1,721,001 research outputs found
Clinical Molecular Pathology and Treatment Developments in Advanced Uveal Melanoma: State of the Art
No full textUveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intraocular cancer, with approximately 5.2 individuals per million affected annually in the United States. It represents approximately 3% of the global malignant melanoma cases, accounting for 80% of the overall noncutaneous melanomas. Clinically, it remains silent in about 30% of the cases; when symptomatic, it generally causes metamorphopsia (painless loss or distortion of vision) and/or photopsia (flashing or flickering of light in the visual field). Discoloration of the iris, astigmatism, glaucoma, and even blindness are other, less common clinical manifestations. Several pathophysiological mechanisms underlie the development of UM. Genetic mutations, involving especially the G protein subunit alpha q (GNAQ), guanine nucleotide-binding protein subunit alpha-11 (GNA11), BRCA1 associated deubiquitinase 1 (BAP1), splicing factor 3b subunit 1 (SF3B1), and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 1A, X-linked (EIF1AX) genes as well as the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway genes, have been largely associated with the development of UM. Chromosomal aberrations, inflammatory and immunological alterations are often concurrent factors for the development and progression of UM. Therapies targeting specific genetic alterations and immunotherapy agents have been recently developed and introduced in clinical practice for the management of advanced-stage UMs. This review aims to present the latest advances in the clinical molecular pathology of UM, along with the resulting targeted, immunological, and other therapies that have been introduced or are currently under investigation
Autologous serum eye drops in the management of ocular surface disorders: a systematic review
No full textINTRODUCTION: the aim of this study was to analyze the currently available literature on the use of autologous serum (AS) eye drops for the management of ocular surface disorders.
EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: MEDLINE/PubMed and ISI Web of Sciences searches were performed according to MOOSE guidelines. Studies were considered eligible if: 1) they reported on AS eye drops for the management of ocular surface disorders/diseases; and 2) had been published in peer-reviewed journals.
EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Initially, 144 records were identified from databases. Of these, 66 were excluded after the first screening, because they were irrelevant for this systematic review. Seventy-eight reports on AS eye drops in ocular surface disorders were sought for retrieval. Seventy-eight reports were assessed for eligibility; 11 of them were excluded, because they contained insufficient information for the purpose of this study. In total, 67 (86%) of the 78 initially identi- fied studies, published between 1984 and 2024, met selection criteria and were finally included in the review. A great heterogeneity in the preparation methods of AS eye drops, their final concentration, and the frequency and duration of use exists in the published literature.
CONCLUSIONS: Although AS-based eye drops may be beneficial in the management of ocular surface disorders, con- clusions are limited due to the absence of controlled trials
Fractal analysis for OCT-A images of central serous chorioretinopathy
No full textObjective: to analyze OCT-A choriocapillary layer (CCL) images of patients affected by central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) by means of fractal analysis. Design: a case-control study. Participants: 17 eyes of 16 patients affected by CSC were analyzed with OCT-A, and, successively, compared to 14 eyes of 8 healthy patients. Methods: OCT-A images were opened in Image J software (https://imagej.nih.gov/NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA). Skeletonization process was applied, and subsequently, a fractal analysis was performed. Thereafter, fractal analysis by means of FracLac plugin was also realized: multifractal tool was applied. Data were then imported into Excel spreadsheet for statistical analysis. An independent t-Test between cases and controls was performed. A Mann-Whitney test between cases and controls, and between fractal values and sex of the participants was also applied; Spearman test was realized between fractal variables and the age and the visual acuity, respectively. Results: mean fractal dimension (FD) of cases was 1,96±0,010; mean FD of controls was 1,86±0,02. Student t-test showed a significant difference between cases and controls (p=0,052). A statistically significant (p<0.05) correlation between visual acuity and mean FD (rho=0.519, p=0,033) was found. No significant correlation between age and the mean FD was found (p>0.519). No significant difference between males and females was found (p=0,245). Conclusions: fractal analysis is a new, alternative method to evaluate retinal imaging in CSC, which can make a new assessment of this retinal disease
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
Unusual retinal manifestations of cat scratch disease
No full textWe report on 2 patients with unusual retinal manifestations of cat scratch disease (CSD), caused by Bartonella henselae. Case 1. A 42-year-old farmer presented with a 5-day history of blurred vision in his right eye. Right visual acuity was 20/25. Fundus examination of the right eye revealed mild vitreous hemorrhage and diffuse retinal hemorrhages in the mid-peripheral retina. Fluorescein angiography showed multiple vasculitic occlusions in the same area. A blood sample taken on the day of examination revealed the presence of immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgG to B. henselae. Oral azithromycin was given for 8 days. One month later, right visual acuity was 20/20, the vitreous and retinal hemorrhages resolved, and arteriolar attenuation and sclerosis was observed in the peripheral temporal retina. Case 2. A 66-yearold craftsman with systemic hypertension and hypercholesterolemia complained of sudden visual loss
(light perception) in his left eye. Fundus evaluation
and fluorescein angiography revealed central retinal
artery occlusion (CRAO) in the affected eye. About 2 weeks earlier, he had been bitten and scratched on his right hand by a stray cat. Serologic testing detected the presence of IgM to B. henselae. Oral azithromycin was given for 6 days. One month later, left visual acuity was hand motion. Ophthalmologists should be aware that unusual ocular complications associated with CSD include vitreous hemorrhage with retinal vasculitis and isolated CRAO. Vitreous hemorrhage and retinal vasculitis may be the only clinical manifestation of CSD
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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