1,720,959 research outputs found
Loss of muscle mass: current developments in cachexia and sarcopenia focused on biomarkers and treatment
No full textLoss of muscle mass arises from an imbalance of protein synthesis and protein degradation. Potential triggers of muscle wasting and function are immobilization, loss of appetite, dystrophies, and chronic diseases as well as aging. All these conditions lead to increased morbidity and mortality in patients, which makes it a timely matter to find new biomarkers to get a fast clinical diagnosis and to develop new therapies. This mini-review covers current developments in the field of biomarkers and drugs on cachexia and sarcopenia. Here, we reported about promising markers, e.g. tartate-resistant acid phosphatase 5a, and novel substances like epigallocatechin-3-gallate. In summary, the progress to combat muscle wasting is in full swing, and perhaps diagnosis of muscle atrophy and of course patient treatments could be soon support by improved and more helpful strategies
Loss of muscle mass: Current developments in cachexia and sarcopenia focused on biomarkers and treatment
No full textLoss of muscle mass arises from an imbalance of protein synthesis and protein degradation. Potential triggers of muscle wasting and function are immobilization, loss of appetite, dystrophies and chronic diseases as well as aging. All these conditions lead to increased morbidity and mortality in patients, which makes it a timely matter to find new biomarkers to get a fast clinical diagnosis and to develop new therapies. This mini-review covers current developments in the field of biomarkers and drugs on cachexia and sarcopenia. Here, we reported about promising markers, e.g. tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5a (TRACP5a), and novel substances like Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCg). In summary, the progress to combat muscle wasting is in full swing and perhaps diagnosis of muscle atrophy and of course patient treatments could be soon supported by improved and more helpful strategies. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Full text link“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
Full text linkWe 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
Effects of pharmacological interventions on muscular atrophy in the mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
No full textDie amyotrophe Lateralsklerose (ALS) ist gekennzeichnet durch die Degeneration
der oberen und unteren Motoneuronen, welche Kraftlosigkeit und Muskelatrophie
verursacht. Die genaue Pathophysiologie der ALS-assoziierten Kachexie ist noch
unbekannt. Derzeit ist nur Riluzol für die Behandlung von ALS zugelassen. In
der vorliegenden Dissertation wurde die Kachexie bei der ALS näher
charakterisiert und neue therapeutische Optionen in einem international
standardisierten und etablierten Modell getestet. Unter Verwendung von
männlichen und weiblichen transgenen G93A-Mäuse mit einer Mutation im Gen, das
für die Superoxid-Dismutase (SOD1) kodiert ist, wurden die Auswirkungen
verschiedener Beta-Blocker (10 mg/kg/d Propranolol, 20 mg/kg/d Oxprenolol, 10
oder 20 mg/kg/d R-Oxprenolol, 10 oder 20 mg/kg/d S-Oxprenolol) auf das
Fortschreiten der Krankheit und das Überleben, im Vergleich zu Riluzol
(Rilutek®, 30 mg/kg/d), als positive Kontrolle, und Placebo getestet. In einer
weiteren Studie wurden die Tiere zu einem definierten Endpunkt (medianes
Überleben der kombinierten Placebogruppe aus der Überlebensstudie)
euthanasiert. In dieser Vergleichsstudie wurde der Einfluss der Behandlung auf
das Körpergewicht und -zusammensetzung, sowie auf die Motoneuronenanzahl, die
Inflammation sowie auf die Muskelatrophie untersucht. Neben Rilutek und
Placebo wurden 20 mg/kg/d R-Oxprenolol, 10 und 20 mg/kg/d S-Oxprenolol
verwendet, weil sie den größten positiven Einfluss in der vorangegangenen
Überlebensstudie zeigten. Folgende Ergebnisse ergaben sich aus den Studien:
(1) Charakterisierung der Kachexie im G93A-SOD1-Mausmodell: • Kachexie ist bei
der ALS stark ausgeprägt. Die Untersuchungen der ALS-assoziierten Kachexie
ergaben einen signifikanten Verlust des Körpergewichtes, der Fettmasse,
einschließlich des braunen Fettgewebes, und der fettfreien Masse. Insbesondere
die Skelettmuskelmasse nahm im Verlauf der Krankheit stark ab. (2) ALS-
Progression und Überleben: • Durch die Behandlung mit beiden Dosen R- und
S-Oxprenolol wurde die ALS-Progression von Stufe 1 zu Stufe 2 verzögert. Die
20 mg/kg/d S-Oxprenolol-Behandlung verlangsamte das Fortschreiten der ALS von
Stufe 1 zu Stufe 3 am effektivsten. Das Überleben wurde durch 10 und 20
mg/kg/d R-Oxprenolol sowie 20 mg/kg/d S-Oxprenolol, versus Placebos,
signifikant verlängert. Das Razemat Oxprenolol zeigte nur kleine positive
Effekte und Rilutek sowie Propranolol besaßen, im Vergleich zu Placebos, keine
positiven Effekte auf die ALS-Progression und das Überleben. (3)
Vergleichsstudie: • 20 mg/kg/d R-Oxprenolol und beide Dosen S-Oxprenolol (10
oder 20 mg/kg/d) reduzierten bei den Weibchen den Verlust an Körpergewicht,
Fett und fettfreie Masse am stärksten. Der Gewichtsverlust des Musculus
gastrocnemius (GC) und des Musculus tibialis anterior wurde bei den Weibchen
durch die Behandlung mit den höheren Dosen R- und S-Oxprenolol (20 mg/kg/d)
verringert. Die Wirkung der ß-Blocker bei den Männchen scheint nicht so
effektiv wie bei den Weibchen zu sein. Rilutek besitzt keinen Einfluss auf das
Körpergewicht und die Körperzusammensetzung sowie auf die Skelettmuskelmasse.
