Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Final Goal (final + goal)
Selected AbstractsSynthesis and in vitro cytotoxic activity on human anaplastic thyroid cancer cells of lipoamino acid conjugates of gemcitabineDRUG DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, Issue 5 2010Rosario Pignatello Abstract Lipophilic derivatives of the antitumor drug gemcitabine (GEM) with the potential for improving drug loading in lipid-based colloidal carriers, like liposomes or lipid nanoparticles, are described. GEM free base was conjugated to lipoamino acids bearing an alkyl side chain of different length, by either a carbodiimide-assisted or an ethylchloroformiate-assisted coupling reaction, to obtain N4 -acyl GEM derivatives. These compounds retained the same in vitro cell growth inhibitory activity of the parent drug against two lines of human anaplastic thyroid cancer cells. Stability studies suggested that the observed activity was due mainly to intact derivatives and not to released GEM. Accordingly, these amphiphilic derivatives can be proposed in a further step for the encapsulation in liposomes or lipid nanocarriers, to achieve as a final goal an improvement of the pharmacokinetics and therapeutic activity of GEM. Drug Dev Res 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Barriers to adherence among adolescents with inflammatory bowel diseaseINFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 1 2010Rachel Neff Greenley PhD Abstract Background: The purpose of this study was to describe barriers to adherence among adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and to examine demographic, disease-related, and treatment regimen-related correlates of adherence barriers using a multimethod reporting strategy. A final goal was to examine relationships between the frequencies of barriers and levels of nonadherence. Methods: In all, 64 adolescents (ages 11,18) participated, along with 61 mothers and 25 fathers. Barriers to adherence and ratings of medication adherence were assessed via patient and parent reports. Disease activity ratings were provided by pediatric gastroenterologists. Results: Lack of time and medication side effects were commonly reported barriers across adolescent, mother, and father reports. Other adolescent-reported barriers included missing medication due to feeling well or discontinuing medication based on the belief that the medication was not working. The prevalence of adherence barriers was not consistently associated with adolescent age, sex, time since diagnosis, or disease activity. Adolescents whose regimen involved more than 1 daily medication administration had more adherence barriers based on adolescent and maternal report than did those whose regimen involved 1 or less than 1 daily medication administration. Finally, adherence barriers were significantly higher among families reporting imperfect adherence as compared to those reporting perfect adherence. Conclusions: Barriers to medication adherence do exist among adolescents with IBD and may have negative implications for medication adherence. Systematic assessment of barriers during routine medical appointments may help to identify and modify these barriers and ultimately improve adherence. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2010 [source] Characterization of asphaltene structure using atomic force microscopyJOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY, Issue 3 2008S. SABBAGHI Summary In this study, at the first stage, asphaltene was extracted. The roughness of asphaltene coating at different rpm was studied using an image analysis confocal microscopy. The basics of quantum mechanics and statistical thermodynamics are used to predict the potential energy and the intermolecular forces of asphaltene molecules. The functional forms for the potential energy and intermolecular forces are evaluated. Our final goal is to be able to observe and determine the surface structures of asphaltene micelles with scanning probe microscopes. So, the focus of the work on these unusual molecules is to characterize their structure, dynamics and thermodynamics and to establish the relationship between these properties and petroleum fluid behaviour. The existence of various nanostructures of asphaltene in petroleum has been extensively discussed. A set of fitted data is used to check the validity of the calculated results. The good agreement between the proposed models and the data is promising. [source] Relationship of psychopathological symptoms and cognitive function to subjective quality of life in patients with chronic schizophreniaPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 1 2010Kenji Tomida md Aims:, The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent of the effects of psychopathological symptoms and cognitive function on quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Methods:, Data were obtained using the Japanese Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (JSQLS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WCST) Keio version, and Continuous Performance Test (CPT) for 52 schizophrenia patients. Results:, Stepwise regression analysis showed that PANSS depression/anxiety factors predicted JSQLS psychosocial conditions and motivation/energy, and that WCST Categories Achieved predicted JSQLS symptoms/side-effects. Conclusions:, Psychopathological symptoms and cognitive function affect subjective QOL in patients with schizophrenia. If the final goal is treatment that improves QOL in a manner that patients themselves are aware of, clinicians probably need to consider a treatment strategy that improves depression/anxiety symptom. [source] Planning and Optimization of a Numerical Control Machine in a Multiple Response CaseQUALITY AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, Issue 5 2006Rossella Berni Abstract This paper focuses on a specific case of experimental planning and optimization in a multiresponse case. Particularly, our attention is dedicated to a numerical control machine and our final goal is to improve this machine's measurement accuracy for a general dental implant. This work substantially aims at addressing two issues: the optimization methods in the presence of more response variables and the related problem of weighting according to the actual importance of these variables. About simultaneous optimization, we suggest an improvement by a new function which takes care of location and dispersion effects. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Culture of nasal epithelial cells using chitosan-based membranesTHE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 10 2009Tsung-Wei Huang MD Abstract Objectives/Hypothesis: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether chitosan-based membranes can be used as scaffolds for growth and differentiation of nasal epithelial cells (NECs). Our final goal was to establish a novel methodology for enhancing the regeneration of the respiratory system. Study Design: Prospective study. Methods: Human NECs were cultured on three various substrates, e.g., chitosan membranes, collagen, and chitosan-collagen membranes. Morphology of NECs was examined via light and electron microscopy, the area of ciliated cells was measured by confocal microscopy, and ciliary beat frequency was also evaluated. Expression of mucin genes was investigated with reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: NECs were found to be successfully adhesive with collagen and chitosan-collagen membranes at day 3 after seeding, but not with chitosan membranes. The cilia area on collagen were 6.1% ± 1.2%, 8.4% ± 1.4%, and 12.5% ± 1.9% at days 7, 14, and 21 after confluence, respectively, compared with 5.1% ± 0.9%, 8.6% ± 1.6%, and 12.3% ± 2.1% in chitosan-collagen membranes, exhibited nonsignificant difference (P > .05). There were no significant differences in ciliary beat frequency between each group. The expression levels of mucin genes, namely, MUC5AC, MUC5B, and MUC2, in NECs on both collagen and chitosan-collagen membranes did not differ significantly (P > .05). Conclusions: A small amount collagen mixed with chitosan substrate may improve the biocompatibility and promote the mucociliary differentiation in NECs. It appears that chitosan-collagen membrane is a promising scaffold for culture of the nasal epithelium, which sets the stage for studying tissue regeneration in the respiratory system. Laryngoscope, 2009 [source] Development of the NEDO Implantable Ventricular Assist Device with Gyro Centrifugal PumpARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 6 2000Masaharu Yoshikawa Abstract: The Gyro centrifugal pump, PI (permanently implantable) series, is being developed as a totally implantable artificial heart. Our final goal is to establish a "functional TAH," a totally implantable biventricular assist system (BiVAS) with centrifugal pumps. A plastic prototype pump, Gyro PI 601, was evaluated through in vitro and in vivo studies as a single ventricular assist device (VAD). Based upon these results, the pump head material was converted to a titanium alloy, and the actuator was modified. These titanium Gyro pumps, PI 700 series, also were subjected to in vitro and in vivo studies. The Gyro PI 601 and PI 700 series have the same inner dimensions and characteristics, such as the eccentric inlet port, double pivot bearing system, secondary vane, and magnet coupling system; however, the material of the PI 700 is different from the PI 601. The Gyro PI series is driven by the Vienna DC brushless motor actuator. The inlet cannula of the right ventricular assist system (RVAS) specially made for this system consists of 2 parts: a hat-shaped silicone tip biolized with gelatin and an angled wire reinforced tube made of polyvinylchloride. The pump-actuator package was implanted into 8 calves in the preperitoneal space, bypassing from the left ventricle apex to the descending aorta for the left ventricular assist system (LVAS) and bypassing the right ventricle to the main pulmonary artery for the RVAS. According to the PI 601 feasibility protocol, 2 LVAS cases were terminated after 2 weeks, and 1 LVAS case and 1 RVAS were terminated after 1 month. The PI 700 series was implanted into 4 cases: 3 LVAS cases survived for a long term, 2 of them over 200 days (72,283 days), and 1 RVAS case survived for 1 month and was terminated according to the protocol for a short-term antithrombogenic screening and system feasibility study. Regarding power consumption, the plastic pump cases demonstrated from 6.2 to 12.1 W as LVAS and 7.3 W as RVAS, the titanium pump cases showed from 10.4 to 14.2 W as LVAS and 15.8 W as RVAS. All cases exhibited low hemolysis. The renal function and the liver function were maintained normally in all cases throughout these experimental periods. In the 2 RVAS cases, pulmonary function was normally maintained. No calves demonstrated thromboembolic signs or symptoms throughout the experiments except Case 1 with the plastic pump. However, in the plastic pump cases, bilateral renal infarction was suspected in 2 cases during necropsy whereas no abnormal findings were revealed in the titanium pump cases. There were also no blood clots inside the PI 700 series. As for the 601, the explanted pumps demonstrated slight thrombus formations at the top and bottom pivots except in 1 case. The Gyro PI series, especially the PI 700 series, demonstrated superior performance, biocompatibility, antithrombogenicity and low hemolysis. Also, the durability of the actuator was demonstrated. Based on these results, this titanium centrifugal pump is suitable as an implantable LVAS and RVAS. It is likely that the Gyro PI series is a feasible component of the BiVAS functional TAH. [source] A Semiparametric Analysis of the Term Structure of the US Interest Rates,OXFORD BULLETIN OF ECONOMICS & STATISTICS, Issue 4 2009Fabrizio Iacone Abstract The short end of the US$ term structure of interest rates is analysed allowing for the possibility of fractional integration and cointegration. This approach permits mean-reverting dynamics for the data and the existence of a common long run stochastic trend to be maintained simultaneously. We estimate the model for the period 1963,2006 and find it compatible with this structure. The restriction that the data are I(1) and the errors are I(0) is rejected, mainly because the latter still display long memory. This result is consistent with a model of monetary policy in which the Central Bank operates affecting contracts with short term maturity, and the impulses are transmitted to contracts with longer maturities and then to the final goals. However, the transmission of the impulses along the term structure cannot be modelled using the Expectations Hypothesis. [source] | ||||||||||