1,720,975 research outputs found
Ruolo della Ciclofosfamide nel trattamento del Lupus Eritematoso Sistemico in paziente afroamericana con severo incremento degli indici di funzionalità renale.
No full textIntroduzione: la Ciclofosfamide rappresenta con il Micofenolato
Mofetile uno tra i farmaci di scelta nelle fasi di induzione della
nefrite lupica. Tuttavia, risulta ancora controverso il suo utilizzo
nei soggetti di razza afroamericana.
Caso Clinico: Paziente
afroamericana puerpera di 36 anni, che giungeva alla nostra
osservazione dopo parto cesareo in urgenza alla 34° settimana
per riscontro di preclampasia. La paziente si presentava in stato
anasarcatico, oligoanurica, con severa alterazione degli indici di
funzione renale (Cr 4 mg/dl) proteinuria in range nefrosico ed
anemizzazione severa. Storia di TBC linfonodale. Riscontro di
positività ad esami bioumorali di autoimmunità: ANA, Anti-
DsDNA, Anti-Sm, Anti-SSA, Anti-Ro52, Anti-AMA-M2, test di
Coombs; pertanto, veniva intrapresa terapia
immunosoppressiva con boli di Metilpdrednisolone per 3 giorni
consecutivi ed immunoglobuline seguiti da Prednisone per os.
Successivamente sono stati praticati due cicli di Ciclofosfamide
con successivo ripristino di una diuresi valida, significativo
miglioramento degli indici di funzionalità renale e interruzione
del trattamento dialitico sostitutivo, temporaneamente
intrapreso.
Conclusione: Nonostante la nefrite lupica in
soggetti di razza afroamericana si presenti in forma più
aggressiva e maggiormente responsiva ad un trattamento di
induzione con Micofenolato Mofetile, la Ciclofosfamide
rappresenta ad oggi per questi pazienti una valida opzione
terapeutica. I risultati ottenuti in questo caso suggeriscono di
indagare i meccanismi genetici sottesi alla maggiore
aggressività di malattia osservata in queste popolazioni ed alla
diversa, imprevedibile risposta agli agenti immunosoppressivi
Exploring the Utility of Renal Resistive Index in Critical Care: Insights into ARDS and Cardiac Failure
Full text linkThe renal resistive index (RRI), a Doppler ultrasound-derived parameter measuring renal vascular resistance, has emerged as a promising non-invasive tool to evaluate renal hemodynamics in critically ill patients, particularly those with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and heart failure (HF). This narrative review examines the current evidence for RRI measurement in these conditions, exploring its physiological bases, methodology, clinical applications, and limitations. In ARDS, RRI reflects the complex interactions between positive pressure ventilation, hypoxemia, and systemic inflammation, showing a role in predicting acute kidney injury and monitoring response to interventions. In HF, RRI is able to assess venous congestion and cardiorenal interactions and can also serve as a prognostic indicator. Many studies have shown RRI’s superiority or complementarity to traditional biomarkers in predicting renal dysfunction, although its interpretation requires consideration of multiple patient-related fa
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
R E L A Z I O N I T R A I N D I C E D I R E S I S T E N Z A I N T R A PA R E N C H I M A L E R E N A L E E D E N S I TA’ VA S C O L A R E R E T I N I C A VA L U TATA M E D I A N T E A N G I O - O C T
No full textDispelling 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
Relationships of Isolated Nocturnal Hypertension with Glomerular Filtration Rate and Albuminuria
Full text linkIsolated nocturnal hypertension (INH) represents a unique phenotype that can only be identified through ambulatory blood pressure monitor- ing (ABPM). An increasing body of evidence suggests a significant association between INH and heightened cardiovascular morbidity, mortality, and, more recently, kidney dis- ease progression. Considering these findings, this study aims to retrospectively assess the prevalence of INH and its relationship with glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and albu- min excretion rate (AER) in a large cohort of hypertensive patients. Methods: A total of 1340 subjects selected from the patients of our European Hypertension Excellence Centre of the University of Palermo were enrolled. Biochemical tests, urinalysis, 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, and collection of anamnestic and anthropometric data were performed on each patient. Results: In our cohort, the prevalence of INH was 11%. Logistic regression analyses revealed that male sex, AER, and eGFR were significantly associated with the INH phenotype. AER ≥ 5.8 μg/min predicted the presence of INH with 73.7% sensitivity and 58.4% specificity. An eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 was also correlated with INH, although its predictive value was less prominent. Multivariable regression models confirmed that AER and eGFR, along with male sex, were independent predictors of INH. In patients with normal blood pressure, AER and metabolic syndrome were also associated with INH. CKD (AER < 30 mg/day and eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) was significantly linked to INH. Conclusions: Our research confirms the direct relationship between AER and INH and the inverse relationship between GFR and INH, thus underlining the leading role of renal function in the onset of INH, as widely observed in the literature. The confirmed association between renal markers and INH in the subgroup of subjects with a clinically normal blood pressure could help us to identify the subjects who should undergo ABPM
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