1,720,956 research outputs found
Electrocardiographic findings in healthy Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Pugs, and English Bulldogs
No full textObjective: To describe the ECG findings in 3 different canine brachycephalic breeds: the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the Pug, and the English Bulldog (EB). Animals: 135 healthy dogs (50 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, 50 Pugs, and 35 EBs). Procedures: Medical records were retrospectively reviewed to identify healthy dogs ≥ 1 year old that had undergone an ECG. The Mann-Whitney U test or the Student t test were used to compare continuous variables between male and female dogs, whereas the χ2 test was used for categorical variables. Spearman correlation coefficients between ECG measurements and age and body weight were also calculated in the case of continuous variables, whereas the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for categorical ones. Results: Electrocardiographic parameters of healthy Cavalier King Charles Spaniels overall fitted with traditional reference intervals cited in textbooks; in contrast, 28% of Pugs and 20% of EBs showed a shift of the QRS-complex mean electrical axis (QRS-MEA). In Pugs and EBs, the mean/median QRS-MEA value was 56° (from 0° to 100°) and 59° (from 20° to 100°), respectively. All axis shifts were left shifts (in Pugs, from 0° to 34°; in EBs, 20° to 39°). Only a few meaningful differences were found when comparing ECG variables between males and females. Similarly, only 1 statistically significant correlation was found between ECG parameters and age and body weight. Clinical relevance: Healthy Pugs and EBs present a trend to a left shift of the QRS-MEA. This should be considered when interpreting ECG tracings in these breeds
Evaluating the accuracy of a six-lead smartphone-based electrocardiographic device compared with standard electrocardiography in brachymorphic dogs
Full text linkBackgroundNo previous study has evaluated the accuracy of a six-lead smartphone-based electrocardiographic (s-ECG) device in dogs. MethodsThis was a prospective multicentre study. Patients referred for cardiologic consultation were selected. In each patient, a 30-second electrocardiogram was simultaneously acquired with a novel six-lead s-ECG and a standard six-lead ECG machine (st-ECG). A board-certified cardiologist evaluated each recording. Nineteen ECG variables, including heart rate and rhythm, as well as quantitative and qualitative features of waves, segments and intervals, were analysed. Agreement between s-ECG and st-ECG was evaluated using Cohen's kappa coefficient and the Bland-Altman test. ResultsSeventy-five dogs were enrolled, and 140 ECG tracings were analysed. There was perfect agreement between the two methodologies for heart rate and rhythm classification, both in dogs with sinus rhythm and those with pathological rhythms. Although some disagreement was found when comparing measurements of quantitative variables obtained with the s-ECG and the st-ECG, none of the differences was of clinical relevance. LimitationsThe sample size was limited, and the interobserver variability was not analysed. ConclusionThe six-lead s-ECG studied herein is comparable to the st-ECG for heart rate and rhythm assessment, and seems clinically acceptable for the interpretation of waves, segments and intervals in dogs
Echocardiographic values in healthy Pugs: Effect of body weight, age, and sex
Full text linkBackground: Transthoracic echocardiography represents the main noninvasive technique for evaluating cardiac morphology and function in dogs. In dogs with particular somatotypes, such as brachymorphic dogs, breed-specific echocardiographic values are needed for a proper echocardiographic interpretation. Nowadays, the Pug represents one of the most popular brachymorphic canine breeds worldwide. However, data on echocardiographic measurements in this breed are currently limited. Aim: We aimed to determine echocardiographic values in a population of apparently healthy Pugs, and to assess the possible effects of body weight (BW), age, and sex on selected echocardiographic variables, with particular emphasis on those related to the left-sided cardiac chambers. Methods: Apparently healthy Pugs underwent a full physical examination, a 1-minute six-lead electrocardiogram, and a complete transthoracic echocardiography. Twenty-four echocardiographic variables were measured by combining M-mode, two-dimensional and Doppler modalities, and relative values were determined by applying the statistical procedures recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Moreover, the effect of selected demographic variables on echocardiographic measurements was tested using a linear mixed model. Results: The investigation included 86 Pugs. Echocardiographic values were provided for each variable and compared with previous veterinary literature. A statistically significant effect of BW, age, and sex was documented for several of the tested variables. Doppler examination demonstrated a trivial pulmonary regurgitation in 24/86 (27.9%) Pugs. Moreover, a persistent left cranial vena cava was suspected in 4/86 (4.7%) dogs. Conclusion: Echocardiographic features of the Pug were addressed and echocardiographic values were made available for clinical use. Because our findings were obtained using a standardized echocardiographic analysis in a population of 86 healthy Pugs, they may act as a reliable guide for an accurate echocardiographic interpretation in this breed
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
Antiarrhythmic efficacy and safety of oral mexiletine in dogs with ventricular arrhythmias: a multicentre, retrospective analysis
No full textObjective: To describe mexiletine's efficacy in suppressing ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) and its safety in dogs. Methods: In a multicenter retrospective study, dogs received oral mexiletine, prescribed as a second-line antiarrhythmic in addition to a first-line agent, for the treatment of VA ineffectively controlled by initial monotherapy. Signalment, clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic, and outcome data were retrieved. Only dogs that underwent Holter monitoring both before and after starting mexiletine treatment were included in the ECG analysis of efficacy. This was represented by a reduction in the Lown-Wolf grade < 5 or a reduction in the number of ventricular premature complexes ≥ 85%. Treatment-related side effects (TRSE) were noted in all dogs. Statistical analysis was performed to compare selected data before and after mexiletine prescription. Results: 38 dogs were included. Twenty dogs met the criteria for the efficacy analysis; mexiletine effectively suppressed VA in 16 of 20 cases (80%). In 11 of 38 dogs (28.9%), TRSE occurred (ie, gastrointestinal and neurological signs in 10 of 11 [90.9%] and 1 of 11 cases [9.1%], respectively). Supportive therapies were prescribed to 10 of 11 dogs (90.9%) and the daily dose of mexiletine was reduced in 6 of 11 dogs (54.5%), resulting in resolution of TRSE in 5 of 11 dogs (45.5%). In the remaining 6 of 11 dogs (54.5%), the persistence of TRSE led to the discontinuation of mexiletine. The median duration of TRSE was 7 days (IQR, 4 to 10 days). Conclusions: Mexiletine was highly effective in suppressing VA, but reversible gastrointestinal TRSE occurred relatively frequently. Clinical relevance: Useful information on the effects of mexiletine in dogs with VAs is provided
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