1,720,965 research outputs found
Cytokine gene polymorphisms, cancer susceptibility, and prognosis
No full textIL-10 is a multifunctional cytokine with both immunosuppressive and antiangiogenic functions and may have both tumor-promoting and -inhibiting properties. A large number of polymorphisms (primarily single-nucleotide polymorphisms) have been identified in the IL10 gene promoter. Convincing evidence that certain of these polymorphisms are associated with differential expression of IL-10 in vitro and in some cases in vivo was obtained, and a number of studies investigated associations between IL10 polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility and prognosis. The results from 22 studies in 13 different malignancies are reviewed. In 17 of these studies, positive associations between IL10 genotype or haplotype and disease susceptibility, progression, or both were reported. In some of these cancers genotypes associated with low IL-10 expression were a risk factor for disease or disease progression, whereas in others genotypes associated with high IL-10 expression were a risk factor. Published findings in breast cancer are as yet conflicting. Most but not all of the studies reviewed are based on small sample sizes and a limited number of IL10 polymorphisms. However, the preliminary data indicate that larger studies are required in a number of cancers to confirm initial results, extend studies to include more detailed genotype and haplotype analysis, and combine genotype and gene expression studies in the same subjects. Such studies will contribute significantly to our understanding of the biological role of IL-10 in cancer development
Polymorphisms in matrix metalloproteinase-1, -3, -9, and -12 genes in relation to subarachnoid hemorrhage
No full textBackground and Purpose:
Intracranial aneurysm, which underlies the vast majority of subarachnoid hemorrhage incidences, has a multifactorial etiology, and the importance of genetic factors is increasingly recognized. Development and rupture of intracranial aneurysms involve degradation and remodeling of the vascular wall matrix in which the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role. The possible impact of MMP gene polymorphisms on susceptibility to intracranial aneurysms is still controversial, with conflicting data from different reported studies. Methods:
In this study we analyzed 5 different functional promoter polymorphisms in the MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-9, and MMP-12 genes in a sample of 92 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and 158 healthy control subjects, all from southern England. Results:
No significant difference was detected between the patient and control groups in genotype distribution of any of the polymorphisms studied. Conclusions:
The data do not support the hypothesis that MMP gene variations influence the development of intracranial aneurysms in the population studied
Influence of cytokine gene polymorphisms on susceptibility to and prognosis in breast cancer
No full text
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
Pulmonary cachexia, systemic inflammatory profile, and the interleukin 1ß -511 single nucleotide polymorphism
No full textBackground: Cachexia is common in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is thought to be linked to an enhanced systemic inflammatory response. Objective: We investigated differences in the systemic inflammatory profile and polymorphisms in related inflammatory genes in COPD patients. Design: A cross-sectional study was performed in 99 patients with COPD (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stages II–IV), who were stratified by cachexia based on fat-free mass index (FFMI; in kg/m2: <16 for men and <15 for women) and compared with healthy control subjects (HCs). Body composition was determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Plasma concentrations and gene polymorphisms of interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß –511), IL-6 (IL-6 –174), and the tumor necrosis factor system (TNF- –308 and lymphotoxin- +252) were determined. Plasma C-reactive protein, leptin, and urinary pseudouridine (as a marker of cellular protein breakdown) were measured. Results: Fat mass, leptin, and pseudouridine were significantly different (P < 0.001) between noncachectic patients (NCPs) and cachectic patients (CPs: n = 35); the systemic inflammatory cytokine profile was not. NCPs had a body compositional shift toward a lower fat-free mass and a higher fat mass compared with HCs. CPs and NCPs had a greater systemic inflammatory response (P < 0.05) than did HCs, as reflected in C-reactive protein, soluble TNF-R75, and IL-6 concentrations. The overall distribution of the IL-1ß –511 polymorphism was significantly different between the groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions: In COPD patients, who are characterized by an elevated systemic inflammatory response, cachexia is not discriminatory for the extent of increase in inflammatory status. This study, however, indicates a potential influence of genetic predisposition on the cachexia process. <br/
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe 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
- …
