1,721,253 research outputs found

    Observations on the sensory nature of the intramuscular nerve action potential

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    The nature and the origin of the small pre potential wave which can be recorded immediately before the main muscle action potential on indirect stimulation was studied in the median nerve of 12 normal subjects. It is considered to be a sensory antidromic response recorded from the large afferent fibers which innervate the thumb because it was recorded in all 12 subjects, and the threshold was always below the motor threshold. An antidromic response was recorded with stimulating electrodes at the thumb and recording electrodes at the palm. Both antidromic and orthodromic responses were recorded with stimulating electrodes at the palm. The amplitude of the pre potential was higher at the recording point closest to the sensory fibers for the thumb and progressively decreased with distance in the other points

    Causes and effects of cellular oxidative stress as a result of MDMA abuse

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    3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy) is a substituted amphetamine with potent central nervous stimulant effects. Increasing evidence suggests that one way of MDMA-induced toxicity involves the production of reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species and a subsequent production of oxidative/nitrosative stress. The free radicals can originate from several molecular pathways (oxidative deamination of monoamine, metabolic pathways, cathecolamines autoxidation, and hyperthermia) and their harmful effect causing potential biological damage such as lipoperoxidation and cellular death. The role of oxidative stress in mediating MDMA toxicity is illustrated by decreases in the activity of the endogenous enzymatic and non enzymatic antioxidants observed in cells in vitro and in animals model. This review examines the available evidence for the involvement of oxidative stress in the mechanisms of MDMA-induced cellular damage with the aim to contribute to the understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in MDMA toxicity

    Glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) in human Gastric adenocarcinoma.

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    Annual meeting of the Società Italiana di Farmacologia (SIF) Florence, Ital

    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

    Modulation of cortical oscillatory activities induced by varying single-pulsetranscranial magnetic stimulation intensity over the left primary motor area: a combined EEG and TMS study.

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    Combined transcranial magnetic stimulation/electroencephalography (TMS/EEG) was used to study the activation and interaction of cortical regions to a variety of focused sub- and suprathreshold magnetic pulses over the left primary motor cortex (M1) in ten healthy subjects. Five single-pulse TMS conditions were performed based on the individual resting motor threshold (RMT): (1) 80%; (2) 100%; (3) 120%; (4) 130%; and (5) sham. Simple self-paced movements of the right first finger were also executed. We evaluated the reactions to magnetic stimulation and movement conditions using event-related power and event-related coherence transformations of alpha and beta rhythms. Event-related power reflected regional oscillatory activity of neural assemblies, while event-related coherence reflected the inter-regional functional coupling of oscillatory neural activity. The event-related power transformation revealed that the magnetic pulse modulated cortical oscillations within the first half second for both frequency ranges. For the alpha rhythm, threshold TMS induced a small decrease in the amplitude of EEG oscillations over the stimulation site, while for both rhythms, a progressive synchronization was observed as the intensity of TMS was increased in both hemispheres. Movement onset produced a greater bilateral decrease of power compared with the effects of a magnetic pulse. The event-related coherence revealed that TMS enhanced the electrode connectivity of both hemispheres. Additionally, it was more enhanced within the first 500 ms following stimulation and was seen only for the alpha frequency rhythm. The increase of functional connectivity between cortical areas was minor for magnetic stimulation conditions compared with that for finger movements. The single-pulse TMS over M1 partially modulated the motor cortex generators of oscillatory activity, while a simple active self-paced movement of the right first finger induced greater cortex activation and coupling between cortical regions. We propose that finger movements impose higher functional demands on the motor system compared to artificial magnetic stimulation. These findings are consistent with the possibility that the human motor system may be based on network-like oscillatory cortical activity and might be modulated by brief electromagnetic sub- and suprathreshold pulses applied to M1, suggesting a phenomenon of resetting

    Changes of motor cortical excitability in human subjects from wakefulness to early stages of sleep: a combined transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalographic study.

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    The effect of sleep on human motor cortical excitability was investigated by evaluating the latency and amplitude of motor evoked potentials in ten subjects using transcranial magnetic stimulation. Motor evoked potentials and electroencephalographic data were recorded simultaneously and analyzed. Recordings were performed before, during and after a sleep period. A significant decrease in motor evoked potentials amplitude and a slight change in motor evoked potentials latency were noted in the recordings during the different sleep stages with a return to baseline values on awakening. A decrease in motor cortical excitability is suggested as explaining the effect of sleep

    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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