1,722,867 research outputs found
Jamie Bennett, David Keens, and Gary Griffin in front of palm tree
No full textJamie Bennett, David Keens, and Gary Griffin in front of palm treehttps://mavmatrix.uta.edu/specialcollections_davidkeenspapers/1004/thumbnail.jp
BIOMARKERS WITH CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE IN PATIENTS WITH INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASES
Full text linkIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) are the most frequent entities among the rare idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is able to give relevant information about the cellular composition at alveolar level and is commonly part of the diagnostic algorithm of ILD. Several biomarkers in peripheral blood or BAL fluid have been studied in patients with ILD, however at the moment there are no biomarkers universally recognized in clinical practice.
The objectives of the present study were to analyse the cellular composition of BAL and to establish the levels of KL-6, Calgranulin B and Pepsin in BAL of patients with IPF and i-NSIP and a group of healthy controls.
In the present study were included 60 patients suffering from IPF (n = 30; males n = 24; age = 68.73 ± 8.63 years) and idiopathic-NSIP (fibrotic NSIP pattern) (n = 30; males n = 17; age = 68.33 ± 7.45 years).
Patients with IPF and i-NSIP showed a percentage of macrophages in BAL significantly lower than healthy controls (p 13% was significantly associated with shorter survival.
KL-6 and Calgranulin B in BAL were found significantly higher in the whole patients’ population (IPF and i-NSIP) than in healthy controls (p <0.05). Pepsin was not different among the three groups. In IPF patients, KL-6 was increased in patients with chronic respiratory failure and correlated directly with FiO2 at rest and with the amount of oxygen required at the 6MWT. In patients suffering from i-NSIP, it correlated directly with the eosinophils% in BAL and indirectly with FVC%, TLC%, DLCO% and with the walked distance at the 6MWT. Calgranulin B was found increased in advanced IPF and i-NSIP patients with chronic respiratory failure and an indirect correlation with DLCO worsening at 18 months was shown in i-NSIP patients. Calgranulin B also showed a significant correlation with survival.
In conclusion, BAL data on cellularity confirmed to play a relevant role in the diagnosis of ILD and in prognosis assessment. KL-6 and Calgranulin B in BAL demonstrated to be reliable non-invasive biomarkers of IPF and i-NSIP. They showed to be able to discriminate more severe patients and to correlate with other clinical and functional variables recognizing a significant prognostic role
The role of fluids during retrograde metamorphism, associated with thrust zones in the Caledonides of north Norway
No full textThe Caldeonian nappes of North Central Norway record similar D1 to D4 deformation histories. They experienced Barrovian style metamorphism ranging from lower greenschist to upper amphibolite (Kyanite-Sillimanite grade) conditions. Peak metamorphism occurred during D2. Retrogression of the peak metamorphic assemblages is concentrated along thrust zones between the nappes, related to fluid flow after peak metamorphism. The most commonly observed retrograde reactions are the replacement of garnet by chlorite and of kyanite by sericite. These reactions are exothermic rehydration reactions and lead to small volume increases. Microstructural evidence indicates that retrogression occurred at a post tectonic stage. Four stages of vein formation have been identified. Pre-D2 veins have been extensively recrystallised and contain a range of H2O-CO2-(N2-CH4)-NaCl fluid inclusions which predominantly occur along grain boundaries. These are CO2 rich and of low salinity. Inclusions in less recrystallised areas are similar in composition but more H2O rich. Textural and microthermometric evidence suggests that many inclusions suffered preferential water loss during recrystallisation and became CO2 enriched. The most water rich inclusions best represent fluids derived from prograde metamorphic devolatilisation reactions. These fluids have salinities less than 6 weight % NaCl equivalents and (CH4+ N2)/CO2 ratios of 0.15 ± 0.1. Veins which developed after D_2 but prior to D_3 contain fluid inclusions which provide evidence of phase separation between a H_2O rich H_2O-CO_2-(CH_4-N_2)-NaCl liquid and a CO_2-(CH_4-N_2) rich vapour. Phase separation occurred in response to reducing pressures during uplift, at conditions of ≈380oC and 2.5 to 3.1 kbar. Syn- to post-D3 veins contain inclusions of similar composition to the H2O rich liquid. Syn- to post-D4 veins which formed at the same time as the retrogression of the thrust zones, contain a population of hypersaline aqueous fluid inclusions. These saline fluids