The purpose of these working papers is to promote the circulation of research results (Research Series) and analytical studies (Documents Series) made within the National Bank of Belgium or presented by external economists in seminars, conferences and conventions organised by the Bank. The aim is therefore to provide a platform for discussion. The opinions expressed are strictly those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bank of Belgium.
Background/Aim. Rumex crispus (curly dock) is a wild perennial herbaceous plant, which products are considered as a rich source of biologically active molecules with antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. The aim of this study was to estimate of antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of aqueous extract of curly dock fruits. Methods. The aqueous extract of curly dock fruits was evaluated for its antioxidant activity by in vitro assays for ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), NO•, OH• and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)-free radical scavenging activities and the influence on lipid peroxidation in liposomes. The cytotoxicity of tested extract was examined in vitro in human cervix carcinoma (HeLa), colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) cells. Results. The tested extract showed a potential antioxidant activity manifested in scavenging of free radicals as well as an ability to decrease lipid peroxidation in liposomes. The results indicated tissue-selective cytotoxicity of R. crispus fruit extract in vitro. The most prominent antitumor activity was observed towards HeLa and MCF7 cell lines. Conclusion. The investigated aqueous fruit extract of R. crispus had potential antioxidant and cytotoxic activities, with necrosis as a main mechanism of induced cell-death. Different methods of extraction of R. crispus fruits, apart from aqueous, are recommended for further investigations.
We review existing empirical research on the design and impact of regulation in the banking sector. The impact of each individual piece of regulation may inexorably depend on the set of regulations already in place, the characteristics of the banks involved (from their size or ownership structure to operational idiosyncrasies in terms of capitalization levels or risk-taking behavior), and the institutional development of the country where the regulation is introduced. This complexity is challenging for the econometrician, who relies either on single-country data to identify challenges for regulation or on cross-country data to assess the overall effects of regulation. It is also troubling for the policy maker, who has to optimally design regulation to avoid any unintended consequences, especially those that vary over the credit cycle such as the currently developing macroprudential frameworks.
With the onset of the financial crisis, disentangling the effects of loan demand and supply in contemporary banking research has become vital for a proper assessment of supply‐related banking shocks. These shocks may negatively affect the real economy through many channels, such as the lending channel of monetary policy transmission, the bank risk‐taking channel or the evaluation of macroprudential policy efficiency. All these rely on separating the two lending components. Empirical identification has largely relied on the use of demand‐related fixed effects, which has also been applied in several analyses within this symposium. (JEL G21)
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