1,721,011 research outputs found
Identification of novel therapeutic strategies through newly developed in vivo Tumor models
Full text linkPreclinical studies are crucial to clinical research, yet 90% of drug candidates fail in
trials. Reducing failure rates requires stringent criteria in preclinical settings, including
new therapeutic strategies, better models mimicking in vivo cancer characteristics, and
reliable Tumor identification and monitoring methods.
This work uses the VevoF2-LAZR-X system, combining photoacoustic and ultrasound
imaging, to (a) generate a novel pancreatic cancer (PDAC) model, (b) test an
innovative therapeutic strategy, and (c) characterize angiogenesis in an in vivo setting.
We developed (a) orthotopic xenograft mice models of PDAC using the ultrasoundguided injection of PANC-1 cell line, (b) which are used for testing a bifunctional antibody (scDb-hERG1/β1) combined with different doses of Gemcitabine (subtherapeutic and therapeutic). Our data show that scDb-hERG1/β1 plus sub-therapeutic gemcitabine has antitumoral effects comparable to therapeutic dose gemcitabine, with increased survival and reduced toxicity. To better mimic in vivo PDAC characteristics, we developed (a) models with co-cultures of PANC-1 and pancreatic stellate cells (RLT-PSC). RLT-PSC contributes to the Tumor microenvironment by supplying nutrients and facilitating metastasis through collagen
production. Our models included orthotopic injections of PANC-1, RLT-PSC, and mixed
ratios of these cells at different ratio (1:1 and 1:5 PANC-1/RLT-PSC respectively).
Ultrasound (US), photoacoustic imaging (PAI), and nonlinear contrast (CE-US) were
then performed to compare those models in in vivo settings. It emerges that PANC-
1/RLT-PSC 1:5 exhibited greater hypoxia and reduced vascular perfusion. Noteworthy,
Tumor aggressiveness appeared to increase, as metastasis was found in the liver of
these models, in contrast to PANC-1 and RLT-PSC alone where it doesn't occur.
We then move on to (c) evaluating Tumor angiogenesis focusing on colorectal cancer
(CRC), whose management has evolved with anti-angiogenesis therapies like
Bevacizumab. Using subcutaneous xenografts models, generated by the injection of
HCT-116 wild-type (WT) and Bevacizumab-adapted (Beva/A) cell lines, we
characterized Tumor volume, oxygen saturation, hypoxia, and perfusion through PAI
and CE-US. The two models, despite the similarities of the expression observed on in
vitro conditions for the main angiogenetic-related genes, on in vivo settings exhibit
differences. Although both models displayed similar Tumor growth, HCT116-Beva/A
tumors showed higher oxygenation (sO2TOT, sO2P) and lower HIF-1α and VEGF-A levels, but no difference were observed for Hbtot, suggesting more efficient oxygenation despite the same vascular density. From the perfusion analysis, little variation can be assessed, suggesting lower blood flow efficiency in the resistant tumors, supportingvariation in the vessels network in the Beva-resistant models. As the hERG1/β1 complex promotes angiogenesis via the PI3K-Akt pathway and VEGF-A secretion, we
proceed to test in these two models the impact of scDb-hERG1/β1 in combination with
Bevacizumab. This had a much more pronounced effect on sO2TOT and sO2P in the
HCT116-Beva/A tumors with both significantly decreasing, thus indicating increased
tumour hypoxia due to increased tumour cell death with subsequent abnormal vessels
collapse. This is further supported by perfusion parameters that show the effect of combination treatment in Bevacizumab-resistant tumors. Increased levels of both PE and PI, and reduction in mTT and TTP suggests improved perfusion and blood flow following
treatment, possibly as a result of vascular remodelling due to combined inhibition of
angiogenesis pathways. The following review shows the translational value of different advanced imaging modalities, including ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging techniques, to test novel therapeutic modalities in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and colorectal carcinoma, particularly in their treatment-resistant models
Solutions for the optimization of the software interface on an FPGA-based NIC
Full text linkThe theme of the research is the study of solutions for the optimization of the software interface on FPGA-based Network Interface Cards. The research activity was carried out in the APE group at INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare), which has been historically active in designing of high performance scalable networks for hybrid nodes (CPU/GPU) clusters.
The result of the research is validated on two projects the APE group is currently working on, both allowing fast prototyping for solutions and hardware-software co-design: APEnet (a PCIe FPGA-based 3D torus network controller) and NaNet (FPGA-based family of NICs mainly dedicated to real-time, low-latency computing systems such as fast control systems or High Energy Physics Data Acquisition Systems). NaNet is also used to validate a GPU-controlled device driver to improve network perfomances, i.e. even lower latency of the communication, while used in combination with existing user-space software.
This research is also gaining results in the "Horizon2020 FET-HPC ExaNeSt project", which aims to prototype and develop solutions for some of the crucial problems on the way towards production of Exascale-level Supercomputers, where the APE group is actively contribuiting to the development of the network / interconnection infrastructure
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
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
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
No full textAuthor-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
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