The Simon effect occurs relative to the direction of an attention shift.

We investigated whether the Simon effect depends on the orienting of attention. In Experiment 1, participants were required to execute left-right discriminative responses to 2 patterns that were presented to the left or right of fixation. The 2 patterns were similar, and the discrimination was difficult. A letter at fixation signaled whether the current trial was a catch trial. The results showed a reversal of the Simon effect. That is, spatially noncorresponding responses were faster than spatially corresponding responses. In Experiment 2, the discrimination of the relevant stimulus attribute was easy. In Experiment 3, the discrimination of the relevant stimulus attribute was difficult, but the stimulus exposure time was long. In either experiment, the regular Simon effect was reinstated. In Experiment 4, the letter that signaled a catch trial appeared to the left or right of the imperative stimulus. The Simon effect occurred relative to the position of the letter. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acrylonitrile and chemotaxis: in vitro experiments

We have verified that chemotaxis of isolated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) was a target of in vitro toxicant effect of acrylonitrile (ACN). This toxicant induced a significant dose dependent decreasing of chemotaxis with 50% inhibition (IC50) occurring at 15 mM. We assume that PMN from workers exposed to ACN reacts vivo in a similar way to PMN exposed in vitro to ACN. We propose therefore to use chemotaxis assay as a biomarker of early biological effect of ACN in workers, since for their monitoring there are so far only internal dose indicators but no suitable effect indicators.     

Renal artery angioplasty for renovascular hypertension and preservation of renal function: long-term angiographic and clinical follow-up

OBJECTIVE: Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of stenoses of the renal artery can be used to treat hypertension and renal insufficiency. Although many studies have been published on the short-term results of this procedure, few long-term studies are available. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred ninety-five patients (123 men and 72 women 19-79 years old; mean age, 56 years) with stenosis of the renal artery and hypertension underwent renal percutaneous transluminal angioplasty at our institution. The stenosis was unilateral in 66% of patients, bilateral in 26%, and in a solitary functioning kidney in 8%. Renal insufficiency was present in 31% of patients. After renal percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, long-term clinical and angiographic follow-up was evaluated by life-table analysis. RESULTS: In patients with fibromuscular disease, blood pressure returned to normal in 57%, improved in 21%, and was unchanged in 21%. In patients with atherosclerotic stenosis, blood pressure returned to normal in 12%, improved in 51%, and was unchanged in 37%. After percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, renal function improved in 48% of patients with renal insufficiency due to bilateral stenosis or stenosis in the single functioning kidney, whereas none of the patients with unilateral stenosis of renal artery and renal insufficiency had any notable improvement. Long-term follow-up showed a high rate (82%) of patency of revascularized arteries and a low rate (21%) of hypertension recurrence at 5 years. CONCLUSION: Renal percutaneous transluminal angioplasty is useful for treating hypertension and for reestablishing renal function. Its effects on blood pressure and renal function are long-lasting in the large majority of patients.     

Polarisation transformer on Ti:LiNbO3 with reset-free optical operation for heterodyne/homodyne receivers

Experimental results for an integrated-optical state-of-polarisation (SOP) controller device on Ti:LiNbO3 for continuous broadband optical operation, with small temperature sensitivity and the possibility of integration with polarisation- insensitive directional couplers, are presented.     

Inter-individual variability in Ca2+ signalling in platelets from healthy volunteers: effects of aspirin and relationship with expression of endomembrane Ca2+-ATPases

Increased Ca2+ signal generation may lead to hyperactivity of platelets and contribute to thrombotic complications. Using fura-2-loaded platelets from 51 healthy volunteers, high variability was detected in the Ca2+ responses evoked by the receptor agonists, thrombin and collagen, and the inhibitor of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPases (SERCA), thapsigargin (Tg). Oral intake of 500mg aspirin reduced the magnitude of the Ca2+ responses, and lowered the intra-individual coefficients of variance of the responses by 50%. However, the corresponding inter-individual variance coefficients were only a little influenced by aspirin intake, pointing to subject-dependent factors in Ca2+ handling that are unrelated to thromboxane formation. With each agonist, 6-9% of the subjects had platelets with relatively high Ca2+ responses (> mean + SD) both before and after aspirin intake. In 90% (9/10) of these cases the high responsiveness was confirmed in platelets obtained 6-12 months later. The Tg- but not thrombin-induced Ca2+ responses correlated inversely with the expression levels of SERCA PL/IM 430 (SERCA-3b) in platelets. After aspirin intake, the Ca2+ responses with collagen but not thrombin correlated inversely with SERCA-2b expression. These results suggest that, in the absence of potentiating effects of thromboxane, (i) the amount of PL/IM 430-recognizable SERCA may control the Ca2+ signal when SERCA-2b is specifically inhibited (with Tg), and (ii) the expression of SERCA-2b determine the collagen- but not the thrombin-evoked Ca2+ signal. Accordingly, limited Ca2+-pumping activity by low expression of one of the SERCA isoforms is likely to be one of the factors resulting in increased platelet activity towards collagen or thapsigargin but not thrombin.     

Mutual Prodrugs of 5-Fluorouracil: From a Classic Chemotherapeutic Agent to Novel Potential Anticancer Drugs

The development of potent antitumor agents with a low toxicological profile against healthy cells is still one of the greatest challenges facing medicinal chemistry. In this context, the “mutual prodrug” approach has emerged as a potential tool to overcome undesirable physicochemical features and mitigate the side effects of approved drugs. Among broad-spectrum chemotherapeutics available for clinical use today, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is one of the most representative, also included in the World Health Organization model list of essential medicines. Unfortunately, severe side effects and drug resistance phenomena are still the primary limits and drawbacks in its clinical use. This review describes the progress made over the last ten years in developing 5-FU-based mutual prodrugs to improve the therapeutic profile and achieve targeted delivery to cancer tissues.