181 research outputs found
Polymers, Encapsulation, and Artifical Organs (Report on Session 26.0)
Artificial Organs " at the Fourth International Symposium on Neurotransplantation consisted of five presentations examining the possibility that polymer capsules with or without cells could have therapeutic application for various neurological diseases. Dr. Robert Langer of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology provided an introduction to the use of polymers as systems for controlled release, long-term drug delivery/4/. Some of these systems are currently in use for the treatment of ophthalmic diseases, tobacco addiction, and birth control, and can continuously release drugs for over one year. Of interest is the use of these slow releasing polymers for delivering drugs and chemical
An Evaluation of the Possible Protective Effects of Neonatal Striatal Transplants Against Kainic Acid-Induced Lesions
The present study examined the recent report
that transplantation of neonatal striatal tissue
into kainic acid (KA) lesioned striatum protected
the contralateral striatum from a subsequent KA
lesion. We did not find a significant difference in
the survival rate of animals that received
neonatal striatal transplants into a KA lesioned
striatum followed by a subsequent lesion of the
contralateral striatum compared to those
animals that received bilateral KA-induced
striatal lesions alone. The tissue transplants did
not protect against the degeneration of striatal
neurons induced by KA. Indeed, the survival
rate was very low (25%) in the transplant groups.
A second experiment was also performed to
examine whether a neonatal striatal transplant
might reduce the severe syndrome of aphagia
and adipsia associated with KA lesions of the
striatum. Animals that received the neonatal
striatal transplants showed increased aphagia
and adipsia compared to animals only receiving
the KA lesion. Again, the transplant group had a
very low survival rate (10%). The present study
was unable to confirm that neonatal striatal
transplants protect against KA lesions either by
themselves or in conjunction with a recent KA
lesion
Changing the academic culture: Valuing patents and commercialization toward tenure and career advancement
There is national and international recognition of the importance of innovation, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship for sustained economic revival. With the decline of industrial research laboratories in the United States, research universities are being asked to play a central role in our knowledge-centered economy by the technology transfer of their discoveries, innovations, and inventions. In response to this challenge, innovation ecologies at and around universities are starting to change. However, the change has been slow and limited. The authors believe this can be attributed partially to a lack of change in incentives for the central stakeholder, the faculty member. The authors have taken the position that universities should expand their criteria to treat patents, licensing, and commercialization activity by faculty as an important consideration for merit, tenure, and career advancement, along with publishing, teaching, and service. This position is placed in a historical context with a look at the history of tenure in the United States, patents, and licensing at universities, the current status of university tenure and career advancement processes, and models for the future
Human Umbilical Cord Blood Treatment in a Mouse Model of ALS: Optimization of Cell Dose
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a multicausal disease characterized by motor neuron degeneration in the spinal cord and brain. Cell therapy may be a promising new treatment for this devastating disorder. We recently showed that a single low dose (10(6) cells) of mononuclear human umbilical cord blood (MNC hUCB) cells administered intravenously to G93A mice delayed symptom progression and modestly prolonged lifespan. The aim of this pre-clinical translation study is to optimize the dose of MNC hUCB cells to retard disease progression in G93A mice. Three different doses of MNC hUCB cells, 10x10(6), 25x10(6) and 50x10(6), were administered intravenously into pre-symptomatic G93A mice. Motor function tests and various assays to determine cell effects were performed on these mice.Our results showed that a cell dose of 25x10(6) cells significantly increased lifespan of mice by 20-25% and delayed disease progression by 15%. The most beneficial effect on decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines in the brain and spinal cord was found in this group of mice. Human Th2 cytokines were found in plasma of mice receiving 25x10(6) cells, although prevalent human Th1 cytokines were indicated in mice with 50x10(6) cells. High response of splenic cells to mitogen (PHA) was indicated in mice receiving 25x10(6) (mainly) and 10x10(6) cells. Significantly increased lymphocytes and decreased neutrophils in the peripheral blood were found only in animals receiving 25x10(6) cells. Stable reduction in microglia density in both cervical and lumbar spinal cords was also noted in mice administered with 25x10(6) cells.These results demonstrate that treatment for ALS with an appropriate dose of MNC hUCB cells may provide a neuroprotective effect for motor neurons through active involvement of these cells in modulating the host immune inflammatory system response
Aspectos Socioambientais da Produção PecuĂĄria e AgrĂcola nas Bacias dos Rios do Peixe, Canoas e Pelotas - Santa Catarina.
