1,720,957 research outputs found
Revised Dutch lipid clinic network score criteria adapted for pediatric age: Evaluation of this tool in pediatric patients with hypercholesterolemia
No full textIntroduction: Revised Dutch Clinic Network Score criteria (rDLCNSc)
are worldwide used to detect patients with familial hypercholesterolemia
(FH). Various Pediatric Lipid Centers have experimentally
adapted rDLCN criteria to pediatric age. The criteria included are: LDLcholesterol
levels, presence of tendon xanthoma or corneal arcus, LDLcholesterol
higher than 190 mg/dl in a parent/first degree relative (160
if aged less than 18 years), premature coronary artery disease (pCAD) in
a parent /first degree relative. “Premature” is meant before 55 years if
male and before 65 years if female. Score between 6 and 8 qualify for
probable FH, higher than 8 for definite FH.
Materials and methods: the aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy
of rDLCNc adapted for pediatric age to select pediatric patients for DNA
mutational analysis for FH in patients referring to our Lipid Center. In a
12 months-period, 50 patients were referred to our Lipid Center for
hypercholesterolemia. rDLCNc adapted for pediatric agewas calculated
for each patient. 14/50 (28%) showed a score of 6 or higher and underwent
genetic analysis for LDL-R mutation. 2 tests are still ongoing.
Results: Among our 12 tested patients, 4/12 (33%) had a mutation of
LDL-R gene. 7/12 (58%) had positive family history for hypercholesterolemia.
0/12 had positive pCAD in parents or first degree relatives, 6/
12 (50%) had pCAD in second degree relatives. Out of the 4 patients
with positive genetic test, 3/4 (75%) had pCAD in second degree
relatives.
Conclusions: rDLCNc adapted for pediatric is a useful tool to detect
patients eligible for FH molecular diagnosis, especially in healthcare
systems with limited genetic testing resources. As children's parents
age is often lower than the threshold proposed for pCAD, they may not
have had a pCAD yet. Considering pCAD also in second degree relatives
(such as grandparents) might even improve this tool for FH detection in
pediatric populatio
Extreme lipoprotein(a) levels in hypercholesterolemic patients: Relevance and management in pediatric population
No full textIntroduction: Elevated lipoprotein(a) levels have been considered a
causal risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) since many years.
Due to its biochemical structure, lipoprotein(a) may contribute to both
atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Few data are available in hypercholesterolemic
children.
Materials and methods: the aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence
of extreme lipoprotein(a) levels in hypercholesterolemic children referring to our Lipid Center and to develop a clinical management
strategy. In a 12 months-period, 50 patients were referred to
our Lipid Center for hypercholesterolemia. 14/50 (28%) matched clinical
criteria for suspected familial hypercholesterolemia and underwent
further analysis, included dosage of lipoprotein(a). Extreme
lipoprotein(a) levels were defined as higher than 90th centile in two
different blood samples, considering adult centile as no pediatric
centile are available so far. Patients with extreme lipoprotein(a) levels
underwent a thrombophilic panel screening (thromboplastin partial
time, prothrombin time, mutation of V factor and II factor, dosage of
protein c , protein S and antithrombin III). Haematologic evaluation and
detailed CAD-oriented family history collection were also performed.
Results: 1/14 patients showed lipoprotein(a) levels higher than 90th
centile. 1/14 patient showed lipoprotein(a) level higher than 99th
centile. Among these two patients, 2/2 had positive family history for
hypercholesterolemia, 1/2 had positive family history for CAD and for
thrombosis. Thrombophilic screening showed no abnormalities. Specific
dietetic and lifestyle indications for hypercholesterolemia were
given.
Conclusions: Despite no specific pharmacological treatment is recommended
yet in pediatric patients with extreme lipoprotein(a) levels,
lipoprotein(a) levels determination is advisable in selected hypercholesterolemic
patients. Detecting pediatric patients with extreme lipoprotein(
a) levels is important in order to detect possible other
pro-thrombosis risk factors. Moreover, patients and their families are
educated to avoid the acquisition of other risk factors, such as smoking
and weight excess, and to lead a healthy lifestyle, in order to preserve
their cardiovascular health
Nutraceuticals in Paediatric Patients with Dyslipidaemia
No full textCoronary heart disease (CHD) is the main cause of death and morbidity in the world.
Childhood is a critical period during which atherosclerosis may begin to develop; in the presence
of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), the lifelong elevation of LDL cholesterol levels greatly accelerates
atherosclerosis. Lowering LDL-C levels is associated with a well-documented reduction
in cardiovascular disease risk. Current guidelines support the dietary and lifestyle approach as the
primary strategy of intervention in children and adolescents with FH. Nutraceuticals (functional
foods or dietary supplements of plant or microbial origin) are included in the EU guidelines as
lifestyle interventions and may provide an additional contribution in reducing LDL levels when
pharmacological therapy is not yet indicated. Meta-analyses of randomised clinical trials have demonstrated
that the same nutraceuticals improve lipid profile, including lowering LDL-C, total cholesterol
and triglyceride levels. In this narrative review, starting from current scientific evidence, we analyse
the benefits and limitations of the nutraceuticals in children and adolescents with dyslipidaemia, and
we try to evaluate their use and safety in clinical practice
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
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
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
- …
