1,720,979 research outputs found
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
Peripheral markers of autophagy in polyglutamine diseases
No full textPolyglutamine disorders are neurodegenerative diseases that share a CAG repeat expansion in the coding region, resulting in aggregated proteins that can be only degraded through aggrephagy. We measured the expression of autophagy genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 20 patients with Huntington's disease (HD), 20 with spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2), and 20 healthy individuals. HD patients showed increased expression of MAP1LC3B (+ 43%; p = 0.048), SQSTM1 (+ 49%; p = 0.002), and WDFY3 (+ 89%; p < 0.001). SCA2 patients had increased expression of WDFY3 (+ 69%; p < 0.001). We show that peripheral markers of autophagy are elevated in polyQ diseases, and this is particularly evident in HD
A real-life experience with eculizumab and efgartigimod in generalized myasthenia gravis patients
Full text linkIntroduction: Eculizumab, a complement active antibody, and efgartigimod, an Fc fragment that blocks neonatal Fc receptor, are both approved to treat generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) patients. The objective of this study is to describe the clinical response to both treatments in a real-life setting. Methods: We collected baseline and follow-up clinical data using the Myasthenia Gravis-Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL), and Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis (QMG). We included 63 patients, 32 treated with eculizumab and 31 with efgartigimod. Of the efgartigimod-treated patients, 22 were anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR-Ab +) and 9 were AChR-Ab- (3 MuSK-Ab + and 6 seronegative). Results: Both treatments showed similar efficacy relative to the MG-ADL scale reduction (p = 0.237). Efgartigimod had a similar effect on both AChR-Ab + and AChR-Ab- (p = 0.280). Eculizumab was superior to efgartigimod relative to the QMG score reduction for the entire dataset (p = 0.003) and was more likely to achieve a clinical response at the QMG compared to efgartigimod (OR 1.373; p = 0.016). Steroid-sparing effect was higher for eculizumab than efgartigimod (– 16.7 vs – 5.2 mg of the baseline daily dose at follow-up; p = 0.001). Mean speed of prednisone reduction was – 13.1 mg of the daily dose for each month of follow-up for eculizumab-treated patients and – 3.2 for efgartigimod (p = 0.001). We found three serious events, all not related to treatment in the investigator’s opinion. One eculizumab-treated patient experienced a severe pneumonia and died despite treatment. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence that eculizumab and efgartigimod can be used in clinical practice to reduce disability in gMG patients. Eculizumab-treated patients had a higher QMG response and steroid sparing effect. Efgartigimod may offer a more flexible schedule due to its cyclical use, no need for vaccination, and efficacy in AChR-Ab- patients
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
The C-Terminal Cross-linked Telopeptide of Type I Collagen (CTX-I) as a Potential Cardiomyopathy Biomarker in Friedreich Ataxia Patients
No full text: Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is the most common inherited recessive ataxia. Cardiomyopathy (CM) with myocardial hypertrophy is the predominant cause of death. The presence of CM is variable and the risk factors for cardiac involvement are not entirely clear. Markers of collagen degradation, such as C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I), seem to be associated with unfavorable cardiovascular outcomes. The aim of our study was to measure serum CTX-I as a marker of cardiac fibrosis in FRDA patients. We measured serum CTX value in twenty-five FRDA patients (mean age, 31.3 ± 14.7 years) and nineteen healthy controls (mean age, 34.0 ± 13.5 years). Patients underwent echocardiography and SARA scale evaluation. CTX values were significantly higher in the patients than in the control group (31.82 ± 2.27 vs 16.44 ± 1.6 μg/L; p = 0.006). CTX-I was inversely correlated with age (R = - 0,535; n = 44; p < 0.001). The regression model identified disease duration and TT3 levels to be independent predictors of CTX-I (model R2 = 0.938; intercept - 64.0, p = 0.071; disease duration coefficient = - 2.34, p = 0.005; TT3 coefficient = 127.17, p = 0.011). CTX-I, a biomarkers of collagen turnover, is elevated in FRDA and should provide complementary information to identify patients with high cardiological risk even if longitudinal studies are needed to define the role of this serologic marker of collagen metabolism in the natural history of cardiomyopathy in FRDA patients
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
Correction to: Peripheral markers of autophagy in polyglutamine diseases (Neurological Sciences, (2018), 39, 1, (149-152), 10.1007/s10072-017-3156-6)
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