Examinando por Tipo de Material "Capítulo - Parte de Libro"

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    Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing as the Next Pharma Disruptors
    (2021-11-04) Cova, Tânia; Vitorino, Carla; Ferreira, Márcio; Nunes, Sandra; Rondon-Villarreal, Paola; Pais, Alberto
    Artificial intelligence (AI) consists of a synergistic assembly of enhanced optimization strategies with wide application in drug discovery and development, providing advanced tools for promoting cost-effectiveness throughout drug life cycle. Specifically, AI brings together the potential to improve drug approval rates, reduce development costs, get medications to patients faster, and help patients complying with their treatments. Accelerated pharmaceutical development and drug product approval rates can further benefit from the quantum computing (QC) technology, which will ultimately enable larger profits from patent-protected market exclusivity. Key pharma stakeholders are endorsing cutting-edge technologies based on AI and QC , covering drug discovery, preclinical and clinical development, and postapproval activities. Indeed, AI-QC applications are expected to become standard in the pharma operating model over the next 5–10 years. Generalizing scalability to larger pharmaceutical problems instead of specialization is now the main principle for transforming pharmaceutical tasks on multiple fronts, for which systematic and cost-effective solutions have benefited in areas such as molecular screening, synthetic pathway design, and drug discovery and development. The information generated by coupling the life cycle of drugs and AI and/or QC through data-driven analysis, neural network prediction, and chemical system monitoring will enable (1) better understanding of the complexity of process data, (2) streamlining the design of experiments, (3) discovering new molecular targets and materials, and also (4) planning or rethinking upcoming pharmaceutical challenges The power of AI-QC makes accessible a range of different pharmaceutical problems and their rationalization that have not been previously addressed due to a lack of appropriate analytical tools, demonstrating the breadth of potential applications of these emerging multidimensional approaches. In this context, creating the right AI-QC strategy often involves a steep learning path, especially given the embryonic stage of the industry development and the relative lack of case studies documenting success. As such, a comprehensive knowledge of the underlying pillars is imperative to extend the landscape of applications across the drug life cycle. The topics enclosed in this chapter will focus on AI-QC methods applied to drug discovery and development, with emphasis on the most recent advances in this field.
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    Biological Control of Citrus Canker
    (London : IntechOpen, 2019., 2019-08-23) Caicedo Cepeda, Juan Carlos; Villamizar Cancelado, Sonia; Snjezana Topolovec-Pintaric
    Citrus canker is a disease that affects the major types of commercial citrus crops. Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, the etiological agent, reaches to mesophyll tissue through the stomata and afterward induces cell hyperplasia. Disease management has been based on both tree eradication and copper spray treatment. Overuse of copper for control of bacterial citrus canker has led to the development and prevalence of copper-resistant strains of Xcc. Several genera of both soil- and plant-associated bacteria became powerful tools in sustainable agriculture for control of Xcc and reduction of citrus canker disease severity. In this chapter we present bacteria able to interfere with quorum sensing as well to display antibacterial activity against Xcc by production of secondary metabolite. These bacteria may represent a highly valuable tool in the process of biological control and offer an alternative to the traditional copper treatment currently used for the treatment of citrus canker disease, with significant environmental, economic, and health implications worldwide.
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    Enkephalins and ACTH in the mammalian nervous system
    (2019-06-14) Duque Díaz, Ewing Rafael; Alvarez Ojeda, Olga; Coveñas, Rafael
    The pentapeptides methionine-enkephalin and leucine-enkephalin belong to the opioid family of peptides, and the non-opiate peptide adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) to the melanocortin peptide family. Enkephalins/ACTH are derived from pro-enkephalin, pro-dynorphin or pro-opiomelanocortin precursors and, via opioid and melanocortin receptors, are responsible for many biological activities. Enkephalins exhibit the highest affinity for the δ receptor, followed by the μ and κ receptors, whereas ACTH binds to the five subtypes of melanocortin receptor, and is the only member of the melanocortin family of peptides that binds to the melanocortin-receptor 2 (ACTH receptor). Enkephalins/ACTH and their receptors exhibit a widespread anatomical distribution. Enkephalins are involved in analgesia, angiogenesis, blood pressure, embryonic development, emotional behavior, feeding, hypoxia, limbic system modulation, neuroprotection, peristalsis, and wound repair; as well as in hepatoprotective, motor, neuroendocrine and respiratory mechanisms. ACTH plays a role in acetylcholine release, aggressive behavior, blood pressure, bone maintenance, hyperalgesia, feeding, fever, grooming, learning, lipolysis, memory, nerve injury repair, neuroprotection, sexual behavior, sleep, social behavior, tissue growth and stimulates the synthesis and secretion of glucocorticoids. Enkephalins/ACTH are also involved in many pathologies. Enkephalins are implicated in alcoholism, cancer, colitis, depression, heart failure, Huntington's disease, influenza A virus infection, ischemia, multiple sclerosis, and stress. ACTH plays a role in Addison's disease, alcoholism, cancer, Cushing's disease, dermatitis, encephalitis, epilepsy, Graves' disease, Guillain-Barré syndrome, multiple sclerosis, podocytopathies, and stress. In this review, we provide an updated description of the enkephalinergic and ACTH systems.
