271 research outputs found
"I LIVE POLITO" - Co-Designing Policies for Inclusion: Shifting to a GEDI Perspective in Higher Education Governance
No full textThe "I LIVE POLITO" workshop initiative at Politecnico di Torino highlights the role of design in
shaping social policy by promoting Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) through
participatory methodologies. Launched by the Vice-Rectorate for Equal Opportunities, Inclusivity,
and Quality of Life, the initiative adopts a strategic and political approach to embedding diversity
and inclusion into the university's governance framework. Anchored in a co-design process, the
workshop brought together approximately 50 representatives from across the university, including
students, faculty and staff, to collaboratively explore key themes: "Equality", "Accessibility" and
"Well-being". Facilitated by an interdisciplinary team and supported by an external
communications agency, participants identified systemic challenges and proposed actionable
strategies to foster inclusivity and enhance organizational well-being. Building on these outcomes,
the workshop has initiated an ongoing process to define GEDI actions for the university’s next
Strategic Plan. This process, structured around three parallel working groups, adopts a bottom-up
approach that actively involves students, teachers, technical-administrative staff, and university
governance. It seeks to establish clear objectives and implement feasible, shared, and measurable
policies, ensuring Politecnico di Torino evolves into a more inclusive and accessible institution. The
results of this participatory framework have informed a comprehensive report that will shape the
forthcoming Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan, aligning with Horizon Europe eligibility
criteria. By integrating diversity into strategic planning, the "I LIVE POLITO" initiative demonstrates
the potential of design to drive social innovation, fostering ethical and democratic policy-making
while enabling sustainable institutional transformation in Higher Education
I LIVE POLITO: UN WORKSHOP PER CO-PROGETTARE UN ATENEO INCLUSIVO. Verso un cambio di paradigma in chiave GEDI per una pianificazione strategica più attenta, accogliente, accessibile.
No full textIl workshop I LIVE POLITO, organizzato dal Politecnico di Torino, ha rappresentato un momento di confronto strutturato sui temi della Gender Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing (GEDI) nell’ambito della governance universitaria. L’iniziativa, promossa dal Vice-Rettorato per le Pari Opportunità, Inclusività e Qualità della Vita, ha coinvolto diverse componenti della comunità accademica in un processo partecipativo volto a raccogliere istanze, individuare criticità e proporre strategie per integrare i princìpi GEDI nelle politiche e nelle pratiche dell’Ateneo. Attraverso sessioni tematiche dedicate all’uguaglianza, all’accessibilità e al benessere, il workshop ha favorito un dibattito collettivo i cui esiti hanno contribuito alla definizione di nuove azioni per il Piano Strategico di Ateneo 2024-2030. Il progetto segue un approccio bottom-up, articolato in sei gruppi di lavoro paralleli e progettati per rappresentare l’intera comunità politecnica. L’obiettivo è contribuire alla definizione di una sezione del Piano Strategico di Ateneo, integrando l’approccio GEDI nelle strategie istituzionali. La prima fase di co-creazione ha coinvolto studenti, personale docente, tecnico-amministrativo e membri della governance, raccogliendo istanze e necessità provenienti da diverse componenti della comunità accademica. Questi input, elaborati successivamente dai Tavoli di discussione, hanno fornito la base per un report conclusivo, articolato in azioni concrete finalizzate a rispondere ai bisogni emergenti. L’approccio metodologico adottato valorizza l’interdisciplinarità e la collaborazione tra i diversi stakeholder, enfatizzando la centralità di adottare un approccio inclusivo anche nel processo di definizione delle politiche GEDI nel contesto universitario. L’impatto dell’iniziativa si estende oltre il singolo workshop, contribuendo alla definizione di un framework strategico per l’università, in linea con gli obiettivi di Horizon Europe e le best practices internazionali in tema di governance inclusiva.
