1,721,163 research outputs found
Active nanotargeting in medicine
No full textActive nanotargeting is now one of the best approaches in many serious therapies such as cancer, inflammatory and gene disorders , with the advantage to specifically deliver active molecules to the target tissues or organs, improving the therapy efficiency and decreasing the exposure of patients to toxics. In this issue, we would highlight some of more recent and advanced strategies for active nanotargeting, also trying to focus on those pathologies for which the current and conventional treatments still exhibit limited efficacy and safety.
Alterations into the articular cartilage lead to osteoarthritis, a severe joint disease only currently treated for symptoms or with surgery. The first review article [1] presents an overview of the composition, the causes and treatments of osteoarthritis, with a special emphasis on nanomaterials as carriers of drugs and cells, which reduce inflammation, promote the activation of biochemical factors and ultimately contribute to the total restoration of articular cartilage. In particular, locally administered nanobiomaterials such as hydrogels and nanohydrogels can promote in situ cartilage regeneration by in situ release cells, antiinflammatory drugs, and growth factors.
Targeting brain is one of the most unsolved challenge in therapy. Biochemical studies more recently revealed the effects of Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs), a group of serious genetic diseases characterized by the accumulation of non-catabolized compounds in the lysosomes. LDs mainly affect the central nervous systems (CNS), which is difficult to reach with drugs and biological molecules due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). A review [2] aims to examine the strategies successfully developed during the last decade for the treatment of LDs. Among the LD treatments, this review also analyzed the challenges of the study to design new drug delivery systems for the effective treatment of the LDs. Polymeric nanoparticles and liposomes are explored from their technological point of view and for the most relevant preclinical studies showing that they are excellent choices to protect active molecules and transport them through the BBB to target specific brain substrates for the treatment of LDs.
Macrophages play a role in almost every disease such as cancer, infections, injuries, metabolic and inflammatory diseases and are becoming an attractive therapeutic target. However, understanding macrophage diversity, tissue distribution and plasticity will help in defining precise targeting strategies and effective therapies. Active targeting of macrophages using nanoparticles for therapeutic purposes is still at its infancy but holds promises since macrophages have shown high specific uptake of nanoparticles. Here we highlight recent progress in active nanotechnology-based systems gaining pivotal roles to target diverse macrophage subsets in diseased tissues [3].
In the last few years immunotherapy has become a promising strategy to fight cancer, as its goal is to reprogram or activate anti-tumour immunity to kill tumour cells, without damaging the normal cells and provide long-lasting results where other therapies fail. However, the immune-related adverse events due to the low specificity in tumour cell targeting, strongly limit immunotherapy efficacy. In this regard, nanomedicine offers a platform for the delivery of different immunotherapeutic agents specifically to the tumour site, thus increasing efficacy and reducing toxicity [4]. Indeed, playing with different material types, several nanoparticles can be formulated with different shape, charge, size and surface chemical modifications making them the most promising platform for biomedical applications. In particular, leukocyte infiltration plays a role in controlling tumour development and is now considered one of the hallmarks of cancer. In this review, we will summarize the different types of cancer immunotherapy currently in clinical trials or already approved for cancer treatment. Then, we will focus on the most recent promising strategies to deliver immunotherapies directly to the tumour site using nanoparticles.
Increasing evidence has suggested that extracellular vesicles (EV) mediated bidirectional transfer of functional molecules (such as proteins, different types of RNA, and lipids) between cancer cells and tumor stromal cells (immune cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, stem cells) and strongly contributed to the reinforcement of cancer progression. Thus, intercellular EV-mediated signaling in tumor microenvironment (TME) is essential in the modulation of all processes that support and promote tumor development like immune suppression, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis, and resistance of tumor cells to anticancer treatments.
Besides EV potential to revolutionize our understanding of the cancer cell-stromal cells crosstalk in TME, their ability to selectively transfer different cargos to recipient cells has created excitement in the field of tumor-targeted delivery of specific molecules for anticancer treatments. Therefore, in tight connection with previous findings, this review brought insight into the dual role of EV in modulation of TME. Thus, on one side EV create a favorable phenotype of tumor stromal cells for tumor progression; however, as future new class of anticancer drug delivery systems EV could re-educate the TME to overcome main supportive processes for malignancy progression [5].
Multifunctional nanocomposites have a controlled drug release property [6]. Interestingly, the up‐conversion emission intensity of the multifunctional carrier increases with the released amount of model drug, thus allowing the release process to be monitored and tracked by the change of photoluminescence intensity. This composite can act as a multifunctional drug carrier system, which can realize the targeting and monitoring of drugs simultaneously.
1. “Targeting Polymeric Nanobiomaterials as a Platform for Cartilage Tissue Engineering”.
2. “New Advanced Strategies for the Treatment of Lysosomal Diseases Affecting the Central Nervous System”.
3. “Active targeting of macrophages”.
4. “Nanoparticles: properties and applications in cancer immunotherapy”.
5. “Intercellular Crosstalk via Extracellular Vesicles in Tumor Milieu as Emerging Therapies for Cancer Progression”.
