1,720,975 research outputs found
Un nuovo approccio fototerapico alle dermatosi croniche
No full text308-nm excimer light has been shown to be safe and effective in the treatment of a variety of chronic skin diseases. Objectives of this study were to analyse the efficacy of MEL in vitiligo, mycosis fungoides and alopecia areata, and to examine the potential new indication of genital lichen sclerosus, prurigo, nodularis, localized scleroderma and granuloma annulare. 71 patients with common and persistent skin diseases were enrolled in this study: 32 with vitiligo (generalized and acro-facial type); 11 with prurigo nodularis; 9 with mycosis fungoides (MF) stage Ia, 8 with alopecia (2 universalis and 6 areata), 5 with localized scleroderma, 5 with genital lichen sclerosus, and 3 with granuloma annulare. The 308-nm excimer monochromatic non-coherent light was used at a fluence rate of 48 mW/ cm2 with a maximum irradiation area of 512 cm2 at 15 cm from the skin. Starting MED was based on a predetermined MED and subsequent doses according to clinical appearance and treatment response. An average of 12 sessions (from 6 to 18) was performed once weekly (range total dose 4-12.5J/cm2). Clinical response was evaluated using photographs, biopsies and specific clinical score. Follow-up was 6 and 12 months in psoriasis, 12 months in mycosis fungoides and 4 months for all other conditions. We observed complete remission in all patients affected by mycosis fungoides, excellent repigmentation in one third of vitiligo patients, hair re-growth in 3 patients with alopecia areata, an overall improvement in prurigo nodularis, a partial remission in patients affected by localised scleroderma, a complete remission in most patients with genital lichen sclerosus and granuloma annulare. We therefore confirm the use of MEL as a valid choice for the treatment of vitiligo and MF and we report for the first time that MEL produces a therapeutic response in prurigo nodularis, localised scleroderma, genital lichen sclerosus and granuloma annulare. These findings represent an important advance in their treatment suggesting MEL as a valid and new therapeutic optio
Removal of unwanted hair: efficacy, tolerability, and safety of long-pulsed 755-nm alexandrite laser equipped with a sapphire handpiece.
No full textDue to the difference in refraction coefficients between air and the corneal epithelium, irradiation of the skin with a light source can lead to reflection of the energy and its leakage to the skin causes epidermal injury. All of which decreases the efficacy of treatment. We evaluated cooling sapphire handpieces' efficacy in decreasing pain and epidermal injuries and enhancing the treatment outcome in laser hair removal. A total of 49 patients with Fitzpatrick skin types of II to IV were treated for laser hair removal on face, limbs, inguinal, and axillary areas with pulsed 755-nm alexandrite laser equipped with a sapphire handpiece and the cooling system. Hair counts were performed by two independent observers at the baseline and 3 months after the final treatment. A marked reduction in hair regrowth was noted 3 months after the final treatment in all body locations studied. Clinical hair reduction was observed and fully assessed. There were no serious side effects with an average pain score of 4.6 out of 40. The cooled sapphire cylinder tip has been shown to minimize epidermal injury and reduce the system energy leaks to the skin
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
New topical treatments for psoriasis
No full textINTRODUCTION:
Psoriasis is a common immune-mediated disorder that in 70% of cases appears in mild or mild-to-moderate form. Psoriasis is usually treated with topical medications and/or phototherapy with variable efficacy in controlling the disease.
AREAS COVERED:
For the past three decades, research has been focused on systemic agents for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis, particularly with the introduction of biologic agents or 'small molecules'. In parallel, novel advances in topical antipsoriatic agents have been made, experiencing a 'new era', with the development of new formulations and the identification of new therapeutic targets. These agents, having a different spectrum of action from traditional agents, are actually being tested in pre-marketing clinical trials and they may potentially represent promising treatment options that could enlarge the therapeutic armamentarium for the treatment of psoriasis.
EXPERT OPINION:
Future antipsoriatic topical agents show new modality of action in blocking the pathogenic process leading to psoriatic plaque formation
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
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