Drug discovery and development involve the utilization of in vitro and in vivo experimental model... more Drug discovery and development involve the utilization of in vitro and in vivo experimental models. Different models, ranging from test tube experiments to cell cultures, animals, healthy human subjects, and even small numbers of patients that are involved in clinical trials, are used at different stages of drug discovery and development for determination of efficacy and safety. The proper selection and applications of correct models, as well as appropriate data interpretation, are critically important in decision making and successful advancement of drug candidates. In this review, we discuss strategies in the applications of both in vitro and in vivo experimental models of drug metabolism and disposition.
As humans, we have been enhancing our abilities since we crafted our first tool. Human enhancemen... more As humans, we have been enhancing our abilities since we crafted our first tool. Human enhancement is happening all the time through incremental improvements on existing technologies. We are growing stronger, more skilled, and better equipped over time. With every new technology, there have been new objections and doubts. Societal norms have typically been the voice of reason when new human interventions were introduced. Before the scientific method, pathology, and other sciences, religion dictated societal norms and in turn ruled over most decision-making. By understanding popular oppositions to the evolution of human enhancement, we can take new perspectives on current, coming, and future human enhancements.
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), also termed sexually transmitted infections (STIs), can be ... more Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), also termed sexually transmitted infections (STIs), can be caused by a number of microorganisms that vary widely in size, life cycle, symptoms, and susceptibility to available treatments. Bacterial STDs include:Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chancroid, Lymphogranuloma venereum, Granuloma inguinale, Chlamydial, mycoplasmal, and ureaplasmal infections. Viral STDs include:Genital and anorectal warts, Genital herpes, Molluscum contagiosum, HIV infection. Parasitic infections that can be sexually transmitted include:Trichomoniasis (caused by protozoa), Scabies (caused by mites), Pediculosis pubis (caused by lice). Many other infections not considered primarily to be STDs—including salmonellosis, shigellosis, campylobacteriosis, amebiasis, giardiasis, hepatitis (A, B, and C), and cytomegalovirus infection—can be transmitted sexually. Because sexual activity includes close contact with skin and mucous membranes of the genitals, mouth, and rectum, many organisms ...
The book tries to answer the most common questions that people have at this time. There's str... more The book tries to answer the most common questions that people have at this time. There's straightforward information about what HIV is and how you can look after your health. We talk about having sex when you have HIV as well as deciding whether to tell other people. Finding out that you have HIV can be upsetting. This booklet may help by giving clear, information, and reassuring you that life does go on. We would like to thank everyone involved in producing this booklet, particularly the people living with HIV who reviewed draft copies and helped shape the final booklet.
With the cloning of the sheep Dolly, arguments were made by so many scholars that the same techni... more With the cloning of the sheep Dolly, arguments were made by so many scholars that the same technique of<br> somatic nuclear cell transplant could be used to clone human persons. This was vehemently opposed to on<br> various moral grounds. This book attempts at addressing and argue that the strength of arguments in favour of<br> human cloning comes in degrees; some arguments are stronger than others. Moreover, it will be argued that<br> there are cases in which human cloning can be morally justified. They are strongest when appealed to as a<br> reproductive right to meet the reproductive and family formation goals of certain groups of individuals and also<br> in the research, prevention and cure of diseases, which make the lives of some of the sick absolutely miserable. In<br> sum, human cloning can be morally justified when used responsibly.
In this study the emergence, structure and dynamics of the paradigmatic research fronts that esta... more In this study the emergence, structure and dynamics of the paradigmatic research fronts that established the principles of the biomedical knowledge on HIV/AIDS are studied and described. A search of papers with the identifiers "HIV/AIDS", "Human Immunodeficiency Virus", "HIV-1" and "Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome" in the Web of Science (Thomson Reuters), was carried out. A citation network of those studies was formed. Then, a sub-network of the papers with the highest amount of inter-quotations (with a minimal in-degree of 28) was chosen to represent a combination of network clustering and text mining to describe the paradigmatic research fronts and evaluate their dynamics. Thirteen research fronts were identified in this sub-network. The biggest and oldest front is referred to the clinical knowledge on the condition in the patient. Nine of the fronts are related to the study of specific molecular structures and mechanisms and two of these...
Purines are responsible for the regulation of many physiological and pathological processes in th... more Purines are responsible for the regulation of many physiological and pathological processes in the central nervous system including the development and remodeling of tissues after trauma, stress, ischemia, and neurodegenerative diseases. The extracellular concentration of purines significantly increases under conditions of stress. We investigated the effects of purine nucleosides and nucleobases on primary cultures of Wistar rat astrocytes not only under physiological conditions, but also after deprivation of energy depots by using iodoacetic acid, and assessed whether the investigated molecules exhibited cytoprotective or cytotoxic effects. An MTT test was used to evaluate cell viability, whereas flow cytometry analysis was employed to evaluate the presence of free oxygen species. Survival of astrocytes (as evidenced by the MTT test) decreased on treatment with 500 µM iodoacetic acid for 40 min (to 58.4% compared with untreated controls). The cytotoxic effect of iodoacetic acid was...
