The Patterns of Venture Capital Investment in the UK Bio-Healthcare Sector:The Role of Proximity, Cumulative Learning and Specialisation

This paper focuses on the patterns of venture capital (VC) investment in dedicated biotech firms (DBFs) in the therapeutic and diagnostic sectors (bio-healthcare). We use a database of 655 UK bio-healthcare deals to map the geographical flows of VC investment and measure the co-location of investors and DBFs. Then, using 20 face-to-face interviews with venture capitalists (VCs) and DBF firms in Cambridge and Scotland, we study the strategic motives underlying the co-location of investors and investee companies and reflect on the catalytic role VCs play in context of the Scottish and Cambridge bio-clusters. From the viewpoint of VC-related policies, we find that our study is more in line with arguments stressing the attractive power of ‘investor-ready’ opportunities (Mason and Harrison 200327. Mason , C. M. and Harrison , R. T. 2003 . Closing the regional equity gap? A critique of the Department of Trade and Industry's Regional Venture Capital Funds Initiative . Regional Studies , 37 ( 8 ) : 855 – 868 . [Taylor &amp; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®]View all references) than supply-side approaches that take for granted VC presence at the core of high-tech clusters. In line with Avnimelech, Rosiello, and Teubal (20082. Avnimelech , G. , Rosiello , A. and Teubal , M. 2008 . A discussion on the theoretical foundations of VC policy: Moving from a financial perspective towards a systemic and evolutionary framework ESRC Innogen Centre Working Paper. www.innogen.ac.uk (accessed December, 2008) View all references), we propose that VC policy should be consistent with the wider strategic objectives of innovation and technology policy.<br/

Retroperitoneal fibrosis: a case of a patient (63y/o) treated with low-dose methotrexate (MTX) and 6-methylprednisolone (6-MP)

Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF), is a rare fibroinflammatory disease. The pathogenesis of RPF is still unclear and numerous theories have been reported such as environmental factors, immunologic process, genetic component, local inflammation and advanced atherosclerosis. RPF is characterized by the presence of a particular retroperitoneal fibrotic tissue which is white, woody and involving retroperitoneal structures such as the great vessels, ureters and psoas muscle. The main complication of RPF is the obstruction of local structures such as the ureters due to the fibrosis and the treatment of this aspect represents the main challenge for this pathology. RPF medical treatment consists of corticosteroids or/and immunosuppressive therapy. We report a case of a patient (63y/o) affected by idiopathic RPF treated with low-dose methotrexate (MTX) and 6-methylprednisolone (6-MP) for two years, describing and confirming the effectiveness and safety of a long-term low-dose MTX and 6-MP treatment

Capacity-building barriers to S3 implementation: an empirical framework for catch-up regions

In this paper, we investigate the implementation challenge of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) in catch-up regional environments, through the lens of capacity building. We analyse capacity building at two levels: micro-level (individual organisations) and meso-level (regional inter-organisational networks). We use empirical evidence from 50 interviews conducted in the period 2015–2017 from two Greek regions dramatically hit by the economic crisis (Crete and Central Macedonia). We argue that in the Cretan and Central Macedonian context, the difficulty of implementing S3 is directly linked with firms’ lack of adsorptive capability to exploit university-generated knowledge, university knowledge that is too abstract for firm’s to easily acquire, as well as to the capability of regional actors to build inter-organisational networking that fits their strategic needs

Proceedings of Abstracts Engineering and Computer Science Research Conference 2019

© 2019 The Author(s). This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For further details please see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Note: Keynote: Fluorescence visualisation to evaluate effectiveness of personal protective equipment for infection control is © 2019 Crown copyright and so is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Under this licence users are permitted to copy, publish, distribute and transmit the Information; adapt the Information; exploit the Information commercially and non-commercially for example, by combining it with other Information, or by including it in your own product or application. Where you do any of the above you must acknowledge the source of the Information in your product or application by including or linking to any attribution statement specified by the Information Provider(s) and, where possible, provide a link to this licence: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/This book is the record of abstracts submitted and accepted for presentation at the Inaugural Engineering and Computer Science Research Conference held 17th April 2019 at the University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK. This conference is a local event aiming at bringing together the research students, staff and eminent external guests to celebrate Engineering and Computer Science Research at the University of Hertfordshire. The ECS Research Conference aims to showcase the broad landscape of research taking place in the School of Engineering and Computer Science. The 2019 conference was articulated around three topical cross-disciplinary themes: Make and Preserve the Future; Connect the People and Cities; and Protect and Care

