Technology Transfer Offices (TTO) in Italian universities: what they do and how they do it

The contribution of the knowledge producing sector to the innovative activity of firms, and to economic development in general is widely recognised. Nevertheless, several new important subtopics have emerged during the last two decades, which represent increasingly important research issues for academics and policy makers.

General phase-diagram of multimodal ordered and disordered lasers in closed and open cavities

We present a unified approach to the theory of multimodal laser cavities including a variable amount of structural disorder. A general mean-field theory is studied for waves in media with variable non-linearity and randomness. Phase diagrams are reported in terms of optical power, degree of disorder and degree of non-linearity, tuning between closed and open cavity scenario's. In the thermodynamic limit of infinitely many modes the theory predicts four distinct regimes: a continuous wave behavior for low power, a standard mode-locking laser regime for high power and weak disorder, a random laser for high pumped power and large disorder and an intermediate regime of phase locking occurring in presence of disorder below the lasing threshold.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Alyssum desertorum Stapf (Brassicaceae), new for the Italian flora

The occurrence of Alyssum desertorum, a species belonging to A. sect. Alyssum, is reported for the first time in Italy. It was found in Abruzzo (central Italy) in the territory of National Park of Gran Sasso and Laga mountains and surrounding areas. Morphological similarities with the other taxa recorded in Italy belonging to A. sect. Alyssum are briefly discussed. Information about the typification of the name, habitat, phenology and distribution in Italy are also provided

Rheumatic heart disease predisposing to embolic myocardial infarction: a multimodality imaging approach

We report a clinical case of a 45-year-old male with a diagnosis of inferior myocardial infarction and previous history of rheumatic fever during his childhood. Coronary angiography demonstrated normal coronary arteries. Transthoracic echocardiogram showed hypokinetic left ventricular inferolateral wall and mitral stenosis; furthermore, speckle tracking analysis revealed reduction of global longitudinal strain involving the inferior wall. A three-dimensional transesophaegeal echocardiography, performed to better characterize the anatomy of the valve and to find possible source of embolic infarct in an enlarged left atrium, showed rheumatic valvular involvement. Cardiac magnetic resonance confirmed the ischemic damage and also provided prognostic information. A multimodality imaging approach should be mandatory in patients with acute myocardial infarction and normal coronary angiography, to define possible sources of embolic infarction and to quantify myocardial damage

Effect of Etanercept on anti-carbamylated protein antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a systemic, chronic inflammatory disease characterized by inflammation of synovial joints and production of autoantibodies such as Rheumatoid Factor and antibodies directed against modified proteins - i.e. anti-citrullinated peptides antibody (ACPA). Carbamylation, as a post translational modification, has been recently associated to RA since anti-carbamylated protein antibodies (anti-CarP) have been detected in the sera of RA patients. The effect of treatment on anti-CarP level has been never addressed before. Through this study we aimed to investigate the short term effect of anti-TNF treatment with Etanercept on anti-CarP. We enrolled consecutive RA patients before starting treatment with Etanercept. Clinical data and serum samples were gathered from each patient at baseline and after 3 months of treatment. Disease activity was assessed at baseline and after 3 months by using the C-reactive protein - Disease Activity Score (DAS) 28. Sixty-three age and sex matched healthy donors served as controls. Anti-Car-P antibodies were investigated by immune-enzymatic assay. We enrolled 17 RA patients (F:M 15:2, mean age 44.1 ± 10.7 years, mean disease duration 7.9 ± 5.8 years). Six patients (35.3%) were positive for anti-CarP antibodies at baseline while three months after only 4 patients (23.5%) remained positive. Mean serum level of anti-CarP antibodies at baseline and after 3 months were: 253.0 ± 139.8AU/ml and 271.0 ± 132.4AU/ml respectively. Considering the persistently anti-CarP positive patients, the mean antibody titre increases from 386.2 ± 49.3AU/ml at baseline to 421.8 ± 144.0AU/ml at follow up. The effect of anti-TNF treatment on autoantibody status is still controversial; in particular, data on ACPA variation during treatment are discordant. In our cohort of long standing RA patients, a short term course of Etanercept did not affect the anti-CarP status. In conclusion, this pilot study demonstrated a slight reduction in the percentage of anti-CarP positive patients but an overall increase of antibody titres unrelated to the clinical response to TNF blockade was observed

