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"Bianchi, Francesca"
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Ri-abitare gli spazi: immaginari, utopie e pratiche in trasformazione
Today our daily life appears a multifaceted and articulated mix of ordinary and extraordinary, stability and change: a context inside which a range of latent “possibilities” is nested, on which human creativity committed to building the future seems to find expression (Jedlowski 2017, Augé 2012, Appadurai 2014). Investigating the theme of spaces and living has a lot to do with reflection on change – and on the subject’s ability to imagine and build the future – because it implies questioning a world that is changing and arouses new expectations and needs. Compared to a period in which, in our country, (little or) almost no reflection was carried out on this phenomenon, the house today appears (to be) one of the universal places from which to try to rethink ourselves and the word we live in. This essay will consider the contribution that some innovative collaborative housing practices, including co-housing, seem to offer to the rethinking of urbanity. Such practices in fact make explicit the inclination to be open to others, the aspiration to care, to feel in tune with the neighbourhood and surrounding spaces, and more generally with the world, in a perspective of trust towards the future.
Journal Article
The lung microbiota: role in maintaining pulmonary immune homeostasis and its implications in cancer development and therapy
Like other body districts, lungs present a complex bacteria community. An emerging function of lung microbiota is to promote and maintain a state of immune tolerance, to prevent uncontrolled and not desirable inflammatory response caused by inhalation of harmless environmental stimuli. This effect is mediated by a continuous dialog between commensal bacteria and immune cells resident in lungs, which express a repertoire of sensors able to detect microorganisms. The same receptors are also involved in the recognition of pathogens and in mounting a proper immune response. Due to its important role in preserving lung homeostasis, the lung microbiota can be also considered a mirror of lung health status. Indeed, several studies indicate that lung bacterial composition drastically changes during the occurrence of pulmonary pathologies, such as lung cancer, and the available data suggest that the modifications of lung microbiota can be part of the etiology of tumors in lungs and can influence their progression and response to therapy. These results provide the scientific rationale to analyze lung microbiota composition as biomarker for lung cancer and to consider lung microbiota a new potential target for therapeutic intervention to reprogram the antitumor immune microenvironment. In the present review, we discussed about the role of lung microbiota in lung physiology and summarized the most relevant data about the relationship between lung microbiota and cancer.
Journal Article
Cura, dono, condivisione: le emozioni in gioco nell’esperienza di Auser Abitare solidale
Emotions today seem to play a fundamental role. In fact, emotions make social interaction between individuals possible and it is thanks to them that communication processes develop and make dynamics of social integration possible. In this paper, emotions are analysed as transformative resources, whose strength appears almost revolutionary for the subject’s ability to act. Despite the widespread processes of individualization in contemporary society, the individual appears to be looking for new ties and new relationships not only in the emotional sphere but also in other contexts which, although elusive and difficult to identify, are crucial for social life. What are the new scenarios in which emotions manifest themselves? What kind of bonds are generated in the practices of social interaction nowadays? It is in this perspective we intend to investigate emotions such as altruism, solidarity, gratitude, empathy induced thanks to the commitment of the Tuscan Voluntary Association Auser Abitare Solidale.
Journal Article
Guillain-Barré syndrome and COVID-19: an observational multicentre study from two Italian hotspot regions
ObjectiveSingle cases and small series of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) have been reported during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak worldwide. We evaluated incidence and clinical features of GBS in a cohort of patients from two regions of northern Italy with the highest number of patients with COVID-19.MethodsGBS cases diagnosed in 12 referral hospitals from Lombardy and Veneto in March and April 2020 were retrospectively collected. As a control population, GBS diagnosed in March and April 2019 in the same hospitals were considered.ResultsIncidence of GBS in March and April 2020 was 0.202/100 000/month (estimated rate 2.43/100 000/year) vs 0.077/100 000/month (estimated rate 0.93/100 000/year) in the same months of 2019 with a 2.6-fold increase. Estimated incidence of GBS in COVID-19-positive patients was 47.9/100 000 and in the COVID-19-positive hospitalised patients was 236/100 000. COVID-19-positive patients with GBS, when compared with COVID-19-negative subjects, showed lower MRC sum score (26.3±18.3 vs 41.4±14.8, p=0.006), higher frequency of demyelinating subtype (76.6% vs 35.3%, p=0.011), more frequent low blood pressure (50% vs 11.8%, p=0.017) and higher rate of admission to intensive care unit (66.6% vs 17.6%, p=0.002).ConclusionsThis study shows an increased incidence of GBS during the COVID-19 outbreak in northern Italy, supporting a pathogenic link. COVID-19-associated GBS is predominantly demyelinating and seems to be more severe than non-COVID-19 GBS, although it is likely that in some patients the systemic impairment due to COVID-19 might have contributed to the severity of the whole clinical picture.
