3,488 research outputs found
Sea turtles : University of Florida – University of the Azores connection 1984 – present. A review
The loggerhead (Caretta caretta) is the most common sea turtle in the Azores. Since they do not nest in the area, a tagging program was started in the 1980’s to try to discover their origin. The result based on size distribution, suggested that they mainly are coming from beaches in SE United States. A collaboration between University of Florida and the University of the Azores began in 1984 in order to proceed with further research.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
TLR4-pathway impairs synaptic number and cerebrovascular functions through astrocyte activation following traumatic brain injury
Background and purpose: Activation of astrocytes contributes to synaptic remodelling, tissue repair and neuronal survival following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The mechanisms by which these cells interact to resident/infiltrated inflammatory cells to rewire neuronal networks and repair brain functions remain poorly understood. Here, we explored how TLR4-induced astrocyte activation modified synapses and cerebrovascular integrity following TBI.
Experimental approach: To determine how functional astrocyte alterations induced by activation of TLR4 pathway in inflammatory cells regulate synapses and neurovascular integrity after TBI, we used pharmacology, genetic approaches, live calcium imaging, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity assessment and molecular and behavioural methods.
Key results: Shortly after a TBI, there is a recruitment of excitable and reactive astrocytes mediated by TLR4 pathway activation with detrimental effects on post-synaptic density-95 (PSD-95)/vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1) synaptic puncta, BBB integrity and neurological outcome. Pharmacological blockage of the TLR4 pathway with resatorvid (TAK-242) partially reversed many of the observed effects. Synapses and BBB recovery after resatorvid administration were not observed in IP3 R2-/- mice, indicating that effects of TLR4 inhibition depend on the subsequent astrocyte activation. In addition, TBI increased the astrocytic-protein thrombospondin-1 necessary to induce a synaptic recovery in a sub-acute phase.
Conclusions and implications: Our data demonstrate that TLR4-mediated signalling, most probably through microglia and/or infiltrated monocyte-astrocyte communication, plays a crucial role in the TBI pathophysiology and that its inhibition prevents synaptic loss and BBB damage accelerating tissue recovery/repair, which might represent a therapeutic potential in CNS injuries and disorders.This work was supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (Programa Miguel Servet II Grants CPII19/00005;PI16/00735; PI19/00082 to JE; and PI18/00357 to DC, partiallyfunded by FEDER - European Union ‘Una manera de hacer Europa’) and Fundación Mutua Madrileña to JE; European Union's Horizon2020 research and innovation programme under the H2020 MarieSkłodowska-Curie Actions grant agreement no. 794926 and StopFuga de Cerebros Roche Pharma to JMR; and Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación RTI2018-094887-B-I00 and RYC-2016-20414 to MN andRYC2019-026870-I to JMR. DC, MCO, VVS and EFL are hired bySESCAM
Opinion dynamics: models, extensions and external effects
Recently, social phenomena have received a lot of attention not only from
social scientists, but also from physicists, mathematicians and computer
scientists, in the emerging interdisciplinary field of complex system science.
Opinion dynamics is one of the processes studied, since opinions are the
drivers of human behaviour, and play a crucial role in many global challenges
that our complex world and societies are facing: global financial crises,
global pandemics, growth of cities, urbanisation and migration patterns, and
last but not least important, climate change and environmental sustainability
and protection. Opinion formation is a complex process affected by the
interplay of different elements, including the individual predisposition, the
influence of positive and negative peer interaction (social networks playing a
crucial role in this respect), the information each individual is exposed to,
and many others. Several models inspired from those in use in physics have been
developed to encompass many of these elements, and to allow for the
identification of the mechanisms involved in the opinion formation process and
the understanding of their role, with the practical aim of simulating opinion
formation and spreading under various conditions. These modelling schemes range
from binary simple models such as the voter model, to multi-dimensional
continuous approaches. Here, we provide a review of recent methods, focusing on
models employing both peer interaction and external information, and
emphasising the role that less studied mechanisms, such as disagreement, has in
driving the opinion dynamics. [...]Comment: 42 pages, 6 figure
Symphytum Species: A Comprehensive Review on Chemical Composition, Food Applications and Phytopharmacology
Symphytum species belongs to the Boraginaceae family and have been used for centuries for
bone breakages, sprains and rheumatism, liver problems, gastritis, ulcers, skin problems, joint pain
and contusions, wounds, gout, hematomas and thrombophlebitis. Considering the innumerable
potentialities of the Symphytum species and their widespread use in the world, it is extremely
important to provide data compiling the available literature to identify the areas of intense research
and the main gaps in order to design future studies. The present review aims at summarizing the
main data on the therapeutic indications of the Symphytum species based on the current evidence,
also emphasizing data on both the e cacy and adverse e ects. The present review was carried
out by consulting PubMed (Medline), Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Database, Science
Direct and Google Scholar (as a search engine) databases to retrieve the most updated articles on this
topic. All articles were carefully analyzed by the authors to assess their strengths and weaknesses,
and to select the most useful ones for the purpose of review, prioritizing articles published from 1956
to 2018. The pharmacological e ects of the Symphytum species are attributed to several chemical
compounds, among them allantoin, phenolic compounds, glycopeptides, polysaccharides and some
toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Not less important to highlight are the risks associated with its use.
