1,720,976 research outputs found
Bayesian scanning of spatial disease rates with integrated nested Laplace approximation (INLA)
No full textAmong the many tools suited to detect local clusters in group-level data, Kulldorff–Nagarwalla’s spatial scan statistic gained wide popularity (Kulldorff and Nagarwalla in Stat Med 14(8):799–810, 1995). The underlying assumptions needed for making statistical inference feasible are quite strong, as counts in spatial units are assumed to be independent Poisson distributed random variables. Unfortunately, outcomes in spatial units are often not independent of each other, and risk estimates of areas that are close to each other will tend to be positively correlated as they share a number of spatially varying characteristics. We therefore introduce a Bayesian model-based algorithm for cluster detection in the presence of spatially autocorrelated relative risks. Our approach has been made possible by the recent development of new numerical methods based on integrated nested Laplace approximation, by which we can directly compute very accurate approximations of posterior marginals within short computational time (Rue et al. in JRSS B 71(2):319–392, 2009). Simulated data and a case study show that the performance of our method is at least comparable to that of Kulldorff–Nagarwalla’s statistic
Simultaneous presentation of idiopathic macular and posterior full-thickness retinal holes successfully treated with inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique
Full text linkPurpose: To report an unusual non-iatrogenic case of central macular and posterior full-thickness retinal holes (FTRHs). Observations: A 60-year-old man presented with a progressive visual loss in the right eye. A complete ophthalmological evaluation including best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) measurement, fundus examination and spectral - domain optical coherence tomography (SD–OCT) was performed. Fundus examination and SD-OCT confirmed the presence of simultaneous macular and posterior FTRHs. A 25-gauge vitrectomy was performed and the internal limiting membrane (ILM) was grasped and peeled off around the two holes. A fragment of the peeled-off ILM anchored on the FTRHs edges was left and inserted into the gaps. Closure of both retinal holes was achieved at 1-month, and BCVA improved from 20/630 at baseline to 20/63 at month 3. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were recorded. Conclusions and Importance: Inverted ILM flap technique represents a good treatment option in this rare non-iatrogenic condition, allowing a good anatomical and functional recovery
A study of refractory cases of persistent epithelial defects associated with dry eye syndrome and recurrent corneal erosions successfully treated with cyclosporine A 0.05% eye drops
Full text linkBackground: Effective and tolerable therapeutic strategies for patients with refractory persistent epithelial defects (PEDs) are limited and generally provide poor outcomes. This retrospective case review describes four refractory cases of PEDs associated with recurrent corneal erosions (RCEs) and dry eye disease (DED), which were successfully treated with cyclosporine eye drops.
Methods: Patients were treated with cyclosporine A 0.05% eye drops twice a day for at least 12 months. At enrolling time, each patient was asked to suspend topical steroids or other eye drops used for ocular surface abnormalities with the exception of lubricants and eye washing. A complete evaluation of ocular surface symptoms was performed including the McMonnies
Dry Eye Questionnaire, Ocular Surface Disease Index, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, fluorescein break-up time, the fluorescein staining of the cornea and conjunctiva (according to the Oxford grading system), the Schirmer I test, and the meibomian secretion after digital pressure application on the lids. This set of exams was carried out at baseline and repeated at all follow-up assessments.
Results: All participants that did not benefit from previous therapies, including corticosteroids tapering schedule, showed an important improvement in the clinical picture after two months with topical cyclosporine medication. Moreover, after 12 months of continuous therapy, all patients showed a clinical improvement in DED signs and symptoms, related to the absence of
new RCE episodes. The treatment was well tolerated, and no adverse effects were reported.
Conclusion: Although a small number of cases were available of our analysis, the treatment with cyclosporine eye drops represents a promising approach in the management of refractory PEDs with associated ocular comorbidities, since it may reduce the RCE episodes and improve the tear film stability, in absence of systemic or local side effects
Management of Accidental Intravitreal Dexamethasone Injection Into the Lens: A Case Report.
Full text linkAn accidental injection of a dexamethasone implant inside the crystalline lens was observed in the right eye of a 63-year-old woman suffering from a macular edema secondary to a central retinal vein occlusion. A 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy and lensectomy followed by an intraocular lens implantation were performed to carefully remove the lens and save the whole implant in order to preserve its therapeutics effects. A strict follow-up over the following 3 months revealed an improving of macular edema and no postoperative complications. The injection of a dexamethasone implant into the lens could be effectively and successfully managed with a pars plana vitrectomy and lensectomy
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
A study of refractory cases of persistent epithelial defects associated with dry eye syndrome and recurrent corneal erosions successfully treated with cyclosporine a 0.05% eye drops
No full textBackground: Effective and tolerable therapeutic strategies for patients with refractory persistent epithelial defects (PEDs) are limited and generally provide poor outcomes. This retrospective case review describes four refractory cases of PEDs associated with recurrent corneal erosions (RCEs) and dry eye disease (DED), which were successfully treated with cyclosporine eye drops. Methods: Patients were treated with cyclosporine A 0.05% eye drops twice a day for at least 12 months. At enrolling time, each patient was asked to suspend topical steroids or other eye drops used for ocular surface abnormalities with the exception of lubricants and eye washing. A complete evaluation of ocular surface symptoms was performed including the McMonnies Dry Eye Questionnaire, Ocular Surface Disease Index, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, fluorescein break-up time, the fluorescein staining of the cornea and conjunctiva (according to the Oxford grading system), the Schirmer I test, and the meibomian secretion after digital pressure application on the lids. This set of exams was carried out at baseline and repeated at all follow-up assessments. Results: All participants that did not benefit from previous therapies, including corticosteroids tapering schedule, showed an important improvement in the clinical picture after two months with topical cyclosporine medication. Moreover, after 12 months of continuous therapy, all patients showed a clinical improvement in DED signs and symptoms, related to the absence of new RCE episodes. The treatment was well tolerated, and no adverse effects were reported. Conclusion: Although a small number of cases were available of our analysis, the treatment with cyclosporine eye drops represents a promising approach in the management of refractory PEDs with associated ocular comorbidities, since it may reduce the RCE episodes and improve the tear film stability, in absence of systemic or local side effects
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