1,720,983 research outputs found
Nursing research published in Italian journals between 2002 and 2021: a comparative review
Full text linkIn the development of nursing as a discipline, research plays a key role. Sharing and disseminating scientific knowledge is essential but, for non-English-speaking communities, research published in their language is more accessible to the national nursing community. Various comparative reviews of the national literature of Italian nursing research since the late 80s revealed significant methodological deficiencies.
This review aims to assess nursing research published by nurses in Italian, between 2002 and 2021 from a quantitative and qualitative point of view.
Most reviewed papers report results of non-interventional studies with simple methodology and statistics. Research is mostly focused on clinical nursing and management. The weaknesses found in this review underline a lack of progress in Italian nursing research published in Italian as already pointed out in previous reviews. Nursing research published in Italian journals still does not meet international standards. This study provides information about research in Italian never assessed so analytically and systematically
Nonerosive reflux disease and functional heartburn are clearly separate entities.
No full textTo The Editor:
We read with interest the paper by Blaga et al on the clinical and functional profiles of patients with functional heartburn (FH) (1). The Authors must be congratulated because this is one of the first studies in which the population of FH is clearly separated from the other subgroups of NERD on the basis of an objective method (i.e. impedance-pH). We have already stressed that this is the only way to favour a better understanding of the epidemiologic, pathogenetic and clinical features of this group of patients without any kind of reflux underlying their symptoms (2).
Moreover, the Authors found that the impedance-pH parameters of their FH patients were within the normal range and we have also shown that the number of total, acid and weakly acidic reflux episodes is quite identical between controls and FH and significantly lower than that of NERD subsets with both increased acid and hypersensitive oesophagus (3). In addition, we have found that FH patients do not present a higher rate of dilation of intercellular spaces as compared to controls and this histological alteration is largely recognized as an important morphological marker of NERD (4). The above findings confirm that FH cannot be anymore considered in the realm of GORD.
Finally, Blaga et al included in their study patients who did not respond to PPI therapy, but 10 declared that their symptoms improved using PPIs. According to Rome III definition (5), these patients should be part of NERD, even though impedance-pH did not show any kind of reflux in them and the result of impedance-pH is highly reproducible in identifying FH (3). The good response to PPIs is due to a likely placebo effect, as we have also observed (2). Anyway, the empiric criterion of non-response to PPIs adopted by the Rome III Committee for diagnosing FH is of limited value and must be replaced by a functional test able to measure the reflux events, if any
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
Mortality study of residents of the municipality of Piazzola sul Brenta (Veneto Region, Northern Italy), 2003-2018
No full textCurrently, there are more and more requests for a characterization of the health profile by populations living in areas affected by several types of environmental contaminations, notably for the presence of previously unknown and accidentally discovered landfills. The aim of the present paper is to describe the mortality profile of the residents of Piazzola sul Brenta (Veneto Region, Northern Italy). In this area, it was discovered an environmental contamination of the soil in the nearby of a large school building, where was formerly located a phosphate fertiliser plant. Using cause of death data provided by the Italian National Institute of Health, 10th International Classification 2013-2018, standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) and 90% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by gender and specific causes of death. Compared to the provincial reference population, no excess was found, for both genders, for all-causes mortality and for circulatory diseases. However, an excess for malignant tumours was found, 523 observed deaths over 498 expected deaths, an SMR of 105 (IC90% 98-113), and 85% probability of excess cancer mortality; lung cancer (SMR 117; IC90% 100-135) and lympho-hematopoietic tumours (in men only, SMR 134; IC90% 101-178). In light of these results and of the potential human exposure to carcinogenic substances, present results support further epidemiological investigations and environmental remediation
Propensity score analysis with partially observed baseline covariates: A practical comparison of methods for handling missing data
Full text link(1) Background: Propensity score methods gained popularity in non-interventional clinical studies. As it may often occur in observational datasets, some values in baseline covariates are missing for some patients. The present study aims to compare the performances of popular statistical methods to deal with missing data in propensity score analysis. (2) Methods: Methods that account for missing data during the estimation process and methods based on the imputation of missing values, such as multiple imputations, were considered. The methods were applied on the dataset of an ongoing prospective registry for the treatment of unprotected left main coronary artery disease. The performances were assessed in terms of the overall balance of baseline covariates. (3) Results: Methods that explicitly deal with missing data were superior to classical complete case analysis. The best balance was observed when propensity scores were estimated with a method that accounts for missing data using a stochastic approximation of the expectation-maximization algorithm. (4) Con-clusions: If missing at random mechanism is plausible, methods that use missing data to estimate propensity score or impute them should be preferred. Sensitivity analyses are encouraged to evaluate the implications methods used to handle missing data and estimate propensity score
Fecal lactoferrin and intestinal permeability are effective non-invasive markers in the diagnostic work-up of chronic diarrhea.
