Publications by authors named "Edoardo Simonetta"

Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease characterised by irreversible bronchial dilation, persistent productive cough and alternating periods of clinical stability and exacerbations. The distorted airways impair mucus clearance, making them susceptible to recurrent infections and chronic inflammation. is a common pathogen in bronchiectasis according to international registries.

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  • APECED is a rare genetic syndrome characterized by autoimmune issues that can affect multiple systems, including the lungs, and is particularly prevalent in the Sardinian population.
  • A 49-year-old Sardinian woman with APECED presented to a bronchiectasis clinic with chronic respiratory issues, and her CT scan revealed significant bronchiectasis along with infections from P. aeruginosa, MRSA, and M. intracellulare.
  • This case marks the first known lung involvement in a Sardinian APECED patient, highlighting the need for increased awareness and earlier screening for pulmonary complications in similar patients.
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  • Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung condition marked by the permanent widening of airways, leading to symptoms like cough and sputum production, with rising global incidence possibly linked to better imaging and awareness.
  • Recent studies show a significant increase in mortality rates among bronchiectasis patients, ranging from 16-24.8% over 4-5 years, though prevalence data can vary widely, indicating possible underreporting and methodological issues in research.
  • This review aims to summarize current epidemiological data on bronchiectasis, including its incidence, prevalence, mortality, healthcare costs, and factors affecting its distribution across different geographic areas.
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Background: Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory condition characterised by airway and systemic inflammation with prevalence increasing with age. Given the median age of the patients, it is common to observe the presence of comorbidities, particularly cardiovascular diseases, which have been linked to adverse clinical outcomes. To investigate the pooled estimates of the association between bronchiectasis and coronary heart disease or stroke within this population, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available scientific evidence.

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Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic, relapsing inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, frequently associated with extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) that can severely affect IBD patients' quality of life, sometimes even becoming life-threatening. Respiratory diseases have always been considered a rare and subsequently neglected extraintestinal manifestations of IBD. However, increasing evidence has demonstrated that respiratory involvement is frequent in IBD patients, even in the absence of respiratory symptoms.

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We here report the first case of anti-proteinase 3-positive anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis following the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine presenting with prominent liver involvement and alveolar haemorrhage. Two weeks after vaccination, a 49-year-old man developed inflammatory arthralgias and hypertransaminasaemia. Two months later, fever and haemoptysis appeared; the patient tested positive for anti-proteinase 3 autoantibodies.

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Background: The reported prevalence of immunodeficiencies in bronchiectasis patients is variable depending on the frequency and extent of immunological tests performed. European Respiratory Society guidelines recommend a minimum bundle of tests. Broadening the spectrum of immunological tests could increase the number of patients diagnosed with an immunodeficiency and those who could receive specific therapy.

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Interstitial lung diseases represent a heterogeneous and wide group of diseases in which factors leading to disease initiation and progression are not fully understood. Recent evidence suggests that the lung microbiome might influence the pathogenesis and progression of interstitial lung diseases. In recent years, the utilization of culture-independent methodologies has allowed the identification of complex and dynamic communities of microbes, in patients with interstitial lung diseases.

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first identified as a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province, central China, in December 2019, and is responsible for the 2019-to-present pandemic. According to the most recent data released by the World Health Organization, more than 200 million people have been infected by SARS-CoV-2 so far, and more than 4 million people died worldwide. Although our knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 is constantly growing, data on COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients are still limited.

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  • Recent studies have identified a new type of inflammation (T2-high endotype) in bronchiectasis, which contrasts with the previously accepted neutrophilic inflammation.
  • A cross-sectional study found that 31% of bronchiectasis patients without asthma exhibited characteristics of the T2-high endotype, leading to more severe symptoms and reduced quality of life.
  • In a separate case series, severe asthmatic patients with bronchiectasis showed significant reduction in exacerbation rates after treatment with mepolizumab or benralizumab, highlighting the potential benefits of targeting the T2-high endotype in future clinical trials.
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Bronchiectasis refers to both the name of a disease and a single radiological appearance that may, or may not, be associated with disease. As chronic respiratory disease, bronchiectasis is characterized by a variable range of signs and symptoms that may overlap with other chronic respiratory conditions. The proper identification of bronchiectasis as a disease in both primary and secondary care is of paramount importance.

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Inhaled therapy is widely used for treatment of many respiratory disorders. Drug delivery in lungs is dependent on the correct use of aerosol devices and patients' training is vital for a correct therapy administration. Therefore, is very important to assess the skills of professionals involved in training patients to the correct use of inhaler devices.

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COVID-19 is a complex and heterogeneous disease. The pathogenesis and the complications of the disease are not fully elucidated, and increasing evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2 causes a systemic inflammatory disease rather than a pulmonary disease. The management of hospitalized patients in COVID-19 dedicated units is advisable for segregation purpose as well as for infection control.

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Bronchiectasis is a heterogeneous chronic disease. Heterogeneity characterises bronchiectasis not only in the stable state but also during exacerbations, despite evidence on clinical and biological aspects of bronchiectasis, exacerbations still remain poorly understood.Although the scientific community recognises that bacterial infection is a cornerstone in the development of bronchiectasis, there is a lack of data regarding other trigger factors for exacerbations.

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Background: International guidelines recommend simple spirometry for bronchiectasis patients. However, pulmonary pathophysiology of bronchiectasis is very complex and still poorly understood. Our objective was to characterize lung function in bronchiectasis and identify specific functional sub-groups.

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Chronic airway infection is a key aspect of the pathogenesis of bronchiectasis. A growing interest has been raised on non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection. We aimed at describing the clinical characteristics, diagnostic process, therapeutic options and outcomes of bronchiectasis patients with pulmonary NTM (pNTM) disease.

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