1,720,987 research outputs found
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
HDAC inhibitors for muscular dystrophies: progress and prospects
Full text linkHDAC inhibitors for muscular dystrophies: progress and prospects
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common and severe form of muscular dystrophy (MD) that affects 1 in 3500–6000 live male births. This lethal X-linked genetic disease is caused by muta- tions in dystrophin gene that leads to a complete absence of the protein, thereby compromising the structural and functional integrity of the dystrophin- associated protein complex (DAPC).[1] The DAPC links the actin cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix and has an essential role in stabilizing the sarcolemma during repeated cycles of contraction.[2] As such, dystrophin-deficient muscles are vulnerable to mechanical damage and develop progressive muscu- lar weakness, as a consequence of muscle degenera- tion, leading to loss of myofibers, which are ultimately replaced by fibrotic scars and fat deposition.[3] There is still no available cure for DMD, but only palliative treatments that aim to counter muscle loss, thereby extending patient mobility and delaying the onset of respiratory and cardiac problems.[4]
The progression of DMD is highly influenced by the ability of dystrophin-deficient muscles to counter mus- cle loss by a regenerative response, which typically defines a clinical latency observed during the early stages of the disease. The gradual exhaustion of such compensatory response coincides with changes in the muscle tissue composition, leading to the progressive formation of fibrotic and adipose tissue in place of contractile fibers. This ‘restriction point’ in the natural history of DMD is due to alterations in the interactions between the cell types that contribute to promote regeneration, eventually culminating with a switch of muscle repair toward fibrotic and fat deposition.[5] In particular, studies in the last decade have revealed the importance of changes in the identity and functional properties of the cellular components of the muscle stem (satellite) cell (MuSC) niche. For instance, the inter- actions between inflammatory cells (e.g. macrophages), interstitial ‘support’ cells (e.g. fibro-adipogenic progeni- tors – FAPs) and MuSCs appear a key determinant to drive the skeletal muscle toward a regeneration or degeneration process.[6,7] This notion has inspired a number of current pharmacological strategies aimed at targeting these cells and the functional networks they establish,[8,9] as an alternative to gene replace- ment and cell-based strategies.
Among the pharmacological interventions that aim to slow down the disease progression by targeting key events downstream of the genetic defect, the histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have recently been translated into a clinical trial, based on the encouraging preclincial data generated in the mouse model of DMD – the mdx mice.[10,11]
In principle, the rationale for the use of HDACi in the treatment of DMD was provided by the finding that dystrophin-deficient muscles display an aberrant, con- stitutive activation of HDAC2, as a consequence of reduced nitric oxide (NO)-mediated NO-dependent S-nitrosylation in myofibers.[12] Moreover, recent stu- dies have revealed complex epigenetic networks tar- geted by HDACi in MuSCs and FAPs.[13,14] In particular, studies from Saccone et al. have identified an HDAC-regulated network that controls the func- tional phenotype of FAPs from dystrophic muscles. Treatment with HDACi promotes the expression of two core components of the myogenic transcriptional machinery, MyoD and BAF60c [15] and upregulates three myogenic microRNA involved into muscle differ- entiation (myomiRs; miR-1.2, miR-133 and miR-206) in FAPs. MyomiRs in turn target two alternative BAF60 variants – BAF60 A and B – that when incorporated into the Switch/Sucrose NonFermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatin-remodeling complex would otherwise pro- mote the activation of the fibro-adipogenic program. [14] Thus, HDACi-mediated selection of BAF60 C-based SWI/SNF complex appears to mediate a therapeutic switch of FAP phenotype from pro-fibroadipogenic to pro-myogenic one. Interestingly, FAPs from dystrophic muscles at advanced stage of disease are resistant to the beneficial effects of HDACi, accounting for the stage-specific effect of HDACi previously observed by Mozzetta et al.[9] Genome-wide studies of chromatin accessibility showed that at early stages of the disease, HDACi promote an extensive chromatin remodeling, which was not observed at late stage of the disease. [14] This finding indicates that pharmacological inter- ventions that target FAPs could be used to promote compensatory regeneration, while preventing fibro- adipogenic degeneration of DMD muscles. It also sug- gests that FAPs of dystrophic muscles at late stages of DMD progression might acquire a chromatin conforma- tion that confers resistance to treatments that are
© 2015 Taylor & Francis
126 M. SANDONÁ ET AL.
otherwise effective at early stages of disease. Understanding the molecular basis of such resistance could reveal novel targets for interventions aimed at restoring the ability of FAPs to support muscle regen- eration rather than fibrosis and fat infiltration in a larger population of patients.
Conclusion
As preclinical evidence supported the rationale for the use of HDACi in the treatment of DMD, the HDACi Givinostat has been launched as the first epigenetic drug tested in a Phase I/II clinical trial on DMD boys between 8 and 10 years of age that is currently under investigation. Given the potential of HDACi to promote regeneration at the expense of fibro-adipogenic degen- eration, one predicted effect of Givinostat on DMD muscles is to extend the compensatory regeneration and delay the disease progression in patients at early stages of disease progression, Future research should evaluate the efficacy of Givinostat in a larger population of DMD patients and identify molecular criteria and noninvasive biomarkers that define patient responsive- ness and eventually inspire further interventions that sensitize to HDACi unresponsive patients.
