Non solo entrate: il percorso della conoscenza attraverso i conti terzi delle Università di Trieste e Udine

This paper focuses on the contract research (contratto in conto terzi), a frequent observed type of linkage between university and business but largely neglected in economic studies. The goal of the is twofold: i) to identify the characteristics of this specific “channel” of knowledge transfer (exchange); ii) to specify these relations in terms of network links between universities and external partners. In this paper we study the interactions established in terms of contract research, by the Departments of Universities of the Friuli Venezia Giulia, a northern-east Italian region. Applying Social Network Analysis to data drawn from the administrative databases of two regional Universities, significant interactions between the University Departments and the outside world are shown. Particular attention is paid to the relationships activated with firms, grouped by sector and location, in order to stress the importance of geographical proximity in facilitating university-business relationships. The results support the existence of different knowledge exchange patterns between the two Universities, strongly influenced by the relational behavior and the scientific specialization of the most “central” Departments

Platinum-Nucleos(t)ide Compounds as Possible Antimetabolites for Antitumor/Antiviral Therapy: Properties and Perspectives

Nucleoside analogues (NAs) are a family of compounds which include a variety of purine and pyrimidine derivatives, widely used as anticancer and antiviral agents. For their ability to compete with physiological nucleosides, NAs act as antimetabolites exerting their activity by interfering with the synthesis of nucleic acids. Much progress in the comprehension of their molecular mechanisms has been made, including providing new strategies for potentiating anticancer/antiviral activity. Among these strategies, new platinum-NAs showing a good potential to improve the therapeutic indices of NAs have been synthesized and studied. This short review aims to describe the properties and future perspectives of platinum-NAs, proposing these complexes as a new class of antimetabolites

Lo scambio della conoscenza attraverso il canale della ricerca a contratto: un’analisi dei “conto terzi” delle Università di Trieste e Udine

3nonenoneBenedetti G.; De Stefano D.; Salera A.Benedetti, MARIA GABRIELLA; DE STEFANO, Domenico; Salera, Antoni

Mobile-Bearing Total Ankle Replacement In Vivo Kinematic Assessment: A Prospective Study Protocol

Total ankle prosthesis as a surgical solution in the case of end-stage osteoarthritis has seen a considerable increase in the last two decades. This study protocol arises from the need to understand the in vivo kinematics of mobile-bearing, flat tibial component total ankle replacement, evaluating the real range of motion and the reciprocal relationships between the components during normal motor tasks through the use of model-based radio-stereometric analysis (MB-RSA). In addition, pre- and post-operative evaluation of walking kinematics with inertial motion sensors, proprioception through a dedicated workstation, and clinical outcomes are discussed. We expect that based on our study protocol researchers will be able to improve future prosthetic designs and validate the setup of MB-RSA, as well as to understand "how an ankle prosthesis moves" once implanted in the patient

Antifungal activity and biochemical profiling of exudates from germinating maize Nostrano di Storo local variety

Plant pathogens are responsible for important damages to valuable crops causing important economic losses. Agrobiodiversity protection is crucial for the valorization of local varieties that could possess higher resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. At the beginning of germination, seeds are susceptible to pathogens attacks, thus they can release endogenous antimicrobial compounds of different natures in the spermosphere, to contrast proliferation of microorganisms. The work aimed at characterizing the maize of local variety Nostrano di Storo seed exudates secreted during the first phases of germination, to identify compounds active in the defense towards pathogens. Storo seed exudates were proven to inhibit F. verticilloides germination. In order to investigate the cause of the described effect, compositional profiling of the exudates was performed through NMR, lipidomic, and proteomic analyses. This study suggests an important role of microbial endophytic communities in the protection of the seed during the early phases of the germination process and their interplay with fatty acids released by the seeds, rather than a specific antifungal compound. The valorization of agronomically acceptable maize lines with pre-harvest enhanced resistances to pathogens contamination could lead, in the near future, to commercially available varieties potentially requiring more limited chemical protective treatments

Murano Pixel. Economia circolare per gli scarti del vetro artistico.

