1,721,033 research outputs found
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
Effects of anatomical constraints on tumor growth
No full textCompetition for available nutrients and the presence of anatomical barriers are major determinants of tumor growth in vivo. We extend a model recently proposed to simulate the growth of neoplasms in real tissues to include geometrical constraints mimicking pressure effects on the tumor surface induced by the presence of rigid or semirigid structures. Different tissues have different diffusivities for nutrients and cells. Despite the simplicity of the approach, based on a few inherently local mechanisms, the numerical results agree qualitatively with clinical data (computed tomography scans of neoplasms) for the larynx and the oral cavity
Management of head and neck cancer in older patients
No full textObjective. A progressive increase in the number of older patients with head and neck cancer has been observed in the last few years. The aim of this study was to assess our experience in the management of older patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) in comparison with younger patients.Study Design. A retrospective review was conducted for all patients admitted and treated for newly diagnosed HNC between January 2008 and December 2012. The clinical characteristics, management approaches, and outcome data were recorded.Results. In total, 316 patients with HNC (232 males, 84 females) were enrolled: 203 (64%) were in the young group, whereas 113 patients (36%) were in the older group. Comorbidities (P < .000005) and stage IV tumors (P < .0005) were more frequently observed in the older group. Treatment options were uniformly distributed within the 2 groups; only radiotherapy alone was more frequently administered in older patients (P < .0005).Conclusions. Chronologic age should not be a reason to deny appropriate treatments that could prevent death in older patients. A careful pretreatment assessment should always be performed
Sudden hearing loss: a study of prognostic factors for hearing recovery
No full textObjective: Sudden hearing loss (SHL) is a disease, isolated or associated with vertigo, of unknown etiology. The aim of this study was to identify the prognostic factors for hearing recovery.Methods: In this retrospective study, we analyzed 287 cases of SHL (mean age 42). Tonal threshold audiometry, BAEP, and RM were the diagnostic procedures for clinical balance of the patient. The therapy used the following: corticosteroids, osmotic diuretic infusion, and vasoactives. All the factors were evaluated through statistical tests, Spearman test, and linear logistic regression.Results: In our study, we observed that 39.3% of patients improved, 27.9% remained unchanged, 29% had complete recovery, and 3.8% worsened. Therapy was not related to the degree of recovery from hearing loss, whereas young age, delayed diagnosis, and audiometric curve type were the three factors related to the degree of hearing recovery.Conclusions: In our study, we report a better overall recovery rate compared with spontaneous recovery. In particular, early treated patients as well as patients with upsloping hearing loss frequently recovered after treatment. Age, time between onset and treatment, and audiogram type were shown to be significantly related to outcome
Possibile coinvolgimento del sistema nervoso autonomo nella comparsa di instabilità dopo trauma cervicale
No full textThe unforeseen during biotechnological therapy for moderate-to-severe psoriasis: How to manage pregnancy and breastfeeding, infections from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and HIV, surgery, vaccinations, diagnosis of malignancy, and dose tapering
No full textThe use of biotechnological therapies for moderate-to-severe psoriasis is ever-expanding and it is becoming increasingly more frequent to encounter different unforeseen events during their use, such as fertile patients becoming pregnant and breastfeeding, development of infections due to personal habits like tuberculosis, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, or HIV, scheduling of surgical procedures, need of vaccinations, development of malignancy, and evaluation of dose tapering. As any clinician may experience at least one of these unexpected events, it should be good practice to know how to manage them. Thus, a practical analysis has been proposed in this study
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