1,720,994 research outputs found
Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) with optisphere: A prospective study of a new, spherical, resorbable embolic agent
No full textINTRODUCTION: Optisphere (Teleflex, Wayne, PA, USA, currently distributed by Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) is a new, resorbable, calibrated spherical embolic agent. We aimed to evaluate its clinical safety and effectiveness for fibroid embolization through a prospective case series.METHOD: This prospective case series studied patients treated with fibroid embolization using Optisphere between July 2017 and June 2018. The primary outcomes were device-related adverse event assessments and MRI-determined percentage infarct of the dominant fibroid (DF %) and infarct of all fibroids (AF %) at 3 months post-embolization. Secondary outcomes included symptom improvement with the validated Uterine Fibroid Symptom Score and Quality of Life questionnaire (UFS-SS and UFS-QOL) at 3 months and 12 months post-embolization. Statistical analysis was through the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for nonparametric paired data.RESULTS: Twenty-three consecutive patients were treated with Optisphere (median age 44.0, uterine volume 484.0 ml, dominant fibroid volume 167.0 ml). The complete dominant fibroid infarction (DF %) rate was 91.3% (21/23 patients), and the complete all fibroid infarction rate (AF %) was 82.6% (19/23). No adverse device-related safety events were encountered. Significant improvement was demonstrated in 3-month UFS-SS (56 vs 19, p < 0.0001), UFS-QOL (40 vs 88, p = 0.0008), uterine volume (484 ml vs 246 ml, p < 0.0001) and dominant fibroid volume (167 vs 64 ml, p < 0.0001). Symptomatic improvement continued to 12 months (UFS-SS 56 vs 11, p = 0.0008, UFS-QOL 40 vs 98.7, p = 0.0008).CONCLUSION: Optisphere is an effective embolic agent for fibroid embolization with good symptomatic response and percentage fibroid infarct.</p
A retrospective cohort study comparing a novel, spherical, resorbable particle against five established embolic agents for uterine fibroid embolisation
No full textAIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel, resorbable, spherical embolic agent compared with other established agents, by studying percentage fibroid infarction (the best indicator of long-term symptom improvement) in patients undergoing uterine fibroid embolisation (UFE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study examined six different embolic agents used for fibroid embolisation, including a new gelatin-based, fully resorbable, spherical agent. The primary effectiveness outcomes were magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-determined dominant fibroid infarct percentage (DF%) and all fibroid percentage infarct (AF%) at 3 months post-embolisation. MRI-determined uterine artery patency rate was the secondary outcome. Chi-squared test (χ
2), relative risk (RR) calculation (primary outcomes), and analysis of variance (ANOVA) (secondary outcome) were the statistical tests employed. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty patients were treated with six embolic agents (20 consecutive patients per group, overall mean age 44.8±6.4, initial uterine volume 570±472 ml, dominant fibroid volume 249±324 ml). Fibroid infarctrates were similar between the cohorts with no significant difference between the new gelatin-based resorbable particle and other embolics in either DF% (χ
2=3.92, p=0.56) or AF% (χ
2=2.83, p=0.73). Complete DF% RR=1.07 (0.90–1.27) and AF% RR=1.09 (0.85–1.41) suggest non-inferiority of the resorbable particle (d=0.67, p<0.05). A favourable uterine artery patency rate was demonstrated for the resorbable particle compared with gelatin slurry (82.5% versus 27.5%, p<0.001 after Bonferroni adjustment). CONCLUSIONS: This new gelatin-based, fully resorbable particle is an effective embolic agent for fibroid embolisation and achieves an infarct rate non-inferior to established embolics.
</p
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
Optimising the performance of magnetic assisted capsule endoscopy (MACE) of the upper GI tract using multiplanar CT modelling
No full textThe Impact on Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH), uterine fibroid size and uterine artery patency following Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) with a resorbable embolic agent
No full textThe effect of Uterine Fibroid Embolization on fertility and ovarian reserve remains uncertain. We assessed the impact of a new resorbable, spherical particle (Gelbead) on concentration of Anti-Mullerian (AMH) hormone, fibroid volume and uterine artery patency. This prospective cohort study recruited consecutive patients from July 2017 to June 2018. Serum AMH, fibroid and uterine volume, UFS-QOL (uterine fibroid score-quality of life) scores were measured prior to and at 1 month and/or 3 months post embolization. Twenty-four participants were enrolled (median age 44 years, uterine volume 484 cm
3, initial dominant fibroid volume 167 cm
3). One patient was lost to follow-up. AMH (median ± SD) immediately prior to embolization was 3.2 ± 13.7 pmol/L. At 1-month postembolization, AMH was 4.1 ± 8.6 pmol/L and at 3 months 4.4 ± 8.6 pmol/L. We found no significant difference in AMH levels between baseline and at 1 month (p = 0.58) or baseline and 3 months (p = 0.17). The median dominant uterine fibroid volume decreased (167 to 64 cm
3, p < 0.001). At 3 months post-embolization, 17/23 patients had patent uterine arteries bilaterally (73.9%). UFE with Gel-bead did not significantly affect AMH at 3 months post embolization, whilst maintaining a high rate of uterine artery patency.
</p
- …
