1,721,016 research outputs found
Detectable Virological Load and Associated Factors among People Living with HIV on Antiretroviral Treatment: A Retrospective Study
Full text linkThe complete and prolonged suppression of viral load is the primary objective of HAART in people living with HIV. Some people may experience therapeutic failure, while others may achieve virological suppression but are unable to maintain it, developing persistent or single detection of low-level viremia. This study aims to evaluate the determinants of a detectable viral load among patients on HAART to identify and address them promptly. In this retrospective study, all patients referring to the Infectious Disease Operative Unit of the Vito Fazzi Hospital in Lecce, Puglia, older than 18 years, receiving HAART for at least 12 months as of 30 June 2022, were included. For each patient, demographic characteristics such as age, sex, educational level, stable relationship, cohabitation, employment status, and information relating to habits and lifestyles such as physical activity, use of drugs, and substances or supplements for sport, abuse of alcohol, and smoking were collected. Degree of comorbidity was quantified according to the Charlson Comorbidity Index, and the presence of obesity and the COVID-19 infection was also considered. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the association between patients’ characteristics and the outcome. In the multivariable logistic regression model, the odds were lower for the duration of therapy (OR: 0.96; p = 0.0397), prescriber’s perception of adherence to therapy (OR: 0.50; p p = 0.0329), and higher for the presence of AIDS (OR: 1.89; p = 0.0423) and COVID-19 (OR: 2.31; p = 0.0182). Our findings support the early initiation of HAART to achieve virological suppression. Additionally, measures to improve adherence to therapy should be adopted to ensure better outcomes for patients
Global Postural Reeducation in patients with chronic nonspecific neck pain: cross-over analysis of a randomized controlled trial
No full textOBJECTIVE:
To compare the effects of Global Postural Reeducation (GPR) with Manual Therapy (MT) in participants with chronic nonspecific neck pain (NP).
METHODS:
Pre- and post-treatment analysis of cross-over data from an RCT was done. Seventy-eight subjects with chronic nonspecific NP aged 18 to 80 years completed the trial. The group who had received GPR crossed-over to MT and the previous MT group received GPR for 9 sessions once or twice a week. Measures were assessed at pre-treatment and post-treatment. Outcome measures included pain intensity [Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)], disability (Neck Disability Index), cervical Range of Motion (ROM), and kinesiophobia [Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK)].
RESULTS:
GPR targeted to crossed-over participants produced greater improvements in pain [Diff=-8.6; 95%CI=(-13.3; -3.8)], disability [Diff=-1.5; 95%CI=-2.8; -0.1], kinesiophobia [Diff=-1.8; 95%CI=(-3.2; -0.3)], and flexion/extension neck ROM [Diff=5.6; 95%CI=(1.8; 9.3)] at post-treatment compared to the MT group. When evaluating clinical improvement, by means of Minimal Clinically Important Differences, we found that GPR relevantly reduced neck disability with respect to MT [OR=2.13; 95% CI=(1.05; 4.35)], whereas the improvement of pain did not differ between groups [OR=1.84; 95%CI=0.85; 3.99)].
CONCLUSIONS:
These results within the crossed-over group confirm previous findings from an RCT with the same sample. Sequence of treatment (GPR-to-MT vs MT-to-GPR) does not seem to weaken the greater effects of GPR compared to MT approach for chronic NP. Our findings suggest that GPR can induce hypoalgesic effects, reduce disability and kinesiophobia, and improve flexion/extension in neck ROM
Effectiveness of a "Spring Pillow" Versus Education in Chronic Nonspecific Neck Pain: A Randomized, Controlled Trial
No full textBackground. Different types of pillows have been proposed for neck pain, but no previous randomized controlled trial (RCT) has investigated the effectiveness of a “spring pillow” for adults with chronic nonspecific neck pain (CNP). Objective. We evaluated the effectiveness of using a pillow made from viscoelastic polyurethane and 60 independent springs compared to an educational intervention in patients with CNP. Design. This was an RCT with crossover study design. Setting. The setting was Occupational Medicine Unit, University Hospital, Bologna (Italy). Participants. We recruited 70 adults with CNP, of whom 64 patients completed the trial. Intervention. Subjects were randomly assigned to 2 groups. 1 group used the spring pillow for 4 weeks, while the other group followed educational advice for 4 weeks while continuing to use their own pillows. After 4 weeks of treatment and 4 weeks of washout, groups were crossed over. Pain perceived in the neck, thoracic, and shoulder areas, and headache were the primary outcome measures. In addition, disability, sleep quality, subjective improvement, and pillow comfort were assessed. Measures were captured at pretreatment (T0), after 4 weeks (T1), after the 4-week washout period (T2), and 4 weeks after crossover (T3). The mean differences (MD) in outcomes between groups were assessed. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ptj/pzz056/5426223 by [email protected] on 04 April 2019
Results. Treatment with the spring pillow appeared to reduce neck pain (MD = −8.7; 95% CI = −14.7 to −2.6), thoracic pain (MD = −8.4; 95% CI = −15.2 to −1.5), and headache (MD = −16.0; 95% CI = −23.2 to −8.7). Reductions in shoulder pain were not statistically significant between groups (MD = −6.9; 95% CI = −14.1 to 0.3). Neither the crossover sequence nor the period (first vs second intervention administration) significantly affected the results. Limitations. Education may not have been the best comparator for the spring pillow; drugs consumption, actual pillow use, and the implementation of the educational suggestions as prescribed were not controlled. Conclusions. Use of the spring pillow in this study was more effective than an educational intervention for improving cervical, thoracic, and head pain. Whether a spring pillow is more effective than other ergonomic pillows remains to be tested.
