1,720,956 research outputs found
Pro-Inflammatory Genetic Profiles in Subjects with Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease and Critical Limb Ischemia
No full textOBJECTIVES: Single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes encoding inflammatory molecules may determine genetic profiles associated with increased risk of development and progression of cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we evaluated distribution and reciprocal interaction of a set of functionally important polymorphisms of genes encoding prototypical inflammatory molecules in subjects with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) and critical limb ischemia (CLI). We also investigated whether synergistic interactions between these pro-inflammatory gene polymorphisms influence the risk of PAOD and CLI. DESIGN, SUBJECTS, AND METHODS: A genetic association study including 157 PAOD patients and 206 controls. The following gene polymorphisms were analyzed: C-reactive protein (CRP) 1059 G/C, interleukin-6 (IL-6) -174 G/C, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) -173 G/C, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1) 2518 A/G, E-selectin (E-Sel) Ser128Arg, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) 469 E/K, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 -1607 1G/2G, MMP-3 -1171 5A/6A, and MMP-9-1563 C/T. RESULTS: We found that IL-6, E-sel, ICAM-1, MCP-1, MMP-1, and MMP-3 gene polymorphisms were significantly and independently associated with PAOD. We also found that these pro-inflammatory polymorphisms determine genetic profiles that are associated with different levels of risk for PAOD and CLI, depending on the number of high-risk genotypes concomitantly carried by a given individual. CONCLUSIONS: Proinflammatory genetic profiles are significantly more common in subjects with PAOD. Synergistic effects between pro-inflammatory genotypes might be potential markers for presence and severity of atherosclerotic disorder
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
Coexisting chronic heart failure worsens long-term mortality in community dwelling elderly subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
No full textBackground: negli ultimi decenni si sta osservando un progressivo invecchiamento della popolazione generale. Tale fenomeno ha comportato un incremento della esposizione ai fattori di rischio cardiovascolare e respiratori, con conseguente aumento di incidenza di e prevalenza delle insufficienza cardiaca e respiratoria. L’insufficienza cardiaca e la broncopneumopatia cronica ostruttiva, e la conseguente insufficienza respiratoria, sono tra le prime cause di mortalità e morbilità nei paesi occidentali, in particolar modo nelle decadi di età più avanzate. Nel soggetto anziano, infatti spesso l’insufficienza cardiaca e la broncopneumopatia cronica ostruttiva coesistono creando non pochi problemi sia dal punto di vista diagnostico che per la gestione terapeutica. E’ ben noto infatti che i farmaci indicati nella gestione dell’insufficienza cardiaca sono spesso controindicati nei soggetti con broncopneumopatia cronica ostruttiva e viceversa.
Materiali e Metodi: alla luce di tali considerazioni, nell’ultimo anno di dottorato si sono analizzate le caratteristiche epidemiologiche, la mortalità a lungo termine ed i fattori predittori di mortalità in una popolazione di pazienti ambulatoriale di ultra65enni affetti da insufficienza cardiaca cronica e da broncopneumopatia cronica ostruttiva sia isolatamente che in concomitanza.
Risultati: la mortalità, osservata al follow-up di 12 anni, è stata del 46.7% in tutti i soggetti, del 68.6% in presenza di insufficienza cardiaca cronica (p<0.001), del 56.9% in presenza di broncopneumopatia cronica ostruttiva (p<0.01), e del 86.2% in presenza di insufficienza cardiaca e broncopneumopatia cronica ostruttiva (p<0.001). L’analisi multivariata ha evidenziato che sia l’insufficienza cardiaca (Hazard Risk=1.67, 95% Intervallo di Confidenza=1.15-3.27, p<0.031) che la broncopneumopatia cronica ostruttiva (Hazard Risk=1.27, 95% Intervallo di Confidenza=1.08-1.85, p<0.042) erano predittivi di mortalità a lungo termine nella nostra popolazione di interesse. Inoltre, ed in modo più interessante, abbiamo osservato che la compresenza di insufficienza cardiaca cronica e di broncopneumopatia cronica ostruttiva il rischio di mortalità aumentava drammaticamente a 3.73 (95% Intervallo di Confidenza=1.19-6.93, p<0.001). Tale analisi, ci consente di considerare la compresenza di broncopneumopatia cronica ostruttiva un nuovo potente predittore di mortalità in soggetti anziani affetti da insufficienza cardiaca cronica.Background: Chronic heart failure (CHF), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with high mortality in elderly subjects; concurrent CHF and COPD frequently occurs. This study examines long-term mortality in elderly subjects affected by CHF, COPD and coexistent CHF and COPD.
Methods: The study evaluated mortality in 1288 subjects stratified for the presence or absence of CHF or COPD alone, and for coexistence of CHF and COPD over 12-year period.
Results: Mortality, at 12 year follow-up, was 46.7% overall, 68.6% in the presence of CHF alone (p<0.001), 56.9% in the presence of COPD alone (p<0.01); mortality was 86.2% where CHF and COPD coexisted (p<0.001) and was significantly higher than in CHF or COPD alone (p<0.05). Multivariate analysis indicates that CHF (Hazard Risk=1.67, 95% Confidence Interval 1.15-3.27, p<0.031) and COPD (Hazard Risk=1.27, 95% Confidence Interval=1.08-1.85, p<0.042) were predictive of long-term mortality. When CHF and COPD simultaneously occurred, the risk dramatically increased up to 3.73 (95% Confidence Interval=1.19-6.93, p<0.001).
Conclusions: Long-term follow up showed higher mortality amongst elderly subjects affected by CHF or COPD. Simultaneous presence of CHF and COPD significantly increased the risk of death. Therefore, the presence of COPD in CHF patients should be considered a relevant factor in predicting high risk of mortality.Dottorato di ricerca in Scienze per la salute (XXVIII ciclo
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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