Altmetrics as new indicators of scientific impact

In recent years, researchers and academics in growing numbers are starting to move their everyday work onto the Web, exploring new ways to spread, discuss, share and retrieve information outside of the traditional channel of scholarly publishing. As scholarly communication moves increasingly online, there is a growing need to improve the ways in which the impact of scientific research output is evaluated. Altmetrics, even if they are still in an early stage, have the potential to develop as complements to traditional metrics and to provide a useful insight into new impact types not included in existing measures. This paper summarises the major trends, opportunities and challenges of these new metrics for both researchers and academic research libraries

The Bibliosan 2.0 project: online tools for librarians, researchers and health professionals

This article describes the approach used by the Bibliosan 2.0 team (in a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Health)in developing the Bibliosan 2.0 website (http://bibliosan20.wordpress.com/) aimed at offering guidance and advice toour users for the use of Web 2.0 tools and technologies. To complement the website, we decided to deliver filteredinformation through Web 2.0 tools such as our blog, Twitter, Delicious and Zotero. To do so, we adopted a very targeted,strategic approach in selecting which tools to present, keeping in mind that our audience is made up of librarians,researchers and health professionals

In vivo studies on antibiotic combination for the treatment of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

ObjectiveThere is poor evidence to determine the superiority of combination regimens versus monotherapy against infections due to carbapenem-resistant (CR) Gram-negative bacteria. In vivo models can simulate the pathophysiology of infections in humans and assess antibiotic efficacy. We aim to investigate in vivo effects of antibiotic combination on mortality and disease burden for infections due to CR Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacteriaceae and provide an unbiased overview of existing knowledge. The results of the study can help prioritising future research on the most promising therapies against CR bacteria.Methods and analysisThis protocol was formulated using the Systematic Review Protocol for Animal Intervention Studies (SYRCLE) Checklist. Publications will be collected from PubMed, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science. Quality checklists adapted by Collaborative Approach to Meta-Analysis and Review of Animal Data from Experimental Studies and SYRCLE's risk of bias tool will be used. If the meta-analysis seems feasible, the ES and the 95% CI will be analysed. The heterogeneity between studies will be assessed by I2 test. Subgroup meta-analysis will be performed when possible to assess the impact of the studies on efficacy of the treatments. Funnel plotting will be used to evaluate the risk of publication bias.DisseminationThis systematic review and meta-analysis is part of a wider research collaboration project, the COmbination tHErapy to treat sepsis due to carbapenem-Resistant bacteria in adult and paediatric population: EvideNCE and common practice (COHERENCE) study that includes also the analyses of in vitro and human studies. Data will be presented at international conferences and the results will be published in peer-reviewed journals.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42019128104(available at: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42019128104)

Altmetrics as new indicators of scientific impact

In recent years, researchers and academics in growing numbers are starting to move their everyday work onto the Web,exploring new ways to spread, discuss, share and retrieve information outside of the traditional channel of scholarly publishing. As scholarly communication moves increasingly online, there is a growing need to improve the ways in which the impact of scientific research output is evaluated. Altmetrics, even if they are still in an early stage, have the potential to develop as complements to traditional metrics and to provide a useful insight into new impact types not included in existing measures. This paper summarises the major trends, opportunities and challenges of these new metrics for both researchers and academic research libraries

Carrier frequency of HLA-DQB1*02 allele in patients affected with celiac disease: A systematic review assessing the potential rationale of a targeted allelic genotyping as a first-line screening

The final output of this systematic search in the medical literature consisted of 38 studies providing the appropriate HLA-DQB1 genotype information of the respective CD population. According to this systematic review, including a pool of 4945 HLA-DQ genotyped CD patients, the HLA-DQB1*02 carrier frequency was 94.94%, meaning that only 5.06% of CD patients were completely lacking this allelic variant. Interestingly, if we consider only the studies whereby the prevalence of CD patients affected with type 1 diabetes mellitus was supposed or clearly established to be very low, the frequency of non-HLA-DQB1*02 carriers among CD patients dropped to 3.65%

