1,720,988 research outputs found
Effects of blood pressure control in cardiovascular prevention
No full textBackground: High blood pressure is the main risk factor worldwide for mortality and morbidity. Subjects with uncontrolled hypertension increased in the last decades. Methods: This review is based on the material searched for and obtained via MEDLINE and PubMed up to June 2016. The search terms used were “hypertension, blood pressure control” in combination with “pathophysiology, lifestyle, antihypertensive drugs, target organ damage, target values and comorbidity”. Results: This narrative review focused its attention on the diagnosis, the pathophysiology, the clinical consequences of arterial hypertension, and on the factors that must be considered for a better blood pressure control. In fact, the attainment of an adequate blood pressure control is a challenge at both a population and an individual level. Conclusion: The review will discuss the best strategy to reduce uncontrolled hypertension and cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients identifying the main conditions which determine and maintain uncontrolled hypertension also highlighting the new possible strategies for a better blood pressure control and including the results of very recent multicenter randomized controlled trials
Erratum to: The Role of Adipocytokines in Coronary Atherosclerosis (Current Atherosclerosis Reports, (2017), 19, 2, (10), 10.1007/s11883-017-0644-3)
No full textConcerning the paper entitled, “The role of adipocytokine in coronary atherosclerosis” the author to be corrected is Casula Matteo. The correct form is Matteo Casula. Matteo is the first name whereas Casula is the family name
Pre-surgery C-reactive protein levels can predict diabetes remission following bariatric surgery
No full textInterleukin-1 and the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Pericardial Disease
No full textPurpose of Review: Pericarditis is a generally benign disease, although complications and/or recurrences may occur in up to 30% of cases. New evidence on the pathophysiology of the disease has accumulated in recent years. Recent Findings: Recently, it has been shown that the activation of the NLRP3 (NACHT, leucine-rich repeat, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3) inflammasome is central in the pathophysiology of pericarditis. These findings derive from clinical data, an experimental animal model of acute pericarditis supporting a role for the NLRP3 inflammasome in pericarditis, and from indirect evidence of inhibitors of NLRP3 inflammasome in clinical trials. Summary: Pericarditis is regarded as a stereotypical response to an acute damage of the mesothelial cells of the pericardial layers. NLRP3 inflammasome, a macromolecular structure sensing damage and releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines, is centrally involved as it releases interleukin (IL)-1β, whose auto-induction feeds an autoinflammatory disease, mostly responsible for recurrences. Colchicine, an inhibitor of NLRP3 inflammasome formation, and IL-1-targeted therapies, such as anakinra and rilonacept, were found to effectively blunt the acute inflammation and reduce the risk for recurrences
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
Colchicine for COVID-19: targeting NLRP3 inflammasome to blunt hyperinflammation
No full textSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is capable of inducing the activation of NACHT, leucine-rich repeat, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, a macromolecular structure sensing the danger and amplifying the inflammatory response. The main product processed by NLRP3 inflammasome is interleukin (IL)-1β, responsible for the downstream production of IL-6, which has been recognized as an important mediator in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since colchicine is an anti-inflammatory drug with the ability to block NLRP3 inflammasome oligomerization, this may prevent the release of active IL-1β and block the detrimental effects of downstream cytokines, i.e. IL-6. To date, few randomized clinical trials and many observational studies with colchicine have been conducted, showing interesting signals. As colchicine is a nonspecific inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome, compounds specifically blocking this molecule might provide increased advantages in reducing the inflammatory burden and its related clinical manifestations. This may occur through a selective blockade of different steps preceding NLRP3 inflammasome oligomerization as well as through a reduced release of the main cytokines (IL-1β and IL-18). Since most evidence is based on observational studies, definitive conclusion cannot be drawn and additional studies are needed to confirm preliminary results and further dissect how colchicine and other NLRP3 inhibitors reduce the inflammatory burden and evaluate the timing and duration of treatment
An update on the pathophysiology of acute and recurrent pericarditis
No full texta B S T r a c T INTRODUCTION: Pericarditis is an inflammatory disease of the pericardium. Progress has been done in recent years in the understanding of its pathophysiology. in particular, preclinical and clinical studies have contributed to increasing our knowledge on the role of interleukin (iL)-1 and NLRP3 (NACHT, leucine-rich repeat, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3) inflammasome. eVideNce acQUiSiTiON: information for this study has been retrieved in original articles, reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses identified through PubMed using the following search terms (or combination of terms): “pericarditis,” “acute pericarditis,” “recurrent pericarditis,” “idiopathic recurrent acute pericarditis,” “autoimmunity,” “autoinflammation,” “outcomes.” Only articles published in English were included. Additional papers identified from the reference list of the retrieved articles were also considered. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Based on current evidence, pericarditis should be considered as an inflammatory reaction to various stimuli, including chemical/physical, infectious, or ischemic ones, with a viral infection being a common etiology. interaction of pathogens or irritants with toll-like receptor (TLRs) and stimulation of IL-1 receptor by IL-1α and IL-1β leads to an increased transcription of proinflammatory genes, including those needed for NLRP3 inflammasome assembly. This pathway is confirmed indirectly by the beneficial effect of colchicine (an indirect NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor) and IL-1 blockers in patients with recurrent pericarditis. More recently, a direct evidence of the NLRP3 inflammasome within the inflamed pericardium has been provided as well. It may, however, occur that self-antigens on the surface of mesothelial cells or microbial peptides may stimulate autoreactive T cells along with B cells producing antiheart antibodies, although less evidence is available on this. cONcLUSiONS: Some uncertainties still remain about the role of neutrophils, neutrophil extracellular traps (NeTs), and pericardial interstitial cells in recurrent and constrictive pericarditis. Unraveling these aspects might have a direct impact on the development of novel targeted therapies, especially considering the increasing number of drugs targeting NeTs
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
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