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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
Changes in fitness and excess body weight and its association with the Triglyceride/HDL- C ratio in individuals with severe obesity undergoing structured lifestyle modification
No full textBackground
Structured lifestyle modification is the foundation of treatment for patients with severe obesity. Metabolic improvements in health (such as decreased insulin resistance) are sought through a combination of increased fitness and decreased excess body weight. It is not clear how fitness or excess body weight, as well as the change in these variables influence the response to lifestyle modification. This thesis sought to investigate the association between baseline and changes in fitness, excess body weight and the Tri/HDL-C ratio (a surrogate marker of insulin resistance) in patients with severe obesity undergoing an 8-week structured lifestyle modification programme.
Methods
A prospective cohort study data set containing 1122 patients (751, (66.9%)) female, mean age 47.3 ± 11.9 years, mean body mass index (BMI 46.7 ±7.8 kg/m2 ) who were referred from a hospital-based obesity clinic to an 8-week structured lifestyle modification programme was used for this thesis. I compared excess body weight %, cardiovascular fitness and Tri/HDL ratio before after the intervention as well as assessing changes in these variables in response to the intervention.
Results
Of 1122 patients who initiated the intervention, 377 (33%) had both pre and post data points for each of the variables of interest. There was no significant relationship between pre and post measurements or the change in fitness, % excess body weight and the Tri/HDL-C ratio. There was a significantly negative relationship between baseline Tri/HDL-C ratio and the change in this ratio in response to the intervention (r=-0.59 p=
Conclusions
In adults with sever and complicated obesity, an 8-week structured lifestyle modification programme can result in a small but significant decrease in excess body weight, increase in cardiovascular fitness as well as improvements to participants lipid profile. However, there was no change in the Tri/HDL-C ratio or any relationship between Tri/HDL-C ratio, excess body weight or fitness observed in this study. Additionally, no relationship was found between Tri/HDL-C ratio and age, suggesting that this surrogate marker of insulin sensitivity may not be applicable in this population
A retrospective single-center study, evaluating the long-term effects of the roux-en-y gastric bypass on weight, metabolic health, and comorbidities
No full textBackground: The obesity health crisis has become a global health issue around the world. Obesity is a chronic disease that has exhibited detrimental effects on patients through its comorbidities that can lead to adverse cardiac events, stroke, and poor quality of life. The burden of obesity extends to governments as it is causing a rise in healthcare costs around the world and resulting in reduced productivity. This research study aimed to assess the lasting effects of Roux en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) surgery, a known procedure that has been utilized for several years to assist individuals in achieving sustainable weight loss and resolution of obesity related health issues. The evaluation of the health outcomes and metabolic variables following the RYGB at different time periods in this study allowed us to find crucial insights in the management of obesity.
Methods: This is a retrospective study, evaluating a cohort of patients who underwent bariatric surgery (RYGB) at Letterkenny University Hospital from 2017 to 2023. The information was gathered from the patients’ medical records including clinic notes, lab values and follow ups at baseline, and 1 to 5 years post surgery. Our research investigated variables like weight loss progressions and changes in BMI levels along with observing effects on lipid profiles and HbA1c levels post surgery. We also looked at the remission of comorbidities and post surgical complications. We conducted a range of analyses to examine shifts over time and determine their level of importance.
Results: In our study, 82 participants underwent RYGB; the mean age was 46 years (SD=10.76). The cohort of patients included 58 females (70.3%) and 24 males (29.3%), with a majority of class III obese patients (N=63). Weight loss was significant from baseline in all follow-up periods. A significant decrease in the average weight was observed, 130.98Kg to 98.06Kg after one-year post-RYGB (p<0.01), 96.93kg at three year (p<0.01), and 95.52 kg at five-year follow-up (p<0.01). Calculating the Total Weight Loss Percentage (TWL%) for after 5 years, there was a 22% TWL in comparison to the baseline weight readings. Unfortunately, there were 18% of patients who experienced ≥20% weight regain at three years post-op and 15% of patients at 5-year follow-up of the highest weight loss that the patients achieved. Focusing on the lipid profiles of patients, At one year follow up, there was a significant drop in triglyceride levels from 1.79mmol/L to 1.30mmol/L (p<0.01). The mean LDL-C decreased from 2.80mmol/L to 2.29mmol/L (p<0.01) while HDL demonstrated an increase from 1.22mmol/L to 1.35mmol/L (p<0.01) at one-year follow-up. These reductions were consistent throughout the five years follow-up. There were significant improvements in blood sugar control, 70% of insulin-dependent diabetic patients were not insulin dependent post RYGB. From our diabetic patients who were on hypoglycemic therapy, a 75% reduction or discontinuation of hypoglycemic medications sustained over the three and five-year follow-up periods for patients. This was evident through the improvements in HbA1c levels, notably dropping for all participants from 48.6mmol/L at baseline to 40.1mmol/mol at one-year follow-up, p<0.01. Although from the lowest point, HbA1c gradually increased in the follow-up periods. Comorbidities, which included hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and GERD, all sowed significant remission rates of up to 78.5% of hypertensives resolved by five-year follow-up. Unfortunately, in terms of mental health outcomes, there was an increase in prevalence by the end of our five-year follow-up. Postoperative complications were minimal, with the most common complication being cholelithiasis at 13.4%, followed by 4.9% of patients who experienced new addiction issues. There were no fatalities during our study periods.
