Search results for "Protection"
showing 10 items of 1623 documents
Design for all, a strategic, inclusive and sustainable challenge for the Arab and Norman UNESCO itinerary of Palermo
2021
Sicily, with its seven sites recognized by UNESCO, is the Italian region that can boast the highest number of them: the last elected is the city of Palermo, which since 2015 is also part of the prestigious World Heritage List. The Palermo’s Arab and Norman itinerary unfolds through also seven monuments: the Royal Palace, the Palatina Chapel, the Churches of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, Martorana and San Cataldo, the Cathedral, the Zisa palace and the Admiral’s Bridge, adding also the Cathedrals of the cities of Cefalù and Monreale. However, Palermo has some critical issues that make the tourist route difficult and uncomfortable, not easily accessible, because of the limited physical connecti…
Pilot study on stress and resilience in families with premature newborns
2014
Introduction: Prematurity is associated with severe clinical conditions, long hospital stays, and uncertainty about patient outcomes. These circumstances lead to a stressful situation that may affect family functioning. The aim of this study was to study risk and protection factors affecting family functioning in preterm as compared to healthy term infants. Population and methods: Preterm infants with and without pathological conditions (n = 40) were recruited at 24 months post-conception age, together with a control group of healthy term newborn infants (n = 31). Parents or usual caregivers responded to the Inventory of Family Protection Factors and Parental Stress scales. The results were…
Neuroprotection in Parkinson's Disease: a Realistic Goal?
2010
The current issue of CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics contains an interesting review by Kinecses and Vecsei [1] on the progress in our knowledge related to the pathophysiological mechanisms of Parkinson's disease (PD) and on the development of putative neuroprotective molecules. Since the seminal discovery by Oleh Hornykiewicz that degeneration of DA neurons within the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and the consequential dopamine depletion in the striatum was the cause of neurological symptoms in PD [2], thousands of reviews have been written on the subject, some of them possibly superfluous. Nevertheless, we found this last work enjoyable in terms of readability and in the way the aut…
Hypothesis: can N-acetylcysteine be beneficial in Parkinson's disease?
1999
Based on the finding of decreased mitochondrial complex I activity in the substantia nigra of patients with Parkinson's disease, we propose that the consequent reduction of ATP synthesis and increased generation of reactive oxygen species may be a possible cause of nigrostriatal cell death. Since sulfhydryl groups are essential in oxidative phosphorylation, thiolic antioxidants may contribute to the preservation of these proteins against oxidative damage. In the present paper, we hypothesize that treatment with a sulfur-containing antioxidant such as N-acetylcysteine may provide a new neuroprotective therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease.
Small Extracellular Vesicles Secreted by Region-specific Astrocytes Ameliorate the Mitochondrial Function in a Cellular Model of Parkinson’s Disease
2021
AbstractExtracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as powerful players in cell-to-cell communication both in health and diseased brain. In Parkinson’s disease (PD) – characterized by selective dopaminergic (DAergic) neuron death in ventral midbrain (VMB) and degeneration of DAergic terminals in striatum (STR) – astrocytes (AS) exert dual harmful/protective functions. When activated by chemokine CCL3, AS promote a robust DAergic neuroprotection both in cellular and pre-clinical models of PD, with mechanisms not fully elucidated. Here we used a combination of techniques to characterize AS-EVs derived from VMB and STR, and investigated their potential to exert neuroprotection. First, we show th…
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in Parkinson’s disease
2007
Parkinson's disease (PD) is known to be a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by a selective degeneration of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). A large body of experimental evidence indicates that the factors involved in the pathogenesis of this disease are several, occurring inside and outside the DAergic neuron. Recently, the role of the neuron–glia interaction and the inflammatory process, in particular, has been the object of intense study by the research community. It seems to represent a new therapeutic approach opportunity for this neurological disorder. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that the cyclooxygenase type 2 (COX-…
A Diet for Dopaminergic Neurons?
2009
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, which unfortunately is still fatal. Since the discovery of dopamine (DA) neuronal cell loss within the substantia nigra in PD, the past decades have seen the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the degenerative process advance at a very impressive rate. Nevertheless, there is at present no cure for PD. Although there are no proven therapies for prevention, a large body of evidence from animal studies has highlighted the paramount role of dietary factors in counteracting DA degeneration. Consistently, associations between the risk of developing PD and the intake of nutrients, individual fo…
Sicilia e Grecia La conservazione dei monumenti alla fine del Settecento
2015
Fin dalla seconda metà del Settecento in Sicilia si inizia a tutelare, e dunque conservare, i monumenti dell’epoca classica della città di Taormina e perfino un gruppo di alberi secolari, chiamati il “castagno dei cento cavalli”. Inoltre, nel 1778, il governo borbonico istituì, per tutti i monumenti antichi della Sicilia, una commissione formata dai “Regi custodi” – sopraintendenti delle antichità, da un architetto esperto di monumenti antichi, da un pittore di vedute e da un capo mastro, per studiare e rilevare lo stato di conservazione dei monumenti stessi. A seguito di queste indagini, nel 1780, furono approntati i primi interventi di restauro nel tempio di Segesta e in alcuni templi di …
Effects of Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors on Apoptotic Neuroretinal Cells
2008
Glaucoma is characterized by a loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) which is associated with a decrease of visual function. Neuroprotective agents as a new therapeutic strategy could prevent the remaining neurons from apoptotic cell death. Previous studies have shown the involvement of the Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 signalling in the apoptotic death of neurons. Herein we investigated the neuroprotective effect of COX-1/COX-2- and selective COX-2- inhibitors on apoptotic. R28, a neuroretinal cell line and determined the PGE2 levels by ELISA. Furthermore we investigated differences in protein expression in the cells after exposure to elevated pressure compared to untreated cells by ProteinChip a…
Neuroprotective effect of flupirtine in prion disease
2003
Apoptotic neuronal cell death is a hallmark of prion diseases. The apoptotic process in neuronal cells is thought to be caused by the scrapie prion protein, PrPSc, and can be experimentally induced by its peptide fragment, PrP106-126. This process is a target for potential drugs to combat prion disease or to ameliorate its symptoms. Flupirtine (Katadolon), a pyridine derivative that is in clinical use as a nonopioid analgesic, has a potent cytoprotective effect, at concentrations above 1 microg/mL, on neuronal cells treated with PrP(Sc) or PrP106-126. This drug acts as an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, but does not bind to NMDA receptors. Flupirtine normalizes the level of intracel…