1,721,009 research outputs found
The “Italian way” to counteract obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome in children
No full textDear Editor,
the estimated prevalence of OSAS and habitual snoring in children is 0.1-13% and 6-12%, respectively 1,2. The lack of treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders puts patients at risk of hypertension, growth lag, hyperactivity, attention deficit, learning disabilities, low levels of education and literacy. Some studies have shown a significant increase in the use of health services (new admissions, accesses to first aid, consumption of drugs) by children with OSAS compared to the control group for all ages. The severity of OSAS correlates directly with total annual costs and is age-independent 3. Other studies have shown that annual healthcare costs are reduced by one-third for children with OSAS undergoing adenotonsillectomy 4. The awareness of OSAS and habitual snoring as a highly relevant health issue at the developmental age is rather inadequate. There is also a very significant gap between the estimated number of children with OSAS, as a high percentage of them are undiagnosed, and the ability of the Italian health system to diagnose and treat them. This is why the Italian Minister of Health has approved a new holistic approac
The importance of screening in children who snore
Full text linkIt is important to screen for OSAS in children who snore, as early treatment of OSAS can prevent neurocognitive, behavioural, cardiovascular and metabolic consequences. Paediatricians should always investigate sleep habits and the possible presence of snoring, respiratory efforts or pauses during routine examination of children. These instruments may be effectively used to identify patients with OSAS, and the specificity and positive predictive value may be increased by adding other screening instruments such as nocturnal pulse oximetry [10]. The sleep questionnaires are instruments that can be used to screen patient candidates for a PSG study for suspected OSAS, and to identify those with a mild form of SDB, enabling early treatment
Ictal epileptic headache: terms do matter in clinical practice! reply to Cianchetti et al.
No full textChlamydia trachomatis and wheezing children: proposal of a macrolide treatment in asthma
No full textPulmonary Function Testing in Asthmatic Children. Tests to Assess Outpatients During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Full text linkSeveral Respiratory Societies have developed recommendations to protect patients and health care workers in pulmonary function laboratories during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Recommendations include restricting pulmonary function tests (PFTs) to those deemed essential, mainly spirometry and diffusion capacity measurements. However, spirometric maneuvers require forced expiration, which in turn induces cough and the release of droplets in the laboratory. Testing asthmatic children need caution; the clinical picture of worsening asthma or an asthma exacerbation substantially overlaps with Covid-19. Alternative PFTs provide
useful clinical information on bronchial obstruction and response to bronchodilators in asthmatic children. Measurements of respiratory resistance (FOT, Rint) are easy to perform during tidal breathing. Quantifying the fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO), a biomarker of eosinophilic-airway inflammation, requires slow expiratory maneuvers. Multiple-breath washout (MBW) assesses ventilation distribution inhomogeneity during relaxed breathing and helps to evaluate small airways dysfunction in patients with severe asthma. Home PFTs with telemonitoring and remote feedback could support patients needing close surveillance. These tests can help clinicians to safely manage their pediatric patients until the risk of SARS-Cov-2 transmission can be minimized. We describe the main characteristics of the techniques, discuss their clinical application, and emphasize the need for standardized measures and devices, having in mind the unpredictable duration of this pandemic
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
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