6. “Recent Advances in Magnetic Upconversion Nanocomposites for Bioapplications
Ricchi per caso. La parabola dello sviluppo economico italiano
No full textNel secolo e mezzo trascorso dall’unificazione, l’Italia ha raggiunto livelli di ricchezza simili a quelli dei maggiori paesi industrializzati. L’ondata di globalizzazione degli ultimi decenni ha però fatto emergere la debolezza del nostro sistema produttivo. Secondo la lettura originale che ne danno gli autori di questo libro, il capitalismo italiano è stato negativamente influenzato da istituzioni inefficienti, che hanno avuto un forte impatto sulle dimensioni e sulla governance delle imprese, come anche sulla formazione di capitale umano e sulla capacità innovativa. In questa luce l’assetto istituzionale ha quindi rappresentato il principale freno per le potenzialità di sviluppo del paese
Polymorph impact on the bioavailability and stability of poorly soluble drugs
Full text linkDrugs with low water solubility are predisposed to poor and variable oral bioavailability and, therefore, to variability in clinical response, that might be overcome through an appropriate formulation of the drug. Polymorphs (anhydrous and solvate/hydrate forms) may resolve these bioavailability problems, but they can be a challenge to ensure physicochemical stability for the entire shelf life of the drug product. Since clinical failures of polymorph drugs have not been uncommon, and some of them have been entirely unexpected, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) has required preliminary and exhaustive screening studies to identify and characterize all the polymorph crystal forms for each drug. In the past, the polymorphism of many drugs was detected fortuitously or through manual time consuming methods; today, drug crystal engineering, in particular, combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening, makes it possible to easily and exhaustively identify stable polymorphic and/or hydrate/dehydrate forms of poorly soluble drugs, in order to overcome bioavailability related problems or clinical failures. This review describes the concepts involved, provides examples of drugs characterized by poor solubility for which polymorphism has proven important, outlines the state-of-the-art technologies and discusses the pertinent regulations
Size, Structure, and Strategies: Insolvency and "The Nature of the Firm" in Italy, 1920S-1970S
No full textDuring the Twentieth century, Italian joint-stock companies remained relatively small and tended to die young. This fact constrained the development of the full potential of the Italian industry, as small-dimensioned companies struggled to implement the most efficient technologies and managerial techniques. This paper analyses this problem by looking at the functioning of insolvency procedures. Using quantitative and qualitative evidence, we show how various devices that progressively appeared on the scene failed in providing efficient solutions to re-start worthy companies. Insolvency procedures thus remained liquidation-prone, a factor that contributes to explain the peculiarity and the limits of Italian industrial capitalism
Discovering the dark heart of Italian capitalism: a perspective from Supreme Court legal cases and business consultants’ analyses (1950s-1970s)
No full textThis paper analyses the structure of Italian capitalism during the post-WWII economic
miracle by focusing on the governance and management of small and medium firms. Using
innovative sources, the paper shows that poorly conceived and/or enforced laws and legislation
created incentive for business owners to be stockholders rather than stakeholders of their firms. This
attitude emerges in two areas. Firstly, Italian business owners adopted structures of governance
aimed only at protecting insiders, often at the expense of firms’ development. Secondly, in Italy
business consultants had a unique and wide role in the management of firms, and acted to protect
the benefits of insiders rather than the interests of the company. These two issues also contribute to
explain the well-known problem of the dwarfism of Italian firms and the scarce capacity to
innovate
MATHS AVOIDANCE AND THE CHOICE OF UNIVERSITY
No full textIn the last decade, in Europe, there has been a constant decrease of enrolment in university degrees with scientific orientation. In Italy, those degrees are characterised by at least one compulsory mathematics course. Our hypothesis is that a negative attitude towards mathematics (i.e. a negative emotional disposition towards mathematics) plays a role in the refusal to enrol in university scientific courses. After presenting arguments to maintain the existence of a link between attitude and university choice, it seems crucial from researchers' point of view to understand which kind of experiences with mathematics characterise a negative emotional dispositions towards the discipline. With these aims a study has been carried out within a national Project, using a purposefully), designed questionnaire. namely QCM (Questionnaire on the Characterization of Mathematics). This report discusses the main features of the QCM, describes some results of that study and suggests some implications for research on attitude
Happy 150th Birthday Italy? Institutions and Economic Performance Since 1861
No full textIn the last twenty years the Italian economy showed claer signs of structural crisis. Using a variety of secondary literature, this paper claims that the recent decline must be seen as part of a long-term trend of sub-optimal performance driven by the inability of the country to remain congruent with the tecnological frontier. This problem, in turn, is the result of week and/or poorely-enforced rules that regulate economic activity. Specifically, legal institutions in areas such as firms’ governance (bankruptcy law; balance sheets regulation, use of inefficient forms of governance), banking supervision, education, and tax compliance, favoured “extractive” behaviour from firms’ owners, discouraged businesses to reach a size compatible with innovation in advanced sectors, and frustrated investment in education, research, and innovation. The paper also analyses the origin of this institutional failure and uses the example of football to show the persistency of inefficient rules. The picture that emerges is that institutional failure finds its origin in the feature of the process of State formation and, later, in the post WWII political equilibrium. Distorted institutions serve the interests of a constantly-changing minority, big enough to protect the status quo
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