Kornimate/medical-research-clean huggingface dataset:
pepsinogens as the early marker of h. pylori eradication

Conditions: H. Pylori Infection; Gastric Ulcer; Duodnal Ulcer

Summary: helicobacter pylori (h. pylori) eradication increases the serum pepsinogen (pg) i/pg ii ratio and the percentage change in pg i/pg ii ratios was found to be a useful marker of h. pylori eradication (e.g., the pg method). we studied whether the pg method could be an early diagnostic marker of h. pylori eradication even in patients persistently treated with a proton pump inhibitor. sixty-two h. pylori-positive patients underwent h. pylori-eradication therapy, followed by treatment with a ppi to cure ulcers. serum levels of pg i and pg ii were measured before, at the end of, and at 4 weeks after the eradication therapy. at more than one month after the end of treatments, 13c-urea breath test (ubt) was performed. the cut-off values of percentage changes in pg i/pg ii ratios for the diagnosis of eradication of h. pylori were set in proportion to pg i/pg ii ratios before eradication in accordance with our previous report. using the results of ubt as the standard, the percentage change in serum pg i/pg ii ratios is useful as an early diagnostic marker for judgment of h. pylori eradication irrespective of ppi treatment.


Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * patients with h. pylori infection exclusion criteria: * patients without h. pylori infection
low molecular weight heparin or no treatment following cesarean delivery

Conditions: Thromboembolism

Summary: the aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of randomizing individuals to low molecular weight heparin (enoxaparin) or no treatment following cesarean delivery. the investigators hypothesize that among eligible individuals, at least 35% will enroll, undergo randomization, and complete the allocated treatment group.

venous thromboembolism (vte) is a major contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality. the first two weeks postpartum are the highest risk period for vte during pregnancy and the postpartum period. cesarean delivery is a known risk factor for vte. in the united states, postpartum prophylaxis with low molecular weight heparin (e.g., enoxaparin) is commonly used during the first 10-14 days after delivery. enoxaparin has not been demonstrated as an effective intervention to prevent postpartum vte after cesarean delivery. before larger scale studies may be completed, a better understanding of ability to randomize individuals to this intervention is needed. this study aims to evaluate the feasibility of randomizing individuals after cesarean delivery to the receipt of enoxaparin prophylaxis or no treatment.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * cesarean delivery at the university of utah health exclusion criteria: * contraindication to anticoagulation * plan for therapeutic anticoagulation * known renal dysfunction (creatinine clearance \<30ml/minute) * history of venous thromboembolism * high risk thrombophilia * receipt of antepartum anticoagulation for \>2 weeks

Keywords: thromboembolism enoxaparin cesarean delivery
acute effects of leg heating on skeletal muscle blood flow

Conditions: Peripheral Arterial Disease

Summary: the purpose of this study is to apply local heat to the legs, thighs and buttocks of patients with peripheral arterial disease and use pet/ct imaging with an injectable stable radiotracer to study direct measurement of blood flow in the legs pre and post heat treatment.

cilostazol is the only effective medication available to treat walking pain (intermittent claudication) and it has multiple side effects. overall improvement in walking performance in patients who use cilostazol is small. endovascular and surgical interventions are effective alternatives for patients who don't respond to medical therapy, however, these procedures are costly and only applicable to patients with certain lesions types and carry a high risk of restenosis. heat therapy (ht) is an emerging non-invasive approach that has been shown to enhance vascular function of the leg in old individuals. the objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that a single session of heat therapy will increase local muscle tissue blood flow in the calf of patients with pad as assessed by pet/ct imaging of generator-based 62cu-ets. subjects who have met inclusion criteria will volunteer for a single experimental visit. participants will wear the water circulating pants and asked to rest supine for 30 minutes inside the scanner. water at 43 degrees c will be perfused through the pants for 90 minutes with the goal to increase skin temperature in the calf to 39 degrees c. iv injections of 62cu-ets and subsequent perfusion imaging will be performed at the end of the 30 minute baseline period, after 45 minutes of heat therapy and at the end of the intervention (90 minutes). due to the short half life of 62cu, radioactivity from the prior administrations will not interfere with acquisition of a subsequent pet scan at this timing interval.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * men and women with a stable symptomatic claudication for \>/= 6 months * ankle brachial index \< 0.9 exclusion criteria: * uncontrolled diabetes * heart failure * copd * critical limb ischemia * prior amputation * exercise-limiting co-morbidity * recent (\< 3 months) intra-inguinal revascularization or planned in study period * plans to change medical therapy during duration of study * active cancer * chronic kidney disease (egfr \< 30) * hiv positive, active hbv or hcv disease * presence of an clinical condition that makes the patient not suitable to participate in the trial * peripheral neuropathy, numbness or paresthesia in the legs * morbid obesity bmi \> 36 or unable to fit into water-circulating pants * open wounds or ulcers on the extremity * claustrophobia/unable to tolerate pet/ct scanning * women of child-bearing age
vancomycin plus moxifloxacin versus vancomycin plus ceftazidime for the treatment of peritoneal dialysis (pd)-related peritonitis