• Der Verlust der Motoneuronen wurde sowohl im primären Motorcortex als auch
im lumbalen Rückenmark durch die Behandlung mit Rilutek, 20 mg/kg/d
R-Oxprenolol und beiden Dosen S-Oxprenolol (10 oder 20 mg/kg/d) reduziert. Es
waren auch weniger Astrozyten und Mikrogliazellen im lumbalen Rückenmark
vorhanden. Dennoch ergaben sich nur geringfügige Effekte auf den Zytokinlevel
im Blutplasma. • Die Muskelatrophie im GC wurde durch 20 mg/kg/d R-Oxprenolol
bei den Männchen und durch 20 mg/kg/d S-Oxprenolol bei den Weibchen
abgeschwächt. Der Muskelfaserquerschnitt und der Anteil an größeren
Muskelfasern waren höher als bei den Placebos. Die runterregulierte Myostatin-
Signalkaskade könnte eine Erklärung dafür sein. Die Analyse einiger Parameter
der Akt-Signalkaskade, des Ubiquitin-Proteasom-Systems (UPS), der Apoptose und
der Autophagie ergaben einige positive Effekte auf das katabole und anabole
Ungleichgewicht im GC.Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is caused by degeneration of upper and
lower motoneurons resulting in weakness and muscle atrophy. The exact
pathophysiology at ALS-associated cachexia is still unknown. Currently, only
riluzole is approved for the treatment of ALS. In this dissertation, cachexia
in ALS was characterized more in detail and novel therapeutic options in an
internationally standardized and established model were tested. Using male and
female transgenic G93A mice, with a mutation in the gene encoding the
superoxide dismutase (SOD1), the effects of different beta blockers and doses
(10 mg/kg/d propranolol, 20 mg/kg/d oxprenolol, 10 or 20 mg/kg/d R-oxprenolol,
respectively, 10 or 20mg/kg/d, S-oxprenolol, respectively) on disease
progression and survival in comparison to riluzole (Rilutek®, 30mg/kg/d) as a
positive control and placebo were tested. In another study, the animals were
euthanized at a defined endpoint (median survival of combined placebo groups
from the survival study). In this comparative study, the influence of
treatment on body weight and body composition, as well as on motoneuron
number, inflammation and on muscle atrophy was investigated. Besides using
Rilutek and placebo, 20 mg/kg/d R-oxprenolol and 10 or 20 mg/kg/d S-oxprenolol
were used because they have shown the greatest positive impact in the previous
survival study. The following results were obtained: (1) Characterization of
cachexia in the G93A-SOD1 mouse model: • Cachexia is strongly pronounced in
ALS. The analyses of ALS-associated cachexia resulted in significantly body
weight, fat mass, including the brown fat, and lean mass loss. In particular,
the skeletal muscle mass loss was strongly increased during disease
progression. (2) Progression of ALS and survival: • Treatment with both doses
of R- and S-oxprenolol delayed ALS progression from score 1 to score 2. 20
mg/kg/d S-oxprenolol slowed most effective the progression of ALS from score 1
to score 3. Survival is significantly improved at 10 and 20 mg/kg/d
R-oxprenolol and 20 mg/kg/d S-oxprenolol vs. placebo. The racemate oxprenolol
only showed little positive effects and Rilutek as well as propranolol had no
positive effects on ALS progression and survival compared to placebo. (3)
Comparative study: • 20 mg/kg/d R-oxprenolol and both doses S-oxprenolol (10
or 20 mg/kg/d) reduced the loss of body weight, fat and fat-free mass most in
female mice. The weight loss of the gastrocnemius muscle (GC) and the tibialis
anterior muscle were lower by treatment with the higher doses of R- and
S-oxprenolol (20 mg/kg/d). In males, the effect of beta blockers seems to be
not that effective as in the females. Rilutek has no effect on body weight and
body composition as well as on skeletal muscle mass. • The loss of motor
neurons was reduced in the primary motor cortex and also in the lumbar spinal
cord by treatment with Rilutek, 20 mg/kg/d R-oxprenolol and the two doses of
S-oxprenolol (10 or 20 mg/kg/d). There were also a fewer number of astrocytes
and microglia in the lumbar spinal cord. However, only minor effects were seen
on the cytokine level in the blood plasma. • Muscle atrophy of the GC was
attenuated through 20 mg/kg/d R-oxprenolol in males and through 20 mg/kg/d
S-oxprenolol in females. The muscle fiber cross section and the proportion of
larger muscle fibers were higher than in placebos. The down regulation of the
myostatin signaling cascade might be an explanation for it. There were seen
some positive effects on the catabolic and anabolic imbalance in GC muscle by
analyzing some parameters of the Akt signaling cascade, the ubiquitin-
proteasome system (UPS), apoptosis and autophagy
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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