University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

About: University of Modena and Reggio Emilia is a education organization based out in Modena, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 8179 authors who have published 22418 publications receiving 671337 citations. The organization is also known as: Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia & Universita degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia.

The folding cooperativity of a protein is controlled by its chain topology

Abstract: The three-dimensional structures of proteins often show a modular architecture comprised of discrete structural regions or domains. Cooperative communication between these regions is important for catalysis, regulation and efficient folding; lack of coupling has been implicated in the formation of fibrils and other misfolding pathologies. How different structural regions of a protein communicate and contribute to a protein's overall energetics and folding, however, is still poorly understood. Here we use a single-molecule optical tweezers approach to induce the selective unfolding of particular regions of T4 lysozyme and monitor the effect on other regions not directly acted on by force. We investigate how the topological organization of a protein (the order of structural elements along the sequence) affects the coupling and folding cooperativity between its domains. To probe the status of the regions not directly subjected to force, we determine the free energy changes during mechanical unfolding using Crooks' fluctuation theorem. We pull on topological variants (circular permutants) and find that the topological organization of the polypeptide chain critically determines the folding cooperativity between domains and thus what parts of the folding/unfolding landscape are explored. We speculate that proteins may have evolved to select certain topologies that increase coupling between regions to avoid areas of the landscape that lead to kinetic trapping and misfolding.

The role of networks of practice, value sharing, and operational proximity in knowledge flows between professional groups

Abstract: This article investigates the process of knowledge sharing between individuals in different professional groups. Through an ethnographic study in a hospital unit, we examine the individuals’ involvement in networks of practice, their sharing of organizational values, and their operational proximity. Recent attention to networks of practice has led to a view of organizations as crossroads of networks; accordingly, boundary relations between different networks of practice are of core relevance to ensure knowledge diffusion in organizations, but empirical evidence is still lacking. Our grounded theory supports the idea that working side-by-side and having common organizational values are important bases for knowledge transfer between professional groups which belong to different networks of practice. Boundary knowledge transfer evokes new kinds of organizational citizenship behaviours. Professionals who initiate the transfer exhibit extra-role behaviours which, in turn, require the recipient to perform extra...

High-dimensional single cell analysis identifies stem-like cytotoxic CD8+ T cells infiltrating human tumors.

Abstract: CD8+ T cells infiltrating tumors are largely dysfunctional, but whether a subset maintains superior functionality remains ill defined By high-dimensional single cell analysis of millions of CD8+ T cells from 53 individuals with lung cancer, we defined those subsets that are enriched in tumors compared with cancer-free tissues and blood Besides exhausted and activated cells, we identified CXCR5+ TIM-3- CD8+ T cells with a partial exhausted phenotype, while retaining gene networks responsible for stem-like plasticity and cytotoxicity, as revealed by single cell sequencing of the whole transcriptome Ex vivo, CXCR5+ TIM-3- CD8+ T cells displayed enhanced self-renewal and multipotency compared with more differentiated subsets and were largely polyfunctional Analysis of inhibitory and costimulatory receptors revealed PD-1, TIGIT, and CD27 as possible targets of immunotherapy We thus demonstrate a hierarchy of differentiation in the context of T cell exhaustion in human cancer similar to that of chronically infected mice, which is further shown to disappear with disease progression

Accuracy of an eight-point tactile-electrode impedance method in the assessment of total body water.

Abstract: Objective: To establish the accuracy of an eight-polar tactile-electrode impedance method in the assessment of total body water (TBW). Design: Transversal study. Setting: University department. Subjects: Fifty healthy subjects (25 men and 25 women) with a mean (s.d.) age of 40 (12) y. Methods: TBW measured by deuterium oxide dilution; resistance (R) of arms, trunk and legs measured at frequencies of 5, 50, 250 and 500 kHz with an eight-polar tactile-electrode impedance-meter (InBody 3.0, Biospace, Seoul, Korea). Results: An algorithm for the prediction of TBW from the whole-body resistance index at 500 kHz (height 2/R500 where R is the sum of the segmental resistances of arms, trunk and legs) was developed in a randomly chosen subsample of 35 subjects. This algorithm had an adjusted coefficient of determination (r2adj) of 0.81 (P<0.0001) and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 3.6 l (9%). Cross-validation of the predictive algorithm in the remaining 15 subjects gave an r2adj of 0.87 (P<0.0001) and an RMSE of 3.0 l (8%). The precision of eight-polar BIA, determined by measuring R three times a day for five consecutive days in a fasting subject, was ≤2.8% for all segments and frequencies. Conclusion: Eight-polar BIA is a precise method that offers accurate estimates of TBW in healthy subjects. This promising method should undergo further studies of precision and its accuracy in assessing extracellular water and appendicular body composition should be determined. Sponsorship: Modena and Reggio Emilia University.