Search results for " BIC"
showing 10 items of 164 documents
Statins and the squalene synthase inhibitor zaragozic acid stimulate the non-amyloidogenic pathway of amyloid-beta protein precursor processing by su…
2010
Cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins influence the proteolytic processing of the amyloid-beta protein precursor (AbetaPP) and are reported to stimulate the activity of alpha-secretase, the major preventive secretase of Alzheimer's disease. Statins can increase the alpha-secretase activity by their cholesterol-lowering properties as well as by impairment of isoprenoids synthesis. In the present study, we elucidate the contribution of these pathways in alpha-secretase activation. We demonstrate that zaragozic acid, a potent inhibitor of squalene synthase which blocks cholesterol synthesis but allows synthesis of isoprenoids, also stimulates alpha-secretase activity. Treatment of human n…
Dermatomyositis induced by the secretion of Phyllomedusa bicolor or Kambô frog - A case report
2020
The Amazonian Kambô frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor, is commonly known for the potential benefits of its secretion. The Kambô ritual consists in applying the toxin directly to a freshly burnt skin area, since it is believed by natives and shamans to purify and strengthen the body and mind of the user. We describe a 33-year old female with a history of periodic use of Kambô toxin who presented with a 3-week course of asthenia, malaise, myalgia, and proximal muscle weakness predominantly in the lower limbs. She had elevated muscle enzymes and an abnormal electromyography. We used the 2017 European League Against Rheumatism and American College of Rheumatology classification criteria to establish t…
Content and context effects in children's and adults' conditional reasoning
2002
We have recently shown that children interpret conditional sentences with binary terms (e.g., male/female) in both the antecedent and the consequent as biconditionals (Barrouillet & Lecas, 1998). We hypothesized that the same effect can be obtained with conditionals that do not contain binary terms provided that they are embedded in a context that restricts to only two the possible values on both the antecedent and the consequent. In the present experiment, we asked 12-year-old children, 15-year-old children, and adults to draw conclusions from conditional syllogisms that involved three types of conditional sentence: (1) conditionals with binary terms (BB), (2) conditionals with non-bi…
Identity, Couple and Intergroup Dynamics in Intercultural Families: Implications on Life Satisfaction of Partners
2019
The current study analyzed how identity, couple, and intergroup dynamics are related to life satisfaction among 210 intercultural partners living in Italy. Three levels of analysis were considered: a micro level, taking into account the identity aspect of each partner in terms of self- or hetero-ethnic identification; a meso level, examining the passion, commitment, and intimacy of the couple sphere of the partners; a macro level investigating the discrimination that partners can perceive by the community as an effect of the relationship between dominant and minority groups. The results show that for both partners, foreign and Italian, the variables that have a predictive value on life sati…
Identification and quantitation of methotrexate and methotrexate metabolites in clinical high-dose therapy by high pressure liquid chromatography and…
1982
High-pressure liquid chromatography in combination with field desorption mass spectrometry as techniques of high specificity and sensitivity have been applied to the identification and quantitation of the anticancer drug methotrexate and its metabolites which occur in clinical high-dose therapy. Field desorption mass spectra of methotrexate and several methotrexate and folic acid derivatives, when investigated as free acids or ammonium salts, yield abundant protonated molecular ions and a consistent pattern of structurally significant fragments. High-pressure liquid chromatographic separation of methotrexate metabolites was performed on reverse-phase, C-18 columns using a volatile, ammonium…
Contemporary Management of Struvite Stones Using Combined Endourologic and Medical Treatment: Predictors of Unfavorable Clinical Outcome
2016
Struvite stones have been associated with significant morbidity and mortality, yet there has not been a report on the medical management of struvite stones in almost 20 years. We report on the contemporary outcomes of the surgical and medical management of struvite stones in a contemporary series.A retrospective review of patients who were treated with percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for struvite stones at Duke University Medical Center between January 2005 and September 2012 identified a total of 75 patients. Of these, 43 patients had adequate follow-up and were included in this analysis. Stone activity, defined as either stone recurrence or stone-related events, and predictors of acti…
Effect of alkalosis on plasma epinephrine responses to high intensity cycle exercise in humans
2002
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of alkalosis on epinephrine concentrations in response to a 90 s maximal exercise test. A group of ten healthy men ingested either a bicarbonate (BS) supplement (0.3 g x kg(-1) of body mass of sodium bicarbonate) or placebo mixture (P) prior to performing a 90 s maximal cycle ergometer test. An indwelling Teflon cannula was placed in the antecubital vein and blood samples were drawn at three times at rest separated by 10 min, immediately following the protocol, and at 2.5, 5, and 10 min post exercise to determine plasma epinephrine concentrations. Sodium bicarbonate ingestion significantly ( P0.05) induced alkalosis both at rest [mean (…
Coupling between agonist and chloride ionophore sites of the GABA(A) receptor: agonist/antagonist efficacy of 4-PIOL.
2000
Eight gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) mimetics were tested on their ability to differentiate native GABA(A) receptor subtypes present in various rat brain regions. In rat brain cryostat sections, little regional variations by the agonistic actions of muscimol, thiomuscimol, 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoazolo(5,4-c)pyridin-3-ol, piperidine-4-sulphonic acid, taurine and beta-alanine on [35S]t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate ([35S]TBPS) binding to GABA(A) receptor channels were found. They were very similar to those found for GABA itself and indicated no direct correlation with single subunit distributions for any of these compounds. Only the low-efficacy GABA mimetic 5-(4-piperidyl)isoxazol-3-ol (4-PIOL…
Behavioral effects of different enriched environments in mice treated with the cholinergic agonist PNU-282987.
2013
Abstract Environmental enrichment is an experimental model in which rodents are housed in complex environments that favor lower levels of anxiety-like behavior. PNU-282987 (PNU) is a α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist with beneficial effects on learning though its effects on anxiety are unclear. Our main aim was to carry out a study of its effects in NMRI ( n = 96) mice reared in different environments: environmental enrichment (EE), Marlau™ cages (MC) and standard environment (SE). After a 4-month period, mice received acute treatment of PNU (2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg) and were evaluated in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and hole-board (HB). In the EPM, both EE and MC reared mice showed …
Exploring kainate receptor pharmacology using molecular dynamics simulations.
2010
Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are enticing targets for pharmaceutical research; however, the search for selective ligands is a laborious experimental process. Here we introduce a purely computational procedure as an approach to evaluate ligand–iGluR pharmacology. The ligands are docked into the closed ligand-binding domain and during the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation the bi-lobed interface either opens (partial agonist/antagonist) or stays closed (agonist) according to the properties of the ligand. The procedure is tested with closely related set of analogs of the marine toxin dysiherbaine bound to GluK1 kainate receptor. The modeling is set against the abundant binding data …