1,720,984 research outputs found
Polifenoli ed efficacia antinfiammatoria: lo strano caso del melograno e le malattie croniche intestinali
No full textPremesse. Il Progetto NIKE “New Insight and Knowledge on anti-inflammatory Effectiveness of dietary phenolics” è un progetto finanziato Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca nell’ambito del Programma SIR (Scientific Independence of young Researchers).
Obiettivi. Focus generale del progetto è studiare l’efficacia protettiva anti-infiammatoria di un alimento naturalmente ricco in ellagitannini (ET) - una sottoclasse di polifenoli - verso l’infiammazione, al fine garantire una remissione clinica più prolungata nelle malattie infiammatorie croniche intestinali (inflammatory bowel disease, IBD), quali morbo di Crohn e rettocolite ulcerosa. Inoltre, NIKE si propone di chiarire il meccanismo di azione che sottende tali effetti anti-infiammatori a livello cellulare e dell’intero organismo.
Metodi. Uno studio randomizzato controllato con placebo sarà condotto all’inizio del progetto presso l’Ospedale Sant’Orsola-Malpighi di Bologna al fine di valutare gli effetti della somministrazione di un succo di melagrana, naturalmente ricco in ET, su di un gruppo di soggetti con IBD in remissione ad alto rischio di recidiva. Il livello di calprotectina fecale sarà utilizzato come indice di attività dei processi flogistici intestinali. I metaboliti degli ET saranno identificati e misurati in plasma, urine e feci come marker dell’assunzione dietetica. Successivamente, i metaboliti identificati nel sangue saranno utilizzati per la supplementazione in due tipi di colture cellulari (cellule intestinali e immunitarie), a concentrazioni paragonabili a quelle misurate in vivo, per indagarne il/i meccanismo/i di azione dell’ipotizzato effetto anti-infiammatorio. I dati ottenuti in vitro saranno infine verificati ex-vivo in campioni di tessuti (biopsie intestinali e plasma) ottenuti durante lo studio di intervento.
Risultati attesi. Fino ad oggi, un solo studio ha esaminato gli effetti anti-infiammatori degli ET relativi alle IBD nell’animale da esperimento [1]. Quindi NIKE sarà il primo progetto a indagare gli effetti protettivi putativi di questi composti verso l’infiammazione e conseguente ricaduta di IBD nell’uomo. Inoltre, l’analisi integrata di tutti i risultati ottenuti nell’ambito del progetto consentirà ad aumentare le conoscenze su biodisponibilità, bioattività e meccanismo di azione degli ET.
Questo studio è finanziato dal Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (MIUR) nell’ambito del Programma SIR 2014 (Progetto RBSI14LHMB, responsabile F.D.).
[1] Rosillo et al, Pharmacol Res 2012; 66:235-42
Pomegranate: from the Promised Land to calm the fire in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
No full textInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has a multifactorial aetiology and it is thought to be related to a combination of individual genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers that stimulate an inflammatory response. Although evidence indicates that dietary intake plays an important role, few studies have focused on the effect of (poly)phenol-rich food consumption on early markers of mucosal inflammation. At present only one study has investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of ellagitannins (ETs), a (poly)phenolic subclass mainly found in some fruits and nuts, related to IBD in rats [1]. Therefore, we hypothesised that treatment with a fruit juice containing ETs can significantly modulate biomarkers of mucosal inflammation compared with a control group receiving placebo.
The double-blind, randomised controlled trial will include patients with IBD, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, in stable clinical remission (≥3 months). Participants will be randomly allocated to one of two groups: active treatment (125 mL pomegranate juice, naturally rich in ETs) or placebo taken twice daily for 12 weeks.
The primary outcome is to measure changes to the faecal neutrophil-derived protein calprotectin, surrogate marker of mucosal improvement, between the two groups from baseline to 12 weeks later. The secondary outcomes include systemic and mucosal changes of biochemical and molecular inflammatory response markers. The compliance of trial participants will be tested by uHPLC system coupled to mass spectrometer to quantify ET-metabolites in plasma and urine. In addition to the primary and secondary objectives, this trial will include plasma level of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) that may have potential as a biomarker to assess disease activity in IBD [2].
References. 1. Rosillo et al. 2012 Pharmacol Res. 2012; 66:235-42. 2. Wilson et al. 2015 Dig Dis Sci. 60:3620-30.
Acknowledgments. This study was funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research MIUR - SIR Programme no. RBSI14LHMB funded to F.D. All beverages will be provided by Conserve Italia (Bologna, Italy)
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
New Insight and Knowledge on anti-inflammatory Effectiveness of dietary phenolics: the NIKE Project
No full textThe NIKE project is targeted to evaluate the impact of dietary phenolics’ intake on the maintenance of remission in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The project is particularly focused on a (poly)phenolic subclass, namely ellagitannins (ETs), mainly found in some fruits and nuts, like berries, pomegranate, and walnuts.
