113 research outputs found
Amygdalin influences bladder cancer cell adhesion and invasion in vitro
No full textThe cyanogenic diglucoside amygdalin, derived from Rosaceae kernels, is employed by many patients as an alternative anti-cancer treatment. However, whether amygdalin indeed acts as an anti-tumor agent is not clear. Metastasis blocking properties of amygdalin on bladder cancer cell lines was, therefore, investigated. Amygdalin (10 mg/ml) was applied to UMUC-3, TCCSUP or RT112 bladder cancer cells for 24 h or for 2 weeks. Tumor cell adhesion to vascular endothelium or to immobilized collagen as well as tumor cell migration was examined. Effects of drug treatment on integrin α and β subtypes, on integrin-linked kinase (ILK) and total and activated focal adhesion kinase (FAK) were also determined. Integrin knock-down was carried out to evaluate integrin influence on migration and adhesion. A 24 h or 2 week amygdalin application distinctly reduced tumor cell adhesion and migration of UMUC-3 and RT112 cells. TCCSUP adhesion was also reduced, but migration was elevated under amygdalin. Integrin subtype expression was significantly and specifically altered by amygdalin depending on the cell line. ILK was moderately, and activated FAK strongly, lost in all tumor cell lines in the presence of amygdalin. Knock down of β1 integrin caused a significant decrease in both adhesion and migration of UMUC-3 cells, but a significant increase in TCCSUP adhesion. Knock down of β4 integrin caused a significant decrease in migration of RT112 cells. Since the different actions of amygdalin on the different cell lines was mirrored by β1 or β4 knock down, it is postulated that amygdalin influences adhesion and migratory properties of bladder cancer cells by modulating β1 or β4 integrin expression. The amygdalin induced increase in TCCSUP migratory behavior indicates that any anti-tumor benefits from amygdalin (seen with the other two cell lines) may depend upon the cancer cell type
Die Macht der Sprache und die Sprache der Macht : Politische Rhetorik im postfaktischen Zeitalte
No full textErratum to: Sourcing overseas biomass for EU ambitions: assessing net sustainable export potential from various sourcing countries (Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, (2019), 13, 2, (293-324), 10.1002/bbb.1853)
No full textIn the article “Sourcing overseas biomass for EU ambitions: assessing net sustainable export potential from various sourcing countries” (DOI: 10.1002/bbb.1853), published in Wiley Online Library on 22 March 2018 and in Biofuels, Bioproducts & Biorefining, 13: 293–32, the affiliation for author Dominik Rutz was incorrect. The correct affiliation is WIP Renewable Energies, Munich, Germany
Amygdalin blocks bladder cancer cell growth in vitro by diminishing cyclin A and cdk2
No full textAmygdalin, a natural compound, has been used by many cancer patients as an alternative approach to treat their illness. However, whether or not this substance truly exerts an anti-tumor effect has never been settled. An in vitro study was initiated to investigate the influence of amygdalin (1.25–10 mg/ml) on the growth of a panel of bladder cancer cell lines (UMUC-3, RT112 and TCCSUP). Tumor growth, proliferation, clonal growth and cell cycle progression were investigated. The cell cycle regulating proteins cdk1, cdk2, cdk4, cyclin A, cyclin B, cyclin D1, p19, p27 as well as the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) related signals phosphoAkt, phosphoRaptor and phosphoRictor were examined. Amygdalin dose-dependently reduced growth and proliferation in all three bladder cancer cell lines, reflected in a significant delay in cell cycle progression and G0/G1 arrest. Molecular evaluation revealed diminished phosphoAkt, phosphoRictor and loss of Cdk and cyclin components. Since the most outstanding effects of amygdalin were observed on the cdk2-cyclin A axis, siRNA knock down studies were carried out, revealing a positive correlation between cdk2/cyclin A expression level and tumor growth. Amygdalin, therefore, may block tumor growth by down-modulating cdk2 and cyclin A. In vivo investigation must follow to assess amygdalin's practical value as an anti-tumor drug
