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    Percentage hematocrit variation (PHEVAR) index as a quality indicator of patient blood management in cardiac surgery

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    Severe hemodilution and perioperative bleeding are determinants of hematocrit (HCT) variations in cardiac surgery patients. These variations may be direct determinants of bad outcomes, and may trigger allogeneic blood product transfusions, which are associated with morbidity and mortality. The present study introduces the Percentage HEmatocrit VARiation (PHEVAR) index as a tool to assess the quality of patient blood management (PBM) and to possibly guide specific interventions

    Nutritional status in the healthy longeval population from Sardinia (Italy)

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    Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate sex- and age-related variations of the nutritional status in the aged population of central Sardinia, a geographical area with a high frequency of long-lived people, particularly men. Design: The sample consisted of 200 subjects over 70 years of age (men: N= 100, age=81.0±7.0 years; women: N= 100, age= 81.5±7.3 years). Setting: Orroli (central Sardinia, Italy). Measurements: Mini nutritional assessment (MNA) and bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) were used to evaluate nutritional status and body composition. Results: The indicators revealed a generally good nutritional status. The MNA results (men: 24.6±2.2; women: 23.4±2.5) showed that 64.1% of the subjects had a normal nutritional status and only a small proportion (1.2%) could be classified as malnourished. BIVA showed that most subjects (74.2%) were normal, while the prevalence of low body cell mass was 10.7% and that of dehydration 11.2%. According to the MNA, the nutritional status was significantly better in the men. Almost three-quarters of the men (73.1%) were well nourished vs. half of the women (50.6%). A worsening of the nutritional status with age was observed. The proportion of malnourished individuals, as assessed by MNA, increased from 0% to 9.1% from 70-79 to >90 years. Conclusions: With respect to their contemporaries from other regions, the elderly of Orroli presented a better nutritional status, a similar worsening with age and generally higher sexual dimorphism

    Data set from Ranucci M, Bianchi P, Cotza M, Beccaris C, Silvetti S, Isgrò G, Giamberti A, Baryshnikova E. Fibrinogen levels and postoperative chest drain blood loss in low-weight (<10 kg) children undergoing cardiac surgery. Perfusion. 2019 Nov;34(8):629-636. doi: 10.1177/0267659119854246. Epub 2019 Jun 28. PMID: 31250738.

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    Data set from Ranucci M, Bianchi P, Cotza M, Beccaris C, Silvetti S, Isgrò G, Giamberti A, Baryshnikova E. Fibrinogen levels and postoperative chest drain blood loss in low-weight (<10 kg) children undergoing cardiac surgery. Perfusion. 2019 Nov;34(8):629-636. doi: 10.1177/0267659119854246. Epub 2019 Jun 28. PMID: 31250738. This is the abstract: Introduction: Low-weight (<10 kg) children undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass are prone to dilution and consumption of soluble coagulation factors and fibrinogen. Low levels of fibrinogen may represent a possible cause of severe postoperative chest drain blood loss. The present study investigates the association between post-cardiopulmonary bypass fibrinogen levels and postoperative chest drain blood loss and severe bleeding, aiming to identify possible cut-off values to trigger specific interventions. Methods: Prospective cohort study on 77 patients weighing 30 ml kg-1/24h). Results: Factors being independently associated with severe bleeding were the international normalized ratio and the fibrinogen levels at the arrival in the intensive care unit. Once corrected for other confounders, fibrinogen levels had an odds ratio of 0.2 (95% confidence interval = 0.011-0.54) per 1 gL-1 for severe bleeding. The discrimination power was fair (area under the curve = 0.770). The best cut-off value was identified at a fibrinogen level of 150 mg dL-1, with a sensitivity of 52%, a specificity of 85% and a positive predictive value of 60% for severe bleeding. Conclusion: Both a prolonged international normalized ratio and low fibrinogen levels were predictive for severe bleeding, underscoring the role of coagulation factors dilution and consumption in this specific patient population

    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
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