The effect of L-arginine and L-citrulline on NOx production in primary human airway epithelial cells exposed to asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA)

We determine: 1) whether the addition of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) reduces nitric oxide (NO)-related metabolites in primary airway epithelial cells under IL-13/ IFNγ stimulation, 2) supplementation of L-arginine/L-citrulline to cultures with high ADMA/iNOS expression is able to redirect iNOS towards NOx production. L-arginine and L-citrulline supplementation are able to increase the formation of NOx (nitrates + nitrates) in human airway epithelial cells, despite treatment with endogenous iNOS inhibitor ADMA. L-arginine and L-citrulline may have a therapeutic potential in diseases in which there is a defective production of NO

The Roles of technological innovation and the Chinese network in the supply chain of selected Chinese-owned SMEs in the restaurant business

The study attempted to determine the effects of technological innovation in the supply chain of selected Chinese-owned restaurants, namely Crown Prince Seafood Restaurant, Legend Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant and Phoenix Court. Specifically, the study aimed to distinguish the key factors that affected the business performance of the restaurants in terms of profitability, effectiveness, customer satisfaction and productivity that resulted from the implementation of technological innovations. Furthermore, this study also determined the role of the Chinese networks in the supply chain management of the selected restaurants. The researchers interviewed the top management of the Crown, Legend and Phoenix to obtain a grasp of the restaurants history, business performance and operations, from the purchasing of supplies, the preparation of the dish and the level of customer satisfaction with their dining experience. Furthermore, the researchers made use of surveys administered to the suppliers, customers, and employees of the three said restaurants. These surveys were divided into two parts namely technological innovation and the Chinese values that affect business performance, which are trust, reciprocity, reputation, harmony and forbearance

The effect of movie-watching on electroencephalographic responses to tactile stimulation

Movie-watching is becoming a popular acquisition method to increase compliance and enable neuroimaging data collection in challenging populations such as children, with potential to facilitate studying the somatosensory system. However, relatively little is known about the possible crossmodal (audiovisual) influence of movies on cortical somatosensory processing. In this study, we examined the impact of dynamic audiovisual movies on concurrent cortical somatosensory processing using electroencephalography (EEG). Forty healthy young adults (18–25 years) received passive tactile fingertip stimulation while watching an “entertaining” movie and a novel “low-demand” movie called ‘Inscapes’ compared to eyes-open rest. Watching a movie did not modulate properties of early or late somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs). Similarly, no crossmodal influence on somatosensory adaptation, denoted by a reduction in SEP amplitude with repetitive tactile stimulation, was found. The prominent oscillatory responses in the alpha and beta frequency bands following tactile stimulation differed as a function of viewing condition, with stronger alpha/beta event-related desynchronization (ERD) during movie-watching compared to rest. These findings highlight that movie-watching is a valid acquisition method during which SEPs can be measured in basic research and clinical studies, but that the attentional demands of movies need to be taken into account when performing oscillatory analyses.Othe

Nonlinear age effects in tactile processing from early childhood to adulthood

Abstract Background Tactile processing plays a pivotal role in the early stages of human development; however, little is known about tactile function in young children. An understanding of how tactile processing changes with age from early childhood to adulthood is fundamental in understanding altered tactile experiences in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, 142 children and adults aged 3–23 years completed a vibrotactile testing battery consisting of 5 tasks, which rely on different cortical and cognitive mechanisms. The battery was designed to be suitable for testing in young children to investigate how tactile processing changes from early childhood to adulthood. Results Our results suggest a pattern of rapid, age‐related changes in tactile processing toward lower discrimination thresholds (lower discrimination thresholds = greater sensitivity) across early childhood, though we acknowledge limitations with cross‐sectional data. Differences in the rate of change across tasks were observed, with tactile performance reaching adult‐like levels at a younger age on some tasks compared to others. Conclusions While it is known that early childhood is a period of profound development including tactile processing, our data provides evidence for subtle differences in the developmental rate of the various underlying cortical, physical, and cognitive processes. Further, we are the first to show the feasibility of vibrotactile testing in early childhood (<6 years). The results of this work provide estimates of age‐related differences in performance, which could have important implications as a reference for investigating altered tactile processing in developmental disorders