1,720,979 research outputs found
In vitro effects of 2-methoxyestradiol on cell morphology and Cdc2 Kinase activity in SNO oesophageal carcinoma cells
Full text linkThe effects of 1 × 10-6 M exogenous 2-methoxyestradiol (2 ME) were determined on cell morphology and cell division cycle (Cdc) 2 kinase activity in SNO oesophageal carcinoma cells. Mitotic indices revealed an increase in metaphase cells (11.2%) when compared to the 0.5% vehicle-treated cells after 18 h of exposure to 2 ME. Vehicle-treated control cells did not show any hallmarks of apoptosis after 18 h of exposure to dimethyl sulphoxide. Only 0.5% of 2 ME-treated cells showed characteristics of apoptosis. Conversely, increased morphological hallmarks of apoptosis were observed in SNO-treated cells after 21.5 h of 2 ME exposure. When compared to the 0.5% in vehicle-treated cells, 4.7% of cells were in apoptosis. Furthermore, 34.1% of cells were blocked in metaphase after 21.5 h of 2 ME exposure compared to 0.6% of vehicle-control cells. In addition, Cdc2 kinase activity was statistically significantly increased (1.3-fold) (p < 0.005) in 2 ME-treated cells when compared to vehicle-treated controls. The present preliminary study suggests that the accumulation observed in metaphase cells and the increase in Cdc2 kinase activity caused by 2 ME are consistent with morphological hallmarks of mitotic arrest and disrupted mitotic spindle formation, thus leading to induction of apoptosis in SNO cells.The Cancer Association of South Africa; Grant Number: AA614
The Medical Research Council, South Africa; Grant Number: AG37
The etiology and response to high dose oral prednisone in children with infantile spasms - a resource-poor country perspective
Full text linkThesis (MMed)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.Background and objective: Hormonal therapy is the treatment of choice in most infants
with infantile spasms (IS). Intramuscular adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) has historically been the treatment of choice, however, its usage is complicated by unavailability
and financial constraints, even more so in resource limited settings. Our institution has used high dose prednisone as the first-line hormonal treatment of infantile spasms since 2006. In this study we investigated the efficacy and safety of high dose oral prednisone. In addition, we describe the most common causes of IS in our setting.
Methods: Medical records of infants who presented to Tygerberg Hospital with IS and who
were treated with high-dose oral prednisone (4mg/kg/day), from September 2012 through August 2016, were reviewed. Electro-clinical response was defined as clinical spasm-freedom and resolution of hypsarrythmia within two weeks of initiation of therapy.
Results: Over the 4-year period, 50 children with new-onset IS were treated. The mean
duration of epileptic spasms prior to initiation of treatment was 15.4 days (range 7.64-23.176
days) and the mean age of diagnosis was 22.83 weeks (range 19.19-26.47 weeks). The
majority of infants (78%) exhibited developmental delay prior to the onset of spasms.
Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and white matter injury of prematurity, were the most
common etiologies. Electro-clinical response occurred in 32 (64%) of infants within two
weeks of the onset of treatment. No major side effects were encountered during the
treatment period.
Conclusion: Our results continue to demonstrate that high dose oral prednisone is very
effective for the treatment of new-onset infantile spasms, with no major adverse effects. Oral
prednisone represents a less expensive, readily available alternative to ACTH injections,
especially in resource-constrained settings. A significant proportion of IS cases can be
attributed to potentially preventable etiologies such as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy,
white matter injury of prematurity and hypoglycemic encephalopathy.Agtergrond: Hormonale terapie is die behandeling van keuse vir die meeste kinders met
infantiele spasmas (IS). Intramuskulêre adrenokortikotrofiese hormoon (AKTH) is histories
die behandeling van keuse, maar die gebruik daarvan word gekompliseer deur
ontoereikenheid and finsiële beperkings veral in beperkte hulpbronne instansies. Hoë dosis
prednisoon word as eerste linie hormonale terapie vir IS by Tygerberg Hospitaal gebruik. In
hierdie studie word die effektiwiteit en veiligheid van hoë dosis prednisoon ondersoek.
Verder, word ook die mees algemene oorsake van IS, by ons instansie, beskryf.
Metodes: Die mediese rekords van kinders wat by Tygerberg Hospitaal presenteer het met
IS en met hoë dosis orale prednisoon (4mg/kg/dag), vanaf September 2012 tot en met
Augustus 2016 behandel is, was na gegaan. Elektro-kliniese respons was gedefinieer as
klinies spasma vryheid en resolusie van hipsaritmië binne twee weke vanaf die begin van
behandeling.
Resultate: ‘n Totaal van 50 kinders, oor ‘n 4 jaar periode, was met nuwe aankoms IS by
Tygerberg Hospitaal behandel. Die gemiddelde duur van spasmas voor die begin van
behandeling was 15.4 dae (omvang 7.64-23.176 dae) en die gemiddelde ouderdom met
diagnose was 22.83 weke (omvang 19.19-26.47 weke). Die meerderheid van kinders (78%)
het ontwikkelingsagterstand getoon voor die begin van spasmas. Hipoksiese isgemiese
enkefelopatie en witstof besering van premaruteit was die mees algemeenste oorsake.
Elektro-kliniese respons was behaal in 32 (64%) van kinders binne twee weke van die
aanvang van behandeling. Geen nadelige effekte was aangemeld tydens die
behandelingsperiode.
Gevolgtrekking: Die resultate demonstreer dat hoë dosis prednisoon ‘n baie effektiewe
behandeling vir nuwe aankoms IS is, met geen noemenswaardige nadelige effekte nie. Orale
prednisoon is ‘n meer bekostigbare, maklik verkrygbare alternatief tot AKTH intramuskulêre
inspuitings, veral by ‘n beperkte-hulpbron instelling. ‘n Groot hoeveelheid van IS gevalle het
potensieël ‘n voorkombare etiologie, soos hipoksiese isgemiese enkefelopatie, witstof
besering van premaruteit and hipoglusemiese enkefelopatie.Master
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
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
No full textAuthor-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
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