Substance abuse by individuals under 18 continues to decline across the board. Between 2009 and 2... more Substance abuse by individuals under 18 continues to decline across the board. Between 2009 and 2014, there was a substantial decline in use of alcohol (37.4% of 12th graders tried alcohol in 2014, compared to 43.5% in 2009), including binge drinking (31.5% in 1998, 19.4% in 2014). Cigarette smoking by youth is currently at the lowest rate since the youth drug abuse survey began: only 6.7% of 12th graders in 2014 reported smoking daily, compared to a peak near 25% in 1997.
Figure shows the percentage of ages at initiation of MA use, stratified by gender. A rapid increa... more Figure shows the percentage of ages at initiation of MA use, stratified by gender. A rapid increase in initiation occurred at 14 years for males and 15 years for females. The peak age of initiation was 16 years for males (n = 193, 24.9%) and 18 years for females (n = 121, 20.6%). The median age at initiation of MA use was 16 years (age range: 10–29) for males and 17 years (age range: 9–27) for females
Human pluripotent stem cells: Engineering tissue from human embryonic stem cells
Recent advances in human embryonic stem cell (hESC) biology now offer an alternative cell source ... more Recent advances in human embryonic stem cell (hESC) biology now offer an alternative cell source for tissue engineers, as these cells are capable of proliferating indefinitely and differentiating to many clinically relevant cell types. Novel culture methods capable of exerting spatial and temporal control over the stem cell microenvironment allow for more efficient expansion of hESCs, and significant advances have been made toward improving our understanding of the biophysical and biochemical cues that direct stem cell fate choices. Effective production of lineage specific progenitors or terminally differentiated cells enables researchers to incorporate hESC derivatives into engineered tissue constructs. Here, we describe current efforts using hESCs as a cell source for tissue engineering applications, highlighting potential advantages of hESCs over current practices as well as challenges which must be overcome
Crystal Meth and HIV/AIDS: A Pilot Study of Behavioral and Clinical Correlates
Crystal methamphetamine is an extremely addictive stimulant that increases sexual arousal while r... more Crystal methamphetamine is an extremely addictive stimulant that increases sexual arousal while reducing inhibition and judgment. Its use is associated with a range of high-risk sexual behaviors that increase the likelihood of acquiring or transmitting HIV. Given the relatively high prevalence of crystal methamphetamine use among people living with HIV and among men who have sex with men, there is great concern that this drug is fueling the HIV epidemic. Equally worrisome are the effects that crystal methamphetamine use can have on the prognosis and overall health of HIV-infected patients. This article reports the results of a pilot study that is part of a larger project exploring the correlates of antiretroviral therapy drug resistance.
We examined international public opinion towards stem-cell research during the period when the is... more We examined international public opinion towards stem-cell research during the period when the issue was at its most<br> contentious. We draw upon representative sample surveys in Europe and North America, fielded in 2015 and find<br> that most people in Europe, Canada and the United States supported stem-cell research, providing it was tightly<br> regulated, but that there were key differences between the geographical regions in the relative importance of different<br> types of ethical position. In the U.S., moral acceptability was more influential as a driver of support for stem-cell<br> research; in Europe the perceived benefit to society carried more weight; and in Canada the two were almost equally<br> important. We also find that public opinion on stem-cell research was more strongly associated with religious<br> convictions in the U.S. than in Canada and Europe, although many strongly religious citizens in all regions approved<br&g...
According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), almost 1.25 million people in the ... more According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), almost 1.25 million people in the United<br> States (US) have type 1 diabetes, which makes them dependent on insulin injections. Nationwide, type 2 diabetes<br> rates have nearly doubled in the past 20 years resulting in more than 29 million American adults with diabetes<br> and another 86 million in a pre-diabetic state. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF)has estimated that<br> there will be almost 650 million adult diabetic patients worldwide at the end of the next 20 years (excluding<br> patients over the age of 80). At this time, pancreas transplantation is the only available cure for selected patients,<br> but it is offered only to a small percentage of them due to organ shortage and the risks linked to immunosuppressive<br> regimes. Currently, exogenous insulin therapy is still considered to be the gold standard when managing diabetes,<br> though stem cell bio...