Differently from common approach, the dietary intervention will be conducted at the beginning of the project. As first step, the in vivo metabolites and their concentration in the bloodstream - after consumption of the ET-rich food - will be assessed. A commercially available pomegranate juice will be used because its great richness in ETs. Volunteers suffering of asymptomatic IBD with high risk of clinical flare will be recruited at the St. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital (Bologna, Italy). The level of faecal calprotectin will be used as surrogate marker of the intestinal inflammation [1]. As second step, ET metabolites found in blood will be used for supplementation in two cell model systems (intestinal and immune cells), at concentration comparable to the in vivo ones, to unravel the mechanism/s of anti-inflammatory action. Signalling pathways potentially affected by ET metabolites in inflammatory conditions will be studied. In the third step, data obtained in cell cultures will be verified ex-vivo in tissue samples (intestinal biopsies and plasma) obtained during the intervention study.
To our knowledge, NIKE will be the first project investigating the putative protective effects of these compounds toward inflammation and consequent IBD relapse in humans. At present only one study has investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of ETs related to IBD in rats [2]. The integral analysis of all results obtained in the project will elucidate the role of ET-rich foods in the secondary prevention of IBD, deepening the existing knowledge on their mechanism/s of action at the molecular, metabolic, and genomic levels.
Acknowledgments. This study was funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research MIUR - SIR Programme no. RBSI14LHMB funded to F.D.
References. 1) Konikoff & Denson, Inflamm Bowel Dis 2006; 12:524-34. 2) Rosillo et al, Pharmacol Res 2012; 66:235-42
Retention Rate, Persistence and Safety of Adalimumab in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Real-Life, 9-Year, Single-Center Experience in Italy
No full textBackground: "Real-life" data of retention rate and persistence of adalimumab in inflammatory bowel disease are still limited.
AIMS:
To analyze retention rate, persistence, and safety of adalimumab in a 9-year real-life cohort of inflammatory bowel disease patients.
METHODS:
In this observational, retrospective single-center study, all adult patients treated with adalimumab as the first- and second-line biological treatment for steroid-dependent or refractory inflammatory bowel disease between March 2008 and March 2017 were included. Primary outcomes were persistence, retention rate, and adverse events; the secondary outcome was the identification of predictors of withdrawal.
RESULTS:
Ninety-six out of 181 patients (53%) withdrew their first course of adalimumab. The retention rate was 47% and 46.9% in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patients, respectively; median persistence was 26 and 24 months in CD and UC patients, respectively. The cumulative probability of treatment persistence was 80.2%, 54.5%, and 29.6% and 69.6%, 40.4%, and 21.5% in CD and UC patients, respectively. The incidence rate of any adverse event was 12.5/100 patients-year; severe adverse events were 1.7/100 patients-year. The Cox regression revealed that CD patients with baseline disease duration > 72 months have a higher likelihood for withdrawal due to failure and/or adverse events (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1-2.62, p = 0.04); no predictors of discontinuation were found in UC.
CONCLUSIONS:
Adalimumab showed a great persistence in the first 12 months of therapy and excellent safety profile. Early treatment of CD patients could increase efficacy and reduce the adverse event rate
Clinical application of faecal calprotectin in ulcerative colitis patients
No full textFaecal calprotectin (FC) is the most relevant noninvasive biomarker for monitoring inflammatory status, response to treatment and for predicting clinical relapse in ulcerative colitis (UC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of FC in predicting both clinical/endoscopic activity and clinical relapse in a large UC patient cohort.Objective Faecal calprotectin (FC) is the most relevant noninvasive biomarker for monitoring inflammatory status, response to treatment and for predicting clinical relapse in ulcerative colitis (UC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of FC in predicting both clinical/endoscopic activity and clinical relapse in a large UC patient cohort. Patients and methods A two-phase prospective study was carried out. In the first phase, the relationship between FC and clinical/endoscopic activity was evaluated. In the second phase, a cohort of asymptomatic patients with endoscopic mucosal healing was followed up using clinical and FC level determinations. Results One hundred and twenty-one UC patients were enrolled. The FC concentrations were directly correlated with both clinical and endoscopic activity (r= 0.76 and 0.87, respectively, P>0.05) and were capable of differentiating between different degrees of endoscopic severity (P> 0.01). An FC cut-off value of 110 ìg/g was highly predictive (95%) of endoscopic activity. Seventy-four patients in clinical remission with mucosal healing were followed up for a year or until relapse and 27% developed a clinical relapse. The FC concentration of nonrelapsed patients (48 μg/g) versus relapsed patients (218 μg/g) was significantly different (P> 0.01). An FC cut-off value of 193 μg/g had an accuracy of 89% in predicting clinical relapse. High FC levels were associated with clinical relapse using survival analysis and multivariate analysis. Conclusion Our data strongly support the use of FC for staging the activity of disease, predicting relapse and leading decisionmaking in a UC setting
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
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