Adequacy of hospitals in Rome to an unconventional event (CBRNe). TTX simulation and HTA

Background Rome hosts thousands of sensible targets. Healthcare reaction has been guaranteed by 6 advanced Emergency Departments (EDs) and 7 basic ones. Everyday Rome hosts 6 millions of people/die, ± 2 million in particular occasions. About National Stockpile Antidotes (SNA), Rome hosts 3 warehouses. In case of events, stockpiles are activated with a long-time call; then stockpiles are charged in delivering trucks. Methods Study analyzes PEIMAF (State of emergency plans for massive influx of injures) of advanced EDs in Rome and their adequacy in a possible CBRNe attack. Hypothesis of C/N attack on Saint Peter's Square during Angelus on Wednesday (at 12.00 AM) or E attack in Trastevere on Saturday (at 9.00 PM). Analysis of activation of SNA and travel times between SNA warehouse and EDs. Comparison with French EDs during Paris attacks. Results EDs are chronically undermanned in ordinary conditions already, and would have issues in hosting a very large number of critical patients all at once. Some hospitals do not inform their workers about PEIMAF or they do not consider CBRNe emergencies in their PEIMAF, and even if it has been considered, hardly any simulation/exercitation is ever performed. Moreover, news of the CBRNe attack may not reach immediately the healthcare personal already at work in EDs; this is extremely problematic since they could be at major risk of contamination in case of CBRNe attacks. Furthermore, without a standardize protocol active in the whole city, no cross-hospital organization can be performed. Conclusions All data point towards the weakness and fragmentation of actual organizative system. Time of activation and charging are crucials for first aid efficacy and efficiency; a smart call system can reduce the activation time of SNA. A better organization of SNA in major Rome hospitals can reduce delivering time and help save more lives

A New Approach to Assess Drug Development Performance

This article suggests that successful innovation in biopharmaceuticals is strongly related to the ability of firms to move compounds forward along the drug pipeline, relatively to other companies, within the same therapeutic area. We used this intuition to build indicators of performance at the firm-level and use them to conduct empirical analysis that relies upon a comprehensive database. We consider the effect of various factors on drug development performance, including R&amp;D funds allocation across therapeutic areas and the proportion of biological molecules in the drug development portfolio. Subsequently, we show that a correlation exists between our performance variables and the per-capita growth of biopharmaceutical firms' revenues

Effectiveness of Autologous Platelet Concentrates in the Sinus Lift Surgery: Findings from Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

Maxillary sinus augmentation is one of the most predictable procedures for the rehabilitation of the posterior maxilla. The current overview aimed to summarize the findings provided by systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses on the effectiveness of autologous platelet concentrates (APCs) in sinus lift and to assess the methodological quality of the included SRs. Three electronic databases have been explored. SRs and meta-analyses addressing the effectiveness of APCs in sinus lift technique were included. Clinical, radiographic and histomorphometric findings were considered for APCs as solely grafting materials and APCs in combination with biomaterials. Outcomes were implant survival rate (ISR), implant stability (IS), implant failure (IF), postoperative complications, histomorphometric findings, radiographic bone gain, bone volume and bone density. The methodological quality of the included SRs was assessed using the updated version of “A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Review” (AMSTAR-2). Thirty SRs were included. The methodological quality of the included reviews ranged from critically low (3 studies) to high (9 studies). The included SRs showed favorable clinical outcomes, short-term new bone formation and no biological complications when APCs were used both as solely graft material or in combination with other biomaterials. However, no significant additional effects in the long-term period were observed. APCs did not add any further positive effects compared to the physiological healing derived by the natural blood clot. The current overview of SRs highlighted the need for high-quality SRs evaluating the role of APCs in sinus lift though network meta-analyses, in order to identify the most powerful material for sinus lift augmentation. The use of APCs improves the healing of soft tissues and the postoperative quality of life in the short-term period. Thus, its application can be recommended

Green line hospital-territory study: A single-blind randomized clinical trial for evaluation of technological challenges of continuous wireless monitoring in internal medicine, preliminary results

