1,721,033 research outputs found
Therapeutic targets to watch for fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is one of the most prevalent rheumatologic conditions. Even though the condition is primarily characterized by chronic widespread pain, patients with fibromyalgia experience a number of associated symptoms, including mood and sleep disturbances. The search for drugs able to control all of these manifestations has been always regarded as an aim of paramount importance. However, most of these attempts have been frustrated by the complex multifactorial pathogenesis of fibromyalgia. The recently failed phase III trials of mirogabalin and cyclobenzaprine modified release (TNX-102) underline once again the difficulties of finding effective therapies. In this paper, we review the current knowledge about the pathogenesis of fibromyalgia, the ongoing trials, and the possible future scenario of this common and yet elusive condition
Rheumatoid arthritis: New monoclonal antibodies
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an immune-mediated condition which primarily affects the joints, but with critical extra-articular manifestations, including a significantly increased cardiovascular risk. Patients suffering from RA can develop deforming and disabling alterations of the affected joints. Their quality of life can be substantially affected, and their life expectancy is shorter compared to that of healthy subjects. Fortunately, several pathogenic mechanisms characterizing RA have been identified, leading to the development of targeted drugs. Inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were the first developed among biological medications and they dramatically changed the therapeutic perspectives of RA patients. Now, 20 years after the licensing of etanercept (the first anti-TNF drug), more than 10 different biological agents have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Additionally, more and more drugs are under investigation in clinical trials. This review will focus on the more recently approved monoclonal antibodies and the more promising antibodies under investigation
M. Roccato e T. Mannarini, Non nel mio giardino. Prendere sul serio i movimenti Nimby
Recensione del volume di M. Roccato e T. Mannarini, Non nel mio giardino. Prendere sul serio i movimenti Nimb
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
The 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
“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
We 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
We 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
Direct antiviral agents for HCV infection and hepatocellular carcinoma: Facts and FADs
The advent of directly acting antivirals (DAA) has determined a showy change in the management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, the most common cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in many countries. It was demonstrated that the achievement of sustained virologic response (SVR) with interferon (IFN) reduces the incidence of HCC. Recently, published data in the literature suggested an increased risk of HCC after IFN free treatments. The mechanism evoked to explain this trend is the deregulation of antitumor response, following the sudden decrease of HCV viral load, due to immune subversion which could favour the progressive development of pre-existing neoplastic clones. The lack of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with control groups of patients and the fact that majority of studies are limited by retrospective settings, recruitment bias and lack of clinical goals scheduled at the start of treatment make difficult an adequate analysis of data. Main evidence seems to confirm that DAA therapy has not a carcinogenic effect per se but can lead to the earlier manifestation of latent tumours still present but underestimated. At present patients with HCV infection should be encouraged initiating DAA therapy to prevent cirrhosis and HCC but intensive screening is necessary to exclude HCC before initiating DAA. Curing HCV infection does not eliminate the possibility of ongoing liver disease and HCC, as such an adequate monitoring should continue for an indefinite period after SVR
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