Journal Article
Mechanisms of hyperprogressive disease after immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: what we (don’t) know
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have made a breakthrough in the treatment of different types of tumors, leading to improvement in survival, even in patients with advanced cancers. Despite the good clinical results, a certain percentage of patients do not respond to this kind of immunotherapy. In addition, in a fraction of nonresponder patients, which can vary from 4 to 29% according to different studies, a paradoxical boost in tumor growth after ICI administration was observed: a completely unpredictable novel pattern of cancer progression defined as hyperprogressive disease. Since this clinical phenomenon has only been recently described, a universally accepted clinical definition is lacking, and major efforts have been made to uncover the biological bases underlying hyperprogressive disease. The lines of research pursued so far have focused their attention on the study of the immune tumor microenvironment or on the analysis of intrinsic genomic characteristics of cancer cells producing data that allowed us to formulate several hypotheses to explain this detrimental effect related to ICI therapy. The aim of this review is to summarize the most important works that, to date, provide important insights that are useful in understanding the mechanistic causes of hyperprogressive disease.
Journal Article
HEBE project: Healthy aging versus inflamm-aging: The role of physical exercise in modulating the biomarkers of age-associated and environmentally determined chronic diseases, study protocol
Inflamm-aging refers to the chronic low-grade inflammation that occurs with aging and cellular senescence, and it is linked to various diseases. Understanding the markers involved in inflammation and aging, as well as their interaction with environmental factors and bodily control mechanisms, can provide crucial tools for assessing the resilience (i.e. the ability to adapt and improve) of the human body, particularly in the presence of chronic degenerative conditions or vulnerable life stages, that place the individual and the community to which he belongs in a state of potential fragility. HEBE focuses on physical exercise, along with nutritional and lifestyle recommendations, to reduce systemic inflammation and promote healthy aging. HEBE encompasses multiple research lines (LR). In the ongoing LR1 (“proof of concept”), healthy lifestyle recommendations were provided to University of Milan employees, and changes in quality of life and well-being were assessed using a specialized questionnaire. The first 100 eligible subjects, who expressed their willingness to participate, underwent a personalized physical exercise protocol based on clinical and objective assessments. Biomedical samples were collected at baseline (T0) and follow-up (T1) to establish a shared biobank and identify non-invasive biomarkers that monitor the impact of physical exercise on individual characteristics such as cardiovascular and metabolic health. Subsequently (LR2-LR10), the proof of concept findings will be expanded to include various conditions of vulnerability such as obesity, cancer, endocrine disorders, cardiovascular diseases, infertility, functional syndromes, respiratory disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and autoimmune conditions. The research lines will leverage the expertise of the 94 participating investigators to form a collaborative network that maximizes the potential for investigation and knowledge exchange. This approach fosters a culture of health promotion and disease prevention. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05815732 .
Journal Article
Cigarette smoke sustains immunosuppressive microenvironment inducing M2 macrophage polarization and viability in lung cancer settings
It is amply demonstrated that cigarette smoke (CS) has a high impact on lung tumor progression worsening lung cancer patient prognosis and response to therapies. Alteration of immune cell types and functions in smokers' lungs have been strictly related with smoke detrimental effects. However, the role of CS in dictating an inflammatory or immunosuppressive lung microenvironment still needs to be elucidated. Here, we investigated the effect of in vitro exposure to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) focusing on macrophages.
Immortalized murine macrophages RAW 264.7 cells were cultured in the presence of CS extract and their polarization has been assessed by Real-time PCR and cytofluorimetric analysis, viability has been assessed by SRB assay and 3D-cultures and activation by exposure to Poly(I:C). Moreover, interaction with Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC1) murine cell models in the presence of CS extract were analyzed by confocal microscopy.
Obtained results indicate that CS induces macrophages polarization towards the M2 phenotype and M2-phenotype macrophages are resistant to the CS toxic activity. Moreover, CS impairs TLR3-mediated M2-M1 phenotype shift thus contributing to the M2 enrichment in lung smokers.
These findings indicate that, in lung cancer microenvironment of smokers, CS can contribute to the M2-phenotype macrophages prevalence by different mechanisms, ultimately, driving an anti-inflammatory, likely immunosuppressive, microenvironment in lung cancer smokers.
Journal Article
Polyphenols–Gut–Heart: An Impactful Relationship to Improve Cardiovascular Diseases
A healthy gut provides the perfect habitat for trillions of bacteria, called the intestinal microbiota, which is greatly responsive to the long-term diet; it exists in a symbiotic relationship with the host and provides circulating metabolites, hormones, and cytokines necessary for human metabolism. The gut–heart axis is a novel emerging concept based on the accumulating evidence that a perturbed gut microbiota, called dysbiosis, plays a role as a risk factor in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. Consequently, recovery of the gut microbiota composition and function could represent a potential new avenue for improving patient outcomes. Despite their low absorption, preclinical evidence indicates that polyphenols and their metabolites are transformed by intestinal bacteria and halt detrimental microbes’ colonization in the host. Moreover, their metabolites are potentially effective in human health due to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the causal role of gut dysbiosis in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, hypertension, and heart failure; to discuss the beneficial effects of polyphenols on the intestinal microbiota, and to hypothesize polyphenols or their derivatives as an opportunity to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases by shaping gut eubiosis.
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