1,721,290 research outputs found
Locally enhanced chemotherapy by electroporation: clinical experiences and perspective of use of electrochemotherapy.
No full textElectroporation is used to enhance drug diffusion and gene delivery into the cytosol. The combination of electroporation and cytotoxic drugs, electrochemotherapy (ECT), is used to treat metastatic tumor nodules located at the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The objective response rate following a single session of treatment exceeds 80%, with minimal toxicity for the patients. The efficacy of ECT in the bone and visceral metastasis is currently investigated, and Phase II studies have been completed. ECT has been used to treat skin primary tumors, except melanoma, and is under investigation for locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Early evidence suggests that treatment of tumor nodules with ECT recruits components of the immune system and eliciting a systemic immune response against cancer is a challenging clinical perspective. Considering the proven safety in several different clinical applications electroporation should be viewed as a clinical platform technology with wide perspectives for use in ECT, gene therapy and DNA vaccination
La syndrome del tunnel tarsale.
No full textTarsal tunnel syndrome is a peripheral compression neuropathy of the tibial nerve and its branches, which results in a range of neuritic symptoms. Tarsal tunnel syndrome has been compared with carpal tunnel syndrome. Treatment of the irritative forms requires the aid of medical, orthopaedic and physical therapy. In rare cases of refractory symptoms and in cases of electrically evident compression, surgery is necessary but should be reserved for compressive forms with muscular deficiency
Effect of electric current stimulation in combination with external fixator on bone healing in a sheep fracture model | Effetto della stimolazione elettrica associata a fissatore esterno nella guarigione ossea in un modello di frattura nella pecora
No full textBiophysical stimulations with electric and electromagnetic fields have been demonstrated to accelerate the bone-healing rate. This study has been designed to investigate the effects of electricity directly connected with the central pins of an external fixator in an experimental osteotomy model in sheep. Thirty mg/kg of tetracycline chloride were administered on the 30th and on the 45th day after surgery for histomorphometric studies. Plain radiographs were obtained in standard projections every 15 days after surgery and were analyzed with a software program (Corel Photo-Paint Pro X2, Corel Corporation, Ottawa, Canada). The specimens obtained after 60 days were examined with histological analysis. The results show that biophysical treatment with alternating electricity in combination with external fixator enhances new-bone formation. The translational value of this study, due to the similarities between ovine and human species, suggests that this treatment could be useful in speeding the bone-healing rate both in animals and humans
Usefulness of quantitative ultrasound in evaluating structural and mechanical properties of bone: Comparison of ultrasound, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and mechanical testing of human phalanges in vitro.
No full textINTRODUCTION: Ultrasound studies evaluating bone tissue generally concentrate on two parameters--velocity and attenuation. This study aimed to determine whether ultrasound signal analysis techniques could provide additional information on the structural and mechanical characteristics of bone.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vitro measurements were made on 26 left index fingers from human cadavers. Ultrasound measurements at the distal metaphysis and epiphysis; dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry of the whole phalanx; micro-computed tomography at the distal quarter of the phalanx (that is, the distal epiphysis and metaphysis), and mechanical three-point bending tests were performed. Univariate and multivariate linear regression techniques were used to analyze the results.
RESULTS: The ultrasound parameters, speed of sound and ultrasound peak amplitude correlated significantly with the three micro-computed tomography measures used to describe the characteristics of mineralized material (r=0.69-0.79, p<0.05). Low frequency ultrasound correlated significantly with micro-computed tomography parameters describing inter-trabecular or marrow spaces (r=0.68-0.78, p<0.05). Comparison of ultrasound parameters with geometric characteristics showed that while speed of sound and ultrasound peak amplitude were related to the cortical area, moment of inertia, and mechanical load (r=0.57-0.83, p< 0.05), the amplitude of the fastest part of the ultrasound signal and full width at 80% maximum of the low frequency peak were related to the relative area of the medullary canal (r=0.40-0.43, p<0.05).
DISCUSSION: Quantitative ultrasound may provide information on structural, material and mechanical characteristics of bone to the same extent and even better than DXA Bone Mineral Density. These results have been obtained by a complete and exhaustive use of QUS technology in situ but under clinical conditions. The ultrasound parameters, correctly used and combined, seem to be effective tools for investigating bone tissue
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
Cartilage repair with osteochondral autografts in sheep: Effect of biophysical stimulation with pulsed electromagnetic fields
No full textThe effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFS) on the integration of osteochondral autografts was evaluated in sheep. After osteochondral grafts were performed, the animals were treated with PEMFs for 6 h/day or sham-treated. Six animals were sacrificed at I month. Fourteen animals were treated for 2 months and sacrificed at 6 months. At 1 month, the osteogenic activity at the transplant-host subchondral bone interface was increased in PEMF-treated animals compared to controls. Articular cartilage was healthy in controls and stimulated animals. At 6 months, complete resorption was observed in four control grafts only. Cyst-like resorption areas were more frequent within the graft of sham-treated animals versus PEMF-treated. The average volume of the cysts was not significantly different between the two groups; nevertheless, analysis of the variance of the volumes demonstrated a significant difference. The histological score showed no significant differences between controls and stimulated animals, but the percentage of surface covered by fibrous tissue was higher in the control group than in the stimulated one. Interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-a concentration in the synovial fluid was significantly lower, and transforming growth factor-beta 1 was significantly higher, in PEMF-treated animals compared to controls. One month after osteochondral graft implantation, we observed larger bone formation in PEMF-treated grafts which favors early graft stabilization. In the long term, PEMF exposure limited the bone resorption in subchondral bone; furthermore, the cytokine profile in the synovial fluid was indicative of a more favorable articular environment for the graft. (c) 2008 Orthopaedic Research Society
Biofisica e tissue engineering
No full textCampi elettromagnetici pulsati in ortopedia e traumatologi
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
- …