Expert opinion
Three fundamental aspects for the future development of HDACi-based therapies concern a) the identification of biomarkers that help selecting patients for clinical studies and monitoring their responsiveness to the treatments, b) the discovery of complementary approaches that synergize with HDACi to provide an optimal combined therapeutic intervention and c) the potential extension of HDACi-based treatments to other forms of muscular dystrophies.
While the analysis of muscle biopsies is currently regarded as the most reliable readout of the histologi- cal effects of HDACi, this procedure is invasive, is lim- ited to one specific muscle and cannot be repeated multiple times during the course of clinical trials. As such, it is currently missing an effective readout of the efficacy of treatment with HDACi or similar pharmaco- logical approaches. Identification of circulating biomar- kers and/or setting noninvasive or semi-invasive procedures for the evaluation of the effects of pharma- cological interventions is clearly a fundamental step to further move forward pro-clinical and clinical research on DMD.
Moreover, beyond the beneficial effects on muscle histology, the clinical efficacy of HDACi treatment needs to be correlated with functional tests. Studies with
HDACi in mdx mice demonstrated that the morpholo- gical recovery is accompanied by increased muscle strength and exercise performance.[10,11] Thus, match- ing functional tests, such as 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT) and North Star Ambulatory Assessment, with the histo- logical evaluation of treated muscles, will be mandatory to reveal the efficacy of HDACi and other pharmacolo- gical interventions in DMD patients.
Regarding the identification of complementary approaches that synergize with HDACi, the most urgent questions relate to the functional interactions between HDACi and steroids – the standard treatment currently used in the treatment of DMD. In this case, it is inter- esting to note that steroids are typically acting through a nuclear receptor – the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) – whose activity is negatively regulated by an HDAC- containing repressive complex. Moreover, the possibi- lity to combine HDACi-based treatment with emerging strategies toward re-introducing functional dystrophin in DMD muscles (i.e. exon skipping or future CRISPR- based interventions) is supported by a strong rationale consisting of the necessity to protect the newly formed myofibers, induced by HDACi-promoted regeneration, from contraction-mediated regeneration, via dystrophin re-expression.
Finally, future research should determine the poten- tial efficacy of HDACi on other forms of muscular dys- trophies that share pathogenic events with DMD, e.g. the shift from compensatory regeneration to fibrosis and fat deposition.
Declaration of interest
Funding has been received from AFM Telethon and Duchenne Parent Project (DPP-NL). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock owner- ship or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
References
Papers of special note have been highlighted as either of interest (•) or of considerable interest (••) to readers.
1. Dalkilic I, Kunkel LM. Muscular dystrophies: genes to pathogenesis. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2003;13(3):231–238. 2. Petrof BJ, Shrager JB, Stedman HH, et al. Dystrophin protects the sarcolemma from stresses developed during muscle
contraction. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1993;90(8):3710–3714. 3. Straub V, Campbell KP. Muscular dystrophies and the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex. Curr Opin Neurol.
1997;10(2):168–175.
4. Mercuri E, Muntoni F. Muscular dystrophy: new chal-
lenges and review of the current clinical trials. Curr
Opin Pediatr. 2013;25(6):701–707. DOI:10.1097/
MOP.0b013e328365ace5.
5. Serrano AL, Mann CJ, Vidal B, et al. Cellular and molecular
mechanisms regulating fibrosis in skeletal muscle repair and disease. Curr Top Dev Biol. 2011;96:167–201. DOI:10.1016/B978-0-12-385940-2.00007-3.
6. Farup J, Madaro L, Puri PL, et al. Interactions between muscle stem cells, mesenchymal-derived cells and immune cells in muscle homeostasis, regeneration and disease. Cell Death Dis. 2015;6:e1830. DOI:10.1038/ cddis.2015.198.
7. Judson RN, Zhang RH, Rossi FM. Tissue-resident mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells in skeletal muscle: collaborators or saboteurs? Febs J. 2013;280 (17):4100–4108. DOI:10.1111/febs.12370.
8. Lemos DR, Babaeijandaghi F, Low M, et al. Nilotinib reduces muscle fibrosis in chronic muscle injury by promoting TNF-mediated apoptosis of fibro/adipogenic progenitors. Nat Med. 2015;21(7):786–794. DOI:10.1038/nm.3869.
9. Mozzetta C, Consalvi S, Saccone V, et al. Fibroadipogenic progenitors mediate the ability of HDAC inhibitors to promote regeneration in dystrophic muscles of young, but not old Mdx mice. EMBO Mol Med. 2013;5 (4):626–639. DOI:10.1002/emmm.201202096.
