1,721,180 research outputs found
An amino acids mixture improves the hepatotoxicity induced by acetaminophen in mice
Full text linkAcetaminophen (APAP) is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic drug, but at high dose it leads to undesirable side effects, such as hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective role of DDM-GSH, a mixture of L-cysteine, L-methionine, and L-serine in a weight ratio of 2 : 1 : 1, in comparison to N-acetylcysteine (NAC), against acetaminophen- (APAP-) induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Toxicity was induced in mice by the intraperitoneal (ip) administration of low dose (2 mmol/kg) or high dose (8 mmol/kg) of APAP. DDM-GSH (0.4 to 1.6 mmol/kg) was given ip to mice 1 h before the APAP administration. The same was done with NAC (0.9 to 3.6 mmol/kg), the standard antidote of APAP toxicity. Mice were sacrificed 8 h after the APAP injection to determine liver weight, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and total glutathione (GSH) depletion and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation in liver tissues. DDM-GSH improved mouse survival rates better than NAC against a high dose of APAP. Moreover, DDM-GSH significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner not only APAP-induced increases of ALT but also APAP-induced hepatic GSH depletion and MDA accumulation. Our results suggest that DDM-GSH may be more potent than NAC in protecting the liver from APAP-induced liver injury
A Ginkgo biloba-derived PAF-antagonist-based product
No full textPolymorphous light eruption (PLE) is the most common photodermatosis, with a prevalence as high as 10-20% in Western Europe and the USA. Although not life-threatening, it can severely impair the quality of life, in particular during leisure activities and in outdoors workers.
PLE is a form of idiopathic photodermatoses whose etiopathogenesis, triggered by UV radiation exposure, is presumably immunological. PLE is characterized clinically by the occurrence of non-scarring, pruritic, erythematous papules, vesicles or plaques mainly on sunexposed skin areas. The aim of the study was to verify, against placebo, the anti-PLE action of an orally given innovative, mainly PAF-antagonist, Ginkgo bilobaderived product (GbDP) in substitution of the commonly
used oral anti-histamines and topical corticosteroids.
Differently from placebo, patients treated with a sunscreen along with GbDP showed a clear reduction of PLE symptoms, despite the fact that neither anti-histamines nor topical or oral corticosteroids were used. Out of 240 total episodes expected, the PLE episodes were found to be 18 in the treated group and 218 in the placebo group.
Compliance and tolerability were very good and no relevant side effects occurred in either group. The data suggest a primary role played by GbDP in the etiopathogenesis of PLE and the possible chance offered by the use of the PAF-antagonists in treating PLE
Interaction between ticlopidine or warfarin or cardioaspirin with a highly standardized deterpened Ginkgo biloba extract (VR456) in rat and human
No full textGinkgo biloba is available in Europe as an over-the-counter drug and it is reported to cause hemorrhage
when co-administered with other anti-platelet agents.We set out to study the interactions of ticlopidine
with Ginkgo biloba extract or VR456, a new highly standardized deterpened extract from Ginkgo biloba
leaves.MaleWistar rats were used to study the effects of ticlopidine (50-100 mg/kg/day), given alone and
in combination for 5 days with Ginkgo biloba extract (50 mg/kg/day) or VR456 (50 mg/kg/day), on bleeding
time and ex vivo ADP-induced platelet aggregation measurements. In addition, human studies were performed
with the compounds under investigation.Combined treatment of ticlopidine and undeterpened Ginkgo
biloba extract increased anti-platelet effect and prolonged the bleeding time in the rat.On the contrary, the
combination treatment of ticlopidine and VR456 increased anti-platelet effect but did not prolong bleeding
time.Moreover, daily administration of 360 mg of VR456 for 14 days to ticlopidine-treated humans did not
highlight any unwanted effect and did not alter PT/INR and PTT parameters. Same results have been also
obtained in warfarin or in cardioaspirin-treated patients.These data point out the clear role played by the terpenoid,
PAF-antagonist fraction of Ginkgo biloba extract in affecting bleeding risk in anticoagulant-treated
subjects and suggest VR456 as a possible option treatment in geriatric people subjected to anticoagulant treatment
where the use of standard Ginkgo biloba extracts are discourage
Efficacia clinica di un preparato orale quando associato ad una terapia locale con metronidazolo (1%) nel trattamento dell’acne rosacea
Full text linkOggetto di questo studio è stata la valutazione clinica di un formulato orale multicomponente, caratterizzato dalla presenza di antocianosidi, oligomeri procianidolici e triterpeni, associato alla terapia locale con metronidazolo (gel all’ 1%) nel trattamento dell’acne rosacea. I risultati ottenuti su 35 soggetti mostrano come tale preparato si dimostri caratterizzato da un’evidente azione anti-infiammatoria e come il suo impiego riduca, in alcuni casi annullandola, la presenza di papule e di pustole.
La sua associazione con il metronidazolo consente risultati apprezzabili già dopo 1 mese di trattamento con scomparsa, nella metà circa dei soggetti, della sintomatologia dopo 2 mesi e, nella quasi totalità, dopo 4 mesi. La sua efficacia è probabilmente legata alle sinergie derivanti dalle azioni farmacologiche dei singoli principi attivi
Effects of Carnosine and Beta-Alanine Ingestion on Anaerobic Sprint Performance and Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Interleukin-6 and -10 Gene Expression
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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
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