1,721,238 research outputs found
MEOLA M, PETRUCCI I, CALLIADA F, BARSOTTI M, PUCCINI M, GROSSO M, BARSOTTI G.: Presurgical Setting of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism Using High-Resolution Sonography and Color Doppler.
No full textPurpose: High-resolution sonography (US) with
color Doppler imaging (CDI) is a simple, noninvasive,
safe and repeatable technique able to highlight
the presence of hyperplastic parathyroid
glands and changes in their volume, structure,
and vascularization during uremia. The primary
aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy
of US and the sensitivity for localizing
parathyroid glands with a volume ≥ 500mm3.
The secondary aim was to assess the parameters
that define parathyroid glandular perfusion.
Materials and Methods: The diagnostic use of US
was assessed in 40 consecutive uremic patients
with severe secondary hyperparathyroidism
(sHPT) who were receiving maintenance hemodialysis
or conservative therapy with a hypoproteic-
hypophosphoric diet and had undergone
parathyroidectomy. Prior to surgery 99mTC-sestamibi
scintigraphy (SM) was performed in all
patients.
Results: The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive
value and accuracy of US were 74%, 75%,
98%, and 74%, respectively. The sensitivity for localizing
glands with a volume ≥ 500mm3 was
90%. US and SM had a combined sensitivity of
83%. The vascularization of parathyroid glands
became more evident with increasing glandular
volume. With CDI, the signs of hypervascularization
(i.e. an enlarged feeding artery at the hilum,
a peripheral arc of vascularity and/or ray-like endonodular
vessels) were present in 77% of glands
with a volume ≥ 500mm3.
Conclusion: The sensitivity of US is higher than
that of SM, but it cannot be compared with that
of parathyroidectomy (74 vs. 95%). However, US/
CDI is able to characterize glands with different
volumes and vascular patterns. Since glandular
volume and vascularization are indicative of the
severity of sHPT, this study suggests that the
main role of US/CDI in the setting of sHPT should be to complete the diagnosis and to evaluate the morphological
changes of enlarged glands during uremia in order to define surgical timing, rather than to assess the presurgical location of
glands
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
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
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
A comparison of algorithms for motor imagery for BCI under different sensory feedback condition
No full textMotor imagery techniques are largely used in asynchronous BCI for the control of external devices. In this work we comparatively evaluate the performance of different state-of arts BCI algorithms, based on the Common Spatial Pattern approach, under different sensory feedback conditions. In particular the role of tendon vibration, inducing illusory movement, is analyzed in the context of BCI for motor imagery
Vegetarian diet alternated with conventional low-protein diet for patients with chronic renal failure.
No full textOBJECTIVES:
A dietary management program, consisting of the alternation between a vegetarian low-protein diet (VD) and an animal-based conventional low-protein diet (CLPD), aims to increase foods choices and to improve compliance with dietary prescriptions, psychologic aspects, and the quality of life of renal patients. The present study investigates the subjective effects and the practical consequences of this dietary approach in patients with chronic renal failure.
METHODS:
Twenty patients (13 men, 7 women, 53 +/- 10 years) with chronic renal failure (creatinine clearance, <45 mL/min) were given the possibility to alternate (at their own convenience) the CLPD with the VD. After a follow-up period of 9 +/- 8 months, biochemistries were drawn and a questionnaire was mailed to asses the patients' subjective remarks about the proposed dietary management.
RESULTS:
Most of the patients (90%) favorably accepted this dietary schedule because it provided more variety, it was less repetitive, and it was more suitable for those leading an active life. In many cases, patients reported that their quality of life and some psychologic problems were improved, as well as the palatability of the diet. On this dietary regimen, monthly demands of starch-made foods can be reduced and, hence, the social and/or individual costs. These features contributed to better compliance with dietary prescriptions. Nutritional parameters did not change significantly, and a decrease in total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were observed.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our observations suggest that alternating between an animal-based CLPD and a vegetable-based VD can provide a useful dietary management for renal patients, giving them more chances for long-lasting dietary compliance
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