1,720,966 research outputs found
INFLIXIMAB FOR PEDIATRIC ULCERATIVE COLITIS:A RETROSPECTIVE ITALIAN MULTICENTER STUDY
Full text link. Dig Liver Dis. 2008 Jul;40 Suppl 2:S260-4.
Infliximab for pediatric ulcerative colitis: a retrospective Italian multicenter
study.
Cucchiara S, Romeo E, Viola F, Cottone M, Fontana M, Lombardi G, Rutigliano V,
de'Angelis GL, Federici T.
Division Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Pediatrics,
University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy. [email protected]
BACKGROUND: Infliximab (IFX), the chimeric anti TNFalpha antibody, an established
treatment for Crohn's disease in adults and in children, is used less frequently
in ulcerative colitis (UC).
AIM OF THE STUDY: To report the clinical course of pediatric patients with active
UC receiving IFX.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Charts of 22 patients were reviewed (13 male, 9 female): 4
with a severe UC attack refractory to systemic corticosteroids (CS); 18 with a
protracted course, of which 16 CS-dependent and 2 CS-resistant. The baseline
therapeutic program consisted of 3 consecutive intravenous infusions (0, 2, 6
weeks) of IFX (5 mg/kg), followed by a retreatment schedule (infusion every 8
weeks); azathioprine (AZA) was administered chronically in all. Clinical
evaluation was done with the Lichtiger Colitis Activity Index (LCAI). Follow-up
was performed until week 54. LCAI >/= 9 was considered treatment failure; a LCAI
</= 2 was consistent with remission.
RESULTS: All 22 patients began the study with a LCAI > 9: 12 had a full response
and were on remission at week 54 and did not receive CS (8 on IFX re-treatment
and AZA, 4 on AZA alone); 6 had a partial response; 4 were non responders.
Colectomy was performed in 7 patients, beyond the period of the acute attack in
all but one.
CONCLUSIONS: In children with severe ulcerative colitis IFX is a valuable
treatment for inducing remission, avoiding emergency colectomy; retreatment may
be offered to maintain remission
Biologic Therapy in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Can We Influence the Natural History of the Disease After Suspension of the Treatment? Preliminary Results
No full textMonocytes from infliximab-resistant patients with Crohn's disease exhibit a disordered cytokine profile
No full textCrohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by immune response dysregulation. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) is a key cytokine in the pathogenesis of CD, as indicated by the efficacy of anti-TNF-alpha therapy with infliximab (IFX). However, approximately 30-40% of CD patients fail to respond to IFX with still unclear underlying mechanisms. This study compares the inflammatory phenotype of monocytes from CD patients, who respond or non-respond to IFX. Under basal conditions, the mRNA for the cytokines TNF alpha, IL-23, IL-1 beta and the chemokines CXCL8/IL-8, CCL5/RANTES and CCL2/MCP-1 was up-regulated in monocytes from non-responders than responders. The expression of the same cytokines and CCL2/MCP-1 was higher in non-responders also upon LPS treatment. Moreover, higher secretion of TNF alpha, IL-1 beta, IFN gamma and IL-2 proteins occurred in the supernatants of LPS-treated non-responders cells. Resistance to IFX in CD may result from a transcriptional dysregulation of circulating monocytes, leading to hyperactivation of pro-inflammatory pathways. Monocytes' cytokine profile may thus represent a predictive marker of response to IFX. Monocytes were isolated from blood samples of 19 CD patients (11 responders, 8 non-responders) and incubated with or without LPS. Cytokine profiles were assessed by RT-qPCR and, in the supernatants, by ELISA assay
Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy in Gastrointestinal and Pancreatobiliary Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
No full textConfocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) is an endoscopic-assisted technique developed to obtain histopathological diagnoses of gastrointestinal and pancreatobiliary diseases in real time. The objective of this systematic review is to analyze the current literature on CLE and to evaluate the applicability and diagnostic yield of CLE in patients with gastrointestinal and pancreatobiliary diseases. A literature search was performed on MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and Cochrane Oral Health Group Specialized Register, using pertinent keywords without time limitations. Both prospective and retrospective clinical studies that evaluated the sensitivity, specificity, or accuracy of CLE were eligible for inclusion. Of 662 articles identified, 102 studies were included in the systematic review. The studies were conducted between 2004 and 2015 in 16 different countries. CLE demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in the detection of dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus, gastric neoplasms and polyps, colorectal cancers in inflammatory bowel disease, malignant pancreatobiliary strictures, and pancreatic cysts. Although CLE has several promising applications, its use has been limited by its low availability, high cost, and need of specific operator training. Further clinical trials with a particular focus on cost-effectiveness and medicoeconomic analyses, as well as standardized institutional training, are advocated to implement CLE in routine clinical practice
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
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