A Comparative Analysis of the Equity Outcomes in Three Sugarcane–Ethanol Systems
No full textThis article identifies equity outcomes associated with three biofuel systems in Brazil, Ethiopia, and Guatemala. Acknowledging that winners and losers are socially and politically generated, the article identifies some of the factors behind the distribution of winners and losers along different stages of three sugarcane–ethanol supply chains. Analyzing the outcomes for equity within each case study reveals an uneven distribution that, we argue, is related to the procedure and structure of the given sugarcane–ethanol system, and the recognition of the impacts on different actors within those structures. Increasing equity in sugarcane–ethanol systems will require greater openness in decision-making processes, in order that multiple voices are taken into account in the promotion, production, and consumption of biofuels—particularly those of smaller and less powerful actors
Convergence patterns in accounting regulation: Six country cases of the transforming regulatory landscape
No full textThis paper inquires into recent changes of accounting regulation in six OECD countries: Germany, France, England, USA, Canada and Japan. Having formerly been embedded into different institutional environments, accounting systems varied widely in the heyday of the interventionist nation state. Since then, international harmonisation has been transforming national accounting systems, leading to increasing convergence between the various systems. It is the aim of this paper to describe these changes systematically, estimate the degree of international convergence and assess how different institutional origins affect convergence patterns. We develop a framework for comparing accounting systems and identify four criteria that describe the anatomy of a national accounting system: (1) Predominant uses of accounting, (2) Extent of professional self-regulation, (3) Legal backing and (4) Degree of internationalisation. Our findings indicate that global convergence in accounting regulation exists, although limited variations between nation states still remain and depend upon the prevailing national institutional arrangements, which have not (yet) converged. -- Gegenstand des vorliegenden Arbeitspapieres ist die Aufarbeitung des Wandels der Regulierung von Rechnungslegung vom goldenen Zeitalter des Nationalstaats bis heute. Dies erfolgt für die sechs größten OECD Staaten, Deutschland, Frankreich, das Vereinigte Königreich als EU-Fälle und die Vereinigten Staaten, Kanada und Japan als Fälle außerhalb der EU. Traditionell unterscheiden sich die Rechnungslegungssysteme in diesen Ländern aufgrund ihrer Einbindung in institutionelle Rahmenbedingungen wie etwa dem Finanz- oder Rechtssystem. Ziel des Arbeitspapieres ist es zu untersuchen, in welchem Umfang es durch die internationalen Harmonisierungsbemühungen zu einer Konvergenz der Rechnungslegung gekommen ist und wie der Anpassungsprozess durch die unterschiedlichen institutionellen Arrangements beeinflusst wurde. Die Darstellung der Entwicklungen erfolgt anhand von vier Kategorien: (1) dem vorherrschenden Rechnungszweck, (2) dem Ausmaß an (staatsfreier) Selbstregulierung, (3) der rechtlichen Absicherung und (4) dem Grad an Internationalisierung der Rechnungslegung. Unsere Ergebnisse deuten auf eine Konvergenz in weiten Teilen der Regulierung von Rechnungslegung hin. Diese werden jedoch vom Fortbestehen nationaler Präferenzen insbesondere im Bereich der Anspruchsbemessung begleitet.
Liberating the Past and Transgressing the National. Simon Lewis. Belarus – Alternative Visions: Nation, Memory and Cosmopolitanism. Routledge, New York/London, 2019 (BASEES / Routledge Series on Russian and East European Studies). XI, 230 pages.
