1,720,956 research outputs found
Cell-Free DNA, High-Mobility Group Box-1, and Procalcitonin Concentrations in Dogs With Gastric Dilatation–Volvulus Syndrome
Full text linkCanine gastric dilatation–volvulus (GDV) is a life-threatening disease characterized by extensive tissue ischemia, tissue hypoperfusion, and systemic inflammation. Biomarkers that better reflect the severity of gastric necrosis and systemic inflammation would aid clinicians in the management of these patients. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of cell-free DNA (cfDNA), high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), and procalcitonin (PCT) in dogs with GDV. Concentrations of cfDNA, HMGB1, and PCT were measured in citrated plasma samples collected from 29 dogs with GDV at hospital admission. Additional data collected included baseline lactate concentrations, APPLEfast score, evidence of gastric necrosis, occurrence of postoperative complications, and outcome. Twenty-four healthy dogs were sampled as controls. Continuous variables between groups were compared with the Mann–Whitney U and correlations between continuous variables were assessed by calculation of Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Alpha was set at 0.05. Dogs with GDV had significantly greater concentrations of cfDNA, HMGB1, and PCT compared to controls (P = 0.0009, P = 0.004, and P = 0.009, respectively). PCT concentrations were significantly higher in non-survivors compared to survivors (P = 0.008). Dogs with gastric necrosis had significantly greater lactate concentrations compared to dogs without gastric necrosis (P = 0.0005). The APPLEfast score was not prognostic. Lactate and PCT concentrations were moderately, positively correlated (rs 0.51, P = 0.0005). Concentrations of the inflammatory biomarkers cfDNA, HMGB1, and PCT are increased in canine GDV. Only lactate and PCT concentrations were prognostic in this population of GDV dogs and were predictive of the presence of gastric necrosis and of non-survival to hospital discharge, respectively
Multiorgan dysfunction syndrome in feline sepsis: prevalence and prognostic implication
Full text linkObjectives The current study was designed to evaluate the prevalence and prognostic significance of multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in cats with sepsis. Methods Cats hospitalised in the intensive care unit of a veterinary university hospital with a diagnosis of sepsis were prospectively enrolled and divided according to disease severity and outcome (survivors; non-survivors). The feline acute patient physiological and laboratory evaluation (APPLE) scores were calculated upon admission, as previously described. Specific criteria to identify selected organ dysfunction (hepatic, renal, respiratory, cardiocirculatory, haemostatic) were adapted from the available human and veterinary literature, and evaluated at baseline and at the end of hospital stay. MODS was defined as the presence of at least two dysfunctional organs simultaneously. Non-parametric statistics were used for comparisons. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses to evaluate significant risk factors for death were carried out. Correlations between variables were assessed by the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Significance was set at P <0.05. Results A total of 43 cats with heterogeneous sources of sepsis were included. MODS was identified in 25/43 cats upon admission and in 32/43 cats at the end of hospital stay. Regression analyses showed a significantly elevated odds ratio for mortality for the presence of MODS, renal and cardiovascular dysfunction upon admission, as well as for the number of dysfunctional organs. The latter was the only variable retained by the model from the multivariate binary logistic regression analysis. Significant correlations were documented between the number of dysfunctional organs and the APPLE scores. Conclusions and relevance MODS is a frequent complication of feline sepsis, and is associated with worse outcomes. In particular, renal and cardiovascular dysfunction significantly increase the odds for death. Hence, systematic screening for organ dysfunction is advocated in cats with sepsis
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
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
Evaluation of the emostasis by tromboelastometry (ROTEM®) during fluid resuscitation with hydroxyethyl starch 130/0,4 (VOLUVEN®) or hypertonic saline solution 7,5% in dogs with gastric dilatation/volvulus
Full text linkLe soluzioni colloidali (ad esempio HES, amido idrossietilico 130/0,4) o cristalloidi (ad esempio HS,
salina ipertonica 7,5%) sono comunemente impiegate nella rianimazione fluida di pazienti critici,
nonostante tali soluzioni siano potenzialmente associate ad alterazioni emostatiche. Lo scopo di
questo studio è quello di valutare l'impatto sull'emostasi della somministrazione di un bolo
endovenoso di HES (10 ml/Kg) o HS (4 ml/Kg) in cani rianimati per dilatazione/torsione gastrica
(GDV). I campioni ematici sono stati raccolti all’ammissione (T0) e al termine del bolo (T1) e
successivamente processati per analisi mediante tromboelastometria (ROTEM) e test coagulativi di
routine (PT, aPTT, fibrinogeno).
