1,721,670 research outputs found
Socioeconomic issues and cardiovascular disease (with emphasis on the caregivers)
No full textCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death, disability, and poor quality of life. Several conditions are widely known as potential CVD risk factors. Increasing research is, however, showing a role for low socioeconomic status (SES) as a potential risk factor for CVD development. This chapter analyses the current epidemiological evidence on this topic, explaining the reasons why people who have low SES are at increased risk of CVD. People with low SES, in fact, have a higher prevalence of several potential CVD risk factors (such as hypertension and cigarette smoking), but other important factors (such as less access to medical care and psychosocial factors) are likely to play a relevant role. Moreover, in the last part of this chapter, attention is focused on caregiving, another condition that seems to be associated with a higher risk of developing CVD, probably for the same reasons given for low SES.</p
Basic principles and technological state of the art: SPECT
No full textSingle-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) photons as a medical imaging technique detects the radiation emitted by radioisotopes injected into the body to provide in vivo measurements of regional tissue function. From its introduction in the cardiologic clinical field, nuclear imaging has classically represented the reference technique for the non-invasive evaluation of myocardial perfusion, becoming the most frequently performed imaging modality for the functional assessment of patients with ischaemic heart disease.</p
Co-morbidities in takotsubo syndrome
No full textThe incidence of takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is increasing significantly, due to higher awareness and recognition. Although TTS occurs mostly in women, male gender represents an independent predictor of adverse outcome. Outcome may be determined by risk factors, co-morbidities, clinical presentation, and in-hospital or out-of-hospital occurrence. Even in cohorts of patients with a low cardiovascular risk profile, the mortality rate is not significantly different. Among the wide range of co-morbidities reported, psychiatric disorders (i.e. affective and anxiety) are the most common and of the greatest importance. Acute unstable clinical presentation and in-hospital occurrence are both associated with a higher hospital mortality rate. In-hospital presentation is more frequent among men, and is characterized by higher proportions of co-morbidities and acute medical illnesses. Surprisingly, mortality rates of TTS are not significantly different from that of myocardial infarction. Thus, TTS should no longer be simply considered as a benign disease, and co-morbidities deserve high attention.</p
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
Meta-analysis of the studies assessing temporal changes in coronary plaque volume using intravascular ultrasound
No full textTo assess the temporal effect of statin therapy on coronary atherosclerotic plaque volume measured by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), we searched PubMed for eligible studies published between 1990 and January 2006. Inclusion criteria for retrieved studies were (1) IVUS volume analysis at baseline and follow-up and (2) statin therapy in >= 1 group of patients. All data of interest were abstracted in prespecified structured collection forms. Statistical analysis was performed with Review Manager 4.2. Random-effect weighted mean difference (WMD) was used as summary statistics for comparison of continuous variables. Nine studies of 985 patients (with 11 statin treatment arms) were selected. After a mean follow-up of 9.8 +/- 4.9 months, we found a significant decrease in coronary plaque volume (WMD -5.77 mm(3), 95% confidence interval -10.36 to -1.17, p = 0.01), with no significant heterogeneity across studies (p = 0.47). Prespecified subgroup analyses showed similar trends. Studies in which the achieved low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level was = 100 mg/dl, the trend was less evident (WMD -4.22 mm(3), 95% confidence interval -10.27 to 1.82, p = 0.17). Plaque volume remained essentially unchanged in patients not treated with statins (WMD 0.13 mm(3), 95% confidence interval -4.42 to 4.68, p = 0.96). In conclusion, statin therapy, particularly when achieving the target LDL level, appears to promote a significant regression of coronary plaque volume as measured by IVUS. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
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