No full textNon-invasive markers able to identify patients with chronic diarrhea at risk of organic disease are missing. Aim of the study was to assess the diagnostic ability of intestinal permeability (IP) test and fecal lactoferrin (FL) in distinguishing functional from organic disease in patients with chronic diarrhea. We retrospectively enrolled patients referring to the gastroenterology outpatient clinic for chronic diarrhea. Among the 103 patients included, 40 % had an organic disease, with IP and FL levels significantly higher compared to those with a functional disorder (p < 0.0001). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, area under ROC curves of FL were superior to those of IP in discriminating functional and organic disease (FL: 87.8 and 93.6 %, 13.61 and 0.13, 0.9375; IP: 61.0 and 90.3 %, 6.3 and 0.43, 0.7691). When combining the two tests, the diagnostic ability of FL did not improve. In subgroup analysis, IP confirmed its ability to detect small bowel alterations, while FL could identify both small bowel and colonic alterations. In conclusion, FL is valid to detect inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, while IP can effectively identify small bowel damage in chronic diarrhea patients. Together these tests could recognize both the presence of intestinal damage and its site
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
Usability and accuracy of a smartwatch for the assessment of physical activity in the elderly population: Observational study
Full text linkBackground: Regular physical activity (PA) contributes to the primary and secondary prevention of several chronic diseases and reduces the risk of premature death. Physical inactivity is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and a variety of chronic disorders such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, bone and joint diseases (eg, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis), depression, and colon and breast cancer. Population aging and the related increase in chronic diseases have a major impact on the health care systems of most Western countries and will produce an even more significant effect in the future. Monitoring PA is a valuable method of determining whether people are performing enough PA so as to prevent chronic diseases or are showing early symptoms of those diseases. Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the accuracy of wearable devices in quantifying the PA of elderly people in a real-life setting. Methods: Participants aged 70 to 90 years with the ability to walk safely without any walking aid for at least 300 meters, who had no walking disabilities or episodes of falling while walking in the last 12 months, were asked to walk 150 meters at their preferred pace wearing a vívoactive HR device (Garmin Ltd) and actual steps were monitored and tallied by a researcher using a hand-tally counter to assess the performance of the device at a natural speed. A Bland-Altman plot was used to analyze the difference between manually counted steps and wearable device-measured steps. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was computed (with a 95% confidence interval) between step measurements. The generalized linear mixed-model (GLMM) ICCs were estimated, providing a random effect term (random intercept) for the individual measurements (gold standard and device). Both adjusted and conditional ICCs were computed for the GLMM models considering separately the effect of age, sex, BMI, and obesity. Analyses were performed using R software (R Foundation for Statistical Computing) with the rms package. Results: A total of 23 females and 26 males were enrolled in the study. The median age of the participants was 75 years. The Bland-Altman plot revealed that, excluding one observation, all differences across measurements were in the confidence bounds, demonstrating the substantial agreement between the step count measurements. The results were confirmed by an ICC equal to .98 (.96-.99), demonstrating excellent agreement between the two sets of measurements. Conclusions: The level of accuracy of wearable devices in quantifying the PA of elderly people in a real-life setting that was found in this study supports the idea of considering wrist-wearable nonmedical devices (widely available in nonspecialized stores) as reliable tools. Both health care professionals and informal caregivers could monitor the level of PA of their patients
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