1,720,982 research outputs found
Anxiety and depression among AL amyloidosis patients: The role of cardiac symptoms
No full textLight-chain (AL) amyloidosis has the worst prognosis out of the different forms of cardiac amyloidosis, However, data are not available about the incidence of the disease-related psychological impact of AL amyloidosis in this population. In particular, no data are available about the impact of diagnosis communication or about the impact of cardiac symptom onset and severity on anxiety and depression levels among AL patients. Aim: To evaluate the role of time that has passed since the diagnosis was communicated, time that has passed since the onset of cardiac symptoms, and actual cardiac symptom severity have on level of anxiety, depression and psychological stress among cardiology patients with AL. Thirty-two AL patients with cardiac-related symptoms were administered General Health Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Centre for Epidemiological Study–Depression Scale. Clinical variables such as months gone by since diagnosis, months gone by since the onset of cardiac symptoms, and cardiac symptom severity (New York Heart Association (NYHA) class) were measured. Troponin, NT-pro BNP levels, Mayo Stage and echocardiographic characteristics were also collected. Results: According to questionnaire normative values, AL patients presented severe psychological distress, severe anxiety and clinical depression. Moreover, anxiety levels were determined by psychological distress (p < 0.001) and months gone by since the onset of cardiac symptoms (p < 0.01) while depression levels were influenced by NYHA class (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our results suggest that there is a need to plan psychological support for these patients with consideration for the onset of cardiac symptoms and symptom severity. Light-chain (AL) amyloidosis has the worst prognosis out of the different forms of cardiac amyloidosis, However, data are not available about the incidence of the disease-related psychological impact of AL amyloidosis in this population. In
particular, no data are available about the impact of diagnosis communication or about the impact of cardiac symptom onset and severity on anxiety and depression levels among AL patients. Aim: To evaluate the role of time that has passed since the diagnosis was communicated, time that has passed since the onset of cardiac symptoms, and actual cardiac symptom severity have on level of anxiety, depression and psychological stress among cardiology patients with AL. Thirty-two AL patients with cardiac-related symptoms were administered General Health Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Centre for Epidemiological Study–Depression Scale. Clinical variables such as months gone by since diagnosis, months gone by since the onset of cardiac symptoms, and cardiac symptom severity (New York Heart Association (NYHA) class) were measured. Troponin, NT-pro BNP levels, Mayo Stage and echocardiographic characteristics were also collected. Results: According to questionnaire normative values, AL patients presented severe psychological distress, severe anxiety and clinical depression. Moreover, anxiety levels were determined by psychological distress (p < 0.001) and months gone by since the onset of cardiac symptoms (p < 0.01) while depression levels were influenced by NYHA class (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our results suggest that there is a need to plan psychological support for these patients with consideration for the onset of
cardiac symptoms and symptom severity
Depression and cardiac symptoms among AL amyloidosis patients: The mediating role of coping strategies
No full textBackground: Amyloidosis is a rare disease group. AL amyloidosis represents the
most common type of systemic amyloidosis and cardiac involvement determines
prognosis. Although some studies have revealed that amyloidosis patients present
high levels of depression, few data are available about depression-contributing factors.
No investigations have been conducted about the coping strategies that AL
amyloidosis patients use to face the disease and there is little research on patients
with cardiac symptoms that are strongly related to the prognosis. Objectives: to
examine coping strategies (avoidance, social support seeking and problem-solving)
as potential mediator in the relationship between cardiac symptom severity (independent
variable) and depressive symptoms (dependent variable) in AL cardiologic
patients. Method: Thirty-four AL patients with cardiac-related symptoms were
administered the Coping Strategy Indicator and the Centre for Epidemiological
Study–Depression Scale. Clinical variables such as months since cardiac symptom
onset and cardiac symptom severity were collected. Results: According to questionnaire
normative values, all patients presented clinical depression. Moreover, out of
the coping strategies, avoidance and social support seeking mediated the link
between cardiac symptom severity and depressive symptoms. No mediational effect
was found for problem-solving. Discussion: As cardiac symptoms have low severity,
AL patients can avoid the disease. However, as cardiac symptoms proceed and interfere
with daily activities, they can no longer ignore their signs thus perceiving the
severity of their medical condition. This status makes individuals prone to seek less
social support and thus to prefer social isolation. Results suggest the need for early
psychological support on coping strategies for AL cardiologic patients.
Background: Amyloidosis is a rare disease group. AL amyloidosis represents the
most common type of systemic amyloidosis and cardiac involvement determines
prognosis. Although some studies have revealed that amyloidosis patients present
high levels of depression, few data are available about depression-contributing factors.
No investigations have been conducted about the coping strategies that AL
amyloidosis patients use to face the disease and there is little research on patients
with cardiac symptoms that are strongly related to the prognosis. Objectives: to
examine coping strategies (avoidance, social support seeking and problem-solving)
as potential mediator in the relationship between cardiac symptom severity (independent
variable) and depressive symptoms (dependent variable) in AL cardiologic
patients. Method: Thirty-four AL patients with cardiac-related symptoms were
administered the Coping Strategy Indicator and the Centre for Epidemiological
Study–Depression Scale. Clinical variables such as months since cardiac symptom
onset and cardiac symptom severity were collected. Results: According to questionnaire
normative values, all patients presented clinical depression. Moreover, out of
the coping strategies, avoidance and social support seeking mediated the link
between cardiac symptom severity and depressive symptoms. No mediational effect
was found for problem-solving. Discussion: As cardiac symptoms have low severity,
AL patients can avoid the disease. However, as cardiac symptoms proceed and interfere
with daily activities, they can no longer ignore their signs thus perceiving the
severity of their medical condition. This status makes individuals prone to seek less
social support and thus to prefer social isolation. Results suggest the need for early
psychological support on coping strategies for AL cardiologic patients
Anxiety and depression among amyloid light-chain cardiac amyloidosis patients: The role of life satisfaction
No full textBackground: The present study aimed to provide a contribution to the study of a rare disease, amyloid light-chain (AL) cardiac amyloidosis, which is the most common type of systemic amyloidosis. In AL amyloidosis prognosis is determined by cardiac involvement. Although the association between psychological distress (e.g. anxiety and depression) and AL cardiac amyloidosis is documented, very little is known about the psychosocial variables that may mediate the association.Aims: The aim of the study is therefore to examine the potential mediating role of life satisfaction in the relationship between cardiac symptom severity (independent variable) and anxious and depressive symptoms (dependent variables) in AL patients.Method: Forty-three AL amyloidosis patients (57.1% males) with cardiac amyloidosis were administered the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Centre for Epidemiological Study–Depression Scale. Clinical variables such as months since cardiac symptom onset and cardiac symptom severity were collected.Results: Findings showed significant relationships between symptom severity and psychological disorders (e.g. anxiety and depression) and these were mediated by life satisfaction.Conclusion: Overall, findings highlight the importance of subjective well-being (e.g. life satisfaction) to reduce anxious and depressive symptoms and to improve general health in AL patients
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
- …
