1,721,071 research outputs found
Pathogenic flora in hematology patients. Gram-negative germs and their in vitro sensitivity to antibiotics
No full textThe results of microbiological research carried out on haematological patients admitted to the same ward are reported. The pathogenic flora observed consisted mainly of gram-negative germs (60%). Pseudomonas infections represented the most important problem because of their frequency and the consequent clinical problems. The in vitro sensitivity of 306 strains of gram-negative germs to 11 different antibiotics has been analysed. Amikacin proved to be easily the most effective antibiotic against isolated pathogen
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
Empiric treatment of infections in granulocytopenic patients with acute leukemia : a study on amikacin-carbenicillin-cotrimoxazole
No full textThe amikacin-carbenicillin-cotrimoxazole combination was used as an empiric treatment for febrile episodes in patients with acute leukemia and severe granulocytopenia. The choice of drugs was based on the finding in our institute that the majority of infections are caused by gram-negative rods, particularly Pseudomonas, with high percentage of strains resistant to gentamycin and tobramycin. Granulocyte transfusions were given to the patients who did not show satisfactory clinical improvement 48 h after start of antibiotic therapy. There were cures in 84.6% of the febrile episodes treated with this antibiotic combination, including five of eight episodes of microbiologically confirmed bacteremia. Survival after 21 days of antibiotic therapy amounted to 89.1%. Renal toxicity occurred in 10.9% of the episodes treated. The prompt use of this antibiotic combination seems to be a safe and efficacious therapeutic tool for treating these high-risk patients
Severe Legionella pneumophila infection in a patient with hairy cell leukemia in partial remission after alpha interferon treatment
No full textLegionella pneumonia is an increasingly frequently reported complication in immunocompromised patients, particularly patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL) in active phase. The most important predisposing factor seems to be the quantitative and qualitative defect of the monocytic-macrophagic system characteristic of HCL. We report a case of severe Legionella pneumophila infection with multisystem involvement in a patient with HCL in stable partial remission obtained after therapy with interferon. In our patient recovery of a normal monocyte count did not protect against a legionella infection, indicating that this pathogen should always be sought in HCL patients even those in clinical and hematologic remission. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment may reduce the mortality of this serious complication
Technical performance of colonoscopy : the key role of sedation/analgesia and other quality indicators
No full textBACKGROUND: It is essential to identify the factors in clinical practice that influence the technical performance of colonoscopy as a basis for quality improvement programs. AIMS: To assess the factors linked to two key indicators of colonoscopy performance, i.e., cecal intubation and polyp diagnosis. DESIGN AND SETTING: Consecutives colonoscopies performed over a 2-wk period in 278 unselected practice sites throughout Italy were prospectively evaluated. A multivariate model was developed to identify determinants of the performance indicators of colonoscopy. RESULTS: In total, 12,835 patients (mean age 60.5 yr, standard deviation [SD] 15.1, 53% men) were studied. Sedation and/or analgesia was administered in 55.3% of procedures: 28.8% of patients received intravenous (IV) benzodiazepines, 15.4% received benzodiazepines in combination with narcotics, 3.1% received propofol, and 7.5% received other sedation regimens. Overall, cecal intubation was achieved in 80.7% of procedures, and the polyp detection rate was 27.3%. Multivariate analysis showed that the strongest predictors of cecal intubation were the quality of bowel preparation (inadequate vs excellent: odds ratio [OR] 0.013, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.009-0.018; fair vs excellent: OR 0.246, 95% CI 0.209-0.290; and good vs excellent: OR 0.586, 95% CI 0.514-0.667) and the use of sedation (IV benzodiazepines vs no sedation: OR 1.460, 95% CI 1.282-1.663; IV benzodiazepines and narcotics vs no sedation: OR 2.128, 95% CI 1.776-2.565; and propofol vs no sedation: OR 2.355, 95% CI 1.590-3.488). The colonoscopy setting (workload and organizational complexity of the center) and the endoscopist colonoscopy volume were other factors independently correlated with completion of the procedure. Detection of polyps partially depended on the quality of bowel cleansing (inadequate vs excellent: OR 0.511, 95% CI 0.404-0.647) and use of sedation (OR 1.172, 95% CI 1.074-1.286). CONCLUSION: In usual clinical practice, the use of sedation/analgesia, the colon-cleansing quality, the endoscopist experience, and some features related to the colonscopy setting decisively influence the quality of colonoscopy. These factors indicate the targets of future corrective measures to boost the quality of this examination
Efficacy of the tobramycin - cotrimoxazole - cephalothin combination for febrile episodes in leukemic patients with granulocytopenia
No full textThe efficacy of the tobramycin-cotrimoxazole-cephalothin combination (TCC) for febrile episodes in acute leukemic patients in neutropenic phase was investigated. The results in 48 episodes were compared retrospectively with those obtained in 46 febrile episodes in the same type of patients treated with various combinations of antibiotics (VAC regimens). Positive responses were obtained in 79.2% of the episodes treated with TCC compared with 43.5% obtained in the episodes treated with VAC (P<0.025). Excluding the febrile episodes of unknown origin, there were positive responses in 76.9% and in 42.5% of episodes respectively (P<0.01). While in the VAC-treated group a positive response was found to be correlated with the number of circulating neutrophils, there was not such a close correlation in the TCC-treated group. The TXC combination has proved in our experience to be a safe and effective empiric treatment for infective episodes in acute leukemic patients
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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