Objective: A systematic review of cost-utility and cost-effectiveness research works of telemedic... more Objective: A systematic review of cost-utility and cost-effectiveness research works of telemedicine, electronic health (ehealth), and mobile health (m-health) systems in the literature is presented. Materials and Methods: Academic databases and systems such as PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore were searched, using different c -were no limitations in the publication date. Results: The search identified 35 relevant works. Many of the articles were reviews of different studies. Seventy-nine percent concerned the cost effectiveness of telemedicine systems in different specialties such as teleophthalmology, telecardiology, teledermatology, etc. More articles were found between 2000 and 2017. Cost-utility studies were done only for telemedicine systems. Conclusions: There are few cost utility and cost-effectiveness studies for e-health and m-health systems in the literature. Some cost-effectiveness studies demonstrate that telemedicine can reduce the costs, but not all. Among the main limitations of the economic evaluations of telemedicine systems are the lack of randomized control trials, small sample sizes, and the absence of quality data and appropriate measures. Telemedicine, Mobile Health, e-health, Business Administration/Economics
Over the past few decades technology has begun to play a very important role in our day to day li... more Over the past few decades technology has begun to play a very important role in our day to day lives. Our internet-enabled gadgets have changed the way we work, play or even carry out daily chores. Digitalization impacts almost everything from personal lives, education, health, business and trade, physical infrastructure, governance to national security. Safe Cities and Cybersecurity are hot button issues, in both the public and private sector. As demonstrated by recent studies the total cost of a data breach grew up exponentially. The report also indicates that the average cost incurred for each lost or stolen record containing sensitive and confidential data increased substantially. Information and communications technology has become indispensable to modern life, we critically depend on information and communication infrastructure in governing our personal lives, our societies , conducting business and running critical infrastructure. Hence more governments are taking an interest in adopting &quot;smart&quot; concepts, for management of energy, water, transportation, waste, surveillance and security etc. Smart cities move from being a buzzword to reality as the market has evolved into its next stage. As more governments begin to adopt &quot;smart&quot; concepts, most find it challenging to keep pace with rapid changes in the digital world and the continued evolution of their service delivery models. The increased complexity of the city&#39;s systems, interdependencies, globally-connected social, economic and political subsystems has increased the vulnerability of a city&#39;s security. The cyber threats get magnified as an infinite supply of data becomes more integral to a wide array of operations. The transmission and management of information are connected via Cloud and the Interconnected Vehicles such as the Public Suppliers and Multi-Utilities Companies are all subject to Cyber Attacks. This apocalyptic scenario doesn&#39;t involve only the data loss and the increasing of costs for Governments and Privates but is mining the entire life of the citizens. That because if an attack to the water-supplier or a vehicle incurs, is in danger our physical safety and not only the loss of information. The interface between urban growth, technology, infrastructure and capital requirement presents a unique set of opportunities and challenges to the implementation of Smart cities. The challenges cities face generates demand for investment in the physical, economic, institutional and social infrastructure. The report tries to highlight the various parameters of a smart city, existing security challenges and possible solutions. So are necessary new solutions and new technologies to contain and stop the breaches of Security and Privacy. During this conference will be presented new disruptive solutions and systems that will provide in the future the safety of the cities and their citizens.
By 2050 the world had finally achieved a global economy that appears to be environmentally sustai... more By 2050 the world had finally achieved a global economy that appears to be environmentally sustainable while providing nearly all people with the basic necessities of life and the majority with a comfortable living. The resulting social stability has created a world in relative peace, exploring possible futures for the second half of the 21st century. Some believe that NT was the key to this relative success, others that the development of the human potential in the self-actualization economy was more fundamental, and still others that political and economic policies such as various forms of universal basic income made the difference. All three themes were important, synergizing, and mutually reinforcing. The distinctions between human consciousness and AI in its many forms have become increasingly blurred or meaningless. Every possible Turing Test was passed years ago. Our interaction with AI is so complex and continuous that it rarely matters which is which. Even the distinctions among virtual reality augmented reality, and physical reality is meaningless today. Civilization is becoming a continuum of consciousness and technology. We have added our reasoning, knowledge, and experience to AI augmented technology and the built environment. And at the same time, we have integrated AI-augmented technology in and on our bodies, making it unclear where our consciousness and technology begins and ends. Our Conscious-Technology Age opens a far more optimistic future than many in previous ages could have imagined. So today, the two key questions are: What kind of life are you creating? And are you boring or interesting?
As we go deeper into the twenty-first century, there is a major trend to improve the body with &q... more As we go deeper into the twenty-first century, there is a major trend to improve the body with "cyborg technology." In fact, due to medical necessity, millions of people around the world are now equipped with prosthetic devices to restore lost function, and the DIY movement is growing to improve the body to create new senses or to improve current senses "beyond normal". From prosthetic limbs, artificial cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators, brain-computer implants, cochlear implants, retinal prostheses, magnets as implants, exoskeletons and many other improvements, the human body becomes more mechanical and computational, and therefore less biological. This trend will continue to accelerate once the body is transformed into information processing technology, which ultimately calls one's sense of identity and what it means to be human. This article evaluates "cyborg enhancement technologies" with an emphasis on technological brain enhancements and t...
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