1,721,140 research outputs found
Iga deficiency
No full textIgA deficiency (D-IgA) in the paediatric population is often an occasional finding during tests performed for other reasons in children in whom an immunodeficiency disorder is not suspected. D-IgA is the most common primary immunodeficiency with a variable prevalence according to ethnicity, estimated on 1 case/600 in the Caucasian population. IgA should be dosed twice in a child > 4 years of age to confirm the deficiency, which is defined by the presence of serum IgA < 0.07 g/l. The other classes of immunoglobulins should always be dosed. Most patients with D-IgA will not require any treatment or follow-up (85% are asymptomatic), apart from screening for coeliac disease, which is 10 to 20 times more frequent in patients with D-IgA. In the case of a child with D-IgA with recurrent infections (mainly affecting the respiratory and, less commonly, the gastrointestinal tract), signs and symptoms of alarm must always be sought and valued for other types of primary immunodeficiency (especially the common variable immunodeficiency), which, although rarely, can be associated with D-IgA. Patients with D-IgA, in particular adolescents and adults, have a higher risk than the general population of developing autoimmune diseases. The family should be informed of this possible occurrence, but specific laboratory evaluations are not necessary. Four clinical cases are presented: an occasional finding of D-IgA in a healthy child, the association with coeliac disease, the association with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and IgA deficiency in a patient with an immunodeficiency disorder (ataxia-telangectasia)
Wireless sensor networks: Enabling technology for ambient intelligence
No full textWireless sensor networks are one of the most rapidly evolving research and development fields for microelectronics. Their applications are countless, and the market potentials are huge. However, many technical hurdles have to be overcome to achieve a widespread diffusion of wireless sensor network technology. This paper summarizes the trends of evolution in wireless sensor network nodes, focusing on hardware architectures and fabrication technology. We describe four generations of sensor networks (obtrusive, parasitic, symbiotic and bio-inspired), moving from the recent past to the future. We outline the key research challenges and the common themes in the field. [All rights reserved Elsevier
Epidemiology that "counts" in vaccination choices: The case of pertussis in newborns and infants
No full textFrom June to August 2018, 6 infants with pertussis aged between 1 and 9 months (4 were 3 months old, and the other two 1 month and 9 months old respectively) were admitted to a General Paediatrics Operating Unit. Their hospitalization period lasted between 3 and 11 days (mean 7.2 days). Three infants required oxygen therapy. No complications occurred. None of the mothers had been offered vaccination against pertussis during pregnancy. The epidemiology of pertussis is changing in Italy as well as in other countries with high vaccination coverage. The disease is now increasing as an incidence in adolescents (and adults) who have lost their immune protection, and especially in new-born infants who have not started or completed the primary vaccination course yet. The data from the European Annual Epidemiological Report for 2016 report the highest notification rate in children <1 year (73.6 cases per 100,000 population), similar to that observed in 2015 (73.1). The vaccination of pregnant women against pertussis is considered an effective and available preventive option adopted for some years and in a systematic way in different international contexts. Also in Italy, in the 2017-2019 National Vaccination Plan there is a recommendation to recall in pregnancy the immunization from pertussis with the trivalent vaccine (whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria). The period indicated is between the 27th and the 36th week, ideally around the 28th week. The vaccine strategy for pertussis in pregnant women is effective in reducing neonatal deaths due to the disease, the need for hospitalization and the severity of the infection in infants under the age of 3 months. The vaccine does not pose any risk for pregnant women and newborns. Pertussis prevention in newborns and infants is an urgent measure of public health
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
Micro-array device, for DNA recognition, includes micro-sensors to output signals indicating absorption of ultraviolet radiation in micro-location, when traversed by UV beam during hybridization process
No full textNOVELTY - The micro-array device has several micro-locations (3) associated with a preset DNA sequence. Several micro-sensors are positioned corresponding to the micro-locations. The micro-sensors output electrical signals indicating the absorption of ultraviolet radiation in the micro-location, when the micro-location is traversed by UV beams during hybridization process. USE - For micro-array device, used for DNA recognition. ADVANTAGE - The need for marking the analyzing material with fluorescent optical markers is eliminated, thus preventing contamination of the analyzing material prior to analysis and enabling real-time DNA recognition. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for a DNA recognition method.CLSEAlternative title(s) :
(de) Apparatur und mikroarray-vorrichtung zur erkennung von dna und entsprechendes betriebsverfahren
(fr) Appareil et dispositif de jeu ordonne de microechantillons pour l'identification d'adn et procede de fonctionnement correspondant
(en) Apparatus and microarray device for recognizing dna and corresponding operating metho
Two cases of favism: From diagnosis to management
No full textGlucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD) is the most common red blood cells enzymopathy that affects 400 million people worldwide and is especially prevalent in areas of high malaria infection. G6PD deficiency has an X-linked recessive mode of inheritance and most known mutations in the G6PD gene decrease the enzyme stability. Oxidative stress, e.g. ingestion of fava beans, can induce acute haemolytic anaemia in affected individuals. The paper describes the case of two 6-month and 5-year-old male children with an acute haemolytic crisis due to the ingestion of fava beans. Due to increased immigration, the condition is expected to occur more often in Italian healthcare centres
Overview of micro- and nano-technology tools for stem cell applications: micropatterned and microelectronic devices
No full textIn the past few decades the scientific community has been recognizing the paramount role of the cell microenvironment in determining cell behavior. In parallel, the study of human stem cells for their potential therapeutic applications has been progressing constantly. The use of advanced technologies, enabling one to mimic the in vivo stem cell microenviroment and to study stem cell physiology and physio-pathology, in settings that better predict human cell biology, is becoming the object of much research effort. In this review we will detail the most relevant and recent advances in the field of biosensors and micro-and nano-technologies in general, highlighting advantages and disadvantages. Particular attention will be devoted to those applications employing stem cells as a sensing element
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