1,720,956 research outputs found
The history of polio vaccination with "Sabin's OPV" 60 years after its introduction in Italy: an unforgivable "delay"
No full textIn the spring of 1964, polio vaccination with the oral vaccine developed by Albert Sabin began in Italy. Polio was feared in the world and in Italy. Thus, between 1957 and the beginning of 1958, Italian children began receiving the "Salk vaccine", though the results were not particularly convincing. In July 1960, the international scientific community was able to verify the data from the mass testing of the Sabin vaccine. It became clear that the OPV, could prevent the virus from multiplying, thereby providing greater protection and determining the eradication of the disease. In 1960 over 70 million people in the USSR alone had already received the oral vaccine and mass vaccination in the USA would start in March 1961. However, in Italy there was no similar initiative; only later the new vaccine was accepted but was not made compulsory at the beginning. As a result of the commission's report, registration of the "Polioral" vaccine, was authorized in September 1962 but the sale of the vaccine was not authorized until November 1963. At the beginning of 1964, the production of "Polioral" started and the product was marketed and on the 1 st of March 1964, anti-polio vaccination with the "Sabin anti-polio vaccine" also began in Italy. This manuscript focuses on a crucial issue about a historical delay for public health and it points out as the preparation and diffusion of the Sabin polio vaccine demonstrates that decisions regarding health treatments, and specifically vaccination campaigns, must be based exclusively on the results of clinical studies and on independent evaluation by the scientific community. This process ensures trust in vaccines, adequate protection of public health andcitizens' well-being
The fight against smallpox during the Savoy kingdom in Genoa between 1815 and 1859
No full textIntroduction: The article aims to outline the features of the efforts for smallpox eradication within the pre-unitary context of the Kingdom of Sardinia, characterized by a long tradition in medical-health prevention. This tradition is partly inherited from the health magistracies of the Italian states during the ancient regime and partly adopted from policies initially outlined by Napoleon and later by other European states. In addition to prevention activities, authorities also engage in a vigorous information and awareness campaign aimed at eliminating common prejudices and doubts about vaccination among the population. Methods: In analyzing the authorities' achievements in combating smallpox, this study examines the two epidemic waves (1829-30 and 1852-54), along with the legislative developments before, during, and after these periods. It also compares these regulatory changes with those in other European contexts. Discussion: The epidemiological situation turned out to be more complex to manage than the authorities had anticipated, as evidenced by the increasing controls imposed. Scientific and political communities, both in the Kingdom of Sardinia and in other European nations, found themselves divided on the legitimacy of proposing restrictive measures by the state. Some advocated for restricted access to public places and imposed mandatory vaccination for vulnerable individuals. Conclusions: The comparison with smallpox resulted in a gradual improvement in of health security levels, although vaccination coverage did not reach the desired targets. Several factors contributed to this failure, including the limited expertise and reluctance of medical personnel, who were burdened with much of the operation's costs. Additionally, particularly in rural areas, there was widespread mistrust among the population towards doctors. Despite these challenges, the fight against smallpox enabled authorities to develop population control tools in the name of public health protection. However, it was not until 1888 that mandatory vaccination was introduced
War and Health: the devastating impact of conflict on Wellbeing and Humanitarian Crises
No full textHealth is a precious asset, essential for both individuals and com‐ munities. The wars that have affected various parts of the world in recent years have had a detrimental impact on health, leading to malnutrition and an increased vulnerability to epidemic diseases among the population, especially the poorest. Hospitals and healthcare facilities themselves have become pri‐ mary strategic targets in many war zones. The destruction of infra‐ structure and hospitals, along with challenges in obtaining clean water and access to medicines, has contributed to the resurgence of epidemic diseases in countries where they had been eradicated. Additionally, the difficulty in ensuring vaccination programs for children raises the risk of these diseases spreading to areas typi‐ cally free from them. The authors reflect on the consequences of wars on the health of pop‐ ulations and the close link between health and peace, presenting the latest data on ongoing epidemics in countries affected by war
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
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
A Mobile App to Enhance Awareness of Vaccination in Adults With Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis: Development and Preliminary Evaluation Study
No full textBackground: Patients with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis are at increased risk of several vaccine-preventable diseases. Despite this increased susceptibility to infections, vaccination uptake in adults with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, especially if treated with biologics and other systemic immunomodulators, is insufficient. As mobile health technologies may support behavior change, a mobile app called DermatoVax was developed to raise awareness of immunization in adult patients with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Objective: This paper aims to describe the processes of development of the DermatoVax app and its initial evaluation in terms of technical verification and physicians’ quality rating. Methods: The app was conceived in a user-centered fashion. Its core component was the vaccine checker, which allows the app to produce a sharable list of recommended vaccines, immunization timings, and eventual precautions from a short set of input data. App prototypes were extensively piloted, and feedback from potential end users was obtained to refine the app content. The readability of the textual narratives was measured using the Italian-specific Gulpease index, which ranges from 0 to 100, where 100 indicates the best readability. The quality of the final version was evaluated by 46 medical doctors (n=29, 63% dermatologists and n=17, 37% public health physicians) using a validated Italian user version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (uMARS). Results: Iterative steps during the app development process allowed us to increase its user-friendliness and comprehensibility. Proper functioning of the checker was confirmed through the correct and complete generation of recommended vaccine lists for 50 mock patients with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. An overall Gulpease index of 41.0 was observed for the final textual narratives, suggesting acceptable readability properties for patients with a high school diploma. Of a maximum of 5 points, the average uMARS score was 4.22 (SD 0.49). Ratings provided by dermatologists (mean 4.28, SD 0.48) were similar (P=.33) to those provided by public health physicians (mean 4.12, SD 0.51). However, the mean uMARS scores for the quality dimensions of aesthetics (3.88, SD 0.78) and engagement (3.89, SD 0.68) were lower than those for information (4.64, SD 0.42) and functionality (4.47, SD 0.46), suggesting margins for improvement. The app’s perceived impact was notably high, with over 80% of physicians agreeing that its use would significantly improve patient awareness (39/46, 85%) and knowledge (41/46, 89%) of vaccination, leading to increased vaccination uptake (37/46, 80%). Conclusions: DermatoVax is a promising tool to raise awareness of immunization in adult patients with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Further assessment of the app, such as its effectiveness in increasing vaccination uptake, is warranted
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