Moving to Mediated: Making a New Workflow for Streaming Video Access

This presentation describes the University Libraries move from a PDA to a mediated model with Kanopy. This move was necessary due to continually increasing expenditures that outpacing their budgets. Having previously been through a similar transition, the Acquisitions & Access Librarian developed the initial workflow procedures. Communication played a vital role in creating a smooth transition. A core group of collection development liaison librarians were given the first draft of the mediated workflow procedures to review. Feedback was solicited, communicated via multiple modes, and incorporated into a revised set of workflows aimed at different audiences. Finally, information was communicated to university stakeholders. During this presentation, the Acquisitions & Access Librarian and the Head of Social Sciences Collection Development Working Group will discuss the development and implementation of the revised mediated workflow procedures. Topics covered include rationale for the transition, an outline of steps taken, and adjustments made after the implementation of new workflow procedures. Preliminary assessment of the first six months of data and anecdotal feedback will also be shared along with lessons learned and any planned updates for the procedure or streaming video

Innovative Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering

In the field of regenerative medicine, biomaterials play a crucial role since they may serve as a support (scaffold) to promote cell growth and differentiation in order to promote the healing of tissue lesion. The aim of this chapter will be to analyze the properties of more recent biomaterials suitable for tissue engineering strategies, to end to define better and innovative materials for scaffold production. To this purpose, we will analyze the main materials (natural and synthetic) and their characteristics, such as biocompatibility, bioactivity, and biodegradation, and it will be discussed how their chemical-physical properties (surface morphology, porosity, stiffness, and mechanical strength) could affect the interaction with cells and living system. Moreover, the chapter will be focused on methods of extraction or production of biomaterial suitable for scaffolds

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is involved in the epigenetic control of TET1 gene transcription

TET enzymes are the epigenetic factors involved in the formation of the Sixth DNA base 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, whose deregulation has been associated with tumorigenesis. In particular, TET1 acts as tumor suppressor preventing cell proliferation and tumor metastasis and it has frequently been found down-regulated in cancer. Thus, considering the importance of a tight control of TET1 expression, the epigenetic mechanisms involved in the transcriptional regulation of TET1 gene are here investigated. The involvement of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in the control of DNA and histone methylation on TET1 gene was examined. PARP activity is able to positively regulate TET1 expression maintaining a permissive chromatin state characterized by DNA hypomethylation of TET1 CpG island as well as high levels of H3K4 trimethylation. These epigenetic modifications were affected by PAR depletion causing TET1 downregulation and in turn reduced recruitment of TET1 protein on HOXA9 target gene. In conclusion, this work shows that PARP activity is a transcriptional regulator of TET1 gene through the control of epigenetic events and it suggests that deregulation of these mechanisms could account for TET1 repression in cancer

Validation of suitable internal control genes for expression studies in aging.

Quantitative data from experiments of gene expression are often normalized through levels of housekeeping genes transcription by assuming that expression of these genes is highly uniform. This practice is being questioned as it becomes increasingly clear that the level of housekeeping genes expression may vary considerably in certain biological samples. To date, the validation of reference genes in aging has received little attention and suitable reference genes have not yet been defined. Our aim was to evaluate the expression stability of frequently used reference genes in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells with respect to aging. Using quantitative RT-PCR, we carried out an extensive evaluation of five housekeeping genes, i.e. 18s rRNA, ACTB, GAPDH, HPRT1 and GUSB, for stability of expression in samples from donors in the age range 35-74 years. The consistency in the expression stability was quantified on the basis of the coefficient of variation and two algorithms termed geNorm and NormFinder. Our results indicated GUSB be the most suitable transcript and 18s the least for accurate normalization in PBMCs. We also demonstrated that aging is a confounding factor with respect to stability of 18s, HPRT1 and ACTB expression, which were particularly prone to variability in aged donors

Osservatorio sulle trasformazioni dell’ecosistema automotive italiano 2022

This volume reports the first results of the Observatory on the Transformations of the Italian Automotive Ecosystem. The main focus is on the consequences of the technology acceleration following the European legislation that has decreed the end of the sales of the production of endothermic motors in 2035. The Observatory was founded by CAMI - Department of Management of Ca' Foscari University of Venice and Motus-E, the association of industrial operators that promote electric vehicles. It seeks to identify the key variables to assess whether and to what extent the current technological development is shaping the evolution of the automotive ecosystem, and ultimately whether it represents an opportunity or a threat for incumbents. The main objective of the Observatory is to produce and identify scientific evidence on the ecosystem of mobility to be made available to economic, entrepreneurial, political-institutional and scientific networks. The Observatory is based on a database composed of companies belonging to the industrial chain of road mobility (supply chain for cars, motorcycles, micro-mobility, buses, trucks, as well as companies providing engineering services, components and after-market services and infrastructure for electric and similar refuelling and charging). The technological evolution of recent years is affecting the drive-train of vehicles, which will be subject to radical changes starting from the abandonment of internal combustion engine technology. In this scenario it is no longer enough to continue analysing the ‘traditional supply chain’, but a broader analysis is needed that takes into account the entire mobility ecosystem. Electric mobility is, to date, the most mature technology to replace the endothermic engine and will involve: a radical change in the technological base; an expansion of the boundaries of the automotive supply chain involving those of digitalisation and services; the need for complementary asset development

