1,720,987 research outputs found
BIOMARKERS OF CORONARY MICROVASCULAR DYSFUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH MICROVASCULAR ANGINA: A NARRATIVE REVIEW
Full text linkThe current gold standard for diagnosis of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) in the
absence of myocardial diseases, whose clinical manifestation is microvascular angina
(MVA), is reactivity testing using adenosine or acetylcholine during coronary angiography.
This invasive test can be difficult to perform, expensive and harmful. The identification of
easily obtainable blood biomarkers which reflect the pathophysiology of CMD, characterized
by high reliability, precision, accuracy and accessibility may reduce risks and costs related to
invasive procedures and even facilitate the screening and diagnosis of CMD. In this review
we summarized the results of several studies that have investigated the possible relationships
between blood biomarkers involved with CMD and MVA. More specifically, we have
divided the analyzed biomarkers into 3 different groups, according to the main mechanisms
underlying CMD: biomarkers of “endothelial dysfunction”, “vascular inflammation” and
“oxidative stress”. Finally, in the last section of the review, we consider mixed mechanisms
and biomarkers which are not included in the 3 major categories mentioned above, but could
be involved in the pathogenesis of CMD
Direct Oral Anticoagulants in the Setting of Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: State of art
No full textAtrial fibrillation (AF) represents the arrhythmia of greatest clinical impact and catheter ablation of AF (CAAF) has become the most effective strategy for rhythm control in selected patients. Therefore, appropriate anticoagulation strategies are of paramount importance for patients undergoing CAAF, especially those at high risk, such those with high CHA2DS2VASc scores. Optimal management of anticoagulation before, during, and after CAAF is crucial. Several studies have evaluated the use of different anticoagulation strategies in the periprocedural period. Randomized controlled trial seem to suggest that in patients undergoing CAAF, uninterrupted (or minimally interrupted) direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) provides an alternative to continuous vitamin K antagonists strategy, with low thromboembolic and bleeding risk
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
Cardiovascular health in Asian immigrants to Italy: risk factors, pathogenesis and pharmacological treatment
No full textIn the last decades a significant increase of the migratory phenomenon from South Asian countries to the western world has occurred due to several factors, such as economic crisis, political instabilities, persecutions and wars. It is well established that South Asians (SA) have a higher prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and premature onset of myocardial infarction episodes than other populations. This higher predisposition might be caused by genetic factors, common in both SA residing in their birth country and in those residing abroad, but it may also be due to the new spatial environment in which they live. We have found a higher prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors in SA compared with other populations; in particular abdominal obesity, caused by an unhealthy diet rich in refined carbohydrates and saturated fats, plays a key role in the development of insulin-resistance, diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension, leading to the increase risk of CAD in SA. Even emerging risk factors were found to be higher in this ethnic group; indeed, the evidence of higher levels of pro-thrombotic and pro-inflammatory factors, such as lipoprotein(a) and pro-inflammatory adipokines, as well as the influence of air pollution and psychosocial stress, may have consequences on the risk, treatment and outcomes of CAD in this population
Role of Lipoprotein Ratios and Remnant Cholesterol in Patients with Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries (MINOCA)
Full text linkBackground: Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is a
clinical situation characterized by evidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI)—according to the
Fourth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction—with normal or near-normal coronary arteries
on angiographic study (stenosis < 50%). This condition is extremely variable in etiology, pathogenic
mechanisms, clinical manifestations, prognosis and consequently therapeutic approach. Objective:
The objective of the study was the evaluation of remnant cholesterol (RC), monocyte/high-density
lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and various lipoprotein ratios
in patients with MINOCA in order to establish their validity as predictors of this event. Materials and
Methods: We included 114 patients hospitalized in the Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU) and Hospital Wards of our Hospital Center from 2015 to 2019 who received a diagnosis of MINOCA compared
to a control group of 110 patients without previous cardiovascular events. RC was calculated with the
following formula: RC = total cholesterol (TC) − HDL-C − LDL-C. MHR was calculated by dividing
the monocyte count in peripheral blood by high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels; PLR
was obtained by dividing platelet count by lymphocyte count. We also calculated various lipoprotein ratios, like total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC/HDL-C), low-density
lipoprotein cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C/HDL-C), triglycerides/highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C), and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol/highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C/HDL-C) ratios. Results: The MINOCA group had
higher mean levels of RC (21.3 ± 10.6 vs. 13.2 ± 7.7 mg/dL), MHR (23 ± 0.009 vs. 18.5± 8.3) and PLR
(179.8 ± 246.1 vs. 135 ± 64.7) than the control group. Only the mean values of all calculated lipoprotein ratios were lower in MINOCA patients. Statistical significance was achieved only in the RC
evaluation. Conclusions: Higher levels of RC and MHR were found in patients with MINOCA. We
also observed higher levels of PLR than in the control group. Only various lipoprotein ratios were
lower, but this could reflect the extreme heterogeneity underlying the pathogenic mechanisms of
MINOCA. In patients who receive a diagnosis of MINOCA with a baseline alteration of the lipid
profile and higher levels of cholesterol at admission as well, the evaluation of these parameters could
play an important role, providing more detailed information about their cardiometabolic ris
EVALUATION OF REMNANT CHOLESTEROL LEVELS AND MONOCYTE-TO-HDL-CHOLESTEROL RATIO IN SOUTH ASIAN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME
Full text linkBackground and Aims: In the present study, we aimed to compare the clinical and coronary angiography features between South Asian and Caucasian patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). In particular, we focused our analysis on the evaluation of recent cardiovascular risk markers, such as remnant cholesterol, corresponding to all plasma cholesterol minus HDL-C and LDL-C, and the Monocyte-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio. We also compared values of several lipoprotein ratios and the Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, accurate predictors of coronary events and coronary artery disease.
Methods and results: We recruited 40 South Asian and 40 Caucasian patients admitted for ACS. Data were collected by consulting patients' medical records. We used Chi-square test and Student's t-test to analyse qualitative and quantitative variables, respectively.
South Asian patients, compared to Caucasians, showed higher mean values of the parameters analysed: remnant cholesterol (32.6 ± 17 vs 26.5 ± 9.6), Monocyte-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio (26.4 ± 48.7 vs 16.5 ± 8.3), Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (124.7 ± 130.7 vs 120.5 ± 58.8). Moreover, higher mean values of several lipoprotein ratios were also found in South Asian patients compared to the control group. However, statistical significance was not reached for any of these differences observed.
Conclusions: The evaluation of the parameters analysed in this study might provide accurate information regarding the cardio-metabolic risk in South Asian patients. However, further studies with larger samples are needed to obtain more significant results
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
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