Mouse models of neurodegenerative disease: preclinical imaging and neurovascular component.

Neurodegenerative diseases represent great challenges for basic science and clinical medicine because of their prevalence, pathologies, lack of mechanism-based treatments, and impacts on individuals. Translational research might contribute to the study of neurodegenerative diseases. The mouse has become a key model for studying disease mechanisms that might recapitulate in part some aspects of the corresponding human diseases. Neurode- generative disorders are very complicated and multifacto- rial. This has to be taken in account when testing drugs. Most of the drugs screening in mice are very di cult to be interpretated and often useless. Mouse models could be condiderated a ‘pathway models’, rather than as models for the whole complicated construct that makes a human disease. Non-invasive in vivo imaging in mice has gained increasing interest in preclinical research in the last years thanks to the availability of high-resolution single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), high eld Magnetic resonance, Optical Imaging scanners and of highly speci c contrast agents. Behavioral test are useful tool to characterize di erent ani- mal models of neurodegenerative pathology. Furthermore, many authors have observed vascular pathological features associated to the di erent neurodegenerative disorders. Aim of this review is to focus on the di erent existing animal models of neurodegenerative disorders, describe behavioral tests and preclinical imaging techniques used for diagnose and describe the vascular pathological features associated to these diseases

Territories still to find - the business of hotel internationalisation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present directions for researching “new territories” by systematically reviewing contemporary research in the area of hotel internationalization. Design/methodology/approach Comprehensive analysis drawing on frameworks and debates in the international services management literature of research published over the period 1996‐2005 identifies approaches and results of hotel internationalization research. Work is organized into two broad categories: studies that relate hotel organizations to their external environments and those taking an internal perspective. This analysis is complemented by a short review of relevant demand and policy trends to ensure relevance of the critique. Findings Modal choice research has now reached a stage where it can provide greater depth of understanding in the relationships between this choice and organizational capabilities. Secondly, there has been a welcome increase in more internalised, qualitative research. Thirdly, while there have been some comparative industry studies more is encouraged as dialogue between researchers in different service (and manufacturing) industries will be of value as hotel internationalization meets new supply and demand conditions. Research limitations/implications Eclectic paradigms to be supplemented by more focused industry and comparative industry studies; internal, organization focused research must account for cultural diversity amongst new hotel developers, firms and customers to prevent parochialism or ethnocentrism; more specific work could explore policy dimensions. Practical implications The paper outlines some future trends which will affect the internationalization process and bases of competitiveness/competitive advantage of hotel companies. Originality/value Through a timely review of one of the first service businesses to internationalise the paper contributes to knowledge of hotel internationalization by a rigorous review of contemporary research and suggests a research compass for the future.</p

Cytokines as potential biomarkers for Parkinson's disease: A multiplex approach

Cytokines, which are immunological messengers facilitating both intra-and inter-system communication, are considered central players in the neuroinflammatory cascades associated with the neurodegenerative process in Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurological disorders. They have also been implicated in depression and other cognitive (e.g., memory impairment, dementia) and affective disturbances (e.g., anxiety) that show high co-morbidity with neurodegenerative diseases. As such, cytokines may hold great promise as serological biomarkers in PD, with potential applications ranging from early diagnosis and disease staging, to prognosis, drug discovery, and tracking the response to treatment. Subclassification or risk stratification in PD could be based (among other things) on reliably determined cytokine panel profiles or signatures of particular co-morbid disease states or at-risk groups (e.g., PD alone, PD with depression and/or dementia). Researchers and clinicians seeking to describe cytokine variations in health vs. disease will benefit greatly from technologies that allow a high degree of multiplexing and thus permit the simultaneous determination of a large roster of cytokines in single small-volume samples. The need for such highly paralleled assays is underscored by the fact that cytokines do not act in isolation but rather against a backdrop of complementary and antagonistic cytokine effects; ascribing valence to the actions of any one cytokine thus requires specific knowledge about the larger cytokine milieu. This chapter provides a technological overview of the major cytokine multiplex assay platforms before discussing the implications of such tools for biomarker discovery and related applications in PD and its depressive and cognitive co-morbidities

Territories still to find - the business of hotel internationalisation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present directions for researching “new territories” by systematically reviewing contemporary research in the area of hotel internationalization. Design/methodology/approach Comprehensive analysis drawing on frameworks and debates in the international services management literature of research published over the period 1996‐2005 identifies approaches and results of hotel internationalization research. Work is organized into two broad categories: studies that relate hotel organizations to their external environments and those taking an internal perspective. This analysis is complemented by a short review of relevant demand and policy trends to ensure relevance of the critique. Findings Modal choice research has now reached a stage where it can provide greater depth of understanding in the relationships between this choice and organizational capabilities. Secondly, there has been a welcome increase in more internalised, qualitative research. Thirdly, while there have been some comparative industry studies more is encouraged as dialogue between researchers in different service (and manufacturing) industries will be of value as hotel internationalization meets new supply and demand conditions. Research limitations/implications Eclectic paradigms to be supplemented by more focused industry and comparative industry studies; internal, organization focused research must account for cultural diversity amongst new hotel developers, firms and customers to prevent parochialism or ethnocentrism; more specific work could explore policy dimensions. Practical implications The paper outlines some future trends which will affect the internationalization process and bases of competitiveness/competitive advantage of hotel companies. Originality/value Through a timely review of one of the first service businesses to internationalise the paper contributes to knowledge of hotel internationalization by a rigorous review of contemporary research and suggests a research compass for the future.</p