1,720,959 research outputs found
Applications of UV-Induced Fluorescence (UVF) Dermoscopy in Infectious Dermatoses (UVF-Infectiouscopy)
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Diagnostic Accuracy of Polarized and Ultraviolet Fluorescence-Induced Dermoscopy in Scarring and Nonscarring Alopecias: a Retrospective Observational Multicentric Study
Full text linkIntroduction: There is growing evidence that ultraviolet-induced fluorescence (UVF) dermoscopy may improve diagnostic accuracy in non-neoplastic dermatoses, yet data on hair disorders are scarce. The aim of this observational retrospective study was to compare the accuracy of polarized dermoscopy and UVF-dermoscopy in characterizing and distinguishing scarring and nonscarring alopecias. Methods: A total of 84 patients were enrolled, with 43 and 41 patients suffering from nonscarring and scarring alopecias, respectively. Analyzed variables included scarring findings (i.e., dotted/globular, structureless or perifollicular bright white areas on both polarized and UVF-dermoscopy) and follicular unit (i.e., hair or follicular ostia, with the latter appearing as empty follicular openings and follicular red/blue fluoresce on polarized and UVF-dermoscopy, respectively). Comparative analysis between polarized and UVF-dermoscopy in detecting the abovementioned features and differentiating scarring from nonscarring alopecias were performed, also assessing possible differences according to the skin tone. Interobserver agreement was evaluated for both dermoscopic settings. Results: UVF-dermoscopy was superior (p < 0.01) to polarized dermoscopy in detecting follicular ostia and white bright areas in general and fair-skinned patients, while only follicular ostia were better seen under this setting in skin of color. Additionally, UVF-dermoscopy was found to be more accurate (p < 0.01) in differentiating nonscarring from scarring alopecias when considering all and light phototypes. Finally, Kappa values were 0.57 and 0.83 for polarized and UVF-dermoscopy, respectively. Conclusions: UVF-dermoscopy may be a valuable and reliable complementary tool in differentiating scarring and nonscarring alopecias, especially in light phototypes
Dermoscopic Features of Erosive Pustular Dermatosis of the Scalp: A Comparative Multicentric Retrospective Study in Bald and Hairy Patients
Full text linkBackground: Erosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp (EPDS) is a rare inflammatory disorder primarily affecting elderly individuals with bald or hairy scalps. It is often misdiagnosed due to clinical overlap with other scalp conditions. Dermoscopy is an invaluable diagnostic tool for hair and scalp disorders, but its utility in EPDS remains underexplored. This study aims to identify dermoscopic features of EPDS and compare them with differential diagnoses to improve non-invasive recognition. Materials and Methods: A retrospective multicentric study was conducted across three Italian dermatological centers. Two cohorts, bald and hairy patients with histologically confirmed EPDS, were compared with controls diagnosed with conditions mimicking EPDS. Dermoscopic images at 10× magnification were analyzed by two independent evaluators using standardized criteria. Comparative analyses of dermoscopic features and interobserver agreement were performed, with statistical significance set at p<0.01. Results: A total of 116 patients [53 bald patients (28 with EPDS and 25 controls) and 63 hairy patients (32 with EPDS and 31 controls)] were included in the study. Among EPDS bald patients, linear-curved vessels (unspecific distribution) (78.6%), orange structureless areas (diffuse) (46.4%), and yellow scales/crusts (focal) were the main findings, whereas focal yellow scales/crusts (84.4%) and the “peripheral horizontal hair” sign (84.4%) turned out to be the most common features in EPDS hairy patients. Comparative analysis revealed linear-curved vessels (p<0.001), orange structureless areas (diffuse) (p<0.001) and non-follicular pustules (p=0.005) to be distinctive features of EPDS in bald patients, while yellow scales/crusts (focal), non-follicular pustules and “peripheral horizontal hair” sign (horizontally arranged hair whose proximal part of the shaft is seen through a thinned epidermis at the edge of alopecic areas) were related (p<0.001) to EPDS in hairy patients. Interobserver agreement was excellent (Kappa=0.81–0.83). Conclusion: Dermoscopy provides valuable diagnostic clues for EPDS, distinguishing it from other scalp disorders
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
Dermoscopy of Scabies: Utility of Polarised and Ultraviolet-Induced Fluorescence Examination in Fair and Dark Skin
Full text linkIntroduction: Ultraviolet-based dermoscopy may support the recognition of scabies, yet neither accuracy analyses nor data on skin of colour are available. The aim of this multicentric observational retrospective was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of polarised and ultraviolet-induced fluorescence (UVF) dermoscopic examination in both fair and dark skin, also assessing possible differences according to the skin tone. Methods: Consecutive patients with a diagnosis of scabies were eligible. All the images were randomly evaluated by two independent experienced investigators to identify scabietic findings reported in the literature. Interobserver agreement was evaluated for both polarised and UVF dermoscopic pictures through Cohen's kappa coefficient, while Fisher's exact test with p-value set at 0.05 was used for comparative analyses between the two settings. Results: A total of 97 lesions from 43 patients (21 with fair skin and 22 with dark skin) were included. The comparative analysis highlighted a superiority of UVF dermoscopy to detect the burrow (p = 0.003) and scabietic eggs (p = 0.012) in skin of colour, while polarised dermoscopy was more accurate to show the mite in fair skin (p = 0.042). Additionally, a general higher accuracy of both settings in light phototypes was also found, with a higher prevalence (p < 0.05) of typical scabietic findings (i.e., serpiginous white tract, ‘triangle’ sign and grey-brown outlines of the burrow for polarised dermoscopy and green dot for UVF dermoscopy) compared to dark skin. Kappa values were 0.87 and 0.83 for polarised and UVF-dermoscopy, respectively. Conclusions: UVF dermoscopy improves the recognition of scabies, though it should be considered complimentary to polarised light dermoscopic examination to increase diagnostic performance
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
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