1,721,001 research outputs found
Effects of Safinamide on Pain in Fluctuating Parkinson's Disease Patients: A Post-Hoc Analysis
No full textBackground: Pain, a frequent non-motor symptom in Parkinson's Disease (PD), significantly impacts on quality of life. Safinamide is a new drug with dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic properties, approved in Europe as adjunct therapy to levodopa for the treatment of fluctuating PD patients. Results from two 24-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies demonstrated that safinamide has positive effects on both motor functions and quality of life in PD patients. Objective: To investigate the effects of safinamide on pain management in PD patients with motor fluctuations using pooled data from studies 016 and SETTLE. Methods: This post-hoc analysis evaluated the reduction of concomitant pain treatments and the changes in the scores of the items related to pain of the Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (PDQ-39). A path analysis was performed in order to examine direct and indirect associations between safinamide and PDQ-39 pain-related items assessed after 6-months of treatment. Results: The percentage of patients with no pain treatments at the end of the trials was significantly lower in the safinamide group compared to the placebo group. Safinamide 100 mg/day significantly reduced on average the individual use of pain treatments by â24 and significantly improved two out of three PDQ-39 pain-related items of the "Bodily discomfort" domain. Path analysis showed that the direct effect of safinamide on pain accounted for about 80 of the total effect. Conclusions: These results suggest that safinamide may have a positive effect on pain, one of the most underestimated non-motor symptoms. Prospective studies are warranted to investigate this potential benefit
To the editor: The effect of low-molecular-weight heparin in cancer patients: The mirror image of survival?
No full textAntiepileptic drug use and epileptic seizures in nursing home residents in the Province of Pavia, Italy: A reappraisal 12 years after a first survey
No full textPurpose: To assess the prevalence of epileptic seizures, and antiepileptic drug (AED) use among nursing home elderly residents; to evaluate demographics, seizure characteristics, and seizure-related comorbidities associated with institutionalization; and to compare findings with a previous survey conducted 12 years earlier. Methods: Data on demographics, age at institutionalization, diagnoses, functional and cognitive status (Barthel Index and Mini Mental State Examination) and drug treatment were obtained by review of medical records of all individuals aged ≥60 years at 21 nursing homes. Data from individuals with a diagnosis of epileptic seizures and AED users were compared with non-seizure, non-AED individuals. Results: Among the 2163 individuals surveyed (79% females, age at observation 84.9 ± 7.8 years, mean ± SD), 278 (12.8%, vs 4.3% in the previous survey) received chronic AED treatment, including 174 who did not have a diagnosis of seizures. Of the 116 residents with a diagnosis of seizures (5.4%, vs 2.9% in the previous study), 104 were on AED treatment and were younger and had lower cognitive abilities, and a higher number of comorbidities and co-medications compared with non-AED-users. The most commonly prescribed AEDs in seizure individuals were phenobarbital (43.3%, vs 70% in the previous survey) and levetiracetam (27.9%, not available at the time of previous survey). At multivariate analysis, a diagnosis of seizures was found to be associated with younger age at the time of the survey, a history of neurological (cerebrovascular events, meningiomas) and non-neurological conditions (psoriasis and chronic bronchitis), and a lower MMSE score. Conclusions: The prevalence of seizures and AED use was higher than in our previous survey and more aligned with data from other countries. Seizures, AED use and co-morbidities were associated with earlier institutionalization. There were indicators of treatment being suboptimal in many cases
The Burden of Structured Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose on Diabetes-Specific Quality of Life and Locus of Control in Patients with Noninsulin-Treated Type 2 Diabetes: The PRISMA Study
Full text linkBackground: To evaluate whether structured self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is associated with changes in diabetes-specific quality of life (DSQoL) and locus of control (LOC) in patients with noninsulin-treated type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Study Design and Methods: In this analysis of the PRISMA (Prospective Randomized Trial on Intensive SMBG Management Added Value in Noninsulin-Treated T2DM Patients) Study psychosocial data, we evaluated the impact of 12 months of structured SMBG on the individual domains of DSQoL and LOC questionnaires, including the role of selected confounders. Results: The score for Satisfaction, Impact, and Worry domains (DSQoL) improved when compared with baseline, without significant differences between structured SMBG regimen (intervention group, n = 501) and active control group (n = 523). Scores for Internal, Chance, and Powerful Others domains (LOC) improved compared with baseline, with a significant between-group change in Chance (P = 0.0309). For DSQoL domain score, improvements were associated with higher number of SMBG measurements (P = 0.007), older age (P = 0.013), and male sex (P = 0.0133) for Satisfaction and with male sex (P < 0.0001) for Worry. Concerning LOC domain score, improvements were associated with longer diabetes duration (P = 0.0084) and younger age (P < 0.0001) for Chance and total number of SMBG measurements (P = 0.0036) for Internal, with the intervention group close to being significant (P = 0.06). Conclusions: Our analysis demonstrates that in patients with noninsulin-treated T2DM, structured SMBG is not associated with a deterioration of quality of life and LOC, which is strongly predicted by demographics and diabetes-related variables. These findings should be considered when tailoring educational support to SMBG for these 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
