1,721,235 research outputs found
ELECTRON-MICROSCOPIC LOCALIZATION OF F-ACTIN IN ACROSOME REACTED BOAR SPERMATOZOA BY MEANS OF A PHALLOIDIN-FITC COMPLEX
No full text7. L. Castellani Ceresa, M. F. Brivio, G. Radaelli. Electron Microscopic Localization of F actin in Acrosome Reacted Boar Spermatozoa by Means of a Phalloidin FITC Complex. J. Submicrosc. Cytol. Phatol., 23, n°2, 347 349, 1991.An immunocytochemical study at the ultrastructural level has been performed in boar spermatozoa in order to clarify the aggregation state of actin before and after the acrosome reaction. A new phalloidin probe has been used to detect F-actin: a phalloidin derivative conjugated with FITC, followed by incubation with an anti-FITC antibody. The protein A-gold technique was then applied for the localization of the antigenic sites. Gold particles were localized on the sperm surface only after the acrosome reaction which was induced by the ionophore A23187
Characteristics of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in Young Children before the Introduction of PCV13 in Lombardy, Italy
Full text linkAn active surveillance system of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) started on September 2008 in Lombardy, Italy, among children aged less than 60 months and admitted for suspicion of IPD at emergency room of ten hospitals. This study examined the clinical characteristics of children enrolled up to December 2010, that is just before the introduction in this region of voluntary mass vaccination, free of charge, based on the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). Two hundred fifty one children were suspected and 20 were confirmed as having IPD, based on isolation of Streptococcus pneumoniae from blood. Thirty-nine percent of children had received pneumococcal vaccination previously, and full vaccination with three doses of hepta-valent vaccine (PCV7) had been administered in 21.4%. Co-morbidity conditions were more frequent in children with confirmed than non-confirmed IPD (10.0% vs. 0.9%). The annual incidence rate of confirmed IPD was 28.6/100,000 (binomial 95% confidence interval, 18.6 to 44.1/100,000. Among confirmed IPD children, 11 exhibited pneumonia with bacteremia, 6 bacteremia without focus, 2 septicemia, 1 meningitis. Seventeen (85%) isolates were identified, and nine serotypes. The overall serotype coverage was 29.4% for PCV7 and 82.3% for PCV13. In non-vaccinated children, the coverage of PCV7 and PCV13 was 41.7% and 75.0%, respectively. Non-vaccine serotypes 12B, 15C, and 23B were identified. Antibiotic resistance was found in seven children, that is against penicillin (serotype 15C), erythromycin (14, 19A, 19F), tetracycline (15C, 19F), chloramphenicol (23F), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (23F). Two of these children had received antibiotic therapy (penicillin or azithromycin) during the week before hospital admission. The coverage vaccination rate in Lombardy was relatively low during the surveillance period and serotype distribution widespread. The introduction of PCV13 and a mass vaccination program in young children might impact positively on invasive pneumococcal disease in this surveilled population. Active long-term surveillance of non-vaccine serotypes is required wordwide
“Unilateral temporomandibular disorder and asymmetry of occlusal contacts.”
No full textSTATEMENT OF PROBLEM:
The relationship between temporomandibular disorders and occlusal tooth contacts is unclear and controversial.
PURPOSE:
This study assessed whether unilateral temporomandibular disorders were associated with the absence of bilateral symmetry in the number of occlusal contacts.
MATERIAL AND METHODS:
Fifteen university dental students who had complete natural dentition and normal occlusion and exhibited unilateral signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders were compared to 15 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. All participants met specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Occlusal contacts were recorded in the intercuspal position with wax registrations. Dental impressions were made and poured in type I stone. Contacts were classified according to location and intensity. Four experienced dentists using an established protocol made all measurements. Assessment of the reliability of the occlusal registration procedure showed a small (<4%) within-subject variability. Statistical analysis was based on the binomial distribution and nonparametric tests (P < .05).
RESULTS:
Subjects with unilateral temporomandibular disorders had greater bilateral difference in the number of contacts than controls. The median (95% confidence interval) difference was 3 (2 to 4) and 2 (1 to 2), respectively. In unilateral temporomandibular disorder subjects, the number of occlusal contacts was greater on the side with, rather than without, disorder (median number 20 vs. 16). The median (95% confidence interval) difference between sides with and without unilateral temporomandibular disorders was 3 (2 to 4) for all contacts and 2 (1 to 3) for contacts on the posterior teeth.
