169,930 research outputs found
Large delection of TSC2 and PKD1 genes is associated with renal and extrarenal signs of adult PKD phenotype.
No full textAltered expression of B lymphocyte surface immunoglobulins in minimal change nephrotic syndrome and focal glomerulosclerosis
No full textIn 20 patients with nephrotic syndrome (10 minimal change glomerulonephritis, MCN; 10 focal glomerulosclerosis, FGS) the peripheral blood lymphocytes showed a statistically significant increase in IgG-bearing cells (SIgG-C) in comparison with 30 patients with other histological types of primary glomerulonephritis with and without nephrotic syndrome (14 and 16, respectively). In the same MCN and FGS patients the serum IgG levels were slightly decreased. Furthermore, 5 cases of MCN in sustained remission for 1 year after steroid therapy showed normalization of the SIgG-C and the serum IgG levels. The possible significance of these phenomena in the pathogenesis of the hypo-IgG-globulinemia in MCN and FGS is discussed
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe 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
Comparative chemical analyses of five finger lime varieties by UHPLC-HR-ESI-MS/MS and evaluation of their in vitro antioxidant activity
No full textCitrus australasica F.Muell (Rutaceae), commonly called finger lime or lemon caviar, is a small tree native to Australia.1 The uniqueness of its finger-shaped fruits and odorous caviar-shaped vesicles of the pulp are the reasons for its enormous, recent diffusion in Europe and in Italy. The indigenous peoples of Australia have used finger lime fruits as a food source and for healing purposes for thousands of years.2 Nowadays, these fruits have huge popularity and economic interest in gourmet culinary preparations. The species has several varieties and hybrids differing in peel and pulp color and taste. These macroscopic differences reflect changes in the chemical composition of bioactive secondary metabolites. Many previous studies suggest fruits belonging to genus Citrus as excellent sources of macronutrients and molecules of therapeutic interest such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, coumarins, and limonoids,3 but to date few chemical and biological studies about C. australasica were performed.1
The aim of this research was to carry out a comparative chemical analysis among peel and pulp extracts of four C. australasica selected varieties (Red, Collette, Pink Ice, and Yellow Sunshine) and the hybrid species faustrime (Monocitrus australasica x Fortunella sp.x Citrus aurantifolia) by UHPLC-HR-ESI-MS/MS quali-quantitative technique. Peel and pulp extracts were also analyzed for their total phenolic content (TPC) and in vitro antioxidant activity on a Balb/3T3 Clone A31 mouse embryo fibroblasts cell line. The chemical analyses showed a higher content of TPC in peels than in pulps and in Red and Collette varieties. All varieties contain hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives in similar quantities both in peels and in pulps, particularly rich in caffeoylisocitric acid. Collette and Pink Ice are the two varieties with the largest number of identified flavonoids such as rutin, luteolin 7'-O-neohesperidoside/rutinoside, poncirin, and isosakuranetin rhamnosyldiglucoside. Collette peels are also the richest in anthocyanins with delfinidin rhamnosylglucoside the most abundant one. All peel extracts showed no cytotoxicity in the range of 5-120 μg/mL, while the pulp extracts within 30-300 μg/mL. Red and Collette varieties exhibited the maximum protective activity against oxidative damage induced with H2O2 1500 μM, capable of reducing cell viability to 50%. In conclusion, the edible parts of fingerlime fruits are good sources of health-promoting phytocomplexes with antioxidant activity, due to their rich composition in polyphenols, being Red, Collette, and Pink Ice varieties the most promising ones
B-Lymphocyte Stimulator (BLyS) upregulation in mixed cryoglobulinemia syndrome and hepatitis C virus infection
No full textObjectives. To investigate the role of B-Lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) in mixed cryoglobulinaemia syndrome (MCsn), a systemic vasculitis associated with a high risk to develop lymphoma, since BLyS up-regulation may favour both autoimmunity and lymphoproliferation. Methods. BLyS serum levels were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (positive when >0.85 ng/ml) in 66 patients with MCsn, 54 (81.8%) of whom were positive for hepatitis-C virus (HCV) infection. Thirty-three HCV-positive patients without MCsn were also studied. Patients were compared with 48 healthy blood donors (HBDs). BLyS modifications after antiviral therapy were also studied. Results. A significantly higher frequency of BLyS serum positivity was detected both in MCsn patients and in HCV-positive patients without MCsn (37.9 and 30.3%, respectively) when compared with HBDs (4.2%) (P < 0.0001 vs MCsn and P = 0.0026 vs HCV-positive patients without MCsn, respectively). BLyS appeared significantly higher in MCsn (3.70 ± 2.97 ng/ml) than in HCV-positive patients without MCsn (1.56 ± 0.63 ng/ml; P = 0.0044). BLyS expression did not correlate with rheumatoid factor levels, cryoglobulin levels or definite MCsn-related systemic features. High BLyS levels were significantly associated only with MCsn-related overt lymphoproliferative disorder. Finally, antiviral treatment significantly increased BLyS levels, independently from HCV-RNA negativization. However, BLyS normalization was noticed after both HCV-RNA negativization and suspension of antiviral therapy by preliminary data. Conclusions. BLyS is up-regulated and may play a pathogenetic role in a fraction of patients with MCsn, similarly to other autoimmune diseases. HCV infection likely represents the early event leading to BLyS up-regulation in this setting. BLyS is up-regulated during antiviral treatment. Overall, these data provide new insights for BLyS and virus-related autoimmunity, lymphoproliferation and possible treatment strategies
Mitomycin C in highly myopic eyes - Author reply
No full textOphthalmology. 2005 Feb;112(2):208-18; discussion 219.
Mitomycin C modulation of corneal wound healing after photorefractive keratectomy in highly myopic eyes.
Gambato C, Ghirlando A, Moretto E, Busato F, Midena E.
SourceRefractive Surgery Service and Antimetabolite Therapy Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of topical mitomycin C in corneal wound healing (CWH) after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in highly myopic eyes.
DESIGN: Prospective, double-masked, randomized clinical trial.
PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-two eyes of 36 patients affected by high (>7 diopters) myopia.
METHODS: In each patient, one eye was randomly assigned to PRK with intraoperative topical 0.02% mitomycin C application, and the fellow eye was treated with a placebo. Postoperatively, mitomycin C-treated eyes received artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months), whereas the fellow eye was treated with fluorometholone sodium 2% and artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), contrast sensitivity, manifest refraction, and biomicroscopy. Contrast sensitivity was determined using the Pelli-Robson chart. Corneal confocal microscopy documented CWH.
RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 18 months (range, 12-36). No side effects or toxic effects were documented. At 12-month follow-up examination, UCVAs (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) were 0.4+/-0.48 and 0.5+/-0.53 (P = .03) in mitomycin C-treated eyes and corticosteroid-treated eyes, respectively. At 1 year, corneal haze developed in 20% of corticosteroid-treated eyes, versus 0% of mitomycin C-treated eyes. At 12, 24, and 36 months, corneal confocal microscopy showed activated keratocytes and extracellular matrix significantly more evident in untreated eyes (Ps = 0.004, 0.024, and 0.046, respectively).
CONCLUSION: Topical intraoperative application of 0.02% mitomycin C can reduce haze formation in highly myopic eyes undergoing PRK.
Comment in
Ophthalmology. 2006 Feb;113(2):357; author reply 357-8
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe 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
La mortalità nei pazienti schizofrenici cronici. Risultati di uno studio di coorte retrospettivo
No full textBioetica e salvaguardia dell'ambiente
No full textQuaderno n. 5 dei Quaderni di Bioetica "Luigi Migone
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