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-articl
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
First-trimester prediction model for placental vascular disorders: an observational prospective study
Full text linkThis study aims to develop a multivariable predictive model for the risk of placental vascular complications (PVC), by using biochemical, biophysical, anamnestic and clinical maternal features available at the first trimester. PVC include gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, placenta abruption, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and stillbirth.
Prospective study that included all singleton pregnancies attending the first-trimester aneuploidy screening (11 +0–12 +6 weeks) at Obstetrics Unit of the University Hospital of Modena, in Northern Italy, between June 2018 and December 2019.
In a total of 503 women included in the analysis, 40 patients were in the PVC group. The final prediction model for PVC included the following independent variables: pre-pregnancy BMI ≥ 30 (OR = 2.65, 95% CI = 1.04; 6.75, p = 0.0415), increasing values of mean arterial pressure (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.02; 1.10, p = 0.0008), PAPP-A < 2.40465 U/L (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.19; 0.96, p = 0.0388) and decreasing values of PlGf (MoM) (OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.10; 0.79, p = 0.0153). The area under the ROC curve was 79.4% indicating a satisfactory predictive accuracy.
The best predictive cut-off for this score was equal to − 2.562, which corresponds to a 7.2 % probability of having PVC. By using such a cut-off, the risk of PVC can be predicted in our sample with sensitivity equal to 82,4 % and specificity equal to 69,9 %.
This model for early prediction of PVC is a promising tool to early identify women at greater risk for placenta vascular complications
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
Use of Azithromycin Attributable to Acute SARS-CoV-2 Infection
No full textPurpose: In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, preliminary results that later proved to be incorrect suggested the possible efficacy of anti-infective drugs such as azithromycin for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. These preliminary data may have influenced the prescription of azithromycin. However, no individual-level data linking the use of this antibiotic to acute SARS-CoV-2 infection are available. The present analysis aims to fill this gap. Methods: A retrospective population-based cohort design was used including patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the period ranging from February 2020 to February 2022. The data source for antibiotic consumption was the drug database of outpatient prescriptions of Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy). Antibiotics were classified according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system. Consumption rates and percentages of azithromycin DDDs (defined daily doses) during the acute phase of the infection were compared with a previous control period and with the post-acute phase. Analyses were stratified by four groups according to the prevalent virus variant at time of diagnosis. Results: Comparing the previous control period with the acute phase of infections, the rates of azithromycin consumption (DDD per 1000 individuals per day) increased from 1.17 to 23.11, from 0.80 to 33.03, from 0.81 to 21.01, and from 1.02 to 9.76, in the pre-Alpha, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron periods, respectively. Similarly, the percentages of individuals receiving azithromycin, and the azithromycin DDDs percentages over total systemic antibiotics DDDs increased in acute phases of infection compared with control periods. The consumption rates and percentages returned to preinfection levels in the post-acute phase. In the study period, 12.9% of the use of azithromycin in the entire adult population of Emilia-Romagna was attributable to acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Conclusions: Considering the low likelihood of bacterial coinfections, the increased azithromycin consumption in the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection suggests inappropriate prescribing of this antibiotic
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
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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