UniPR1331, a small molecule targeting Eph/ephrin interaction, prolongs survival in glioblastoma and potentiates the effect of antiangiogenic therapy in mice

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant brain tumor, showing high resistance to standard therapeutic approaches that combine surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. As opposed to healthy tissues, EphA2 has been found highly expressed in specimens of glioblastoma, and increased expression of EphA2 has been shown to correlate with poor survival rates. Accordingly, agents blocking Eph receptor activity could represent a new therapeutic approach. Herein, we demonstrate that UniPR1331, a pan Eph receptor antagonist, possesses significant in vivo anti-angiogenic and anti-vasculogenic properties which lead to a significant anti-tumor activity in xenograft and orthotopic models of GBM. UniPR1331 halved the final volume of tumors when tested in xenografts (p<0.01) and enhanced the disease-free survival of treated animals in the orthotopic models of GBM both by using U87MG cells (40 vs 24 days of control, p<0.05) or TPC8 cells (52 vs 16 days, p<0.01). Further, the association of UniPR1331 with the anti-VEGF antibody Bevacizumab significantly increased the efficacy of both monotherapies in all tested models. Overall, our data promote UniPR1331 as a novel tool for tackling GBM

Theories and methods in CSR communication studies. A systematic review

Purpose The aim of this paper is to provide a review about Corporate Social Responsibility Communication (CSRC) from a methodological point of view. Scholars have increasingly shown interest in this topic, however, there has been no review of how different methodologies have contributed to advancing knowledge in this field. Design/methodology/approach We searched title, abstract, and related keywords through a sets of terms related to CSR (e.g. cor- porate ethical; corporate environmental; social responsibility; corporate accountability) and Com- munication (e.g. communica*; reporting; disclosure*; dialogue*; sensemaking). We narrowed down the amount of 3173 papers resulted by the search by considering only papers published on top and field-related journals. Then we classify papers into conceptual versus empirical papers. The final dataset is made by 556 empirical papers. Findings We coded each empirical paper by: 1) the research design (qualitative, quantitative and mixed me- thods), 2) the research method in terms of type of data collection and data analysis, 4) the unit of analysis, 5) the sample and 6) the context in which the study has been conducted. Research limitations/implications Future research will delve deeper into four main areas: 1) identify the main research domains of CSR Communication literature; 2) match research domains of CSR communication literature with me- thodological approaches; 3) provide a comprehensive framework of the theories and methods avai- lable in CSRC research; 4) employ co-citation analysis and content analysis on the collected papers. Originality/value The present paper systematically reviews methods and techniques employed in the CSR Commu- nication literature

Theories and methods in CSRC research: a systematic literature review

Purpose – The authors have systematically reviewed 534 corporate social responsibility communication (CSRC) papers, updating the current debate about the ontological and epistemological paradigms that characterize the field, and providing evidence of the interactions between these paradigms and the related methodological choices. The purpose of this paper is to provide theoretical and methodological implications for future research in the CSRC research domain. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used the Scopus database to search for titles, abstracts and related keywords with two queries sets relating to corporate social responsibility (e.g. corporate ethical, corporate environmental, social responsibility, corporate accountability) and CSRC (e.g. reporting, disclosure, dialogue, sensemaking). The authors identified 534 empirical papers (2000–2016), which the authors coded manually to identify the research methods and research designs (Creswell, 2013). The authors then developed an ad hoc dictionary whose keywords relate to the three primary CSRC approaches (instrumental, normative and constitutive). Using the software Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, the authors undertook an automated content analysis in order to measure these approaches’ relative popularity and compare the methods employed in empirical research. Findings – The authors found that the instrumental approach, which belongs to the functionalist paradigm, dominates the CSRC literature with its relative weight being constant over time. The normative approach also belongs to the functionalist paradigm, but plays a minor yet enduring role. The constitutive approach belongs to the interpretive paradigm and grew slightly over time, but still remains largely beyond the instrumental approach. In the instrumental approach, many papers report on descriptive empirical analyses. In the constitutive approach, theory-method relationships are in line with the various paradigmatic traits, while the normative approach presents critical issues. Regarding methodology, according to the findings, the literature review underlines three major limitations that characterize the existing empirical evidence and provides avenues for future research. While multi-paradigmatic research is promoted in the CRSC literature (Crane and Glozer, 2016; Morsing, 2017; Schoeneborn and Trittin, 2013), the authors found no empirical evidence. Originality/value – This is the first paper to systematically review empirical research in the CSRC field and is also the first to address the relationship between research paradigms, theoretical approaches, and methods. Further, the authors suggest a novel way to develop systematic reviews (i.e. via quantitative, automated content analysis), which can now also be applied in other literature streams and in other contexts

A review on research methods of CSR communication

The aim of this paper is to provide a review about Corporate Social Responsibility Communication (CSRC) from a methodological point of view. Scholars have increasingly shown interest in this topic, however, there has been no review of how different methodologies have contributed to advancing knowledge in this field

The analysis of alcohol consumption during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Italian lockdown

The SARS-CoV-2 lockdown resulted in deep changes of lifestyles, promoting in many people the onset of psychological symptoms generally associated with drug and alcohol abuse. The aim was to assess the variation of alcohol drinking habits in a sample of Italian citizens during lockdown and to identify the psychosocial factors surrounding it

Abnormal activation of knee and ankle flexors-extensors is related to altered gait in ankylosing spondylitis?

Introduction. Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a rheumatic disease that predominantly affects axial joints, producing a rigid spine from the occiput to the sacrum. AS patients could experience a progressive spinal kyphosis, from a biomechanical point of view this may induce a forward and downward displacement of the centre of mass (COM) in the sagittal plane [1]. Even though there is a clinical evidence of an altered posture, only one previous study involving AS EMG during gait, have been reported [2]. This study was aimed at examining abnormal EMG patterns of AS subjects, evaluating the role played in AS gait pattern alterations. Materials and methods. We recruited 14 AS subjects (age: 49±1 years, BMI: 25±3 Kg). Six cameras BTS motion capture system (60-120 Hz) and surface EMG (PocketEMG, 16 channels) synchronized with 2 Bertec force plates (FP4060-10) were used. 3D-motion analysis of independent barefoot walking was conducted. Surface electromyographic (EMG) data of rectus femoris (RF), tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscles were collected; hips, knees and ankles flexion-extension moments and ground reaction forces were evaluated. Results. RF signals were prolonged at initial contact and non activation was registered during terminal stance and initial swing phases, TA activity was delayed during swing, GM muscle always showed a delayed activation during the stance phase. An increased ankle dorsiflexion and knee flexion, a decreased hip extension moments were registered at heel strike, together with an excessive posterior and a lower vertical force. Conclusion. Our data confirm delays in GM activation as in [3]; the presence of co-contractions in GM and TA could be related to the kinetic alterations and the lack of heel rocker, due to difficulties in accomplishing the shock absorption