1,721,005 research outputs found
In vitro Models of Breast Cancer Metastatic Dormancy
Get PDFDelayed relapses at distant sites are a common clinical observation for certain types of cancers after removal of primary tumor, such as breast and prostate cancer. This evidence has been explained by postulating a long period during which disseminated cancer cells (DCCs) survive in a foreign environment without developing into overt metastasis. Because of the asymptomatic nature of this phenomenon, isolation, and analysis of disseminated dormant cancer cells from clinically disease-free patients is ethically and technically highly problematic and currently these data are largely limited to the bone marrow. That said, detecting, profiling and treating indolent metastatic lesions before the onset of relapse is the imperative. To overcome this major limitation many laboratories developed in vitro models of the metastatic niche for different organs and different types of cancers. In this review we focus specifically on in vitro models designed to study metastatic dormancy of breast cancer cells (BCCs). We provide an overview of the BCCs employed in the different organotypic systems and address the components of the metastatic microenvironment that have been shown to impact on the dormant phenotype: tissue architecture, stromal cells, biochemical environment, oxygen levels, cell density. A brief description of the organ-specific in vitro models for bone, liver, and lung is provided. Finally, we discuss the strategies employed so far for the validation of the different systems
Technical Advancements for Studying Immune Regulation of Disseminated Dormant Cancer Cells
Get PDFMetastases are a major cause of cancer-related death and despite the fact that they have been focus of intense research over the last two decades, effective therapies for patients with distant secondary lesions are still very limited. In addition, in some tumor types metastases can grow years after the patients have been declared clinically cured, indicating that disseminated cancer cells (DCCs) persist undetected for years, even decades in a quiescent state. Clinical and experimental data highlight the importance of the immune system in shaping the fitness and behaviour of DCCs. Here, we review mechanisms of survival, quiescence and outgrowth of DCCs with a special focus on immune-regulation and we highlight the latest cutting-edge techniques for modelling the biology of DCCs in vitro and for studying the metastatic niche in vivo. We believe that a wide dissemination of those techniques will boost scientific findings towards new therapies to defeat metastatic relapses in cancer patients
A performance Measurement System for Facility Management: the Case Study of a Medical Service Authority
No full textPurpose – This study sets out to introduce an innovative performance measurement system (PMS)
for business process outsourcing in facility management (FM) industry and analyse, comprehend and
explain the main criticalities in the relationship among the actors involved in an outsourcing non core
services contract, which is typical of the FM business sector. The aim of the tool is to improve
performances and enhance their integration towards a partnership.
Design/methodology/approach – A case study research has been carried out on a medical service
authority and on its FM service provider in order to investigate, understand and explain the main
criticalities in their relationships. Starting from a literature analysis on empirical applications of PMS,
an adaptation of a balanced scorecard (BSC) has been realized to exceed the criticalities of the case
study and to propose a PMS for facility management.
Findings – As highlighted in the case study, the need for an improved actors’ partnership has been
fulfilled through an innovative approach, i.e. a performance measurement system which shares some
indicators among FM service provider and customer.
Research limitations/implications – The limitation of this research lies in the fact that PMS has
been designed from a single case study. Despite this fact, the PMS can be easily adapted for wide
applications inside the FM business sector.
Practical implications – The PMS allows a better integration and coordination of the actors
involved in an outsourcing services contract. It could be implemented in FM software tools.
Originality/value – The proposed performance measurement system is an innovative integration
between the balanced scorecard and service balanced scorecard (SBC) for the facility management
service industry. Furthermore, it shares some indicators which solve the main criticalities in the
relationships among the actors involved in an outsourcing services contract and enhance partnershi
A PMS for facility services supply chain: A case in the healthcare sector
No full textSupply chain (SC) performance measurement is attracting the attention of practitioners
and academic researchers. Many studies report the importance of measuring and managing SC
performances to improve the understanding and cooperation among partners, to raise SC integration
and finally to pursuit SC excellence. But, whereas literature about SC performance measurement is
rich in theoretical approaches, empirical researches are still poor.
The work aims to increase fieldworks on this topic. This paper results from a three-years case study
within a SC of facility services in the healthcare sector. The proposed performance measurement
system adopts a balanced approach for performance evaluation and uses different levels of
measurement and accountability: strategic, tactical and operational. The model shares measures and
results among customer, prime contractor and subcontracting companies of the considered SC,
supporting partners in highlighting opportunities for services improvement, getting better
collaboration and coordination along SC and defining Service Level Agreements
Il Tavolo di Partnership: Uno strumento organizzativo per il coordinamento cliente-fornitore nel FM
No full text“The partnership table as an organizational tool for improving customer provider relationship: a case study”
No full textThis paper describes a successful experience of Partnership Table (PT) implementation in a Facility
Management (FM) contract case study. The case is a multi-services contract signed by Azienda per i
Servizi Sanitari n.1 in Trieste (customer), a medical service authority, and Consorzio Nazionale
Servizi (provider), Italian FM service provider leader.
We give an in-depth description of the purposes of PT implementation, its organizational structure,
its working and the benefits from the PT implementation. Findings from the PT benefits evaluation
have highlighted that the PT strengthens cooperation between the customer and the provider,
looking for profitable results for both contractors. Moreover, the PT allows the parties to have
constructive discussions. Indeed, the results of the research have put out that the table is an useful
tool for an effective and quick problem solving and it facilitates the customer-provider relationship
improvement
Criticità del modello e maturità del prodotto: il sistema turistico di Caorle. La crisi del sistema immobiliare balneare, gli impatti ambientali e le strategie di ripensamento del turismo di massa
No full text
- …
