Reconstructing stakeholder relationships using ‘corporate social responsibility’ as a response strategy to cases of corporate irresponsibility: The case of the 2010 BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Purpose When organisations behave irresponsibly, a question remains: Can they use a messaging strategy based in the organisation’s commitment social responsibility to effectively respond to the crisis? The purpose of this chapter is to analyse stakeholder attitudes and their antecedents in such a case. Because of its scope, magnitude and use of a response strategy based on messages of social responsibility, the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico serves as an excellent case for measuring the effectiveness of such a messaging strategy. Methodology/approach The present study drew from two data sources: a content analysis of interactions on BP’s Facebook page (N=1,515) as well as an image survey of BP (N=749). Findings BP’s messaging strategy had limited positive effects in terms of (1) being viewed as a ‘socially responsible’ organisation and (2) creating significant good will towards the company. However, these data also reveal that BP has effectively opened lines of communication between stakeholders and the company. Practical and social implications This study has two central implications. First, for both organisations and activists, personal investment and the relevance of issues are both critical in order to change stakeholder attitudes about organisations. Second, based on this research, we can begin to develop stakeholder profiles based on age, sex and political identity. Originality/value In the last couple of years, considerable attention has been paid to describing and analysing the response strategies that organisations deploy; however, scant attention has been paid to measuring stakeholder evaluations of those crisis response strategies

Thiourea Derivative of 2-[(1 R)-1-Aminoethyl]phenol: A Flexible Pocket-like Chiral Solvating Agent (CSA) for the Enantiodifferentiation of Amino Acid Derivatives by NMR Spectroscopy

Thiourea derivatives of 2-[(1R)-1-aminoethyl]phenol, (1S,2R)-1-amino-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-2-ol, (1R,2R)-(1S,2R)-1-amino-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-2-ol, and (R)-1-phenylethanamine have been compared as chiral solvating agents (CSAs) for the enantiodiscrimination of derivatized amino acids using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Thiourea derivative, prepared by reacting 2-[(1R)-1-aminoethyl]phenol with benzoyl isothiocyanate, constitutes an effective CSA for the enantiodiscrimination of N-3,5-dinitrobenzoyl (DNB) derivatives of amino acids with free or derivatized carboxyl functions. A base additive 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane(DABCO)/N,N-dimethylpyridin-4-amine (DMAP)/NBu4OH) is required both to solubilize amino acid derivatives with free carboxyl groups in CDCl3 and to mediate their interaction with the chiral auxiliary to attain efficient differentiation of the NMR signals of enantiomeric substrates. For ternary systems CSA/substrate/DABCO, the chiral discrimination mechanism has been ascertained through the NMR determination of complexation stoichiometry, association constants, and stereochemical features of the diastereomeric solvates

Rilevazione statistica della diffusione e della conoscenza di sostanze dopanti, integratori e dell' Exercise Addiction

I benefici derivanti dalla pratica dell'esercizio fisico sono stati ampiamente documentati. Tuttavia, l’eccessivo ricorso alla attività fisica può condurre alla messa in atto di pattern compulsivi di allenamento che possono evolversi in una vera e propria patologia: l' exercise addiction. Studi recenti suggeriscono l'espansione di due fenomeni: il doping amatoriale e l'abuso di integratori per lo sport. Sono stati somministrati 686 test. I partecipanti allo studio sono stati scelti tra studenti di scuola media superiore, studenti universitari e frequentatori di ambienti sportivi. Il 42,5% degli intervistati dichiara di assumere sostanze per migliorare le prestazioni sportive e quindi di doparsi. Il 30,23% assume integratori. Una percentuale compresa tra il 35 e l'88,35 % dichiara di non conoscere le sostanze proposte.Il 15,8% dei rispondenti è a “rischio” di exercise addiction, il 71,7% è classificato come “sintomatico”. E' stata infine indagata quale possibile correlazione potesse esserci tra le variabili in esame. La statistica test X2 evidenzia che non vi è alcuna associazione , in altre parole non sembra esserci relazione tra il rischio di dipendenza dall' esercizio fisico e l'assunzione di sostanze. L'analisi dei dati raccolti suggerisce invece che vi sia un'espansione del fenomeno del doping in ambiente amatoriale e che vi sia una scriteriata e incongrua assunzione di integratori per lo sport. La presente ricerca suggerisce che occorre compiere interventi immediati sia a livello di informazione che di prevenzione , in cui al farmacista sia affidato un ruolo di primo piano

Second- and Third-Line Chemotherapy in Advanced Gastric Cancer: a Real-Life Clinical Picture

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Thiolated 2-Methyl-β-Cyclodextrin as a Mucoadhesive Excipient for Poorly Soluble Drugs: Synthesis and Characterization

