1,721,045 research outputs found
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Get PDF“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
Get PDFWe 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
Biological Bases of Immune-Related Adverse Events and Potential Crosslinks With Immunogenic Effects of Radiation
Get PDFImmune checkpoint inhibitors have gained an established role in the treatment of different tumors. Indeed, their use has dramatically changed the landscape of cancer care, especially for tumor types traditionally known to have poor outcomes. However, stimulating anticancer immune responses may also elicit an unusual pattern of immune-related adverse events (irAEs), different from those of conventional chemotherapy, likely due to a self-tolerance impairment featuring the production of autoreactive lymphocytes and autoantibodies, or a non-specific autoinflammatory reaction. Ionizing radiation has proven to promote both positive pro-inflammatory and immunostimolatory activities, and negative anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive mechanisms, as a result of cross-linked interactions among radiation dose, the tumor microenvironment and the host genetic predisposition. Several publications argue in favor of combining immunotherapy and a broad range of radiation schedules, based on the recent evidence of superior treatment responses and patient survival. The synergistic modulation of the immune response by radiation therapy and immunotherapeutics, particularly those manipulating T-cell activation, may also affect the type and severity of irAEs, suggesting a relationship between the positive antitumor and adverse autoimmune effects of these agents. As yet, information on factors that may help to predict immune toxicity is still lacking. The aim of our work is to provide an overview of the biological mechanisms underlying irAEs and possible crosslinks with radiation-induced anticancer immune responses. We believe such an overview may support the optimization of immunotherapy and radiotherapy as essential components of multimodal anticancer therapeutic approaches. Challenges in translating these to clinical practice are discussed
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe 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
Combining abiraterone and radiotherapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a review of current evidence
No full textProstate cancer is the second most frequent cancer worldwide, with a very high rate of progression despite treatment. The most aggressive form of the disease is known as castration-resistant prostate cancer, which carries a poor prognosis. We reviewed available literature regarding the combination of abiraterone acetate antihormonal drug and ablative radiation therapy for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. This dual treatment may enhance the effects of second-line hormonal therapy, as radiotherapy renders cancer cells more prone to immune-mediated cytotoxicity. Moreover, radiotherapy exerts its effect both on directly irradiated cells and on other distant tissues, with an abscopal effect, already demonstrated in other solid tumors. This combination treatment is safe and effective, with few adverse events. Moreover, it is of paramount importance in patients with oligoprogression of the primary disease, when current guidelines recommend continuing abiraterone treatment. Ablative radiation therapy is a noninvasive, nontoxic treatment with very high efficacy on local tumor growth control. In the available literature, the combination of radiation therapy and abiraterone acetate has prolonged both overall survival and progression-free survival, with a positive impact also on locoregional recurrence and distant metastases
The prognostic role of staging [18F]PSMA-1007 PET/CT volumetric and dissemination features in prostate cancer
No full textBackground: This study aimed the role of volumetric and dissemination features of staging [18F]PSMA-1007 PET/CT in predicting progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) and their relationship with the main clinical data (ISUP grade groups, number of lesions, PSA). Methods: We included 164 patients with high-risk PCa who underwent baseline [18F]PSMA-1007 PET/CT. With the help of LIFEx version 7.7, the main volumetric and dissemination PET parameters were semi-automatically extracted: PSMA-prostate tumor volume (PSMA-TV), PSMA-prostate total lesion (PSMA-TL), PSMA total TV (PSMA-TTV), PSMA total TL (PSMA-TTL) and Dmax corrected for body-surface-area (Dmaxbsa). Spearman rank correlations between semiquantitative PET features and the clinical variables were analyzed. PFS estimates were plotted with the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: A high correlation was seen between the number of lesions and both PSMA-TTL (r 0.725), and Dmaxbsa (r 0.935). A moderate correlation was registered between PSA and PSMA-TTV (r 0.333), PSMA-TTL (r 0.441), Dmaxbsa (r 0.333), as well as between number of lesions and PSMA-TTV (r 0.342). After a median follow-up of 17 months (range 2-45), relapse/progression happened in 17 patients (10%). PSA level, presence of distant metastases at staging, PSMA-TV, PSMA-TL, PSMA-TTL and Dmaxbsa were significantly associated with PFS at univariate analysis, but only the presence of distant metastases, PSMA-TTL and Dmaxbsa were confirmed to be independent prognostic factors. Conclusion: Volumetric and dissemination features derived by staging [18F]PSMA-1007 PET/CT were significantly correlated with PSA and number of lesions. The combination of PSMA-TTL and Dmaxbsa was the best predictor of PFS and may help to better stratify PCa patients
Overexpression of sialidase NEU3 increases the cellular radioresistance potential of U87MG glioblastoma cells
Get PDFThe plasma membrane-associated sialidase NEU3 is known to play important roles in different physiological and pathophysiological processes such as proliferation, cellular differentiation and tumorigenesis. Up-regulation of NEU3 has been associated to several tumors and recently it was demonstrated that its down-modulation in glioblastoma cells promotes cell invasiveness. To date, no information concerning the possible role played by NEU3 in relation to tumor radioresistance is available. Here we show that overexpression of NEU3 in glioblastoma U87MG cells activates PI3K/Akt signaling pathway resulting in an increased radioresistance capacity and in an improved efficiency of double strand DNA-repair mechanisms after irradiation. Our results demonstrate for the first time that NEU3 contributes to the radioresistance features of U87MG cells, bringing to evidence a novel rand peculiar role of the enzyme in cancer biology
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