1,322 research outputs found
Saliva tests: application to drug and health care monitoring
No full textWhile blood analysis remains a pillar of modern medicine, the unobtrusive monitoring of health conditions is a main trend for the future. Advantages of saliva over blood analysis include a virtually unlimited and non-invasive access to the sample, the reduction of risks related to the manipulation of potentially infected waste and the possibility to avoid certified health professionals operating in controlled clinical environment for the collection of samples. The fast development of miniaturized sensing systems integrating microfluidic circuits, sensor arrays and wireless communication capabilities offers unprecedented possibilities for monitoring healthy subjects, like athletes or sport enthusiasts, or chronic patients, to avoid exacerbations or check compliance to therapy. Such systems could also be used roadside to screen potential consumers of illicit drugs or against doping in sport competitions.
This talk will provide a panoramic view on saliva tests, with examples taken from literature and the research activity of our research group. The potential of saliva analysis for diagnosis and/or prognosis of diseases as well as therapeutic drug monitoring will be highlighted; issues currently preventing a more widespread use in clinical practice and everyday life will be outlined
Effect of sampling procedures for the chemical characterization of oral fluid in clinical applications
No full textThe possibility to obtain complementary clinical information compared to those gathered from blood and urine in a non-invasive way represents one of the most important and current target in clinical practice, concerning the diagnosis of diseases and monitoring of therapies. The use of oral fluid in the clinical environment is an attractive approach because this technique is less invasive and safe. The non-invasive sampling that does not require trained personnel is the main advantage of oral fluid analysis compared to the analysis of blood and its derivatives (e.g. plasma), thus oral fluid analysis has become popular for human biomonitoring, especially for the screening of large population.
There are several methods for collecting non-stimulated (draining, spitting, suction and adsorption into swab) and stimulated (with chemical or masticatory stimulus) oral fluid samples. In this latter approach, oral fluid secretion can be stimulated by applying a few drops of citric acid directly onto the tongue or chewing paraffin wax. After stimulation, sample can be spat out, suctioned or absorbed. Although such fluid is easy to collect, particular attention must be paid to the effect of sampling conditions on the quality of analytical information. For instance, oral fluid concentrations of basic and acidic drugs are largely dependent on variations of the oral fluid pH. In the same way, for hydrophilic drugs, different flow rates obtained with different sampling methods may influence the measured drug concentrations in such fluid, as a more effective stimulation leads to a larger dilution of the sample.
In this presentation, the effects of sampling parameters on the chemical composition of oral fluid samples will be discussed and suggestions for the collection of this specimen will be presented
Antoni Despuig i Dameto, el mapa de Mallorca (1784-1785) i la Societat d'Amics del País
No full textEl clérigo Antoni Despuig i Dameto (1745-1813), si no fue el autor, fue el responsable de uno de
los mapas de Mallorca más celebrados, grabado por Josep Muntaner en 1785. La iniciativa surgió
probablemente en el seno de la Sociedad Económica Mallorquina de Amigos del País. El artículo
hace una revisión de los posibles intervinientes y de algunas características del documento como las
coordenadas, la escala (1:72.000 ca) y los datos referidos a caminos y poblaciones.The clergyman Antoni Despuig i Dameto (1745-1813), if he was not the author he was the person
in charge of one of the more celebrated maps of Majorca, burdened by Josep Muntaner in 1785. The
initiative arose probably in the bosom of the Sociedad Económica Mallorquina de Amigos del País. This
paper does a review of the possible interveners and of some characteristics of the document as the
coordinates, the scale (1:72.000 ca) and the information referred to ways and populations
Antoni Gaudí, a lone wolf in European architecture
No full textThe works of Antoni Gaudí have often been viewed as revolutionary. In the author’s opinion, some of Gaudí’s works from the 19th century can indeed be considered not only revolutionary but also the harbingers of the rupture that took place in European architecture at the turn of the century. However, while his later output enshrined him as a brilliant creator with well-deserved worldwide fame, these works were far from architecture’s evolution towards a new modernity, and Gaudí finally lost any ties he might have once had with this modernity when he enclosed himself in the Sagrada Família towards the end of his life