Background: Wireless vital parameter continuous monitoring (WVPCM) after discharge is compared to regular monitoring to provide data on the clinical-economic impact of complex patients (CPs) discharged from Internal Medicine Units of Ospedale dei Castelli, Lazio. Primary outcome: Major complications (MC) reduction. Secondary outcomes: Patients who reached discharge criteria within the 7th day from admission; difference in MC incidence at the conclusion of the standard telemonitoring/clinical monitoring phase, 5 and 30 days after discharge; and conditions predisposing to MC occurrence. Methods: Open label randomized controlled trial with wearable wireless system that creates alerts on portable devices. Continuous glycemic monitoring is performed for patients with diabetes mellitus. Results: There were 110 patients enrolled (mean age: 76.2 years). Comorbidity: Cumulative Illness Rating Scale CIRS-CI (comorbidities index): 3.93, CIRS SI (severity index): 1.93. About 19% scored a BRASS (Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score) ≥20 indicating need for discharge planning requiring step-down care. Globally, 48% of patients in the control group had major complications (27 out of 56 patients), in contrast to 22% in the intervention group (12 out of 54 patients). Conclusions: Since WVPCM detects early complications during the post-discharge CPs monitoring, it increases safety and reduces inappropriate access to the Emergency Room, preventing avoidable re-hospitalizations

Small renal masses with tumor size 0 to 2 cm : A SEER-based study and validation of NCCN guidelines

Background: The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Kidney Cancer recommend active surveillance as an option for initial management of T1a 0- to 2-cm renal lesions, in addition to partial nephrectomy, radical nephrectomy, and focal ablation. However, contemporary data regarding the distribution of patient and renal cell carcinoma characteristics within this special patient group are scarce. Methods: Within the SEER database (2002-2016), 13,364 patients with T1aNanyMany 0- to 2-cm renal lesions treated with nephrectomy were identified. Data were tabulated according to histologic subtype, Fuhrman grade (FG1-2 vs FG3-4), age category, and sex. In addition, rates of synchronous metastases were quantified. Results: Overall, clear-cell (69.3%), papillary (21.4%), chromophobe (6.9%), multilocular cystic (2.0%), sarcomatoid dedifferentiation (0.2%), and collecting-duct histologic subtypes (0.2%) were identified. Advanced age was associated with a lower rate of FG1-2 clear cell histologic subtype (70.8%-50.3%) but higher rates of FG1-2 papillary (11.1%-23.9%) and chromophobe histologic subtypes (6.2%-8.5%). Overall, 14.5% individuals harbored FG3-4 clear cell (9.8%) or FG3-4 papillary histologic subtypes (4.8%), and both were more prevalent in men. FG3-4 clearcell and FG3-4 papillary histologic subtypes increased with age,more so in women than in men. The overall rate of synchronous metastases was 0.4% and ranged from 0 in the multilocular cystic subtype to 0.9% in the FG3-4 papillary histologic subtype, respectively, except for 13.8%in the sarcomatoid dedifferentiation histologic subtype. Conclusions: Most T1a 0- to 2-cm renal cell carcinoma represents the low-grade clear-cell or low-grade papillary histologic subtype, with an FG3-4 minority. Even in patients with the FG3-4 histologic subtype, rates of synchronous metastases are virtually zero

Development and Validation of the Metric-Based Assessment of a Robotic Vessel Dissection, Vessel Loop Positioning, Clip Applying and Bipolar Coagulation Task on an Avian Model

The evolution of robotic technology and its diffusion does not seem to have been adequately accompanied by the development and implementation of surgeon training programs that ensure skilled and safe device use at the start of the learning curve. The objective of the study is to develop and validate performance metrics for vessel dissection, vessel loop positioning, clip applying and bipolar coagulation using an avian model. Three robotic surgeons and a behavioral scientist characterized the performance metrics of the task according to the proficiency-based progression methodology. Fourteen experienced robotic surgeons from different European countries participated in a modified online Delphi consensus. Eight experienced surgeons and eight novices performed the robotic task twice. In the Delphi meeting, 100% consensus was reached on the performance metrics. Novice surgeons took 26 min to complete the entire task on trial 1 and 20 min on trial 2. Experts took 10.1 min and 9.5 min. On average the Expert Group completed the task 137% faster than the Novice Group. The amount of time to reach the vessel part of the task was also calculated. Novice surgeons took 26 min on trial 1 and 20 min on trial 2. Experts took 5.5 min and 4.8 min. On average the experts reached the vessel 200% faster than the novices. The Expert Group made 155% fewer performance errors than the Novice Group. The mean IRR of video-recorded performance assessments for all metrics was 0.96 (95% confidence intervals (CI) lower = 0.94-upper = 0.98). We report the development and validation for a standard and replicable basic robotic vessel dissection, vessel loop positioning, clip applying and bipolar coagulation task on an avian model. The development of objective performance metrics, based on a transparent and fair methodology (i.e., PBP), is the first fundamental step toward quality assured training. This task developed on the avian model proved to have good results in the validation study.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio