1,720,963 research outputs found
Spontaneous Extrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt in Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis
No full textA case of spontaneous extrahepatic portal shunt in a patient with congenital hepatic fibrosis is describe
B-cell directed immunotherapy as a treatment of giant cell hepatitis with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (GCH-AHA).
No full textRituximab proved effective in inducing and maintaining remission in refractory GCH-AH
Valutazione dell’efficacia del PICADAR nello screening della discinesia ciliare primaria
No full textLa Discinesia Ciliare Primaria (DCP) è una malattia congenita, clinicamente e geneticamente eterogenea, caratterizzata da un deficit del trasporto muco-ciliare legato a una disfunzione delle ciglia respiratorie (associata o meno ad un difetto della loro ultrastruttura), con conseguenti infezioni ricorrenti/recidivanti a carico delle vie aeree e del parenchima polmonare e progressivo decadimento della funzione respiratoria. Si tratta di una patologia rara, con una prevalenza stimata di circa 1:16.000, anche se si ritiene sia ancora ampiamente sotto-diagnosticata. La sua diagnosi è, infatti, di solito posta tardivamente a causa della scarsa conoscenza della malattia da parte degli operatori sanitari e di un iter diagnostico che si avvale di esami complessi e disponibili solo in pochi Centri. Inoltre, le manifestazioni cliniche non sono specifiche e variano con l’età dei pazienti. Pertanto, allo scopo di migliorare l’identificazione dei soggetti da avviare alle indagini diagnostiche, è stato recentemente proposto e va-lidato un questionario denominato PICADAR (PrImary CiliAry DyskinesiA Rule), che si può utilizzare fin dalle prime epoche della vita nei soggetti con tosse catarrale quotidiana insorta precocemente, condizione indispensabile per il sospetto diagnostico di DCP. Lo scopo del nostro studio è stato valutare l’efficacia di questo strumento nello screening della malattia attraverso un’analisi retrospettiva della storia clinica dei soggetti sottoposti agli accertamenti diagnostici per DCP presso il nostro Centro negli ultimi 10 anni
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
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
GALLSTONES IN CHILDHOOD: A SINGLE CENTRE EXPERIENCE
No full textGallstones are more frequently diagnosed in asymptomatic children fortuitously. Symptomatic children are older, have more frequently complications and require most often surgery. Asymptomatic children if treated with ursodeoxycholic acid may respond to medical therap
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
Correlation between colonic manometry and colonic transit studies in children with chronic constipation
No full textBackground & aim: Functional constipation (FC) is a common condition encountered in paediatric population that severely impacts patients’ quality of life. Patients refractory to medical treatments are eligible for further investigations, including colonic manometry (CM) and transit studies (CTS). Colonic transit assessment can be performed with either colonic scintigraphy (CS) or with radiopaque marker (ROM) test and based on their results, constipation can be classified into slow transit constipation (STC) and obstructed defecation. Scientific literature about the concordance between manometric features and colonic transit is currently sparse and a recent study reports good correlation between CS and CM in constipated children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the agreement between CM and CTSs and the presence of specific manometric patterns suggestive of STC or outlet obstruction, respectively.
Methods: Consecutive FC patients that had been referred at our centre from 2012 to 2017 were retrospectively evaluated. All patients underwent CM and at least one of the CTSs (either CS or ROM test) as part of their diagnostic work-up. CM was performed as per standardised protocol including at least 1 hour of basal recording, standardised test-meal and administration of two different dose of bisacodyl (0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg). ROM test was performed by administering three different sets of markers in three subsequent days, followed by abdominal radiograph on day 4. CS protocol consisted in administering 111I radiolabelled water along with standard meal. Images were taken at 24 and 48 hours and geometric centres were calculated. All patients underwent bowel clear-out prior to the studies. Based on previously published papers, results from CM were categorised into normal, abnormal distal motor activity and colonic inertia; whereas results of CTSs were classified into normal transit, recto-sigmoid hold-up and slow transit. Cohen keppa, Fisher`s exact and Anova test were used for the statistical analysis.
Results: Twenty-nine children (11 males and 18 females, mean age 10.1 years, SD 3.16) were included. As part of their workup, 24.1% (n=7) of the patients had only CS, 62.1 % (n=18) had only ROM test and 13.8% had both tests (n=4). CTSs showed normal values in 3.4% (n=1), outlet obstruction in 24.1% (n=7) and a slow transit in 72.4% (n=21) of patients, respectively. Conversely, CM showed a normal pattern in 65.5% (n=19) of the patients, abnormal distal contraction in 27.6% (n=8) and colonic inertia in 6.9% (n=2). The concordance between the two colonic transit tests was high 100% (Cohen K = 1); whereas, CTSs and CM showed no agreement (Cohen K = 0.079). When comparing different CM patterns in STC and outlet obstruction patients, the presence of partially propagating high-amplitude propagating contractions (HAPCs) was significantly associated with outlet obstruction (p=0.020). Conversely, changes in the motility index from baseline, HAPCs waveform, presence of common cavity features or retro-propagating contractions and colorectal reflex were not predictive of the prevalent colonic transit pattern. Also, the number of HAPCs and low-amplitude propagating contractions (LAPCs) was not significantly associated with CTSs results (p=0.057 and 0.873 in STC and outlet obstruction, respectively).
Conclusions: Constipated patients may require CM or CTSs as part of their diagnostic workup. CS and ROM test have a high agreement in classifying the type of constipation. In contrast, we found no agreement between CM and CTSs results. The presence of partially propagating contractions into the distal colon appears to be significantly correlated with outlet obstruction as assessed with CTS, whereas, none of the other colonic manometric patterns was significantly associated with outlet obstruction or STC. All these functional tests have a clinical utility in assessing the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying constipation and may guide clinicians’ therapeutic choices. Given the high agreement between CS and ROM studies, both these radiological techniques can be used to assess the type of constipation, based on centre expertise. On the contrary, CM may be useful in assessing the contractile response following different provocative tests and demonstrating the integrity of colonic neuro-muscular function. Although further larger studies are needed to replicate our data, our results show that manometry and transit studies, by exploring different pathophysiology aspects underlying chronic constipation, have both clinical utility in the diagnostic workup of FC patients
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