Relevance of HLA-DQB1*02 Allele in the Genetic Predisposition of Children with Celiac Disease: Additional Cues from a Meta-Analysis

Background and Objectives: Celiac disease (CD) is a multifactorial immune-mediated disorder, triggered by the ingestion of gluten in genetically-predisposed subjects carrying MHC-DQ2 and -DQ8 heterodimers, which are encoded by four HLA-DQ allelic variants, overall. This meta-analysis aims at providing further epidemiological support to the predominant relevance of one specific allele, namely HLA-DQB1*02, in the predisposition and genetic risk of CD. Materials and Methods: We performed a search of MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus, retrieving all publications (case−control study, cross-sectional, and retrospective cohort study) on the association between HLA class II polymorphisms and first-degree relatives (FDRs) of children with CD. After a critical reading of the articles, two investigators independently performed data extraction according to the following inclusion criteria: HLA class II genes, any DQ and DR molecules, and CD diagnosed following the current clinical guidelines. A third participant was consulted for discussion to reach an agreement concerning discrepancies. Results: Our search strategy selected 14 studies as being eligible for inclusion, and those were submitted for data extraction and analysis. These studies were published between 1999 and 2016 and, collectively, enrolled 3063 FDRs. Positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR−, respectively) for CD diagnosis, according to the presence of the HLA-DQ genotype coding a complete MHC-DQ2 and/or MHC-DQ8 molecules, were 1.449 (CI 1.279−1.642) and 0.187 (CI 0.096−0.362), respectively. If only the isolated presence of HLA-DQB1*02 allele is considered, the pooled estimation of LR+ was 1.659 (CI 1.302−2.155) and, importantly, the LR− still showed a very good discriminatory power of 0.195 (CI 0.068−0.558). Conclusions: Through our differential meta-analysis, comparing the presence of the genotype coding the full MHC-DQ2 and/or DQ8 molecules with the isolated presence of HLA-DQB1*02 allelic variant, we found that the LR− of the latter analysis maintained the same value. This observation, along with previous evidences, might be useful to consider potential cost-effective widened screening strategies for CD in children

Neuropsychological evaluation of phenoconversion risk in REM sleep behaviour disorder: A scoping review

The objective of this study was to assess the role of cognitive evaluation in the prediction of phenoconversion in polysomnography-confirmed idiopathic or isolated rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder, through a scoping review focussing on a longitudinal comprehensive neuropsychological assessment of patients with idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder. A literature search (2006-2022) yielded 1034 records, and 20 were selected for analysis. The sample included 899 patients from eight different cohorts and five countries. We extracted data on clinical evolution, mild cognitive impairment diagnosis, neuropsychological tests used, and classification of cognitive domains. Tests, cognitive domains, and mild cognitive impairment definitions were heterogeneous across the studies, precluding a meta-analysis. Ten studies (50%) evaluated the presence of mild cognitive impairment; 14 studies (70%) grouped neuropsychological tests into between three (6 studies, 21.4%) and seven (1 study, 7.1%) cognitive domains. The most frequently used tests were semantic fluency, Stroop colour word test, trail making test A and B, digit span, Rey auditory verbal learning test, and Rey-Osterrieth figure. All except digit span showed a role in predicting phenoconversion. The authors did not consistently assign tests to specific cognitive domains. In conclusion, we discuss methodological differences between the studies and highlight the need for a standardised framework for neuropsychological data acquisition and presentation, based on a multilevel approach covering test selection, domain assignment, and mild cognitive impairment diagnostic criteria

