1,721,097 research outputs found

    The fatty acid amide hydrolase and cyclooxygenase-inhibitory properties of novel amide derivatives of carprofen

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    In experimental animals, inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) reduces the gastrointestinal damage produced by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents that act by inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX). This suggests that compounds able to inhibit both enzymes may be potentially useful therapeutic agents. In the present study, we have investigated eight novel amide analogues of carprofen, ketoprofen and fenoprofen as potential FAAH/COX dual action inhibitors. Carpro-AM1 (2-(6-Chloro-9H-carbazol-2-yl)-N-(3-methylpyridin-2-yl)propenamide) and Carpro-AM6 (2-(6-Chloro-9H-carbazol-2-yl)-N-(3-chloropyridin-2-yl)propenamide) were found to be fully reversible inhibitors of the hydrolysis of 0.5 μM [3H]anandamide in rat brain homogenates with IC50 values of 94 and 23 nM, respectively, i.e. 2-3 orders of magnitude more potent than carprofen in this respect. Both compounds inhibited the cyclooxygenation of arachidonic acid by ovine COX-1, and were more potent inhibitors of human recombinant COX-2 when 2-arachidonoylglycerol was used as substrate than when arachidonic acid was used. It is concluded that Carpro-AM1 and Carpro-AM6 are dual-acting FAAH/substrate-selective COX inhibitors

    Benzylamides and piperazinoarylamides of ibuprofen as fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitors

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    Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) is a serine hydrolase that plays a key role in controlling endogenous levels of endocannabinoids. FAAH inhibition is considered a powerful approach to enhance the endocannabinoid signalling, and therefore it has been largely studied as a potential target for the treatment of neurological disorders such as anxiety or depression, or of inflammatory processes. We present two novel series of amide derivatives of ibuprofen designed as analogues of our reference FAAH inhibitor Ibu-AM5 to further explore its structure-activity relationships. In the new amides, the 2-methylpyridine moiety of Ibu-AM5 was substituted by benzylamino and piperazinoaryl moieties. The obtained benzylamides and piperazinoarylamides showed FAAH inhibition ranging from the low to high micromolar potency. The binding of the new amides in the active site of FAAH, estimated using the induced fit protocol, indicated arylpiperazinoamides binding the ACB channel and the cytosolic port, and benzylamides binding the ACB channel

    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

    CB1 Receptor Autoradiographic Characterization of the Individual Differences in Approach and Avoidance Motivation

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    Typically, approach behaviour is displayed in the context of moving towards a desired goal, while avoidance behaviour is displayed in the context of moving away from threatening or novel stimuli. In the current research, we detected three sub-populations of C57BL/6J mice that spontaneously responded with avoiding, balancing or approaching behaviours in the presence of the same conflicting stimuli. While the balancing animals reacted with balanced responses between approach and avoidance, the avoiding or approaching animals exhibited inhibitory or advance responses towards one of the conflicting inputs, respectively. Individual differences in approach and avoidance motivation might be modulated by the normal variance in the level of functioning of different systems, such as endocannabinoid system (ECS). The present research was aimed at analysing the ECS involvement on approach and avoidance behavioural processes. To this aim, in the three selected sub-populations of mice that exhibited avoiding or balancing or approaching responses in an approach/avoidance Y-maze we analysed density and functionality of CB1 receptors as well as enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase activity in different brain regions, including the networks functionally responsible for emotional and motivational control. The main finding of the present study demonstrates that in both approaching and avoiding animals higher CB1 receptor density in the amygdaloidal centro-medial nuclei and in the hypothalamic ventro-medial nucleus was found when compared with the CB1 receptor density exhibited by the balancing animals. The characterization of the individual differences to respond in a motivationally based manner is relevant to clarify how the individual differences in ECS activity are associated with differences in motivational and affective functioning

    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

    Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts

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    We 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

    Author Index

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    koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist

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    We 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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