‘Inhabit’ of Janine Antoni as a metaphor of female creation
No full text‘Inhabit’ of Janine Antoni as a metaphor of female creationThe article aims to present the figure of contemporary artist Janine Antoni by discussing her most important performances. The author of the article pays particular attention to Antoni’s work Inhabit, which she interprets and analyzes in the spirit of arachnology. This strategy intends to present Inhabit as a kind of metaphor of feminine creativity. ‘Inhabit’ of Janine Antoni as a metaphor of female creationThe article aims to present the figure of contemporary artist Janine Antoni by discussing her most important performances. The author of the article pays particular attention to Antoni’s work Inhabit, which she interprets and analyzes in the spirit of arachnology. This strategy intends to present Inhabit as a kind of metaphor of feminine creativity
Life and Scientific Activity of Rev. Prof. Antoni Kość SVD
No full textThis article undertakes the issue of the life and scientific activity of Rev. Prof. Antoni Kość, particularly his contribution to the development of Polish and world philosophy of law. The author presents the biography of Antoni Kość beginning with the schooldays. In the article have been descibed the following stages: the seminary and theology studies in the Catholic University of Lublin; missionary work and law studies in Japan; law studies in Germany and the United States; studies and work at the universities in Japan and Korea; work at the Catholic University of Lublin. The author presents also the academic achievements of Prof. Antoni Kość
Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski o Hucułach
No full textFerdynand Antoni Ossendowski on the HutsulsThe article examines the image of the Hutsuls in Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski’s oeuvre. The author analyses the writer’s monograph Huculszczyzna, Gorgany i Czarnohora, reportage writing, articles published by Kurier Warszawski, so-called Hutsul novels Postrach gór [The Terror of the Mountains], examining the use of traditional stereotypes forming part of the cultural heritage of a given ethnic group and referring to e.g. perception of other nationalities, and ways of combining them with individual opinions stemming from observation and personal experience. She points to the symbiosis between the apologetic and Romantic concepts of the folk hero with nationhood ideas of Ossendowski’s times using e.g. the principles of inter-war regionalism.Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski on the HutsulsThe article examines the image of the Hutsuls in Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski’s oeuvre. The author analyses the writer’s monograph Huculszczyzna, Gorgany i Czarnohora, reportage writing, articles published by Kurier Warszawski, so-called Hutsul novels Postrach gór [The Terror of the Mountains], examining the use of traditional stereotypes forming part of the cultural heritage of a given ethnic group and referring to e.g. perception of other nationalities, and ways of combining them with individual opinions stemming from observation and personal experience. She points to the symbiosis between the apologetic and Romantic concepts of the folk hero with nationhood ideas of Ossendowski’s times using e.g. the principles of inter-war regionalism
Antoni Bogusławski— the forgotten journalist, poet, writer, translator, author of children literature, literary critic, officer
No full textArtykuł przypomina zapomnianą, barwną postać
wielu talentów międzywojennej Warszawy
i emigracyjnego „polskiego” Londynu — Antoniego
Bogusławskiego (1889–1956) — wyjątkowego
publicysty prasowego i radiowego, pisarza, poety,
krytyka literackiego, autora literatury dla dzieci,
tłumacza, zawodowego oficera.The aim of this article is to bring back from
oblivion Antoni Bogusławski, a man of multiple
talents and a distinguished figure of the interwar
Warsaw and the Polish community in
London. He was a brilliant journalist, writer,
poet, literary critic, author of children’s
literature, translator, officer of the Polish Army
Ceremonies of consensus and counterculture: Antoni Miralda and carnival inversion
