Direct reprogramming of induced neural progenitors: a new promising strategy for AD treatment

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a prominent form of dementia, characterized by aggregation of the amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, loss of synapses and neurons, and degeneration of cognitive functions. Currently, although a variety of medications can relieve some of the symptoms, there is no cure for AD. Recent breakthroughs in the stem cell field provide promising strategies for AD treatment. Stem cells including embryonic stem cells (ESCs), neural stem cells (NSCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are potentials for AD treatment. However, the limitation of cell sources, safety issues, and ethical issues restrict their applications in AD. Recently, the direct reprogramming of induced neural progenitor cells (iNPCs) has shed light on the treatment of AD. In this review, we will discuss the latest progress, challenges, and potential applications of direct reprogramming in AD treatment

A Influência do Preço dos Hortifrutícolas no IPCA: uma análise por meio da curva de Phillips

Supply shocks have frequently been related to the behavior of inflation. Those shocks are in general measured by changes in commodity prices (minerals, oil, agricultural commodities, etc.). The objective of this paper is to examine the influence of supply shocks caused by changes in prices of horticultural products (perishable with short cycles) exert in the Brazilian inflation. Although not quite studied academically, this process has popularly been associated with important variations on the IPCA index. To deal with this process, a Phillips curve, following New Keynesians principles, based on the semi structural model of small size by the Brazilian Central Bank and the estimation method used was Auto-regression with Vector Error Correction (VEC) in its structural version. The results show that there is evidence that the prices of horticultural products may have a considerable participation in the IPCA and inflation expectations variations and their shocks produce effects that persist for several months in the trajectory of these two variables