The Extended Information Systems Success Measurement Model: e-Learning Perspective

This study investigated the crucial factors for measuring the success of the information system used in the e-learning process, considering the transformations in the work environment. This study was motivated by the changes caused by COVID-19 witnessed after the shift to fully online learning environments supported by e-learning systems, i.e., learning emphasized with information systems. Empirical research was conducted on a sample comprising teaching staff from two European universities: the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences in Serbia and the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco in Portugal. By synthesizing knowledge from review of the prior literature, supported by the findings of this study, the authors propose an Extended Information System Success Measurement Model—EISSMM. EISSMM underlines the importance of workforce agility, which includes the factors of proactivity, adaptability, and resistance to change, in the information system performance measurement model. The results of our research provide more extensive evidence and findings for scholars and practitioners that could support measuring information system success primarily in e-learning and other various contextual settings, highlighting the importance of people’s responses to work environment changes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The use of scaffolds in dental regenerative medicine

Scaffolds are defined as three-dimension porous solid biomaterials designed to perform some or all of the following functions: -promote cell-biomaterial interactions, cell adhesion, and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition -permit sufficient transport of gases, nutrients, and regulatory factors to allow cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation -biodegrade at a controllable rate that approximates the rate of tissue regeneration under the culture conditions of interest, and -provoke a minimal degree of inflammation or toxicity in vivo.  Scaffolds can be used as replacements for diseased or damaged tissues. Their role is to provide support for delivering cells and/or growth factors to the proposed site of tissue regeneration. THE AIM of this review was to describe the current types of scaffolds and evaluate their use in combination with stem cells for tissue engineering application

Craterellus cornucopioides Edible Mushroom as Source of Biologically Active Compounds

© The Author(s) 2019 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions Here we determined the phenolic compounds and antioxidant, antimicrobial, genotoxic, and anticancer potential of edible mushrooms Craterellus cornucopioides. The phytochemical analysis was evaluated using high-performance liquid chromatography. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by free radical scavenging, superoxide anion scavenging, and reducing power. Craterellus cornucopioides extract had potent antioxidant activity. Further, the antimicrobial potential was determined by a microdilution method, where minimum inhibitory concentration values ranged from 0.1 to 10 mg/mL. Genotoxic potential was determined by cytokinesis block micronucleus test. The separate treatment did not show genotoxic effect, whereas the combined treatment with mitomycin C significantly reduced the micronuclei frequency in a dose-dependent manner. The highest concentration significantly reduced nuclear division index in comparison to untreated human peripheral blood lymphocytes, whereas in combined treatment, the extract did not significantly affect this parameter. Finally, the cytotoxic activity was tested using microculture tetrazolium test where measured IC50 values ranged from 65.5 to 131.7 μg/mL

Polyphenolic contents of Teucrium polium L. and Teucrium scordium L. associated with their protective effects against MMC-induced chromosomal damage in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes

© TÜBİTAK. Teucrium species have been used in traditional medicine for treatment of different diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate polyphenolic contents by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the genotoxic effect of methanolic extracts of Teucrium polium and Teucrium scordium using the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay on human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from healthy donors. The HPLC analysis showed that extracts consist of phenolic acid (gallic, vanillic, caffeic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric, sinapic) and flavonoids (catechin, rutin, myricetin, luteolin, quercetin and apigenin). Cultures were treated with extracts of both plants separately and in combinations with mitomycin C (MMC). In separate treatments, both herbal extracts significantly induced micronucleus (MN) frequency only at the highest concentrations. All concentrations of T. scordium, except the lowest, and all concentrations of T. polium extracts in combined treatment with MMC significantly reduced the frequency of MN. The extract of T. polium did not significantly affect the nuclear division index (NDI), whereas T. scordium in higher concentrations, separately and in combined treatment with MMC, significantly decreased the NDI value. Our results suggest that both herbal extracts in combination with MMC have antimutagenic (T. polium) and proapoptotic effects (T. scordium), which indicates their protective effects in PBLs

Investigation of biological activities and secondary metabolites of hydnum repandum acetone extract

© 2019, Romanian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences. All rights reserved. This study aimed to evaluate the biological activities and polyphenolic contents of the acetone extract of H. repandum mushroom. Polyphenolic compounds were evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The antioxidant activity was assessed by radical scavenging activity assays and reducing power. The antimicrobial activity was established based on the values of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) using microdilution method. Cytotoxic activity was determined by 3-4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). The genotoxic and antimutagenic activities were tested using cytokinesis block micronucleus (CBMN) assay on human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro. Among the determined polyphenolic compounds, ferulic acid and quercetin were mostly found. The extract showed high free radical scavenging activity, while the reducing power was less emphasized and concentration-dependent. The MIC fluctuated in a range of 0.009-10 mg/mL. The cytotoxic activity (based on IC50) ranged from 116.5 to 158.33 µg/mL, when HeLa cells were the most sensitive. The highest tested concentrations of the extract showed significant genotoxic activity, while against mitomycin C, the extract caused protective activity. The results indicated that H. repandum acetone extract contained secondary metabolites which showed biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, genotoxic and protective against chemotherapeutics, indicating that their inclusion in nutrition could be of great importance in the prevention and treatment of various pathological conditions

