1,720,964 research outputs found
Association between lipoprotein levels and humoral reactivity to mycobacterium avium subsp. Paratuberculosis in multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis
No full textEnvironmental factors such as bacterial infections may play an important role in the development of autoimmune diseases. Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is an obligate pathogen of ruminants able to use the host’s cholesterol for survival into macrophages and has been associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through a molecular mimicry mechanism. Here, we aimed at investigating the correlation between humoral reactivity against MAP and serum lipoprotein levels in subjects at T1DM risk (rT1DM) grouped by geographical background and in patients affected by MS or RA. Our results showed significant differences in HDL, LDL/VLDL and Total Cholesterol (TC) levels between patients and healthy controls (p < 0.0001). Patients positive to anti-MAP Abs (MAP+) had lower HDL levels in comparison with Abs negative (MAP-) subjects, while opposite trends were found for LDL/VLDL concentrations (p < 0.05). TC levels varied between MAP+ and MAP-patients in all three assessed diseases. These findings suggest the implication of anti-MAP Abs in fluctuations of lipoprotein levels highlighting a possible link with cardiovascular disease. Further studies will be needed to confirm these results in larger groups
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
Epitopes of HERV-Wenv induce antigen-specific humoral immunity in multiple sclerosis patients.
No full textRecognition of ZnT8, Proinsulin, and Homologous MAP Peptides in Sardinian Children at Risk of T1D Precedes Detection of Classical Islet Antibodies.
No full textAs numerous studies put in evidence the increasing incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in children, an early diagnosis is of great importance to define correct treatment and diet. Currently, the identification of classical islet autoantibodies is the primary biomarker for diagnosis in subjects at risk, especially in pediatric patients. Recent studies suggest that detection of antibodies against ZnT8 protein in preclinical phase can predict the development of T1D. We previously demonstrated a significant association of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) with T1D in adult Sardinian patients. To enforce this finding, we investigated the presence of antibodies against ZnT8 and proinsulin (PI) with respective homologous epitopes: MAP3865 c 133 - 141 /ZnT 8 186 - 194, MAP3865 c 125 - 133 /ZnT 8 178 - 186, MAP2404 c 70 - 85 /P I 46 - 61, and MAP1,4αgb p 157 - 173 /P I 64 - 80, in 23 children at risk for T1D, formerly involved in the TRIGR study, and 22 healthy controls (HCs). Positivity to anti-MAP and homologous human peptides was detected in 48% of at-risk subjects compared to 5,85% HCs, preceding appearance of islet autoantibodies. Being MAP easily transmitted to humans with infected cow's milk and detected in retail infant formulas, MAP epitopes could be present in extensively hydrolyzed formula and act as antigens stimulating β-cell autoimmunity
Il-2 and mycobacterial lipoarabinomannan as targets of immune responses in multiple sclerosis patients
Full text linkInterleukin 2 (IL-2) is considered a key player in exacerbating multiple sclerosis (MS). Therapies targeting its receptor have been developed; however, a resolution of the disease and side effects are still an issue of concern. The involvement of other factors, such as Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) and envelope protein derived from human endogenous retrovirus type W (HERV-Wenv), in MS pathogenesis has been recently suggested. Here, we investigated the levels of antibodies (Abs) directed against IL-2 and HERV-Wenv in 108 MS patients, 34 patients affected by neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and 137 healthy controls (HCs). Our results show increased levels of Abs specific to IL-2 and HERV-Wenv-su antigens in MS vs. HCs (p < 0.0001 for IL-2, p = 0.0004 for HERV-Wenv) and significantly decreased levels in NMOSD vs. MS. The assessment of different 12-month-long therapies on Abs against IL-2, HERV-Wenv, and MAP lipoarabinomannan (LAM) demonstrated the strongest effect on anti-LAM Abs (p = 0.018), a slight reduction of anti-IL-2 Abs, and small variations for anti-HERV-Wenv Abs. These results highlight the conclusion that the impact of therapy is more correlated with selected epitopes than with the therapeutic agent. Screening for anti-IL-2 and anti-HERV-Wenv Abs has a potential as additional future practice to distinguish between symptomatically similar MS and NMOSD
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
Anti-HERV-W Env antibodies are correlated with seroreactivity against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in children and youths at T1D risk
No full textRecent evidence points at the role that human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) may play through the activation of genes integrated across the human genome. Although a variety of genetic/epigenetic mechanisms maintain most HERVs silenced, independent environmental stimuli including infections may transactivate endogenous elements favoring pathogenic conditions. Several studies associated exposures to Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) with increased anti-MAP seroreactivity in T1D patients. Here, we assessed humoral responses against HERV envelope antigens (HERV-K Env and HERV-W Env ) and four MAP-derived peptides with human homologs in distinct populations: Sardinian children at T1D risk (rT1D) (n = 14), rT1D from mainland Italy (n = 54) and Polish youths with T1D (n = 74) or obesity unrelated to autoimmunity (OB) (n = 26). Unlike Sardinian rT1D, youths displayed increased anti-HERV-W Env Abs prevalence compared to age-matched OB or healthy controls (24.32 vs. 11.54%, p = 0.02 for Polish T1D/OB and 31.48 vs. 11.90%, p = 0.0025 for Italian rT1D). Anti-HERV-K Env responses showed variable trends across groups. A strong correlation between Abs levels against HERV-W Env and homologous peptides was mirrored by time-related Abs patterns. Elevated values registered for HERV-W Env overlaped with or preceded the detection of T1D diagnostic autoantibodies. These results support the hypothesis of MAP infection leading to HERV-W antigen expression and enhancing the production of autoantibodies in T1D
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
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