323,087 research outputs found
Deferasirox (Exjade®) significantly improves cardiac T2* in heavily iron-overloaded patients with β-thalassemia major
No full textNoninvasive measurement of tissue iron levels can be assessed using T2* magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify and monitor patients with iron overload. This study monitored cardiac siderosis using T2* MRI in a cohort of 19 heavily iron-overloaded patients with β-thalassemia major receiving iron chelation therapy with deferasirox over an 18-month period. Overall, deferasirox therapy significantly improved mean ± standard deviation cardiac T2* from a baseline of 17.2±10.8 to 21.5±12.8 ms (+25.0percent; P=0.02). A concomitant reduction in median serum ferritin from a baseline of 5,497 to 4,235 ng-mL (-23.0percent; P=0.001), and mean liver iron concentration from 24.2±9.0 to 17.6± 12.9 mg Fe-g dry weight (-27.1percent; P=0.01) was also seen. Improvements were seen in patients with various degrees of cardiac siderosis, including those patients with a baseline cardiac T2* of 10 ms, indicative of high cardiac iron burden. These findings therefore support previous observations that deferasirox is effective in the removal of myocardial iron with concomitant reduction in total body iron. © The Author(s) 2009.Anderson LJ, 2006, ACTA HAEMATOL-BASEL, V115, P106, DOI 10.1159-000089475; Anderson LJ, 2001, EUR HEART J, V22, P2171, DOI 10.1053-euhj.2001.2822; Borgna-Pignatti C, 2004, HAEMATOLOGICA, V89, P1187; BRITTENHAM GM, 1994, NEW ENGL J MED, V331, P567, DOI 10.1056-NEJM199409013310902; Cappellini MD, 2006, BLOOD, V107, P3455, DOI 10.1182-blood-2005-08-3430; Daar S, 2009, HAEMATOL-HEMATOL J, V94, P140, DOI 10.3324-haematol.13845; ELEFTHERIOU P, 2006, HAEMATOLOGICA S1, V91, P999; Garbowski M, 2008, BLOOD, V112, P116; Kolnagou A, 2006, HEMOGLOBIN, V30, P219, DOI 10.1080-03630260600642542; Noetzli LJ, 2008, BLOOD, V112, P2973, DOI 10.1182-blood-2008-04-148767; PENNELL D, 2008, BLOOD, V112, P3874; Pennell DJ, 2008, BLOOD, V112, P3873; Porter J, 2008, EUR J HAEMATOL, V80, P168, DOI 10.1111-j.1600-0609.2007.00985.x; St Pierre TG, 2005, BLOOD, V105, P855, DOI 10.1182-blood-2004-01-0177; Taher A, 2009, EUR J HAEMATOL, V82, P458, DOI 10.1111-j.1600-0609.2009.01228.x; Vichinsky E, 2007, BRIT J HAEMATOL, V136, P501, DOI 10.1111-j.1365-2141.2006.06455.x; Westwood M, 2003, J MAGN RESON IMAGING, V18, P33, DOI 10.1002-jmri.10332; Wood JC, 2004, BLOOD, V104, p111A; Wood JC, 2008, BLOOD, V112, P3882; Wood JC, 2006, TRANSL RES, V148, P272, DOI 10.1016-j.trsl.2006.05.005; ZURLO MG, 1989, LANCET, V2, P2719222
Prevalence and experience of harassment of people with mental health problems living in the community
No full text<i>Declaration</i> <i>of</i> <i>interest</i>: This study was funded by the Communities Fund and was the result of a partnership between the Nuffield Centre for Community Care Studies, University of Glasgow, the National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland) and the Scottish users' network.
<i>Background</i>: The levels and experiences of harassment of people with mental health problems in the community compared with those of the general population have not been explored.
<i>Aims</i>: To measure the levels and experience of harassment experienced by people with mental health problems in the community in Scotland and compare them with the general population.
