Urine 8-isoprostane in relation to adiposity and insulin resistance in individuals at high cardiometabolic risk

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many conditions, including insulin resistance and obesity. However, in vivo data concerning these relationships are scarce and conflicting. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association of oxidative stress with abdominal adiposity and insulin resistance in individuals at high cardiometabolic risk

Analysis of SOD3 and Akt in ascending aortic aneurysm

Ascending aortic aneurysm (AsAA) is divided into three different forms: syndromic, familial non-syndromic, and degenerative. Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), occuring in 2% of the population, is the most frequent cardiac congenital abnormality, associated to AsAA. All the different forms of AsAAs are a consequence of cystic medial necrosis (CMN), characterized by apoptotic loss of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), fragmentation of elastic and collagen fibers and increased accumulation of mucoid material. The extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD3) is a Cu/Zn enzyme, affecting redox state and homeostasis of extracellular matrix (ECM) (1). Moreover, the outsidein signalling from ECM modulates intracellular pathways regulating many cellular functions. The multifunctional Akt pathway affects survival and cellular proliferation and has important effects on the cardiovascular function. In this study we examined the relevance of SOD3 and Akt in AsAA pathogenesis. To this aim, the SOD3 and Akt protein levels were evaluated in normal ascending aortic tissues (n=6) and in tissues from AsAAs associated both to tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) (n=6) and BAV (n=6); moreover, we measured SOD3 activity in sera from healthy donors and patients with AsAA. Our data showed a reduction of SOD3 and phospho-Akt (pAkt) protein levels in AsAAs from BAV patients compared to normal donors; on the other hand, no differences emerged in SOD3 activity. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis performed on normal and pathological ascending aortic tissues showed a SOD3 immunostaining in both extracellular space and tunica media cells from normal ascending aortic tissues; conversely, no SOD3 immunostaining was detected in AsAAs tissues from both TAV and BAV patients. Our data show that SOD3 and pAkt could be associated to AsAA pathogenesis and suggest a link between ECM homeostasis and Akt survival pathway

A New Orbiting Deployable System for Small Satellite Observations for Ecology and Earth Observation

In this paper, we present several study cases focused on marine, oceanographic, and atmospheric environments, which would greatly benefit from the use of a deployable system for small satellite observations. As opposed to the large standard ones, small satellites have become an effective and affordable alternative access to space, owing to their lower costs, innovative design and technology, and higher revisiting times, when launched in a constellation configuration. One of the biggest challenges is created by the small satellite instrumentation working in the visible (VIS), infrared (IR), and microwave (MW) spectral ranges, for which the resolution of the acquired data depends on the physical dimension of the telescope and the antenna collecting the signal. In this respect, a deployable payload, fitting the limited size and mass imposed by the small satellite architecture, once unfolded in space, can reach performances similar to those of larger satellites. In this study, we show how ecology and Earth Observations can benefit from data acquired by small satellites, and how they can be further improved thanks to deployable payloads. We focus on DORA—Deployable Optics for Remote sensing Applications—in the VIS to TIR spectral range, and on a planned application in the MW spectral range, and we carry out a radiometric analysis to verify its performances for Earth Observation studies

APOLLO 11 Project, Consortium in Advanced Lung Cancer Patients Treated With Innovative Therapies: Integration of Real-World Data and Translational Research

Introduction: Despite several therapeutic efforts, lung cancer remains a highly lethal disease. Novel therapeutic approaches encompass immune-checkpoint inhibitors, targeted therapeutics and antibody-drug conjugates, with different results. Several studies have been aimed at identifying biomarkers able to predict benefit from these therapies and create a prediction model of response, despite this there is a lack of information to help clinicians in the choice of therapy for lung cancer patients with advanced disease. This is primarily due to the complexity of lung cancer biology, where a single or few biomarkers are not sufficient to provide enough predictive capability to explain biologic differences; other reasons include the paucity of data collected by single studies performed in heterogeneous unmatched cohorts and the methodology of analysis. In fact, classical statistical methods are unable to analyze and integrate the magnitude of information from multiple biological and clinical sources (eg, genomics, transcriptomics, and radiomics). Methods and objectives: APOLLO11 is an Italian multicentre, observational study involving patients with a diagnosis of advanced lung cancer (NSCLC and SCLC) treated with innovative therapies. Retrospective and prospective collection of multiomic data, such as tissue- (eg, for genomic, transcriptomic analysis) and blood-based biologic material (eg, ctDNA, PBMC), in addition to clinical and radiological data (eg, for radiomic analysis) will be collected. The overall aim of the project is to build a consortium integrating different datasets and a virtual biobank from participating Italian lung cancer centers. To face with the large amount of data provided, AI and ML techniques will be applied will be applied to manage this large dataset in an effort to build an R-Model, integrating retrospective and prospective population-based data. The ultimate goal is to create a tool able to help physicians and patients to make treatment decisions. Conclusion: APOLLO11 aims to propose a breakthrough approach in lung cancer research, replacing the old, monocentric viewpoint towards a multicomprehensive, multiomic, multicenter model. Multicenter cancer datasets incorporating common virtual biobank and new methodologic approaches including artificial intelligence, machine learning up to deep learning is the road to the future in oncology launched by this project

