1,721,018 research outputs found
Clinical duration of action of different botulinum toxin types in humans
Full text linkThe Botulinum NeuroToxin (BoNT) comprises several serotypes with distinct properties, mechanisms of action, sensitivity and duration of effect in different species. The serotype A (BoNT/A) is the prevalent neurotoxin applied in human's disease. In this paper we present an overview of the current knowledge regarding the duration of effect and the neuromuscular sprouting of different BoNT serotypes in humans. Then, we report the original results of a study in healthy subjects treated with BoNT/A, B, C and F using different neurophysiological techniques. Twelve healthy volunteers (7 men, 5 women) are treated with BoNT/A, B, C and F or placebo in Abductor digiti minimi (ADM) muscle of the hand. Before and after injections, an extensive neurophysiological study is performed with the CMAP amplitude variation, Multi-Motor Unit Action Potentials (MUAPs) analysis, the Turns/Amplitude ratio of interference pattern (IP) and determination of jitter and Fiber Density (FD) at single-fiber electromyography (SFEMG), at week 2 (w2), 4 (w4), 6 (w6) and 8 (w8). A maximal neuromuscular block is obtained at w2 for all the serotypes. Afterwards, the CMAP trend appear similar for BoNT/A, B, and C while, BoNT/F shows a faster recover. Multi-MUAPs analysis and IP detect mild changes at w2 for all serotypes, except for BoNT/F that shows a greater change since w4. SFEMG have minimal changes in FD while, Jitter increase at w2 with a slower decrease over the time for all BoNTs. In conclusion, BoNT/F has earlier sprouting and complete recovery at w8. Other serotypes present a slower and similar profile. The EMG appear useful to study the functional recovery in humans, and these results should provide new evidence for assessing different serotypes. These findings improve our knowledge regarding the methods to evaluate duration of effects and dose equivalents in different serotypes, that in the future could change the clinicians strategy for disease-tailored BoNT therapies
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
NEUROPATHIC PAIN IN ITALY (NEUP-ITALY): PREVALENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF NEUROPATHIC PAIN IN TRAUMATIC BRACHIAL PLEXOPATHY
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Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Itching syndrome as the only manifestation of neuropathic pain - A case report
No full textItch is a common manifestation in systemic disease. Recent
microneurography studies showed that itch is mediated by a
functionally distinct subset of C-fibres. We described the case
of a 68-year-old woman complaining of itch at trunk and legs
with acute onset three years before our first observation. Itch
was induced by ambient warmth and was associated with a persisting
burning-like heat sensation. Extensive dermatologic and
allergologic investigations were negative. Treatment with antihistaminergic
and low-dosage oral steroids for 6 months did
not modify the clinical picture. Physical examination was negative.
Laboratory investigations revealed only neutrophilic
leukocytosis, whereas chemistry profile, thyroid-stimulating
hormone, serum and urine immunofixation, and screening for
immunologic, infectious, and neoplastic disease was negative.
Cerebrospinal fluid examination was normal. Gabapentin
(1200 mg/day) reduced itch severity from 10 to 5 of the visual
analogue scale (VAS) at 1-month follow-up. Nerve conduction
study and needle electromyography was normal. Quantitative
sensory testing in foot and distal leg disclosed warm hyperalgesia.
Cutaneous blood flow by laser Doppler flowmetry at distal
legs showed abnormal vasodilatation function induced by
local heating. Skin biopsy demonstrated reduced intraepidermal
nerve fibre density at the proximal thigh (8.7/mm) and
normal value at the distal leg (7.8/mm) with diffuse axonal
swellings. Total body CT-scan showed laterocervical and mediastinic
lymphadenopathy. The histological exam of axillary
lymph nodes revealed T-lymphocitic T-zone lymphoma (TZL).
Itch frequently occurs in lymphoproliferative disease. In our
case we showed the histological impairment of small fibres
suggesting the presence of uncommon Itching Small Fibre
Neuropathy
Frameless Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery: A Single-Center Experience and Retrospective Analysis of Placement Accuracy of 220 Electrodes in a Series of 110 Patients
No full textBackground: Proper lead placement is considered one of the key factors in achieving a good clinical outcome in deep brain stimulation (DBS), but there is still considerable controversy surrounding the accuracy of the frameless in comparison to the frame-based technique. Objective: We report our single-center experience with DBS electrode placement to evaluate the accuracy of the frameless stereotactic system. Methods: We prospectively analyzed the data of 110 patients who underwent DBS surgery for Parkinson disease, dystonia, essential tremor, or refractory epilepsy. The final targets (FTs) of the 220 leads were: subthalamic nucleus, globus pallidus pars interna, ventralis intermedius nucleus, and anterior nuclei of thalamus in thalamus. A bilateral stereotactic approach using a combined identification of target based on preoperative images (MRI and CT scan fusion) and intra-operative micro-electrode recording (MER) were done. We collected and compared the coordinates of planned target (PT), the definitive expected target (ET) during MER, and the effective final location (FT) of the lead using the postoperative CT. Accuracy was assessed by both vector error (VE) and deviation from the PT. Results: The mean and SD from PTs was 0.78 +/- 0.43 mm in the x direction, 0.68 +/- 0.41 mm in the y direction, and 0.76 +/- 0.41 mm in the z direction. Global VE was 1.43 +/- 0.37. Conclusion: Frameless systems appear to be a reliable and accurate technique
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