1,721,229 research outputs found
Potential Benefits of Antioxidant Phytochemicals on Endogenous Antioxidants Defences in Chronic Diseases
Get PDFEDITORIAL Chronic diseases and cancer are worldwide health problems which result in death and disability for millions of people. Numerous epidemiological studies and meta-analyses have suggested that many natural phytochemicals display health-promoting advantages, including the prevention of the most common chronic diseases and cancer. However there are very important topics that need further deepening. Hence, there is still a need to continue in the field of oxidative stress research in chronic diseases and the correlated therapeutic approach, both with diets rich in phytochemicals and antioxidant supplementation. In this Special Issue “Potential benefits of antioxidant phytochemicals on endogenous antioxidants’ defences in chronic diseases the authors emphasized the role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of different chronic diseases and dug deep into the mechanisms underlying the potential benefits produced by phytochemical antioxidants. In addition, there was a general consensus on the fact that further in vivo studies are needed to recommend phytochemical antioxidants as an alternative/adjuvant option in the treatment of chronic diseases
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Oxidative stress, antioxidants, and vascular damage.
No full textOxidative stress has been recognized as a key mechanism in the development of vascular damage, particularly atherosclerosis. In spite of substantial experimental evidence demonstrating reversal of endothelial dysfunction and prevention of atherosclerosis in experimental settings, no benefits have been observed in large clinical trials in which antioxidants have been given in high-risk patients for the prevention of cardiovascular events. Evaluation of the clinical relevance of the oxidative modification hypothesis requires identification of potential molecular targets of antioxidant interventions and effective antioxidant agents. Future research should necessarily consider quantification of interindividual variations in oxidative stress using appropriate biomarkers
Lysophosphatidylcholine and carotid intima-media thickness in young smokers: a role for oxidized LDL-induced expression of PBMC lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2?
Get PDFBackgroundAlthough cigarette smoking has been associated with carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) the mechanisms are yet not completely known. Lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC), a main product of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) activity, appears to be a major determinant of the pro-atherogenic properties of oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and to induce proteoglycan synthesis, a main player in intimal thickening. In this study we assessed whether cigarette smoking-induced oxidative stress may influence plasma Lp-PLA2 and lysoPC and Lp-PLA2 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), as well as the relationship between lysoPC and CIMT.Methods/results45 healthy smokers and 45 age and sex-matched subjects participated in this study. Smokers, compared to non-smokers, showed increased plasma concentrations of oxLDL, Lp-PLA2 and lysoPC together with up-regulation of Lp-PLA2 (mRNA and protein) expression in PBMC (PConclusionsIn smokers a further effect of raised oxidative stress is the up-regulation of Lp-PLA2 expression in PBMC with subsequent increase of plasma Lp-PLA2 and lysoPC. Moreover the correlation between lysoPC and CIMT together with the finding that lysoPC up-regulates proteoglycan synthesis suggests that lysoPC may be a link between smoking and intimal thickening
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“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
Get PDFWe 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
Young smoker “ABCD” vascular assessment: a four-step ultrasound examination for detecting peripheral, extra and intra-cranial early arterial damage
Get PDFCigarette smoking is known as a major risk factor in the pathogenic mechanisms of stroke, coronary and peripheral artery disease (CAD and PAD), even in young subjects. The aim of this study is the creation of a four-step ultrasound examination to evaluate and monitor the peripheral, the extra and the intra-cranial assessment of the arterial early damage in smokers. The evaluations of A, the Ankle-brachial index, ABI, B, the Breath holding index, BHI, C, the Carotid intima media thickness, CIMT, and D, the Diameter of the abdominal aorta represent the "ABCD" assessment
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