Conditions: Peritoneal Dialysis Associated Peritonitis

Summary: intra-peritoneal administration of antibiotics covering both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms was recommended as first-line regimen for the management of peritoneal dialysis related peritonitis. oral administration of quinolones can also achieve effective serum concentrations, and is more convenient and economical. we conducted a pilot randomized controlled study to compare the effects on peritonitis cure and relapsing rates between oral moxifloxacin plus ip vancomycin and conventional ip vancomycin plus ceftazidime.

to compare the effects on peritonitis cure and relapsing rates between oral moxifloxacin plus ip vancomycin and conventional ip vancomycin plus ceftazidime, eligible pd patients were randomly assigned to study group (ip vancomycin 1g every 5 days combined with oral moxifloxacin 400mg qd) and control group (ip vancomycin 1g every 5 days combined with ip ceftazidime 1g qd). patients were followed for 3 months after the completion of the treatment period. primary endpoint is complete cure, secondary endpoint are primary response and primary or secondary treatment failure.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * incident or prevalent peritoneal dialysis patients * diagnosis of acute peritonitis according to ispd guideline * age \>18 years exclusion criteria: * receiving antibiotic treatment for other reasons when peritonitis occurred * contraindication to cephalosporin, vancomycin, or fluoroquinolones * concomitant exit-site or tunnel infection * requirement for immediate transfer to hemodialysis due to sepsis, gastrointestinal perforation or visceral inflammation, severe bowel obstruction, or ultrafiltration failure at the initiation of peritonitis * inability to tolerate oral administration due to severe gastrointestinal complication or other reasons * history of psychological illness or condition which interfered with ability to understand or comply with the requirements of the study * pregnant or breast-feeding
the value of interleukin 6 as a diagnostic marker in neonatal sepsis

Conditions: NEONATAL SEPSIS

Summary: neonatal sepsis is a leading cause of neonatal mortality and continues to be a formidable problem for neonatologists and pediatricians world over. the prevalence of neonatal sepsis varies in different countries; in developed countries it is 1 to 10 cases per 1000 live births and in developing countries the incidence of neonatal septicemia increases to 49 to 170 cases per 1000 live births. the normal fetus is sterile until shortly before birth as the placenta and amniotic sac are highly effective barriers to infections. at birth, the newborn loses the protection afforded to it in the uterus and gets exposed to the microbial world.neonatal sepsis is broadly divided into two types according to age of onset: early-onset sepsis (\<72 hrs) and late-onset sepsis (≥72 hrs-28 days). early-onset sepsis is acquired during fetal life, delivery, or at the nursery.bacterial organisms causing ns may differ among countries, however, in most developing countries, gram-negative bacteria remain the major source of infection.to date, blood culture is the gold standard test for diagnosing sepsis, but it has some inherent limitations. it takes at least three or five days to be decisive and can be mistakenly negative because antibiotics are initiated empirically before collection and a well-developed microbiology laboratory is required.crp is one of the most widely studied and applied acute phase proteins clinically, which can be induced by pre-inflammatory factor interleukin-6 (il-6) to synthesize by liver cells, and it starts to rise in 12-24 hours of inflammatory response and reaches its peak at 48 hours.interleukin-6 (il-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine expressed by different cells in response to infections.


Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: - neonates admitted to our hospital nicu with fever, poor feeding and irritability whom suspected to have neonatal sepsis. exclusion criteria: * normal white blood cell count, patients whom on antibiotic therapy, negative blood culture
a study using intravitreal injections of a small interfering rna in patients with age-related macular degeneration

Conditions: Choroid Neovascularization; Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Summary: this is a 24-month study to evaluate multiple doses of agn211745 (previously known as sirna-027) in treatment of subfoveal choroidal neovascularization associated with age-related macular degeneration


Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * 50 years or older with "wet" amd as determined by an ophthalmologist * decrease in visual acuity (20/40 to 20/640) in at least one eye exclusion criteria: * uncontrolled systemic disease * history of heart attack or stroke within one year of study entry * symptomatic coronary artery disease * cataracts that interfere with vision
evaluation of a new hysteroscopic grasper for endometrial biopsy in post-menopausal patients