Conclusion: The RYGB bariatric surgery is the starting piece for transforming bariatric patients' lives. However, it is not a simple one-step solution; it is a powerful tool as an adjunct. It exhibits long-term improvements in metabolic health and the resolution of several obesity-related comorbidities. The results show sustained long-term weight loss, significant improvements in comorbidities, and improvements in general metabolic health. These positive results post-RYGB are consistent with literature from other centers. A comprehensive, evidence-based approach to the post-op period is crucial, encompassing the patients' physical and mental support. There is also a role for integrating medical therapies such as the GLP-1 receptor agonists that can be used as an adjunct to maintain weight loss and reduce weight recurrence. This study shows that environmental factors have a significant role in the post-op period, as the COVID-19 pandemic may have negatively impacted these outcomes. This study highlights the need for structured, holistic bariatric programs supporting patients, especially during clinical follow-up periods
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
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe 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
Impact of interventions for obesity on insulin sensitivity using the leptin to adiponectin ratio
No full textIntroduction: Low energy meal replacement regimens can induce short-term weight loss in patients with severe obesity, but usually require specially formulated dietary supplements. Hypocaloric diets are known to induce changes in adipokine secretion, but the influence of a low energy liquid diet (LELD) on the leptin: adiponectin ratio (LAR), a measure of insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk, has not previously been investigated in patients with severe obesity. Bariatric surgery is known to reduce leptin and increase adiponectin levels, but its influence on the leptin: adiponectin ratio (LAR), a measure of insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular risk, has not previously been described. Aim of the first study is to determine the effects of a milk-based meal replacement programme on anthropometric and metabolic characteristics in adults with severe obesity. Aim of the second study is to determine the influence of sleeve gastrectomy on LAR in adults with severe obesity. Aim of the third study is to determine the influence of milk-based meal replacement programme on LAR levels in adults with severe obesity. Methods: First study is a retrospective cohort study of patients attending our hospital-based bariatric medicine service who completed a 24-week program consisting of eight weeks of milk-based meal replacement followed by weight stabilisation and maintenance phases. Second study is a single centre prospective cohort study of adults undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, LAR was measured preoperatively and 12 months after surgery. Third study is single-centre cohort study of adults with severe obesity who completed a 24-week milk-based meal replacement programme, leptin, adiponectin and LAR were measured at the start and on completion of the programme. Results: In the first study of 105 program completers available for follow-up, 53.3% were female. Mean age was 51.1±11.2 years. Body weight decreased from 144.0±27.6 kg at baseline to 121.1±25.0 kg at 24 weeks (P<0.001), a mean total body weight loss of 15.9±6.0 %, with a reduction in body mass index from 50.6±8.0 to 42.6±7.6 kg m-2 (P<0.001). In patients with diabetes, haemoglobin A1c decreased from 66.3±13.0 to 48.3±13.5 mmol/mol (P<0.001) and diabetes medication use decreased significantly. There were significant improvements also in lipid profiles and reductions in antihypertensive medication use. In the second study of 22 patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy, 17 (12 female, 12 with type 2 diabetes) had follow-up LAR measured at 12.1±1 months. Mean body weight decreased from 130.6±30.8 kg to 97.6±21.6 kg, body mass index (BMI) from 46.9±7.8 to 35.3±7.2 kgm-2 and excess body weight from 87.5±31.3 to 41.3±28.8 % (all p<0.001). The reduction in leptin from 40.7±24.9 to 30.9 ±30.5 ng/ml was not significant (p=0.11), but adiponectin increased from 4.49±1.6 to 8.93±6.36 µg/ml (p=0.005) and LAR decreased from 8.89±4.8 to 5.26±6.52 ng/µg (p=0.001), equivalent to a 70.9% increase in insulin sensitivity. The correlation with the amount of weight lost was stronger for LAR than it was for leptin or adiponectin alone. In the third study of 120 patients who started, 52 (43.3 %) completed the programme. Their mean age was 50.3±11.2 (range 18-74) years, 29 (55.8 %) were female and 20 (38.5 %) had type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Weight decreased from 148.2±39.6 to 125.4±34.8 kg and BMI decreased from 52.4±11.1 to 44.3±9.8 kgm-2, respectively (all p<0.001). In patients with T2DM, HbA1c decreased from 60.0±17.4 to 47.5±15.5 mmol/mol (p<0.001). Leptin decreased (from 87.2 [48.6, 132.7] to 39.1 [21.0, 76.4] ng/ml) and adiponectin increased (from 5.6 [4.5, 7.5] to 7.1 [5.5, 8.5] µg/ml), with a reduction in LAR from 15 [8.4, 22.4] to 5.7 [3.0, 9.1] ng/µg (all p<0.001), indicating decreased insulin resistance. The percentage weight lost was associated with the percentage reduction in LAR (ß=2.9 [1.7, 4.1], p<0.001) and this association was stronger in patients with T2DM. Conclusion: In the first study, preliminary findings suggest that completion of a 24-week milk-based meal replacement program has large effects on important outcomes in adults with severe obesity. However, attrition was high. Prospective assessment of the efficacy, safety, durability and cost-effectiveness of this intervention seems warranted. In the second study, patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy had a substantial reduction in their LAR after 12 months, consistent with increased insulin sensitivity and reduced cardiovascular risk, which was proportional to the amount of weight lost. In the third study, patients with severe obesity who completed a milk-based LELD had a substantial reduction in LAR, consistent with decreased insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk, proportional to weight loss
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe 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
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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