Showing papers by "University of Turin published in 2022"

Adverse events of active and placebo groups in SARS-CoV-2 vaccine randomized trials: A systematic review

Abstract: For safety assessment in clinical trials, adverse events (AEs) are reported for the drug under evaluation and compared with AEs in the placebo group. Little is known about the nature of the AEs associated with clinical trials of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and the extent to which these can be traced to nocebo effects, where negative treatment-related expectations favor their occurrence.In our systematic review, we compared the rates of solicited AEs in the active and placebo groups of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines approved by the Western pharmaceutical regulatory agencies.We implemented a search strategy to identify trial-III studies of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines through the PubMed database. We adopted the PRISMA Statement to perform the study selection and the data collection and identified three trial: two mRNA-based (38403 participants) and one adenovirus type (6736 participants).Relative risks showed that the occurrence of AEs reported in the vaccine groups was higher compared with the placebo groups. The most frequently AEs in both groups were fatigue, headache, local pain, as injection site reactions, and myalgia. In particular, for first doses in placebo recipients, fatigue was reported in 29% and 27% in BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 groups, respectively, and in 21% of Ad26.COV2.S participants. Headache was reported in 27% in both mRNA groups and in 24% of Ad26.COV2.S recipients. Myalgia was reported in 10% and 14% in mRNA groups (BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273, respectively) and in 13% of Ad26.COV2.S participants. Local pain was reported in 12% and 17% in mRNA groups (BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273, respectively), and in 17% of Ad26.COV2.S recipients. These AEs are more common in the younger population and in the first dose of placebo recipients of the mRNA vaccines.Our results are in agreement with the expectancy theory of nocebo effects and suggest that the AEs associated with COVID-19 vaccines may be related to the nocebo effect.Fondazione CRT - Cassa di Risparmio di Torino, IT (grant number 66346, "GAIA-MENTE" 2019).

The concept of intrinsic versus extrinsic apoptosis

Abstract: Regulated cell death is a vital and dynamic process in multicellular organisms that maintains tissue homeostasis and eliminates potentially dangerous cells. Apoptosis, one of the better-known forms of regulated cell death, is activated when cell-surface death receptors like Fas are engaged by their ligands (the extrinsic pathway) or when BCL-2-family pro-apoptotic proteins cause the permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane (the intrinsic pathway). Both the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways of apoptosis lead to the activation of a family of proteases, the caspases, which are responsible for the final cell demise in the so-called execution phase of apoptosis. In this review, I will first discuss the most common types of regulated cell death on a morphological basis. I will then consider in detail the molecular pathways of intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis, discussing how they are activated in response to specific stimuli and are sometimes overlapping. In-depth knowledge of the cellular mechanisms of apoptosis is becoming more and more important not only in the field of cellular and molecular biology but also for its translational potential in several pathologies, including neurodegeneration and cancer.

Next generation diagnostic algorithm in non-small cell lung cancer predictive molecular pathology: The KWAY Italian multicenter cost evaluation study.

Abstract: Aims The KWAY project aims to investigate the economic sustainability of the up-front NGS technologies adoption in the analysis of clinically relevant molecular alterations in NSCLC patients. Methods The diagnostic workflow and the related sustained costs of five Italian referral centers were assessed in four different evolving scenarios were analyzed. For each scenario, two alternative testing strategies were evaluated: the Maximized Standard strategy and the Maximized NGS strategy. Results For each center, the robustness of obtained results was verified through a deterministic sensitivity analysis, observing the variation of total costs based on a variation of ±20 % of the input parameters and ensuring that results would present a consistent behavior compared to the original ones. Conclusions our project, highlighted that the adoption of NGS allows to save personnel time dedicated to testing activities and to reduce the overall cost of testing per patient.

Mechanisms of podocyte injury and implications for diabetic nephropathy

Abstract: Albuminuria is the hallmark of both primary and secondary proteinuric glomerulopathies, including focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), obesity-related nephropathy, and diabetic nephropathy (DN). Moreover, albuminuria is an important feature of all chronic kidney diseases (CKDs). Podocytes play a key role in maintaining the permselectivity of the glomerular filtration barrier (GFB) and injury of the podocyte, leading to foot process (FP) effacement and podocyte loss, the unifying underlying mechanism of proteinuric glomerulopathies. The metabolic insult of hyperglycemia is of paramount importance in the pathogenesis of DN, while insults leading to podocyte damage are poorly defined in other proteinuric glomerulopathies. However, shared mechanisms of podocyte damage have been identified. Herein, we will review the role of haemodynamic and oxidative stress, inflammation, lipotoxicity, endocannabinoid (EC) hypertone, and both mitochondrial and autophagic dysfunction in the pathogenesis of the podocyte damage, focussing particularly on their role in the pathogenesis of DN. Gaining a better insight into the mechanisms of podocyte injury may provide novel targets for treatment. Moreover, novel strategies for boosting podocyte repair may open the way to podocyte regenerative medicine.

Unveiling the microfoundations of multiplex boundary work for collaborative innovation

Abstract: Innovation management research has recently pointed out that competitive advantage depends on the ability to connect knowledge at both intra- and inter-organisational levels through multiplex boundary work. Resource-based view (RBV) and knowledge-based view (KBV) can provide valuable and complementary insights to understand which individual-level determinants enable knowledge exchange through collaborative boundary work. Based on these arguments, we adopt a microfoundational approach to explore, through a multiple-embedded case study of seven small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), the individual characteristics that make organisational members able to connect across boundaries and perform effective multiplex boundary work for collaborative innovation. Our findings show the relevance of three sets of individual determinants (i.e., openness to others, assertiveness, and balancing skills). This study extends the RBV and the KBV by identifying the main individual determinants that represent an essential resource base for leveraging internal and external knowledge in SMEs' engaging in multiplex boundary work for collaborative innovation.

Combining high-power ultrasound and enological enzymes during winemaking to improve the chromatic characteristics of red wine

Abstract: Several techniques have been used by the winemaking industry to facilitate the extraction of grape phenolic compounds during the maceration process. Interest in innovative techniques such as high-power ultrasound (US) has increased in recent years, replacing more traditional techniques such as the addition of pectolytic enzymes (E). This study evaluates the combined effect of ultrasound and enological enzymes, used at semi-industrial scale at the time of crushing, on the chromatic characteristics of red wine. Variables such as the timing of enzyme addition and the ripening state of the grapes were considered. The results showed that ultrasound had a greater effect than enological enzymes when used alone, especially when the ripest grapes were used. The results also indicate that, when added after sonication, the enzymes favored the US effect, enabling the contact time necessary to achieve a wine with chromatic characteristics similar to those resulting from a traditional maceration process to be reduced by 4 days. Carried out on a semi-industrial scale, the study demonstrates that the adequate combination of these two techniques can optimize the maceration process both in terms of time and the wine organoleptic characteristics, making the technique of special interest for industrial application.