1,720,967 research outputs found
Prognostic value of pretreatment peripheral blood markers in paranasal sinus cancer: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio
No full textBackground: Pretreatment hematological markers have emerged as prognostic factors for several cancers. The purpose of this study was to present our investigation of the value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in predicting recurrence and mortality for patients with primary sinonasal cancers (SNCs). Methods: We carried out a retrospective review of patients with SNC who had been treated using endoscopic approaches from 2002 to 2014 at a single institute. The endpoints analyzed were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Results: Of 365 patients treated, 215 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Analysis of epithelial tumors (adenocarcinoma and carcinoma) and advanced-stage cancers (pT3–T4) showed shorter OS and DFS in those patients with higher NLR and PLR. Furthermore, the NLR and PLR were revealed as independent prognostic factors for DFS, with a reduced risk of recurrence in patients with NLR <2.6 (hazard ratio [HR], 0.39; p =.02) and PLR <156.9 (HR, 0.34; p =.001). Conclusion: High pretreatment NLR and PLR are associated with poor prognosis in patients affected by epithelial advanced-stage SNC. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 730–736, 2017
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Endoscopic Endonasal Reconstruction of Anterior Skull Base Defects: What Factors Really Affect the Outcomes?
No full textOBJECTIVE: Endoscopic endonasal surgery has evolved in recent decades, requiring comparable advances in reconstructive techniques. This study aimed to retrospectively review outcomes of endoscopic anterior skull base reconstruction and to analyze factors associated with failures.METHODS: Data from patients who underwent endoscopic endonasal anterior skull base reconstruction in a single institution between 1998 and 2017 were collected. Patients were stratified according to selected risk factors: sex; age; previous surgery; disease treated (cerebrospinal fluid leaks, benign tumors, malignant tumors); single or multiple defects; defect dimension (<1 cm(2), 1-2 cm 2 , 2-6 cm(2), >6 cm(2)) and site (olfactory cleft, ethmoidal roof, planum sphenoidalis, posterior wall of frontal sinus); reconstruction technique (overlay graft, multilayer grafts, pedicled flap) and materials used; postoperative radiotherapy; and year of surgery. Statistical significance was assessed using Fisher exact test. Univariate logistic regression was implemented to analyze the association between risk factors and failures.RESULTS: Inclusion criteria were met by 513 cases with median follow-up of 96 months (range, 12-257 months). Success rate for initial repair was 95% (487/513), with 100% success rate for secondary closure after revision surgery. Failures were not significantly related to sex (P = 0.54), reconstruction technique (P = 028), location of defect (P = 0.65), dimension (P = 0.69), disease (P 0.83), or postoperative radiotherapy (P = 0.83). Year of surgery, considered as a continuous variable, was associated with a statistically significant reduction of failures (odds ratio = 0.89, P = 0.005).CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic surgery is safe and effective for anterior skull base reconstruction. Refinements in surgical technique and increasing experience have contributed to improved success rates
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“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
Sinonasal non-intestinal type adenocarcinoma: a retrospective review of 22 patients
Get PDFOBJECTIVE: To analyze outcomes and prognostic factors of sinonasal nonsalivary non-intestinal-type adenocarcinoma (n-ITAC.)METHODS: A retrospective review of 22 consecutive patients with n-ITAC was performed.RESULTS: Average follow-up time was 77 months. The 5-year overall survival and disease-specific survival were 95.2%. The 5-year overall survival and disease-specific survival were 100% for pT1, pT2, and pT3 tumors and 83.3% for pT4a and pT4b tumors; 100% for G1 tumors and 87.5% for G3 tumors; and 100% for tumors with negative surgical margin and 50% for tumors with positive surgical margin. Stage, grade, and surgical margins were independent prognostic factors. Adjuvant radiotherapy was performed for high-grade and high-stage tumors.CONCLUSIONS: Surgery followed by radiotherapy has remained a mainstay for management of n-ITAC, and the endoscopic transnasal approach, when correctly planned and indicated, is the surgery of choice. Adjuvant radiotherapy is recommended in cases of high-stage (T3 and T4) and high-grade tumors. n-ITAC is associated with a favorable outcome. High grade, pT4 stage, and positive surgical margins are independent negative prognostic factors
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe 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
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe 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
Surgical margin assessment and prognostic impact in sinonasal cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textObjective. Surgery remains a cornerstone in treatment of sinonasal malignancies, but the prognostic role of margin status is controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the prognostic significance of surgical margins in sinonasal cancer and their impact on survival, alongside key challenges in its evaluation. Methods. A systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science identified 64 studies (34,120 patients). Results. The overall margin infiltration rate was 33.2%, varying widely across studies (4.5-88.2%) and histotypes, and was the highest in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC, 61.5%). Meta-analysis of 31 studies showed positive margins were associated with worse survival (overall survival, odds ratio [OR] 2.61; disease-specific survival, OR 5.89; disease-free survival, OR 4.40). Squamous cell carcinoma, olfactory neuroblastoma, and mucosal melanoma had the strongest correlation with margin status, while for ACC and adenocarcinomas statistical significance was not reached. High heterogeneity was noted across studies, alongside inconsistent margin classification, distance thresholds, and use of frozen sections, limiting cross-study comparability. Conclusions. This study confirms the prognostic value of surgical margins, but underscores the urgent need for standardised definitions to improve prediction of oncologic outcomes and clinical decision-making
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