1,721,023 research outputs found
Continuous flow dielectrophoretic sorting and Coulter counting of yeast cells for sample viability assessment
No full textCell Viability Assessment By Flow Cytometry Using Yeast As Cell Model
No full textThis paper reports the new combination of cell sorting and counting capabilities on a single device. Most state-of-the-art devices combining these technologies use optical techniques requiring complicated experimental setups and labeled samples. The use of a label-free, electrical device significantly decreases the system complexity and makes it more appropriate for use in point-of-care diagnostics. Living and dead yeast cells are separated by dielectrophoretic forces and counted using coulter counters. The combination of these two methods allows the determination of the percentage of living and dead cells for viability studies of cell samples. The device could further be used for sorting and counting of blood cells in applications such as diagnosis of insufficient cell concentrations, identification of cell deficiencies or bacterial contamination. The use of dielectrophoresis (DEP) as sorting principle allows to separate cells based on their dielectric properties in the place of size-based separation, enabling sorting of large panels of cells and separation of infected and non-infected cells of the same type.LMIS
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
Molecular markers predicting disease outcome in bladder cancer. Should we shift from the classical cell-cycle regulators to her2 oncogene?
Full text linkBladder cancer is regarded as a disease of the elderly as its incidence increases steeply with increase in age. One of the main clinical issues in bladder cancer is predicting disease outcome. Since the unpredictable behavior of this disease has been attributed to its biology, the search for predictive factors has mainly been oriented towards molecular markers. Cell-cycle regulators are the most studied ones but there is emerging evidence that HER2 oncogene, widely studied and used in other cancers, may soon overcome them. Herein we reviewed available evidence regarding the predictive role of cell-cycle regulators and HER2 oncogene. Emerging data suggest that HER2, either alone or in combination with other markers, can be equally if not more effective than cell-cycle regulators in predicting disease outcome. Moreover, it represents a well-known and particularly attractive potential therapeutic target
Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy for renal tumors larger than 4 cm: results of a multicenter, international series.
No full textBACKGROUNDS:
Limited data are available for the use of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) in tumors >4 cm. The objectives of this study were to report the perioperative outcomes of a series of patients who underwent RAPN for suspicious >4 cm renal tumors and to compare these results with those observed in a group of patients with ≤4 cm tumors.
METHODS:
We analyzed retrospectively the clinical records of 49 patients who underwent RAPN for suspicious of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) >4 cm in size at four centers from September 2008 to September 2010. All patients underwent da Vinci RAPN. The results were compared with those observed in a group of patients undergoing RAPN for ≤4 cm renal tumors.
RESULTS:
The median warm ischemia time (WIT) was 22 min (Interquartile range [IQR] 18-28). The median console time was 145 min (median IQR 112-177). The median blood loss was 120 mL (IQR 62-237). In two cases, we observed intraoperative renal vein injury (4 %). Postoperative complications were reported in 13 (26.5 %) patients. Major complications were observed in 4 (8.2 %) cases. Patients with large tumors showed perioperative outcomes worse than those received the RAPN for ≤4 cm tumors. Conversely, no significant difference was observed in positive surgical margin (PSM) rates.
CONCLUSIONS:
These outcomes support the use of RAPN as possible alternative to open PN for the treatment for patients with suspicious renal masses >4 cm. Positive surgical margin rates demonstrated RAPN is an oncologically safe procedure for tumors >4 cm
Predictors of warm ischemia time and perioperative complications in a multicenter, international series of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy.
No full textBACKGROUND: Warm ischemia time (WIT) and complication rates are two important
parameters for evaluating the perioperative results of robot-assisted partial
nephrectomy (RAPN). Few data are available about the clinical predictors of WIT
and overall complications.
OBJECTIVE: To identify clinical predictors of WIT and perioperative
complications.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This is a retrospective study including 347
patients who underwent RAPN for suspicious renal cell carcinoma (RCC) at four
referral centers from September 2008 to September 2010.
INTERVENTION: All patients underwent RAPN using the da Vinci S Surgical System
with hilar clamping.
MEASUREMENTS: WIT >20 min and overall complication rates were the main outcomes.
Postoperative complications were classified according to the Clavien/Dindo
system. Moreover, the following perioperative variables were considered: clinical
tumor size, anatomical tumor characteristics according to Preoperative Aspects
and Dimensions Used for an Anatomical (PADUA) classification score, surgeon
experience, console time, blood loss, and upper collecting system (UCS) repair.
RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: WIT >20 min was reported in 125 (36%) cases.
Intraoperative and postoperative complications were observed in 10 (2.9%) and 41
(11.8%) cases, respectively. Surgeon experience (odds ratio [OR]: 6.381; 95%
confidence interval [CI], 3.687-11.042; p<0.001), clinical tumor size (OR: 1.022;
95% CI, 1.002-1.044; p=0.03), the other anatomic characteristics determined by
the PADUA classification score (OR: 1.294; 95% CI, 1.080-1.549; p=0.005), and the
UCS repair (OR: 2.987; 95% CI, 1.728-5.165; p<0.001) turned out to be independent
predictors of WIT >20 min. Similarly, surgeon experience (OR: 3.937; 95% CI,
2.011-7.705; p<0.001), clinical tumor size (OR: 1.033; 95% CI, 1.009-1.058;
p=0.007), and the other anatomical characteristics determined by the PADUA
classification score (OR: 1.427; 95% CI, 1.149-1.773; p<0.001) turned out to be
independent predictors of overall complication rates. The retrospective design is
the main limitation of this multicenter, international study. Therefore, some
patient characteristics and comorbidities were not recorded.
CONCLUSIONS: Anatomic tumor characteristics as determined by the PADUA
classification score were independent predictors of WIT and overall
complications, once adjusted for the effects of surgeon experience and clinical
tumor size
- …
