Search results for " MD"
showing 10 items of 89 documents
An enigmatic portrait of Leonora Cybo at Palazzo Falson
2013
An unpublished portrait of the Tuscan noblewoman Leonora Cybo is kept today at Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum in Mdina (Malta).
Anticancer Activity, Reduction Mechanism and G-Quadruplex DNA Binding of a Redox-Activated Platinum(IV)–Salphen Complex
2022
Aiming at reducing the unselective cytotoxicity of Pt(II) chemotherapeutics, a great deal of effort has been concentrated into the design of metal-containing drugs with different anticancer mechanisms of action. Inert Pt(IV) prodrugs have been proposed to be a valid alternative as they are activated by reduction directly into the cell releasing active Pt(II) species. On the other hand, a promising strategy for designing metallodrugs is to explore new potential biological targets rather than canonical B-DNA. G-quadruplex nucleic acid, obtained by self-assembly of guanine-rich nucleic acid sequences, has recently been considered an attractive target for anticancer drug design. Therefore, comp…
Mitochondrial and redox dysfunction in post-menopause as risk factor of neurodegenerative disease: a pilot study testing the role of a validated Japa…
2020
During the menopause women may experience increased oxidative stress and decreased antioxidant capacity and, together with the decline of neurosteroids, this represents a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. The aim of the present study was to test a functional food (FPP-ORI, Osato Research Institute, Gifu, Japan) on redox and mitochondrial efficiency in post-menopausal women. The study population consisting of 69 untreated post-menopausal women were given supplements as follows: Group A was given a multivitamin (MV) 1c 2 times a day, and group B was given FPP 4.5 g 2 times a day. Group C consisted of 23 fertile premenopausal women as the control group. The tests carried out on entry, and a…
Prognostic Factors in Childhood Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma: Long Term Results of the International ALCL99 Trial
2020
With the aim of describing the long-term follow-up and to define the prognostic role of the clinical/pathological/molecular characteristics at diagnosis for childhood, adolescent and young adults affected by anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), we analyzed 420 patients aged up to 22 years homogeneously treated within the international ALCL99 trial. The 10-year progression free survival (PFS) was 70% and overall survival was 90%, rare late relapses occurred but no secondary malignancies were reported. Among clinical/pathological characteristics, only patients presenting a small cell/lymphohistiocytic (SC/LH) pattern were independently associated with risk of failure (hazard ratio = 2.49). …
Treatment with soluble activin type IIB-receptor improves bone mass and strength in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
2016
Background Inhibition of activin/myostatin pathway has emerged as a novel approach to increase muscle mass and bone strength. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a neuromuscular disorder that leads to progressive muscle degeneration and also high incidence of fractures. The aim of our study was to test whether inhibition of activin receptor IIB ligands with or without exercise could improve bone strength in the mdx mouse model for DMD. Methods Thirty-two mdx mice were divided to running and non-running groups and to receive either PBS control or soluble activin type IIB-receptor (ActRIIB-Fc) once weekly for 7 weeks. Results Treatment of mdx mice with ActRIIB-Fc resulted in significantly in…
Altered tachykinergic influence on gastric mechanical activity in mdx mice
2006
Abstract This study investigated whether alterationsin gastric activity in dystrophic mdx mouse can beattributed to dysfunctions of tachykinins. Endolumi-nal pressure was recorded and the expression ofneuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), NK1 and NK2neurokinin receptors was investigated by immunoh-istochemistry. SR48968, NK2 receptor antagonist, butnot SR140333, NK1 receptor antagonist, decreased thetone only in mdx gastric preparations. In the presenceof N x -nitro- L -arginine methyl ester ( L -NAME), inhib-itor of NOS, SR48968 reduced the tone also in normalstomach. [Sar 9 , Met(O 2 ) 11 ]-SP, agonist of NK1 recep-tors, caused tetrodotoxin-sensitive relaxations, antag-onized by SR140333…
Mild Aerobic Exercise Training Hardly Affects the Diaphragm of mdx Mice
2016
In the mdx mice model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), mild endurance exercise training positively affected limb skeletal muscles, whereas few and controversial data exist on the effects of training on the diaphragm. The diaphragm was examined in mdx (C57BL/10ScSn-Dmdmdx) and wild-type (WT, C57BL/10ScSc) mice under sedentary conditions (mdx-SD, WT-SD) and during mild exercise training (mdx-EX, WT-EX). At baseline, and after 30 and 45 days (training: 5 d/wk for 6 weeks), diaphragm muscle morphology and Cx39 protein were assessed. In addition, tissue levels of the chaperonins Hsp60 and Hsp70 and the p65 subunit of nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) were measured in diaphragm, gastrocnemius, and q…
Altered electrical activity in colonic smooth muscle cells from dystrophic (mdx) mice
2001
Because the colon from dystrophic (mdx) mice shows an altered motor pattern, probably due to neural disorders, our aim was to examine the electrophysiological properties of muscle cells and the functionality of nitrergic transmission in circular muscle from normal and mdx colon. Normal colonic cells (resting membrane potential [RMP] about -50 mV) showed spontaneous hyperpolarizations (inhibitory junction potentials; IJPs) and cyclic slow depolarizations were sometimes recorded. Mdx colon had a depolarized RMP (about -36 mV) and spontaneous IJPs, but the cyclic activity was never observed. In the normal colon, Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) induced depolarization and abolished…
Spontaneous mechanical activity and evoked responses in isolated gastric preparations from normal and dystrophic (mdx) mice
2002
This study examined whether alterations of the spontaneous and evoked mechanical activity are present in the stomach of the mdx mouse, the animal model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The gastric mechanical activity from whole-organ of normal and mdx mice was recorded in vitro as changes of intraluminal pressure. All gastric preparations developed spontaneous tone and phasic contractions, although the tone of the mdx preparations was significantly greater. Atropine reduced the tone of the two preparations by the same degree. Nomega-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) significantly increased the tone and spontaneous contractions only in the stomach from normal animals, but did not affect…
Reduction of mdx mouse muscle degeneration by low-intensity endurance exercise: a proteomic analysis in quadriceps muscle of exercised versus sedenta…
2015
By proteomic analysis we found an up-regulation of four carbonic anhydrase-3 (CA3) isoforms and a down-regulation of superoxide dismutase [Cu-Zn] (SODC) in quadriceps of sedentary X-linked muscular dystrophy (mdx) mice as compared with wild–type (WT) mice and the levels were significantly restored to WT values following low-intensity endurance exercise.