  • Publicación
    Acceso abierto
    Enkephalins and ACTH in the mammalian nervous system
    (2019-08-13) Duque-Diaz, Ewing Rafael; Alvarez-Ojeda, Olga; Coveñas, Rafael
    The pentapeptides methionine-enkephalin and leucine-enkephalin belong to the opioid family of peptides, and the non-opiate peptide adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) to the melanocortin peptide family. Enkephalins/ACTH are derived from pro-enkephalin, pro-dynorphin or pro-opiomelanocortin precursors and, via opioid and melanocortin receptors, are responsible for many biological activities. Enkephalins exhibit the highest affinity for the δ receptor, followed by the μ and κ receptors, whereas ACTH binds to the five subtypes of melanocortin receptor, and is the only member of the melanocortin family of peptides that binds to the melanocortin-receptor 2 (ACTH receptor). Enkephalins/ACTH and their receptors exhibit a widespread anatomical distribution. Enkephalins are involved in analgesia, angiogenesis, blood pressure, embryonic development, emotional behavior, feeding, hypoxia, limbic system modulation, neuroprotection, peristalsis, and wound repair; as well as in hepatoprotective, motor, neuroendocrine and respiratory mechanisms. ACTH plays a role in acetylcholine release, aggressive behavior, blood pressure, bone maintenance, hyperalgesia, feeding, fever, grooming, learning, lipolysis, memory, nerve injury repair, neuroprotection, sexual behavior, sleep, social behavior, tissue growth and stimulates the synthesis and secretion of glucocorticoids. Enkephalins/ACTH are also involved in many pathologies. Enkephalins are implicated in alcoholism, cancer, colitis, depression, heart failure, Huntington's disease, influenza A virus infection, ischemia, multiple sclerosis, and stress. ACTH plays a role in Addison's disease, alcoholism, cancer, Cushing's disease, dermatitis, encephalitis, epilepsy, Graves' disease, Guillain-Barré syndrome, multiple sclerosis, podocytopathies, and stress. In this review, we provide an updated description of the enkephalinergic and ACTH systems.
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    Intensive and critical care nursing perspectives
    (2009) Williams, G.F.; Fulbrook, P.R.; Alexandrov, A.W.; Cañón Montañez, Wilson; Salisu-Kabara, H.M.; Chan, D.W.K.
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    Prediabetes and diabetes prevention initiatives in Latin America (LA)
    (2014) Gabriel, Rafael; González Villalpando, Clicerio; Lopez-Jaramillo, Patricio; Acosta, Tania; López Ridaura, Ruy; Nieto Martínez, Ramfis; Tuomilehto, Jaakko; Aschner, Pablo
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    Protein Engineering of Bacillus thuringiensis δ-Endotoxins
    (2012-03) Florez, Alvaro M.; Osorio, Cristina; Alzate, Oscar
    Protein engineering of insecticidal Bt δ-endotoxins is a powerful tool for designing novel Cry toxins with altered properties, including changing the toxin’s specificity. By following some elementary rules governing the structure/function relationship, it has been possible to create new toxins with modified properties including increased toxicity and binding affinity, enhanced ion-transport activity, and changes in insect specificity. These methods have also produced valuable information and have led to an improved understanding of the mode of action of these important biopesticides. The results discussed in this chapter derive from rational molecular design where protein structure is modified by incorporating single or multiple amino acid substitutions aimed at modifying specific protein functions. In this review, we analyze several protein modifications that have been successfully used for creating stable, functional proteins with minimal structural alterations. The understanding and proper use of protein engineering approaches may help in implementing appropriate pest management strategies by improving the efficacy of these toxins against insect pests.
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    Toward the Hydrogen Economy in Paraguay: End-Uses of Green Hydrogen Potential
    (2022-06-03) Posso-Rivera, Fausto Rene; Galeano, Michel; Baranda, César; Franco, David; Rincon, Angel; Zambrano, Juan
    This study analyzed the final stage of the hydrogen economy structure and the end-uses of green hydrogen potential in the Republic of Paraguay. Methodologically, the potential for hydrogen production is considered from key renewable resources (solar PV, wind, and hydro) in Paraguay. This study focused on two opportunity niches for green hydrogen use: in the residential sector, substituting firewood and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as fuel for cooking and heating, and in the transportation sector, displacing diesel and gasoline in light vehicles and buses. Firewood and LPG demand in homes and diesel and gasoline demand in the transportation are obtained from official statistical data. Energy equivalences to calculate the hydrogen amount required for replacing firewood, LPG, diesel, and gasoline consumption and hydrogen end-use technologies models proposed in similar studies in other countries of the region were considered. A total green hydrogen potential of 394.2 × 106 t was obtained, 367 times higher than the total consumption of secondary energy in the country, which indicates the magnitude of the potential. Firewood, LPG, gasoline, and diesel substitution in the residential and transportation sectors are fully achieved, except in the case of the Capital District and Central Department. The results of this study envisage an optimal scenario for a future hydrogen economy in Paraguay. This will require financial investment from both public and private sectors for the development of sustainable energy projects and the implementation of a suitable infrastructure for using hydrogen as an energy carrier. The geographic distribution of mentioned key renewable resources in Paraguay implies a huge opportunity for the advance of distributed generation in energy policies, meaning greater decentralization, redistribution, sustainability, and democratization of the energy system.