Explore the vast range of titles available.

Alzheimer's disease remains an issue of great controversy due to its pathology. It is characterized by cognitive impairments and neuropsychiatric symptoms. The FDA approved medications for this disease, can only mitigate the symptoms. One reason for the lack of effective medications is the inaccessibility of the brain which is encompassed by the blood-brain barrier, making intranasal (IN) route of administration potentially advantageous. Male Wistar rats underwent stereotaxic surgery to induce an Alzheimer's disease model via intracerebroventricular (ICV) streptozotocin injection, and Carbamylated Erythropoietin-Fc (CEPO-FC), a derivative of Erythropoietin without its harmful characteristics, was administered intranasally for ten consecutive days. Cognition performance for memory and attention was assessed using the Novel Object Recognition Test and the Object-Based Attention Test respectively. Depression like behavior was evaluated using the Forced Swim Test. Western blotting was done on the extracted hippocampus to quantify STIM proteins. Calbindin, PSD-95, Neuroplastin, Synaptophysin and GAP-43 genes were assessed by Realtime PCR. Behavioral tests demonstrated that IN CEPO-FC could halt cognition deficits and molecular investigations showed that, STIM proteins were decreased in Alzheimer's model, and increased after IN CEPO-FC treatment. Calbindin and PSD-95 were downregulated in our disease model and upregulated when treated with IN CEPO-FC. While Neuroplastin, and GAP-43 expressions remained unchanged. This study suggests that IN CEPO-FC in low doses could be promising for improving cognition and synaptic plasticity deficits in Alzheimer's disease and since IN route of administration is a convenient way, choosing IN CEPO-FC for clinical trial might worth consideration.

Cerebral hypoperfusion is associated with enhanced cognitive decline and increased risk of neuropsychiatric disorders. Erythropoietin (EPO) is a neurotrophic factor known to improve cognitive function in preclinical and clinical studies of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. However, the clinical application of EPO is limited due to its erythropoietic activity that can adversely elevate hematocrit in non-anemic populations. Carbamoylated erythropoietin (CEPO), a chemically engineered non-erythropoietic derivative of EPO, does not alter hematocrit and maintains neurotrophic and behavioral effects comparable to EPO. Our study aimed to investigate the role of CEPO in cerebral hemodynamics. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis indicated increased blood perfusion in the hippocampal and striatal region without altering tight junction integrity. In vitro and in vivo analyses indicated that hippocampal neurotransmission was unaltered and increased cerebral perfusion was likely due to EDRF, CGRP, and NOS-mediated vasodilation. In vitro analysis using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and hippocampal vascular gene expression analysis showed CEPO to be a non-angiogenic agent which regulates the MEOX2 gene expression. The results from our study demonstrate a novel role of CEPO in modulating cerebral vasodilation and blood perfusion.

Emergency management requires efficient evacuation planning and the delivery of rescue supplies within dynamic road networks disrupted by ongoing disasters. Two critical challenges arise: (1) determining appropriate origin-destination (OD) assignments; and (2) identifying optimal paths among multiple OD pairs in real time. However, traditional static path optimization (SPO) and dynamic path optimization (DPO) often fall short in adapting to rapidly evolving conditions, risking failure in emergency response. To address these limitations, we proposed a novel method by modifying the co-evolutionary path optimization (CEPO) based on the ripple spreading algorithm (RSA), which can simultaneously determine optimal OD pairs and corresponding paths in a single run, even under dynamic disaster environment. The effectiveness and advantages of the method are verified by comprehensive experiments.

The abiotic formation of nucleotides from small, simple molecules is of large interest in the context of elucidating the origin of life scenario. In what follows, it is shown that nucleosides and nucleotides can be formed from formamide in a one-pot reaction utilizing the mineral cerium phosphate (CePO4) as a photocatalyst, a catalyst and a reactant that supplies the necessary phosphate groups. While the most abundant RNA/DNA building blocks were thymidine and thymidine monophosphate, considerable yields of other building blocks such as cytidine, cytidine monophosphate, and adenosine cyclic monophosphate were found. Comparing the yield of nucleosides and nucleotides under light conditions to that in the dark suggests that in the presence of cerium phosphate, light promotes the formation of nucleobases, whereas the formation of nucleotides from nucleosides take place even in the absence of light. The scenario described herein is considerably simpler than other scenarios involving several steps and several reactants. Therefore, by virtue of the principle of Occam’s razor, it should be of large interest for the community.

