MicroRNA co-expression networks exhibit increased complexity in pancreatic ductal compared to Vater’s papilla adenocarcinoma

iRNA expression abnormalities in adenocarcinoma arising from pancreatic ductal system (PDAC) and Vater’s papilla (PVAC) could be associated with distinctive pathologic features and clinical cancer behaviours. Our previous miRNA expression profiling data on PDAC (n=9) and PVAC (n=4) were revaluated to define differences/ similarities in miRNA expression patterns. Afterwards, in order to uncover target genes and core signalling pathways regulated by specific miRNAs in these two tumour entities, miRNA interaction networks were wired for each tumour entity, and experimentally validated target genes underwent pathways enrichment analysis. One hundred and one miRNAs were altered, mainly over-expressed, in PDAC samples. Twenty-six miRNAs were deregulated in PVAC samples, where more miRNAs were down-expressed in tumours compared to normal tissues. Four miRNAs were significantly altered in both subgroups of patients, while 27 miRNAs were differentially expressed between PDAC and PVAC. Although miRNA interaction networks were more complex and dense in PDAC than in PVAC, pathways enrichment analysis uncovered a functional overlapping between PDAC and PVAC. However, shared signalling events were influenced by different miRNA and/or genes in the two tumour entities. Overall, specific miRNA expression patterns were involved in the regulation of a limited core signalling pathways in the biology landscape of PDAC and PVAC

A Technological Platform and a Process to Implement the Informative Marketing Strategy

The context There is large evidence in the literature that digitalisation improves the market performance of enterprises and, as a consequence, it helps the growth of their businesses. Through digital platforms companies connect with people, improve awareness of their brands, influence consumer's attitudes, collect feedback from them, improve products and services on sale and, at last, increase their incomes. Clark et al. [2] conclude that providing basic information should be the dominant role of advertising. This typology of advertising is called Informational in [3]. The informational message strategy presents factual product/services information in clear and concrete terms. In order for an informational advertisement to become informative the message must be perceived as such by the consumers. Materials & Methods In this paper we adopt the IT-platform conceptual model given by Sun et al. (2015) [6] and the linked definition they propose. Results We instantiate the platform conceptual model proposed by by Sun et al.[6]. The website technology is the "heart" of our digital platform. There is large evidence in the literature that websites are largely used across companies all over the world [12, 13]. The cost necessary for setting up the platform is low, therefore such a technological solution is within the reach of most enterprises. Moreover, the paper describes the steps of the Informative Marketing process based on the adoption of the proposed Technological Platform. We use the adjective informative instead of informational because the advertisings about the product/service are sent to a community of ad hoc recruited stakeholders, therefore we can assume as relevant the information they receive. Conclusion The emphasis of the paper is oriented towards companies whose primary goal is selling, but it is worth notice that the proposed technological platform can be very useful, for example, to national institutes of health to promote campaigns on healthy (and sustainable) food consumption [17]. References Yogesh K. Dwivedi et al.: Setting the future of digital and social media marketing research: Perspectives and research propositions International Journal of Information Management 2020 (in press) Clark, C.K., Doraszelski, U., and Draganska, M.: The effect of advertising on brand awareness and perceived quality: An empirical investigation using panel data. Quantitative Marketing and Economics 2009 7, 207–236 DOI 10.1007/s11129-009-9066-z Puto, C.P. and Wells, W.D.: "Informational and Transformational Advertising: the Differential Effects of Time", in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 11, eds. Thomas C. Kinnear, Provo, UT, 1984 638–643. Tafesse,W. andWien, A.: Using message strategy to drive consumer behavioral engagement on social media. The Journal of Consumer Marketing 2018, 35(3), 241–253. Tiwana, A.: Platform ecosystems: Aligning architecture, governance, and strategy. Burlington, Morgan Kaufmann, 2014. Sun, R., Gregor, S., and Keating, B.: Information Technology Platforms: Conceptualisation and a Review of Emerging Research in IS Research, Australasian Conference on Information Systems, Dec. 2015, Adelaide, Australia. Parker, G.G., Van Alstyne, M.W., and Choudary, S.P. Platform revolution. W.W. Norton& company 2016. de Reuver,M., Sorensen, C.,& Basole, R. The digital platform: A research agenda. Journal of Information Technology, 2017 33(2), 124–135. Asadullah, A., Faik, I., and Kankanhalli, A. Digital Platforms: A Review and Future Directions. Twenty-Second Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems, Japan, Sept. 2018. Hein, A., Schreieck, M., Wiesche, M., Bohm,M., and Krcmar, H. The Emergence of Native Multi-Sided Platforms and Their Influence on Incumbents. Electronic Markets 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-019-00350-1 Hein, A., Schreieck, M., and Riasanow, T. David Soto Setzke, ManuelWiesche, Markus Bohm, and Helmut Krcmar: Digital platform ecosystems. Electronic Markets 2020 30:87–98 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-019-00377-4 Sharma, A., Sharma, S., and Chaudhary, M.: Are small travel agencies ready for digital marketing? Views of travel agency managers Tourism Management 79 2020 104078 Said, Y.B., Bragazzi, N.L. and Pyatigorskaya, N.V.: Prevalence and Perceived Effectiveness of Pharmaceutical Digital Marketing among Community Pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire-Based Survey Pharmacy 2020, 8, 9; doi:10.3390/pharmacy8010009 Egria, G. and Bayrakb, C.: The Role of Search Engine Optimization on Keeping the User on the Site. Procedia Computer Science 36 2014 335 – 342 doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2014.09.102 Brogia, S.: Online brand communities: a literature review. 2nd World Conference on Business, Economics and Management 2003 Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 109 2014 385–389. Mudambi, S.M., Oliva, T.A., and Thomas, E.F.: Industrial marketing firms and knowledge transfer: Toward a basic typology of community structures. Industrial Marketing Management 38 2009 181–190 doi:10.1016/j.indmarman.2008.12.006 Formoso, G. et al.: An Italian Innovative Small-Scale Approach to Promote the Conscious Consumption of Healthy Food. Applied Sciences 2020, 10, 5678; doi:10.3390/app1016567