• Exciting paper studying the fibroadipogenic pro- genitors (FAPs) as cellular determinants of the ben- eficial effects of HDAC inhibitors. FAPs mediate HDACi effects promoting muscles regeneration in a stage-specific manner.
10. Minetti GC, Colussi C, Adami R, et al. Functional and morphological recovery of dystrophic muscles in mice treated with deacetylase inhibitors. Nat Med. 2006;12 (10):1147–1150.
• Interesting paper describing the functional and mor- phological effects of HDAC inhibitors treatments. HDAC inhibitors increase myofiber size and counter the functional decline of dystrophic muscles
11. Consalvi S, Mozzetta C, Bettica P, et al. Preclinical studies in the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystro- phy with the histone deacetylase inhibitor Givinostat. Mol Med. 2013;19:79–87. DOI:10.2119/molmed.2013.00011.
•• Excellentpaperdemonstratingtheeffectivenessofa long-term treatment with Givinostat. The findings of this paper provide preclinical basis for a translation on DMD patients.
12. Colussi C, Mozzetta C, Gurtner A, et al. HDAC2 blockade by nitric oxide and histone deacetylase inhibitors reveals
a common target in Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2008;105 (49):19183–19187. DOI:10.1073/pnas.0805514105.
13. Cacchiarelli D, Martone J, Girardi E, et al. MicroRNAs involved in molecular circuitries relevant for the Duchenne muscular dystrophy pathogenesis are controlled by the dystrophin/nNOS pathway. Cell Metab. 2010;12(4):341–351. DOI:10.1016/j. cmet.2010.07.008.
14. Saccone V, Consalvi S, Giordani L, et al. HDAC-regulated myomiRs control BAF60 variant exchange and direct the functional phenotype of fibro-adipogenic progenitors in dystrophic muscles. Genes Dev. 2014;28(8):841–857. DOI:10.1101/gad.234468.113.
• Fascinating paper determines the molecular mechan- ism that controls the FAPs switch from a fibroadipo- genic to a myogenic phenotype after HDACi treatment.
15. Forcales SV, Albini S, Giordani L, et al. Signal-dependent incorporation of MyoD-BAF60c into Brg1-based SWI/SNF chromatin-remodelling complex. Embo J. 2012;31(2):301–316. DOI:10.1038/emboj. 2011.391.
M. Sandoná
IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy DAHFMO, Unit of Histology and Medical Embryology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
S. Consalvi
IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
L. Tucciarone
IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
P. L. Puri
IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy Muscle Development and Regeneration Program, Sanford Children’s Health Research Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
V. Saccone
IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Ital
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
Author Under Sail The Imagination of Jack London, 1893-1902
No full textIn Author Under Sail, Jay Williams offers the first complete literary biography of Jack London as a professional writer engaged in the labor of writing. It examines the authorial imagination in London's work, the use of imagination in both his fiction and nonfiction, and the ways he defined imagination in the creative process in his business dealings with his publishers, editors, and agents. In this first volume of a two-volume biography, Williams traverses the years 1893 to 1902, from London's "Story of a Typhoon" to The People of the Abyss. The Jack London who emerges in the pages of Author Under Sail is a writer whose partnership with publishers, most notably his productive alliance with George Brett of Macmillan, was one of the most formative in American literary history. London pioneered many author models during the heyday of realism and naturalism, blurring the boundaries of these popular genres by focusing on absorption and theatricality and the representation of the seen and unseen. London created an impassioned, sincere, and extremely personal realism unlike that of other American writers of the time. Author Under Sail is a literary tour de force that reveals the full range of London as writer, creative citizen, and entrepreneur at the same time it sheds light on the maverick side of machine-age literature.Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Spirit Truth -- 2. From Absorption to Theatricality and Back Again -- 3. "I Will Build a New Present" -- 4. Sons as Authors -- 5. Fathers as Publishers -- 6. The Daughter as Author -- 7. Lovers as Authors -- 8. At Sea with the Family -- 9. Yellow News, Yellow Stories -- 10. The Return Home -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- About Jay WilliamsIn Author Under Sail, Jay Williams offers the first complete literary biography of Jack London as a professional writer engaged in the labor of writing. It examines the authorial imagination in London's work, the use of imagination in both his fiction and nonfiction, and the ways he defined imagination in the creative process in his business dealings with his publishers, editors, and agents. In this first volume of a two-volume biography, Williams traverses the years 1893 to 1902, from London's "Story of a Typhoon" to The People of the Abyss. The Jack London who emerges in the pages of Author Under Sail is a writer whose partnership with publishers, most notably his productive alliance with George Brett of Macmillan, was one of the most formative in American literary history. London pioneered many author models during the heyday of realism and naturalism, blurring the boundaries of these popular genres by focusing on absorption and theatricality and the representation of the seen and unseen. London created an impassioned, sincere, and extremely personal realism unlike that of other American writers of the time. Author Under Sail is a literary tour de force that reveals the full range of London as writer, creative citizen, and entrepreneur at the same time it sheds light on the maverick side of machine-age literature.Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries
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