Three kinds of Ce-based catalysts (CePO 4 , CeVO 4 , Ce 2 (SO 4 ) 3 ) were synthesized and used for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by NH 3 . NH 3 -SCR performances were conducted in the temperature range of 80 to 400 °C. The catalytic efficiencies of the three catalysts are as follow: CePO 4 > CeVO 4 > Ce 2 (SO 4 ) 3 , which is in agreement with their abilities of NH 3 adsorption capacities. The highest NO conversion rate of CePO 4 could reach about 95%, and the catalyst had more than 90% NO conversion rate between 260 and 320 °C. The effect of PO 4 3− , VO 4 3− and SO 4 2− on NH 3 -SCR performances of Ce-based catalysts was systematically investigated by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, NH 3 temperature programmed desorption, H 2 temperature programmed reduction and field emission scanning electron microscopy tests. The key factors that can enhance the SCR are the existence of Ce 4+ , large NH 3 adsorption capacity, high and early H 2 consumptions, and suitable microstructures for gas adsorption. Finally, CePO 4 and CeVO 4 catalysts also exhibited relatively strong tolerance of SO 2 , and the upward trend about 8% was detected due to the sulfation enhancement by SO 2 for Ce 2 (SO 4 ) 3 .

Alzheimer's disease remains an issue of great controversy due to its pathology. It is characterized by cognitive impairments and neuropsychiatric symptoms. The FDA approved medications for this disease, can only mitigate the symptoms. One reason for the lack of effective medications is the inaccessibility of the brain which is encompassed by the blood-brain barrier, making intranasal (IN) route of administration potentially advantageous. Male Wistar rats underwent stereotaxic surgery to induce an Alzheimer's disease model via intracerebroventricular (ICV) streptozotocin injection, and Carbamylated Erythropoietin-Fc (CEPO-FC), a derivative of Erythropoietin without its harmful characteristics, was administered intranasally for ten consecutive days. Cognition performance for memory and attention was assessed using the Novel Object Recognition Test and the Object-Based Attention Test respectively. Depression like behavior was evaluated using the Forced Swim Test. Western blotting was done on the extracted hippocampus to quantify STIM proteins. Calbindin, PSD-95, Neuroplastin, Synaptophysin and GAP-43 genes were assessed by Realtime PCR. Behavioral tests demonstrated that IN CEPO-FC could halt cognition deficits and molecular investigations showed that, STIM proteins were decreased in Alzheimer's model, and increased after IN CEPO-FC treatment. Calbindin and PSD-95 were downregulated in our disease model and upregulated when treated with IN CEPO-FC. While Neuroplastin, and GAP-43 expressions remained unchanged. This study suggests that IN CEPO-FC in low doses could be promising for improving cognition and synaptic plasticity deficits in Alzheimer's disease and since IN route of administration is a convenient way, choosing IN CEPO-FC for clinical trial might worth consideration. See also the graphical abstract(Fig. 1).

In politics, ideas matter. They provide the foundation for economic policymaking, which in turn shapes what is possible in domestic and international politics. Yet until now, little attention has been paid to how these ideas are produced and disseminated, and how this process varies between countries.The National Origins of Policy Ideasprovides the first comparative analysis of how \"knowledge regimes\"-communities of policy research organizations like think tanks, political party foundations, ad hoc commissions, and state research offices, and the institutions that govern them-generate ideas and communicate them to policymakers. John Campbell and Ove Pedersen examine how knowledge regimes are organized, operate, and have changed over the last thirty years in the United States, France, Germany, and Denmark. They show how there are persistent national differences in how policy ideas are produced. Some countries do so in contentious, politically partisan ways, while others are cooperative and consensus oriented. They find that while knowledge regimes have adopted some common practices since the 1970s, tendencies toward convergence have been limited and outcomes have been heavily shaped by national contexts. Drawing on extensive interviews with top officials at leading policy research organizations, this book demonstrates why knowledge regimes are as important to capitalism as the state and the firm, and sheds new light on debates about the effects of globalization, the rise of neoliberalism, and the orientation of comparative political economy in political science and sociology.