Il workshop I LIVE POLITO si configura così come un caso di innovazione sociale basata sulla partecipazione, dimostrando come metodologie di co-design e processi partecipativi possano generare, nel tempo, trasformazioni significative all’interno delle istituzioni accademiche. Questa esperienza mette in evidenza il ruolo del design come potenziale catalizzatore di cambiamento, facilitando la creazione di spazi di lavoro e apprendimento più equi, accessibili e orientati al benessere collettivo
High in Vitro Anti-Tumor Efficacy of Dimeric Rituximab/Saporin-S6 Immunotoxin
No full textThe anti-CD20 mAb Rituximab has revolutionized lymphoma therapy, in spite of a number of unresponsive or relapsing patients. Immunotoxins, consisting of toxins coupled to antibodies, are being investigated for their potential ability to augment Rituximab efficacy. Here, we compare the anti-tumor effect of high- and low-molecular-weight Rituximab/saporin-S6 immunotoxins, named HMW-IT and LMW-IT, respectively. Saporin-S6 is a potent and stable plant enzyme belonging to ribosome-inactivating proteins that causes protein synthesis arrest and consequent cell death. Saporin-S6 was conjugated to Rituximab through an artificial disulfide bond. The inhibitory activity of HMW-IT and LMW-IT was evaluated on cell-free protein synthesis and in two CD20+ lymphoma cell lines, Raji and D430B. Two different conjugates were separated on the basis of their molecular weight and further characterized. Both HMW-IT (dimeric) and LMW-IT (monomeric) maintained a high level of enzymatic activity in a cell-free system. HMW-IT, thanks to a higher toxin payload and more efficient antigen capping, showed stronger in vitro anti-tumor efficacy than LMW-IT against lymphoma cells. Dimeric HMW-IT can be used for lymphoma therapy at least for ex vivo treatments. The possibility of using HMW-IT augments the yield in immunotoxin preparation and allows the targeting of antigens with low internalization rates
The fundamental contribution of prof. Stirpe (and his research group) to the broadening of the scientific perspective on xanthine oxidoreductase
No full textHuman xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) is a multilevel regulated enzyme, which has many physiological functions, but which is also involved in several pathological processes. The contributions of Stirpe and his research group at the University of Bologna, to the development of knowledge on the XOR enzyme and its implications in physiological and pathological processes made a breakthrough in this field. Furthermore, their pioneering results paved the way for many research lines that are still actual and that have relevant clinical implications
Gender Influence on XOR Activities and Related Pathologies: A Narrative Review
No full textTaking into account the patient’s gender is the first step towards more precise and egalitarian medicine. The gender-related divergences observed in purine catabolism and their pathological consequences are good examples of gender medicine differences. Uric acid is produced by the activity of xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR). The serum levels of both XOR activity and uric acid differ physiologically between the genders, being higher in men than in women. Their higher levels have been associated with gout and hypertension, as well as with vascular, cardiac, renal, and metabolic diseases. The present review analyzes the gender-related differences in these pathological conditions in relation to increases in the serum levels of XOR and/or uric acid and the opportunity for gender-driven pharmacological treatment
Metabolic syndrome and cancer risk: The role of xanthine oxidoreductase
No full textObesity and related pathologies such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome are associated with chronic inflammation and cancer. The serum level of xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) is correlated to obesity-associated metabolic disorders. XOR can play a role in the pathogenesis of both metabolic syndrome and cancer through the inflammatory response and the oxidative stress elicited by the products of its activity. The reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and the uric acid derived from XOR concur to the development of hypertension, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance and participate in both cell transformation and proliferation, as well as in the progression and metastasis process. Despite the availability of different drugs to inhibit in vivo XOR activity, the complexity of XOR inhibition effects should be carefully considered before clinical application, save in the case of symptomatic hyperuricemia. Keywords: Cancer risk, Inflammation, Metabolic syndrome, Oncogenesis, Oxidative stress, Xanthine oxidoreductas
Hyperuricaemia, Xanthine Oxidoreductase and Ribosome‐Inactivating Proteins from Plants: The Contributions of Fiorenzo Stirpe to Frontline Research
No full textThe enzymes called ribosome‐inactivating proteins (RIPs) that are able to depurinate nucleic acids and arrest vital cellular functions, including protein synthesis, are still a frontline research field, mostly because of their promising medical applications. The contributions of Stirpe to the development of these studies has been one of the most relevant. After a short biographical introduction, an overview is offered of the main results obtained by his investigations during last 55 years on his main research lines: hyperuricaemia, xanthine oxidoreductase and RIPs
The role of xanthine oxidoreductase and uric acid in metabolic syndrome
No full textXanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) could contribute to the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome through the oxidative stress and the inflammatory response induced by XOR-derived reactive oxygen species and uric acid. Hyperuricemia is strongly linked to hypertension, insulin resistance, obesity and hypertriglyceridemia. The serum level of XOR is correlated to triglyceride/high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, fasting glycemia, fasting insulinemia and insulin resistance index. Increased activity of endothelium-linked XOR may promote hypertension. In addition, XOR is implicated in pre-adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis. XOR and uric acid play a role in cell transformation and proliferation as well as in the progression and metastatic process. Collected evidences confirm the contribution of XOR and uric acid in metabolic syndrome. However, in some circumstances XOR and uric acid may have anti-oxidant protective outcomes. The dual-face role of both XOR and uric acid explains the contradictory results obtained with XOR inhibitors and suggests caution in their therapeutic use
Xanthine Oxidoreductase in Drug Metabolism: Beyond A Role as a Detoxifying Enzyme
No full textThe enzyme xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) catalyzes the last two steps of purine catabolism in the highest uricotelic primates. XOR is an enzyme with dehydrogenase activity that, in mammals, may be converted into oxidase activity under a variety of pathophysiologic conditions. XOR activity is highly regulated at the transcriptional and post-translational levels and may generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which trigger different consequences, ranging from cytotoxicity to inflammation. The low specificity for substrates allows XOR to metabolize a number of endogenous metabolites and a variety of exogenous compounds, including drugs. The present review focuses on the role of XOR as a drug-metabolizing enzyme, specifically for drugs with anticancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, immunosuppressive or vasodilator activities, as well as drugs acting on metabolism or inducing XOR expression. XOR has an activating role that is essential to the pharmacological action of quinone drugs, cyadox, antiviral nucleoside analogues, allopurinol, nitrate and nitrite. XOR activity has a degradation function toward thiopurine nucleotides, pyrazinoic acid, methylxanthines and tolbutamide, whose half-life may be prolonged by the use of XOR inhibitors. In conclusion,: to avoid potential drug interaction risks, such as a toxic excess of drug bioavailability or a loss of drug efficacy, caution is suggested in the use of XOR inhibitors, as in the case of hyperuricemic patients affected by gout or tumor lysis syndrome, when it is necessary to simultaneously administer therapeutic substances that are activated or degraded by the drug-metabolizing activity of XOR
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