1,720,960 research outputs found
Low back pain and FokI (rs2228570) polymorphism of vitamin D receptor in athletes
Get PDFBackground: Low back pain (LBP) is common in athletes. LBP can be detrimental to athletic performance and
health. Factors predisposing to LBP in athletes remain elusive and require further studies. We investigated whether
carriage of a specific genotype and/or allele of vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) FokI polymorphism (rs2228570) was
a risk factor for LBP in athletes of different sports disciplines.
Methods: This genotype/phenotype association case-control study included 60 Italian athletes (25 females and
35 males; mean age 33.9 ± 13.3 years; body-mass-index 23.5 ± 3.5 kg/m2) of which 16.7% were swimmers, 11.
7% soccer players, 11.7% volleyball players, 10.0% rugby players and other disciplines. VDR-FokI polymorphism
was measured by PCR-RFLP in 24 athletes with LBP and 36 athletes without LBP episodes. Absence or
presence of the FokI restriction site was denoted “F” and “f”, respectively. Other risk factors were evaluated by
a questionnaire.
Results: The homozygous FF genotype was found in 58.3% (14/24) of athletes with LBP versus 27.8% (10/36)
of athletes without LBP, adjusted OR = 5.78, 95% CI 1.41–23.8, P = 0.015. The F allele was a 2-fold risk factor to develop LBP,
adjusted OR = 2.55, 95% CI 1.02–6.43, P = 0.046, while f allele was protective. Exposure to vehicle vibrations ≥2 h daily, and
family history of lumbar spine pathology were significant risk factors for LBP with OR=3.54, and OR=9.21, respectively.
Conclusions: This is the first study in which an association between VDR-FokI polymorphism and LBP in athletes was
found. Further research is needed to extend our results, and to clarify the biochemical pathways associated with how
vitamin D modulates LBP in athletes. The VDR-FokI polymorphism should be considered when developing genetic
focused studies of precision medicine on health in athletes
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
Comparative Diagnostic Accuracy of the STANDARD M10 Assay for the Molecular Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in the Point-of-Care and Critical Care Settings
No full textAccurate and rapid molecular diagnosis of COVID-19 is a crucial step to tackle the ongoing pandemic. The primary objective of this study was to estimate the real-world performance of the novel RT-PCR STANDARD M10 SARS-CoV-2 assay in a large number of nasopharyngeal (NP) specimens eluted in universal transport medium. The secondary objective was to evaluate the compatibility of this kit in testing NP samples eluted in an inactivated transport medium (essential for point-of-care testing) and lower respiratory tract (LRT) specimens, which are commonly collected in critical care. A total of 591 samples were analyzed. Compared with the standard extraction-based RT-PCR Allplex 2019-nCoV (time-to-result of 270 min), the sensitivities of the STANDARD M10 were 100% (95% CI: 98.1–100%), 95.5% (95% CI: 91.7–97.6%), and 99.5% (95% CI: 97.2–99.9%) for ≥1 gene, the ORF1ab gene, and the E gene, respectively, while the specificity was 100% (95% CI: 98.7–100%). The diagnostic accuracy was 100% in testing both NP samples eluted in an inactivated transport medium and LRT specimens. STANDARD M10 reliably detects SARS-CoV-2 in 60 min, may be used as a POC tool, and is suitable for testing LRT specimens in the critical care setting
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
Development of a User-friendly Health Promotion Website to Spread Evidence-based Information in Italy: A new digital platform to enhance health literacy
No full textIntroduction
Appropriate communication models are crucial in order to strengthen preventive and health promotion interventions via digital platforms. Today, 52.23% of the Italian population use the Internet as a source of health-related information. The aim of the “Insegna Salute” project was to create a website that would enable people to satisfy their health needs and increase their awareness in the field of prevention.
Methods
To create the website, a literature search was carried out to obtain an overview of online health communication before, during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Results
The investigation resulted in 26 sources regarding health communication, vaccine hesitancy, online health information seeking, visual identity, current digital and social trends and mis/disinformation. Our findings led to the definition of insegnasalute.it according to the one-to-many (screen-to-face) communication model and a user-centred design. The website will be organised in sections dedicated to the University Department\u27s projects and preventive health issues. Tools such as Google Analytics and questionnaires will provide further insights and enable the platform to be updated.
Conclusions
In line with the preventive guidelines issued by the Italian Ministry of Health, new tools, such as “Insegna Salute”, integrate health knowledge with communication strategies. Addressing vaccine hesitancy and health prevention issues necessitates the use of effective strategies that foster trust-based relationships
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
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
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