Harry B. Demopoulos is a researcher in the medical aspects of

free radicals In chemistry, a radical, also known as a free radical, is an atom, molecule, or ion that has at least one unpaired valence electron. With some exceptions, these unpaired electrons make radicals highly chemically reactive. Many radicals spont ...

, especially in the areas of

ischaemic Ischemia or ischaemia is a restriction in blood supply to any tissue, muscle group, or organ of the body, causing a shortage of oxygen that is needed for cellular metabolism (to keep tissue alive). Ischemia is generally caused by problems wi ...

injury, the toxicity of anticancer drugs, and in

spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cor ...

. He has also been a

film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

and is currently a member of the

Board of Trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

of the

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Doris Duke (November 22, 1912 – October 28, 1993) was an American billionaire tobacco heiress, philanthropist, art collector, horticulturalist, and socialite. She was often called "the richest girl in the world". Her great wealth, luxurious l ...

Free radical research

Ischaemic injury (injury to cells due to oxygen deprivation) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in humans. For example, most deaths in

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

and

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

are secondary to ischaemic injury, a consequence of the

ischemic cascade The ischemic (ischaemic) cascade is a series of biochemical reactions that are initiated in the brain and other aerobic tissues after seconds to minutes of ischemia (inadequate blood supply). This is typically secondary to stroke, injury, or card ...

. Thus, much research has been done into the causes and treatment of ischaemic injury. One are of this research involves the essential role of free radicals (

reactive oxygen species In chemistry, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive chemicals formed from diatomic oxygen (). Examples of ROS include peroxides, superoxide, hydroxyl radical, singlet oxygen, and alpha-oxygen. The reduction of molecular oxygen () p ...

and the like) as modulators of ischaemic injury. This has resulted in therapeutic advances, such as the radical-scavenging

neuroprotective Neuroprotection refers to the relative preservation of neuronal structure and/or function. In the case of an ongoing insult (a neurodegenerative insult) the relative preservation of neuronal integrity implies a reduction in the rate of neuronal los ...

agent

NXY-059 Disufenton sodium (Cerovive, OKN-007, NXY-059, HPN-07) is a free radical trapping nitrone-based antioxidant compound that has been under development for several medical conditions. Chemistry Disufenton sodium is the disulfonyl derivative of th ...

, which was under development for the treatment of stroke. Demopoulos and his coworkers were active in this research. The opening sentence of a paper by Nita ''et al''. states: "The concept of generation of free radicals during ischemia was first presented by Demopoulos, Flamm and co-workers..."

Filmography

Doris Duke estate

Harry Demopoulos is a trustee of the

Doris Duke Doris Duke (November 22, 1912 – October 28, 1993) was an American billionaire tobacco heiress, philanthropist, art collector, Horticulture, horticulturalist, and socialite. She was often called "the richest girl in the world". Her great wealt ...

Charitable Foundation, founded upon the death of the billionaire tobacco heiress. When Duke died in 1993 at the age of 80, legal documents revealed she had previously assigned Demopoulos – a longtime friend – co-executor of her estate. However, a controversial change to her will near her death put her vast fortune in the control of her Irish-born butler,

Bernard Lafferty Bernard Lafferty (14 April 1945 – 4 November 1996) was an Irish butler and heir to American tobacco heiress and philanthropist, Doris Duke. Duke hired Lafferty in 1987 and named him the executor of her $1.2 billion estate six months prior to h ...

, whom Demopoulos described in a subsequent lawsuit as "an illiterate, unstable and even dangerous person." The litigants produced an

affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or '' deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by law. Such a statemen ...

from Tammy Payette, 28, a nurse who had attended to Duke in her final weeks. Payette maintained that Kivowitz (one of Duke's doctors) and Lafferty had conspired to murder Duke through the use of "massive sedation, including morphine and Demerol." This lawsuit resulted in Lafferty being discharged.Cornell Law
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Demopoulos, Harry Living people American medical researchers American male film actors Year of birth missing (living people)