Loreta Di Michele

Dr. Loreta Di Michele


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

6Years (2021-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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22 September 2021 in Metabolites
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
CCCristiano Caruso
Cristiano Caruso
SCStefania Colantuono
Stefania Colantuono
ANAlberto Nicoletti
Alberto Nicoletti
SAStefania Arasi
Stefania Arasi
Davide FirinuDavide Firinu
Davide Firinu
LMLoreta Di Michele
Loreta Di Michele
Precision medicine refers to the tailoring of therapeutic strategies to the individual characteristics of each patient; thus, it could be a new approach for the management of severe asthma that considers individual variability in genes, environmental exposure, and lifestyle. Precision medicine would also assist physicians in choosing the right treatment, the best timing of administration, consequently trying to maximize drug efficacy, and, possibly, reducing adverse events. Metabolomics is the systematic study of low molecular weight (bio)chemicals in a given biological system and offers a powerful approach to biomarker discovery and elucidating disease mechanisms. In this point of view, metabolomics could play a key role in targeting precision medicine.

1 March 2022 in Children
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
CCCristiano Caruso
Cristiano Caruso
SCStefania Colantuono
Stefania Colantuono
SAStefania Arasi
Stefania Arasi
ANAlberto Nicoletti
Alberto Nicoletti
Antonio GasbarriniAntonio Gasbarrini
Antonio Gasbarrini
LMLoreta Di Michele
Loreta Di Michele
Currently, asthma represents the most common chronic disorder in children, showing an increasingly consistent burden worldwide. Childhood asthma, similar to what happens in adults, is a diversified disease with a great variability of phenotypes, according to genetic predisposition of patients, age, severity of symptoms, grading of risk, and comorbidities, and cannot be considered a singular well-defined disorder, but rather a uniquely assorted disorder with variable presentations throughout childhood. Despite several developments occurring in recent years in pediatric asthma, above all, in the management of the disease, some essential areas, such as the improvement of pediatric asthma outcomes, remain a hot topic. Most treatments of the type 2 (T2) target phenotype of asthma, in which IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 modulate the central signals of inflammatory reactions. Although, there may be an unresolved need to identify new biomarkers used as predictors to improve patient stratification using disease systems and to aid in the selection of treatments. Moreover, we are globally facing many dramatic challenges, including climate change and the SARS-CoV2 pandemic, which have a considerable impact on children and adolescent asthma. Preventive strategies, including allergen immunotherapy and microbiome evaluation, and targeted therapeutic strategies are strongly needed in this population. Finally, the impact of asthma on sleep disorders has been reviewed.

16 April 2026 in Current Allergy and Asthma Reports
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Pier Valerio MariPier Valerio Mari
Pier Valerio Mari
LCLorenzo Carriera
Lorenzo Carriera
Simone IeloSimone Ielo
Simone Ielo
LMLoreta Di Michele
Loreta Di Michele
DFDavide Onofrio Fontana
Davide Onofrio Fontana
VOVeronica Ojetti
Veronica Ojetti
Purpose of Review: To review current evidence on biologic therapies targeting type 2 inflammation in patients with eosinophilic COPD and respiratory comorbidities who remain uncontrolled despite optimized triple inhaled therapy. Recent Findings: Recent phase 3 trials have shown that dupilumab provides the most consistent benefit in eosinophilic COPD, reducing exacerbations and improving lung function and quality of life. Mepolizumab has shown a more limited effect, mainly on exacerbation reduction, whereas benralizumab has not demonstrated clear clinical benefit. Blood eosinophil count remains the main biomarker for treatment selection. Summary: Biologic therapies are advancing precision medicine in COPD, with dupilumab currently showing the strongest overall evidence. Careful patient selection is essential. Broader phenotyping may further improve management, as comorbidities such as chronic rhinosinusitis may contribute to symptom burden and support a multidisciplinary approach. Future studies should clarify long-term outcomes and optimal biologic selection.

14 April 2026 in Biomedicines
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Pier Valerio MariPier Valerio Mari
Pier Valerio Mari
Alberto RicciAlberto Ricci
Alberto Ricci
ACAngelo Coppola
Angelo Coppola
DFDavide Onofrio Fontana
Davide Onofrio Fontana
DSDavid Selvaggio
David Selvaggio
VOVeronica Ojetti
Veronica Ojetti
Background: Airway mucus plugging is a key but long-overlooked mechanism of persistent airflow obstruction in both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Type 2 (T2) cytokines, particularly interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13, drive goblet cell metaplasia, MUC5AC overexpression, and impaired mucociliary clearance, while eosinophil-derived products increase mucus viscosity and promote plug persistence. Methods: A comprehensive narrative review was conducted by searching PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov databases from inception to February 2026. Search terms included “mucus plugs,” “mucus plugging,” “biologics,” “dupilumab,” “tezepelumab,” “mepolizumab,” “benralizumab,” “IL-4,” “IL-13,” “MUC5AC,” “quantitative CT,” “functional respiratory imaging,” “asthma,” and “COPD.” Studies were included if they reported original data or systematic evidence on mucus plug quantification, biologic-mediated changes in mucus plug scores, or imaging modalities for mucus assessment in asthma or COPD. Editorials, case reports with fewer than three patients, and studies not available in English were excluded. Two authors (P.-V.M. and A.C.) independently screened titles and abstracts; discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and preclinical studies evaluating mucus plug outcomes and T2-targeted therapies were included. Reference lists of retrieved articles were hand-searched for additional relevant publications. Results: A recent systematic review identified multiple randomized controlled trials and observational studies that showed CT-assessed mucus plug scores go down with biologic therapies targeting the T2 pathway in asthma. Observational data extend this evidence to anti-IL-5/IL-5Rα agents. The VESTIGE trial provided the first functional respiratory imaging evidence of mucus plug resolution with dupilumab. In COPD, the BOREAS/NOTUS and MATINEE trials established the efficacy of dupilumab and mepolizumab in eosinophilic phenotypes; however, differences in inclusion criteria—particularly regarding FeNO thresholds and prior exacerbation burden—may explain divergent effects on lung function endpoints. Mucus plug outcomes have not been evaluated in COPD biologic trials. Quantitative imaging modalities, including HRCT mucus plug scoring, functional respiratory imaging, and hyperpolarized gas MRI, now enable objective assessment of mucus burden. Conclusions: Mucus plugging meets the definition of a treatable trait: it can be measured with CT scoring, it matters clinically, and it responds to T2 cytokine blockade. Adding mucus plug assessment to routine clinical evaluation, together with mucolytic strategies where needed, could move treatment decisions from empirical to biology-based across the asthma–COPD spectrum. Further studies are needed to confirm that mucus plug scoring works as a biomarker of treatment response in COPD and to test whether combining biologics with mucolytics improves outcomes.

