Roberto G. Carbone (born in Genoa, Italy - 6 September 1954) is an Italian scientist and clinician, studying the mechanisms and treatment of pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer mechanisms, sarcoidosis, lung transplantation, asbestosis and mesothelioma. He also studied the role of neuropeptides (neurotensin) in asthma adrenergic and recently his research focused on stem cells post acute myocardial infarction (AMI) [1]
Carbone was born in Genoa in 1954. His father, Giuseppe Carbone, was deputy managing executive director of the Gilardini Company. Carbone graduated from the University of Genoa in Medicine and Surgery in 1983. [2] In 2003, he was registered with the General Medical Council. [3] He obtained a master's degree in pulmonary hypertension from the University of Michigan, and further post-doctoral degrees in respiratory medicine and bronchology from the National Heart and Lung Institute directed by Peter J. Barnes at Imperial College London, in asthma at the University of Denver, in pneumology at University of Montpellier, and in asthma and COPD from the University of Ferrara.
After specializing in pulmonary diseases and respiratory pathophysiology, he undertook clinical training at the Aosta Regional Hospital as deputy head physician. From 2020 to 2022, he worked as a clinical researcher at University of Genoa. [4] In 2023, he became a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, London. Carbone was awarded an honorary professorship in 2022 and is a senior consultant cardio-respiratory physician [5] at the Department of Internal Medicine in the University of Genoa. [6]
His research initially focused on the study of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency pulmonary emphysema, and urinary degradation products (desmosine) and prolastin treatment working in the lab of Gordon L. Snider for the project The American-Italian AATD Study Group. [7] (Harvard University). He dedicated himself to the study of lung cancer, creating the first Italian Cancer Registry with the patronage of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in the figure of Marco Geddes di Filicaja, at IST (Scientific Institute of Tumors) in Genoa under the direction of Leonardo Santi.
He studied the pathologies of asbestos, such as pleural mesothelioma at Scansetti Interdepartmental Center in Turin where he collaborated with Roberto Compagnoni of University of Turin and Bice Fubini also enrolled in the Academy of Sciences of Turin. Subsequently, he studied the role of neuropeptides (neurotensin) in asthma adrenergic regulation with Giovanni Bottino (University of Genoa). [8] He went on to win the first prize as speaker and author in the Italian CHEST congress (American College of Chest Physicians). The study entitled In vivo the micro-environmental reactivity in asthmatic took place over 15 years and was the first in the world to evaluate bronchial hyperreactivity in asthmatic subjects in vivo and in vitro [9] and to do research on the use of new radioactive isotopes as indium-111 and octreotide (labeled somatostatin) in interstitial lung diseases and sarcoidosis. [10]
His first book entitled Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Interstitial Lung Diseases, published in 2009, is held in Capitol Hill Library (Washington D.C.) [11] at MIT in Boston, at the National Institute of Health, at Moscow University and is also in widespread readership in China. [12] This book is a seminal text which introduced conjoined treatment of pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis since the International Congress "World Association Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders' ' (WASOG) in Denver in 2005. [13] His third book entitled Lung Transplantation - Evolving Knowledge and New Horizons, a collaboration with Mario Viganò contains a first chapter entitled "The History of Lung Transplantation" [14] which is considered by the Book Authority one of the best books on thoracic surgery of all time. In 2023 this is positioned fifty-second in the "Best Thoracic Surgery eBooks of all time" ranking. [15]
In 2007, William (Bill) D. Travis, directed Carbone to the study of pneumonia of the pulmonary interstitium in the lung deep area which was not attributable to inflammation bacteria or viruses, rather of unknown cause. Carbone discovered through the study of Indium and pulmonary hypertension that fibrotic pneumonia has a high mortality rate. [16]
Since 2017, he has been a Member of Global IPF Collaborative Network, a Platform for IPF Genetics [17] for University of Genoa, Principal Investigator Prof. David Schwartz MD from University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The scope of the study is to further understand the genetics of IPF by collecting more than 10,000 ethnically diverse cases of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) with the collaboration of 70 international investigators (40 sites). [18]
Carbone [19] is the author of over 150 publications [20] in peer-reviewed journals. [21]
He was a member of the editorial board of the scientific journal CHEST and is an associate editor of the journal Frontiers. [22] He has published 5 books in English [23] as a scientific editor. Scopus reported approximately 1000 citations. [24]
Crackles are the clicking, rattling, or crackling noises that may be made by one or both lungs of a human with a respiratory disease during inhalation, and occasionally during exhalation. They are usually heard only with a stethoscope. Pulmonary crackles are abnormal breath sounds that were formerly referred to as rales.
Asbestosis is long-term inflammation and scarring of the lungs due to asbestos fibers. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, and chest tightness. Complications may include lung cancer, mesothelioma, and pulmonary heart disease.
Pulmonology, pneumology or pneumonology is a medical specialty that deals with diseases involving the respiratory tract. It is also known as respirology, respiratory medicine, or chest medicine in some countries and areas.
Pulmonary hypertension is a condition of increased blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath, fainting, tiredness, chest pain, swelling of the legs, and a fast heartbeat. The condition may make it difficult to exercise. Onset is typically gradual. According to the definition at the 6th World Symposium of Pulmonary Hypertension in 2018, a patient is deemed to have pulmonary hypertension if the pulmonary mean arterial pressure is greater than 20mmHg at rest, revised down from a purely arbitrary 25mmHg, and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) greater than 3 Wood units.
