1,721,138 research outputs found
Association of early-stage psoriasis with smoking and male alcohol consumption: evidence from an Italian case-control study
No full textObjective: To analyze the association of psoriasis with smoking habits and alcohol consumption before first diagnosis by a dermatologist.
Design: A multicenter case-control study. Interviews were conducted by trained medical investigators using a structured questionnaire.
Setting: Outpatient services of 10 general and 10 teaching hospitals in northern and southern Italy.
Subjects: Patients with a first diagnosis of psoriasis made by a dermatologist and a history of skin manifestations of no longer than 2 years after the reported disease onset. Patients with new diagnoses of skin diseases other than psoriasis were selected as control subjects. A total of 404 case patients (median age, 35 years) and 616 controls (median age, 36 years) were included in the analysis.
Results: The risk for psoriasis was higher in ex-smokers and in current smokers than in patients who never smoked. The relation with smoking was stronger and more consistent among women than men. In men, a significant association was restricted to the ex-smoker status. Smoking was strongly associated with pustular lesions (29 patients) with an adjusted odds ratio of 10.5 (95% confidence interval, 3.3-33.5) for those smoking more than 15 cigarettes per day. No significant overall association with alcohol consumption was documented after controlling for smoking habits. However, the risk seemed to vary according to sex, with a moderate association being documented in men.
Conclusions: Cigarette smoking and, in men, alcohol consumption are associated with psoriasis. There is a strong association between smoking and pustular lesions
Family versus non-family CEO and firm performance: Moderating effects of firm size, stock exchange affiliation and location
No full textNo abstract availabl
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
Eritema polimorfo,sindrome di Steven-Johnson, necrolisi tossica epidermica. Una revisione nosografica
No full textRed hairs, number of nevi and risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma: results from a case-control study in Italy
Full text linkBarrier methods of contraception, spermicides, and sexually transmitted diseases : a review
No full textObjective-To understand whether barrier methods of contraception (BMC) and/or spermicides lower the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted disease (STD) and to quantify the protection.
Design-Review of published experimental studies, in vitro and in vivo evidence on the issue.
Subjects-We reviewed 22 papers that examined the impermeability of BMC in vitro against STD agents or the effect of spermicides, and 60 papers reporting results of epidemiological studies on the risk of STD in users of BMC.
Results-There was in vitro evidence that both BMC and spermicides were effective against most sexually transmissible agents. Doubts remain on the effectiveness of BMC and spermicides in normal conditions of use, particularly against human papilloma virus. Natural membrane condoms are not impermeable and pores are seen by electron microscopy. Epidemiological studies show a consistent reduction in the risk for use of condoms against gonococcal (most studies giving relative risk, RR, estimates around 0.4 to 0.6) and HIV infection (RRs between 0.3 and 0.6 in most studies). Spermicides protect women against gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis; their role against other STDs is less clear acid there is some indication of an irritative effect on the vaginal mucosa that is likely to be dose-dependent.
Conclusions-A large amount of evidence indicates that BMC reduce the risk of gonorrhoea and HIV transmission, but the results are-at least in quantitative terms-less consistent for other diseases. Implications for individual choices and public health approaches should relate to frequency of exposure and severity of the disease too
Host-related and environmental risk factors for cutaneous basal cell carcinoma: evidence from an Italian case-control study
No full textBackground: Despite its frequency, there is a paucity of data on risk factors for basal cell carcinoma.
Objective: We assessed potential risk factors for basal cell carcinoma in a population from southern Europe.
Methods: This multicenter case-control study involved 528 newly diagnosed cases and 512 controls.
Results: In the multivariate analysis, red hair, lighter colored eyes, high nevus counts on the upper limbs, and the presence of solar lentigines and actinic keratoses were all associated with basal cell carcinoma. The risk of the tumor increased in subjects who reported burning easily and experiencing sunburn episodes before 15 years of age. An association was documented with indices of recreational sun exposure but no clear evidence of exposure-effect relationship was found. No relation was found with occupational sun exposure. Finally, basal cell carcinoma appeared to be significantly associated with a family history of skin tumors, a personal history of tumors other than those on skin, and radiotherapy.
Conclusion: Genetic and environmental factors appear to be involved in the onset of basal cell carcinoma
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