1,720,969 research outputs found
Essential Oil Molecules Can Break the Loop of Oxidative Stress in Neurodegenerative Diseases.
No full textEssential oils (EOs) are mixtures of volatile compounds, extracted from aromatic plants, with multiple activities including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ones. EOs are complex mixtures easy to find on the market and with low costs. In this mini narrative review, we have collected the results of in vitro and in vivo studies, which tested these EOs on validated models of neurodegeneration and in particular of the two main neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) that afflict humans: Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Since EO compositions can vary greatly, depending on the environmental conditions, plant cultivar, and extraction methods, we focused our attention to studies involving single EO molecules, and in particular those that have demonstrated the ability to cross the blood–brain barrier. These single EO molecules, alone or in defined mixtures, could be interesting new therapies to prevent or slow down oxidative and inflammatory processes which are common mechanisms that contribute to neuronal death in all NDs
Differential Physiological Responses Elicited by Ancient and Heritage Wheat Cultivars Compared to Modern Ones.
Full text linkAlthough ancient, heritage, and modern wheat varieties appear rather similar from a nutritional point of view, having a similar gluten content and a comparable toxicity linked to their undigested gluten peptide, whenever the role of ancient end heritage wheat grains has been investigated in animal studies or in clinical trials, more anti-inflammatory effects have been associated with the older wheat varieties. This review provides a critical overview of existing data on the differential physiological responses that could be elicited in the human body by ancient and heritage grains compared to modern ones. The methodology used was that of analyzing the results of relevant studies conducted from 2010 through PubMed search, by using as keywords "ancient or heritage wheat", "immune wheat" (protein or peptides), and immune gluten (protein or peptides). Our conclusion is that, even if we do not know exactly which molecular mechanisms are involved, ancient and heritage wheat varieties have different anti-inflammatory and antioxidant proprieties with respect to modern cultivars. It is, therefore, reasonable to assume that the health proprieties attributed to older cultivars could be related to wheat components which have positive roles in the modulation of intestinal inflammation and/or permeability
Very-Low-Absorbable Geraniol for the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A "Real-World" Open-Label Study on 1585 Patients.
Full text linkObjective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a verylow-absorbable geraniol formulation, administered as a food supplement, in patients with
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in a real-world setting in Italy. Methods: This open-label
study was conducted in Italy on patients diagnosed with IBS and treated for 4 weeks
with 240 mg/day of Palmarosa essential oil, absorbed on 960 mg of ginger root powder
to obtain a very-low-absorbable geraniol formulation. Baseline characteristics, including
demographic and symptoms were recorded using the IBS Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS).
After 28 ± 7 days, the patients were asked to complete the IBS-SSS questionnaire again. The
primary objective was to confirm the effects of a very-low-absorbable geraniol formulation
on self-reported symptoms of IBS and the quality of life of affected individuals. The
secondary objective was to confirm the effect of the treatment on the different IBS subtypes.
Results: A total of 1585 patients were included in the study, with a mean age of 44.8 years
and 56.4% women. Following the 4-week supplementation period, significant decreases
were observed in the patients’ IBS-SSS (−67.9%) and all the primary IBS symptoms, such as
abdominal distention (−82.3%), unsatisfaction with bowel habits (−46.2%), and interference
with quality of life (QoL) (−64.9%) (all p < 0.01). The patients’ stool type improved
significantly. Treatment was effective in all IBS subtypes. Conclusions: Treatment with
very-low-adsorbable geraniol food supplement was associated with improvements in
symptoms and bowel habits in all IBS subtypes in a real-world setting in Italy. These
findings support the use of geraniol as an effective option for patients with IBS regardless
of the disease subtype
Human monocytes stimulated by Shiga toxin 1a via globotriaosylceramide release proinflammatory molecules associated with hemolytic uremic syndrome.
No full textThe life-threatening sequela of hemorrhagic colitis induced by Shiga toxins (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections in humans is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the main cause of acute renal failure in early childhood. The key step in the pathogenesis of HUS is the appearance of Stx in the blood of infected patients because these powerful virulence factors are capable of inducing severe microangiopathic lesions in the kidney. During precocious toxemia, which occurs in patients before the onset of HUS during the intestinal phase, Stx bind to several different circulating cells. An early response of these cells might include the release of proinflammatory mediators associated with the development of HUS. Here, we show that primary human monocytes stimulated with Shiga toxin 1a (Stx1a) through the glycolipid receptor globotriaosylceramide released larger amounts of proinflammatory molecules (IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6, G-CSF, CXCL8, CCL2, CCL4) than Stx1a-treated neutrophils. The mediators (except IL-1β) are among the top six proinflammatory mediators found in the sera from patients with HUS in different studies. The molecules appear to be involved in different pathogenetic steps of HUS, i.e. sensitization of renal endothelial cells to the toxin actions (IL-1β, TNFα), activation of circulating monocytes and neutrophils (CXCL8, CCL2, CCL4) and increase in neutrophil counts in patients with poor prognosis (G-CSF). Hence, a role of circulating monocytes in the very early phases of the pathogenetic process culminating with HUS can be envisaged. Impairment of the events of precocious toxemia would prevent or reduce the risk of HUS in STEC-infected children
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
A comparative evaluation of two decompression procedures for technical diving using infl ammatory responses: compartmental versus ratio deco
No full textIntroduction: The aim of this study was to compare two decompression procedures commonly adopted by technical divers: the ZH-L16 algorithm modifled by 30/85 gradient factors (compartmental decompression model, CDM) versus the 'ratio decompression strategy' (RDS). The comparison was based on an analysis of changes in diver circulating inflammatory proflles caused by decompression from a single dive.Methods: Fifty-one technical divers performed a single trimix dive to 50 metres' sea water (msw) for 25 minutes followed by enriched air (EAN50) and oxygen decompression. Twenty-three divers decompressed according to a CDM schedule and 28 divers decompressed according to a RDS schedule. Peripheral blood for detection of inflammatory markers was collected before and 90 min after diving. Venous gas emboli were measured 30 min after diving using 2D echocardiography. Matched groups of 23 recreational divers (dive to 30 msw; 25 min) and 25 swimmers were also enrolled as control groups to assess the effects of decompression from a standard air dive or of exercise alone on the inflammatory proflle.Results: Echocardiography at the single 30 min observation post dive showed no significant differences between the two decompression procedures. Divers adopting the RDS showed a worsening of post-dive inflammatory proflle compared to the CDM group, with significant increases in circulating chemokines CCL2 (P = 0.001) and CCL5 (P = 0.006) levels. There was no increase in chemokines following the CDM decompression. The air scuba group also showed a statistically significant increase in CCL2 (P < 0.001) and CCL5 (P = 0.003) levels post dive. No cases of decompression sickness occurred.Conclusion: The ratio deco strategy did not confer any benefit in terms of bubbles but showed the disadvantage of increased decompression-associated secretion of inflammatory chemokines involved in the development of vascular damage
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
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