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    Double epidural catheter technique in a patient with severe COPD undergoing major abdominal surgery: A case report

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    INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) leads to the development of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC), such as atelectasis, pneumonia and respiratory failure. The use of epidural anesthesia, alone or combined with general anesthesia, is known to reduce the incidence of PPC and shorten tracheal intubation time. In major procedures involving both the lower and upper abdomen, central neuraxial block at a single level may be inadequate to provide sufficient metameric extension of anesthesia. This limitation could be overcome with the use of double epidural catheter (DEC), has proved effective in diverse surgical scenarios. CASE PRESENTATION AND CLINICAL DISCUSSION: We present the case of a woman affected by moderate-severe COPD scheduled for major abdominal cytoreductive surgery due to ovarian malignancy with planned xypho-pubic laparotomy. We developed and implemented a DEC-based strategy for perioperative pain management based on the extent of surgical incision and the high risk of difficult weaning from ventilation and PPC. We used intraoperative monitoring to guarantee adequate antinociception throughout the entire 350 min long demolitive surgical procedure. No additional top-ups of intravenous analgesia or neuromuscular blocking agent (NMBA) was needed during surgery; at the end of the procedure, the patient was extubated in the operating theatre, maintaining adequate respiratory function during the whole postoperative period. CONCLUSIONS: The DEC technique could be beneficial for patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery. In our case, this technique granted optimal analgesic coverage and was instrumental in achieving fast weaning from mechanical ventilation and early tracheal extubation. Systematic studies on this subject are warranted

    Opioid use for chronic pain management in Italy: results from the Orthopedic Instant Pain survey project

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    Pain is a common symptom in orthopedic patients, but is managed sub-optimally, partly due to scarce opioid use in severe cases. The aim of the Orthopedic Instant Pain Survey (POIS) was to evaluate changes in pain management in Italian orthopedic practice 2 years after a legislative change (Law 38/2010) simplifying opioid access for pain control. A web-based survey on the knowledge of this law and trends observed in clinical practice for severe pain treatment was administered to 143 Italian orthopedic specialists. In total, 101 (70%) respondents showed a high level of knowledge. Nevertheless, 54.5% stated that they do not use opioids for severe osteo-articular pain management. Main barriers to opioid use are fear of adverse events (61.4%), especially nausea/vomiting and constipation, and patient resistance (29.7%). A modest knowledge of pain classification was also demonstrated. Opioid use remains very limited in Italian orthopedic practice. Physicians’ fear of side effects showed poor knowledge of strategies for effective management of opioid-related adverse events, such as combined oral prolonged-release oxycodone/naloxone. Continuing educational programs could improve delivery of evidence-based pain management

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The 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

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    “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

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    We 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
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