Search results for "OTU"

Exercise intervention protocol in children and young adults with cerebral palsy : the effects of strength, flexibility and gait training on physical …

2021

Abstract Background Individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) have problems in everyday tasks such as walking and climbing stairs due to a combination of neuromuscular impairments such as spasticity, muscle weakness, reduced joint flexibility and poor coordination. Development of evidence-based interventions are in pivotal role in the development of better targeted rehabilitation of CP, and thus in maintaining their motor function and wellbeing. Our aim is to investigate the efficacy of an individually tailored, multifaceted exercise intervention (EXECP) in children and young adults with CP. EXECP is composed of strength, flexibility and gait training. Furthermore, this study aims to verify the …

The contribution of insect prey to the total nitrogen content of sundews (Drosera spp.) determined in situ by stable isotope analysis.

2003

Summary • The contribution of insect prey to total N in the carnivorous plants, Drosera rotundifolia and D. intermedia , was quantified in situ and without any experimental manipulation using natural abundance stable isotope analysis. • Samples of D. rotundifolia and D. intermedia , insects and noncarnivorous reference plants were collected from three contrasting locations across Britain. The proportion of Drosera nitrogen obtained from insect prey was calculated by a mixing model using δ 15 N values from the different plant groups. • The mean proportion of Drosera N derived from prey was 50%. There were significant differences in this proportion between sites, and significant differences w…

Confronto tra attività catalitica e fotocatalitica dell’eteropoliacido di Keggin H3PW12O40 supportato su ossidi o su nanotubi di carbonio

2015

Catalytic and catalytic photo-assisted dehydration of 2-propanol to form propene in gas-solid regime at atmospheric pressure and 80°C was carried out by using a Keggin heteropolyacid H3PW12O40 (PW12) supported on different oxides. Binary materials have been prepared by impregnation of PW12 on different commercial and home prepared supports (TiO2, SiO2 or carbon nanotubes). The supported Keggin PW12 species played a key role both for the catalytic and the photo-assisted catalytic reactions, due to their strong acidity and ability to form strong oxidant species under UV irradiation, respectively. The contemporary presence of heat and UV light improved the activity of almost all POM supported …

ORGANIC-INORGANIC HYBRID CATALYSTS BASED ON IMIDAZOLIUM AND THIAZOLIUM SALTS

In the last years, great attention was focused on immobilized ionic liquids for their application in the field of catalysis. The main challenge is represented by the possibility of combining the benefits of the ionic liquids to that of the supports. In order to achieve this ambitious objective both the choice of the support and the functionalization strategy are of fundamental importance. In this context, one of the aims of this doctoral project was to develop novel catalysts based on covalently mono- or multilayer imidazolium or thiazolium networks onto a high ordered mesoporous silica or carbon nanotubes materials. The second goal of this PhD thesis was to design novel imidazolium based c…

Gender differences in the immune system activities of sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

2013

In the immune system of vertebrates, gender-specific differences in individual immune competence are well known. In general, females possess more powerful immune response than males. In invertebrates, the situation is much less clear. For this purpose we have chosen to study the immune response of the two sexes of the echinoderm Paracentrotus lividus in pre- and post-spawning phases. The coelomic fluid from the echinoderms contains several coelomocyte types and molecules involved in innate immune defenses. In this article we report that the degree of immune responses in the P. lividus differs according to sex in both pre- and post-spawning phases. We found in all tests that females were mor…

Lipid Bilayer Interactions of Peptidic Supramolecular Polymers and Their Impact on Membrane Permeability and Stability.

2020

The synthesis and physicochemical characterization of supramolecular polymers with tunable assembly profiles offer exciting opportunities, involving the development of new biomedical carriers. Because synthetic nanocarriers aim to transport substances across or toward cellular membranes, we evaluated the interactions of amphiphilic peptide-based supramolecular polymers with lipid bilayers. Here, we focused on nanorod-like supramolecular polymers, obtained from two C3-symmetric dendritic peptide amphiphiles with alternating Phe/His sequences, equipped with a peripheral tetraethylene glycol dendron (C3-PH) or charged ethylenediamine end groups (C3-PH+). Triggered by pH changes, these amphiphi…

Survivin’s Dual Role: An Export’s View

2007

Survivin is proposed to function as a mitotic regulator and an apoptosis inhibitor during development and pathogenesis. As such, survivin has aroused keen interest in disparate areas of basic and translational research. Survivin acts as a subunit of the chromosomal passenger complex (CPC), composed of the mitotic kinase Aurora-B, Borealin and INCENP, and is essential for proper chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. Our recent findings indicate that the nuclear export receptor Crm1 is critically involved in tethering the CPC to the centromere by interacting with a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES), evolutionary conserved in all mammalian survivin proteins. In addition, the survivin/…

Unraveling In vivo brain transport of protein‐coated fluorescent nanodiamonds

2019

The blood–brain barrier is the biggest hurdle to overcome for the treatment of neurological disorders. Here, protein‐coated nanodiamonds are delivered to the brain and taken up by neurovascular unit cells after intravenous injection. Thus, for the first time, nanodiamonds with their unique properties and a flexible protein coating for the attachment of therapeutics emerge as a potential platform for nanotheranostics of neurological disorders.Nanotheranostics, combining diagnostics and therapy, has the potential to revolutionize treatment of neurological disorders. But one of the major obstacles for treating central nervous system diseases is the blood–brain barrier (BBB) preventing systemic…

Effects of vinblastine, leucine, and histidine, and 3-methyladenine on autophagy in Ehrlich ascites cells.

1990

The microtubule inhibitor vinblastine causes accumulation of autophagic vacuoles in many cell types. In hepatocytes, many of the accumulated vacuoles are nascent, which has been interpreted to suggest that vinblastine acts by inhibiting the fusion of hydrolase-containing lysosomes with early autophagic vacuoles. However, our previous results suggested that, in Ehrlich ascites cells, vinblastine causes accumulation mainly of older autophagic vacuoles (AVs). This study was undertaken to further characterize the mode of action of vinblastine in these cells. The vinblastine-accumulated AVs were quantified by electron-microscopic morphometry. In addition, the effects of inhibitors of autophagic …

Lanostanoids from fungi: a group of potential anticancer compounds.

2012

Lanostanes are a group of tetracyclic triterpenoids derived from lanosterol. They have relevant biological and pharmacological properties, such as their cytotoxic effects via induction of apoptosis. This review compiles the most relevant lanostanoids studied from 2000 to 2011, principally those isolated from Ganoderma lucidum and other related fungi, such as Poria cocos, Laetiporus sulphureus, Inonotus obliquus, Antrodia camphorata, Daedalea dickinsii, and Elfvingia applanata, which have great potential as anticancer agents because of their cytotoxic or apoptotic effects. The compounds were selected on the basis of their proapoptotic mechanisms, through their ability to modify transcription…