No full textRESUMEN: El arte de acción ha tenido desigual fortuna en España, tanto en lo que se refiere a la práctica artística como a su estudio por parte de la historia del arte. Entendido como expresión liberadora y progresista por la crítica coetánea, y por tanto contra a los parámetros culturales de la dictadura, en este artículo proponemos volver al archivo para problematizar dicha comprensión y valoración crítica de estos modos de interpretación y aceptación. Nuestro estudio se centra en el happening y su desarrollo en la década de los sesenta y setenta del siglo XX en España a través de la relevancia de algunos eventos que no han pasado al archivo (la importancia de Granollers, la participación de Dalí, p.e.), centrándonos en las acciones de Antoni Miralda donde se desvelan culturas de consenso y arraigo que cuestionan las interpretaciones historiográficas dadas.ABSTRACT: Performance art in Spain, both as an art practice and as a subject of scholarly study, has traditionally been varyingly understood. Taken as a token for freedom and resistance politics by critics opposed to the cultural parameters imposed by the dictatorship, in this article the author proposes a revision of the archive with the aim of roblematizing such understanding and critical comprehension. This study concentrates on happenings and their development during the sixties and seventies in Spain that have gone unnoticed in historical research (i.e. the importance of Granollers, Dalí’s participation in some happenings), with emphasis on the works of Antoni Miralda which deal with the culture of consensus and traditions that challenge other firmly established interpretations.Depto. de Historia del ArteFac. de Geografía e HistoriaTRUEpu
Determination of prostanoids and isoprostanoids in dried blood spots by Micro-Extraction by Packed Sorbent coupled to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
No full textThe analysis of dried blood spots (DBSs) provides several advantages over conventional venous blood analysis in terms of less invasive and painless sampling, minimum amount of blood needed (10-50 µL), lower risks of infection (both for the donor and the healthcare workers) and reduced creation of hazardous waste. Noteworthy, sampling is so easy that can be performed by the patient himself or untrained caregivers, and this would offer crucial advantages to patients requiring periodic monitoring over long periods of time (e.g. therapeutic drug monitoring). In fact, once the stability of the target chemical in the spot is ascertained, DBSs could be sampled at home and shipped to the hospital lab.
Oxidative stress is involved in many chronic diseases (e.g. cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and chronic inflammatory diseases) and diseases of preterm newborns such as patent ductus arteriosus and retinopathy of prematurity. Various biomarkers have been proposed to assess oxidative stress, and products of lipid peroxidation like prostaglandins and isoprostanes are commonly determined in serum, plasma and urine samples to evaluate the oxidative damage. The complexity of these matrices, the low concentration levels (tens to hundreds of pg/mL) of these biomarkers and the poor stability caused by auto-oxidation of arachidonic acid (ex-vivo formation) make the analysis of these compounds quite challenging.
This thesis reports the development and validation of analytical procedures for the quantitative determination of isoprostanoids (8-iso-prostaglandin-F2α and 8-iso-prostaglandin-E2) and prostanoid (prostaglandin-E2) in DBS samples by an innovative approach based on micro-extraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS) analysis.
Micro-extraction by packed sorbent, a miniaturized version of solid-phase extraction, allowed the easy and rapid (< 10 min) sample clean-up as well as the pre-concentration of analytes extracted from a single DBS (50 μL) by a 70:30 v/v methanol:water mixture before the highly sensitive and selective UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis.
The analytical method was fully validated and showed for all the analytes limits of detection close to 20 pg/mL, linear calibration ranges (R2 > 0.99) spanning over three orders of magnitude, almost quantitative recoveries (90-100%), and intra- and inter-day precisions close to 15%. The addition of a deuterated internal standard (8-iso-prostaglandin-F2α-d4) on the filter paper, instead of the common addition to the extraction solvent, guaranteed to correct for any analyte variability during sampling, drying, storage and extraction steps, thus improving the analytical performances of DBS assay.
The innovative analytical procedure developed in this thesis offers a reliable approach to determine these markers in DBSs and a broad applicability in medicine since alterations of prostanoids and isoprostanoids in blood are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of many chronic diseases
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