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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Get PDF“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
Get PDFWe 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
Tobramycin by aerosol (Toby ® )eradicates Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant to Tobramycin i.v. in patients with infected bronchiectasis
No full textLung function improvement in smokers suffering from COPD with zafirlukast, a CysLT(1)-receptor antagonist
No full textThe present study was designed to evaluate the bronchodilating role of zafirlukast, a CysLT(1)receptor antagonist, at the standard dosage currently recommended in the marketing of this agent in smokers with COPD. The study was performed using a double-blind, cross-over, randomized design and was conducted on 2 non-consecutive days. Sixteen outpatients suffering from stable COPD received 40 mg oral zafirlukast, or placebo. Lung function was controlled before drug administration and 30, 60, 120, 180, 240 min thereafter. At the end of the 4-h period, each patient received 400 microg inhaled salbutamol and spirometric testing was performed 30 min later. Zafirlukast, but not placebo, produced a significant (P<0.05) bronchodilation between 30 min and 4 h following administration, with a maximum mean increase in FEV(1)of 0.134 l (11.2%) above baseline after 2 h. Nine of 16 patients showed an increase in FEV(1)of at least 15% above baseline after zafirlukast. The maximum mean increase in FEV(1)after zafirlukast in these subjects, who were considered responders, observed after 2 h, was 0.221 (19.4%). The mean difference of post-salbutamol FEV(1)values after zafirlukast and placebo (-0.036 l) was not significant (P<0.05). In responders, the mean of differences in pre- and post-salbutamol FEV(1)values after zafirlukast was 0.077 l, whereas the mean of differences between post-salbutamol values after zafirlukast and those after placebo was -0.064 l. The mean AUC(0-4 h)for all patients was 0.121 l for placebo and 0.385 l for zafirlukast. The difference between the placebo and zafirlukast AUC(0-4 h)was significant (P<0.05). The individual FEV(1)AUC(0-4 h)after zafirlukast were higher than those after placebo in 12 out of 16 patients. These findings suggest that cysteinyl leukotrienes might be one of the causes of persistent bronchoconstriction in COPD, at least in several smokers, but do not confirm the hypothesis that the effects of zafirlukast and salbutamol are independent and additive
Non-pulmonary effects induced by the addition of formoterol to budesonide therapy in patients with mild or moderate persistent asthma
No full textOBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to assess the non-pulmonary effects of a 2-week treatment with the addition of formoterol to budesonide therapy in 10 patients with mild or moderate asthma.
METHODS: Each patient was invited to perform a screening visit which included spirometry before and after inhalation of 12 microg formoterol with a metered dose inhaler (MDI), measurement of arterial blood pressure, baseline electrocardiography and 24-hour Holter monitoring, and a test for evaluating upper limb tremor. Patients then began bronchodilating therapy with 12 microg formoterol MDI and 400 microg budesonide Turbuhaler b.i.d. Each patient was also given a peak flowmeter and a diary in which he had to record the morning and evening values measured before taking inhaled drugs. Two weeks later, the patients repeated the same examinations; the diary card was returned 2 months after the beginning of the study.
RESULTS: Adding formoterol to budesonide therapy caused a significant improvement in lung function, but neither induced any statistically significant effect on mean heart rate, nor altered the circadian rhythm of autonomic regulation nor elicited significant alterations in cardiac morphology. However, the evaluation of upper limb tremor revealed a statistically significant increase (p = 0.02).
CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that adding the recommended dose of formoterol to an inhaled corticosteroid therapy does not induce significant cardiac undesirable effects, although tremor, surely due to stimulation of beta(2) receptors of the skeletal muscles, may sometimes be a limiting effect
Interrelationship between the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of cefaclor advanced formulation in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis
No full textCefaclor advanced formulation (cefaclor AF) is an extended-release form of the oral cephalosporin cefaclor. When cefaclor AF 750 mg twice-daily and cefaclor immediate release 500 mg three-times-a-day are compared there is a skew to the right of the pharmacokinetic profile and higher levels are achieved. Based on this pharmacokinetic finding, we examined the relationship between the bacterial susceptibility to cefaclor (MIC), the achieved cefaclor AF serum and sputum concentrations, and in vivo eradication of the bacteria in 36 patients with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. The mean peak concentrations in serum and sputum 5 h after administration were 8.6 microg/ml (95% CI: 8.1 microg/ml - 9.1 microg/ml) and 1.5 microg/ml (95% CI: 1.4 microg/ml - 1.7 microg/ml), respectively. Cefaclor was always detectable 8 h after administration. At post therapy, treatment was successful in 31 (86.1%) patients. Cefaclor concentrations in serum persisted above the MIC for more than 40% of dosing interval in 31 subjects, and those in sputum in 24 patients. Treatment was successful in all subjects with percent of time above the MIC in serum of >40%, whereas the time that levels in sputum stayed above the MIC was not the pharmacodynamic parameter that correlated best with therapeutic efficacy for cefaclor. Our data demonstrate that when cefaclor AF is dosed twice-daily, the in vivo pharmacodynamic susceptibility breakpoint is 8 microg/ml. The good activity and pharmacokinetics of cefaclor AF provide serum concentrations higher than the MIC of Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Moraxella catarrhalis for more than 40% of the validated dosing interval. Therefore, it might be considered for first choice treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis
Bronchodilation test in COPD : effect of inspiratory manoeuvre preceding forced expiration
Get PDFThe effects of an inspiratory manoeuvre preceding forced expiration on functional tests performed under routine conditions before and after inhalation of a bronchodilator drug (salbutamol) were assessed on 150 consecutive chronic obstructive pulmonary disease outpatients. The patients performed forced vital capacity manoeuvres either immediately after a rapid inspiration (manoeuvre no. 1) or after a slow inspiration with a 4-6 s pause (manoeuvre no. 2). Under baseline conditions, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) values were 8% (% control) larger with manoeuvre no. 1 than no. 2. FEV1 values increased with salbutamol administration by approximately 8% and were, on average, still 7% larger with manoeuvre no. 1 than no. 2. The incidence of reversibility, assessed according to American Thoracic Society criteria, was 76% when manoeuvre no. 2 was selected to represent baseline conditions and manoeuvre no. 1 was chosen to represent the effects of bronchodilator administration, whereas the lowest incidence (2%) was found when manoeuvre no. 1 was selected to represent baseline conditions and manoeuvre no. 2 was chosen to represent the effects of bronchodilator administration. These results indicate that the time dependence of the forced vital capacity manoeuvre has an important impact on the assessment of routine lung function in a clinical setting and supports the notion that the time course of the inspiration preceding the forced vital capacity manoeuvre should be standardised
The pharmacodynamic effects of single inhaled doses of formoterol, tiotropium and their combination in patients with COPD
No full textThe aim of this double-blind, double-dummy, cross-over, randomized, pilot study was to compare the acute bronchodilator efficacy of a
single dose of formoterol with that of tiotropium in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Because the potential
of tiotropium for additive effects is yet unknown, the acute effects of adding this anticholinergic agent to formoterol were also explored. A
total of 20 outpatients with stable COPD were enrolled. Single doses of 12 mg formoterol, 18 mg tiotropium, and 12 mg formoterol þ 18 mg
tiotropium were given. Serial measurements of FEV1 were performed over 24 h. Formoterol, either alone or in combination with tiotropium,
elicited a significantly faster onset of action and showed a trend for a greater maximum bronchodilation than tiotropium alone. At 24 h, mean
FEV1 continued to be significantly higher than pre-dosing value following tiotropium and formoterol þ tiotropium. These findings indicate
that formoterol and tiotropium have different profiles that make both agents attractive alternatives in the treatment of stable COPD. Since
tiotropium ensures prolonged bronchodilation, whereas formoterol adds fast onset and a greater peak effect, the two drugs appear
complementary
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