range in salinity between 27 and 50 weight % NaCl equivalent. They are NaCl dominated but also contain appreciable concentrations of K, Ca and Fe. They have Na/K and Na/K ratios similar to those of high salinity fluids from the Salton Sea geothermal system. This similarity, coupled with results of alkali geothermometry suggest that they have undergone almost complete equilibration with their host rocks at temperatures of 300 ± 50^oC. Fluid/rock weight ratios calculated for the phase of retrogression are low (F/R = 0.008 to 0.08). Biotites in the thrust zones are relatively chlorine enriched and record the passage of the late stage brines along the thrust zones. The high salinities of the fluids related to the retrograde reactions, and the low fluid/rock ratios imply that fluid infiltration of the thrust zones was limited, and that the infiltrating fluids became more saline as rehydration reactions proceeded. Comparison of the brine compositions with those of the retrograde mineral assemblages suggests that they are consistent with the assemblage Ab-Ms-Pg-Qtz in pelites at a pH of 4.7. With the exception of Cl, the major components in the fluids were internally buffered during retrogression by mineral-fluid exchange equilibria. The predominant controls on the retrogression were the supply of water to the reaction sites, the PT conditions of infiltration and the rate and degree of completion of the rehydration reactions. The late stage brines have relatively consistent oxygen isotopic compositions (δ18O = + 8.0 to + 12.7). In contrast they record a wide range of δD from -147.6 to -64.7. The most likely source of the brines was either a modified meteoric water or a formation water containing a component of meteoric water. The structurally higher thrust zones may have been infiltrated by fluids from the surface after their uplift to relatively shallow levels in the crust. The Hogtind Thrust zone may also have received fluids from the surface, however formation/metamorphic waters may also have migrated into the zone from the sedimentary material of the Fossbakken Nappe as it was overridden by the nappe pile and emplaced onto the Baltic Shield.</p
Early child neglect: Does it predict obesity or underweight in later childhood?
No full textChild neglect has been hypothesized to be a risk factor for both obesity and underweight in early childhood, although little research has examined the relation between neglect and body mass index (BMI). The present study examined the relation between neglect and BMI among 185 children (91 with a Child Protective Services history of neglect) who were initially seen at ages 4 to 6 years and who were followed through ages 7 to 9 years. Neglected and comparison children were found to have similar BMIs, although both groups had BMIs that were significantly greater than CDC norms for age, gender, and ethnicity. Neglect chronicity did predict lower BMIs but only at age 8 and 9 years. The present findings suggest that greater examination of moderators is needed to identify the specific contexts in which neglect is related to children’s weight.This is the authors' accepted manuscript for an article that was published in Child Maltreatment (2010), vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 250-254. doi: 10.1177/1077559510363730Peer reviewe
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
Biomarkers in sarcoidosis: The contribution of system biology
No full textPurpose of review System biology is an interdisciplinary approach with the purpose to evaluate the experimental results of '-omics' sciences as a whole. The '-omics' sciences do not start generally from a-priori assumptions and are aimed to study the constituents of a specific biological domain (genome, transcriptome, proteome and metabolome) in a given state, using different high-throughput technologies (as polymerase chain reaction, arrays, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, etc.) and allowing a hermeneutical integration and recomposition of the experimental information. The aim of the present review is to explore the main new findings of system biology studies applied to sarcoidosis in the last year. Recent findings The main new findings of sarcoidosis that were highlighted by different studies in the last year (including miRNAs, TGF-b pathway, TNF-a and related proteins, vesicle trafficking, vitamin D and lipid metabolism, analyzed by system biology) are presented in this article. Summary System biology is a useful approach to combine different experimental results to study the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis and to identify groups of new molecules and mediators with potential clinical application as biomarkers
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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