102,058 research outputs found
Imaging functional stress test for stable chest pain symptoms in patients at low pretest probability of coronary artery disease: Current practice and long-term outcome
No full textBackground: Stress testing in patients with low pretest probability (PTP) of coronary artery disease (CAD) has become an increasing practice, potentially leading to underestimation of its true clinical value. Our aim was to describe the current use of most employed imaging functional tests and their prognostic value. Methods and Results: We selected patients with low PTP of CAD (CAD consortium clinical score < 15%) who underwent exercise or dipyridamole stress echocardiography or single photon emission computed tomography for suspected angina. Main exclusions were age < 45, known CAD, and abnormal rest wall motion. Of the 2279 subjects undergoing stress test, 883 (39%) had low PTP, and 91 (10.3%) had a positive test for ischemia. After a median follow-up of 5.8 years, 36 patients had events (21 died, 14 had nonfatal myocardial infarction). The percentage of events in the abnormal and normal stress test groups were similar (5 [5.5%] vs 31 [3.9%], P = ns), as the annualized event rate (0.87% vs 0.62%, P = ns). Age was the only variable associated with outcome in the regression analysis (hazard ratio 1.072, 95% CI 1.034–1.113, P < 0.001). An abnormal result was not associated with worse outcome in each of the subgroups of functional tests. Conclusions: In our geographical area, a considerable proportion of patients undergoing imaging functional tests for stable chest pain have a low estimated PTP of CAD. Of these, 1 in 10 resulted positive for inducible ischemia. However, none of the most common imaging functional tests, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and stress echocardiography offer prognostic information in these patients
DNA sequence variations affecting serotonin transporter transcriptional regulation and activity: do they impact alcohol addiction?
No full textGenetic features of alcohol dependence have been extensively investigated in recent years. A large body of studies has underlined the important role of genetic variants not only in metabolic pathways but also in the neurobiology of alcohol dependence, mediated by the neuronal circuits regulating reward and craving. Serotonin transporter (5-HTT), encoded by the SLC6A4 gene (Solute carrier family 6-neurotransmitter transporter-member 4), is targeted by antidepressant drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and plays a pivotal role in serotoninergic transmission; it has been associated with psychiatric diseases and alcohol dependence. Transcriptional regulation and expression of 5-HTT depend not only on epigenetic modifications, among which DNA methylation (CpG and non-CpG) is primarily involved, but also on sequence variations occurring in intron/exon regions and in untranslated regions in 5 ' and 3 ', being the first sequences important for the splicing machinery and the last for the binding of transcription factors and micro RNAs. This work intends to shed light on the role of sequence variations known to affect the expression or function of 5-HTT in alcohol-dependent individuals. We found a statistically significant difference in the allelic (p = 0.0083) and genotypic (p = 0.0151) frequencies of the tri-allelic polymorphism, with higher function alleles and genotypes more represented in the control population. Furthermore, we identified three haplotypes more frequent in subjects with AUD (p < 0.0001) and one more frequent in the control population (p < 0.0001). The results obtained for the tri-allelic polymorphism in alcohol dependence confirm what is already present in part of the literature. The role of haplotypes requires further studies to be clarified
Bibliographie Hilarion G. Petzold 1958 – 2009 mit Anhang als Einführung
No full textDieses Archiv enthält die Gesamtbibliographie der Werke des Autors nebst einiger Texte „Über H. G. Petzold“ im Schlussteil der Bibliographie sowie einen Anhang mit einer Einführung in die Architektur des Werkes in seinem wissenslogischen Aufbau als Ausarbeitung seines „Tree of Science Modells“ (2007).This archive contains the complete bibliography of the author and some texts about H. G. Petzold, moreover an epilogue with an introduction to the architecture of the works in its epistemological structure and composition and as an elaborations of Petzold’s „Tree of Science Modell (2007).https://www.fpi-publikation.de/polyloge/01-2009-petzold-h-g-gesamtbibliographie-h-g-petzold-1958-2009-updating-november2009/peerReviewedpublishedVersio
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe 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
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3346: Samuel G. Freedman, author, 2013
No full textPhotograph of author Samuel G. Freedman, at NT Daily Slash meeting in the Mayborn School of Journalism at UNT
The Right to Strike under the United States Constitution: Theory, Practice, and Possible Implications for Canada
No full textAnswering critics of the Canadian Supreme Court's judgment in B.C. Health, the author argues that the Court laid the foundation for a principled and durable doctrine protecting constitutional labour rights, one that goes directly to the heart of the matter — the inequality of workers’ power in the employment relation. In the author’s view, two paths could lead from B.C. Health to the recognition of Charter protec- tion for a right to strike: one that treats the right as an accessory to col- lective bargaining, and one that upholds the right directly on the basis of the Charter values of equality and participation. The author supports the latter approach, contending that constitutional rights should be defined in relation to fundamental values, in a way that is not contingent on time-bound or fact-sensitive assessments about the role of strikes within a particular collective bargaining regime. Although a Charter right to strike may involve the courts in difficult choices about when to defer to legislative policy decisions, and courts may lack the institutional capac- ity to deal effectively with labour law issues, the author points out that judges can look to ILO standards for expert guidance. Noting that the U.S. experience in this area might be of considerable use to Canadians, the author concludes by providing an overview of American case law concerning a constitutional right to strike.Peer reviewe
GENETIC BASIS OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE: TRIALLELIC POLYMORPHISM OF THE SEROTONIN TRANSPORTER GENE IN A POPULATION OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENT SUBJECTS FROM ITALY
No full textBackground: The involvement of genetic variants in the
neurobiology of addiction and in the pathways of reward circuits
is well established. Serotonin transporter (5-HTT) regulate
serotonergic neurotransmission and has been associated also
with alcohol dependence (AD). Aim of this study is to assess a
possible link between a tri-allelic polymorphism of the 5’-UTR
region of 5-HTT gene (SLC6A4) and AD. This tri-allelic
polymorphism is made up of the long (L) allele of 5-HTTLPR
polymorphism together with the A (La) or G (Lg) allele of the
rs25531 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and the short
allele (S). Lg and S are the low-functioning alleles.
