Search results for "Enhancement."
showing 10 items of 557 documents
Sonoporation, a redefined ultrasound modality as therapeutic aid: a review.
2011
Traditionally a diagnostic modality, ultrasound is emerging as a promising tool for non-invasive therapy, drug delivery, and gene therapy. The ultrasound is a mechanical wave energy generated in a medium as oscillating pressure in space and time at frequencies above 20 kHz, beyond the audible range. The ultrasound exposure generates bioeffects resulting in tissue heating, shear stress, and cavitation, which have been exploited for therapeutic applications. Ultrasound cavitation, enhanced by injected micro bubbles, perturbs cell membrane structures to cause sonoporation and increases the permeability to bioactive materials. Ultrasound-mediated gene delivery has been applied to heart, blood v…
Modified lipoproteins as contrast agents for imaging of atherosclerosis.
2007
The ability to detect and characterize atherosclerosis with targeted contrast agents may enable initiation of therapy for atherosclerotic lesions prior to becoming symptomatic. Since lipoproteins such as high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) play a critical role in the regulation of plaque biology through the transport of lipids into and out of atherosclerotic lesions, modifying HDL and LDL with radioisotopes for nuclear imaging, chelates for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or other possible contrast agents for computed tomography imaging techniques may aid in the detection and characterization of atherosclerosis. This review focuses on the literature employing l…
Architecture domestique punique, hellénistique et romaine. Sauvegarde et mise en valeur / Architettura domestica punica, ellenistica e romana. Salvag…
2014
Finanziato dall’Unione Europea nell’ambito della cooperazione transfrontaliera Italie Tunisie 2007-2013, il Progetto APER (Architettura domestica punica, ellenistica e romana: salvaguardia e valorizzazione) ha unito istituzioni italiane e tunisine (il capofila Polo Didattico di Agrigento dell’Università di Palermo, con i partner Consorzio Universitario Provincia di Agrigento, Institut National du Patrimoine e Agence de Mise en Valeur du Patrimoine et de Promotion Culturelle e gli enti associati Parco della Valle dei Templi di Agrigento, Provincia Regionale di Agrigento, Centro Regionale per la Progettazione e il Restauro della Regione Siciliana, École Nationale d’Architecture et Urbanisme d…
PALERMO, IL PATRIMONIO ARCHITETTONICO COME RISORSA - PALERMO, THE ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE AS A CULTURAL RESOURCE
2014
Palermo è una città che ha visto sovrapporsi culture e tecniche costruttive di popoli diversi. È una città dalle mille risorse, che conserva un grande patrimonio di particolare valenza storica, architettonica ed artistica. La memoria vuole essere un contributo nella prospettiva della valorizzazione del suo patrimonio architettonico. Nello specifico lo studio intende analizzare in prim’ordine il valore di comunicazione dell’involucro architettonico nelle varie epoche storiche e nel presente; in secondo luogo rilevare, studiare e rappresentare particolari documenti del costruito storico di grande espressione architettonica e proporre un itinerario monumentale che è anche una rivisitazione ine…
Ocular angiogenesis: translating preclinical indications to successful clinical development
2004
Angiogenesis-related ocular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or diabetic retinopathy have a high socioeconomic impact in western countries and are the leading causes of blindness. Conventional treatment modalities for AMD are of limited success. Inhibition of new vessel formation and targeting of pathological vessels seem to be the best choice in AMD. A variety of animal models mimic the relevant aspects of choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) and allow for therapy screening. Preclinical and clinical studies show that a variety of different strategies are very promising. Stategies include inhibition or blocking of vascular endothelial growth factor, a key player in angi…
460. MGMTP140K Vector Constructs for Efficient In Vivo Enrichment of Genetically Corrected Cells Following Hematopoietic Cell Gene Transfer
2006
MGMTP140K, a mutant of the DNA repair protein O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) resistant to the inhibitor O6-benzylguanine (BG), protects hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) from the toxicity of alkylating agents such as temozolomide (TMZ) and, therefore, allows efficient in vivo enrichment of transduced cells by BG/TMZ therapy. MGMTP140K has been proposed as a selection marker in gene therapy of monogeneic diseases. If used for this purpose, however, MGMTP140K expression in vectors containing internal ribosomal entry sites (IRES) would be from the compromised 3' position, as the 5' position will be required for the therapeutic gene. Thus, we have investigated SFFV/MESV-based vector…
Hydrolytic action of phospholipase A2 in monolayers in the phase transition region: direct observation of enzyme domain formation using fluorescence …
1990
Phospholipase A2, a ubiquitous lipolytic enzyme highly active in the hydrolysis of organized phospholipid substrates, has been characterized optically in its action against a variety of phospholipid monolayers using fluorescence microscopy. By labeling the enzyme with a fluorescent marker and introducing it into the subphase of a Langmuir film balance, the hydrolysis of lipid monolayers in their liquid-solid phase transition region could be directly observed with the assistance of an epifluorescence microscope. Visual observation of hydrolysis of different phospholipid monolayers in the phase transition region in real-time could differentiate various mechanisms of hydrolytic action against …
Moral Attitudes Toward Pharmacological Cognitive Enhancement (PCE): Differences and Similarities Among Germans With and Without PCE Experience
2018
Pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE), the use of illicit and/or prescription drugs to increase cognitive performance, has spurred controversial discussion in bioethics. In a semi-structured interview study with 60 German university students and employees, differences and similarities in moral attitudes toward PCE among 30 experienced participants (EPs) vs. 30 inexperienced participants (IPs) were investigated. Substances EPs used most often are methylphenidate, amphetamines, tetrahydrocannabinol and modafinil. Both EPs and IPs addressed topics such as autonomous decision making or issues related to fairness such as equality in test evaluation and distortion of competition. While most…
Gene therapy and editing in the treatment of hereditary blood disorders: Medical and ethical aspects
2021
Gene therapy and gene editing are revolutionising the treatment of genetic diseases, most notably haematological disorders. This paper evaluates the use of both techniques in hereditary blood disorders. Many studies have been conducted in this field, especially with gene therapy, with very promising results in diseases such as haemophilia, certain haemoglobinopathies and Fanconi anaemia. The application of these techniques in clinical practice and the foreseeable development of these approaches in the coming years suggest that it might be useful to evaluate the results achieved thus far. It is also essential to reflect on the possible bioethical concerns raised by the use of both technique…
Engineering light emission of two-dimensional materials in both the weak and strong coupling regimes
2017
Abstract Two-dimensional (2D) materials have promising applications in optoelectronics, photonics, and quantum technologies. However, their intrinsically low light absorption limits their performance, and potential devices must be accurately engineered for optimal operation. Here, we apply a transfer matrix-based source-term method to optimize light absorption and emission in 2D materials and related devices in weak and strong coupling regimes. The implemented analytical model accurately accounts for experimental results reported for representative 2D materials such as graphene and MoS2. The model has been extended to propose structures to optimize light emission by exciton recombination in…