European compliance benchmark

The International Legal Research Group -European Compliance Benchmark is acooperation between The European Law Students' Association (ELSA) and K&L Gates. K&L Gates has provided ELSA with research questionsthat24 member and observer groups in our network successfullyinvestigatedin the framework of their respective national legislation. The topic of this LRG centered around the world of Corporate Compliance, as it is one of the hottest legal topicscurrently. What is meant by this is the degree to which companies abide by the regulations set for corporate governance and prevention of criminal measures in a commercial context. The questions of the LRG focused on outlining the relevant rules as well as assessing what the ramifications are for breaking them

Basic science232. Certolizumab pegol prevents pro-inflammatory alterations in endothelial cell function

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a major comorbidity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a leading cause of death. Chronic systemic inflammation involving tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF) could contribute to endothelial activation and atherogenesis. A number of anti-TNF therapies are in current use for the treatment of RA, including certolizumab pegol (CZP), (Cimzia ®; UCB, Belgium). Anti-TNF therapy has been associated with reduced clinical cardiovascular disease risk and ameliorated vascular function in RA patients. However, the specific effects of TNF inhibitors on endothelial cell function are largely unknown. Our aim was to investigate the mechanisms underpinning CZP effects on TNF-activated human endothelial cells. Methods: Human aortic endothelial cells (HAoECs) were cultured in vitro and exposed to a) TNF alone, b) TNF plus CZP, or c) neither agent. Microarray analysis was used to examine the transcriptional profile of cells treated for 6 hrs and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysed gene expression at 1, 3, 6 and 24 hrs. NF-κB localization and IκB degradation were investigated using immunocytochemistry, high content analysis and western blotting. Flow cytometry was conducted to detect microparticle release from HAoECs. Results: Transcriptional profiling revealed that while TNF alone had strong effects on endothelial gene expression, TNF and CZP in combination produced a global gene expression pattern similar to untreated control. The two most highly up-regulated genes in response to TNF treatment were adhesion molecules E-selectin and VCAM-1 (q 0.2 compared to control; p > 0.05 compared to TNF alone). The NF-κB pathway was confirmed as a downstream target of TNF-induced HAoEC activation, via nuclear translocation of NF-κB and degradation of IκB, effects which were abolished by treatment with CZP. In addition, flow cytometry detected an increased production of endothelial microparticles in TNF-activated HAoECs, which was prevented by treatment with CZP. Conclusions: We have found at a cellular level that a clinically available TNF inhibitor, CZP reduces the expression of adhesion molecule expression, and prevents TNF-induced activation of the NF-κB pathway. Furthermore, CZP prevents the production of microparticles by activated endothelial cells. This could be central to the prevention of inflammatory environments underlying these conditions and measurement of microparticles has potential as a novel prognostic marker for future cardiovascular events in this patient group. Disclosure statement: Y.A. received a research grant from UCB. I.B. received a research grant from UCB. S.H. received a research grant from UCB. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Fluidized bed co-gasification of industrial wastes for flexible end-use of syngas

The search of alternative to fossil fuels for both energy generation and production of organic chemicals (Chum et al. 2001) calls for usage of renewable and waste materials. In this framework, industrial wastes and residual biomass play an important role, as a possible option for substituting oil and natural gas (Consonni et al. 2009). Thermo-chemical processes can be employed for converting the wastes of interest into valuable gaseous or liquid streams. In particular, thermal gasification is the most attractive process due to multiplicity and versatility of syngas applications, such as a chemical feedstock for producing a number of chemical intermediates, a fuel by itself and an intermediate for the production of other fuels or biofuels. As concerns the fuel production, the possibility to match the producer gas output to the synthesis gas specification during the gasification process is a crucial challenge for researchers due to the significant effect that it could have on the overall process economics. In this work an experimental study of waste co-gasification with biomass was conducted using a pre-pilot plant fluidized bed gasifier in order to explore the possibility of producing a syngas with the specifications required by methanol synthesis. The bed was made of either Ni/γ-alumina or pure γ-alumina particles. More specifically a series of experiments were performed to investigate the effect of bed temperature and steam-to-fuel ratio (S/F) on the outlet gas composition, while keeping fixed the equivalence ratio. The results confirm that the fluidized bed co-gasification of selected biomass and wastes (olive husk/PET and olive husk/Tyre pellets) yields a syngas composition suitable for subsequent methanol production. This is true for 0.6 ≤ S/F ≤ 1, the optimum temperature being about 840 °C for both fuels. The presently reported results represent a sound milestone before further optimization work of the process experimental conditions

Giant mucinous ovarian borderline tumor. A good lesson from an asymptomatic case

Introduction: Cases of giant mucinous ovarian tumors are rarely described in literature, with different clinical manifestations. Compressive symptoms or visible abdominal mass are the most frequent observations, with higher surgical risks and life-threatening complications. Presentation of case: We report a case of a 69-year-old female with a giant borderline ovarian mucinous tumor, with peculiarity of absence of clinical manifestation, in front of a mass of over 6500 g. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy where a giant cystic mass with solid lesions measuring more than 50 cm was found. It originated from the left ovary and extended up to mesocolon. Excision of the tumor intact wall, without fluid aspiration, abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral ooforectomy was performed. No hemodynamic and cardiac intraoperative modifications were observed. There were no significant early or late postoperative complications. Patient was well 12 months after surgery. The pathological examination showed a giant cystic neoplasm measuring 60 × 50 × 40 cm, weighing 6500 g. This histological study showed a mucinous neoplasm of borderline malignancy, with epithelial cells mainly of endocervical type with focal development of intestinal epithelium with goblet cells. Discussion: Giant ovarian lesions are often related with compressive symptoms and need resection with high-risk of mortality. Although optimal imaging evolution, rarely rapid growth and abnormal mucina production can determine giant evolution. Conclusion: Our case report is paradigmatic for absence of symptoms at diagnosis, although dimension of lesion, for borderline mucinous histotype, that determined a good prognosis in this patient, and for safe operative treatment

Mesalazine treatment in organotypic culture of celiac patients: Comparative study with gluten free diet

Given the central role of gluten in the pathogenesis of celiac disease (CD), a strict gluten-free diet (GFD) is the only validated treatment able to restore epithelium integrity and eliminate risks of complications. The risk of gluten contamination and the persistence of inflammation, even in patients strictly adhering to GFD, may render this treatment not always effective claiming the necessity of different new solutions. Oxidative and nitrosative stress have been indicated to play a pathophysiological role in CD. Mesalazine (5-ASA), a drug largely used in inflammatory bowel disease, has potent antinflammatory and antioxidant effects. In fact, mesalazine has been shown to decrease in vitro gluten induced cytokine response and it has been used in vivo in some refractory condition. However, its effect has never compared to that of GFD. The present study aimed to address this issue by comparing the ability of mesalazine and GFD in treating gluten-induced inflammation and oxidative stress. These effects were studied on duodenal mucosa biopsy cultures from newly diagnosed CD patients, treated or not in vitro with mesalazine, and CD biopsy cultures from patients on gluten-free diet for at least one year; and a cohort of controls constituted by healty subjects. On these models, the antioxidant cellular defences, the PPARγ, NF-kB and NOS2 proteins levels were studied. This study shows that mesalazine is as effective as GFD in reducing oxidative burst and inducing PPARγ expression; moreover it resulted more effective than GFD in decreasing NF-kB and NOS2 to the levels of controls. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Asthma in patients admitted to emergency department for COVID-19: prevalence and risk of hospitalization

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