1,720,956 research outputs found
Glucocorticoids in sports: doping or a real health hazard?
Full text linkUniversitatea de Stat de Medicină şi Farmacie „Nicolae Testemiţanu”, Chişinău, Republica MoldovaIntroducere. Încă cu câteva decenii în urmă glucocorticosteroizii au fost utilizați pe larg în sport, iar în anii 70-80 ai secolului 20, aceștia erau considerați agenții principali în doping. Cauza utilizării acestora ca și ,,boosteri ai perfor manței” este bine cunoscută, însă utilizarea neargumentată a acestora e periculoasă prin efectele lor adverse. Scopul lucrării. Cercetarea efectelor glucocorticoizilor în sport și pericolele acestor preparate pentru sănătate. Material și metode. S-a realizat o sinteză a literaturii medicale din bazele electronice de date precum Google Scholar, PubMed și NCBI din perioada 2014-2024. Rezultate . Glucocorticoizii au numeroase efecte care cresc performanțele sportive prin reducerea inflamației, creșterea disponibilității oxigenului, influența directă asupra metabolismelor (lipidic, glucidic, proteic). Este incontestabil efectul glucocorticoizilor asupra glicemiei, dat fiind faptul că glucoza este indispensabilă pen tru o funcție normală a mușchilor, dar totodată trebuie să luăm în considerație si apariția diabetului steroid. Pe lângă acestea glucocorticoizii produc catabolism muscular, dar și osteoporoza, care duce la o incidență crescută a fracturilor. Supradozajul cu glucocorticoizi influențează, de asemenea secreția hormonilor corelați cu axul hipotalamo-hipofizar; scade secreția prolactinei și crește producerea hormonului de creștere. De asemenea scade secreția testosteronului, luând în considerație că testosteronul este unul din cei mai importanți hormoni anabolici. Concluzii. Actualmente, glucocorticoizii s-au demonstrat a fi ,,boosteri ai performantei” în sport și atletism, dar utilizarea lor trebuie argumentată și monitorizată, deoarece pot cauza mai mult reacții adverse decât beneficii pentru corpul unui sportiv de performanță.Background. Just a few decades ago, glucocorticosteroids were widely used in sports, and in the 1970s-1980s, they were considered the main agents in doping. The reason for their use as “performance boosters” is well known, however, their indiscriminate use is dangerous due to their adverse effects. Objective of the study. Researching the ef fects of glucocorticoids in sports and the dangers of these preparations to health. Material and methods. A synthesis of medical literature from electronic databases such as Goo gle Scholar, PubMed, and NCBI was conducted for the period 2014-2024. Results. Glucocorticoids have numerous effects that enhance athletic performance by reducing inflammation, increasing oxygen availability, and directly influencing metabolic processes (lipid, carbohydrate, protein). The effect of glucocorticoids on blood glucose levels is undeniable, as glucose is essential for normal muscle function; however, we must also consider the likelihood of steroid-induced diabetes. Additionally, glucocorticoids induce muscle catabolism and osteoporosis, increasing the incidence of fractures. The so-called doping with these preparations also influenc es other hormones secretions, which are correlated with the hypothalamic-pituitary axis; therefore, decreasing prolactin secretion and increasing growth hormone production. The overdosage does also decrease testosterone secretion, considering that testosterone is one of the most important anabolic hormones. Conclusions. Currently, glucocorticoids have been demonstrated to act as “performance boosters” in sports and athletics, but their use must be justified and monitored, as they can cause more adverse reactions than benefits to the body of a high-performance athlete
Vitamin B17 - a revolutionary alternative therapy in oncologic treatment
Full text linkUniversitatea de Stat de Medicină și Farmacie „Nicolae Testemițanu”, Chișinău, Republica MoldovaIntroducere. Amigdalina (vit. B17) este investigată pentru rolul său adjuvant în terapia oncologică, datorită proprietăţilor antitumorale. Deşi subiectul e controversat, interesul ştiinţific actual se concentrează pe elucidarea mecanismelor de acţiune şi eficienţei clinice în contextul tratamentelor complementare. Scop. Cercetarea efectelor şi mecanismelor de acţiune ale vitaminei B17 în tratamentul adjuvant oncologic cu scopul de a evalua potenţialul terapeutic, dar şi tolerabilitatea în practica medicală. Material şi metode. S-a realizat o sinteză a literaturii medicale din bazele electronice de date precum Google Scholar, PubMed şi NCBI din perioada 2014 - 2024. Au fost cercetate 27 de articole, dintre care 15 (55%) au avut ca temă mecanismele de acţiune, dar şi efectele antitumorale şi imunomodulatoare manifestate ale amigdalinei (vitaminei B17). Rezultate. Deşi eficienţa sa rămâne controversată, sursele analizate au oferit dovezi privind mecanismele de acţiune prin care ar putea inhiba proliferarea neoplazică. Unul dintre acestea este suprimarea transcripţiei enzimelor cheie ale glicolizei anaerobe, redirecţionând metabolismul către un profil energetic mai vulnerabil. Benzaldehida, metabolit al vitaminei B17, inhibă PI3K/AKT/mTOR şi STAT3 - ceea ce poate duce la iniţierea apoptozei. Blocarea căii STAT3 contribuie şi la inhibiţia angiogenezei, un factor esenţial în expansiunea şi diseminarea tumorală. Contribuie la stimularea limfocitelor T CD8+ şi reducerea activităţii limfocitelor T reg. Concluzii. Vitamina B17 are efecte notabile în suprimarea dezvoltării tumorale şi diseminarea acesteia. Deşi părerile din literatura de specialitate sunt împărţite, consider că amigdalina posedă un potenţial semnificativ în tratamentul antineopla-zic adjuvant prin efectele terapeutice pe