CONCLUSION:
Within the population of this study, a weak association was found between unilateral temporomandibular disorders and asymmetry in the number of occlusal contacts
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
Randomized controlled trial of a protein substitute with prolonged release on the protein status of children with phenylketonuria
No full textObjective: To examine whether a phenylalanine-free protein substitute with prolonged release may be beneficial to the protein status of children with phenylketonuria (PKU) compared to conventional substitutes.
Methods: Sixty children with PKU, 7 to 16 years of age, were randomly allocated to receive either a prolonged-release (test) or the current conventional protein substitute for 30 days. Subjects were additionally sex and age matched with 60 subjects with mild hyperphenylalaninemia and 60 unaffected subjects. The protein status in children with PKU was assessed by albumin, transthyretin, and retinol-binding protein (RBP), and changes throughout the trial period were the primary outcome measures.
Results: Children with PKU did not differ in anthropometry from children with mild hyperphenylalaninemia or unaffected children but they ingested lower amounts of proteins (p < 0.01). No differences occurred throughout the trial between or within children with PKU who received the test or conventional substitute for macronutrient intake. Albumin and RBP concentrations were within the age-specific reference range for all children. The rate of protein insufficiency (transthyretin concentration less than 20 mg/dL) did not differ statistically between children receiving test or conventional substitute (recruitment 51.8% vs 53.6%; end of the trial 44.4% vs 50.0%) but mean transthyretin recovered over 20 mg/dL in children who received the test substitute, increasing from 19.1 to 20.7 mg/dL (mean change, 1.6 mg/dL; 95% confidence interval 0.4 to 2.8 mg/dL). In children receiving conventional substitute mean transthyretin changed from 19.0 to 19.2 mg/dL (0.2; −0.2 to 0.6) mg/dL.
Conclusions: Protein substitutes with prolonged release might be beneficial to protein status in children with phenylketonuria
Histochemical analysis of glycoconjugate secretion in the alimentary tract of Anguilla anguilla L.
No full textConventional histochemical methods as well as lectin-binding techniques were used to study glycoconjugates that are present in the alimentary canal. of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla). Specimens from pharynx, oesophagus, stomach and intestine were collected from adult ("silver eel" stage) females. Alcian Blue pH 2.5/PAS and High Iron Diamine/Alcian Blue pH 2.5 reactions were performed to stain neutral and acidic glycoconjugates. In addition, lectin histochemistry was applied to identify acidic glycoconjugates containing O-acytated sialic acids. Finally, the presence of sugar residues in the oligosaccharide side chains of glycoconjugates were investigated by using biotinylated lectins. Acidic and neutral glycoconjugates were found to be secreted throughout the alimentary canal, the acidic glycoconjugates appeared to be either siatylated or sulphated. Sialylated glycoconjugates were identified to contain siatic acid substituted at carbon in position 7 (C7). Sulphated glycoconjugates were particularly abundant in the distal intestine and were not present in the secretory products of the gastric mucosa, which contained a variety of sugar residues (D-N-acetyl-galactosamine, beta-D-galactose, alpha-D-mannose, alpha-L-fucose, D-N-acetyl-glucosamine). Lectin binding was observed in mucous cells of pharynx, oesophagus and intestine, and particularly some monosaccharides (D-N-acetyl-galactosamine and beta-D-galactose) were abundantly present
Hospital admission for respiratory condition in children and outdoor air pollution in Southwest Milan, Italy
No full textAim: To evaluate whether a relationship exists in hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in children with outdoor pollution in the Southwest Milan, Italy. Methods: Daily count of hospital admissions for asthma, upper or lower respiratory diseases (LRD) occurred among children aged ≤14 years at the San Paolo Hospital during 2007-2008 was recorded. Pollutants included the particular matter of <10 μm diameter, ozone, carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), reported on the same day of admission and 1 up to 5 days before admission. The moving weekly average (MWA) was also considered. Results: Total respiratory admissions were associated with the same day level of CO (30.6% increase per 1 mg/m3 increase, 95% confidence interval, 3.9-69.9%) and with the MWA of NO2 (9.0% increase per 10 μg/m3 increase, 1.2-16.8%). The effect of CO was stronger on upper respiratory diseases (URD) (lag 0, 21.3% increase, 6.4-38.3%). The effect of NO2 was stronger on LRD (MWA, 5.3% increase, 0.9-10.2%). Multipollutant models confirmed the role of CO on URD and that of NO2 on LRD. Conclusion: Carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide may be associated with emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions among children in Southwest Milan
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