1,721,014 research outputs found

    The Association of Digit Ratio (2D : 4D) with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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    Objective. Intrauterine sex hormone environment as indicated by the second to the fourth digit ratio (2D : 4D) can be associated with cancer risk. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association of 2D : 4D with cancer diagnosis, malignancy, and age at presentation. Methods. Studies that evaluated the association of 2D : 4D with cancer risk were collected from Pubmed/MEDLINE and Clarivate Analytics databases. Nineteen studies were included in the qualitative analysis. Results. The 2D : 4D ratio was studied in prostate cancer, breast cancer, testicular cancer, gastric cancer, oral cancer, brain tumors, and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Low 2D : 4D was associated with prostate cancer, gastric cancer, and brain tumors, while high 2D : 4D, with breast cancer risk and cervical dysplasia. The 2D : 4D ratio was not associated with prostate, breast, and gastric cancer stage. Greater 2D : 4D ratio was associated with younger presentation of breast cancer and brain tumors. The meta-analyses demonstrated that testicular cancer was not associated with right-hand 2D : 4D ratio (p=0.74) and gastric cancer was not associated with right-hand (p=0.15) and left-hand (p=0.95) 2D : 4D ratio. Conclusions. Sex hormone environment during early development is associated with cancer risk later in life. Further studies exploring the link between intrauterine hormone environment and cancer risk are encouraged.</jats:p

    Reliability and validity of the SF-36 Health Survey Questionnaire in patients with brain tumors: a cross-sectional study

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    Abstract Background Deterioration of health related quality of life (HRQoL) is common in brain tumor patients. This study evaluated validity and reliability of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) in patients with brain tumors. Methods Two hundred and seventy-seven patients admitted for brain tumor surgery were evaluated for HRQoL (SF-36 questionnaire); depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II or BDI-II); and functional status (Barthel index or BI). Final histological diagnosis was obtained from pathology reports. Results Two-hundred and twenty-seven (completion rate of 82%) patients (69% women; mean age 55.8 ± 14.4 years) completed the SF-36 questionnaire. The most common brain tumor diagnosis was meningioma (40%), followed high-grade glioma (19%). Missing data rates were ≤4%. Internal consistency was adequate for all (Cronbach α ≥ .728) but Social Functioning (Cronbach α = .527) and General Health (Cronbach α = .693) subscales. Ceiling (≥36%) and floor (≥22%) effect rates were the greatest for the Role Limitations subscales. The SF-36 subscales pertaining physical health correlated the strongest with the BI score, while the SF-36 subscales pertaining emotional health correlated the strongest with the BDI-II score. Patients with mild-moderate depressive symptoms (BDI-II score ≥20) scored lower across all SF-36 subscales, and handicap patients (BI score <90) scored the lower across all, but Mental Health, subscales. Conclusions The SF-36 is a valid and reliable instrument in brain tumor patients and therefore can be reliably applied for evaluation of HRQoL in neuro-oncology setting. Further studies exploring other psychometric properties of the SF-36 in brain tumor patients across disease progression stages are warranted

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    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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