1,720,998 research outputs found
Elevated serum levels of soluble interleukin-4 receptor in osteoarthritis
No full textSummaryObjectiveTo test the importance of the interleukin-4 (IL-4)/IL-4 receptor (IL-4R) system in osteoarthritis (OA) we evaluated soluble IL-4R (sIL-4R) levels in sera of patients with different forms of OA and healthy individuals.MethodsWe recruited: 141 patients with hand OA, 70 with nodal and 71 with erosive hand OA; 64 patients undergoing total joint replacement, 34 with hip and 30 with knee OA; and 38 ethnically and geographically age-matched healthy individuals [normal controls (NC)].ResultsSerum sIL-4R concentration was found to be significantly higher in all OA patients than that in NC. When patients were divided into four subgroups (nodal, erosive, hip and knee OA) significant differences were present when comparing NC with each subgroup. This was true also when small-joint OA groups were compared with large-joint OA groups, the latter being associated with higher IL-4R levels.ConclusionsWe found increased levels of sIL-4R in OA patients compared with healthy individuals. We speculate that this reduces availability of IL-4, and its effects on chondrocytes
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
Analysis of cartilage biomarkers in erosive and non-erosive osteoarthritis of the hands
No full textVariations 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
Clinical and radiographic distribution of structural damage in erosive and non erosive hand osteoarthritis.
No full textAbstract
OBJECTIVE:
To characterize the clinical and radiographic joint phenotype in erosive hand osteoarthritis (EHOA) and non-EHOA.
METHODS:
A total of 446 patients with HOA (233 with EHOA and 213 with non-EHOA) were evaluated. Demographic (sex and age at disease onset), clinical (body mass index and distribution of nodes), and radiographic features (Kellgren/Lawrence and Kallman's scores obtained from radiographs of both hands) from all patients were recorded.
RESULTS:
Patients with EHOA had a significantly earlier disease onset. Clinical and radiographic distribution of structural damage in the distal interphalangeal (DIP), proximal interphalangeal (PIP), and first carpometacarpal joints was similar in EHOA and non-EHOA. EHOA patients showed higher percentages of nodes and more severe radiographic scores; the more severe radiographic score of joints with nodes was due to both osteophytes and joint space narrowing (JSN). A direct correlation between osteophytes and JSN scores was observed. Central erosions (CE) were more prevalent in the DIP joints than in the PIP joints. Gull-wing pattern of CE was prevalent in the DIP joints, whereas saw-tooth pattern was prevalent in the PIP joints. Marginal erosions (ME) were present in 100% of EHOA patients and in 80% of non-EHOA patients. An ordinal correlation between the presence of ME and osteophyte score was found.
CONCLUSION:
We found quantitative, but not topographic, differences in structural damage between EHOA and non-EHOA. Heberden's nodes, severe radiologic scores, and CE were concentrated in the second, third, and fifth DIP joints of both hands. ME were also present in the majority of non-EHOA patients
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
Quantitative ultrasound assessment of healthy and degenerated cartilage
No full textUltrasound (US) imaging represents a safe option for cartilage monitoring. However, at present, it is not established as an objective and quantitative evaluation method. In this work, we introduce a novel quantitative US assessment based on six radiofrequency (RF) metrics intended to discriminate between healthy and chemically degraded cartilage tissues. Bovine cartilage samples were degraded with collagenase (responsible of collagen network deterioration) and scanned with a 15 MHz US imaging probe, which allowed RF data access. Results revealed a significant reduction in the values of approximate entropy, root mean square, and sample entropy after collagenase treatment, paving the way for the use of these techniques as a future diagnostic tool for cartilage monitoring
In vivo expression of inflammatory cytokine receptors in the joint compartments of patients with arthritis.
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