Simulated microgravity promotes the formation of tridimensional cultures and stimulates pluripotency and a glycolytic metabolism in human hepatic and biliary tree stem/progenitor cells

Many pivotal biological cell processes are affected by gravity. The aim of our study was to evaluate biological and functional effects, differentiation potential and exo-metabolome profile of simulated microgravity (SMG) on human hepatic cell line (HepG2) and human biliary tree stem/progenitor cells (hBTSCs). Both hBTSCs and HepG2 were cultured in a weightless and protected environment SGM produced by the Rotary Cell Culture System (Synthecon) and control condition in normal gravity (NG). Self-replication and differentiation toward mature cells were determined by culturing hBTSCs in Kubota's Medium (KM) and in hormonally defined medium (HDM) tailored for hepatocyte differentiation. The effects on the expression and cell exo-metabolome profiles of SMG versus NG cultures were analyzed. SMG promotes tridimensional (3D) cultures of hBTSCs and HepG2. Significative increase of stemness gene expression (p < 0.05) has been observed in hBTSCs cultured in SMG when compared to NG condition. At the same time, the expression of hepatocyte lineage markers in hBTSCs differentiated by HDM was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in SMG compared to NG, demonstrating an impaired capability of hBTSCs to differentiate in vitro toward mature hepatocytes when cultured in SMG condition. Furthermore, in HepG2 cells the SMG caused a lower (p < 0.05 vs controls) transcription of CYP3A4, a marker of late-stage (i.e. Zone 3) hepatocytes. Exo-metabolome NMR-analysis showed that both cell cultures consumed a higher amount of glucose and lower glutamate in SMG respect to NG (p < 0.05). Moreover, hBTSCs media cultures resulted richer of released fermentation (lactate, acetate) and ketogenesis products (B-hydroxybutyrate) in SGM (p < 0.05) than NG. While, HepG2 cells showed higher consumption of amino acids and release of ketoacids (3-Methyl-2-oxovalerate, 2-oxo-4-methyl-valerate) and formiate with respect to normogravity condition (p < 0.05). Based on our results, SMG could be helpful for developing hBTSCs-derived liver devices. In conclusion, SMG favored the formation of hBTSCs and HepG2 3D cultures and the maintenance of stemness contrasting cell differentiation; these effects being associated with stimulation of glycolytic metabolism. Interestingly, the impact of SMG on stem cell biology should be taken into consideration for workers involved in space medicine programs

Size-dependent vitrification in metallic glasses

Reducing the sample size can profoundly impact properties of bulk metallic glasses. Here, we systematically reduce the length scale of Au and Pt-based metallic glasses and study their vitrification behavior and atomic mobility. For this purpose, we exploit fast scanning calorimetry (FSC) allowing to study glassy dynamics in an exceptionally wide range of cooling rates and frequencies. We show that the main α relaxation process remains size independent and bulk-like. In contrast, we observe pronounced size dependent vitrification kinetics in micrometer-sized glasses, which is more evident for the smallest samples and at low cooling rates, resulting in more than 40 K decrease in fictive temperature, Tf, with respect to the bulk. We discuss the deep implications on how this outcome can be used to convey glasses to low energy states

