1,720,958 research outputs found
Smoking habits in a sample of young Italian soldiers
No full textThe aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the attitudes and characteristics of smoking patterns in a sample of 450 young, Italian, military men. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The prevalence of military smokers was 54.4%; 45.7% of military men were smokers before enrollment, whereas 8.7% initiated smoking after enrollment. In multiple logistic regression analysis, the risk of becoming a smoker was associated with "high" cultural class of the family of origin (odds ratio [OR], 1.99; 95% confidence interval [CII, 1.05-4.23), non-nuclear family types (OR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.25-5.25), parent (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.04-2.90) and sibling/partner (OR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.45-3.50) smokers, and >12 months of service (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.07-5.43). None of the other variables relative to military status was significantly associated with smoking. Because the prevalence of military smokers was very high, we think that special programs aimed at decreasing the prevalence, with the long-term goal of smoking cessation, are needed
Stress management and factors related to the deployment of Italian peacekeepers in Afghanistan
No full textThis cross-sectional study evaluated the stress levels in Italian military personnel involved in a peacekeeping (PK) mission in Afghanistan and a homogeneous group stationed in Italy (SI group). The study was performed from April 2004 to June 2004 in a sample of 160 long-time, career volunteers of the Rossi Barracks of the Alpini di L'Aquila (Italy) (SI group, n = 120; PK group, n = 40). A 10-item, self-evaluation questionnaire proposed in the U.N. Stress Management Booklet was administered to each volunteer. The total item score (TIS) values for the 10 items for the two groups were calculated. These values were greater for the PK group than for the SI group for all 10 items. The TIS values were grouped into three classes of symptoms, anxiety symptoms (items 1-4), stress-induced depression (items 5-7), and posttraumatic stress (items 8-10). The class total item score (CTIS) values were then calculated as the sum of the respective TIS values. The three CTIS values for the PK group were greater than those for the SI group. In particular, the anxiety CTIS was 72 points greater in the PK group (p < 0.001). Therefore, the peacekeepers were inclined to have a greater increase in anxiety symptoms. Consequently, antipanic techniques could be used to reduce anxiety and progressive muscular relaxation training, an important preventive relaxation technique, to face stressors and to reduce clinical anxiety
Leukocyte adhesion molecules and leukocyte-platelet interactions during hemodialysis: effects of different synthetic membranes
No full textCardiovascular risk in patients receiving double therapy with false and true nonresponder hypertension.
No full textObjective The aim of this study was to evaluate cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients receiving double therapy with false and true nonresponder hypertension.Methods The occurrence of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events was evaluated in 730 patients receiving double therapy with uncontrolled clinic blood pressure. Two hundred and seventy had false nonresponder hypertension (clinic blood pressure >= 140 or 90 mmHg and daytime blood pressure = 140 or 90 mmHg and daytime blood pressure >= 135 or 85 mmHg).Results During the follow-up (4.77 +/- 2.9 years, range 0.2-11.7 years), 55 cardiovascular events occurred. The event rates per 100 patient-years in patients with false and true nonresponder hypertension were 1.03 and 1.9, respectively. Event-free survival was significantly different between the groups (P<0.05). After adjustment for several covariates, including clinic blood pressure (forced into the model), Cox regression analysis showed that cardiovascular risk was significantly higher in true than in false nonresponder hypertension (relative risk 2.33, 95% confidence interval 1.14-4.77, P=0.02).Conclusions This study shows that, among treated hypertensive patients receiving double therapy with uncontrolled clinic blood pressure those with true nonresponder hypertension are at higher cardiovascular risk. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring should be performed in this population to achieve a better prognostic stratification
Blood pressure variability and cardiovascular risk in treated hypertensive patients.
No full textBackground: The independent prognostic value of blood pressure (BP) variability in treated hypertension is not yet clear. We investigated the relationship between BP variability, evaluated by noninvasive monitoring, and cardiovascular outcome in treated hypertensive patients. Methods: The occurrence of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events was evaluated in 1472 treated patients. Subjects with the standard deviation of daytime or night-time systolic BP below or above the median of the population were classified as having low or high BP variability. Specifically, 738 and 734 patients had low and high daytime BP variability, respectively, and 739 and 733 subjects had low and high night-time BP variability, respectively. Results: During follow-up (4.88 ± 2.9 years, range 0.2-11.6 years) there were 119 events. The event rates per 100 patient-years in subjects with low and high BP variability according to daytime BP were 1.18 and 2.01, respectively, and in those with low and high BP variability according to night-time BP were 1.2 and 2.05, respectively. Event-free survival was significantly different between the low and high BP variability groups (P = .006 for both daytime and night-time BP). However, after adjustment for other covariates in a Cox multivariate analysis, the adverse prognostic relevance of high BP variability was no longer detectable, whereas age, smoking habit, LDL cholesterol, diabetes, previous events, LV hypertrophy, and daytime or night-time systolic BP resulted independent predictors of risk. Conclusions: Increased BP variability is associated with higher incidence of cardiovascular events, but also with other relevant prognostic factors. Indeed, in multivariate analysis the possible adverse prognostic impact of BP variability is no longer evident. Thus, in treated hypertension, BP variability evaluated by noninvasive monitoring is not an independent predictor of outcome. © 2006 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd
Cardiovascular outcome in treated hypertensive patients with responder, masked, false resistant, and true resistant hypertension.
No full textBackground: The aim of this study was to evaluate
the cardiovascular outcome in apparently responder hypertensive
patients with responder and masked hypertension,
and in apparently resistant hypertensive patients with
false and true resistant hypertension.
Methods: The occurrence of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular
events was evaluated in 340 patients with responder
hypertension (clinic blood pressure [BP] <140/90
mm Hg and daytime BP <135/85 mm Hg), 126 with
masked hypertension (clinic BP <140/90 mm Hg and
daytime BP >135 or 85 mm Hg), 146 with false resistant
hypertension (clinic BP >=140 or 90 mm Hg and daytime
BP <135/85 mm Hg), and 130 with true resistant hypertension
(clinic BP >=140 or 90 mm Hg and daytime BP
>=135 or 85 mm Hg).
Results: During follow-up period (4.98 +/- 2.9 years),
the event-rate per 100 patient-years was 0.87, 2.42, 1.2,
and 4.1 in patients with responder, masked, false resistant,
and true resistant hypertension, respectively. After adjustment
for several covariates, including clinic BP (forced
into the model), Cox regression analysis showed that cardiovascular
risk was significantly higher in masked hypertension
(masked versus responder hypertension, relative
risk [RR] 2.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1– 4.7, P <
.05) and in true resistant hypertension (true resistant versus
responder hypertension, RR 2.94, 95% CI 1.02– 8.41, P <
.05), whereas there was no significant difference between
false resistant and responder hypertension.
Conclusions: This study shows that patients with
masked hypertension are at higher risk than those with responder
hypertension, and that those with false resistant
hypertension are at lower risk than those with true resistant
hypertension. Ambulatory BP monitoring should be performed
in treated hypertensive patients to obtain a better
prognostic stratification. Am J Hypertens 2005;18:
1422–142
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Full text link“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
Full text linkWe 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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