4,475 research outputs found
Non-allowed pharmacologically active substances in physical and sexual performance enhancing products
No full textIl rotolo A.A., Arm. I-XVIII 3328 dell’Archivum Arcis: studi letterari e scientifici, interventi di restauro.
No full textIl rotolo di pergamena A.A. Arm. I-XVIII 3328, conservato nell'Archivio Segreto Vaticano, è lungo quasi cinque metri, è stato redatto nel 1244 per la fase preliminare del processo di canonizzazione del Beato Lorenzo Loricato. Loricato, vissuto tra il XII e XIII secolo, aveva involontariamente commesso un omicidio. Per espiare le sue colpe, si ritira per 34 anni in ascesi in una grotta nei pressi del monastero del Sacro Speco a Subiaco, indossando gli strumenti di penitenza. Il processo di canonizzazione però non ebbe successo, nonostante le molte persone provenienti da Subiaco che testimoniarono i suoi miracoli. Nel rotolo le testimonianze dei miracoli e dello stile di vita del Beato sono registrati e autenticati dallo 'scriniarius', un notaio della cancelleria papale. Il rotolo appartiene alla sezione più antica dell’Archivio Segreto Vaticano, l’Archivum Arcis, anche se fino alla fine del XVI Secolo rimase conservato a Castel Sant'Angelo.
Le pergamene venivano prodotte trattando la pelle degli animali e consiste nello strato dermico più esterno. Il ‘nostro’ rotolo è danneggiato da macchie rosse o viola, associate alla distruzione localizzata delle fibre di collagene, danno comunemente rilevato nelle pergamene antiche. Questo attacco microbico è molto diffuso sulla prima e l’ultima pagina, mentre su tutta la lunghezza del rotolo si trova a partire dai margini esterni fino allo scritto; l’attacco ha determinato macchie viola e desquamazione della pergamena, con conseguente perdita di inchiostro e leggibilità.
Lo studio e il restauro di questo prezioso documento includono diversi approcci: uno fisico, per caratterizzare la struttura e la conservazione del supporto; uno metagenomico, per identificare i microrganismi responsabili dell'attacco e uno chimico, per identificare la composizione delle macchie viola. L'approccio metagenomico è stato mirato a identificare la comunità batterica che colonizza le aree macchiate e quella presente sulle parti non danneggiate; la tecnica utilizzata è una di quelle denominate Next Generation Sequencing (in particolare, è stato utilizzato il 454-pyrosequencing). Il risultato sorprendente di questa analisi è che le aree danneggiate contengono batteri marini, assenti nelle parti non danneggiate
Pharmacotoxicology and analytical issues of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid in clinical and forensic laboratory
No full textGamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) can be considered both an endogenous metabolite and a precursor of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) acting within the central nervous system as a neuromodulator. Pharmacologically, GHB is classified as a central nervous system depressant and its mechanism of action involves interaction and binding with GABA-B receptors. With the generic name of sodium oxybate, the sodium salt of GHB, is sold as a pharmaceutical product under the trade name of Xyrem® when prescribed for the treatment of people with narcolepsy and with the name of Alcover® when used to relieve alcohol withdrawal syndrome and treat alcohol dependence. Between the end of the 90s of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first one, the abuse of GHB became increasingly widespread in the recreational field. The substance, often consumed in combination with alcohol, cannabis, ecstasy (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA), ketamine, has been converted in one of the most used "club drugs", becoming one of the most serious health issues in the emergency department of many European and extra-European Countries because of the initial difficult clinical management of the growing number of cases of intoxication. At the same time, there was an increase of cases of sexual assaults of victims who were unaware they had been given GHB as odourless and colourless sedative substance. In this narrative review, the three different aspects of GHB as endogenous neuromodulator, as prescription drug and as substance of abuse are illustrated. The main methods for qualitative and quantitative analysis in conventional and non-conventional biological matrices for clinical and forensic purposes are also describe
When a death apparently associated to sexual assault is instead a natural death due to idiopathic ypereosinophilic syndrome: The importance of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid analysis in vitreous humor
No full textInteractively using Semantic Web knowledge: Creating scalable abstractions with FacetOntology
No full textThe amount of knowledge accessible on the Semantic Web is growing, and there is a need for a scalable solution to facilitate exploring that data. Currently approaches to exploring Semantic Web data either focus on exploring resources individually, following links during exploration, and making little use of collated data, or take the approach of collating and aligning multiple sources into one store for one purpose, and hand-crafting a specific browsing interface onto it. We present an approach that provides a scalable browsing interface, which can browse knowledge from the Semantic Web at will. Our approach creates abstractions of knowledge, collated into facets, which are described using FacetOntology. FacetOntology facilitates describing facets from RDF data, suitable for use in creating datasets for faceted browsing
Herbal highs: review on psychoactive effects and neuropharmacology
No full textBackground: A new trend among users of new psychoactive substances’ the consumption of “herbal highs”: plant parts containing psychoactive substances. Most of the substances extracted from herbs, in old centuries were at the centre of religious ceremonies of ancient civilizations. Currently, these herbal products are mainly sold by internet web sites and easily obtained since some of them have no legal restriction. Objective: We reviewed psychoactive effects and neuropharmacology of the most used “herbal highs” with characterized active principles, with studies reporting mechanisms of action, pharmacological and subjective effects, eventual secondary effects including intoxications and/or fatalities Method: The PubMed database was searched using the following key.words: herbal highs, Argyreia nervosa, Ipomoea violacea and Rivea corymbosa; Catha edulis; Datura stramonium; Piper methysticum; Mitragyna speciosa. Results: Psychoactive plants here reviewed have been known and used from ancient times, even if for some of them limited information still exist regarding subjective and neuropharmacological effects and consequent eventual toxicity when plants are used alone or in combination with “classical” drugs of abuse. Conclusion: Some “herbal highs” should be classified as harmful drugs since chronic administration has been linked with addiction and cognitive impairment; for some others taking into consideration only the recent trends of abuse, studies investigating these aspects are lacking
Growth Morphologies and Mechanisms of Non-Equilibrium Solidified MC Carbide
No full textGrowth morphologies and mechanisms of the carbide of group IVB and VB elements (MC carbide), a typical faceted crystal, were studied with an estimated cooling rate from 102 to 105 K/s. Results showed that although the growth morphologies of the MC carbide vary remarkably with solidification cooling rate, the solid/liquid interface is always atomically smooth, and the growth mechanisms are always lateral growth. The growth mechanism transition from lateral to continuous growth mode, which was predicted by the classic crystal growth theory, was not observed for the TiC type MC carbide within the estimated cooling rate range of 102?105 K/s
Ruth Klüger: la creatività per non “smarrirsi strada facendo”
No full textR. Klüger, a jewish viennese, a US citizen and a germanist, is the Author of two autobiographies “weiter leben”and “unterwegs versore”. Written in a style which alternates between essay and poetry, account and recollection, they are the occasion for the Author to establish a dialogue with the women having as a focus the exchange of experiences and reflections over the status of the feminine emancipation
Eutectic MC Carbide Growth Morphologies of a Laser Clad TiC/FeAl Composite Coating
No full textIn this paper, eutectic MC carbide growth morphology and its evolution with laser scanning speed were studied comprehensively of a laser clad MC carbide reinforced FeAl intermetallic matrix composite coating. As the laser scanning speed increased, the growth morphology of eutectic MC carbide was found to be needle-aligned annulation, butterfly-like and well-developed dendrite
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