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Tradition-based firms and dynamic knowledge for international competition

Over the centuries the Mediterranean has been a place of exchange of goods, ideas, knowledge and opportunity between different peoples. Particularly about craft, competencies, experiences and techniques had been affected by different forms of contamination. Moreover, craft in the Mediterranean has been always an universal language. In these terms, an objective of this research is therefore also to provide a pattern of strategic development of an affected-by-crisis sector as the craft is. This will be possible through a reconstruction of relations based on know-how and a transfer of competencies as an opportunity of building international and strategic knowledge as a result of dynamic capabilities. These projects determines knowledge creation and management as directly inherent to achievement of strategic goals

Innovation in Event Management Strategies. Event as a leverage of cities’ promotion

Tourism is a hypercompetitive sector (D'Aveni, 1994, 1998; Della Corte, Sciarelli, 2003; Grant, Baden Fuller, 2003; Della Corte, Sciarelli, Celiento, 2005), for fast running changes of demand and global level competition: this situation has determined over time the need to widen the range of destinations’ offer, with special regard to cities (Conti, Spriano, 1990; Richards, 1992; Bramwell, Rawding, 1994; Czarniawska, Mazza, Pipan, 2001). In this field, events could be a strong attractive factor for cities where they take place. Particularly, the purpose of the paper is double: first, we will look for strategic elements in event management, starting from an analysis of the literature (Bramwell, 1997; Getz, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2001; Goldblatt, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004; Watt, 1998) on new directions in the field that is still being explored by scholars; second, we will try to see when and under which conditions an event can become a real attractive factor for a destination, contributing either to destination’s launch or to its market repositioning. Moreover, the research aims at verifying if the planned elements of event management and marketing (Close, Finney, Sneath, 2006), for a city as a destination, are expression of a real event strategy, able to promote a tourist destination, in territorial marketing terms. This overview, starting from the typical resource-based theory (Barney, 1991) setting, with the help of some managerial analysis’ tools, like VRIO framework and SWOT analysis, aims at analyzing quality, identity and branding of the event and of the city which hosts it (Della Corte, Micera, 2007). At both destination and event level, strategic resources are the starting point to evaluate economic and environmental sustainability generated by the event but are also the necessary elements to gain a sustainable competitive advantage in the long term for the destination, even after the event. This can happen only if there is an appropriate hospitality system within the destination and if this succeeds in reproposing the event itself or even other events of the same or of higher level. The empirical part will focus on a longitudinal case studies analysis of some even cases, in order to get to a scientific advance on the field and to managerial implications, useful both for events planners and tourist firms and for Institutional leaders (Gambetti, 2003)

Strategic Employer Branding: brand and image management as a tool of attractiveness for talented capital

The aim of the present research is that of evaluating brand and image management as a strategy to attract talented human capital. In this direction, the research points at attracting, integrating and maintaining talents able to create value and to become business partners in the shared goal of sustainable competitive advantages. Moreover, human capital can represent a strategic resource for a firm, often becoming a relevant source of sustainable competitive advantage. Referring to the method, starting from RBT a theoretical framework is proposed, taking into account the most relevant strategic factors of employer branding, with reference both to potential and to actual employees become possible resources themselves, in function of their specific role in the firm's value creation process. The empirical part verifies the importance of employer branding strategies in high-knowledge-based context and specifically in Italian high-tech firms operating in the aerospace sector. Results demonstrate the necessity of an aware and structured approach in corporate brand and employer brand's building and management