1,720,965 research outputs found
Characterization of the biological role of RIPK2 in carcinogenesis
No full textBackground. Cell survival, inflammation and cell death are the main processes involved in cellular homeostasis. The deregulation of these events can lead to the onset of several pathologies, including cancer. Receptor-Interacting Serine/Threonine Protein Kinase 2 (RIPK2) plays a key signalling role in host defence, inflammation as well as in regulated cell death (1). Till now, it is known that RIPK2, through its CARD functional domain, is able to trigger the activation of NF-kB or the MAP kinase pathway playing a fundamental role in the immune response and inflammation (2) but little scientific evidence explain the direct involvement of the protein kinase in cancer, particularly in haematological malignancies (3). Hence, more studies are necessary to better clarify its involvement in tumorigenesis and metastasis. Aim: The aim of our work is to better define the biological role of RIPK2 in cancer with a particular focus in leukaemia, in order to clarify its molecular mechanisms. Here we also provide a deeper insight into the molecular mechanism of action of new epi-drugs, highlighting their ability to directly target RIPK2. Methods: To achieve the various objectives, we have made use of RT-qPCR, Western Blot, Flow Cytometry, Immunoprecipitation, Immunofluorescence. Results. RIPK2 is differentially expressed in tumour cell lines. In particular, we focused our attention on two myeloid cell lines (U-937 and HL-60) with a different degree of differentiation for subsequent proteomic analyses and cellular localization studies. Furthermore, RIPK2 appears to be modulated after the treatment with a previously characterized epi-drug, highlighting the possible involvement of RIPK2 in the cell death process. Conclusions. The effects observed by the compound strengthen its potential role as an anti-tumor agent in leukaemia mediated by RIPK2 expression. However, further molecular and enzymatic investigations will be necessary to better understand the biological role of RIPK2 in carcinogenesis, especially in hematological malignancies
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
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
IMMUNOMODULATORY ACTIVITY OF POLYPHENOLIC EXTRACTS FROM STRAWBERRY CULTIVARS
No full textBackground: In recent years, strawberry has received much attention for its high nutritional value and potential benefits for human health due to its rich phytochemical profile and low observed toxicity1. Previous research has shown that polyphenols have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, diabetic, and neuroprotective properties2. However, their individual effects on different cell signalling pathways remain to be elucidated3.
Aim: This study will aim to investigate the immunomodulatory activity of four strawberry cultivars (Marimbella, Red Sara, Gioelita, Melissa) in order to identify their potential anticancer role.
Methods: Strawberry extracts were used to treat in vitro cellular models of THP1-derived macrophages induced with lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Techniques as Western blot, qRT-PCR, flow cytometry, Griess assay were additionally performed.
Results. Given the strong interaction between immune cells and the tumour microenvironment in mediating the inflammatory response, we determined i) the release of specific pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators into the tumour microenvironment, ii) the inhibition of both nitric oxide (NO) synthesis and intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and iii) the modulation of regulated cell death pathways (RCD) involved in inflammation.
Conclusions: Defining the immunomodulatory effects induced by polyphenolic extracts of strawberry cultivars will provide useful information on the restoration of the compromised immune system in cancer. This scenario highlights the fundamental role of phenolic substances in exerting anti-tumour mechanisms
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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