1,720,979 research outputs found
Effects of controlled-release formulations of atypical antipsychotics on functioning and quality of life of schizophrenic individuals.
No full textINTRODUCTION: Controlled-release formulations of atypical antipsychotics have
recently been introduced into clinical practice. Clinical studies have indicated
that these new therapies induce meaningful improvements in the functioning and
quality of life of schizophrenic individuals. AREAS COVERED: The present analysis
makes an attempt to address the clinical relevance of these studies and their
contribution to the understanding of the mechanisms of action of these new drugs.
A Medline search was done using the keywords 'antipsychotic', 'plasma level',
'quality of life' and 'functioning'. EXPERT OPINION: After reviewing the
literature, it seems that symptom control and side effects may play a role in
modulating the functioning and quality of life of schizophrenic individuals
treated with controlled-release formulations of atypical antipsychotics. The
analysis also highlights that these new drugs may possess peculiarities and
similarities in regulating patient functioning. However, the low number of
clinical analyses that have focused on these aspects of antipsychotic therapy
limits the interpretation of the results. Additional comparative clinical trials
are needed to evaluate how the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic properties of
antipsychotic drugs may modulate the functioning and quality of life of
schizophrenic individuals, as well as to establish whether new clinical benefits
may come from the use of these drugs in schizophrenia therapy
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
Strain-dependent effects of dopamine agonists on acetylcholine release in the hyppocampus: an in vivo study in mice
No full textMICRODIALYSIS MEASUREMENT OF CORTICAL AND HIPPOCAMPAL ACETYLCHOLINE-RELEASE DURING SLEEP-WAKE CYCLE IN FREELY MOVING CATS
No full textThe variations of Acetylcholine (ACh) release in the cerebral cortex and dorsal hippocampus were monitored by microdialysis during the electroencephalographically recorded sleep-waking cycle in freely moving cats. The results show a state-dependent variation in ACh output in both the cortex and the hippocampus. ACh release increased by approximately 100% during quiet waking (QW) and by 175% during active waking (AW) as referred to slow wave sleep (SWS) baseline. In contrast, a clear difference between the two areas was observed during REM sleep. During this stage ACh release in the cortex reached approximately the same values observed during QW, while in the hippocampus ACh release rose to about 4-fold the level obtained during SWS or twice that of QW. The results support the idea that the increase in ACh release in the cortex reflects the desynchronized EEG of wakefulness and REM sleep, while the marked increase of ACh during REM in the hippocampus may be related to the sustained theta activity in this area
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
Effects of acute and chronic valproate treatments on p-CREB levels in the rat amygdala and nucleus accumbens
No full textValproate may exert its effects by modulating signalling pathways controlling gene
expression as they are known to alter both CREB and ERK pathways in the rat
hippocampus and frontal cortex. The action of valproate on these signalling pathways
has not been studied yet in limbic areas such as the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala
which are central for the regulation of emotional behaviors. To this aim, the effect of
valproate on phosphorylated CREB (p-CREB) and ERK (p-ERK) in the amygdala and nucleus
accumbens, by using immunohistochemical and Western blot analysis, was investigated.
The immunohistochemistry was followed by a stereological quantification of the number of
immunoreactive cells. Acute valproate (80 mg/kg, i.p.) increased the density of p-CREBpositive
cells and enhanced p-CREB, but not p-ERK, protein levels in the amygdala and the
accumbens. In contrast, following chronic valproate (80 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks) p-CREB and
p-ERK protein levels were markedly attenuated in the amygdala, while the number of p-
CREB immunoreactive cells was increased in the accumbens. These data suggest that
valproate exert differential effects depending on the brain region examined, the duration
and the dose of treatment. The increasing effect of chronic valproate on p-CREB levels in the
accumbens is consistent with previous studies in the cortex and the hippocampus, while
the decrease of amygdalar p-CREB levels might be specific to mood stabilizers compared to
antidepressant drugs, and might be linked to the anti-manic action of valproate
Carotid restenosis is associated with plasma ADMA concentrations in carotid endarterectomy patients.
No full text- …