Este trabalho busca caracterizar as principais formas de uso da terra nos 61 municĂpios compreendidos
pelas Bacias do Rio do Peixe, Canoas e Pelotas/SC. Este diagnĂłstico teve como finalidade subsidiar
um plano de gestĂŁo dos recursos hĂdricos superficiais das referidas bacias. A metodologia envolveu
além da revisão bibliogråfica, a utilização de imagens produto de sensoriamento remoto Landsat
TM_05 e CBERS_2 e trabalhos de campo. Também foram resgatados dados sobre a população,
produção pecuĂĄria, de suĂnos, bovinos e aves e, principais lavouras (permanentes e temporĂĄrias). Os
resultados indicam para uso da terra, 34,80% de matas, 31,53% de campos e pastagens, 19,35% de
cultivos, 12,53% de silvicultura, 1,15% de corpos dâĂĄgua e 0,64% de ĂĄreas urbanas. A dispersĂŁo
espacial da criação de suĂnos e aves concentra-se na Bacia do Rio do Peixe e a de bovinos estĂĄ
dispersa nas 3 bacias. Considerando a agricultura temporĂĄria, a cultura do milho acumula maior
produção na bacia do Rio do Peixe e estĂĄ associado Ă criação de suĂnos e aves. Com relação Ă
agricultura permanente, destaca-se a produção de uva na Bacia do Rio do Peixe e de maçã nas Bacias
dos Rios Canoas e Pelotas. Principalmente nestas, registrou-se um aumento da silvicultura do Pinus
entre 1990 e 2010, quando a ĂĄrea total passou de 184.073 para 370.035 hectares. A gestĂŁo dos recursos
hĂdricos superficiais e subterrĂąneos das bacias deverĂĄ considerar as ĂĄreas de ocorrĂȘncia das respectivas
produçÔes
Parametric amplification with weak-link nonlinearity in superconducting microresonators
Nonlinear kinetic inductance in a high Q superconducting coplanar waveguide
microresonator can cause a bifurcation of the resonance curve. Near the
critical pumping power and frequency for bifurcation, large parametric gain is
observed for signals in the frequency band near resonance. We show experimental
results on signal and intermodulation gain which are well described by a theory
of the parametric amplification based on a Kerr nonlinearity. Phase dependent
gain, or signal squeezing, is verified with a homodyne detection scheme.Comment: Submitted to Physica Scripta, topical issue: Nobel Symposium on
Quantum Bits, 2009. 10 pages, 5 figures. Version 2 contains a few new
sentences about the current-phase relation of weak link
Proliferative Hypothalamic Neurospheres Express NPY, AGRP, POMC, CART and Orexin-A and Differentiate to Functional Neurons
Some pathological conditions with feeding pattern alterations, including obesity and Huntington disease (HD) are associated with hypothalamic dysfunction and neuronal cell death. Additionally, the hypothalamus is a neurogenic region with the constitutive capacity to generate new cells of neuronal lineage, in adult rodents
Lithium chloride therapy fails to improve motor function in a transgenic mouse model of Machado-Joseph disease
The accumulation of misfolded proteins in neurons, leading to the formation of cytoplasmic and nuclear aggregates, is a common theme in age-related neurodegenerative diseases, possibly due to disturbances of the proteostasis and insufficient activity of cellular protein clearance pathways. Lithium is a well-known autophagy inducer that exerts neuroprotective effects in different conditions and has been proposed as a promising therapeutic agent for several neurodegenerative diseases. We tested the efficacy of chronic lithium 10.4 mg/kg) treatment in a transgenic mouse model of Machado-Joseph disease, an inherited neurodegenerative disease, caused by an expansion of a polyglutamine tract within the protein ataxin-3. A battery of behavioral tests was used to assess disease progression. In spite of activating autophagy, as suggested by the increased levels of Beclin-1, Atg7, and LC3II, and a reduction in the p62 protein levels, lithium administration showed no overall beneficial effects in this model concerning motor performance, showing a positive impact only in the reduction of tremors at 24 weeks of age. Our results do not support lithiumchronic treatment as a promising strategy for the treatment of Machado-Joseph disease (MJD).FCT -Fundação para a CiĂȘncia e a Tecnologia(SFRH/BD/51059/2010
Clinical Cell Therapy Guidelines for Neurorestoration (IANR/CANR 2017)
Cell therapy has been shown to be a key clinical therapeutic option for central nervous system diseases or damage. Standardization of clinical cell therapy procedures is an important task for professional associations devoted to cell therapy. The Chinese Branch of the International Association of Neurorestoratology (IANR) completed the first set of guidelines governing the clinical application of neurorestoration in 2011. The IANR and the Chinese Association of Neurorestoratology (CANR) collaborated to propose the current version "Clinical Cell Therapy Guidelines for Neurorestoration (IANR/CANR 2017)". The IANR council board members and CANR committee members approved this proposal on September 1, 2016, and recommend it to clinical practitioners of cellular therapy. These guidelines include items of cell type nomenclature, cell quality control, minimal suggested cell doses, patient-informed consent, indications for undergoing cell therapy, contraindications for undergoing cell therapy, documentation of procedure and therapy, safety evaluation, efficacy evaluation, policy of repeated treatments, do not charge patients for unproven therapies, basic principles of cell therapy, and publishing responsibility
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