Lock-In Effects on the Energy Sector: Evidence from Hydrogen Patenting Activities

The aim of the paper is to analyze how regulatory design and its framework’s topics, other than macroeconomic factors, might impact green innovation by taking into consideration a brand-new renewable source of energy that is becoming more and more important in recent years: hydrogen and fuel cell patenting activities. Such activities have been used as a proxy for green technological change in a panel data of 52 countries over a 6-year period. A series of sectorial, energy regulation, and macroeconomic variables were tested to assess their impact on that technological frontier of green energy transition policy. As might have been expected, the empirical analysis carried out with the model that was prefigured confirms significant evidence of lock-in effects on fossil fuel policies. The model confirms, however, another evidence: countries already investing in renewables might be willing to invest in hydrogen projects. A sort of reinforcement to the further development of green sustainable strategies seems to derive from having already concretely undertaken this direction. Future research should exploit different approaches to the research question and address the econometric criticalities mentioned in the paper, along with exploiting results of the paper with further investigations

Factors influencing hydrogen’s strategy in practice: a panel data analysis

The aim of this paper is to analyze the factors affecting hydrogen as well as Carbon Capture and Storage Technologies (“CCS”) policies with refer to countries’ upstream capacity of hydrocarbon activities. By using a panel data of 79 countries in 20 years, the interactive model will take into consideration Oil Reserves in relationship with Fossil Fuel Consumption, Blue or Green hydrogen projects and other variables with respect to countries. Stata 17 was used for the analysis. The results confirm the hypothesis that countries with high fossil fuel consumption rather invest in blue hydrogen instead of green, towards a “zero-carbon-emission” perspective, but oil capacities and reservoirs still pushes down energy transition. Moreover, those countries which are able to invest in hydrogen projects have good institutional and economic situation to do so. Future research should exploit Green Finance policy decision criteria on green and blue hydrogen

A ligand-inducible anaplastic lymphoma kinase chimera is endocytosis impaired

Ligand-induced membrane trafficking of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) was studied using a chimeric receptor in which the extracellular and transmembrane domain of ALK was substituted for the corresponding regions of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Wild-type EGFR, EGFR/ALK and an EGFR/ALK kinase negative mutant were independently expressed in mouse NR6 fibroblasts. The capacity of EGFR/ALK to mediate [125I]-EGF internalization, receptor degradation and downregulation, which has never been previously described, was assayed. The rate of [125I]-EGF-induced internalization mediated by the cytoplasmic domain of ALK was reduced several fold compared with the wild-type EGFR. The low rate of EGF internalization promoted by EGFR/ALK correlated with an impaired degradation and downregulation of the receptor and indicate that ALK is not subject to traditional mechanisms used to regulate receptor tyrosine kinase function. Accordingly, ALK-activated intracellular domain does not associate in vivo with c-cbl and does not undergo ligand-mediated ubiquitination. The current study provides new insight into the function and regulation of ALK suggesting that the relative long membrane residence of activated ALK might confers a more potent and prolonged signaling activity. Indeed NR6-EGFR/ALK cells exhibited a ∼3-fold increase in a maximal mitogenic response than NR6-EGFR

Circulating inflamma-miRs in aging and age-related diseases.

none4nopubblicazione scientificaOlivieri F.; Rippo M.R.; Procopio A.D.; Fazioli F.Olivieri, Fabiola; Rippo, Maria Rita; Procopio, Antonio Domenico; Fazioli, Francesc

Sex/gender-related differences in inflammaging

: Geroscience puts mechanisms of aging as a driver of the most common age-related diseases and dysfunctions. Under this perspective, addressing the basic mechanisms of aging will produce a better understanding than addressing each disease pathophysiology individually. Worldwide, despite greater functional impairment, life expectancy is higher in women than in men. Gender differences in the prevalence of multimorbidity lead mandatory to the understanding of the mechanisms underlying gender-related differences in multimorbidity patterns and disability-free life expectancy. Extensive literature suggested that inflammaging is at the crossroad of aging and age-related diseases. In this review, we highlight the main evidence on sex/gender differences in the mechanisms that foster inflammaging, i.e. the age-dependent triggering of innate immunity, modifications of adaptive immunity, and accrual of senescent cells, underpinning some biomarkers of inflammaging that show sex-related differences. In the framework of the "gender medicine perspective", we will also discuss how sex/gender differences in inflammaging can affect sex differences in COVID-19 severe outcomes

Analysis of M1 and M2 tumor associated macrophages in tongue squamous cell carcinomas.

none6Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) are the dominant leukocyte population found in the tumor microenvironment and their mobilization into tumor tissues is a critical event in tumor initiation, growth, and development. TAMs are a heterogeneous population of innate myeloid cells and take on various phenotypes depending on the context of the molecular stimuli from the microenvironment. Basically, there are two main recognized categories: classically-activated pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages (expressing the CD11c antigen) and alternatively-activated anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages (expressing the CD163 antigen). Although TAMs have been detected in head and neck cancers, little is known about their phenotype in the context of the tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC), which have the highest incidence in maxillofacial malignant tumors. The aim of the present retrospective study was to characterize the macrophage polarization in low grade (G1) and high grade (G3) TSCC, and to examine the importance of their relative localization (tumor stroma, inflammation area or tumor nest) on tumor-promoting capabilities and tumor-prognostic relevance.noneSilvia Agarbati1, Marco Mascitti, Giuseppina Campisi, Lorenzo Lo Muzio, Corrado Rubini, Francesca FazioliAgarbati1, Silvia; Mascitti, Marco; Campisi, Giuseppina; LO MUZIO, Lorenzo; Rubini, Corrado; Fazioli, Francesc

Plasma levels of interleukin-38 in healthy aging and in type 2 diabetes

Plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-38 were evaluated in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and healthy controls. Plasma IL-38 was higher in T2DM patients and positively related to waist/hip ratio, HbA1c, uric acid, liver function tests, triglycerides and total proteins. Patients suffering from diabetic nephropathy had the highest IL-38 levels