Improving the performance of printable carbon electrodes by femtosecond laser treatment

Low-cost carbon-conductive films were screen-printed on a Plexiglas® substrate, and then, after a standard annealing procedure, subjected to femtosecond (fs) laser treatments at different values of total accumulated laser fluence ΦA. Four-point probe measurements showed that, if ΦA &gt; 0.3 kJ/cm2, the sheet resistance of laser-treated films can be reduced down to about 15 Ω/sq, which is a value more than 20% lower than that measured on as-annealed untreated films. Furthermore, as pointed out by a comprehensive Raman spectroscopy analysis, it was found that sheet resistance decreases linearly with ΦA, due to a progressively higher degree of crystallinity and stacking order of the graphitic phase. Results therefore highlight that fs-laser treatment can be profitably used as an additional process for improving the performance of printable carbon electrodes, which have been recently proposed as a valid alternative to metal electrodes for stable and up-scalable perovskite solar cells

Risk factors for infections due to carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae after open heart surgery

OBJECTIVES Patients undergoing major surgery are at increased risk of developing infections due to resistant organisms, including carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-Kp). In this study, we assessed risk factors for CR-Kp infections after open heart surgery in a teaching hospital in northern Italy. METHODS A retrospective study was conducted from January to December 2014. The primary outcome measure was postoperative CR-Kp infection, defined as a time-to-event end-point. The effect of potentially related variables was assessed by univariable and multivariable analyses. Secondary end-points were in-hospital mortality and 180-day postoperative mortality. RESULTS Among 553 patients undergoing open heart surgery, 32 developed CR-Kp infections (6%). In the final multivariable model, CR-Kp colonization [hazard ratio (HR) 227.45, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 67.13-1225.20, P &lt; 0.001], cardiopulmonary bypass time in minutes (HR 1.01, 95% CI 1.01-1.02, P &lt; 0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (HR 3.99, 95% CI 1.61-9.45, P = 0.004), SOFA score (HR 1.29, 95% CI 1.08-1.53, P = 0.007), preoperative mechanical ventilation (HR 8.10, 95% CI 1.31-48.57, P = 0.026), prolonged mechanical ventilation (HR 2.48, 95% CI 1.08-6.15, P = 0.032) and female sex (HR 2.08, 95% CI 1.00-4.36, P = 0.049) were associated with the development of CR-Kp infection. Increased in-hospital mortality and 180-day mortality were observed in patients who developed CR-Kp infections in comparison with those who did not. CONCLUSIONS In our cohort, CR-Kp colonization was an important predictor of CR-Kp infection after open heart surgery. CR-Kp infection after surgery significantly affected survival. Preventing colonization is conceivably the most effective current strategy to reduce the impact of CR-Kp

CT Perfusion as a Predictor of the Final Infarct Volume in Patients with Tandem Occlusion

Background: CT perfusion (CTP) is used in patients with anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke (AIS) for predicting the final infarct volume (FIV). Tandem occlusion (TO), involving both intracranial large vessels and the ipsilateral cervical internal carotid artery could generate hemodynamic changes altering perfusion parameters. Our aim is to evaluate the accuracy of CTP in the prediction of the FIV in TOs. Methods: consecutive patients with AIS due to middle cerebral artery occlusion, referred to a tertiary stroke center between March 2019 and January 2021, with an automated CTP and successful recanalization (mTICI = 2b - 3) after endovascular treatment were retrospectively included in the tandem group (TG) or in the control group (CG). Patients with parenchymal hematoma type 2, according to ECASS II classification of hemorrhagic transformations, were excluded in a secondary analysis. Demographic, clinical, radiological, time intervals, safety, and outcome measures were collected. Results: among 319 patients analyzed, a comparison between the TG (N = 22) and CG (n = 37) revealed similar cerebral blood flow (CBF) &gt; 30% (29.50 +/- 32.33 vs. 15.76 +/- 20.93 p = 0.18) and FIV (54.67 +/- 65.73 vs. 55.14 +/- 64.64 p = 0.875). Predicted ischemic core (PIC) and FIV correlated in both TG (tau = 0.761, p &lt; 0.001) and CG (tau = 0.315, p = 0.029). The Bland-Altmann plot showed agreement between PIC and FIV for both groups, mainly in the secondary analysis. Conclusion: automated CTP could represent a good predictor of FIV in patients with AIS due to TO