Methods: Genotyping was performed by PCR amplification of
the 5-HTTLPR region; this produces long (L) or short (S)
amplicons depending on the variable number of repeated
elements, that results, in most cases, in a 43 base pair
insertion/deletion. The rs25531 genotype was obtained by an
L specific PCR amplification followed by a mini sequencing
reaction. We investigated 439 Italian alcoholic outpatients
(male 350, female 89) at Alcohol Unit of Umberto I Hospital -
Sapienza University of Rome and 423 healthy controls (male
285, female 138).
Results: From allelic point of view, no statistically significant
difference could be evidenced between alcoholics and controls,
considering either overall population or males separated from
females. However, AD women showed higher frequency of
both the L (56.2%) and La (51.7%) allele than control women
(respectively 50.4% and 47.5%), although not statistically
significant probably because of the smallness of the sample
analysed. An higher frequency of the L allele statistically
significant (P <0.05), can be only observed in women with an
early first contact with alcohol (≤16 yo, 63.5%) compared to
control (50.4%).
Conclusions. According to our results, the 5HTTLPR and
rs25531 polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter gene
(SLC6A4) seems not to be generally involved in AD. However,
considering males and females together can lead to
underestimate important differences in allelic distribution. In
fact, at least some categories of female patients show an higher
percentage of “fully working” alleles (L and La). Genotypic
analysis and studies of larger populations are mandatory
TRANSFERRINA CARBOIDRATO CARENTE NEL MISUSO ALCOLICO: CONFRONTO TRA METODICHE ALTERNATIVE DI DOSAGGIO E RIVALUTAZIONE DEGLI INTERVALLI DI RIFERIMENTO.
No full textLa diagnosi oggettiva di abuso alcolico è di grande importanza in medicina clinica e legale. Sono di uso comune, attualmente, diversi metodi analitici per la misura della transferrina carboidrato carente (CDT). Oggetto del nostro studio è quello di rivalutare gli intervalli di riferimento per il dosaggio della CDT con metodica NLatex (N-Latex – SIEMENS, su analizzatore BN Pro Spec®) ed in elettroforesi capillare (EC) (Capillarys, Sebia) in una popolazione di 130 donatori, afferenti al Centro Trasfusionale del Policlinico Umberto I, astemi o moderati bevitori (1 Unità Alcolica/die per la donna e 2 per l’uomo). Si vogliono inoltre confrontare i due differenti metodi analitici su 100 campioni, selezionati in base al loro valore di CDT in EC (negativo: ≤1,3%, n=41; incerto: >1,3% e ≤1,6%, n=25; positivo: >1,6%, n=34) da soggetti alcolisti afferenti al Centro di Riferimento Alcologico della Regione Lazio (Roma, Policlinico Umberto I). Si intende infine considerare l’influenza del dosaggio della transferrina totale sul risultato della determinazione percentuale della CDT nel test N-Latex, sostituendo la misura della transferrina totale eseguita in nefelometria con quelle eseguite con metodo immunoturbidimetrico Siemens (TNRF, Flex® reagent cartridge, Dimension) e Roche/Hitachi (TRSF2, Tina-quant Transferrin, Cobas C). Gli intervalli di riferimento ottenuti come 95% unilaterale sinistro della distribuzione vanno per il metodo N-Latex dall’1,08% all’1,68%; per il metodo in EC dallo 0,3% all’1,0%. Utilizzando l’intervallo di riferimento Siemens (1,19%-2,47%), l’85,3% dei pazienti selezionati con CDT in EC >1,6% ha un valore N-Latex > 2,47% ed il 34,3% dei soggetti negativi ha valori di CDT in EC >1,3% e ≤1,6%. Utilizzando i nostri intervalli di riferimento, tutti i pazienti selezionati con CDT in EC >1,6% hanno un valore NLatex >1,69% ed il 34,3% dei pazienti positivi ha valori di CDT in EC >1,3% e ≤1,6%. Per il metodo N-Latex suggeriamo di riconsiderare l’intervallo di riferimento e di introdurre una fascia di risultati non conclusivi. Dai nostri dati i livelli di concordanza tra metodo SEBIA ed NLatex non cambiano utilizzando dosaggi alternativi della transferrina totale
G-Rank: Unsupervised Continuous Learn-to-Rank for Edge Devices in a P2P Network
No full textRanking algorithms in traditional search engines are powered by enormous training data sets that are meticulously engineered and curated by a centralized entity. Decentralized peer-to-peer (p2p) networks such as torrenting applications and Web3 protocols deliberately eschew centralized databases and computational architectures when designing services and features. As such, robust search-and-rank algorithms designed for such domains must be engineered specifically for decentralized networks, and must be lightweight enough to operate on consumer-grade personal devices such as a smartphone or laptop computer. We introduce G-Rank, an unsupervised ranking algorithm designed exclusively for decentralized networks. We demonstrate that accurate, relevant ranking results can be achieved in fully decentralized networks without any centralized data aggregation, feature engineering, or model training. Furthermore, we show that such results are obtainable with minimal data preprocessing and computational overhead, and can still return highly relevant results even when a user’s device is disconnected from the network. G-Rank is highly modular in design, is not limited to categorical data, and can be implemented in a variety of domains with minimal modification. The results herein show that unsupervised ranking models designed for decentralized p2p networks are not only viable, but worthy of further research.https://github.com/awrgold/G-RankComputer Scienc
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