Interstitial lung disease (ILD), or diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD), is a group of respiratory diseases affecting the interstitium and space around the alveoli of the lungs. It concerns alveolar epithelium, pulmonary capillary endothelium, basement membrane, and perivascular and perilymphatic tissues. It may occur when an injury to the lungs triggers an abnormal healing response. Ordinarily, the body generates just the right amount of tissue to repair damage, but in interstitial lung disease, the repair process is disrupted, and the tissue around the air sacs (alveoli) becomes scarred and thickened. This makes it more difficult for oxygen to pass into the bloodstream. The disease presents itself with the following symptoms: shortness of breath, nonproductive coughing, fatigue, and weight loss, which tend to develop slowly, over several months. The average rate of survival for someone with this disease is between three and five years. The term ILD is used to distinguish these diseases from obstructive airways diseases.
Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory failure, pneumothorax, and lung cancer.
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) or extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) is a syndrome caused by the repetitive inhalation of antigens from the environment in susceptible or sensitized people. Common antigens include molds, bacteria, bird droppings, bird feathers, agricultural dusts, bioaerosols and chemicals from paints or plastics. People affected by this type of lung inflammation (pneumonitis) are commonly exposed to the antigens by their occupations, hobbies, the environment and animals. The inhaled antigens produce a hypersensitivity immune reaction causing inflammation of the airspaces (alveoli) and small airways (bronchioles) within the lung. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis may eventually lead to interstitial lung disease.
Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, pleurae, pleural cavity, the nerves and muscles of respiration. Respiratory diseases range from mild and self-limiting, such as the common cold, influenza, and pharyngitis to life-threatening diseases such as bacterial pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, tuberculosis, acute asthma, lung cancer, and severe acute respiratory syndromes, such as COVID-19. Respiratory diseases can be classified in many different ways, including by the organ or tissue involved, by the type and pattern of associated signs and symptoms, or by the cause of the disease.
Occupational lung diseases comprise a broad group of diseases, including occupational asthma, industrial bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiolitis obliterans, inhalation injury, interstitial lung diseases, infections, lung cancer and mesothelioma. These can be caused directly or due to immunological response to an exposure to a variety of dusts, chemicals, proteins or organisms. Occupational cases of interstitial lung disease may be misdiagnosed as COPD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or a myriad of other diseases; leading to a delay in identification of the causative agent.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) synonymous with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis is a rare, progressive illness of the respiratory system, characterized by the thickening and stiffening of lung tissue, associated with the formation of scar tissue. It is a type of chronic pulmonary fibrosis characterized by a progressive and irreversible decline in lung function.
Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) is a form of lung disease characterized by progressive scarring of both lungs. The scarring (fibrosis) involves the pulmonary interstitium. UIP is thus classified as a form of interstitial lung disease.
Restrictive lung diseases are a category of extrapulmonary, pleural, or parenchymal respiratory diseases that restrict lung expansion, resulting in a decreased lung volume, an increased work of breathing, and inadequate ventilation and/or oxygenation. Pulmonary function test demonstrates a decrease in the forced vital capacity.
Idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP), or noninfectious pneumonia are a class of diffuse lung diseases. These diseases typically affect the pulmonary interstitium, although some also have a component affecting the airways. There are seven recognized distinct subtypes of IIP.
Pulmonary function testing (PFT) is a complete evaluation of the respiratory system including patient history, physical examinations, and tests of pulmonary function. The primary purpose of pulmonary function testing is to identify the severity of pulmonary impairment. Pulmonary function testing has diagnostic and therapeutic roles and helps clinicians answer some general questions about patients with lung disease. PFTs are normally performed by a pulmonary function technologist, respiratory therapist, respiratory physiologist, physiotherapist, pulmonologist, or general practitioner.
Pulmonary rehabilitation, also known as respiratory rehabilitation, is an important part of the management and health maintenance of people with chronic respiratory disease who remain symptomatic or continue to have decreased function despite standard medical treatment. It is a broad therapeutic concept. It is defined by the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society as an evidence-based, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive intervention for patients with chronic respiratory diseases who are symptomatic and often have decreased daily life activities. In general, pulmonary rehabilitation refers to a series of services that are administered to patients of respiratory disease and their families, typically to attempt to improve the quality of life for the patient. Pulmonary rehabilitation may be carried out in a variety of settings, depending on the patient's needs, and may or may not include pharmacologic intervention.
Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE), describes a medical syndrome involving both pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. The combination is most commonly found in male smokers. Pulmonary function tests typically show preserved lung volume with very low transfer factor.
Nintedanib, sold under the brand names Ofev and Vargatef, is an oral medication used for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and along with other medications for some types of non-small-cell lung cancer.
Sir Peter John Barnes, FRCP, FCCP, FMedSci, FRS is a British respiratory scientist and clinician, a specialist in the mechanisms and treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He was Margaret Turner-Warwick Professor of Thoracic Medicine at the National Heart & Lung Institute, previous head of respiratory medicine at Imperial College and honorary consultant physician at the Royal Brompton Hospital London. He is one of the most highly cited scientists in the world
Childhood interstitial lung disease, sometimes abbreviated as ChILD, is a family of rare chronic and complex disorders that affect the lungs of children. In the lungs, these disorders affect the interstitium, which is the space around the alveoli. The alveoli are the air sacs of the lungs. For these disorders, the alveoli are typically impaired by inflammatory and fibrotic changes which can lead to dyspnea, diffuse infiltrates on chest radiographs, and abnormal pulmonary function tests.
Averill Abraham Liebow was an international leader on the pathology of the lung. He is credited with the development of a classification system for lung disease. His observations resulted in the discovery of new diseases. Liebow was among the first scientists to enter Hiroshima, Japan, after the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. Accounts of that experience were published in "Encounter With Disaster: A Medical Diary of Hiroshima" and "Medical Effects of the Atomic Bomb in Japan."
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