Thiolated cyclodextrins are structurally simple mucoadhesive macromolecules, which are able to host drugs and increase their apparent water solubility, as well as interact with the mucus layer prolonging drug residence time on the site of absorption. The aim of this study was to synthesize through green microwave-assisted process a freely soluble thiolated 2-methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD-SH). Its inclusion complex properties with dexamethasone (Dex), a poor water soluble drug, and mucoadhesive characteristics were also determined. The product was deeply characterized through NMR spectroscopy (2D COSY, 2D HSQC, 1D/2D TOCSY, and 1D ROESY), showing a thiolation degree of 67%, a selective thiolation on the C6 residues and a monomeric structure. The association constant of MβCD and MβCD-SH with Dex resulted in 2514.3 ± 32.3 M−1 and 2147.0 ± 69.3 M−1, respectively, indicating that both CDs were able to host the drug. Microrheological analysis of mucin in the presence of MBCD-SH showed an increase of complex viscosity, G′ and G′′, due to disulphide bond formation. The cytotoxicity screening on fibroblast BALB/3T3 clone A31 cells indicated an IC50 of 27.7 mg/mL and 30.0 mg/mL, for MβCD and MβCD-SH, respectively. Finally, MβCD-SH was able to self-assemble in water into nanometric structures, both in the presence and absence of the complexed drug

Dabrafenib and trametinib activity in a patient with BRAF V600E mutated and microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) metastatic endometrial cancer

BACKGROUND: Targeting BRAF V600E mutation has been proven effective in the treatment of several types of cancer. In endometrial adenocarcinoma, the BRAF V600E mutation has been rarely reported. Whether targeting BRAF oncogene may represent a plausible therapeutic strategy for the rare patients with BRAF-mutated endometrial cancer remains to be ascertained in prospective studies. CASE PRESENTATION: We report herein the case of a heavily pre-treated patient with recurrent microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) BRAF V600E mutated endometrial adenocarcinoma, which was successfully treated with the V600E targeting agent dabrafenib. After developing resistance to this agent, the MEK targeting agent trametinib was added to dabrafenib achieving again a therapeutic response. CONCLUSIONS: This case shows that dabrafenib both as monotherapy and when combined with trametinib may exert significant therapeutic activity in heavily pretreated BRAF V600E mutated endometrial adenocarcinoma, and highlight potential benefits of personalized treatment in this disease

Elotuzumab plus pomalidomide and dexamethasone in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: a multicenter, retrospective, real-world experience with 200 cases outside of controlled clinical trials

In the ELOQUENT-3 trial, the combination of elotuzumab, pomalidomide , dexamethasone (EloPd) proved to have a superior clinical benefit over pomalidomide and dexamethasone with a manageable toxicity profile, leading to its approval for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who have received at least two prior therapies, including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor. We report here a real-world experience of 200 cases of RRMM treated with EloPd in 35 Italian centers outside of clinical trials. In our dataset, the median number of prior lines of therapy was two, with 51% of cases undergoing autologous stem cell transplant and 73% having been exposed to daratumumab. After a median follow-up of 9 months, 126 patients had stopped EloPd, most of them (88.9%) because of disease progression. The overall response rate was 55.4%, a finding in line with the pivotal trial results. Regarding adverse events, the toxicity profile in our cohort was similar to that in the ELOQUENT-3 trial, with no significant differences between younger (<70 years) and older patients. The median progression-free survival was 7 months, which was shorter than that observed in ELOQUENT-3, probably because of the different clinical characteristics of the two cohorts. Interestingly, International Staging System stage III disease was associated with worse progression-free survival (hazard ratio=2.55). Finally, the median overall survival of our series was shorter than that observed in the ELOQUENT-3 trial (17.5 vs. 29.8 months). In conclusion, our real-world study confirms that EloPd is a safe and possible therapeutic choice for patients with RRMM who have received at least two prior therapies, including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor

Gender Difference in the Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mechanical Reperfusion and 30-Day Mortality for STEMI: Results of the ISACS-STEMI COVID-19 Registry

Background. Several reports have demonstrated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management and outcome of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The aim of the current analysis is to investigate the potential gender difference in the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mechanical reperfusion and 30-day mortality for STEMI patients within the ISACS-STEMI COVID-19 Registry. Methods. This retrospective multicenter registry was performed in high-volume primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) centers on four continents and included STEMI patients undergoing PPCIs in March–June 2019 and 2020. Patients were divided according to gender. The main outcomes were the incidence and timing of the PPCI, (ischemia time ≥ 12 h and door-to-balloon ≥ 30 min) and in-hospital or 30-day mortality. Results. We included 16683 STEMI patients undergoing PPCIs in 109 centers. In 2020 during the pandemic, there was a significant reduction in PPCIs compared to 2019 (IRR 0.843 (95% CI: 0.825–0.861, p < 0.0001). We did not find a significant gender difference in the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the numbers of STEMI patients, which were similarly reduced from 2019 to 2020 in both groups, or in the mortality rates. Compared to prepandemia, 30-day mortality was significantly higher during the pandemic period among female (12.1% vs. 8.7%; adjusted HR [95% CI] = 1.66 [1.31–2.11], p < 0.001) but not male patients (5.8% vs. 6.7%; adjusted HR [95% CI] = 1.14 [0.96–1.34], p = 0.12). Conclusions. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the treatment of patients with STEMI, with a 16% reduction in PPCI procedures similarly observed in both genders. Furthermore, we observed significantly increased in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates during the pandemic only among females. Trial registration number: NCT 04412655