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    Modelling lexical access from continuous speech input

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    Leumedin NPC 15669 inhibits antigen-induced recruitment of inflammatory cells into the canine airways

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    We studied the effects of NPC 15669, a member of a new class of anti-inflammatory drugs called leumedins, on chemotaxis of both human eosinophils and neutrophils and on Mac-1 receptor upregulation on stimulated eosinophils in vitro. Then, we examined the effect of NPC 15669 on antigen-induced eosinophil and neutrophil recruitment and subsequent airway hypersecretion (indicated by an increase in lysozyme concentration) in the allergic dog trachea in vivo. NPC 15669 inhibited eosinophil chemotaxis in vitro at a drug concentration of 10(-5) M (mean inhibition, 48.2%) without affecting Mac-1 receptor upregulation on stimulated eosinophils. NPC 15669 also inhibited neutrophil chemotaxis: at 10(-5) M, NPC 15669 inhibited neutrophil chemotaxis by a mean of 29.7%. In allergic dogs in vivo, NPC 15669 (10(-5) M) prevented antigen-induced recruitment of eosinophils and neutrophils and prevented the increase in elastase and lysozyme concentrations. We conclude that NPC 15669 is an effective inhibitor of antigen-induced leukocyte recruitment and elastase release and subsequent hypersecretion in airways. </jats:p

    931-110 Effects of NPC 15669 on Myocardial Stunning and Infarction Size

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    Leukocytes have been implicated in myocardial infarction (MI) development and progression. We tested the efficacy of the novel leukocyte recruitment inhibitor NPC 15669 (Scios Nova, Inc.) on myocardial stunning (MS) and preconditioned MI. NPC is a member of the leumedins, and is an inhibitor of leukocyte adhesion to endothelium via blockage of integrin binding. We also show, that NPC 15669 have strong antiplatelet effects. In an open chested swine model, NPC 15669 (10mg NPC/kg loading dose followed by constant infusion at 6mg/kg-1/h-l)was administered in 6 animals. Myocardial thickening (MT) was determined by epicardial ultrasound. The left anterior descending artery was occluded for 8min. followed by 90 min. of reperfusion, during which myocardial MT was recorded at regular intervals. We have found that treatment with NPC 15669 increases myocardial contractility and significantly decreases MS time compared to six controls (26.7±4.0 min vs. 50.0±4.3 min, p=0.0026). This report also demonstrates the beneficial effects of NPC 15669 on myocardial tissue survival after a period of ischemia. In NPC 15669 treated animals 23.4±6.7% of at risk tissue became necrotic compared to 53.0±6.6% in controls, p=0.0102. Our data suggests that NPC 15669 significantly reduces myocardial injury in both the stunning and infarction mod els. The precise mechanism of these effects is unknown, but may be related to the inhibition of platelet function and/or leukocyte recruitment

    Neutrophil adhesion blockade with NPC 15669 decreases pulmonary injury after total cardiopulmonary bypass

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    AbstractBackground: Total cardiopulmonary bypass, in an ovine model, is associated with increased pulmonary thromboxane A2 production, cellular sequestration of white cells and platelets, transient pulmonary hypertention, and increased lung lymph flow and lymph protein clearance when compared with respective findings with partial cardiopulmonary bypass. This study evaluates the effect of neutrophil adhesion blockade on lung injury after cardiopulmonary bypass. Methods: Two groups of anesthetized sheep were placed on total cardiopulmonary bypass without assisted ventilation. One group of seven sheep was treated before and during total cardiopulmonary bypass with the neutrophil adhesion blocker NPC 15669. A second group of seven sheep did not receive NPC 15669 treatment before total cardiopulmonary bypass. A third group of seven sheep was treated with NPC 15669 before initiation of partial cardiopulmonary bypass with continued assisted ventilation. Aortic occlusion and hypothermia were not used. After 90 minutes all sheep were separated from cardiopulmonary bypass, with resumption of assisted ventilation and pulmonary arterial flow. After 30 minutes the left atrial pressure was elevated mechanically. Hemodynamics, thromboxane A2 levels, platelet levels, and white blood cell and plasma protein concentrations were measured before cardiopulmonary bypass and afterwards at four 15-minute intervals. Samples were taken from the right and left atria simultaneously. Lung lymph protein levels and flow were measured before and after cardiopulmonary bypass at two 30-minute intervals. Results: In the total cardiopulmonary bypass group not treated with NPC 15669 signs of lung injury developed after cardiopulmonary bypass. Animals treated with NPC 15669 did not manifest a similar degree of lung injury after either partial or total cardiopulmonary bypass. Increased pulmonary vascular resistance did not develop in treated sheep nor did sequestration of platelets or white blood cells occur. Despite the drug, increased pulmonary capillary permeability after total cardiopulmonary bypass persisted, but was reduced. Conclusions: Compared with unmodified total cardiopulmonary bypass, blockade of neutrophil adhesion with NPC 15669 reduces, but does not entirely eliminate, lung derangement after total cardiopulmonary bypass. (J THORAC CARDIOVASC SURG 1996;111:460-8

    A new anti-inflammatory leucine derivative, NPC-15669, inhibits growth of cultured human aortic smooth muscle cells.

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    We have observed that NPC-15669, a leucine derivative with anti-inflammatory activity, reduced the proliferation of human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) in culture. We used a colorimetric assay and tritiated thymidine to measure the cell density and proliferation of HASMC cultures treated with this agent. We also studied the effect of NPC-15669 on the proliferation and migration of human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). Subconfluent HASMC cultures were growth arrested for 2 days. On the third day, growth was stimulated with either growth media (medium M199 containing 10% fetal bovine serum [FBS]), human platelet-derived growth factor (hPDGF), or fibroblast growth factor (FGF) in the absence or presence of NPC-15669 (0.1-50 microM). Regardless of the stimulating agent for HASMCs (FBS, hPDGF, or FGF), NPC-15669 at concentrations of 10-25 microM caused a significant reduction in thymidine incorporation (36.7% and 77.2% in 10 microM and 25 microM, respectively; p &lt; 0.005) and cell density (25-87%, p &lt; 0.001) compared with control. NPC-15669 did not, however, have an effect on the rate of proliferation or migration of HAECs, even at concentrations up to 50 microM. Two other anti-inflammatory agents, aspirin and dexamethasone, caused substantially and significantly less inhibition, even at high concentrations (50 and 25 microM, respectively). This study demonstrates that in vitro, NPC-15669 significantly inhibits HASMC proliferation but has no effect on proliferation or migration of HAECs.</jats:p

    NPC 15669 blocks neutrophil CD18 increase and lung injury during cardiopulmonary bypass in pigs

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    During cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), neutrophils become activated due to contact with extracorporeal surfaces and binding of complement fragments C3a and C5a, leading to extravasation and subsequent tissue damage. In this study, the effects of the leumedin NPC 15669 (N [9H - (2,7 dimethylfluorenyl - 9 - methoxy) car bonyl]-L-leucine), a leukocyte recruitment inhibitor, were evaluated in a pig model of CPB. NPC 15669 caused significant inhibition of CPB associated increase in CD18 upregulation, lung tissue myeloperoxidase content, and percentage wet weight compared to controls. Lung histology revealed clear airways and minimal neutrophil infiltration in treated animals vs. significant oedema and cellular infiltration in controls. It is concluded that CPB causes a dramatic increase in neutrophil CD18, and that leumedins are effective in inhibiting neutrophil activation and subsequent tissue injury when administered during CPB

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship

    Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis

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    We provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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