1,721,374 research outputs found
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
Bewusstsein schärfen für Diagnose und Therapie
No full textZUSAMMENFASSUNG Eisenmangel ist eine häufige Komorbidität bei Patienten mit Herzinsuffizienz. Es ist zu beachten, dass ein Eisenmangel auch ohne eine Anämie auftreten kann und einen negativen Einfluss auf Symptomatik, Lebensqualität, Morbidität und Mortalität haben kann. Dennoch wird laut RAID-HF-Register in Deutschland der Eisenstatus nur bei ca. 62 % der Herzinsuffizienz-Patienten routinemäßig überprüft und bei weniger als 10 % therapiert. Darüber hinaus werden bei Verdacht auf Eisenmangel mitunter die falschen Labor-Parameter bestimmt. Die ausschlaggebenden und für den Alltag ausreichenden Laborwerte sind Ferritin und die Transferrinsättigung (TSAT), die neben dem Hämoglobin bestimmt werden sollten. Im ambulanten Bereich werden häufig orale Eisen(II)-Präparate verschrieben. Neue Daten belegen jedoch, dass die orale Behandlung mit Eisenpolysaccharid bei Patienten mit Herzinsuffizienz nur zu einem sehr geringen Auffüllen der Eisenspeicher im Vergleich zu Placebo führt und auch keine Verbesserung der Leistungsfähigkeit bewirkt. Darüber hinaus werden die für einen Eisenmangel relevanten Laborwerte oft zu früh nach Therapiebeginn kontrolliert. Ein neuer Diagnose-Therapie-Algorithmus empfiehlt eine Laborkontrolle erst nach 3–6 Monaten. Liegen die Messwerte von Ferritin und TSAT nach dieser Zeit unter den oben genannten Grenzwerten, sollte eine erneute Eisensubstitution erwogen werden
Symptom severity reflected by NYHA grade is independently associated with pruritus in chronic heart failure patients
No full textAbstract
Background
Pruritus is a symptom profoundly impairing patients' quality of life (QoL). It is a common symptom in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients of yet unknown nature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors of pruritus in CHF patients.
Methods
For this monocentric, prospective cohort study, CHF patients were recruited and CHF symptoms, comorbidities and drug intake were assessed using a structured report. Additionally, a questionnaire evaluated pruritus symptoms. Detailed medical histories including laboratory test results were retrieved from patient files for all participants.
Results
We evaluated data from 550 CHF patients. Of those, 25.3% reported pruritus to occur frequently (3–5 times per week), often (1–2 times per week) or daily. Patients of higher NYHA classes (NYHA III + IV) experienced significantly more pruritus (31.2%) than lower NYHA classes (NYHA I + II) (21.1%,
p
= 0.024). Patients with pruritus reported disproportionately often concomitant stasis dermatitis (
p
= 0.026) and chronic lung disease (
p
= 0.014). Other parameters reflecting cardiac, liver, kidney and thyroid function, as well as medical therapies showed no significant differences between patients with and without pruritus. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, only NYHA class (
p
= 0.016, OR 1.55, 95% confidence interval (CI): [1.09; 2.20]) and elevated leukocyte count (
p
= 0.007, OR 1.11, CI [1.03; 1.21]) remained significantly associated with pruritus in CHF patients.
Conclusions
NYHA class is an independent predictor for pruritus in CHF patients. Besides NYHA class, leukocyte count was also associated with increased pruritus. Pruritus may impair QoL in CHF patients and should thus be included in the assessment of those patients. We suggest that providing best care for CHF patients can be achieved through an interdisciplinary approach of cardiologists and dermatologists and should include a pruritus assessment
Genetic ablation of fibroblast activation protein alpha attenuates left ventricular dilation after myocardial infarction.
No full textIntroductionRegulating excessive activation of fibroblasts may be a promising target to optimize extracellular matrix deposition and myocardial stiffness. Fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP) is upregulated in activated fibroblasts after myocardial infarction (MI), and alters fibroblast migration in vitro. We hypothesized that FAP depletion may have a protective effect on left ventricular (LV) remodeling after MI.Materials and methodsWe used the model of chronic MI in homozygous FAP deficient mice (FAP-KO, n = 51) and wild type mice (WT, n = 55) to analyze wound healing by monocyte and myofibroblast infiltration. Heart function and remodeling was studied by echocardiography, morphometric analyses including capillary density and myocyte size, collagen content and in vivo cell-proliferation. In non-operated healthy mice up to 6 months of age, morphometric analyses and collagen content was assessed (WT n = 10, FAP-KO n = 19).ResultsHealthy FAP-deficient mice did not show changes in LV structure or differences in collagen content or cardiac morphology. Infarct size, survival and cardiac function were not different between FAP-KO and wildtype mice. FAP-KO animals showed less LV-dilation and a thicker scar, accompanied by a trend towards lower collagen content. Wound healing, assessed by infiltration with inflammatory cells and myofibroblasts were not different between groups.ConclusionWe show that genetic ablation of FAP does not impair cardiac wound healing, and attenuates LV dilation after MI in mice. FAP seems dispensable for normal cardiac function and homeostasis
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