No full textIn Slavic studies abroad, research on Belarusian literature is rare, and a monograph an event. This slender book evolved from Simon Lewis’s doctoral dissertation, submitted at Cambridge University in 2014. It is a thorough study on the negotiations of nation and memory, with cosmopolitanism as a key word for the ‘alternative visions’ of the Belarus(ian) past, in which the author is interested most. The book concentrates on the second half of the 20 th century and the post-Soviet period. As the first chapter offers an overview from ca. 1800, it doubles as an excellent introduction into modern Belarusian literature in general. The book must be praised particularly in this respect for its brevity and conciseness that completely differs from the multi-volume cumulative histories of Belarusian literature published in Miensk, and from Arnold McMillin’s encyclopaedic publications over the last decades. The six chapters, as well as the endnotes that follow each of them, prove the author’s broad and thorough knowledge not only of the Belarusian classics, but also of Russian and Polish literature. Reading Belarusian, Russian, Polish, English, and German, Lewis bridges the gap between both research communities and disciplines (a good deal of his secondary literature stems from history). Experts will also appreciate his interpretation of Belarusian culture against the theoretic background of postcolonial studies
Sulforaphane impact on reactive oxygen species (ROS) in bladder carcinoma
No full textSulforaphane (SFN) is a natural glucosinolate found in cruciferous vegetables that acts as a chemopreventive agent, but its mechanism of action is not clear. Due to antioxidative mechanisms being thought central in preventing cancer progression, SFN could play a role in oxidative processes. Since redox imbalance with increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is involved in the initiation and progression of bladder cancer, this mechanism might be involved when chemoresistance occurs. This review summarizes current understanding regarding the influence of SFN on ROS and ROS-related pathways and appraises a possible role of SFN in bladder cancer treatment
Organizational Creativity as an Attributional Process: The Case of Haute Cuisine
No full textIn this paper, we develop a framework that conceptualizes organizational creativity as an attributional process in which organizational creativity is constantly negotiated between an organization and its environment through ‘entre-relating activities’. Based on an empirical analysis of this process in the haute-cuisine restaurant Rutz in Berlin, we explore four entre-relating activities – surprising, satisfying, stimulating and savouring – through which ‘being creative’ and ‘being considered creative’ are set in relation to negotiate the attribution of organizational creativity. Our findings demonstrate how the sequential performance of these entre-relating activities is consequential for the gradual transition of external evaluations of an organization’s outcomes, from being considered ‘different’ to ‘one of a kind’, and thus the increasing attribution of organizational creativity over time. Our study contributes to the literature on organizational creativity by exploring the interplay between ‘being creative’ and ‘being considered creative’ through entre-relating activities, which is foundational for understanding organizational creativity. Furthermore, our findings put aesthetic responses at the centre of organizational creativity and demonstrate the playfulness of the process through which the attribution of organizational creativity is produced.</jats:p
Analysis of nursing proactivity in a public university hospital Análise da proatividade da enfermagem em um hospital universitário público Corresponding author
No full textAbstract Objective: To analyze the proactivity of nursing staff in a public university hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June of 2015, with 347 workers at a public university hospital in southern Brazil, by means of a questionnaire composed of socio-professional data and the shortened version of the Proactive Behaviors in Organizations Scale. The descriptive and inferential statistics supported the data analysis. Results: Proactive behavior was identified in 218 (62.8%) of the participants. The proactivity means were associated with the professional categories and inversely correlated to age, and the period of time working in the health area and in the hospital. Conclusion: Individual factors affect proactivity at work and a strong presence of proactive behaviors facilitates the leaders in encouraging their expansion in the context of the work teams. Resumo Objetivo: Analisar a proatividade de trabalhadores de enfermagem em um hospital universitário público. Métodos: Estudo transversal realizado, entre abril e junho de 2015, com 347 trabalhadores de um hospital universitário público do sul do Brasil, mediante preenchimento de um questionário composto de dados socioprofissionais e da Escala reduzida de Comportamentos Proativos nas Organizações. A estatística descritiva e inferencial subsidiou a análise dos dados. Resultados: Constatou-se forte emissão de comportamentos proativos em 218 (62,8%) dos participantes. As médias de proatividade foram associadas às categorias profissionais e inversamente correlacionadas à idade, tempo de trabalho na área da saúde e no hospital. Conclusão: Fatores individuais afetam a proatividade no trabalho e a forte emissão de comportamentos proativos é um facilitador para que as lideranças fomentem a ampliação dos mesmos no âmbito das equipes de trabalho
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