Lo studio ha incluso 13 cani nel gruppo HES e 10 cani nel gruppo HS. All’ammissione tutti i cani
hanno presentato tracciati ROTEM classificati come normali, tranne 1/13 cani che è risultato
ipercoagulabile e 2/13 cani che sono risultati ipocoagulabili.
Nel gruppo rianimato mediante HES le differenze statisticamente significative tra T0 e T1 sono state:
aumento di CFT (P=0,046) con riduzione di MCF (P=0,002) nel profilo ex-TEM, diminuzione di
MCF (P=0,012) nel profilo fib-TEM e riduzione del fibrinogeno (P<0,001).
Nel gruppo rianimato mediante HS le differenze statisticamente significative tra T0 e T1 sono state:
aumento di CT (P=0,049) e CFT (P=0,02) con riduzione di MCF (P=0,032) e angolo α (P=0,037) nel
profilo ex-TEM, riduzione dell'angolo α (P=0,036) nel profilo in-TEM, riduzione di MCF (P=0,017)
nel profilo fib-TEM, riduzione di MCE piastrinico (P=0,021), riduzione del fibrinogeno (P=0,028) e
aumento del PT (P=0,004).
Nonostante tali risultati siano indicativi di una tendenza all’ipocoagulabilità, i valori medi delle
variabili ROTEM sono risultate all'interno degli intervalli di riferimento in entrambi i gruppi e tali
alterazioni non sono risultate associate a sanguinamenti clinicamente rilevanti nella nostra
popolazione di studio. Ulteriori studi devono confermare la sicurezza della somministrazione di HES
o HS a dosi incrementali nei cani con GDV.Colloidal solutions (e.g. HES, hydroxyethyl starch 130/0,4) or crystalloid (e.g. HS, hypertonic saline
7,5%) are commonly used for fluid resuscitation in critical patient, despite such fluids are potentially
associated to hemostatic alterations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact on hemostasis
of the administration of one intravenous bolus of HES (10 ml/Kg) or HS (4 ml/Kg) in dogs
resuscitated for a gastric dilation volvulus (GDV). Blood samples were collected at baseline (T0) and
at the end of bolus (T1), and processed for analysis by tromboelastometry (ROTEM) and by routine
coagulation tests (PT, aPTT, fibrinogen).
The study included 13 dogs in HES group and 10 dogs in the HS group. At T0, all dogs have ROTEM
tracings classified as normal, except 1/13 dogs that was hypercoagulable, and 2/13 dogs that were
hypocoagulable.
In the group resuscitated by HES, the statistically significant differences between T0 and T1 were:
increase of CFT (P=0,046) with reduction of MCF (P=0,002) in the ex-TEM profile, decrease of MCF
(P=0,012) in the fib-TEM profile and reduction of fibrinogen (P<0,001).
In the group resuscitated by HS, the statistically significant differences between T0 and T1 were:
increase of CT (P=0,049) and CFT (P=0,02) with reduction of MCF (P=0,032) and α angle (P=0,037)
in the ex-TEM profile, reduction of the α angle (P=0,036) in the in-TEM profile, reduction of MCF
(P=0,017) in the fib-TEM profile, reduction of MCE platelet (P=0,021), reduction of fibrinogen
(P=0,028) and increase in PT (P=0,004).
Although these results are indicative of hypocoagulability, the mean values of the ROTEM variables
results within the reference intervals in both groups and these alterations were not associated with
relevant clinical signs of bleeding in our study population. Further studies are need to confirm the
safety of HES or HS administration at incremental doses in dogs with GDV
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
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