1,720,965 research outputs found
Gene expression analysis in combination with clinical parameters is effective in predicting relapse after radical prostatectomy
No full textEarly prediction of tumour recurrence at the time of radical prostatectomy (RRP) would certainly be of great importance for deciding possible adjuvant therapy in patients with prostate cancer (CaP). Clinical and pathological parameters can correctly predict recurrence in no more than 70% of cases. Gene expression analysis is a powerful method for studying prostate cancer biology. Recent studies have been directed to identifying new genes implicated in CaP initiation and progression and establishing novel methods for validation of differentially expressed genes in cancers at moderate and high risk of progression. The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether (a) the assessment of the expression profiles of a set of genes, directly or indirectly related to cell proliferation state or apoptic activity, can correctly predict relapse of CaP at the time of RRP and (b) a combination of gene expression profile data with standard clinical-pathological parameters can further enhance the prediction potential. The study was conducted on 355 patients with localised CaP, undergoing RRP, but only 23 pairs of prostate specimens (tumour and matched benign tissues of the same gland) were eligible for the analysis. Age, familiarity, PSA, prostate volume, stage and grade were evaluated for prognosis as clinical and pathological parameters. The level of expression of a panel of 8 genes related to polyamine metabolism, cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured in tumours and matched normal tissues. After undergoing RRP, patients were regularly followed up at our center with physical examination (PE) and PSA measurement. After a mean time of 62.3 months 13 out of 23 patients (56.5%) did not recur (Group 1), while the remaining 10 patients (43.5%) had a relapse (Group 2). When patients were classified according to clinical-pathological parameters, the overall correct prediction of recurrence was 87% (Group 1 = 100%, Group 2 = 70%). When patients were classified according to gene profiling alone the overall correct prediction was 82.6% (Group 1 = 84.6%, Group 2 = 80%). When combining gene profiling and clinical-pathological parameters a 95.7% prediction rate was obtained (Group 1 = 100%, Group 2 = 90%)
Studi ed approfondimenti sulla composizione in acidi grassi del latte bovino di razza Reggiana con diverso fenotipo per k-caseina e Beta-lactoglobulina
No full textThe aim of the present study was to examine the association between milk protein polymorphism and fatty acids profiles of bovine milk. Milk samples were collected from each of 55 Reggiana cows during early, mid and late lactation, respectively, in two farms within the production area of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Identification and quantification of fatty acids were performed by gas chromatography. Milk fatty acid composition using cows of differing κ-casein (κ-Cn) and β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) phenotypes was investigated. Statistically significant results regarding the associations between milk fatty acid composition and κ-Cn phenotype were found, in particular, κ-Cn BB seems to influence de novo fatty acid synthesis in the mammary gland. Also κ-Cn AB seems to have the same effect. Proportions of C10:0 (2,29a AA; 2,53b AB; 2,59b BB), C12:0 (2,77a AA; 3,17b AB; 3,20b BB) and C14:0 (9,22a AA; 10,25b AB; 10,27b BB) were higher in the milk from cows with κ-Cn phenotype AB and BB vs κ-Cn phenotype AA (p<0,05). Conversely C18:0 (7,84b AA; 7,20a,b AB; 6,94a BB) and C18:1 (19,19b AA; 16,81a AB; 16,79a BB) were lower in the milk from cows with κ-Cn phenotype AB and BB vs κ-Cn phenotype AA. The association between milk fatty acid composition and β-Lg phenotype was not statistically significant, except for some fatty acids. In particular, C12:0 (3,05a AA; 3,04a AB; 3,33b BB) was higher in the milk from cows with β-Lg phenotype BB vs β-Lg phenotype AA and AB (p<0,05). Concentrations of C18:0 (6,93a AA; 7,86b AB; 6,59a BB) and C18:1 (16,74a,b AA; 18,24b AB; 16,07a BB) were lower in the milk from cows with β-Lg phenotype AA and BB vs β-Lg phenotype AB (p<0,05).
Moreover this research, carried out in farms within the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese district, analysed also the size distribution of fat globules in bulk milk of Reggiana and Frisona breed cows. In particular, the size distribution of individual milk fat globules of Reggiana cows with differing κ-Cn phenotypes was considered. From first observations, no statistically significant differences were observed
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Get PDF“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
Get PDFWe 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
Caratterizzazione qualitativa del burro ottenuto da panna di latte bovino di razza reggiana
No full textPossibili relazioni tra i polimorfismi genetici della κ-caseina e della β-lattoglobulina e composizione acidica del grasso nel latte della razza Reggiana
No full textDispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe 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
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