Towards a new crown indicator: an empirical analysis

We present an empirical comparison between two normalization mechanisms for citation-based indicators of research performance. These mechanisms aim to normalize citation counts for the field and the year in which a publication was published. One mechanism is applied in the current so-called crown indicator of our institute. The other mechanism is applied in the new crown indicator that our institute is currently exploring. We find that at high aggregation levels, such as at the level of large research institutions or at the level of countries, the differences between the two mechanisms are very small. At lower aggregation levels, such as at the level of research groups or at the level of journals, the differences between the two mechanisms are somewhat larger. We pay special attention to the way in which recent publications are handled. These publications typically have very low citation counts and should therefore be handled with special care

Glomus tumor of the mesentery with atypical features: A case report

Glomus tumors usually occur in the acral soft tissue and rarely in visceral locations, such as the stomach, intestines, mediastinum, lung, pancreas, bladder, and vagina. The authors present a 74-year-old woman with an exceptionally large glomus tumor of the mesentrium with malignant features. Previously reported cases of intraabdominal glomus tumor in the abdominal cavity exhibited benign behavior and few cases with metastatie disease. Criteria for malignancy in acral glomus tumors, such as unusually large size, infiltrative growth, necrosis, nuclear atypia, and mitotic activity, seem not to translate to abdominal glomus tumors. As very few intraabdominal glomus are described, the malignant potential of these tumors stays uncertain for longer period

Is Microvessel Density Correlated with Anastomotic Leakage after Low Anterior Resection?

Background/Aims: Anastomotic leakage after low anterior resection may be the result of poor vascular supply from the proximal anastomotic loop. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between colonic microvessel density and anastomotic breakdown. Methodology: Between 2006 and 2009, a consecutive series of 81 patients underwent double-stapled low anterior resection followed by a Colorectal anastomosis. Symptomatic anastomotic leakage occurred in 14 patients (17%). In these patients, microvascular density was determined by image analysis of CD-31-immunostained sections from the proximal resection site. The results were compared with a sample of the remaining 67 patients without anastomotic leakage closely matched for age, gender, ASA-classification, pathological stage and neo-adjuvant treatment. Results: The mean percentage of anti-CD31 stained area, obtained from the proximal resection site was similar between patients with or without anastomotic leakage (4.0% +/- 1.8% versus 4.4% +/- 1.6% respectively, P = 0.53). With respect to neo-adjuvant therapy, no differences in the density of CD31 positive were observed (pre-operative radiotherapy = 4.3% +/- 1.8% versus pre-operative chemoradiotherapy 4.1% +/- 1.6%, P = 0.77). The mean vessel density reached borderline statistical significance in women (5.0% +/- 1.8%) compared to men (3.8% +/- 1.8%) (P = 0.06). Conclusions: Microvessel density quantification with immunohistochemical analysis of CD31 expression of the proximal anastomotic region did not show any correlation with anastomotic leakage in the clinical setting