1,720,983 research outputs found
Time-patterns of annualized relapse rates in randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials in relapsing multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBackground: Although it is known that the annualized relapse rate (ARR) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) changes as disease progresses, in the design and analysis of trials in relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) constant ARRs are assumed. Objectives: This paper aims to assess time-patterns of trial ARR by conducting a systematic review of randomized, placebo-controlled trials in RMS. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted by searching PubMed for randomized, placebo-controlled trials in RMS. In meta-analyses the following comparisons of trial ARR were carried out for the placebo controls and active treatment arms: months 1-6 vs. months 7-12, and months 1-12 vs. months 13-24. Results: A total of 52 trials was identified. Out of these, information on the time-dependence of trial ARR could be extracted from 13 trials. The ARR was by 25% (p = 0.0005) and 40% (p < 0.0001) higher in months 1-12 compared with months 13-24 for placebo and active treatments, respectively. Consequently, the treatment effects were by 13% (p = 0.23) larger in the second year compared with the first year. Within the first year of follow-up the ARR was by 4% (p = 0.75) and 23% (p = 0.06) higher in months 1-6 compared with months 7-12 for placebo controls and active arms, respectively. Conclusions: Trial ARR decreases during a trial in RMS, which is in line with epidemiological findings and has implications for design and analysis of future trials. The observed decrease in trial ARR might be at least partially explained by regression to the mean. Individual patient data analyses are warranted
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
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
Surgical management of residual infantile esotropia using lyophilized bovine pericardium – a case series of 29 patients
No full textPurpose: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of tendon elongation using Tutopatch as a secondary intervention for residual infantile esotropia, particularly in patients exhibiting limited abduction, for whom further conventional surgery might not yield successful outcomes. Methods: Design: This retrospective study analyzed data from patients with residual deviation angles following previous surgery for infantile esotropia. Participants and intervention: All patients who underwent tendon elongation with Tutopatch between 2009 and 2023 were included in the study, excluding those with other ocular or strabismus diagnoses or those who refused to participate. Setting: The data were collected from patients operated at a single tertiary medical center. The analysis included pre- and postoperative deviation angles recorded at one day, three months, and twelve months, if available. The dose-effect relationship, defined as the deviation angle in degrees per effective operative distance in millimeters, and overall success rates were determined. Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measure was the effect of using Tutopatch on the deviation angle. The secondary measure was the effect on ocular motility. Results: Participants and intervention: The study included twenty-nine patients (ten females, 19 males) with a median age of 17 years (range: 5 – 59 years). The median preoperative deviation angle was +15° (range: +6° to +27°), which decreased to -1.5° (range: -12° to +7°) at the three-month follow-up in 22 patients. Subsequent long-term follow-up in ten patients, after a median duration of 34.5 months (range: 13 to 69 months), revealed a median deviation angle of -1° (range: -15° to +15°). Postoperative adduction was slightly reduced by a median of 5° (range: loss of 30° to gain of 15°). No postoperative complications were observed. Overcorrection necessitated re-operation in five patients, which was uneventful. The median postoperative deviation angle following re-operation was -1° (range: -5° to +8°). Conclusion: Tendon elongation with Tutopatch is effective in managing significant residual infantile esotropia, particularly in complex cases, with minimal impact on duction limitation. Long-term overcorrection may occur, necessitating re-operation that can be performed without difficulty. Zielsetzung: Diese Studie untersucht die Wirksamkeit der Sehnenverlängerung mittels Tutopatch bei residualer frühkindlicher Esotropie, insbesondere bei Patienten*innen mit eingeschränkter Abduktion, bei denen eine konventionelle Nachoperation eventuell nicht erfolgreich wäre. Methoden: Studiendesign: Retrospektive Analyse von Patienten*innen mit residualem Schielwinkel nach vorangegangener Operation. Patienten*innen und Intervention: Eingeschlossen wurden alle Patienten*innen, die zwischen 2009 und 2023 eine Sehnenverlängerung mit Tutopatch erhielten. Ausgeschlossen wurden Patienten*innen mit weiteren okulären Diagnosen oder fehlender Einwilligung. Setting: Die Datenerhebung erfolgte in einem universitären Zentrum. Analysiert wurden Schielwinkel vor der Operation sowie an Tag 1, nach drei Monaten und – sofern verfügbar – nach zwölf Monaten. Zudem wurde der Dose-Effect (Grad pro mm Operationsstrecke) berechnet und die Erfolgsrate erfasst. Zielparameter: Primärer Endpunkt war die Veränderung des Schielwinkels, sekundärer Endpunkt die Veränderung der okulären Motilität. Ergebnisse: Insgesamt wurden 29 Patienten*innen (10 weiblich, 19 männlich; medianes Alter: 17 Jahre, Spanne: 5–59) eingeschlossen. Der mediane präoperative Schielwinkel betrug +15° und verringerte sich auf -1,5° drei Monate postoperativ (n=22). Die Langzeitnachbeobachtung (n=8, median: 43 Monate) zeigte einen mittleren Schielwinkel von +1°. Die Adduktion war postoperativ median um 5° vermindert (Spanne: -30° bis +15°). Es traten keine Komplikationen auf. Bei fünf Patienten*innen war eine Reoperation wegen Überkorrektur erforderlich; der mediane postoperative Schielwinkel nach Revision betrug -1°. Schlussfolgerung: Die Sehnenverlängerung mit Tutopatch ist bei komplexer residualer frühkindlicher Esotropie wirksam und hat nur geringe Auswirkungen auf die Augenmotilität. Langfristige Überkorrekturen sind möglich, lassen sich jedoch problemlos durch Reoperation korrigieren
Herbal treatment with uva ursi extract versus fosfomycin in women with uncomplicated urinary tract infection in primary care: a randomized controlled trial
No full textObjective
We explored whether initial treatment with the herbal drug uva ursi (UU) reduces antibiotic use in women with uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) without increasing symptom burden and complication frequency compared with antibiotic treatment.
Methods
A double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted in 42 family practices in Germany. The participants were adult women with suspected uncomplicated UTIs receiving either UU 105 mg 3 × 2 tablets for 5 days (intervention) or fosfomycin a 3-g single dose (control), and their respective placebos. Participants and investigators were blinded. The primary outcome included (1) antibiotic courses day 0–28 as superiority, and (2) symptom burden (sum of daily symptom scores) day 0–7, as non-inferiority outcome (margin 125%). Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03151603.
Results
Overall, 398 patients were randomly allocated to groups receiving UU (n = 207) and fosfomycin (n = 191). The number of antibiotic courses was 63.6% lower (95% CI 53.6%–71.4%; p < 0.0001) in the UU group than in the fosfomycin group. The ratio of total symptom burden in the UU group compared with control was 136.5% (95% CI 122.7–151.9; p 0.95), failing non-inferiority. Eight women developed pyelonephritis in the UU group compared with two in the fosfomycin group (mean difference 2.8; 95% CI 0.2–5.9; p 0.067). Adverse events were similar between the groups.
Discussion
In women with uncomplicated UTIs, initial treatment with UU reduced antibiotic use but led to a higher symptom burden and more safety concerns than fosfomycin
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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