1,721,051 research outputs found
Prevenzione e trattamento della mucosite orale da chemio e radioterapia
No full textThe administration of many chemo-radiotherapy regimens in patients with cancer may be complicated by toxicities that limit the clinicians' abilities to deliver the most effective doses of active agents. Oral mucositis is a major dose-limiting toxic effect and the most important cause of morbidity in patients undergoing chemo-radiotherapy for head and neck cancers, in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation and those receiving certain chemotherapeutic agents for a variety of human malignancies. The intent of this paper is to review preventive strategies and treatment approaches for patients with established oral mucositis. Many agents of differing mechanisms of action have been used in the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis induced by anticancer therapies. Currently, no intervention is completely successful at preventing or treating oral mucositis. The several solutions, drugs and methods used and studied in the prophylaxis and therapy of chemotherapy or radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis reflects the need of new, more efficient tools in the management of this complication. Current studies and our increasing understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of oral mucositis will lead to new approaches to the management and improved quality of life for these patients
Systematic review of randomized trials for the treatment of oral leukoplakia
No full textOral leukoplakia is a relatively common oral lesion that, in a varying proportion
of cases, undergoes malignant transformation. The aim of this review was to
assess the effectiveness of treatments for leukoplakia. Randomized controlled
trials (RCTs) enrolling patients with a diagnosis of oral leukoplakia were
identified by searching biomedical databases, hand-searching relevant oral
medicine journals, and contacting oral medicine experts through a European
mailing list. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed on the
basis of the method of allocation concealment, blindness of the study, and loss
of participants. Data were analyzed by calculating relative risk. Malignant
transformation of leukoplakia, demonstrated by histopathological examination, was
the main outcome considered. Secondary outcomes included clinical resolution of
the lesion and variation in dysplasia severity. Six RCTs were included in the
review. Vitamin A and retinoids were tested in four RCTs; the other agents tested
were bleomycin, mixed tea, and beta carotene. Malignant transformation was
recorded in just two studies: none of the treatments tested showed a benefit when
compared with placebo. Treatment with beta carotene and vitamin A or retinoids
was associated with better rates of clinical remission, compared with placebo or
absence of treatment. Whenever reported, a high rate of relapse was a common
finding. Side effects of variable severity were often described; however,
interventions were well accepted by patients since drop-out rates were similar
between treatment and control groups. It is noteworthy that the possible
effectiveness of surgical interventions, including laser therapy and cryotherapy,
has apparently never been studied by means of an RCT. To date, in conclusion,
there is no evidence of effective treatment in preventing malignant
transformation of leukoplakia. Treatments may be effective in the resolution of
lesion; however, relapses and adverse effects are common
Oral involvement in chronic graft-vs-host disease following allogenic bone marrow transplantation
No full text
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
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