1,721,017 research outputs found
Colorectal cancer screening: where are we and where are we going?
No full textColorectal cancer is a leading contributing cause of death for malignancy in the general population. An efficient screening policy would result in a remarkable decrease in cancer-related mortality since a benign, fully removable adenoma is the biologic precursor in the vast majority of cases. Endoscopy of the lower bowel and fecal occult blood test are considered relevant means of providing effective cancer screening and early diagnosis of benign cancer precursors. Compliance to screening programs is key to effective cancer screening. This review deals with colorectal cancer screening programs with a particular focus on the most recent national and international guidelines on cancer screening and follow-up policies
Association between daytime sleepiness and impaired expiratory lung function due to smoking in patients with mild-to-severe OSA: an observational study
No full textPurposeThere are no studies about daytime sleepiness (DS) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and impaired expiratory lung function (IELF) due to the smoking habit. We aimed to evaluate the association between DS and IELF in patients with OSA and look for possible DS-related factors. MethodsIn a prospective study, 220 untreated patients with mild-to-severe OSA were divided into non-smokers (Group 1, N = 113), smokers without IELF (Group 2, N = 69) and smokers with IELF (Group 3, N = 38). Data about anthropometric characteristics, main comorbidities, spirometry, polygraphy, and DS (by Epworth Sleepiness Scale-ESS) were collected. ResultsCompared to other groups, patients in Group 3 had lower mean values and the lowest SpO2 (pulse oximetry oxygen saturation), with a greater ST90 (sleep time with SpO2 below 90%). In Group 3, DS was lower (ESS median 3) in comparison to Groups 1 (median 6; p = 0.043) and 2 (median 6; p = 0.005)(Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.021). In Group 3, particularly in patients with moderate-to-severe IELF, there was a significant association between ESS values and nocturnal lowest heart rate (LHR) (r(2) = 0.436; p = 0.001). Finally, two multivariate linear regression-adjusted models, the second considering domiciliary treatment with bronchodilators, confirm the association between the nocturnal LHR and ESS (beta = -0.278; p < 0.001 and beta = -0.260; p = 0.001). ConclusionPatients with OSA and IELF are less sleepy than OSA patients without it, even if they are smokers. A probable effect of autonomic alteration may explain the lower perception of sleepiness in OSA patients with IELF
Bronchodilator reversibility in patients with asthma and persistent airflow limitation
No full textBronchodilator reversibility could be explored in the ATLANTIS cohort to better understand the association between PAL and bronchodilator reversibility in the context of this new phenotype of patients with asthm
Factors associated with risk of death in hospitalized patients for exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: an updated scoping review
No full textIntroductionThe Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (ECOPD), especially if leading to hospitalization, increases the risk of death. Our scoping review aims to identify updated mortality risk factors for both short- and long-term periods.Areas coveredA comprehensive search, covering the period from January 2013 to February 2024, was performed to identify eligible studies that consider factors associated with death in hospitalized ECOPD. We considered short-term mortality, up to one year (including in-hospital mortality, IHM) and long-term mortality over one year, without time limits. We excluded studies concerning the intensive care area.Expert opinionWe considered 38 studies, 32 and 8 reporting data about short- and long-term mortality, respectively. Two studies consider both periods. Several factors, some already known, others newly identified, have been evaluated and discussed. Some of these were related to the characteristics and severity of COPD (age, body mass index, lung impairment), and some considered the response to ECOPD. In this last context, we focused on the increasing role of biomarkers in predicting the mortality of patients, particularly IHM. Our factors associated with a worse prognosis may be helpful in clinical practice to identify patients at risk and, subsequently, determine a personalized approach
Autonomic nervous system alterations in patients with mild-to-moderate asthma: do not forget airflow obstruction! a lesson from COPD
No full textASN activity in asthmatic subjects focused on fixed airflow obstruction
as a hypothetical determinan
Complementary and alterative treatments in functional dyspepsia
Full text linkINTRODUCTION AND AIM: The popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in treating functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) has steadily increased in Western countries. We aimed at analyzing available data on CAM effectiveness in functional dyspepsia (FD) patients.
METHODS: A bibliographical search was performed in PubMed using the following keywords: "complementary/alternative medicine”, “hypnosis”, “acupuncture” and/or “functional dyspepsia”.
RESULTS: In community settings, almost 50% of patients with FGIDs used CAM therapies. Herbal remedies consist in multi-component preparations, whose mechanisms of action have not been systematically clarified. Few studies analyzed the effectiveness of Acupuncture in Western countries, yielding conflicting results and possibly reflecting a population bias of this treatment. Hypnosis has been extensively used in irritable bowel syndrome, but few data support its role in treating FD.
CONCLUSIONS: Although some supporting well-designed studies have been recently performed, additional randomized control trials are needed before stating any recommendation on CAM effectiveness in treating FD
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
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