1,720,981 research outputs found
Detecting clinical signs of anaemia from digital images of the palpebral conjunctiva
Full text linkThe potential for visually detectable clinical signs of anaemia and their correlation with the severity of the pathology have supported research on non-invasive prevention methods. Physical examination for a suspected diagnosis of anaemia is a practice performed by a specialist to evaluate the pallor of the exposed tissues. The aim of the research presented herein is to quantify and minimize the subjective nature of the examination of the palpebral conjunctiva, suggesting a method of diagnostic support and autonomous monitoring. Here we describe the methodology and system for extracting key data from the digital image of the conjunctiva, which is also based on analysis of the dominant colour classes. Effective features have been used herein to establish the inclusion of each image in a diagnosis probability class for anaemia. The images of the conjunctiva were taken using a new low cost and easy to use device, designed to optimize the properties of independence from ambient light. The performance of the system was tested either by extracting manually the palpebral conjunctiva from images or by extracting them in a semi-automatic way based on the SLIC Superpixel algorithm. Tests were conducted on images obtained from 102 people. The dataset was unbalanced, since many more samples of healthy people were available, as often happens in the medical field. The SMOTE and ROSE algorithms were evaluated to balance the dataset, and some classification algorithms for assessing the anaemic condition were tested, yielding very good results. Taking a photo of the palpebral conjunctiva can aid the decision whether a blood sample is needed or even whether a patient should inform a physician, considerably reducing the number of candidate subjects for blood sampling. It also could highlight the suspected anaemia, allowing screening for anaemia in a large number of people, even in resource-poor settings
Monosomal karyotype in myeloid neoplasias: a literature review
Full text linkIn 2008, the concept of the monosomal karyotype (MK) in adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients was introduced, defined by the presence of a chromosomal aberration pattern characterized by the presence of at least two autosomal monosomies or of one monosomy plus one or more structural aberrations (not including loss of a chromosome). We present a systematic review of the literature about the influence of the MK on the outcome of patients affected by myeloid malignancies (AML, myelodysplastic syndromes, and primary myelofibrosis). For this review, a comprehensive literature search using the term "monosomal karyotype" was performed, considering articles listed in MEDLINE. This analysis of the literature confirms the negative prognostic impact on survival of the MK in myeloid neoplasias. The detrimental effect of MK on AML patients' outcome is independent of other variables, including adverse cytogenetic features, supporting the identification of this entity as a challenging subgroup of patients with distinct biologic and clinical features
FLAG-IDA REGIMEN AS SALVAGE THERAPY IN REFRACTORY/RELAPSED AML PATIENTS: A SINGLE-CENTER EXPERIENCE
No full textCurrent therapies for chronic lymphocytic leukemia: risk and prophylaxis strategies for secondary/opportunistic infections
No full textIntroduction: Currently, the implementation of new therapeutic options for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) considerably improved the outcome of this disease. However, patients affected by CLL are at higher risk for infections, due to the state of immunosuppression related to hematologic disease and therapies. Consequently, anti-infective prophylaxis should be properly managed, according to risk factors for opportunistic infection, related to antineoplastic drugs and characteristics of patients.Areas covered: This review aims to summarize current knowledge on secondary/opportunistic infections during CLL treatment, including chemo-immunotherapies, Bruton Tyrosine Kinase inhibitors, idelalisib and venetoclax. In addition, possible schemes of prophylaxis are provided.Expert opinion: The establishment of a multidisciplinary team including hematologist and infectious diseases specialist is pivotal for the best management of anti-infective prophylaxis and prevention of new onset infections
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
FLAG-Ida Regimen as Bridge Therapy to Allotransplantation in Refractory/Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients
No full textAllotransplant is crucial for improving survival in refractory/first relapsed AML patients. An overall response was achieved in 48 patients (44% of the whole group) with FLAG-Ida chemotherapy approach. 24 of 48 responders underwent allotransplantation obtaining a median OS of 60 months. Background Patients with primary refractory or first relapse acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are considered to have worse clinical outcomes after treatment. For these patients, the achievement of complete remission appears crucial for them to be able to undergo allotransplantation, which might be the only possible treatment. Patients and Methods We used the FLAG-Ida (fludarabine, cytarabine [cytosine arabinoside], granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, idarubicin) regimen in patients with primary refractory/first relapse AML as a bridge to transplantation. We studied its efficacy in terms of overall response and overall survival to assess which variables (age, lactate dehydrogenase, bone marrow blast count, peripheral blood blast count, platelet count, white blood cell count, de novo or secondary AML, molecular-cytogenetic risk, duration of response, and relapsed or refractory disease) might have an effect on outcome. Results We analyzed the data from 108 consecutive adult patients (52 males, 66 females; median age, 49 years; range, 17-72 years) with newly diagnosed AML refractory to standard induction regimens or relapse after first complete remission, who had received the FLAG-Ida protocol as salvage therapy from January 2005 to December 2015. An overall response was achieved in 48 patients (44%). On multivariate analysis, the variables with a positive effect on the response rate were molecular-cytogenetic risk (P =.009), duration of first response in relapsed AML (P =.003), AML status (relapsed or refractory; P =.047), and peripheral blood blast count (P =.016). On multivariate analysis, overall survival was significantly associated with FLAG-Ida response (hazard ratio, 0.343; P =.001) and receipt of allotransplantation (hazard ratio, 0.277; P <.001). Conclusion Our data seem to confirm the value of FLAG-Ida in this setting and might suggest its best usage as bridge therapy for patients awaiting allotransplantation
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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