1,720,982 research outputs found
Palliative care at home in cancer patients in Milan : an observational prospective study
No full textManaging severe cancer pain: the role of transdermal buprenorphine : a systematic review
No full textPain is a frequent and important symptom in cancer patients. Among the available strong opioids, transdermal buprenorphine has been licensed in Europe since 2002, and results from a few clinical studies suggest that it may be a good alternative to the other oral or transdermal opioids. To assess the best available evidence on its efficacy and safety, we carried out a systematic literature review with the aim of pooling relevant studies. We identified 19 eligible papers describing 12 clinical studies (6 randomized controlled trials and 6 observational prospective studies), including a total of about 5000 cancer patients. Given the poor quality of reports and the heterogeneity of methods and outcomes, pooling was not feasible as the type of data was not appropriate for combining the results statistically. A meta-analysis based on individual data is ongoing in the context of the Cochrane Collaboration. In conclusion, although the narrative appraisal of each study suggests a positive risk benefit profile, well designed and statistically powered controlled clinical trials are needed to confirm this preliminary evidence
Effetti della somministrazione di buprenorfina transdermica in pazienti oncologici : Risultati di uno studio di outcome [Effects of transdermal buprenorphine in cancer patients. Results from the Cancer Pain Outcome Research (CPOR) Study Group]
Full text linkNonostante il dolore affligga la maggior parte dei pazienti oncologici, soprattutto
nelle fasi metastatiche della malattia, spesso il trattamento non è proporzionato
all’intensità del dolore. Le preparazioni transdermiche hanno alcuni vantaggi rispetto
a quelle orali e parenterali, ma le evidenze fornite da studi comparativi sono ancora
scarse. Nel contesto di una iniziativa più ampia, nel 2006 è stato avviato in Italia uno
studio di Outcome Research per studiare gli effetti di diverse terapie analgesiche, in particolare
Buprenorfina TDS. Nonostante i limiti legati alla natura osservazionale dello
studio, i risultati ottenuti forniscono informazioni ai medici per comprendere meglio gli
effetti della somministrazione di Buprenorfina transdermica in una casistica ampia e ben
caratterizzata e possono essere utili per disegnare ulteriori studi comparativiPain still afflicts most cancer patients, mainly in the metastatic phases, and undertreatment is well documented. Transdermal delivery systems (TDS) could potentially have advantages over oral and parental routes, but evidence from comparative trials are scanty. In the framework of a wider initiative, an Outcome Research Study was carried
out in Italy in 2006 to evaluate the effects of various analgesic options, particularly TDS Buprenorphine. Despite the limitations due to the observational design, these findings
may be useful to clinicians to better judge the value of the drug under evaluation and to help researchers to design further comparative studies
Use of preventive drugs during the last year of life in older adults with cancer or chronic progressive diseases
No full textPurpose: To evaluate the prescription of preventive medications with questionable usefulness in community dwelling elderly adults with cancer or chronic progressive diseases during the last year of life. Methods: Through the utilization of the healthcare databases of the Lombardy region, Italy, we identified two retrospective cohorts of patients aged 65 years or more, who died in 2018 and had a diagnosis of either a solid cancer (N = 19 367) or a chronic progressive disease (N = 27 819). We estimated prescription of eight major classes of preventive drugs 1 year and 1 month before death; continuation or initiation of preventive drug use during the last month of life was also investigated. Results: Over the last year of life, in both oncologic and non-oncologic patients, we observed a modest decrease in the prescription of blood glucose-lowering drugs, anti-hypertensives, lipid-modifying agents, and bisphosphonates, and a slight increase in the prescription of vitamins, minerals, antianemic drugs, and antithrombotic agents (among oncologic patients only). One month before death, the prescription of preventive drugs was still common, particularly for anti-hypertensives, antithrombotics, and antianemics, with more than 60% of patients continuing to be prescribed most preventive drugs and an over 10% starting a therapy with an antithrombotic, an antianemic, or a vitamin or mineral supplement. Conclusion: These findings support the need for an appropriate drug review and improvement in the quality of drug prescription for vulnerable populations at the end-of-life
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
Il dolore nel paziente con cancro : sintesi dei risultati di un progetto quinquennale
No full text► Obiettivi. Promuovere un aumento delle conoscenze sul tema del dolore oncologico e avviare una serie di iniziative volte a migliorare la qualità della cura
e gli outcome dei pazienti.
► Metodi. Tra il 2003 e il 2008 sono state avviate una serie di attività tra cui:
1) revisioni sistematiche della letteratura al fine di acquisire le informazioni necessarie per impostare le successive fasi di ricerca e formazione; 2) conduzione di incontri e corsi di formazione con gli operatori del settore; 3) disegno e conduzione di uno studio epidemiologico prospettico al fine di raccogliere alcune informazioni empiriche sull’epidemiologia del dolore da cancro in Italia e di effettuare una valutazione delle frequenza dell’ undertreatment.
► Risultati. In questo articolo sono presentati i risultati delle revisioni sistematiche condotte per studiare l’undertreatment, la prevalenza del breakthrough cancer pain
e l’efficacia della buprenorfina transdermica nei pazienti con dolore e cancro. Inoltre sono descritti i principali risultati dello studio epidemiologico prospettico e le analisi effettuate su particolari popolazioni.
► Conclusioni. A fronte delle conoscenze emerse nel corso delle precedenti attività, il gruppo di lavoro avvierà entro il 2010 uno studio clinico randomizzato che confronterà l’efficacia dei principali farmaci oppioidi utilizzati nella terapia del dolore nel paziente con cancro. Lo studio coinvolgerà 80 centri e circa 1000 pazient
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
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