care le manifestă.Introduction. Amygdalin (B17 vitamin) is studied for the adjuvant role in oncologic therapy for its antitumoral properties. Even though the subject is controversial, the actual scientific interest is focused on studying the mechanisms of action and its clinical efficiency in the context of complementary treatments. Objective. The research of the effects and mechanisms of action of vitamin B17 in oncologic adjuvant treatment with the aim of evaluating therapeutical potential and its tolerability in medical practice. Material and methods. A synthesis of medical literature was conducted using electronic databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and NCBI, covering the period from 2014 to 2024. A total of 27 articles were reviewed, of which 15 (55%) focused on the mechanisms of action, as well as the antitumor and immunomodulatory effects exhibited by amygdalin (vitamin B17). Results. Although its efficacy remains controversial, analyzed sources provide evidence of mechanisms by which it may inhibit neoplastic proliferation. One mechanism involves suppressing transcription of key enzymes in anaerobic glycolysis, shifting metabolism towards a more vulnerable energy profile. Benzaldehyde, a metabolite of vitamin B17, inhibits PI3K/AKT/mTOR and STAT3 pathways, which potentially triggers apoptosis of the tumoral cell. STAT3 inhibition also suppresses angiogenesis, which is essential for tumor growth and metastasis. Additionally, it stimulates CD8+ T cells and reduces regulatory T cell (Treg) activity. Conclusion. Vitamin B17 has notable effects in suppressing tumor development and its dissemination. Although opinions in the scientific literature are divided, I believe that amygdalin holds significant potential as an adjuvant antineoplastic treatment due to its demonstrated therapeutic effects
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
New drugs in gout
Full text linkIntroducere. Guta, una din cele mai vechi forme de artrită cunoscută din 2640 înainte de Hristos, descrisă de
Hipocrate ca „boala de netrecut”, a cunoscut în ultimii 30
de ani o creștere cu 100% a prevalenței cu circa 41,2 milioane de adulți la nivel global, ce este de 2 ori mai mare decât
numărul persoanelor care trăiesc cu poliartrită reumatoidă.
Scopul lucrării. Elucidarea grupelor și preparatelor antigutoase noi. Material și metode. S-au selectat și analizat
articole din Pubmed în perioada 2017-2023 referitor la
abordările terapiei antigutoase. Rezultate. În accesele de
gută s-au studiat preparatele antiinflamatoare: inhibitorii IL-1 (anakinra, canakinumab etc.); inhibitorii caspazei
(pralnacasan, emricasan); inhibitorii selectivi ai inflamazomului (dapansurtil). Pentru profilaxia și tratamentul
gutei s-au elaborat: uricostatice (inhibitorii xantinoxidazei-febuxostat, topiroxostat; inhibitorii purin nucleozid fosforilazei-ulodesina); uricolitice (uricaza recombinată-pegloticaza); uricosurice (inhibitorii neselectivi (arhalofenat)
și selectivi (lesinurad, dotinurad, tranilast, levotofisopam)
ai transportorului acidului uric; inhibitorii cotransportului sodiu-glucoză de tip 2–canagliflozina); medicamente
cu mecanisme duale (arhalofenat, merbaron); preparate
ce cresc excreția gastrointestinală (pioglitazona, omeprazol, astemizol, decitabina); din diverse grupe (fenofibrat,
losartan, amlodipina, atorvastatina); prebiotice și probiotice; fitopreparate. Concluzii. Tratamentul antiinflamator
în accesele de gută vizează inhibarea sintezei mediatorilor
inflamației (prostaglandinelor, leucotrienelor) sau blocarea
receptorilor citochinelor proinflamatorii, iar pentru profilaxia și tratamentul gutei se optează pentru inhibarea sintezei, intensificarea lizei sau accelerarea excreției uraților,
precum și modificarea microbiotei.Background. Gout, one of the oldest known forms of arthritis dating back to 2640 BC, was described by Hippocrates
as the „insurmountable disease.” Over the past 30 years,
its prevalence has increased by 100%, with 41.2 million
adults worldwide affected, which is twice the number of
people living with rheumatoid arthritis. Objective of the
study. Elucidation of the new groups and drugs used in the
treatment of gout. Material and methods. PubMed articles from 2017-2023 focusing on approaches to anti-gout
therapy were selected and analyzed. Results. Anti-inflammatory preparations were studied in gout attacks: IL-1 inhibitors (anakinra, canakinumab etc.); caspase inhibitors
(pralnacasan, emricasan); selective inflammasome inhibitors (dapansurtil). For the prophylaxis and treatment of
gout, the following were developed: uricostatics (xanthine
oxidase inhibitors - febuxostat, topiroxostat; purine nucleoside phosphorylase inhibitors - ulodesin); uricolytics (recombinant uricase - pegloticase); uricosuric (non-selective
(arhalofenate) and selective (lesinurad, dotinurad, tranilast,
levotofisopam) inhibitors of the uric acid transporter; sodium glucose 2 cotransport inhibitors – canagliflozin); drugs
with dual mechanisms (arhalofenate, merbaron); preparations that increase gastrointestinal excretion (pioglitazone,
omeprazole, astemizole, decitabine); various groups (fenofibrate, losartan, amlodipine, atorvastatin); prebiotics and
probiotics; phytopreparations. Conclusion. The treatment
of gout attacks focuses on anti-inflammatory strategies
aimed at inhibiting the synthesis of inflammatory mediators (prostaglandins, leukotrienes) or blocking the receptors of pro-inflammatory cytokines. For the prophylaxis and
treatment of gout, the approach involves inhibition of urate
synthesis, enhancement of urate lysis or acceleration of
urate excretion, as well as modification of the microbiome
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