The role of Trimethoprim/sulfametoxazole in reducing relapses and risk of infec-tions in ANCA-associated vasculitis: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To assess available evidence from randomized controlled studies (RCT) and observational studies including a control group regarding the role of trimethoprim/sulfametoxazole (TMP/SMX) in reducing the relapse rate in patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and the risk of infections in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV).METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library databases, Scopus, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception until the 15th of January 2020 to identify controlled studies assessing the role of TMP/SMX in reducing the rate of relapse in patients with GPA (primary outcome) and the number and/or severity of infections in patients with AAV (secondary outcome). Two reviewers independently selected eligible studies and extracted data. Cumulative risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random effect meta-analysis.RESULTS: Eight studies were selected out of 2907 records. Seven studies (520 patients) (of which two RCT) assessed the role of TMP/SMX on the relapse rate in patients with GPA. TMP/SMX was not associated with a reduced risk of relapse (RR 1.15; 95% CI 0.51-2.55; I2=78.5%, p< 0.001). Sensitivity analysis according to the dose of TMP/SMX (960mg twice daily vs three-times/week) confirmed the results. One retrospective cohort study (192 patients) was identified demonstrating a significant reduction of severe infections in patients with AAV receiving prophylaxis with TMP/SMX in association with rituximab.CONCLUSION: TMP/SMX was not associated with a reduced risk of relapse in patients with GPA. TMP/SMX might be useful in the reduction of infectious complications

Performance of existing clinical scores and laboratory tests for the diagnosis of invasive candidiasis in critically ill, nonneutropenic, adult patients: a systematic review with qualitative evidence synthesis

Background The Fungal Infections Definitions in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients (FUNDICU) project aims to provide standard sets of definitions for invasive fungal diseases in critically ill, adult patients. Objectives To summarize the available evidence on the diagnostic performance of clinical scores and laboratory tests for invasive candidiasis (IC) in nonneutropenic, adult critically ill patients. Methods A systematic review was performed to evaluate studies assessing the diagnostic performance for IC of clinical scores and/or laboratory tests vs. a reference standard or a reference definition in critically ill, nonneutropenic, adult patients in ICU. Results Clinical scores, despite the heterogeneity of study populations and IC prevalences, constantly showed a high negative predictive value (NPV) and a low positive predictive value (PPV) for the diagnosis of IC in the target population. Fungal antigen-based biomarkers (with most studies assessing serum beta-D-glucan) retained a high NPV similar to that of clinical scores, with a higher PPV, although the latter showed important heterogeneity across studies, possibly reflecting the targeted or untargeted use of these tests in patients with a consistent clinical picture and risk factors for IC. Conclusions Both clinical scores and laboratory tests showed high NPV for the diagnosis of IC in nonneutropenic critically ill patients. The PPV of laboratory tests varies significantly according to the baseline patients’ risk of IC. This qualitative synthesis will provide the FUNDICU panel with baseline evidence to be considered during the development of definitions of IC in critically ill, nonneutropenic adult patients in ICU

HLA-DRB1 alleles and juvenile idiopathic arthritis: Diagnostic clues emerging from a meta-analysis

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is characterized with a variable pattern of articular involvement and systemic symptoms and, thus, it has been classified in several subtypes. Genetic predisposition to JIA is mainly due to HLA class II molecules (HLA-DRB1, HLA-DPB1), although HLA class I molecules and non-HLA genes have been implicated, too. Here, we carried out a meta-analysis including selected studies designed to assess HLA genetic background of JIA patients, compared to healthy controls; particularly, we focused our attention on HLA-DRB1. In summary, our meta-analysis showed four main findings regarding HLA-DRB1 locus as a genetic factor of JIA: i) HLA-DRB1*08 is a strong factor predisposing to JIA, both for oligo-articular and poly-articular forms (oJIA > pJIA); ii) HLA-DRB1*01 and HLA-DRB1*04 may be involved in the genetic predisposition of Rheumatoid Factor (RF) positive forms of JIA; iii) HLA-DRB1*11 was confirmed to be predisposing to oligo-articular JIA; iv) HLA-DRB1*04 was confirmed to have a role in systemic JIA. Importantly, RF positivity seems to select the JIA clinical subset with the strongest immunogenetic similarities with adult rheumatoid arthritis