93 research outputs found
N-Acetyl Cysteine May Support Dopamine Neurons in Parkinson\u27s Disease: Preliminary Clinical and Cell Line Data.
BACKGOUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the biological and clinical effects of n-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) in Parkinson\u27s disease (PD).
METHODS: The overarching goal of this pilot study was to generate additional data about potentially protective properties of NAC in PD, using an in vitro and in vivo approach. In preparation for the clinical study we performed a cell tissue culture study with human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived midbrain dopamine (mDA) neurons that were treated with rotenone as a model for PD. The primary outcome in the cell tissue cultures was the number of cells that survived the insult with the neurotoxin rotenone. In the clinical study, patients continued their standard of care and were randomized to receive either daily NAC or were a waitlist control. Patients were evaluated before and after 3 months of receiving the NAC with DaTscan to measure dopamine transporter (DAT) binding and the Unified Parkinson\u27s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) to measure clinical symptoms.
RESULTS: The cell line study showed that NAC exposure resulted in significantly more mDA neurons surviving after exposure to rotenone compared to no NAC, consistent with the protective effects of NAC previously observed. The clinical study showed significantly increased DAT binding in the caudate and putamen (mean increase ranging from 4.4% to 7.8%; p
CONCLUSIONS: The results of this preliminary study demonstrate for the first time a potential direct effect of NAC on the dopamine system in PD patients, and this observation may be associated with positive clinical effects. A large-scale clinical trial to test the therapeutic efficacy of NAC in this population and to better elucidate the mechanism of action is warranted.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02445651
Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) and their applications [forthcoming]
Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) and Their Application
CONVERGENCE OF SET-VALUED MAPPINGS: EQUI-OUTER SEMICONTINUITY â€
Abstract. The concept of equi-outer semicontinuity allows us to relate the pointwise and the graphical convergence of set-valued-mappings. One of the main results is a compactness criterion that extends the classical Arzelà -Ascolì Theorem for continuous functions to this new setting; it also leads to the exploration of the notion of continuous convergence. Equi-lower semicontinuity of functions is related to the outer semicontinuity of epigraphical mappings. Finally, some examples involving set-valued mappings are reexamined in terms of the concepts introduced here
The Self-Discovery Programme for children with special educational needs in mainstream primary and secondary schools: an exploratory study
Comparison of Gamma-ray Spectrometry and Delayed Neutron Counting for Determination of Uranium.
A frame-shifted gene, which rescued its function by non-natural start codons and its application in constructing synthetic gene circuits
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