Search results for "alternative"

New Alkaloids of the Sarpagine Group from Rauvolfia serpentina Hairy Root Culture

2002

Three new monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, 19(S),20(R)-dihydroperaksine (1), 19(S),20(R)-dihydroperaksine-17-al (2), and 10-hydroxy-19(S),20(R)-dihydroperaksine (3), along with 16 known alkaloids 4-19 were isolated from hairy root culture of Rauvolfia serpentina, and their structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR analyses. Taking into account the stereochemistry of the new alkaloids and results of preliminary enzymatical studies, the putative biosynthetical relationships between the novel alkaloids are discussed.

ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF AQUACULTURE INVESTMENTS UNDER CONDITIONS OF RISK AND UNCERTAINTY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

2014

This study aims to analyze, from a technical and ec onomic point of view, the choice between alternative investments in aquaculture under condit ions of risk and uncertainty. In particular, a comparative analysis has been conducted between an inshore and an offshore farm producing European sea bass in the Mediterranean Sea. The app lied model refers to the theory of subjective probability, assigning a different probability to e xpected incomes during the investment period. Resul ts show an economic convenience of inshore with respect to offshore farming.

Search for potential Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE)-inhibitors from plants

2001

MeOH extracts, fractions and pure substances from Musanga cecropioides, Cecropia species and Crataegus oxyacantha /C. monogyna were screened by using an in vitro bio-assay based on the inhibition of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE), as measured from the enzymatic cleavage of the chromophore-fluorophore-labelled substrate dansyltriglycine into dansylglycine and diglycine. Phenolic acids showed no significant ACE-inhibition whereas flavonoids and proanthocyanidins demonstrated inhibitory activity at 0.33 mg/ml using this test system.

Development of aDrosophila melanogasterspliceosensor system forin vivohigh-throughput screening in myotonic dystrophy type 1

2014

AbstractAlternative splicing of pre-mRNAs is an important mechanism that regulates cellular function in higher eukaryotes. A growing number of human genetic diseases involve splicing defects that are directly connected to their pathology. In myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), several clinical manifestations have been proposed to be the consequence of tissue-specific missplicing of numerous genes. These events are triggered by an RNA gain-of-function and resultant deregulation of specific RNA-binding factors, such as the nuclear sequestration of muscleblind-like family factors (MBNL1-MBNL3). Thus, the identification of chemical modulators of splicing events could lead to the development of the…

Medicinal Plants from Near East for Cancer Therapy.

2017

Background: Cancer is one of the major problems affecting public health worldwide. As other cultures, the populations of the Near East rely on medicinal herbs and their preparations to fight cancer. Methods: We compiled data derived from historical ethnopharmacological information as well as in vitro and in vivo results and clinical findings extracted from different literature databases including (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) during the past two decades. Results: In this survey, we analyzed the huge amount of data available on anticancer ethnopharmacological sources used in the Near East. Medicinal herbs are the most dominant ethnopharmacological formula used among ca…

Dscam1 Is Required for Normal Dendrite Growth and Branching But Not for Dendritic Spacing in Drosophila Motoneurons

2014

Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule, Dscam, serves diverse neurodevelopmental functions, including axon guidance and synaptic adhesion, as well as self-recognition and self-avoidance, depending on the neuron type, brain region, or species under investigation. InDrosophila, the extensive molecular diversity that results from alternative splicing of Dscam1 into >38,000 isoforms provides neurons with a unique molecular code for self-recognition in the nervous system. Each neuron produces only a small subset of Dscam1 isoforms, and distinct Dscam1 isoforms mediate homophilic interactions, which in turn, result in repulsion and even spacing of self-processes, while allowing contact with neig…

Induction of Neuronal Differentiation in Neurosphere Stem Cells by Ellagic Acid Derivatives

2009

A bioassay-guided fractionation of methanol extracts of stem barks, combined with screening based on Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF)-responsive neural stem cells (erNSCs) differentiation assay, has been used. This study resulted in the isolation of 3,3′-di- O-methylellagic acid 1, 3,3′-di- O-methyl ellagic acid-4- O-β-D-xylopyranoside 2, ellagic acid 3, and arjunolic acid 4. Among them, compounds 1 and 2 exhibit potent induction of neuronal differentiation in neurosphere stem cells with no cytotoxic effect. These results indicate that compounds 1 and 2 may be useful as pharmacological agents for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. These compounds may account, for the use of T. super…

Generation and function of the soluble interleukin-6 receptor

1999

Diterpenoids from Tetraclinis articulata that Inhibit Various Human Leukocyte Functions

2003

Ten new compounds, eight of them pimarane derivatives (1-8), together with a menthane dimer (9) and a totarane diterpenoid (10), were isolated from the leaves and wood of Tetraclinis articulata. The structures of 1-10 were established by using spectroscopic techniques, including 2D NMR spectra. Pimaranes 1-5 were found to possess an unusual cis interannular union of the B and C rings, which, from a biogenetic perspective, could be derived from the hydration of a carbocation at C-8. Compounds 4-6 and a mixture of 7 and 11 modulated different human leukocyte functions at a concentration of 10 microM, mainly the degranulation process measured as myeloperoxidase release and, to a lesser extent,…

Submitting “Alternative Facts” to Debate: A Weberian Perspective on Post-truth Politics

2018

'Oxford Dictionaries' chose “post-truth” as the “Word of the Year 2016”, while the association of German linguists (Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache) did the same for '“postfaktische Politik'”. “Alternative facts”, launched by Kellyanne Conway concerning the attendance at Donald Trump’s inaugural, was a third variant in this cluster. In this article, I shall discuss Max Weber’s parliamentary perspective on the critique of given facts and of the powers of science in relation to the debates around post-truth politics. A critical assessment of Leo Strauss’s critique of Weber as a nihilist and relativist introduces the problematic. One aim of the article is to illustrate how even trivial sloga…