1,721,019 research outputs found
Hepatotoxicity caused by mebendazole in a patient with Gilbert's syndrome
No full textWhat is known and objective: Mebendazole (MBZ) is a broad‐spectrum antihelminthic agent of the benzimidazole type. Although MBZ has been reported to cause hepatic injury, case reports of severe hepatic injury are very rare. We report a case of severe hepatitis after administration of MBZ in a patient with Gilbert's syndrome affected by pinworms infestation. Case summary: Differently from other cases of hepatitis due to MBZ reported in the scientific literature, our patient received standard doses of MBZ for a short period of time. After 18 days from the start of therapy, he developed hepatomegaly, and increases in hepatic enzymes and bilirubin. Hepatic enzymes returned to normal over the following 5 weeks. What is new and conclusion: This is the first case report of important liver injury after administration of MBZ in a patient with Gilbert's syndrome. We suspected that a diminished hepatic glucuronidation of MBZ due to the reduced activity of the glucuronosyltransferase enzyme in our patient could have caused an increase in unconjugated toxic metabolites of MBZ and the consequent liver damage
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
Clinical use of BCG and its complications: a case series
No full textBacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a live, attenuated strain
of Mycobacterium bovis, is the essential constituent of
the vaccine against tuberculosis and the gold-standard
adjuvant treatment for urothelial cancer of the bladder.
Being a live, attenuated strain with a potential pathogenic action, bacilli can cause several complications,
both locally near the inoculation site and remotely
through blood dissemination. BCG-related disease can
represent a side effect of anti-TB vaccination in patient
with congenital or acquired immunodeficiency or a
complication of the therapeutic schedule in oncologic
patients. Herein we report five cases of BCG-related
disease which occurred at the Infectious Diseases Department of the University Hospital of Palermo during
a five-year period from January 2014 to December 2019
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
Novel A-ring and B-ring modified combretastatin A-4 (CA-4) analogues endowed with interesting cytotoxic activity
No full textA novel class of combretastatins, modified at A-ring or both A- and B-rings, mainly by replacement with benzofuran or benzo[b]thiophene, were synthesized. The new heterocombretastatins showed good cytotoxic activity on BMEC and H-460 cell lines. The aminocombretastatin 9f potently inhibits cell growth of BMEC and combretastatin-resistant HT-29 cell lines, with potential interest to treat colon carcinoma. Heterocombretastatins 9a,b inhibit tubulin polymerization similarly to CA-4 by having a binding to colchicine site five times stronger
The STAT Signaling Pathway in HIV-1 Infection: Roles and Dysregulation
No full textThe STAT (Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription) signaling pathway plays a central role in immune regulation by mediating cytokine responses and orchestrating both innate and adaptive immunity. Although CD4+ T cell depletion is the main driver of HIV-1–induced immunodeficiency, the virus also exerts a significant and often underestimated impact by disrupting the function of STAT family members, thereby exacerbating immune imbalance and accelerating disease progression. Specifically, HIV-1 suppresses STAT1 activation, impairing the induction of antiviral genes; inhibits IL-23–driven STAT3 activation in CD4+ Th17 cells with a reduction in IL-17; alters STAT3-dependent functions in antigen-presenting cells; and imposes profound—and at times opposing—dysregulations of STAT5, including the induction of a truncated isoform that contributes to latency. Notably, pharmacological inhibition of the JAK/STAT axis, particularly with JAK2 inhibitors, has been shown to reduce integrated proviral DNA and viral replication in vitro and in early clinical studies. This review provides an updated overview of the roles of individual STAT proteins in HIV-1 infection and pathogenesis, emphasizing the intricate interplay between viral factors and host signaling, highlighting the potential therapeutic implications, and suggesting that immunological assessment in HIV-1 patients should extend beyond CD4+ T cell counts and the CD4/CD8 ratio to include functional analysis of STAT signaling for deeper insights into immune dysfunction and chronic inflammation
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