1,721,144 research outputs found
Targeting ERBB receptors to inhibit metastasis: old hopes and new certainties
No full textThe very early intuition of Paget about the molecular feature of metastasis has come in the field of therapeutic opportunities only in the last few years with the development of targeted therapy. However, to date the diagnosis of metastases is associated in the majority of cases with the loss of any therapeutic hope. According to present knowledge, metastatic spreading is considered as part of a long process in which tumor cells gain new properties in their cellular function, including invasion and adaptive survival. This gain of function is based on the expression of new molecular markers that may be potential therapeutic targets in blocking tumor dissemination. The epidermal growth factor receptor family comprises four members (ERBB) that are frequently upregulated in advanced tumor stages and have been associated with the metastatic potential of several tumors. ERBB receptor inhibitors are very effective against specific primary tumors and their use is frequently accompanied by toxicity problems, drug resistance and molecular desensitization. However, new studies indicate that ERBB inhibitors may provide a much-needed therapeutic option mainly for patients with metastases. In order to illustrate the potential of ERBB family members as therapeutic targets in blocking metastases we summarize the new molecular evidence and the observations from clinical trials
Hypotheses fingo. Epistemological considerations on philosophical thought experiments.
Full text linkOggetto primario della presente tesi è la nozione di esperimento mentale in filosofia. Il lavoro si propone in particolare di mettere in luce una serie di aspetti logico-epistemologici fondamentali, che sembrano caratterizzarne tanto la struttura interna, quanto il possibile utilizzo. Il primo capitolo intende far emergere la rilevanza filosofica della questione epistemologica fondamentale sollevata dagli esperimenti mentali scientifici. Il secondo capitolo si sofferma sul ruolo centrale svolto dall’intuizione nell’esecuzione di esperimenti mentali filosofici. Il terzo capitolo, infine, è dedicato a un approfondimento della struttura logica fondamentale di gran parte degli esperimenti mentali filosofici e avanza una proposta relativa al tipo di ragionamento che in essi ha luogo.The present dissertation focuses on the notion of philosophical thought experiment. In particular, the work aims at assessing a number of fundamental logico-epistemological features which seem to characterize both their internal structure and their possible use. The first chapter intends to show the philosophical relevance of the central epistemological question raised by scientific thought experiments. The second chapter aims at drawing attention on the central role played by our intuitions in the execution of philosophical thought experiments. The third chapter, finally, delves into logical aspects of the argumentative structure of most philosophical thought experiments and puts forward a proposal concerning the kind of reasoning they instantiate
Green Nudging, Environmental Beliefs and Self-Knowledge. A Contribution to the Psychology of Nudging
Full text linkThe dissertation is intended as a contribution to the psychology of nudging. It investigates both theoretically and empirically the as yet unclear and underexplored conditions under which people’s beliefs can affect, and in turn be affected by, nudge-based policies. As such policies have so far proved extremely promising in the environmental domain, the investigation in question focuses in particular on pro-environmental beliefs and behaviors. The dissertation is premised on the methodological assumption that philosophical and psychological theories and results can often helpfully illuminate each other. Its guiding idea, in particular, is that attempts at developing a mature psychology of nudging can profit immensely from building on social psychology’s long-standing efforts to clarify the many, and often counterintuitive, mutual interactions between the beliefs we hold and the behaviors we engage in. In this regard, two interconnected theses can be regarded as constituting the theoretical backbone of the whole dissertation. The first one holds that, to the extent that our beliefs have been amply shown to influence our behaviors, and can hance be often relied on to explain and predict them, one should expect that people’s beliefs will have a sizeable impact on the nudging process. By parity of reasoning, the second thesis holds that, to the extent that our behaviors have been amply shown to influence our beliefs, and can likewise often be relied on to explain and predict them, it is also reasonable to expect that the nudging process will itself have a sizeable and measurable impact on the formation of people’s beliefs. In line with its general goal, the dissertation consists of two parts – i.e. a theoretical, and an empirical one. Chapters 1 to 3 constitute its theoretical part. They provide a host of conceptual tools, and develop a series of considerations that are then relied on in order to put forward a specific, and empirically testable hypothesis concerning a possible consequence of nudging on the formation of our beliefs. Chapter 4 constitutes the empirical part. It presents and discusses the results of a pilot study designed and performed in order to begin testing the hypothesis in question
Targeting Tyrosine Kinases in Cancer: Lessons for an Effective Targeted Therapy in the Clinic
No full textThe 21st century has finally seen the full achievement of targeted therapy to treat cancer with the promise of lower side effects and improved efficacy with respect to cytotoxic chemotherapeutics [...
Quale realtà? Per un realismo empirico tra Fisica e Psicologia
No full textViene presentata una contrapposizione fra due diverse concezioni della conoscenza del mondo esterno. Da un lato, fisici come Dirac e Heisenberg sostengono che è reale solo ciò a cui la fisica attribuisce realtà. Dall’altro, psicologi come Metzger, Kanizsa e Bozzi credono che ogni contenuto sensibile sia reale, tanto che secondo loro la psicologia della percezione è la vera fisica. L’articolo si propone di delineare una prospettiva critica, basata su un criterio ragionevole, che consenta di fornire una soluzione differente a tale questione
Prostate Cancer and Bone: The Elective Affinities
Full text linkThe onset of metastases dramatically changes the prognosis of prostate cancer patients, determining increased morbidity and a drastic fall in survival expectancy. Bone is a common site of metastases in few types of cancer, and it represents the most frequent metastatic site in prostate cancer. Of note, the prevalence of tumor relapse to the bone appears to be increasing over the years, likely due to a longer overall survival of prostate cancer patients. Bone tropism represents an intriguing challenge for researchers also because the preference of prostate cancer cells for the bone is the result of a sequential series of targetable molecular events. Many factors have been associated with the peculiar ability of prostate cancer cells to migrate in bone marrow and to determine mixed osteoblastic/osteolytic lesions. As anticipated by the success of current targeted therapy aimed to block bone resorption, a better understanding of molecular affinity between prostate cancer and bone microenvironment will permit us to cure bone metastasis and to improve prognosis of prostate cancer patients
- …
