1,720,962 research outputs found
The value of total thyroidectomy as the definitive treatment for Graves’ disease: A single centre experience of 594 cases
Full text linkPurpose: Thyroidectomy is the preferred approach as the definitive treatment for Graves’ disease. The outcomes for total thyroidectomy in a large series of 594 patients, who were observed in the last decade, will be presented in this study. Methods: The study concerned a retrospective review of 594 patients, undergoing a total thyroidectomy for Graves’ disease. The incidence of complications and outcomes on hyperthyroidism and correlated symptoms resolution were also evaluated. Results: The mean age of the patients was of 44.7 ± 12.7 years and 456 patients (76.7%) were females. The mean gland weight was 67.3 ± 10.8 g (range: 20–350 g) and, in 397 patients (66.8%), the gland weighed >40 g. The mean operative time was 125 ± 23.1 min (range: 65–212 min). Temporary and permanent hypocalcaemia developed in 241 (40.6%) and 3 patients (0.5%), respectively. Temporary and permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy were recorded in 31 (5.2%) and 1 patients (0.16%) respectively. No patient developed a thyroid storm. On multivariate analysis, patient age ≤50 years (Odds ratio: 1; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.843–0.901) and thyroid weight >40 g (Odds ratio: 1; 95%, Confidence Interval: 0.852–0.974), were mainly associated with the occurrence of complications. Conclusion: This high-volume surgeon experience demonstrates that total thyroidectomy is a safe and effective treatment for Graves’ disease. It is associated with a very low incidence rate of post-operative complications, most of which are transitory; therefore, it offers a rapid and definitive control of hyperthyroidism and its related symptoms
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
Axillary Nodal Burden in Breast Cancer Patients With Pre-operative Fine Needle Aspiration-proven Positive Lymph Nodes Compared to Those With Positive Sentinel Nodes
Full text linkBACKGROUND/AIM: Recent years have seen a considerable shift to a more conservative management of the axilla in patients with positive axillary sentinel lymph nodes. The aim of this study was to determine whether some breast cancer patients with a preoperative ultrasound-guided needle aspiration biopsy proven positive node could potentially be spared an axillary lymph node dissection according to the ACOSOG Z0011 trial criteria.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was performed involving 623 breast cancer patients who underwent axillary lymph node dissection after either ultrasound-guided needle aspiration biopsy proven positive node or sentinel lymph node biopsy.
RESULTS: Patients with fine needle aspiration biopsy-proven positive node had worse prognosis and a higher nodal burden (6.7 vs 1.9 nodes, p<0.001), compared to those with positive sentinel lymph nodes.
CONCLUSION: Patients with an ultrasound guided needle aspiration biopsy proven positive node are more likely to have tumor with more aggressive pathological characteristics and a higher nodal burden than those with a positive sentinel lymph node biopsy
Case report: Trans-papillary free stenting of the cystic duct and of the common bile duct in a double biliary ducts anastomoses of a right lobe living donor transplantation
Full text linkBackground: One of the major issues related to the living donor liver transplantation recipient outcome is still the
high rate of biliary complication, especially when multiple biliary ducts are present and multiple anastomoses have to
be performed.
Case presentation and conclusion: We report a case of adult-to-adult right lobe living donor liver transplantation
performed for a recipient afected by alcohol-related cirrhosis with MELD score of 17. End-stage liver disease was
complicated by refractory ascites, portal hypertension, small esophageal varices and portal gastropathy, hypersplenism, and abundant right pleural efusion. Here in the attached video we described the adult-to-adult LDLT procedures,
where a right lobe with two biliary ducts draining respectively the right anterior and the right posterior segments
has been transplanted. LDLT required a biliary reconstruction using the native cystic and common bile ducts stented
trans-papillary with two 5- French 6 cm long soft silastic catheter. None major complications were detected during
post-operative clinical courses. Actually, the donor and the recipient are alive and well. The technique we describe in
the video, allow to keep the biliary anastomoses protected and patent without having the risk of creating cholestasis
and the need of invasive additional procedure. No living donor right lobe transplantation should be refused because
of the presence of multiple biliary ducts
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe 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
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
- …