Murano, Venezia e la sua laguna sono un emblema del vivere civile, della stratificazione della storia e della fragilità dell’ecosistema culturale, ambientale e sociale che ne ha consentito lo sviluppo e la vita sino ad oggi. Ogni epoca è contraddistinta da sfide, crisi e, soprattutto, da un qualche cosa di speciale che ne ha caratterizzato il sentimento di ripartenza, il progetto di sviluppo e il percorso di crescita. Dedicare una ricerca all’Economia Circolare del vetro di Murano significa accettare la sfida di un confronto tra uno dei più noti simboli della storia e una nuova declinazione dell’ecologia del vivere. Una sfida che attesta la forza vitale di Venezia e che mette in campo due atenei, un gruppo di giovani ricercatori, varie realtà imprenditoriali. Ma soprattutto, questo libro descrive una ricerca aperta, che si offre al dialogo e all’interazione, per lo sviluppo di futuri risultati e di interazioni che vanno ben oltre i confini della laguna di Venezia

Interface Gain-of-Function Mutations in TLR7 Cause Systemic and Neuro-inflammatory Disease

TLR7 recognizes pathogen-derived single-stranded RNA (ssRNA), a function integral to the innate immune response to viral infection. Notably, TLR7 can also recognize self-derived ssRNA, with gain-of-function mutations in human TLR7 recently identified to cause both early-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and neuromyelitis optica. Here, we describe two novel mutations in TLR7, F507S and L528I. While the L528I substitution arose de novo, the F507S mutation was present in three individuals from the same family, including a severely affected male, notably given that the TLR7 gene is situated on the X chromosome and that all other cases so far described have been female. The observation of mutations at residues 507 and 528 of TLR7 indicates the importance of the TLR7 dimerization interface in maintaining immune homeostasis, where we predict that altered homo-dimerization enhances TLR7 signaling. Finally, while mutations in TLR7 can result in SLE-like disease, our data suggest a broader phenotypic spectrum associated with TLR7 gain-of-function, including significant neurological involvement

Development of a Nomogram Predicting the Risk of Persistence/Recurrence of Cervical Dysplasia

Background: Cervical dysplasia persistence/recurrence has a great impact on women's health and quality of life. In this study, we investigated whether a prognostic nomogram may improve risk assessment after primary conization. Methods: This is a retrospective multi-institutional study based on charts of consecutive patients undergoing conization between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2014. A nomogram assessing the importance of different variables was built. A cohort of patients treated between 1 January 2015 and 30 June 2016 was used to validate the nomogram. Results: A total of 2966 patients undergoing primary conization were analyzed. The median (range) patient age was 40 (18-89) years. At 5-year of follow-up, 6% of patients (175/2966) had developed a persistent/recurrent cervical dysplasia. Median (range) recurrence-free survival was 18 (5-52) months. Diagnosis of CIN3, presence of HR-HPV types, positive endocervical margins, HPV persistence, and the omission of HPV vaccination after conization increased significantly and independently of the risk of developing cervical dysplasia persistence/recurrence. A nomogram weighting the impact of all variables was built with a C-Index of 0.809. A dataset of 549 patients was used to validate the nomogram, with a C-index of 0.809. Conclusions: The present nomogram represents a useful tool for counseling women about their risk of persistence/recurrence after primary conization. HPV vaccination after conization is associated with a reduced risk of CIN2+

Genetic Association and Altered Gene Expression of Mir-155 in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex autoimmune disease of the central nervous system characterized by chronic inflammation, demyelination, and axonal damage. As microRNA (miRNA)-dependent alterations in gene expression in hematopoietic cells are critical for mounting an appropriate immune response, miRNA deregulation may result in defects in immune tolerance. In this frame, we sought to explore the possible involvement of miRNAs in MS pathogenesis by monitoring the differential expression of 22 immunity-related miRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of MS patients and healthy controls, by using a microbead-based technology. Three miRNAs resulted >2 folds up-regulated in MS vs controls, whereas none resulted down-regulated. Interestingly, the most up-regulated miRNA (mir-155; fold change = 3.30; P = 0.013) was previously reported to be up-regulated also in MS brain lesions. Mir-155 up-regulation was confirmed by qPCR experiments. The role of mir-155 in MS susceptibility was also investigated by genotyping four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) mapping in the mir-155 genomic region. A haplotype of three SNPs, corresponding to a 12-kb region encompassing the last exon of BIC (the B-cell Integration Cluster non-coding RNA, from which mir-155 is processed), resulted associated with the disease status (P = 0.035; OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.05–1.77), suggesting that this locus strongly deserves further investigations