6 research outputs found
Predictive interval plot for the rheumatoid arthritis network on a logarithmic scale.
No full text<p>The black solid lines represent the confidence intervals for summary odds ratios for each comparison and the red dashed lines the respective predictive intervals. The blue line is the line of no effect (odds ratio equal to 1).</p
Academic Entrepreneurship in Post-transition Country—Case Study of Croatia
No full textEntering the European Union Croatian universities have become a part of the big European market and society. Croatia as one of the newest EU members has been facing many challenges, and one of them has been the development of the Higher education sector. In this paper we aim to explore the possibilities for academic entrepreneurship in Croatia and investigate the barriers which hinder university-industry collaboration. The study adopted the qualitative case study approach and it was conducted through in-depth interviews with respondents from the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at the University of Split. Research results indicate that Croatia is only beginning to develop its academic entrepreneurship, having only a short history of entrepreneurship education at all levels of education. Furthermore, supporting institutions for university-industry collaboration, such as the surveyed TTO, were established only in the last decade and most of the potential partners from academia and industry are still not familiar with different possibilities of the collaboration. Our study also shows that specific contextual factors, such as high bureaucracy and administrative barriers act as inhibiting factors to further development of academic entrepreneurship
Copper oxide nanoparticles aggravate airway inflammation and mucus production in asthmatic mice via MAPK signaling
No full text<p>Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs), metal oxide nanoparticles were used in multiple applications including wood preservation, antimicrobial textiles, catalysts for carbon monoxide oxidation and heat transfer fluid in machines. We investigated the effects of CuONPs on the respiratory system in Balb/c mice. In addition, to investigate the effects of CuONPs on asthma development, we used a murine model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma. CuONPs markedly increased airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), inflammatory cell counts, proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS). CuONPs induced airway inflammation and mucus secretion with increases in phosphorylation of the MAPKs (Erk, JNK and p38). In the OVA-induced asthma model, CuONPs aggravated the increased AHR, inflammatory cell count, proinflammatory cytokines, ROS and immunoglobulin E induced by OVA exposure. In addition, CuONPs markedly increased inflammatory cell infiltration into the lung and mucus secretions, and MAPK phosphorylation was elevated compared to OVA-induced asthmatic mice. Taken together, CuONPs exhibited toxicity on the respiratory system, which was associated with the MAPK phosphorylation. In addition, CuONPs exposure aggravated the development of asthma. We conclude that CuONPs exposure has a potential toxicity in humans with respiratory disease.</p
Table_1_So-Cheong-Ryoung-Tang Attenuates Pulmonary Inflammation Induced by Cigarette Smoke in Bronchial Epithelial Cells and Experimental Mice.DOCX
No full textSo-Cheong-Ryoung-Tang is a traditionally used herbal formula for the treatment of pulmonary diseases in China, Korea, and Japan. We investigated the protective effects of So-Cheong-Ryong-Tang water extract (SCWE) in cigarette smoke concentrate (CSC) stimulated human airway epithelial cell line NCI-H292 and mice exposed cigarette smoke (CS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In the CSC-stimulated NCI-H292 cells, SCWE inhibited proinflammatory cytokines in a concentration-dependent manner, as evidenced by a reduction in their mRNA levels. Also, SCWE significant reduced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) phosphorylation in CSC-stimulated cells. The mice were exposed to CS for 1 h per day (a total of eight cigarettes per day) for 7 days and received LPS intranasally on day 5. The mice were administered a dose of SCWE (100 and 200 mg/kg) 1 h before CS exposure. In in vivo, SCWE decreased the inflammatory cell count and reduced the expression of the proinflammatory cytokines in the broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) compared with CS and LPS exposed mice. SCWE attenuated inflammatory cell infiltration in airway induced by CS and LPS exposure, and this decrease was accompanied by a reduction in the expression levels of iNOS and MMP-9 in lung tissue. The extract also inhibited the phosphorylation of inhibitor of kappa B alpha (IκBα) and NF-κB induced by CS and LPS exposure in lung tissue. These results suggest that SCWE may effectively inhibit airway inflammatory responses induced by CS and LPS exposure via the NF-κB pathway. Therefore, SCWE may be a potential treatment for airway inflammatory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).</p
Comparative toxicity and biodistribution assessments in rats following subchronic oral exposure to copper nanoparticles and microparticles
No full textUrinalysis findings in male rats treated with Cu NPs or Cu MPs following 28 days-repeated oral dose. Table S2. Absolute and relative organ weights in male rats treated with Cu NPs following 28 days-repeated oral dose. Table S3. Absolute and relative organ weights in male rats treated with Cu MPs following 28 days-repeated oral dose. (DOCX 47 kb
