177,078 research outputs found
Comparison Between Lipofilling and a Nonabsorbable Filler for Facial Wasting Rehabilitation in HIV-Positive Patients
No full textBackground: Several treatments have been described for facial wasting rehabilitation in HIV-positive patients. In this article, we compare lipofilling and a nonabsorbable filler for facial wasting rehabilitation induced by antiretroviral therapy in HIV-positive patients. Methods: This study was conducted as a clinical prospective study. Twenty-three HIV-positive patients affected by facial wasting were treated for facial rehabilitation, between January 2007 and December 2008, at the Head and Neck Department of the II University of Naples. They were divided into 2 groups; the first group was treated with lipofilling (group A), and the second one with the injection of a nonabsorbable filler, Aquamid reconstruction (Contura International A/S, Soeborg, Denmark) (group B). All the patients were HIV-positive, they had been receiving antiretroviral therapy for several years (1.8-6.7 years, 3.2 years on average) and showed clinical signs of facial lipoatrophy. Group A was composed of 14 patients (9 men, 5 women; mean age, 43.7 years), all presenting facial wasting and lipohypertrophied areas of the body. Group B was composed of 9 male patients, 7 presenting only facial wasting, and 2 presenting lipohypertrophied areas of the body (mean age, 44.8 years). Clinical efficacy was assessed independently by the investigator and the patient, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after baseline. The main assessment was made by the investigator using the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS) 1 year after baseline; secondary assessment using the GAIS was made by the investigator and the patient 6 months after baseline. Results: There were no major complications. No infections or other complications were observed. According to GAIS ratings, group A (lipofilling) obtained significantly higher ratings than did group B (nonabsorbable filler) after baseline (P < 0.05). Conclusions: We can treat HIV-related lipodistrophy more extensively with lipofilling because, after harvesting the fat graft, other body contouring procedures also can be performed; there is a better aesthetic outcome in facial rehabilitation performed with lipofilling, probably due to the possibility to fill deeper than with nonabsorbable fillers
Safety and efficacy of one-step rehabilitation of human immunodeficiency virus-related facial lipoatrophy using an injectable calcium hydroxylapatite dermal filler.
No full textAppropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
No full textWe 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
A new method of skin erythrosis evaluation in digital images.
No full textIn the clinical field, reproducible and comparable assessments of skin color are needed for objective evaluation of lesions and efficacy of treatments. In order to provide objective, quantitative color information in skin lesions, devices such as reflectance spectrophotometer and reflectance colorimeter have been successfully used during the past decade, though they are too expensive and technically complex to be handled in routine clinical situations. Reflectance skin color measurements require direct contact of the probe with the skin, and the compression significantly influences readings. Color measurements obtained from digitized images have been proposed as a simple and cost-effective way to evaluate skin color and promote efficacy of treatments. The disadvantage is its direct and close relation to the ambient light: even if an accurate control of subject illumination is provided, readings vary between different laboratories. We propose a standard system for computerized color image analysis of skin erythrosis modification after Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments, making it possible to compare readings taken by different observers in different environmental light conditions. The goal of our study is the introduction of fixed color internal controls in digital imaging in order to calculate a normalization factor of measurements, resulting not in a method of absolute quantification of erythema or erythrosis but in a method that provides the possibility of translation and comparison of the red values between systems in different environmental conditions. Between December 2004 and May 2005 we evaluated 30 patients at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University "La Sapienza" of Rome. Three points of standard colored paper (Red Green Blue) were applied with a plastic pattern (standard intersection lines) and white point in non involved area for skin control. For every patient we took a series of pictures pre-treatment and after a standard cycle of 5/6 IPL. We evaluate the grade of reproducibility of our procedure with a careful analysis of pre-treatment digital images obtained in different environmental conditions. The statistic analysis of the standard deviation between the values of R obtained (using different light conditions), and the respective normalized valor (normalized to the referent image), did not show any significant statistical difference and allows us to achieve our goal: the reproducibility of the results
"Closing the R&D Gap, Evaluating the Sources of R&D Spending"
No full textBoth spending and tax policies have been implemented in the United States with the goal of stimulating private sector research and development (R&D). Karier questions whether current R&D policy, especially the research and experimentation tax credit, can contribute to closing the gap between nondefense expenditures on R&D in the United States and such expenditures in other countries, such as Japan and Germany. He also explores possible changes to our current R&D policy to make it more effective.
BRSMG Curinga: cultivar de arroz de terras altas de ampla adaptação para o Brasil.
No full textO objetivo deste trabalho é a apresentação das características da BRSMG Curinga, a sétima cultivar de arroz de terras altas originária da colaboração da Embrapa com o programa CIAT/CIRAD, lançada em 2005 para cultivo em condições de terras altas nos Estados de Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Rondônia, Pará, Roraima, Maranhão, Piauí e Tocantins
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe 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
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Integrative Group Treatment Protocol (EMDR-IGTP) Applied to Caregivers of Patients With Dementia
No full textCaregivers of patients with dementia experience high levels of stress and burden, with effects comparable to those of a traumatic event. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) appear to be effective in recovering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We aimed at investigating the effectiveness of the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Integrative Group Treatment Protocol (EMDR-IGTP) on the "caregiver syndrome". Forty-four primary caregivers entered the study. They were randomly assigned to either the "immediate" branch, who received the treatment soon after recruitment, or to the "delayed" branch, who received it two months after recruitment. The treatment consisted of eight group sessions (one per week) spanning over two months. Emotional distress was measured before the treatment, immediately after the end of it, and two months later (follow-up), by means of several clinical scales (Impact of Event Scale-Revised, IES-R; Caregiver Needs Assessment, CNA; Caregiver Burden Inventory, CBI; Anxiety and Depression Scale-Reduced Form, AD-R). The "immediate" branch improved significantly more than the "delayed" (control) branch on The Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the Anxiety, and the Depression scales; however, after treatment such an improvement was maintained only in the first scale. The "delayed" branch took less advantage of the treatment, showing significant reduction only on the Depression scale, an effect which disappeared at follow-up. These preliminary results show for the first time that EMDR-IGTP reduces stress-related symptoms, anxiety, and depression in caregivers of patients with dementia. Interestingly, caregivers who were inserted in a waiting list after recruitment showed smaller treatment effects. Larger samples are needed to better interpret such differential clinical profiles
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