A novel prognostic score to assess the risk of progression in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients

BACKGROUND: At patient-level, the prognostic value of several features that are known to be associated with an increased risk of converting from relapsing remitting (RR) to secondary phase (SP) multiple sclerosis (MS), remain limited.METHODS: Among 262 RRMS patients followed up for ten years, we assessed the probability of developing the SP course based on clinical and conventional and non-conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters at diagnosis and after two years. We used a machine learning method, the Random Survival Forests, to identify, according to their minimal depth (MD), the most predictive factors associated with the risk of SP conversion, which were then combined to compute the Secondary Progressive Risk Score (SP-RiSc).RESULTS: During the observation period, 69 (26%) patients converted to SPMS. The number of cortical lesions (MD=2.47) and age (MD=3.30) at diagnosis, the global cortical thinning (MD = 1.65), the cerebellar cortical volume loss (MD = 2.15) and the cortical lesion load increase (MD=3.15) over the first two years, exerted the greatest predictive effect. Three patients' risk-groups were identified; in the high-risk group, 85% (46 out of 55) of patients entered the SP phase in 7 median years. The SP-RiSc optimal cut-off estimated was 17.7 showing specificity and sensitivity of 87% and 92% respectively, and overall accuracy of 88%.CONCLUSIONS: The SP-RiSc yielded a high performance in identifying MS patients with high probability to develop SPMS, which can help improve management strategies. These findings are the premise of further larger prospective studies to assess its use in clinical settings

PARP inhibitor ABT-888 affects response of MDA-MB-231 cells to doxorubicin treatment, targeting Snail expression

To overcome cancer cells resistance to pharmacological therapy, the development of new therapeutic approaches becomes urgent. For this purpose, the use of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in combination with other cytotoxic agents could represent an efficacious strategy. Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation) is a post-translational modification that plays a well characterized role in the cellular decisions of life and death. Recent findings indicate that PARP-1 may control the expression of Snail, the master gene of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Snail is highly represented in different resistant tumors, functioning as a factor regulating anti-apoptotic programmes. MDA-MB-231 is a Snail-expressing metastatic breast cancer cell line, which exhibits chemoresistance properties when treated with damaging agents. In this study, we show that the PARP inhibitor ABT-888 was capable to modulate the MDA-MB-231 cell response to doxorubicin, leading to an increase in the rate of apoptosis. Our further results indicate that PARP-1 controlled Snail expression at transcriptional level in cells exposed to doxorubicin. Given the increasing interest in the employment of PARP inhibitors as chemotherapeutic adjuvants, our in vitro results suggest that one of the mechanisms through which PARP inhibition can chemosensitize cancer cells in vivo, is targeting Snail expression thus promoting apoptosi

CSF levels of CXCL12 and osteopontin as early markers of primary progressive multiple sclerosis

Background and objectives: To evaluate the extent of intrathecal inflammation in patients with primary progressive MS (PPMS) at the time of diagnosis and to define markers and a specific inflammatory profile capable of distinguishing progressive from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Methods: Levels of 34 pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the CSF were evaluated at the diagnosis in 16 patients with PPMS and 80 with RRMS. All patients underwent clinical evaluation, including Expanded Disability Status Scale assessment and a 3T brain MRI to detect white matter and cortical lesion number and volume and global and regional cortical thickness. Results: Higher levels of CXCL12 (odds ratio [OR] = 3.97, 95% CI [1.34-11.7]) and the monocyte-related osteopontin (OR = 2.24, 95% CI [1.01-4.99]) were detected in patients with PPMS, whereas levels of interleukin-10 (IL10) (OR = 0.28, 95% CI [0.09-0.96]) were significantly increased in those with RRMS. High CXCL12 levels were detected in patients with increased gray matter lesion number and volume (p = 0.001, r = 0.832 and r = 0.821, respectively). Pathway analysis confirmed the chronic inflammatory processes occurring in PPMS. Conclusions: At the time of diagnosis, a specific CSF protein profile can recognize the presence of early intrathecal inflammatory processes, possibly stratifying PPMS with respect to RRMS. Elevated CSF levels of CXCL12 and osteopontin suggested a key role of brain innate immunity and glia activity in MS. These molecules could represent useful candidate markers of MS progression, with implications for the pathogenesis and treatment of progressive MS. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class III evidence that CXCL12 and monocyte-related osteopontin may be correlated with PPMS, and IL-10 may be related to RRMS. It is may be correlated due to Bonferroni correction negating the statistical correlations found in the study