759 research outputs found
Burden of disease in treated rheumatoid arthritis patients: going beyond the joint
No full textItem does not contain fulltextOBJECTIVE: The disease burden in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) extends beyond the joint. This article evaluates the physical and psychosocial extra-articular burden of treated RA and relationships among diverse disease manifestations. METHODS: MEDLINE searches identified papers published in English from January 2003 to December 2012 that evaluated systemic complications and psychosocial aspects associated with RA. Preference was given to studies with randomized cohorts and large (>100) sample sizes. Of 378 articles identified in the initial search, 118 were selected for inclusion. RESULTS: RA is associated with multiple comorbidities and psychosocial impairments, including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, interstitial lung disease, infection, malignancies, fatigue, depression, cognitive dysfunction, reduced work performance, work disability, and decreased health-related quality of life. The etiology of the extra-articular burden may reflect the systemic inflammation and immune system alteration associated with RA, metabolic imbalances and side effects related to treatment, or the influence of comorbidities. Strategies that may help to reduce the extra-articular disease burden include personalized medicine and the potential introduction of treatments with new mechanisms of action. CONCLUSION: Despite improvements in treating joint disease, the extra-articular burden in RA remains substantial, encompassing multiple comorbidities and psychosocial impairments
Supplemental Material, edited_Supplement - Prevalence, Incidence, and Contributors of Subclinical Atheromatosis, Arteriosclerosis, and Arterial Hypertrophy in HIV-Infected Individuals: A Single-Center, 3-Year Prospective Study
No full textSupplemental Material, edited_Supplement for Prevalence, Incidence, and Contributors of Subclinical Atheromatosis, Arteriosclerosis, and Arterial Hypertrophy in HIV-Infected Individuals: A Single-Center, 3-Year Prospective Study by Mina Psichogiou, Chris J. Kapelios, Giorgos Konstantonis, Antonis Argyris, Euthimia Nasothimiou, Martha Papadopoulou, George Kitas, Theodoros G. Papaioannou, George L. Daikos, Petros P. Sfikakis, and Athanase D. Protogerou in Angiology</p
Scientific author names:Errors, corrections, and identity profiles
No full textAuthorship problems are deep-rooted in the field of science communication. Some of these relate to lack of specific journal instructions. For decades, experts in journal editing and publishing have been exploring the authorship criteria and contributions deserving either co-authorship or acknowledgment. The issue of inconsistencies of listing and abbreviating author names has come to the fore lately. There are reports on the difficulties of figuring out Chinese surnames and given names of South Indians in scholarly articles. However, it seems that problems with correct listing and abbreviating author names are global. This article presents an example of swapping second (father’s) name with surname in a ‘predatory’ journal, where numerous instances of incorrectly identifying and crediting authors passed unnoticed for the journal editors, and no correction has been published. Possible solutions are discussed in relation to identifying author profiles and adjusting editorial policies to the emerging problems. Correcting mistakes with author names post-publication and integrating with the Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) platform are among them.</p
Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Arrhythmogenic Substrates in Patients with Systemic Autoimmunity: An Update
No full textCardiac inflammation and fibrosis patterns in systemic sclerosis, evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging: An update
No full textSystemic sclerosis (SSc) presents high morbidity/mortality, due to internal organ fibrosis, including the heart. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) can perform myocardial function and tissue characterization in the same examination.The Lake Louise criteria (LLC) can identify recent myocardial inflammation using CMR. Abnormal values include: (a) myocardial over skeletal muscle ratio in STIRT2-W images >2, (b) early gadolinium enhancement values >4, (c) epicardial/intramyocardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). The diagnosis of myocarditis using LLC is considered if 2/3 criteria are positive.Parametric imaging including T2, native T1 mapping and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) has been recently used to diagnose inflammatory cardiomyopathy. According to expert recommendations, myocarditis should be considered if at least 2 indices, one T2 and one T1 parameter are positive, whereas native T1 mapping and ECV assess diffuse fibrosis or oedema, even in the absence of LGE. Moreover, transmural/subendocardial fibrosis following the distribution of coronary arteries and diffuse subendocardial fibrosis not related with epicardial coronary arteries are indicative of epicardial and micro-vascular coronary artery disease, respectively.To conclude, CMR can identify acute/active myocardial inflammation and myocardial infarction using classic and parametric indices in parallel with ventricular function evaluatio
Breast cancer therapy and cardiovascular risk: focus on trastuzumab
No full textAamer Sandoo,1,2 George D Kitas,2 Amtul R Carmichael2 1School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales, 2Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust, Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, UK Abstract: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. Advances in the methods of early diagnosis as well as newer and more effective treatments have led to improvements of disease-free and overall survival over the last decade. Almost one-third of breast cancers present with an aggressive form characterized by increased expression of human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2) proteins. A targeted treatment using monoclonal antibodies against HER2 expression such as trastuzumab has been shown to improve survival. Unfortunately, there is a degree of cardiotoxicity associated with these agents, as inhibition of HER2 pathways can also impair cardioprotective pathways. In the present review, we discuss the mechanisms by which trastuzumab might affect vascular homeostasis leading to endothelial dysfunction. We also provide suggestions for future research examining the effects of trastuzumab on the vasculature in breast cancer. Keywords: endothelial dysfunction, microvasculature, macrovasculature, congestive heart failur
Researcher and author impact metrics:Variety, value, and context
No full textNumerous quantitative indicators are currently available for evaluating research productivity. No single metric is suitable for comprehensive evaluation of the author-level impact. The choice of particular metrics depends on the purpose and context of the evaluation. The aim of this article is to overview some of the widely employed author impact metrics and highlight perspectives of their optimal use. The h-index is one of the most popular metrics for research evaluation, which is easy to calculate and understandable for non-experts. It is automatically displayed on researcher and author profiles on citation databases such as Scopus and Web of Science. Its main advantage relates to the combined approach to the quantification of publication and citation counts. This index is increasingly cited globally. Being an appropriate indicator of publication and citation activity of highly productive and successfully promoted authors, the h-index has been criticized primarily for disadvantaging early career researchers and authors with a few indexed publications. Numerous variants of the index have been proposed to overcome its limitations. Alternative metrics have also emerged to highlight 'societal impact.' However, each of these traditional and alternative metrics has its own drawbacks, necessitating careful analyses of the context of social attention and value of publication and citation sets. Perspectives of the optimal use of researcher and author metrics is dependent on evaluation purposes and compounded by information sourced from various global, national, and specialist bibliographic databases.</p
Supplemental Material, Appendix - Morphological Carotid Plaque Area Is Associated With Glomerular Filtration Rate: A Study of South Asian Indian Patients With Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease
No full textSupplemental Material, Appendix for Morphological Carotid Plaque Area Is Associated With Glomerular Filtration Rate: A Study of South Asian Indian Patients With Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease by Anudeep Puvvula, Ankush D. Jamthikar, Deep Gupta, Narendra N. Khanna, Michele Porcu, Luca Saba, Klaudija Viskovic, Janet N. A. Ajuluchukwu, Ajay Gupta, Sophie Mavrogeni, Monika Turk, John R. Laird, Gyan Pareek, Martin Miner, Petros P. Sfikakis, Athanasios Protogerou, George D. Kitas, Andrew Nicolaides, Vijay Viswanathan and Jasjit S. Suri in Angiology</p
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