Search results for "SCAR"
showing 10 items of 914 documents
Introduction
2016
This collection of essays is a tribute to Neri Salvadori, the man and scholar, teacher and friend, whom the scientific community owes important works in the tradition of Piero Sraffa’s revival of the classical economists’ approach to the problems of value, income distribution, capital accumulation, technical progress, scarce natural resources, economic development and growth. The essays in this book have all been freshly written and contain original work with novel ideas in the areas mentioned. In this introduction we first summarize briefly Neri Salvadori’s academic career, his work and his intellectual and organisational activities and then provide a short overview of the essays collected…
Allosterically potentiating ligands of nicotinic receptors as a treatment strategy for Alzheimer's disease.
2000
Abstract One of the most prominent cholinergic deficit in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the reduced number of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) in the hippocampus and cortex of AD patients, as compared to age-matched controls. This deficit results in reduced nicotinic cholinergic excitation which may not only impair postsynaptic depolarization but also presynaptic neurotransmitter release and Ca 2+ -dependent intracellular signaling, including transcriptional activity. Presently, the most common approach to correct the nicotinic cholinergic deficit in AD is the application of cholinesterase inhibitors. Due to the resulting increase in synaptic acetylcholine levels, both in concentrati…
Desensitization is a property of the cholinergic binding region of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, not of the receptor-integral ion channel
1991
AbstractThe reversible acetylcholine esterase inhibitor (−)-physostigmine (eserine) is the prototype of a new class of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) activating ligands: it induces cation fluxes into nAChR-rich membrane vesicles from Torpedo marmorala electric tissue even under conditions of antagonist blocked acetylcholine binding sites (Okonjo, Kuhlmann, Maclicke, Neuron, in press). This suggests that eserine exerts its channel-activating property via binding sites at the nAChR separate from those of the natural transmitter. We now report that eserine can activate the channel even when the receptor has been preincubated (desensitized) with elevated concentrations of acetylcholin…
Activation of Muscarinic Receptors by Non-neuronal Acetylcholine
2011
The biological role of acetylcholine and the cholinergic system is revisited based particularly on scientific research early and late in the last century. On the one hand, acetylcholine represents the classical neurotransmitter, whereas on the other hand, acetylcholine and the pivotal components of the cholinergic system (high-affinity choline uptake, choline acetyltransferase and its end product acetylcholine, muscarinic and nicotinic receptors and esterase) are expressed by more or less all mammalian cells, i.e. by the majority of cells not innervated by neurons at all. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that acetylcholine and “cholinergic receptors” are expressed in non-neuronal organism…
Effects of ouabain on human bronchial muscle in vitro
2003
The effects of ouabain, an inhibitor of the plasmalemmal Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activity, were examined in human isolated bronchus. Ouabain produced concentration-dependent contraction with -logEC(50)=7.16+/-0.11 and maximal effect of 67+/-4% of the response to acetylcholine (1 mM). Ouabain (10 microM)-induced contraction was epithelium-independent and was not depressed by inhibitors of cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase, antagonists of muscarinic, histamine H(1)-receptors and alpha-adrenoceptors, or neuronal Na(+) channel blockade. The inhibition of ouabain contraction in tissues bathed in K(+)-free medium, and the inhibition by ouabain of the K(+)-induced relaxation confirm that the contractile a…
Imaging Findings in Non-Cirrhotic Liver
2011
With the widespread use of cross-sectional imaging examinations, physicians from a wide array of specialties are becoming involved with questions regarding the management of patients with focal liver lesions. To formulate a practical approach to these patients, several factors must be incorporated into a clinical decision-making algorithm, including the clinical setting (e.g., known comorbidities, underlying cirrhosis or a known primary neoplasm), the presence of clinical signs and symptoms, the results of laboratory tests, and the critical information provided by imaging studies. In this chapter, we will briefly review important technical factors for optimization of CT protocols for the ev…
Designing robust immediate release tablet formulations avoiding food effects for BCS class 3 drugs
2019
Abstract Food induced viscosity in the gastrointestinal tract is reported to reduce the bioavailability of tablets containing BCS class 3 drugs, mainly by retarding their disintegration and dissolution of the active pharmaceutical ingredient. The role of formulation factors in minimizing this negative food effect is largely unknown. Combinations of disintegrants were studied together with soluble and insoluble fillers and trospium chloride as model drug substance. Different batches of tablets were compressed at 10 kN and 30 kN, by incorporating different combinations of croscarmellose sodium (CSS), cross-linked (CPD) and sodium starch glycolate (SSG) at low level i.e, 2% + 2% and high level…
Precision Measurement of the Mass and Lifetime of the Ξ[0 over b] Baryon
2014
Using a proton-proton collision data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb$^{-1}$ collected by LHCb at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, about 3800 $\Xi_b^0\to\Xi_c^+\pi^-$, $\Xi_c^+\to pK^-\pi^+$ signal decays are reconstructed. From this sample, the first measurement of the $\Xi_b^0$ baryon lifetime is made, relative to that of the $\Lambda_b^0$ baryon. The mass differences $M(\Xi_b^0)-M(\Lambda_b^0)$ and $M(\Xi_c^+)-M(\Lambda_c^+)$ are also measured with precision more than four times better than the current world averages. The resulting values are $\frac{\tau_{\Xi_b^0}}{\tau_{\Lambda_b^0}} = 1.006\pm0.018\pm0.010$, $M(\Xi_b^0) - M(\Lambda_b^0) = 172.44\pm0.39\pm…
Seasonal cues to food scarcity and calorie cravings: Winter cues elicit preferences for energy-dense foods
2021
Abstract Winter cues signal a scarcity of food. Birds and mammals respond to such environmental cues by consuming more energy. They convert this surplus into body fat that serves as a buffer against impending food shortages. Similarly, humans exhibit higher obesity rates among food-insecure populations. However, to date, it has been unclear whether winter cues qualitatively affect consumers’ food preferences. Results from five studies ( N = 865), with one of them preregistered, show that watching videos depicting winter cues elicits thoughts about energy-dense foods and survival. Such cues elicit higher preferences for energy-dense than low-calorie foods, as verified by meta-analytic eviden…
Economic impact of mepolizumab in uncontrolled severe eosinophilic asthma, in real life
2021
Abstract Background and aims Severe asthma is burdened by frequent exacerbations and use of oral corticosteroids (OCS) which worsen patients’ health and increase healthcare spending. Aim of this study was to assess the clinical and economic effect of adding mepolizumab (MEP) for the treatment of these patients. Methods Patients >18 years old, referred to 8 asthma clinics, starting MEP between May 2017 and December 2018, were enrolled and followed-up for 12 months. Information in the 12 months before mepolizumab were collected retrospectively. The evaluation parameters included: OCS use, number of exacerbations/hospitalizations, concomitant therapies, comorbidity, and annual number of workin…