University of Ioannina

About: University of Ioannina is a education organization based out in Ioannina, Greece. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 7654 authors who have published 20594 publications receiving 671560 citations. The organization is also known as: Panepistimio Ioanninon.

Assessment of Tremor Activity in the Parkinson’s Disease Using a Set of Wearable Sensors

Abstract: Tremor is the most common motor disorder of Parkinson's disease (PD) and consequently its detection plays a crucial role in the management and treatment of PD patients. The current diagnosis procedure is based on subject-dependent clinical assessment, which has a difficulty in capturing subtle tremor features. In this paper, an automated method for both resting and action/postural tremor assessment is proposed using a set of accelerometers mounted on different patient's body segments. The estimation of tremor type (resting/action postural) and severity is based on features extracted from the acquired signals and hidden Markov models. The method is evaluated using data collected from 23 subjects (18 PD patients and 5 control subjects). The obtained results verified that the proposed method successfully: 1) quantifies tremor severity with 87 % accuracy, 2) discriminates resting from postural tremor, and 3) discriminates tremor from other Parkinsonian motor symptoms during daily activities.

Measurements of differential jet cross sections in proton-proton collisions at √s=7 TeV with the CMS detector

Abstract: Measurements of inclusive jet and dijet production cross sections are presented. Data from LHC proton-proton collisions at √s=7 TeV, corresponding to 5.0 fb-1 of integrated luminosity, have been collected with the CMS detector. Jets are reconstructed up to rapidity 2.5, transverse momentum 2 TeV, and dijet invariant mass 5 TeV, using the anti-kT clustering algorithm with distance parameter R=0.7. The measured cross sections are corrected for detector effects and compared to perturbative QCD predictions at next-to-leading order, using five sets of parton distribution functions.

Pseudomonas syringae effector AvrPtoB suppresses basal defence in Arabidopsis

Abstract: The virulence and avirulence activities of members of the Pseudomonas syringae HopAB family of effectors and AvrPto were examined in bean, tomato and Arabidopsis. Proteins were delivered by the RW60 strain of P. syringae pv. phaseolicola. RW60 causes a hypersensitive reaction (HR) in bean and tomato but is restricted without the HR in Arabidopsis. Dual avirulence and virulence functions in tomato and bean, respectively, were identified in virPphA homologues but only avrPtoB strongly enhanced virulence to Arabidopsis, overcoming basal defences operating against RW60. Virulence activity in both bean and Arabidopsis required regions of the C-terminus of the AvrPtoB protein, whereas elicitation of the rapid HR in tomato, with the matching Pto resistance gene, did not. The effect of AvrPtoB on Arabidopsis was accession-specific; most obvious in Wassilewskija (Ws-3), intermediate in Columbia and not detectable in Niedersenz (Nd-1) after inoculation with RW60 + avrPtoB. Analysis of crosses between Ws-3 and Nd-1 indicated co-segregation for the AvrPtoB virulence function with the absence of the Nd-1 FLS2 gene which mediates recognition of bacterial flagellin. In planta expression of AvrPtoB did not prevent the HR activated by P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 + avrB, avrRpm1, avrRps4 or avrRpt2, but suppressed cell wall alterations, including callose deposition, characteristic of basal defence and was associated with reprogramming of the plant's transcriptional response. The success or failure of AvrPtoB in suppressing basal defences in Nd-1 depended on the timing of exposure of plant cells to the effector and the flagellin flg22 peptide.

Adverse Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists

Abstract: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are a class of injective anti-diabetic drugs that improve glycemic control and many other atherosclerosis-related parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the use of this relatively new class of drugs may be associated with certain adverse effects. Concerns have been expressed regarding the effects of these drugs on pancreatic and thyroid tissue, since animal studies and analyses of drug databases indicate an association of GLP-1 receptor agonists with pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, and thyroid cancer. However, several meta-analyses failed to confirm a cause-effect relation between GLP-1 receptor agonists and the development of these adverse effects. One benefit of GLP-1 receptor agonists is that they do not cause hypoglycemia when combined with metformin or thiazolidinediones, but the dose of concomitant sulphonylurea or insulin may have to be decreased to reduce the risk of hypoglycemic episodes. On the other hand, several case reports have linked the use of these drugs, mainly exenatide, with the occurrence of acute kidney injury, primarily through hemodynamic derangement due to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The most common symptoms associated with the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists are gastrointestinal symptoms, mainly nausea. Other common adverse effects include injection site reactions, headache, and nasopharyngitis, but these effects do not usually result in discontinuation of the drug. Current evidence shows that GLP-1 receptor agonists have no negative effects on the cardiovascular risk of patients with T2D. Thus, GLP-1 receptor agonists appear to have a favorable safety profile, but ongoing trials will further assess their cardiovascular effects. The aim of this review is to analyze critically the available data regarding adverse events of GLP-1 receptor agonists in different anatomic systems published in Pubmed and Scopus. Whenever possible, certain differences between GLP-1 receptor agonists are described. The review also provides the reader with structured data that compare the rates of the most common adverse effects for each of the various GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Multiple actions of high-density lipoprotein.

Abstract: Purpose of review The most accepted property of high-density lipoprotein is reverse cholesterol transport. However, other beneficial actions may contribute to the antiatherogenic role of high-density lipoprotein. This review addresses the action of high-density lipoprotein beyond reverse cholesterol transport. Recent findings High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels are inversely associated with coronary heart disease and other forms of vascular disease. Apart from transferring excess cholesterol to the liver, high-density lipoprotein exhibits favorable effects on oxidation, inflammation, thrombosis and endothelial function. Some of these actions are at least in part attributed to high-density lipoprotein-associated enzymes, such as paraoxonase and platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase. However, high-density lipoprotein can become dysfunctional and proatherogenic under certain circumstances. Summary Current data suggest that high-density lipoprotein possesses various properties beyond reverse cholesterol transport. However, many issues on the exact role of high-density lipoprotein remain unknown. Future research is needed.