1,720,963 research outputs found
May Measurement Month 2017: an analysis of blood pressure screening results in South Africa-Sub-Saharan Africa
Full text linkElevated blood pressure (BP) is a growing burden worldwide, leading to over 10 million deaths each year. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global initiative of the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) aimed at raising awareness of high BP and to act as a temporary solution to the lack of screening programs worldwide. A surveillance study in 2016 in South Africa revealed that 45% of adults have hypertension and only 6–9% of men and women respectively had controlled BP on medication, highlighting the need for regular screening and awareness campaigns. An opportunistic cross-sectional survey of volunteers aged ≥18 years was carried out in May 2017. Blood pressure measurement, the definition of hypertension, and statistical analyses followed the MMM protocol. The sites screened were primarily university campuses and general populations in preference to hospitals and clinics, aiming to raise awareness and allow access to screening in those less likely to be aware of their BP. In total, 3250 individuals (mean age 31.0 ± 13.3 years) were screened. After multiple imputation for missing BP readings, 795 (24.5%) had hypertension. Of individuals not receiving antihypertensive medication, 459 (15.7%) were hypertensive, and 157 (46.9%) of individuals receiving antihypertensive medication had uncontrolled BP. These results suggest that opportunistic screening campaigns can identify significant numbers with undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension, even amongst the fairly young. The high proportions of individuals with undiagnosed and treated uncontrolled hypertension, highlight the need for campaigns to increase hypertension awareness and contro
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
The metabolic syndrome and renal function in an African cohort infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus for at least 5 years
Full text linkMSc (Physiology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2017Motivation: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is increasingly prevalent in South Africa,
with approximately 6.12 million people living with HIV. As a result of the high infection
rate, South Africa has the largest antiretroviral therapy (ART) roll-out programme,
providing ART to approximately 3.1 million people. The introduction of ART has
revolutionised the era of HIV in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with
HIV or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) opportunistic disease. However,
after the introduction of ART, several studies reported metabolic derangements and
renal disease with the use of ART.
The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is frequently reported in HIV-infected individuals and
this population may be at higher risk due to the combination of HIV infection, ART and
traditional risk factors.
Renal disease has also been highlighted in people living with HIV. HIV infection may
directly infect the glomerular epithelial cells and podocytes, inducing renal injury. The
ART is also potentially nephrotoxic and may augment the effect exerted by HIV and
pre-existing kidney diseases.
The MetS and kidney disease have been reported in HIV-infected individuals,
however, it has not been fully elucidated how kidney function is affected by HIV, ART
and the MetS. Apart from HIV, the MetS and kidney disease have important public
health implications as both are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular
disease. As a result, these comorbidities may complicate the progression and
management of HIV. Studies reporting on the combined effects of HIV, the MetS and
renal function among the African population are scant.
Aim: In this study, we therefore determined the prevalence of the MetS and the association
thereof with renal function in an African cohort infected with HIV for at least five years.
Methodology: We included 114 HIV-infected and 114 HIV-free participants matched for age, sex and
locality. This is a sub-study of the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological study
(PURE) in South Africa, as approved by the Health Research Ethics Committee of the
North-West University (approval number: NWU-00035-16-S1 and NWU-00016-10-
A1). Of the 114 HIV-infected participants, 87 were infected for 10 years and 27 for 5
years. The HIV-infected participants on ART were using first-line regimen, namely a
fixed-dose combination of tenofovir, efavirenz and emtricitabine. Anthropometric
measurements such as height, weight and waist circumference (WC) were measured
according to standardised procedures prescribed by the International Society for the
Advancement of Kinathropometry, while body mass index (BMI) was also calculated.
Duplicate brachial blood pressure (BP) measurements were performed in a sitting
position, at an interval of five minutes, using the validated OMRON M6 (Omron
Healthcare, Kyoto, Japan). We also performed duplicate central systolic blood
pressures (cSBP) with the Sphygmocor XCEL device (Atcor Medical Pty. Ltd., Sydney,
Australia), with the participant in the supine position.
Blood collection was done by a qualified nurse after an overnight fast. We performed
biochemical analysis for serum glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein
cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, γ-glutamyl transferase and C-reactive
protein. Mid-stream spot urine was used to determine albumin and creatinine levels
and we calculated creatinine clearance (CrCl), estimated glomerular filtration rate
(eGFR), and calculated urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (uACR). HIV status was
determined from whole blood, according to the South African Department of Health
guidelines. We defined the MetS using the criteria of the International Diabetes
Federation.
Results:
The prevalence of the MetS was lower in the HIV-infected participants (77.3% of the
HIV-infected were on ART) as compared to their uninfected counterparts (28% vs.
44%, p=0.0013). The HIV-infected group had lower BMI and WC (all p<0.001), as well
as lower cSBP and branchial blood pressure (all p≤ 0.021). With regard to renal
function, the CrCl was higher in the HIV-infected participants compared to their
uninfected counterparts (p<0.001). There was no difference in eGFR and uACR in the two groups (p=0.99 and p=0.72 respectively). When adjustment was done for WC, the
cSBP (p<0.001) and brachial blood pressure remained significant (p=0.05), and CrCl,
eGFR and uACR were similar (p>0.27).
With regard to the use of ART, the HIV-infected participants taking ART also presented
with lower cSBP and brachial blood pressures (all p=0.01). CrCl was lower in the HIVinfected
participants taking ART than the uninfected participants (p=0.002), whereas
eGFR and uACR were similar between the two groups (all p>0.11).
When we compared HIV-infected and uninfected participants with the MetS, the blood
pressures were similar (all p>0.46). Of those with the MetS, 46% and 17% of the HIVinfected
and the uninfected participants respectively had microalbuminuria. The HIVinfected
participants and those with the MetS had 43% higher uACR compared to the
uninfected participants with the MetS (p=0.032). CrCl was lower in the HIV-infected
group with the MetS than the uninfected group with the MetS (p=0.05), but eGFR was
not different between these two groups (p=0.21).
General conclusion:
HIV-infected participants with the MetS had a twofold higher uACR compared to their
uninfected counterparts, despite similar age and sex distribution and a lower
prevalence of the MetS. These findings suggest that a combination of the MetS and
HIV may alter glomerular permeability. The presence of the MetS and renal
dysfunction may therefore increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in the HIVinfected
population.Master
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
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
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
No full textAuthor-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
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