28 August 2025 in Preprints.org
Verified
Preprint
Open access
PDF file
ARAdriana Roncella
Adriana Roncella
PVPasceri V.
Pasceri V.
CPChristian Pristipino
Christian Pristipino
LMLoreta Di Michele
Loreta Di Michele
IDIrini D.
Irini D.
GSGiulio Speciale
Giulio Speciale
Background: Studies on the organization and structure of dreams before and after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are lacking. Methods: We retrospectively studied dream pat-terns before and after AMI in the STEP-IN AMI trial (Short TErm Psychotherapy IN Acute Myo-cardial Infarction). We also describe how this pattern may change during ontopsychological short term psychotherapy (STP) performed after AMI. Forty seven patients (pts), age 31-70, were studied. Results: At baseline 21/47 (45%) pts remembered dreams, which increased to 43/47 (91%) with psychotherapy (P< 0.0001). Recurring dreams, described as a state of anguish, despair, the perception of an inability to complete an action, or the grief of one’s mother’s early death, oc-curred before AMI in 16/47 pts (24%). After the third psychotherapy session no pts reported re-curring dreams (P< 0.001). In dreams that occurred during the year before AMI, 12 of 25 symbols referred to people known to pts and who had died of a cardiac disease; 9 of 25 symbols referred to an accident, danger, or distressing events. Globally, 21 of 25 symbols were associated with danger to an individual’s life (84%). The incidence of “negative” symbols was sharply reduced during psychotherapy, from 84% to 32% during the first 3 psychotherapy sessions, and 9% in the last phase of psychotherapy (P< 0.0001). Conclusions: Our study shows that pts with AMI fre-quently do not remember dreams that occurred before AMI or report distressing dreams. Short Term Psychotherapy after AMI significantly increased the ability to remember dreams and sharply reduced the incidence of negative/distressing dreams. Results suggests that STP may act as a stimulus for inner personal change for AMI pts.

27 December 2025 in Journal of Clinical Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
ARAdriana Roncella
Adriana Roncella
VPVincenzo Pasceri
Vincenzo Pasceri
CPChristian Pristipino
Christian Pristipino
LMLoreta Di Michele
Loreta Di Michele
DIDiego Irini
Diego Irini
GSGiulio Speciale
Giulio Speciale
Background: Studies on the organization and structure of dreams before and after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are lacking. Methods: We retrospectively studied dream patterns before and after AMI in the STEP-IN-AMI trial (Short-TErm Psychotherapy IN Acute Myocardial Infarction). We also performed an analysis to describe how this pattern may change during ontopsychological short-term psychotherapy (STP) performed after AMI. Forty-seven patients (pts) aged 31–70 were studied. Results: At baseline, 21/47 (45%) pts remembered dreams, which increased to 43/47 (91%) with psychotherapy (p < 0.0001). Recurring dreams, described as a state of anguish, despair, perceived inability to complete an action, or grief over one’s mother’s early death, occurred before AMI in 16/47 pts (24%). After the third psychotherapy session, no pts reported recurring dreams (p < 0.001). In dreams that occurred during the year before AMI, 12 of 25 symbols referred to people known to pts and who had died of a cardiac disease; 9 of 25 symbols referred to an accident, danger, or distressing events. Overall, 21 of 25 symbols were associated with danger to an individual’s life (84%). The incidence of “negative” symbols was sharply reduced during psychotherapy, from 84% to 32% during the first three psychotherapy sessions and to 9% in the last phase of psychotherapy (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Our study is the very first on dreams in pts with AMI, and it also examines how STP may change dream patterns in this cohort of pts. AMI pts frequently do not remember dreams that occurred before AMI or report distressing dreams. STP after AMI significantly increased their ability to remember dreams and sharply reduced the incidence of negative/distressing dreams. The results suggest that (1) dream symbols may be connected to the biological status of the dreamer, warning the dreamer of their cardiac condition; (2) ontopsychological STP may act as a stimulus for inner personal change for AMI pts.