1,721,075 research outputs found
Risks and Benefits of Mucosal Healing With Combined Immunosuppression in Paediatric Crohn's Disease: A Complex Topic That Needs Careful Evaluation
No full textRisks and Benefits of Mucosal Healing With Combined Immunosuppression in Paediatric Crohn’s Disease: A Complex Topic That Needs Careful Evaluatio
Attachment and perceived stress in patients with ulcerative colitis, a case–control study
No full textWhat is known on the subject?: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disorder associated with high perceived psychological stress. The attachment theory provides a psychodynamic perspective to investigate the relationship between close interpersonal relationships and stress in UC. Researchers have hypothesized that the chronic illness might affect personality trait as the attachment style of patients. What this paper adds to existing knowledge?: UC patients exhibit a more pronounced attachment insecurity that, in turn, resulted as a determinant of psychological stress. This study suggests that UC could determine a shift towards insecurity in the attachment style that, in turn, promotes psychological stress and increases the risk of psychopathologies. What are the implications for practice?: The more accurate knowledge of attachment insecurity in patients with chronic disorders such as UC may help the nurses to face with often dysfunctional patients’ styles of manifesting distress, patterns of help seeking and expectations of health professionals. The knowledge of psychopathological mechanisms in patients with UC could improve the prevention and treatment of psychological disorders in affected patients. Abstract: Introduction Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic disorder characterized by recurrent intestinal symptoms. The attachment theory provides a psychodynamic perspective to investigate the relationship between interpersonal relationships and stress in UC. Aim The aim of this study was to compare the attachment dimensions between UC patients and controls and to evaluate the impact of these dimensions on perceived stress in patients. Method In all, 101 patients with UC completed the attachment style questionnaire and the perceived stress questionnaire (PSQ). Clinical and psychometric parameters were added as predictor variables in a regression with the PSQ score as dependent variable. One hundred and five healthy subjects took part in the study as controls. Results Compared to controls, UC patients exhibited greater scores in relationships as secondary, need for approval and preoccupation with relationships. In UC, disease activity, confidence and preoccupation with relationships resulted predictors of perceived stress. Discussion Compared to healthy controls, UC patients exhibited more pronounced attachment insecurity that, in turn, was a significant predictor of the perceived stress. Implications for practice The knowledge of attachment insecurity may help the nurses and all health care providers to face with dysfunctional patients’ styles of manifesting distress, help seeking and expectations of health professionals
The safety of beclomethasone dipropionate in the treatment of ulcerative colitis
No full textIntroduction: Beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) is a second-generation corticosteroid that uses novel drug technologies to ensure colonic targeting and potentially reducing systemic corticosteroid concentrations. It is approved for treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC) who do not respond to mesalazine. The gut-selective mechanism of action has the potential to improve the safety profile of BDP compared with other conventional corticosteroids. Areas covered: We reviewed the mechanism of action, efficacy, and safety of BDP in the treatment of UC. The positioning of BDP in management algorithms is also discussed. Expert opinion: The highly selective mechanism of action of BDP restricts the steroid-related side effects. BDP is efficacious in the treatment of active UC. Topical formulation is the first choice in distal UC, while oral formulation is used in patients with an extensive involvement of the colon. The rates of adverse events (AE), serious AEs, and steroid-related side-effects are similar to placebo and mesalamine and slightly inferior to traditional corticosteroids
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
Probiotics, Prebiotics and Antibiotics in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
No full textThe rationale for using probiotics, prebiotics, and antibiotics in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is based on convincing evidence that intestinal bacteria are implicated in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Probiotics are “living organisms, which upon ingestion in certain numbers, exert health benefits beyond inherent basic nutrition. Several mechanisms have been proposed to account for the action of probiotics. VSL#3, a highly concentrated cocktail of probiotics has been shown to be effective in the prevention of pouchitis onset and relapses. Results on the use of probiotics in UC are promising, both in terms of the prevention of relapses and the treatment of mildto-moderate attacks. Results in Crohn’s disease are not yet clear because of conflicting data and the limited number of well-performed studies. Prebiotics are dietary substances, usually nondigestible carbohydrates, which beneficially affect the host by selectively stimulating the growth and activity of protective commensal enteric bacteria. Evidence supporting the use of these nutriceuticals in IBD is still limited. Antibiotics have an essential role in treating the septic complications of Crohn’s disease, including intrabdominal and perianal abscesses and perianal fistulae. The use of antibiotics in UC is not supported by the available studies while their use in pouchitis is largely justified although proper controlled trials have not been conducted
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
Oral beclomethasone dipropionate in chronic refractory pouchitis
No full textBackground: Pouchitis is the major long-term complication after ileal-pouch anal-anastomosis for ulcerative colitis. Ten to 15% of patients develop chronic pouchitis, either treatment responsive or treatment refractory. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of oral beclomethasone dipropionate in inducing remission and improving quality of life in patients with chronic refractory pouchitis. Methods: Ten consecutive patients with active pouchitis, not responding to 1-month antibiotic treatment, were treated with beclomethasone dipropionate 10. mg/day for 8. weeks. Clinical, endoscopic and histological evaluations were undertaken before and after treatment, according to the Pouchitis Disease Activity Index (PDAI). Remission was defined as a combination of PDAI clinical score of ≤. 2, endoscopic score of ≤. 1 and a total PDAI score of ≤. 4. The quality of life was assessed with the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ). Results: Eight of 10 patients (80%) achieved remission. The median total PDAI scores before and after therapy were, respectively, 12 (range 8-14) and 3 (range 2-9) (P. <. 0.001). The median IBDQ score also significantly improved from 120 (range 77-175) to 175 (range 85-220) (p. <. 0.001). Conclusion: Eight-week treatment with oral beclomethasone dipropionate appears effective in inducing remission in patients with active pouchitis refractory to antibiotic treatment. © 2013 European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation
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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