1,720,964 research outputs found
No evidence for increased platelet activation in patients with hepatitis B- or C-related cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma
No full textIntroduction: Cancer is a major risk factor for developing venous thromboembolism (VTE). Plasma hypercoagulability is an established risk factor for cancer-related VTE. In addition, thrombocytosis and hyperreactive platelets have been implicated in VTE and cancer progression. Cirrhosis is associated with changes in platelet number and function. The platelet activation status of patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma has not yet been established. Here we assessed the platelet activation status in patients with hepatitis-related cirrhosis in presence or absence of HCC. Materials and methods: We performed a cross-sectional study including thirty-eight consecutive patients with hepatitis B- or C-related liver cirrhosis in presence or absence of HCC. We studied basal and agonist-induced platelet activation using flow cytometry. In addition, we studied the plasma levels of von Willebrand factor (VWF) and the VWF-cleaving protease ADAMTS13. Twenty healthy volunteers served as controls. Results: We found no evidence of basal platelet activation in patients with cirrhosis compared to controls. However, we found reduced agonist-induced platelet activation in patients. No differences in the basal and agonist-induced platelets activation status between patients with or without HCC were detected. Plasma levels of VWF were increased and the levels of ADAMTS13 activity were decreased in patients compared to controls. No differences between the levels of VWF and ADAMTS13 in patients with or without HCC were detected. Conclusions: HCC development or recurrence in patients with hepatitis B- C-related cirrhosis does not appear to be associated with platelet activation and changes in pivotal proteins in primary hemostasis. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Levels of angiogenic proteins in plasma and platelets are not different between patients with hepatitis B/C-related cirrhosis and patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma
No full textIncreasing evidence suggests that levels of angiogenic proteins within blood platelets change at the earliest stages of cancer development and may thus provide a promising diagnostic and prognostic tool. Patients with cirrhosis have increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to study whether development of HCC in hepatitis-related cirrhosis results in changes in platelet levels of angiogenic proteins. We studied the intraplatelet levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), endostatin, platelet factor 4 (PF4) and thrombospondin type 1 (TSP-1) in 38 consecutive patients with hepatitis B-or C-related liver cirrhosis with or without HCC in addition to plasma levels of the same proteins. Twenty healthy volunteers were included to establish reference values for the various tests. Intraplatelet levels of VEGF, bFGF, HGF and endostatin were significantly higher in patients compared to controls. Intraplatelet levels of PDGF, PF4 and TSP-1 were comparable between patients and controls. Plasma levels of VEGF, bFGF and endostatin were comparable between patients and controls. Plasma levels of PDGF, PF4 and TSP-1 were decreased in patients, but this difference disappeared when levels were corrected for platelet count. Intraplatelet and plasma levels of all proteins assessed were comparable between patients with and without HCC. In conclusion, the intraplatelet levels of some angiogenic proteins are elevated in cirrhosis, but do not discriminate between patients with and without HCC. Thus, intraplatelet levels of angiogenic proteins do not seem useful as diagnostic or prognostic biomarker of HCC in cirrhotic patients
Factors associated with outcome of liver surgery and hepatocellular carcinoma
Full text linkChronic liver disease resulting in fibrosis and cirrhosis is associated with morbidity and mortality, irrespective of the etiology. Although major progress has been made in the medical management of patients with liver diseases, liver surgery remains the only curative treatment strategy for many conditions. Yet, factors such as perioperative bleeding, and the capacity of remnant liver to regenerate may affect the outcome following the liver surgery. In this thesis we conducted clinical and pre-clinical studies that aimed to gain better understanding of factors influencing the outcome of liver surgery. In addition, we evaluate if the development of HCC in patients with cirrhosis is associated with activation of primary hemostasis and whether or not the bioactive molecules within the platelets are altered in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, we studied the paradoxical relation of gamma glutamyl-transferase (GGT) with outcome in liver transplantation patients and in patients admitted to the intensive care unit
Factors associated with outcome of liver surgery and hepatocellular carcinoma
Full text linkChronic liver disease resulting in fibrosis and cirrhosis is associated with morbidity and mortality, irrespective of the etiology. Although major progress has been made in the medical management of patients with liver diseases, liver surgery remains the only curative treatment strategy for many conditions. Yet, factors such as perioperative bleeding, and the capacity of remnant liver to regenerate may affect the outcome following the liver surgery. In this thesis we conducted clinical and pre-clinical studies that aimed to gain better understanding of factors influencing the outcome of liver surgery. In addition, we evaluate if the development of HCC in patients with cirrhosis is associated with activation of primary hemostasis and whether or not the bioactive molecules within the platelets are altered in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, we studied the paradoxical relation of gamma glutamyl-transferase (GGT) with outcome in liver transplantation patients and in patients admitted to the intensive care unit
Factors associated with outcome of liver surgery and hepatocellular carcinoma
Full text linkChronic liver disease resulting in fibrosis and cirrhosis is associated with morbidity and mortality, irrespective of the etiology. Although major progress has been made in the medical management of patients with liver diseases, liver surgery remains the only curative treatment strategy for many conditions. Yet, factors such as perioperative bleeding, and the capacity of remnant liver to regenerate may affect the outcome following the liver surgery. In this thesis we conducted clinical and pre-clinical studies that aimed to gain better understanding of factors influencing the outcome of liver surgery. In addition, we evaluate if the development of HCC in patients with cirrhosis is associated with activation of primary hemostasis and whether or not the bioactive molecules within the platelets are altered in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, we studied the paradoxical relation of gamma glutamyl-transferase (GGT) with outcome in liver transplantation patients and in patients admitted to the intensive care unit
Factors associated with outcome of liver surgery and hepatocellular carcinoma
Full text linkChronic liver disease resulting in fibrosis and cirrhosis is associated with morbidity and mortality, irrespective of the etiology. Although major progress has been made in the medical management of patients with liver diseases, liver surgery remains the only curative treatment strategy for many conditions. Yet, factors such as perioperative bleeding, and the capacity of remnant liver to regenerate may affect the outcome following the liver surgery. In this thesis we conducted clinical and pre-clinical studies that aimed to gain better understanding of factors influencing the outcome of liver surgery. In addition, we evaluate if the development of HCC in patients with cirrhosis is associated with activation of primary hemostasis and whether or not the bioactive molecules within the platelets are altered in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, we studied the paradoxical relation of gamma glutamyl-transferase (GGT) with outcome in liver transplantation patients and in patients admitted to the intensive care unit
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Full text link“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
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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