Early and mid-term results of drug-eluting stent implantation in unprotected left main
No full textBackground - The safety and efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention in unprotected left main (ULM) coronary arteries are still a matter of debate. Methods and Results - All consecutive patients who had a sirolimus-eluting stent ( Cypher, Cordis, Johnson and Johnson Co) or a paclitaxel-eluting stent ( Taxus, Boston Scientific) electively implanted in de novo lesions on unprotected left main were analyzed. Patients treated with a drug-eluting stent ( DES) were compared with the historical group of consecutive patients treated with bare metal stent (BMS). Eighty-five patients were treated with DES; 64 had BMS implantation. Patients treated with DES had lower ejection fractions (51.1 +/- 11% versus 57.4 +/- 13%, P = 0.002) and were more often diabetics (21.2% versus 10.9%, P = 0.12) with more frequent distal left main involvement (81.2% versus 57.8%, P = 0.003). Furthermore, in the DES group, smaller vessels (3.33 +/- 0.6 versus 3.7 +/- 0.7 mm, respectively; P = 0.0001) with more lesions (2.94 +/- 1.6 versus 2.25 +/- 1.3, P = 0.004) and vessels ( 2.03 +/- 0.69 versus 1.8 +/- 0.72, P = 0.05) were treated with longer stents ( 24.3 +/- 12 versus 15.8 +/- 8.6 mm, P = 0.0001). Despite the higher-risk patients and lesion profiles in the DES group, the incidence of major cardiac events at a 6-month clinical follow-up was lower in the DES than in the BMS group (20.0% versus 35.9%, respectively; P = 0.039). Moreover, cardiac deaths occurred in 3 DES patients (3.5%), as compared with 6 (9.3%) in the BMS group ( P = 0.17). Conclusions - In this early experience with DES in unprotected left main, this procedure appears safe with favorable and improved clinical results as compared with historical control subjects with a BMS. A randomized study comparing surgery appears justified at present.BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention in unprotected left main (ULM) coronary arteries are still a matter of debate.METHODS AND RESULTS: All consecutive patients who had a sirolimus-eluting stent (Cypher, Cordis, Johnson and Johnson Co) or a paclitaxel-eluting stent (Taxus, Boston Scientific) electively implanted in de novo lesions on unprotected left main were analyzed. Patients treated with a drug-eluting stent (DES) were compared with the historical group of consecutive patients treated with bare metal stent (BMS). Eighty-five patients were treated with DES; 64 had BMS implantation. Patients treated with DES had lower ejection fractions (51.1+/-11% versus 57.4+/-13%, P=0.002) and were more often diabetics (21.2% versus 10.9%, P=0.12) with more frequent distal left main involvement (81.2% versus 57.8%, P=0.003). Furthermore, in the DES group, smaller vessels (3.33+/-0.6 versus 3.7+/-0.7 mm, respectively; P=0.0001) with more lesions (2.94+/-1.6 versus 2.25+/-1.3, P=0.004) and vessels (2.03+/-0.69 versus 1.8+/-0.72, P=0.05) were treated with longer stents (24.3+/-12 versus 15.8+/-8.6 mm, P=0.0001). Despite the higher-risk patients and lesion profiles in the DES group, the incidence of major cardiac events at a 6-month clinical follow-up was lower in the DES than in the BMS group (20.0% versus 35.9%, respectively; P=0.039). Moreover, cardiac deaths occurred in 3 DES patients (3.5%), as compared with 6 (9.3%) in the BMS group (P=0.17).CONCLUSIONS: In this early experience with DES in unprotected left main, this procedure appears safe with favorable and improved clinical results as compared with historical control subjects with a BMS. A randomized study comparing surgery appears justified at present
Should clinicians always administer dexamethasone beyond 24 h after chemotherapy to control delayed nausea and vomiting caused by moderately emetogenic regimens? : insight from the re-evaluation of two randomized studies
Full text linkPurpose Data from two noninferiority trials of a dexamethasone-sparing regimen were assessed for the impact of acute nausea and vomiting on delayed outcome in patients undergoing moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC) or anthracycline plus cyclophosphamide (AC).
Methods Chemo-naive patients were randomized to receive palonosetron (0.25 mg IV) plus dexamethasone (8 mg IV) on day 1 of chemotherapy, or the same regimen followed by oral dexamethasone on days 2 and 3 in the MEC (n = 237) and AC (n = 380) cohorts. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether or not they experienced vomiting and/or moderate-to-severe nausea during the acute phase (high- and low-risk groups, respectively). Primary efficacy endpoint was the complete protection (CP) against delayed vomiting and moderate-to-severe nausea. Patient's satisfaction (0-100 mm visual analog scale) was also analyzed.
Results Among the 209 low-risk patients undergoing MEC, delayed CP occurred in 82.9 % of those who received single-dose dexamethasone and 89.8 % of those who received 3-day dexamethasone (P = 0.165). Of the 271 low-risk patients undergoing AC, CP was achieved in 71.7 % of those treated with single-dose dexamethasone and 84.2 % treated with 3-day dexamethasone (P = 0.019). In spite of these observations, the patient satisfaction data was not influenced by dexamethasone regimen. In both cohorts, occurrence of acute vomiting or moderate-to-severe nausea was the key independent-predictor for delayed vomiting or nausea, respectively. Conclusions The dexamethasone-sparing regimen provides adequate delayed protection in patients undergoing MEC who are at low risk for delayed symptoms, and can still be discussed for low-risk AC patients as the daily difference in control is modest. Additional dexamethasone doses can be customized on the basis of occurrence or absence of acute symptoms in the first cycle of MEC and even AC
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