1,721,030 research outputs found
Randomized controlled trial on the efficacy of sigmoidoscopy for colorectal cancer detection: the working group in Milan, Italy
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Observations on the protein profiles of colony cats and their role in the diagnosis of FIP.
No full textOBSERVATIONS ON THE PROTEIN PROFILES OF COLONY CATS AND THEIR ROLE IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF FIP
Saverio Paltrinieri, DVM, PhD; Stefano Comazzi, DVM; Cristina Crosta, DVM; Emiliana Monzani, DVM; Alessia Giordano
Istituto di Patologia Generale Veterinaria, 20133, Milano Italy
Changes in total proteins and/or in 2 or -globulins are often the only findings in cats with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). Unfortunately, the reference limits for these protein fractions are very variable and higher total proteins and -globulins levels have been reported in colony compared to pet cats, with the risk of false positive results. In the present work, we examined the protein profiles of colony cats with different clinical histories in order to define their role in the diagnosis of FIP.
A sample of clinically healthy cats from six colonies with different breeding conditions and with different histories of FIP was tested monthly for three months. Blood from four cats with FIP from 3 of these catteries was also tested. Serum proteins were measured by a discrete autoanalyzer using the colorimetric biuret method. Serum protein electrophoresis was carried out by the semimicro-method, using cellulose polyacetate strips. The data were compared by analysis of variance followed by Tukey honest significant test, and sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) were calculated.
No differences in globulin fractions were detectable among catteries with different FIP prevalences. The number of cats with false positive results in at least one test session was higher when compared to the standard reference values than to the internal range of each group. A decrease in sensitivity of most of the parameters, but an increase of their specificity and of PPV, with minor changes in the NPV were also detectable using an internal reference range (table 1).
In conclusion the use of an internal range of normality, achieved by repeated tests on healthy animals, decreases the possibility of false positive results in the diagnosis of FIP.
Sensitivity Specificity PPV NPV
Parameters out of the upper limit 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
Total proteins 50 0 76 98 15 0 94 92
Globulins 75 50 91 98 43 67 97 96
2-globulins 50 25 87 98 25 50 95 94
-globulins 50 25 69 98 12 50 94 94
Total proteins + 2-globulins 0 0 93 98 0 0 91 92
Total proteins + -globulins 50 25 84 98 22 50 95 94
Total proteins + 2- + -globulins 0 0 96 100 0 ne 91 92
ne=not evaluable
Table 1: percentages of sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV in comparison with the reference values (1) and the internal range (2
Esophageal perforation and caustic injury : emergency management of caustic ingestion
No full textDiagnosis and treatment of caustic ingestion injuries remain controversial. Based on experience with a wide spectrum of upper gastrointestinal tract injuries from caustic ingestion, prospectively observed in 58 adult patients treated in a teaching hospital in Milan, the authors suggest an early staging of the lesions by endoscopy, followed by resective surgery for high-degree esophagogastric lesions. Ingestion of a large amount of corrosive agent results in a life-threatening condition that requires a much more aggressive diagnostic and therapeutic approach than was formerly recommended. Early surgery plays a fundamental role in the prevention of acute hemorrhagic and perforative complications as well as of development of scar tissue and neoplastic stricture over time. The multidisciplinary approach to the management of these patients is underlined, stressing the need of close cooperation between a number of different specialists
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
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