In fact, there is increasing consumption of over-the-counter drugs, which when associated with
conventional drugs can cause serious and even fatal adverse events. Although clinical trials sustain
the folk topical application of Symphytum species in musculoskeletal and blunt injuries, with minor
adverse e ects, its antimicrobial potency was still poorly investigated. Further studies are needed to
assess the antimicrobial spectrum of Symphytum species and to characterize the active molecules both
in vitro and in vivo
Evaluation of Surface Roughness and Bacterial Adhesion on Tooth Enamel Irradiated With High Intensity Lasers
The global threat of antimicrobial resistance: science for intervention
In the last decade we have witnessed a dramatic increase in the proportion and absolute number of bacterial pathogens resistant to multiple antibacterial agents. Multidrug-resistant bacteria are currently considered as an emergent global disease and a major public health problem. The B-Debate meeting brought together renowned experts representing the main stakeholders (i.e. policy makers, public health authorities, regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical companies and the scientific community at large) to review the global threat of antibiotic resistance and come up with a coordinated set of strategies to fight antimicrobial resistance in a multifaceted approach. We summarize the views of the B-Debate participants regarding the current situation of antimicrobial resistance in animals and the food chain, within the community and the healthcare setting as well as the role of the environment and the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, providing expert recommendations to tackle the global threat of antimicrobial resistance
Obscured Activity: AGN, Quasars, Starbursts and ULIGs observed by the Infrared Space Observatory
Some of the most active galaxies in the Universe are obscured by large
quantities of dust and emit a substantial fraction of their bolometric
luminosity in the infrared. Observations of these infrared luminous galaxies
with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) have provided a relatively unabsorbed
view to the sources fuelling this active emission. The improved sensitivity,
spatial resolution and spectroscopic capability of ISO over its predecessor
Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), has enabled significant advances in the
understanding of the infrared properties of active galaxies. ISO surveyed a
wide range of active galaxies which, in the context of this review, includes
those powered by intense bursts of star-formation as well as those containing a
dominant active galactic nucleus (AGN). Mid infrared imaging resolved for the
first time the dust enshrouded nuclei in many nearby galaxies, while a new era
in infrared spectroscopy was opened by probing a wealth of atomic, ionic and
molecular lines as well as broad band features in the mid and far infrared.
This was particularly useful since it resulted in the understanding of the
power production, excitation and fuelling mechanisms in the nuclei of active
galaxies including the intriguing but so far elusive ultraluminous infrared
galaxies. Detailed studies of various classes of AGN and quasars greatly
improved our understanding of the unification scenario. Far-infrared imaging
and photometry also revealed the presence of a new very cold dust component in
galaxies and furthered our knowledge of the far-infrared properties of faint
starbursts, ULIGs and quasars. We summarise almost nine years of key results
based upon ISO data spanning the full range of luminosity and type of active
galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in 'ISO science legacy - a compact review of
ISO major achievements', Space Science Reviews - dedicated ISO issue. To be
published by Springer in 2005. 62 pages (low resolution figures version).
Higher resolution PDFs available from
http://users.physics.uoc.gr/~vassilis/papers/VermaA.pdf or
http://www.iso.vilspa.esa.es/science/SSR/Verma.pd
Search for short baseline nu(e) disappearance with the T2K near detector
8 pages, 6 figures, submitted to PRD rapid communication8 pages, 6 figures, submitted to PRD rapid communicationWe thank the J-PARC staff for superb accelerator performance and the CERN NA61 collaboration for providing valuable particle production data. We acknowledge the support of MEXT, Japan; NSERC, NRC and CFI, Canada; Commissariat `a l’Energie Atomique and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique–Institut National de Physique Nucle´aire et de Physique des Particules, France; DFG, Germany; INFN, Italy; National Science Centre (NCN), Poland; Russian Science Foundation, RFBR and Ministry of Education and Science, Russia; MINECO and European Regional Development Fund, Spain; Swiss National Science Foundation and State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, Switzerland; STFC, UK; and DOE, USA. We also thank CERN for the UA1/NOMAD magnet, DESY for the HERA-B magnet mover system, NII for SINET4, the WestGrid and SciNet consortia in Compute Canada, GridPP, UK. In addition participation of individual researchers and institutions has been further supported by funds from ERC (FP7), EU; JSPS, Japan; Royal Society, UK; DOE Early Career program, USA
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