609 research outputs found
Reassessing cognitive impairment prevalence in 5-FU chemotherapy: A critical methodological perspective
No full textLetter to EditorAlexandra L Whittaker, Ines Semendri
The effectiveness of anti-inflammatory agents in reducing chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment in preclinical models – a systematic review
No full textPublished May 2023Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI) is a debilitating condition resulting from chemotherapy administration for cancer treatment. CICI is characterised by various cognitive impairments, including issues with learning, memory, and concentration, impacting quality of life. Several neural mechanisms are proposed to drive CICI, including inflammation, therefore, anti-inflammatory agents could ameliorate such impairments. Research is still in the preclinical stage; however, the efficacy of anti-inflammatories to reduce CICI in animal models is unknown. Therefore, a systematic review was conducted, with searches performed in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycInfo and Cochrane Library. A total of 64 studies were included, and of the 50 agents identified, 41 (82%) reduced CICI. Interestingly, while nontraditional anti-inflammatory agents and natural compounds reduced impairment, the traditional agents were unsuccessful. Such results must be taken with caution due to the heterogeneity observed in terms of methods employed. Nevertheless, preliminary evidence suggests anti-inflammatory agents could be beneficial for treating CICI, although it may be critical to think beyond the use of traditional anti-inflammatories when considering which specific compounds to prioritise in development.Olivia J Haller, Ines Semendric, Rebecca P George, Lyndsey E Collins-Praino, Alexandra L Whittake
In Sarbiewski's Circle − Albert Ines' Lyric Poetry
No full textAlbert Ines is discussed here as the author of the lyrical poem Lyricorum centuriae (Gdańsk 1655). In the collection there are many religious poems, especially ones taking up Virgin Mary as their subject matter, and hence Ines is described as vates Marianus. Ines' religious poems are bound by a double convention: that of the use of biblical and ancient metaphors; they are also even ”garrulous” because of motives of praise accumulated in a litany-style manner. His reflective poems are more interesting; they are a kind of intellectual-lyric poetry abouding in clever sayings, pointed antitheses, etc. Ines imitates Sarbiewski but being consistent with the rule ”imitari non expilare” he limits himself to only two ”parodies”; and even they are not very typical. The fact that Ines imitates Sarbiewski is also seen in taking up the same subjects in his poems. This similarity is sometimes rather faint so its significance for our interpretation will be limited
Neuroimmune reactivity marker expression in rodent models of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment: a systematic scoping review
No full textBackground: Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI) is a debilitating side effect arising from chemotherapy treatments. The condition is characterised by a range of cognitive deficits including impairment to memory, attention, and concentration. Whilst the underlying mechanisms that contribute to CICI remain unclear, neuroinflammation has been suggested as one key contributor. Method: A comprehensive systematic search of EMBASE and Medline via PubMed was conducted to identify studies on neuroimmune reactivity marker expression changes and resulting cognitive changes in preclinical rodent models of CICI. Results: A total of twenty studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the scoping review. There was significant heterogeneity in the methodology employed in the included studies. Our findings demonstrate that widespread changes in cytokines, chemokines, microglia reactivity, and astrocyte reactivity are observed in CICI in the brain regions expected to be affected, given the nature of the cognitive impairment observed in CICI. Conclusions: Although there was considerable heterogeneity in study design that made comparisons between studies difficult, our findings suggest that neuroinflammation commonly occurs in CICI preclinical rodent models and shows an association with cognitive impairment.Rebecca P George, Ines Semendric, Mark R Hutchinson, Alexandra L Whittake
The Story of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz
No full textabstract: The story of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz is one of a woman who defied the odds of her time. Sor Juana was a nun born in the 1600's in Mexico. From an early start, she had an endless passion for knowledge and always strove to learn as much as she could. She went on to become a nun at the Convent of Santa Paula and used her intellect to advocate for women's rights. Though met with opposition, she wrote many poems, letters, and even plays which included her strong push for women's equality. However, the name Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz is almost never mentioned in popular feminist discourse, despite Sor Juana being credited as one of the first feminist authors. This paper works to not only tell the story of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz in detail, but also works to answer the question, "Why do people not know about Sor Juana". By diving into the origins of the Feminist movement in the United States, the dark underbelly of Feminism is uncovered. Primarily, the topic of how racism in feminism has plague the civil rights movement, what damage has been done to people of color because of feminism's history, and how does that pertain to modern day feminism and Sor Juana. By telling her story through both written and visual aids, the voice of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz is no longer silenced but free to tell her tale and move a generation
Reporting in rodent models of 'chemobrain': a systematic review assessing compliance with the ARRIVE guidelines
No full textPublished online: 2 June 2021Patients diagnosed with cancer are often plagued with debilitating side effects post-chemotherapy treatment. One such side effect is chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment or ‘chemobrain’. Rodent models are commonly used to investigate pathogenesis and potential therapeutic strategies. However, concerns have been raised regarding inadequacies in reporting of animal studies rendering them unreliable and irreproducible. The aim of this systematic review was to assess compliance with the ARRIVE reporting guidelines in peer-reviewed publications evaluating chemotherapy-induced cognitive changes in rodent models, and to determine if the introduction of the ARRIVE guidelines has improved quality of reporting. A comprehensive search was conducted to identify relevant peer-reviewed publications. Ninety-seven studies met the eligibility criteria, and publication compliance with the ARRIVE guideline reporting was assessed. No studies achieved full adherence with the ARRIVE guidelines. Furthermore, no significant improvement was demonstrated in the overall compliance score post-ARRIVE. Given the lack of standardisation of animal models in this research area, these results pose particular threat to future progress and translation of findings in this area of research. These results highlight the need for stricter adherence to the ARRIVE guidelines by journal editors and reviewers. Animal Ethics Committees also have an important educative role in improving knowledge and awareness of the guidelines amongst researchers.Rebecca P. George, Ines Semendric, Eleanor R. Bowley-Schubert, Christine T. Chivonivoni, Alexandra P. Warrender, Alexandra L. Whittake
