127,817 research outputs found
B physics : WHEPP-XI working group report
No full textWe present the report of the B physics working group of the Workshop on High Energy
Physics Phenomenology (WHEPP-XI), held at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, in
January 2010
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe 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
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe 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
Should Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Be Tested for Active COVID-19 Before Starting a Biological Treatment?
No full text
Gastrointestinal: An unusual rectal finding in a patient with ulcerative colitis
No full textA 67‐year‐old man, with an acute flare of severe ulcerative colitis, on therapy with azathioprine for steroid‐dependent disease for 6 years was referred to our Inflammatory Bowel Disease Unit in 2015 because of severe anal pain and bloody diarrhea. Rectosigmoidoscopy showed multiple inflammatory pseudopolyps, erosions, and, close to the anal verge, a large ulceration of about 5 cm with irregular border (Fig. 1). Histology of the lesion showed a framework compatible with active severe ulcerative colitis. He underwent a pelvic magnetic resonance imaging, which excluded the presence of complications (i.e. abscess or neoplasia). Thereafter, after a negative screening (hepatitis B virus DNA load in the blood was lower than 1000 copies/mL with negative Epstein–Barr virus [EBV] immunoglobulin M), infliximab 5 mg/kg i.v. was started. However, the patient was admitted to the Neurology Department because of neurological changes (psychomotor retardation, confusional state, asthenia, and tremors). A diagnosis of postinfectious encephalitis from EBV reactivation (EBV‐DNA 2378 copies/mL; microbiological investigations on liquor were negative) was performed, and acyclovir therapy was started with rapid resolution. Infliximab was stopped, and due to the severe persisting condition, a proctocolectomy was performed. The histological report was positive for a typical complication associated to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients on thiopurine treatment that is colorectal lymphoma (Fig. 2)
Efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy in asthma and eczema
No full textSublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is the local route of administration of allergen extracts investigated in several controlled clinical trials. In a number of countries, particularly Italy, France and Spain, this has become common in office practice. At variance with subcutaneous immunotherapy, the knowledge of mechanisms of action of SLIT is still at the beginning: some studies, in animal models, provided interesting information: the dendritic cells of oral mucosa act as efficient antigen-presenting cells and produce IL-12, which directs the immune response towards a Th1 profile away from IgE-Th2 profile. Its clinical efficacy (improvement of symptoms and reduction of drug intake) for both asthma and rhinitis has been assessed in detail for the most common allergens: house dust mites, grass pollen, Parietaria, birch pollen and olive tree. SLIT requires further evaluation concerning the treatment of the extrinsic form of atopic dermatitis. The induction of immunologic tolerance rather than immunoreactivity should be worth pursuing due to the immunologic pathway involved in the pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis. The safety profile of SLIT, derived from the clinical trials and postmarketing surveillance studies, turned out to be satisfactory in adults and children. SLIT represents an important step towards an efficacious and safe treatment of patients with allergic respiratory diseases; nevertheless, further studies are necessary to establish it as a viable alternative to subcutaneous immunotherapy
Global prevalence of functional constipation according to the Rome criteria: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
No full textBackground
Functional constipation is a common functional bowel disorder in the community, which has a varying prevalence across cross-sectional surveys. We did a contemporaneous systematic review and meta-analysis of studies using comparable methodology and all iterations of the Rome criteria to estimate the global prevalence of functional constipation.
Methods
In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Embase Classic from Jan 1, 1990, to Dec 31, 2020, to identify population-based cross-sectional studies comprising at least 50 participants that reported the prevalence of functional constipation in adults (age 18 years and older) according to Rome I, II, III, or IV criteria. We excluded studies that reported the prevalence of functional constipation in convenience samples. We extracted prevalence estimates of functional constipation from eligible studies, according to the study criteria used to define it. For each study, we extracted data for country; method of data collection; criteria used to define functional constipation; whether the study used the Rome I, II, III, or IV diagnostic questionnaires or approximated these definitions of the condition using another questionnaire; the total number of participants providing complete data; age; the number of participants with the condition; the number of male and female participants; and the number of male and female participants with the condition. We calculated pooled prevalence, odds ratios (OR), and 95% CIs.
Findings
Of 8174 citations evaluated, 45 studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria, representing 80 separate populations and comprising 275 260 participants. The pooled prevalence of functional constipation was 15·3% (95% CI 8·1–24·4, I2=99·4%) in studies using the Rome I criteria, 11·2% (7·9–14·9; I2=99·6%) in studies that used Rome II criteria, 10·4% (6·5–14·9; I2=99·8%) in those that used Rome III criteria, and 10·1% (8·7–11·6; I2=98·2%) when Rome IV criteria were used. Prevalence of functional constipation was higher in women, irrespective of the Rome criteria used (OR 2·40 [95% CI 2·02–2·86] for Rome I, 1·94 [1·46–2·57] for Rome II, and 2·32 [1·85–2·92] for Rome III; no studies using Rome IV criteria reported prevalence by sex). There was significant heterogeneity between studies in all of our analyses, which persisted even when the same criteria were applied and similar methodologies used.
Interpretation
Even when uniform symptom-based criteria are used to define the presence of functional constipation, prevalence varies between countries. Thus, environmental, cultural, ethnic, dietary, or genetic factors can influence reporting of symptoms. Future studies should aim to elucidate reasons for this geographical variability.
Funding
None
Reorganization of the functional gastrointestinal disorders unit during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak - Practical Recommendations
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