Background and purpose: Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO; Epoetin‐α; PROCRIT™) has been shown to exert neuroprotective and restorative effects in a variety of CNS injury models. However, limited information is available regarding the dose levels required for these beneficial effects or the neuronal responses that may underlie them. Here we have investigated the dose‐response to rhEPO and compared the effects of rhEPO with those of carbamylated rhEPO (CEPO) in a model of cerebral stroke in rats. Experimental approach: Rats subjected to embolic middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) were treated with rhEPO or CEPO, starting at 6 h and repeated at 24 and 48 h, after MCAo. Cerebral infarct volumes were assessed at 28 days and neurological impairment at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days, post‐MCAo. Key results: rhEPO at dose levels of 500, 1150 or 5000 IU kg−1 or CEPO at a dose level of 50 μg kg−1 significantly reduced cortical infarct volume and reduced neurologic impairment. All doses of rhEPO, but not CEPO, produced a transient increase in haematocrit, while rhEPO and CEPO substantially reduced the number of apoptotic cells and activated microglia in the ischemic boundary region. Conclusions and implications: These data indicate that rhEPO and CEPO have anti‐inflammatory and anti‐apoptotic effects, even with administration at 6 h following embolic MCAo in rats. Taken together, these actions of rhEPO and CEPO are likely to contribute to their reduction of neurologic impairment following cerebral ischemia. British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 151, 1377–1384; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707285

Interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) based on PMMA/castor-oil based PU/cerium phosphate nanoparticles (CePO 4 ) constitute an important type of materials to modulate the stiffness and confers ductile behavior to PMMA. A comparison of CePO 4 dispersion into different ratios of PMMA/PU IPNs between sonication method and the classic magnetic stirring during the sequential polymerization synthesis was done through structural, optical, thermal, morphological and mechanical analysis. The results demonstrated that sonication is the adequate method to disperse CePO 4 in low viscous systems such as PMMA/PU 70/30 and 60/40 wt.%, while magnetic stirring favors the dispersion in high viscous systems (PMMA/PU 50/50 wt.%). Thanks to the physical interaction, the good compatibility/miscibility between PMMA/PU and CePO 4 is reached. The obtained experimental results indicated that the luminescent CePO 4 nanoparticles, in addition to improve the structural properties and the Young’s modulus, can reduce voids in the networks.

The possible role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signal pathway in the antagonist effect of carbamylated erythropoietin (CEPO) on chronic heart failure (CHF) in rats was investigated. Twenty of 120 rats were randomly selected as the control group, and the remaining rats as the model group. Rats in the model group received intraperitoneal injection of isoproterenol, those in the control group underwent intraperitoneal injection of equivalent normal saline. Rats with successful model establishment were divided into 4 groups, i.e. CHF group, CEPO group, LY294002 (LY) group and CEPO + LY group. Rats in the CEPO group underwent intraperitoneal injection of CEPO, while those in the CHF group received intraperitoneal injection of equivalent normal saline at the same time, those in the LY group received intraperitoneal injection of LY after model establishment, and those in the CEPO + LY group received the combined intraperitoneal injection of CEPO and LY simultaneously. Indicators for hemodynamics were determined using BL-410S bio-functional experiment system, including heart rate (HR), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP) and maximal increased rate of left ventricular pressure (LVP)/maximal reduced rate of LVP (±dp/dtmax). Western blotting assay was utilized to determine the changes in activity of PI3-K/Akt signal pathway. LVSP and ±dp/dtmax in the CHF, the CEPO, the CEPO + LY and the LY groups were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05); LVSP and ±dp/dtmax in the CEPO group were also elevated significantly compared with CHF, LY and CEPO + LY groups (P<0.05) with significant decreases in LVEDP and HR (P<0.05); compared with the CHF group, LVSP and ±dp/dtmax in the LY group were each significantly decreased (P<0.05), in the LY group, pAkt level was significantly lower than that in the CHF group (P<0.05). In conclusion, CEPO can generate the antagonist effect on CHF in rats through activation of PI3-K/Akt signal pathway.