1,720,975 research outputs found
Elevated plasma homocysteine levels in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
No full textBACKGROUND: Both in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that homocysteine (Hcy)
may be directly involved in the damage of motor neurons and in several pathways
implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathogenesis.
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether plasma Hcy levels were higher in ALS patients
than healthy controls and to examine the relationship between Hcy levels and
clinical ALS phenotypes.
METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, we compared Hcy, B(12), and folate levels in
62 patients with ALS and 88 age- and sex-matched controls recruited as
outpatients in a tertiary clinical center.
RESULTS: Patients with ALS had higher median plasma Hcy levels (11.2 [range 5.8
to 46] vs 9.7 [range 4.5 to 15.9] micromol/L; p = 0.0004) and lower folate levels
(4.4 [range 1.7 to 22.1] vs 5.8 [range 2.3 to 21.1] ng/mL; p = 0.0003), compared
with controls. Multivariate logistic regression revealed a strong direct
association between plasma Hcy levels and presence of ALS (odds ratios adjusted
for age, sex, and B-vitamin levels comparing the top tertile [Hcy levels >or=
11.6 micromol/L] with the bottom tertile [Hcy levels < 9.2 micromol/L]: 6.4; 95%
CI 2.2 to 19.1; p for trend = 0.0008). We also found a trend for higher Hcy
levels in patients with shorter interval from symptom onset to diagnosis (ODI;
14 months; median Hcy
levels 11.8 [range 5.8 to 46] vs 10.1 [range 7.2 to 17.6] micromol/L; p = 0.09).
In a multivariate model, Hcy levels strongly correlated with shorter interval
onset diagnosis (r(2) = 0.18; p = 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: Plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels were significantly increased in
patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) compared with healthy controls.
ALS cases with shorter time to diagnosis presented higher Hcy levels, suggesting
that higher Hcy may be linked to faster progression of the disease
ADMG Project: Elderly people and depression in primary care. The validation study on severity of symptoms and cognitive-functional status
No full text
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
Analisi epidiemologica di una coorte di pazienti affetti da disturbi affettivi: focus su spesa sanitaria e comorbilità
No full textVariations 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
- …
