1,721,079 research outputs found
Hemostasis Components as Therapeutic Targets in Autoimmune Demyelination
No full textSeveral studies in both multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) have shed light on the vascular mechanisms contributing to MS pathogenesis. The dysregulation of the hemostatic pathways revealed to play a pivotal role. Here, we review the numerous findings providing evidence on the involvement of hemostasis components in MS pathogenesis to highlight why they might be considered potential therapeutic targets in the disease. A literature search for articles from January 1950 to September 2021 was conducted in PubMed and Scopus. A consistent body of evidence supports the pro-inflammatory activity of activated platelets in MS pathogenesis and the beneficial effect of aspirin administration on the EAE clinical course. Further, neuropathological findings in subjects with MS and experimental studies in EAE have revealed dysregulation of coagulation/fibrinolysis system in autoimmune demyelination. Fibrin deposition in the central nervous system and its interaction with the CD11b receptor on microglia cells seems to drive neuroinflammation and autoimmune demyelination. However, at present, few and controversial clinical data are available on the implementation of drugs targeting fibrin deposition in MS therapy. In conclusion, targeting platelet activation and receptors for fibrin(ogen) deserve further research to hopefully purpose new drugs in the pharmacologic paraphernalia of MS neurologists
fMRI evidence of brain reorganization during attention and memory tasks in multiple sclerosis
No full textDemyelinating and thrombotic diseases of the central nervous system: common pathogenic and triggering factors
Full text linkContext:
Copper deficiency myelopathy represents an often underdiagnosed, acquired neurological syndrome, clinically characterized by posterior column dysfunction. The main causes of copper deficiency are bariatric surgery, increased consumption of zinc, and malabsorption. However, even after a careful history taking and extensive laboratory researches, the etiology of copper deficiency remains undetermined in a significant percentage of cases. Patients affected by copper deficiency myelopathy usually present with sensory ataxia due to dorsal column dysfunction and sometimes with mild leg spasticity. In such patients, spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may show hyperintense lesions in T2-weighted sequences involving the posterior columns of cervical and thoracic cord. These MRI findings are not distinguishable from those of subacute combined degeneration associated with vitamin B12 deficiency.
Findings:
Here, we describe two patients with gait ataxia and sensory symptoms in which a diagnosis of copper deficiency myelopathy was made. Both patients showed a significant clinical, neuroradiological, and neurophysiological improvement after proper supplementation therapy.
Conclusion:
The patients herein described underline the importance to include serum copper and ceruloplasmin levels as part of the myelopathy diagnostic workup, especially in the cases of otherwise unexplained subacute myelopathy involving the posterior columns. Since copper deficiency myelopathy is a progressive syndrome, early diagnosis is mandatory in order to promptly provide a proper supplementation therapy and, thus, prevent an irreversible neurological damage
Brain reorganization during attention and memory tasks in multiple sclerosis:insights from functional MRI studies.
No full textDeficits in memory and attention frequently occur during the course of multiple sclerosis (MS). In patients with MS the severity of cognitive manifestations is not closely related to indices of structural brain damage on both conventional and non conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is conceivable that the ability of the brain to compensate for tissue impairment or loss may contribute to the maintenance of normal performance despite scattered brain lesions. Accordingly, using functional MRI (fMRI), patients with multiple sclerosis showed a greater extent of brain activation during motors tasks than controls. Changes in functional organization of the cerebral cortex have also been reported by fMRI studies comparing the activation patterns during cognitive tasks in patients with MS and in healthy subjects. Differences in patients’ selection, activation paradigm, experimental design and MR acquisition parameters make, however, the results obtained from fMRI studies difficult to be compared and may explain, at least partially, some discrepant findings. Nevertheless, fMRI studies provide a new interesting way of understanding how the brain can change its functional organization in response to MS pathology, and might be useful in the study of the effects of either rehabilitation or pharmacological agents on brain plasticity. D 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
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
Impact of neuronal loss on relaxometry and magnetization transfer imaging estimations
No full textNo abstract availabl
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