Search results for "Spar"
showing 10 items of 1739 documents
Does EU cohesion policy work? Theory and evidence
2017
This paper evaluates the effectiveness of European Cohesion Policy in the regions of 12 EU countries in the period 1991–2008, on the basis of a spatial growth model, which allows for the identification of both direct and indirect effects of EU funds on GDP per worker growth. We find that “Objective 1” funds are characterized by strong spatial externalities and a positive and concave effect on the growth of GDP per worker, which reaches a peak at the ratio funds/GDP of approximately 3 percent and becomes non-significant after 4 percent. “Objective 2” and “Cohesion” funds have nonsignificant effects, while all the other funds exert a positive and significant effect, but their size is very lim…
Exploring the application of blockchain to humanitarian supply chains: insights from Humanitarian Supply Blockchain pilot project
2021
PurposeSome studies and reports have recently suggested using blockchain technology to improve transparency and trust in humanitarian supply chains (HSCs). However, evidence-based studies to display the utility and applicability of blockchains in HSCs are missing in the literature. This paper aims to investigate the key drivers and barriers of blockchain application to HSCs and explore whether evidence could support that the application of blockchain improves transparency and trust in HSCs.Design/methodology/approachThis paper puts forward a two-stage approach to explore the blockchain application in HSCs: an initial exploration of humanitarian practitioners and academicians interested in b…
Evaluation of an amino acid residue critical for the specificity and activity of human Gb3/CD77 synthase
2016
Human Gb3/CD77 synthase (α1,4-galactosyltransferase) is the only known glycosyltransferase that changes acceptor specificity because of a point mutation. The enzyme, encoded by A4GALT locus, is responsible for biosynthesis of Gal(α1–4)Gal moiety in Gb3 (CD77, Pk antigen) and P1 glycosphingolipids. We showed before that a single nucleotide substitution c.631C > G in the open reading frame of A4GALT, resulting in replacement of glutamine with glutamic acid at position 211 (substitution p. Q211E), broadens the enzyme acceptor specificity, so it can not only attach galactose to another galactose but also to N-acetylgalactosamine. The latter reaction leads to synthesis of NOR antigens, which are…
Evaluation of serum CA 125 levels in patients with pelvic pain related to endometriosis.
2007
The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical value of the serum CA 125 level for diagnosing and determining the severity of endometriosis and pelvic pain associated with endometriosis. Eighty-six women who underwent operative laparoscopy were enrolled. Sixty-nine women with endometriosis and 17 without endometriosis participated in this study. In all of the patients, endometriosis was diagnosed and classified into stages according to the Revised American Fertility Society (R-AFS) classification. The mean serum CA 125 levels were determined in each patient. We also investigated the relationship between serum CA 125 concentration and the intensity of dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia in t…
Hepatoprotective effects of extracts, fractions and compounds from the stem bark of Pentaclethra macrophylla Benth: Evidence from in vitro and in viv…
2021
Abstract Aim To identify the bioactive hepatoprotective components of the ethanol extract of Pentaclethra macrophylla stem bark using in vitro and in vivo approaches. Methods The bioguided-fractionation of the ethanol extract was based on the substances’ capacity to prevent in vitro, the lipid peroxidation of hepatocytes’ membranes induced by hydrogen peroxide. For the in vivo hepatoprotective test, mice were treated orally with the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction of the ethanol extract at doses of 50 and 75 mg/kg/day for one week and subjected to d -galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide (GaIN/LPS)-induced hepatotoxicity. Blood samples were collected for alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), aspartate…
Effect of Jasonia glutinosa on immune and oxidative status of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.).
2020
Jasonia glutinosa (rock-tea, RT) has numerous biological activities. In the present work, the beneficial effects of dietary RT on gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) were studied. Fish fed experimental diets containing 0 (control), 10 or 30% of RT for 15 and 30 days. Samples from skin mucus, blood, head kidney, liver and gut were obtained at 15 and 30 days. The antioxidant properties from RT were analysed such as the antioxidant capacity and phenolic content. The heat shock protein 70 level (HSP70) and the total oxidized proteins were evaluated on skin mucus as stress markers. Immune parameters, both humoral (peroxidase activity, immunoglobulin M levels and complement activity) and cellula…
Common extracellular matrix regulation of myeloid cell activity in the bone marrow and tumor microenvironments
2017
The complex interaction between cells undergoing transformation and the various stromal and immunological cell components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) crucially influences cancer progression and diversification, as well as endowing clinical and prognostic significance. The immunosuppression characterizing the TME depends on the recruitment and activation of different cell types including regulatory T cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and tumor-associated macrophages. Less considered is the non-cellular component of the TME. Here, we focus on the extracellular matrix (ECM) regulatory activities that, within the TME, actively contribute to many aspects of tumor progression, acti…
The secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine is a critical mediator of cell death program induced by WIN/TRAIL combined treatment in osteosarcoma…
2015
Abstract Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a multi-functional protein which modulates cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. In cancer cells, SPARC behaves as a tumor promoter in a number of tumors, but it can also act as a tumor suppressor factor. Our previous results showed that the synthetic cannabinoid WIN55,212-2 (WIN), a potent cannabinoid receptor agonist, is able to sensitize osteosarcoma MG63 cells to TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis which is accompanied with endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress induction and the increase in autophagic markers. In the present investigation, we studied the role of SPARC in WIN/TRAIL-induced apoptosi…
Marinomonas spartinae sp. nov., a novel species with plant-beneficial properties.
2016
Two strains of Gram-stain-negative, chemo-organotrophic, aerobic and halophilic gammaproteobacteria, isolated from within the stem and roots of Spartina maritima in salt marshes from the south Atlantic Spanish coast, were found to represent a novel species in the genus Marinomonas through phylogenetic analysis of their 16S rRNA genes and phenotypic characterization. 16S rRNA gene sequences of the two strains shared < 96.2 % similarity with other Marinomonas species, with Marimonas alcarazii being the most similar in sequence. They required sodium ions for growth, were able to thrive at low (4 °C) temperatures and at salinities of 12–15 %, were unable to hydrolyse any tested macromolecule ex…
The activation of NMDA receptors alters the structural dynamics of the spines of hippocampal interneurons
2017
N-Methyl-d-Aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are present in both pyramidal neurons and interneurons of the hippocampus. These receptors play a key role in the structural plasticity of excitatory neurons, but to date little is known about their influence on the remodeling of interneurons. Among hippocampal interneurons, the somatostatin expressing cells in the CA1 stratum oriens are of special interest because of their functional importance and structural characteristics: they display dendritic spines, which change their density in response to different stimuli. In order to understand the role of NMDAR activation on the structural dynamics of the spines of somatostatin expressing interneurons in …