21 Covid-19 and SLE – What do we know today?

Six months following the beginning of Covid-19 pandemic in China, data on the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases are now available. However, the rapid spread of the pandemic has not allowed proper design of prospective studies, thus evidence came mostly from case series and observational studies. The early enthusiasm on hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) anti-viral properties should not suggest that patients who are long-term treated with antimalarials, such as patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), are protected against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Indeed, a French report on 17 HCQ-treated SLE patients dampened the enthusiasm.1 A recent report from Covid-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance has described 80 SLE patients with Covid-19, mostly females under 65 years of age, 64% of whom were already taking HCQ before the infection: the rate of hospitalisation and the need for intensive care did not differ between patients who were and those who were not taking HCQ.2 A study group from Northern Italy – the Italian epicentre of the pandemic – reported an incidence of 2.5% of Covid-19 (higher compared to the general population of the same region) in 165 patients with SLE.3 Patients with SLE are possibly at risk of developing symptomatic or severe Covid-19, not only because of their disease or treatment but as a consequence of associated comorbidities known to worsen the outcome of SARS-COv-2 infection.4 5 What do we know so far? SLE patients should not withdraw their medication. Before drawing any other conclusion, large registry data are needed to clarify the incidence and the outcome of Covid-19 in patients with SLE. Learning Objectives Describe the current evidence for risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases, notably SLE Explain why it is important to ensure robust evidence are available to clarify the outcome of Covid-19 in patients with SLE References Mathian A, Mahevas M, Rohmer J, et al. Clinical course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a series of 17 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus under long-term treatment with hydroxychloroquine. Ann Rheum Dis 2020;79(6):837–39. Konig MF, Kim AH, Scheetz MH, et al. Baseline use of hydroxychloroquine in systemic lupus erythematosus does not preclude SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19. Ann Rheum Dis 2020 doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217690 [published Online First: 2020/05/10]. Bozzalla Cassione E, Zanframundo G, Biglia A, et al. COVID-19 infection in a northern-Italian cohort of systemic lupus erythematosus assessed by telemedicine. Ann Rheum Dis 2020 doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217717 [published Online First: 2020/05/14]. Wallace B, Waher L, Correspondence regarding Research Letter to the Editor by Mathian A, et al. 'Clinical course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a series of 17 patients with systemic lupus under long-term treatment with hydroxychloroquine'. Ann Rheum Dis 2020. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217794. Gianfrancesco M, Hyrich KL, Al-Adely S, et al. Characteristics associated with hospitalisation for COVID-19 in people with rheumatic disease: data from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician-reported registry. Ann Rheum Dis 2020;79(7):859–66

Mucosa-Environment Interactions in the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Mucosal surfaces play a central role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Several risk factors, such as cigarette smoking, environmental pollution, and periodontitis interact with the host at the mucosal level, triggering immune system activation. Moreover, the alteration of microbiota homeostasis is gaining increased attention for its involvement in the disease pathogenesis, modulating the immune cell response at a local and subsequently at a systemic level. Currently, the onset of the clinical manifest arthritis is thought to be the last step of a series of pathogenic events lasting years. The positivity for anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) and rheumatoid factor (RF), in absence of symptoms, characterizes a preclinical phase of RA namely systemic autoimmune phase- which is at high risk for disease progression. Several immune abnormalities, such as local ACPA production, increased T cell polarization towards a pro-inflammatory phenotype, and innate immune cell activation can be documented in at-risk subjects. Many of these abnormalities are direct consequences of the interaction between the environment and the host, which takes place at the mucosal level. The purpose of this review is to describe the humoral and cellular immune abnormalities detected in subjects at risk of RA, highlighting their origin from the mucosa environment interaction

HiJAKing SARS-CoV-2? The potential role of JAK inhibitors in the management of COVID-19.

JAK kinase inhibitors are being investigated as a way of managing cytokine storm in patients with severe COVID-19