1,721,338 research outputs found
The application of methods to quantify attributable risk in medical practice
No full textSeveral epidemiological parameters have been introduced for quantifying the population impact of a certain exposure on morbidity on a population level, termed ‘attributable risk’ (AR). Of these definitions, the AR as suggested by Levin in 1953 or some algebraic transformations of it are most commonly used. A structured literature search, based on the Medline database, identified 334 original epidemiological studies dealing with this AR published between 1966 and 1996 (mostly case-control studies). A considerable increase in the number of published studies incorporating some quantification of the exposure impact on the population level in terms of the AR was observed in the last decade. However, in 64.5% of these studies no exact definition of the AR used was given. Adjustment procedures necessary in multifactorial situations were performed by only 37.5%, confidence intervals for the AR were given by only 19.3% of authors. Thus, although the increasing popularity of this important epidemiological measure is encouraging, its correct application and comprehensive reporting in medical practice should be promoted further
Dermatiti da contatto e sensibilizzazioni allergiche in agricoltori: risultati del data base europeo
No full textContact allergy to topical antifungal agents
No full textde Padua CAM, Uter W, Geier J, Schnuch A, Effendy I. Contact allergy to topical antifungal agents. Allergy. 2008;63(7):946-947
Trends and current spectrum of contact allergy in Central Europe: results of the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK) 2007–2018
Get PDFBackground
Changing patterns of exposure lead to changes in the spectrum of contact allergy in the general population and in patients patch tested for suspected contact allergy. The main contact allergens (haptens) are assembled in the so‐called ‘baseline series’.
Objectives
To present the current spectrum of contact allergy to baseline series allergens, and its temporal development over the last 12 years, based on data collected by the 56 active departments of the trinational Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK).
Methods
Patch‐test data, along with core demographic and clinical information, subdivided into 4‐year periods for all patients patch tested with the baseline series in the IVDK, were analysed descriptively. Moreover, log‐binomial regression analysis addressed temporal trends of specific contact allergies, adjusted for potentially confounding factors.
Results
Among the 125 436 patients tested with the German baseline series, the most common allergens were nickel (14·7%), fragrance mix I (8·1%), Myroxylon pereirae resin (7·5%) and cobalt (5·2%), with no conclusive trend. The rise and fall of contact allergy to methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (MI), following (self‐) regulation in the European Union, reflected the MI contact allergy epidemic. Propolis showed a marked upward trend with a prevalence of 3·94% during the period 2015–2018.
Conclusions
Decreases in sensitization prevalence likely reflect reduced exposure, with some lag, as seen with hydroxyisohexyl 3‐cyclohexene carboxaldehyde. If no (sufficient) decrease can be observed despite interventions, such as for nickel and chromium, affected subgroups should be identified and their causative exposures explored. Finally, increases such as that observed with propolis, certainly warrant targeted investigation of the exposures driving sensitization, and possibly intervention
Registries in Clinical Epidemiology: the European Surveillance System on Contact Allergies (ESSCA)
No full textBackground: Disease registries rely on consistent electronic data capturing (EDC) pertinent to their objectives; either by using existing electronic data as far as available, or by implementing specific software solutions. Objectives: To describe the current practice of an international disease registry (European Surveillance System on Contact Allergies, ESSCA, www.essca-dc.org) against different state of the art approaches for EDC. Methods: Since 2002, ESSCA is collecting data, currently from 53 departments in 12 countries. Departmental EDC software ranges from spreadsheets to comprehensive "patch test software" based on a relational database. In the Erlangen data centre, such diverse data is imported, converted to a common format, quality checked and pooled for scientific analyses. Results: Feed-back to participating departments for quality control is provided by standardised reports. Varying author teams publish scientific analyses addressing the objective of contact allergy surveillance. Conclusions: Although ESSCA represents a historically grown, heterogeneous network and not one unified approach to EDC, some of its features have contributed to its viability in the last 12 years and may be useful to consider for similar investigator-initiated networks
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
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