated. Method A structured literature review of papers available up to December 2014 was carried out within the PubMed, Scopus and ISI Web of Science databases using the keywords “walking” and “inflammation” in order to identify the studies involving healthy subjects and subjects diagnosed with, or at increased risk of, Type 2 Diabetes. Results Thirty-two studies were reviewed, five investigating the acute effects of walking and twenty-seven its chronic effects (n = 21 interventional and n = 6 observational). Acute effects of walking bouts led to an increase of interleukin-6 in one study, although without any increase in the concentration of the anti-inflammatory marker interleukin-1 receptor antagonist. Eight interventional studies showed a significant reduction of inflammation. A reduction in tumour necrosis factor-α concentration was often associated with an adiposity reduction. The observational studies showed that individuals who walk more present a lower inflammatory status. Conclusion There is no consensus regarding the efficacy of walking in the reduction of low-grade systemic inflammation, even though a relationship cannot be excluded. In each walking bout, no anti-inflammatory effect due to the IL-6-stimulated myokine cascade can be demonstrated. Efficacy of walking in the reduction of inflammation is controversial. Walking efficacy in reducing inflammation is mediated by duration and intensity. People accustomed to regular walking have lower inflammatory marker concentrations. No anti-inflammatory effect mediated by muscular IL-6 can be demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micaela Morettini
- Interuniversity Centre of Bioengineering of the Human Neuromusculoskeletal System, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Storm
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK; INSIGNEO Institute for in silico Medicine, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Massimo Sacchetti
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome"Foro Italico", Rome, Italy
| | - Aurelio Cappozzo
- Interuniversity Centre of Bioengineering of the Human Neuromusculoskeletal System, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy; Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome"Foro Italico", Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Mazzà
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK; INSIGNEO Institute for in silico Medicine, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Leyens L, Horgan D, Lal JA, Steinhausen K, Satyamoorthy K, Brand A. Working towards personalization in medicine: main obstacles to reaching this vision from today's perspective. Per Med 2014; 11:641-649. [DOI: 10.2217/pme.14.55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Rapid advances in ‘omics’ sciences and technologies have elevated the relevance of personalized medicine. This article reviews the current advances in the application of personalized medicine, outlines and summarizes the key areas that still need to be addressed and gives recommendations in this direction. Eighteen relevant high-level reports on personalized medicine were reviewed in order to identify the gaps and needs that are present for the implementation of personalized medicine. We identify 12 key areas that represent the main obstacles on the road towards the personalization of medicine and divide these 12 key areas into four domains, namely: scientific research and stakeholder collaboration; translational tools; regulations and systematic early dialog with regulators; and uptake into healthcare systems. All of the evaluated reports agree on the imperative need for intensive collaboration among all stakeholders with early active participation and changes in the current healthcare infrastructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lada Leyens
- Institute for Public Health Genomics, Department of Genetics & Cell Biology, School for Oncology & Developmental Biology (GROW), Faculty of Health Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Denis Horgan
- European Alliance for Personalized Medicine, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jonathan A Lal
- Institute for Public Health Genomics, Department of Genetics & Cell Biology, School for Oncology & Developmental Biology (GROW), Faculty of Health Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Angela Brand
- Institute for Public Health Genomics, Department of Genetics & Cell Biology, School for Oncology & Developmental Biology (GROW), Faculty of Health Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Castiglione F, Pappalardo F, Bianca C, Russo G, Motta S. Modeling biology spanning different scales: an open challenge. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 2014:902545. [PMID: 25143952 PMCID: PMC4124842 DOI: 10.1155/2014/902545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2014] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
It is coming nowadays more clear that in order to obtain a unified description of the different mechanisms governing the behavior and causality relations among the various parts of a living system, the development of comprehensive computational and mathematical models at different space and time scales is required. This is one of the most formidable challenges of modern biology characterized by the availability of huge amount of high throughput measurements. In this paper we draw attention to the importance of multiscale modeling in the framework of studies of biological systems in general and of the immune system in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Castiglione
- Institute for Applied Mathematics, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Carlo Bianca
- Theoretical Physics of Condensed Matter, Sorbonne Universities, UPMC Univ Paris 6, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France
- UMR 7600 LPTMC, CNRS, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Giulia Russo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Santo Motta
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
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