1,721,021 research outputs found
Glycyrrhetinic Acid Liposomes and Hyalurosomes on Spanish Broom, Flax, and Hemp Dressings to Heal Skin Wounds
Full text linkThe focus of this work was to prepare Spanish Broom, flax, and hemp dressings impregnated with glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) liposomes or hyalurosomes to promote the healing process and protect the skin wounds. Vesicles were prepared by the film hydration method and characterized in terms of size, particle size distribution, ζ potential, encapsulation efficiency, in vitro release, and biocompatibility on 3T3 fibroblasts. Loaded liposomes and hyalurosomes showed nanometric size (355 ± 19 nm and 424 ± 32 nm, respectively), good size distribution (lower than 0.3), and appropriate encapsulation efficiency (58.62 ± 3.25% and 59.22 ± 8.18%, respectively). Hyalurosomes showed good stability during the storage period, which can be correlated to the negative ζ potential, and allowed a fast and complete release of GA. Preliminary biological studies revealed that both kinds of loaded vesicles were not cytotoxic and that hyalurosomes could exert a slight stimulating effect on fibroblast proliferation. Finally, in vitro release studies from the different dressings impregnated with the loaded vesicles demonstrated that a high amount of GA could be reached at the wound site after 60 min from application. In conclusion, the results suggested that the developed dressings, especially those impregnated with hyalurosomes, can be efficiently used to promote the healing process
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
Naxitamab Activity in Neuroblastoma Cells Is Enhanced by Nanofenretinide and Nanospermidine
Full text linkNeuroblastoma cells highly express the disialoganglioside GD2, a tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen, which is also expressed in neurons, skin melanocytes, and peripheral nerve fibers. Immunotherapy with monoclonal anti-GD2 antibodies has a proven efficacy in clinical trials and is included in the standard treatment for children with high-risk neuroblastoma. However, the strong neuro-toxicity associated with anti-GD2 antibodies administration has hindered, until now, the possibility for dose-escalation and protracted use, thus restraining their therapeutic potential. Strategies to increase the efficacy of anti-GD2 antibodies are actively sought, with the aim to enable chronic treatments that could eradicate minimal residual disease and subsequent relapses, often occurring after treatment. Here, we report that Nanofenretinide and Nanospermidine improved the expression of GD2 in neuroblastoma cells (CHP-134) and provided different effects in combination with the anti-GD2 antibody naxitamab. In particular, Nanofenretinide significantly increased the cytotoxic effect of naxitamab while Nanospermidine inhibited cell motility at extents proportional to naxitamab concentration. In neuroblastoma cells characterized by a low and heterogeneous basal expression of GD2, such as SH-SY5Y, which may represent the cell heterogeneity in tumors after chemotherapy, both Nanofenretinide and Nanospermidine increased GD2 expression in approximately 50% of cells, thus shifting the tumor population towards improved sensitivity to anti-GD2 antibodies
Cytotoxic effects of Artemisia annua L. and Artemisinin on D-17 Canine Osteosarcoma cell line: an in vitro study
No full textAnalysis of Artemisia annua extracts and related products by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry coupled to sample treatment miniaturisation
Full text linkArtemisinin, the main antimalarial compound of Artemisia annua L., is currently attracting increasing interest for its antiproliferative properties, but its content is highly variable, depending on several genetic, environmental and processing conditions. Aim of the present study is to analyse the artemisinin content in different plant extracts, to test their in vitro activity on cell proliferation and then to correlate these data to the active principle concentration. For this purpose, an innovative miniaturised sample pretreatment strategy based on microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) was developed and coupled to an original advanced method based on liquid chromatography with diode array detection and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-MS/MS). The method was fully validated, granting consistent data. Good linearity was found over a suitable concentration range, i.e. 5–1000ng/mL. Extraction yields (>85%), precision (RSD < 3.5%) and accuracy (recovery 88–93%) were all within acceptable levels of confidence. After validation, the method was successfully applied to the determination of artemisinin in A. annua extracts. Analyte content was widely variable (up to twenty-fold) according to the starting material and the extraction procedure, ranging between 5.9μg/g and 109μg/mL. The cytotoxic activity of all analysed extracts was also tested on human leukemic cells by viable cell count and cell cycle analysis. Artemisinin concentrations and biological activity were carefully evaluated and the observed antiproliferative effects varied according to artemisinin content in each extract type. This highlights the need to quantitatively analyse the main active constituent of plant extracts and the obtained data have shown to be promising for the choice of the related herbal product dosage
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