1,720,966 research outputs found
Asthma : a new look at an old disease
Get PDFAsthma has attracted a great deal of attention over the centuries probably because its clinical manifestations of breathlessness and wheezing present themselves in such a dramatic manner. A historical outline of this anomaly sets off the introduction of this article. Key factors in relation to asthma are thereafter discussed; its etiology and pathogenesis, immunological aspects, pharmacological mediators, non-immunological mechanisms, respiratory infection, psychological factors and pathology. The etiology and pathogenesis of this condition is still far from clear in certain areas and a lot of work still remains to be done to try and unravel this problem.peer-reviewe
Auenbrugger and Laennec : two pioneers who have demarcated the development of western thoracic medicine
Get PDFWith the publications in 1761 of Giovan Battista Morgagni’s (1682-1771) ‘De sedibus et causis morborum’ (On the Sites and Causes of Diseases),1,2 pathological anatomy became a science in its own right. Morgagni’s aim was to try and correlate the symptoms of a disease as it developed with findings at post mortem.3 Although this found immediate application in surgical disorders, where lesions were often visible and palpable, it was not thought to be equally useful in cases of internal ailments as long as physicians were unable to explore what was happening to internal organs during life.4 This was made possible with the clinical diagnostic procedures pioneered by Leopold Auenbrugger (1722-1809) and by René Théophile Hyacinthe Laënnec (1781-1826).peer-reviewe
“Ir-riċerka hija r-ruħ tal-Università”
Get PDFL-ewwelnett nixtieq nirringrazzja lil Dr Alfred Sant ta' l-istedina li għoġbu
jagħmilli. Jiena u hu iggradwajna kważi tletin sena ilu flimkien mill-istess
istituzzjoni, hu mill-fakultà tax-xjenza u jien mill-fakultà tal-mediċina. Meta
rċevejt l-istedina ħabbilt ftit rasi, għaliex ma kienx hemm indikat is-suġġett li
xtaquni niddiskuti. Forsi ma kinitx tkun idea ħażina kieku l-meeting seta' jkun
ftit iżjed strutturat, għalkemm is-sessjoni ta' dal-għodu kienet interessanti
ħafna, smajna bosta ideat fuq ħafna affarijiet. Mhux qed ngħid bi kritika, imma
naħseb kienet tinħoloq forsi aktar direzzjoni u diskussjoni. Ma kontx naf jekk
għandix nitkellem fuq l-Università, fuq l-edukazzjoni Universitarja, fuq
mediċina, jew fuq edukazzjoni medika. Bosta mill-kelliema ta' qabli diġà
messew dawn is-suġġetti. Meta kelliem ikun minn ta' l-aħħar, ikollu ċerti
vantaġġi iżda jkollu wkoll ċerti żvantaġġi. Il-vantaġġi jkunu li jkun ftit jew
wisq sema' x'ingħad qabel, jispera li dak li tkellmu qabel ħallewlu xi ħaġa xi
jgħid u jkun jista' b'xi mod jikkonkludi. L-iżvantaġġ hu li n-nies jibdew
jagħjew u jsiru aktar irritabbli. Issa niġu għall-punt. Qiegħed hawn f'kapaċità
personali. Dawn l-aħħar ħames snin kont l-ewwel viċi-chairman u mbagħad
chairman tal-kumitat fuq Higher Education and Research tal-Kunsill ta' l-Ewropa
fi Strasbourg. Ġejt f'kuntatt mill-qrib ma' Universitajiet fl-Ewropa
bil-problemi kollha tagħhom. Allura se nipprova nitkellem fil-qosor kemm
jista' jkun fuq l-Università bħala istituzzjoni, fuq l-Università mhux tagħna
biss. X'inhuma l-problemi li Universitajiet ser ikollhom fis-seklu li ġej?peer-reviewe
Altered pulmonary function in bronchial asthma
Get PDFAsthma has attracted a great deal of attention over the centuries both because it is common and because of its frequent dramatic manner of presentation (Ellul-Micallef, 1976). Up to comparatively recently, knowledge of physiological changes occurring in asthmatic patients, both during an attack and following therapy has been scanty. Over the past few years various tests have been developed enabling the clinical pulmonary physiologist and the chest physician to measure a number of different variables. It is only by considering all the changes in pulmonary function which take place in this condition that a reasonably clear picture can be obtained and a rational approach to therapy instituted. In this article discussion of altered pulmonary function in asthma includes changes in airway resistance, lung volumes, lung elastic recoil pressure, pulmonary diffusing capacity and arterial blood gas tensions and pulmonary gas exchange.peer-reviewe
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Pharmacogenetics of asthma therapeutics
Get PDFAsthma is recognised to arise from complex interactions between environmental exposure and disease-susceptibility genetic contributions.1 Pharmacological management of the condition aims to relieve symptoms, decrease airway hyperresponsiveness, and optimize the quality of life in patients. Inter-patient variability in the clinical responses to anti-asthma drugs is a recognized factor that may confound therapeutic outcome.peer-reviewe
Alveolar cell carcinoma
Get PDFSymptoms of alveolar cell carcinoma, a lung cancer, usually tend to occur rather late due to the slow progression of the tumour. The tumour may remain localized for long periods, even for years. The incidence of symptoms increases with extension of the lesion. Productive cough, breathlessness, chest pain and weight loss are common complaints, occasionally patients may present with hemoptysis, pyrexia or joint pains. One feature that is often stressed is the production of copious watery sputum, but this is in fact an inconstant finding and when it is present the carcinoma is usually advanced beyond surgical treatment. Finger clubbing may be an early sign. This type of lung cancer has a much better prognosis than other forms if the diagnosis is made early when the lesion may be resectable.peer-reviewe
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“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
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