The Encounter between the West and the Arab World in the Age of Nahdah (Renaissance). The Translation Movement in the Arab Literary Reviews
No full textIn quest'articolo si riflette sul ruolo giocato dalla riviste letterarie arabe nella diffusione della conoscenza della cultura occidentale. Il movimento di traduzione avviato durante la Nahda (la Rinascita) in Egitto e nella Grande Siria condusse a cambiamenti sostanziali dei canoni estetici, ma suscitò anche un movimento di forte opposizione da parte dei conservatori
Dall’esclusione all’inclusione. Questioni e possibili itinerari di vita per le persone con impairment intellettivo
No full textThe aim of this paper is continuing to think about the issues relating to inclusion, because of aseries of reasons that will be illustrated by the author. The same concept of inclusion needs tobe disambiguated, in order to act a transformative process that is necessary for the whole societyfor becoming welcoming to all. Exactly as happened in the seventies of the twentieth century,we think that the educational institution is a privileged place for the encounter with the other(and, therefore, capable of triggering the inclusive process). In order to remove the stigmawhichstill is around disability, it is important to promote as much as possible such socialization opportunities.With respect to disability (as will emerge from this paper), it should be reiterated that it is a sociohistorical-cultural construct and, therefore, that it varies with the changing of practices linked toit. In this regard, turning our gaze towards adult life (and towards the institutional practices implementedso far), we think is important to continue to problematize the housing conditions of thosewho have intellectual impairment, in order to imagine solutions which could be different fromthose acted up to now. If implemented, these solutions would allow the identity developmentof the people involved (changing the same meaning of disability)
Changes in cognition and astrocytic reactivity in a female rodent model of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment are variable both acutely and chronically
No full textChemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI) affects female cancer survivors, with impairment recognised in populations such as breast cancer survivors, where 1 in 3 are affected. Impairments include issues with memory, learning, concentration, and processing speed, negatively impacting quality of life. Several mechanisms are proposed to drive these, with evidence implicating neuroinflammation as a key contributor. However, the time course over which impairments occur is less well-established, with fewer longer-term time-points investigated. This study aimed to understand the evolution of cognitive changes following methotrexate (MTX) or 5- fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy, assessing three time-points: acute (96-hour), sub-acute (31-days) and chronic (93-days). Further, we investigated whether alterations in cognition were associated with concomitant changes in astrocytic reactivity. Female Sprague Dawley rats received two intraperitoneal injections of MTX, 5-FU or saline and were assessed on the novel object recognition, 5-choice serial reaction time task and Barnes maze. Hippocampal and prefrontal cortex tissue was examined for GFAP expression. Both MTX and 5-FU exposure were associated with spatial memory, task acquisition, and processing speed impairments at 31-days, with impairment ameliorated by 93-days. While both MTX and 5-FU induced changes in GFAP expression across various timepoints and regions, with most notable changes at 96-hours, 5-FU exhibited expression changes in the hippocampus consistently across all time-points. These results provide valuable insight into the complexity of a mediator of neuroinflammation in CICI. While neuroinflammation may be a promising therapeutic target, further markers should be assessed to elucidate the full neuroimmune response, and thus which aspects to target and when, to ensure optimal outcomes for cancer patients treated with chemotherapy.Olivia J. Haller, Ines Semendric, Lyndsey E. Collins-Praino, Alexandra L. Whittaker, Rebecca P. Georg
Growth, genes, genomes: iInsights into microbial respiration of arsenic and selenium
No full textArsenic (As) and selenium (Se) are naturally occurring metalloids in the Earth’s crust. Their speciation is governed by the microbial communities in various environments which influences their mobility among the soil, water, and air interface. Microorganisms can utilize As and Se oxyanion as terminal electron acceptors in dissimilatory reduction. These organisms are ubiquitous and phylogenetically diverse. The objectives of the studies in this thesis were to gain an understanding of the metabolism of As and Se respiring bacteria, analyze the genes encoding enzymes involved in respiration and understand how these enzymes are regulated in the presence of various electron acceptors. We were able to isolate two novel As and Se respiring bacteria from different environments; from a wastewater treatment facility in Verona, NJ and an estuarine canal from Chennai, India. Based on 16S rRNA gene analysis, strain S4 was classified as a novel genus and species, Selenovibrio woodruffi and strain S5 as a novel species, Desulfurispirillum indicum. We analyzed the genome of D. indicum and examined the expression of putative reductases to further understand respiratory metabolism of As and Se oxyanions. Five molybdoenzyme genes were identified in the genome of strain S5, three of which we were annotated to encode for a respiratory arsenate reductase arr, periplasmic nitrate reductase nar, and respiratory nitrate reductase nap. Also, an arsenate resistance system, ars, was identified. We were not able to positively identify a selenate reductase gene. Gene expression studies revealed that arr was an inducible gene and the only gene highly expressed during arsenate respiration. Growth studies showed that selenate respiration was inhibited by nitrate. Lastly, we also enriched activated sludge samples for tellurium oxyanion respiring bacteria. Thus, we not only added novel, phylogenetically different organisms to the ever-increasing list of As and Se respiring microbes, we also provided insights into the genes and enzymes involved in As and Se respiration and how they are regulated.Ph. D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Ines Rauschenbac
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