Ethyl acetate extracts of two Artemisia species: Analyses of phenolic profile and anticancer activities against SW-480 colon cancer cells

© The Author(s) 2019 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions Because Artemisia vulgaris L. and Artemisia alba Turra are traditional medicinal plants used for the treatment of different diseases, we evaluated the cytotoxic/apoptotic activity of ethyl acetate extracts from these natural products against human colon cancer cells SW-480. The extracts contained a large amount of the total polyphenols and flavonoids. The phenolic profile showed the presence of phenolic acids (gallic, p-coumaric, vanillic, and ferulic acids) and flavonoids (rutin, myricetin, luteolin, quercetin, and apigenin). 3-[4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay indicated that antiproliferative activities of both A. vulgaris and A. alba extracts increased with the extension of time exposure, with decreasing IC50 values. Mitomycin C (MMC) alone had antiproliferative activity, but in combination with plant extracts caused stronger effect with lower IC50 values. Flow cytometry analyses showed that A. alba extract induced higher percentage of SW-480 cells in the early stage of apoptosis (33.5 ± 1.6 vs 0.7 ± 0.1, P < 0.05), whereas the A. vulgaris extract significantly increased the percentage of cells in necrosis (82.4 ± 5.0 vs 53.9 ± 2.3, P < 0.05). In conclusion, A. alba extract can be considered a potential source of bioactive components with anticancer activity or be used as a dietary food supplement or supplement to chemotherapy due to its synergistic effect with the MMC

Putative application of Najas marina L. extracts as a source of bioactive compounds and their antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and genotoxic properties

In this research paper, the total phenols (TP), flavonoids (TF), and tannins (TT) content in the acetone and ethyl acetate extracts of Najas marina L. and the identification and quantification of phenolic acids and flavonoids from the ethyl acetate extract were performed. Antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antibiofilm properties of the mentioned extracts were investigated in vitro. The genotoxic potential was analyzed in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). The TP and TF content was higher in the ethyl acetate extract, dominated by quercetin (172.4 μg mg−1) and ferulic acid (22.74 μg mg−1), while the TT content was slightly higher in the acetone extract. Both extracts tested showed limited antioxidant effects compared to ascorbic acid. The strongest antibacterial activity was observed with Gram-positive bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus aureus (MIC and MMC at 0.31 mg ml−1) and S. aureus ATCC 25923 (MIC at <0.02 mg ml−1), while antifungal activity was limited. Both extracts tested showed better activity on preformed biofilms. Acetone extract had no genotoxic activity but showed significant genoprotective activity against mitomycin C-induced DNA damage in cultured PBLs. Results of our research demonstrate the potential for the development of plant-based antibacterial and biofilm agents.Publishe

Intraspinal Delivery of Polyethylene Glycol-coated Gold Nanoparticles Promotes Functional Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury

Failure of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) to regenerate effectively after injury leads to mostly irreversible functional impairment. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are promising candidates for drug delivery in combination with tissue-compatible reagents, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG). PEG administration in CNS injury models has received interest for potential therapy, but toxicity and low bioavailability prevents clinical application. Here we show that intraspinal delivery of PEG-functionalized 40-nm-AuNPs at early stages after mouse spinal cord injury is beneficial for recovery. Positive outcome of hind limb motor function was accompanied by attenuated inflammatory response, enhanced motor neuron survival, and increased myelination of spared or regrown/sprouted axons. No adverse effects, such as body weight loss, ill health, or increased mortality were observed. We propose that PEG-AuNPs represent a favorable drug-delivery platform with therapeutic potential that could be further enhanced if PEG-AuNPs are used as carriers of regeneration-promoting molecules

Le patrimoine de l’immigration en France et en Europe : enjeu social et culturel The heritage of immigration in France and Europe - social and cultural issues

Acteur important du processus de sauvetage de la mémoire de l’immigration et d’écriture de son histoire depuis sa création en 1987, l’association Génériques organise un colloque à dimension européenne sur le thème du patrimoine de l’immigration. Il aura lieu les 10 et 11 décembre 2012 à la Maison de l'Europe à Paris. Ce colloque a pour objectif non seulement de développer la connaissance sur le patrimoine de l’immigration mais aussi d’interroger et de croiser les pratiques de ceux et celles qui y travaillent au niveau local, national, transnational et européen (associations, pouvoirs publics, acteurs culturels, institutions patrimoniales, chercheurs...). Les communications organisées autour de tables rondes présenteront des pistes de réflexion, d’analyse, ainsi que des expériences de terrain afin de contribuer à définir l’état des recherches sur les enjeux du patrimoine de l’immigration et sur la place de l’immigration dans les politiques de patrimonialisation en France et en Europe