<i>Method</i>: Experiences of harassment were collected by interviewing 165 individuals with mental health problems and a control group of 165 people from the general population.
<i>Results</i>: Harassment in the community was found to be twice as common for individuals with mental health problems (41%) than for those in the general population (15%). The harassment commonly involved verbal abuse referring to the individual's mental health problems and was committed primarily by teenagers and neighbours.
<i>Conclusions</i>: Harassment has a significantly higher prevalence among individuals with mental health problems living in the community and is believed to have a detrimental effect on mental health
Diffusive author(s), cohesive author: Analysis of S/N (1994)
No full textThis study indicates the ways in which various aspects of the author(s) are brought forth in Dumb type’s performance art, the S/N production. Previous research has suggested a non-hierarchical organization of Dumb type and the absence of a “privileged author” in Dumb type’s collaborative work, S/N. However, the results that I have investigated from member’s interviews on the creative process of S/N along with my analysis of the recorded images of S/N, indicate a different aspect of the author(s). First, S/N was created through, so to speak, the collective ideas of the members of Dumb type. Further, S/N has at least nine quotations from previous performances, installations, and printed writings, besides the work-in-progress technique. Explicating one of the “author functions” as given by Michel Foucault, each text has plural subjects of the author. However, it has been revealed from members’ interviews that Teiji Furuhashi had a decision-making role in selecting the members’ ideas within the performance. Since then, S/N has had plural subjects of creation; however, Furuhashi is one of the subjects of creation along with the “privileged author.” S/N has plural authors (diffusive authors) yet at the same time, it has a “privileged author,” Teiji Furuhashi (cohesive author)
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe 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
MELD-score for risk stratification in cardiac surgery
No full textThe outcome of the patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is also influenced by the renal and hepatic organ functions. Risk stratification, using scores such as EURO Score II or STS Short-Term Risk Calculator for patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, ignores the quantitative renal and hepatic function; therefore, MELD-Score was applied in these cases. We retrospectively examined patient data using the MELD score as a predictor of mortality. To perform a univariate analysis of the data, patients were classified into three groups based on the MELD Score: MELD 20 experienced a 31.2% postoperative mortality, compared to Group 1 (4.6%) and Group 2 (17.5%). The highest rates of postoperative bleeding (13.8%) and, repeat thoracotomy (13.2%) & postoperative pneumonia (17.4%) were seen in Group 3 (threefold increase when compared to Group 1, renal failure requiring dialysis (N = 235, 2.7% in Group 1 v/s N = 78, 22.9% in Group 3) or requiring high dose catecholamines post-operatively or mechanical circulatory support (IABP/ECLS). Incidentally, an increased MELD Score was not associated with a significant increase in the postoperative incidence of stroke/TIA or the presence of sternal wound infections/complications. A higher mortality was observed in patients with reduced liver and renal function, with a significant increase in patients with a MELD score > 20. As the current risk stratification scores do not consider this, we recommend applying the MELD score before considering patients for cardiac surgery
HGV-HCV/HBV co-infection in India: A pilot study
No full textBackground: Hepatitis G virus (HGV) is newly identified virus, transmitted by infected blood and blood products. Effect of HGV infection on liver diseases is not well known. Aims: Co-infection of HGV with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been reported however; very limited data is available from India. Therefore, we have performed a pilot study for the presence of co-infection of HGV in chronic liver disease patients. Setting and Design: The study was performed in research laboratory at P.D. Hinduja National hospital and Medical research center, Mahim, Mumbai. Prospective study was designed. Methods and Materials: Forty HBV, HCV related chronic liver disease patients were studied. Forty randomly selected voluntary healthy blood donors visiting our blood bank were included as controls. Serum bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were estimated. HGV infection was detected by using reverse transcriptase molony murine leukemia virus (M-MLV) with the help of HGV 340/625IC kit (Sacace, Italy). Results and Conclusion: One HCV positive patient had infection with HGV among 40 HBV/HCV chronic liver disease patients
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