Conditions: Post-Menopausal Bleeding; Post-Menopausal Endometrial Thickness

Summary: hysteroscopic endometrial biopsy is usually performed through the classic spoon grasper. recently, a new hysteroscopic grasper with knurled terminal end and cutting jaws was designed, in order to improve feasibility of the procedure, reduce its duration and the discomfort for the patients. this study aims to compare the outcomes of the three hysteroscopic graspers for endometrial biopsy in post-menopausal patients.

diagnostic hysteroscopy is currently the gold standard method to evaluate uterine cavity and tubal ostia, allowing also the visualization of vaginal walls and the cervical canal. compared to the other available diagnostic techniques, hysteroscopy has the advantage of directly visualization the anatomical area to be investigated and allows to perform biopsy. the possibility of hysteroscopy-guided biopsy sampling is particularly important in order to get histological diagnosis. as recently suggested, the hysteroscopic biopsy of the endometrium has diagnostic accuracy of 90% for post-menopausal endometrial cancer. currently, most diagnostic hysteroscopies are performed in outpatient setting, without anesthesia, using modern hysteroscopes with a 1.67 mm working channel. in particular, endometrial biopsy is usually performed through the classic spoon grasper or alligator grasper. recently, a new hysteroscopic grasper with knurled terminal end and cutting jaws was designed, in order to improve feasibility of the procedure, reduce its duration and the discomfort for the patients. this study aims to compare the outcomes of the three hysteroscopic graspers for endometrial biopsy in post-menopausal patients.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * physiologic menopause * vaginal bleeding or endometrial thickness (\>5 mm) exclusion criteria: * hormonal replacement therapies * other known causes of vaginal/cervical bleeding * suspected or known cancer(s) * premature or iatrogenic menopause * uterine cervix stenosis

Keywords: hysteroscopy endometrial biopsy menopause
a multi-site clinical evaluation of the aries group a strep assay in symptomatic patients

Conditions: Pharyngitis Bacterial

Summary: a multi-center evaluation to assess the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the aries group a strep assay will be established through a method comparison using prospectively collected, de-identified, clinical samples collected during the enrollment period.


Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * patient and/or patient's legal guardian is willing and able to give informed consent and/or assent for extra research sample. * the subject's specimen is a throat swab in liquid amies based transport medium. * the specimen is from an adult or pediatric, male or female subject who is either hospitalized, admitted to a hospital emergency department, visiting an outpatient clinical or resident of a long term care facility. * the specimen is from a patient for whom a requisition has been made for group a strep testing * the specimen is from a patient exhibiting clinical signs and symptoms of pharyngitis consistent with group a strep infection. * the specimen was received in good condition (no leakage or drying of the specimen). * the specimen volume is ≥ 850 µl. exclusion criteria: * the specimen is from a patient who did not provide informed consent/assent. * the specimen is not a throat swab collected in liquid amies based transport medium. * the specimen is from a patient who is undergoing antibiotic treatment. * the specimen was not properly collected, transported, processed or stored according to the instructions provided by the sponsor in section 9 below. * the specimen volume is \< 850 µl.
armor study: covid-19 seroprevalence among healthcare workers

Conditions: Covid-19; Coronavirus Infection; Coronavirus

Summary: the novel coronavirus (sars-cov-2) has spread all around the world and testing has posed a challenge globally. health care providers are highly exposed and are an important group to test. on top of these concerns, health care workers are also stressed by the needs on responders in the covid-19 crisis. the investigators will look at different ways to measure how common covid-19 is among health care workers, how common is the presence of antibodies by serological tests (also known as serostatus). the investigators will describe health worker mental and emotional well-being and their coping strategies in their institutional settings. lastly, the investigators will describe how knowing serostatus can affect individuals' mental and emotional well-being and how to cope in the midst of the covid-19 response. this will help to how to better test and help healthcare workers in the covid-19 pandemic and prepare for possible future outbreaks.

the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus sars-cov-2 has resulted in pandemic levels and a global challenge in diagnosing infection. diagnosing infection, defining recovery and immunity has been challenging. health care providers in particular are very interested in knowing their status as they are highly exposed, and if infectious, can potentially transmit infection nosocomially (in the healthcare workplace setting) and to their household. in addition to understanding their exposure risk, infectious period, and immunity status, health care workers are reporting high levels of psychosocial distress including anxiety and burnout. the investigators aim to assess the baseline and cumulative seroprevalence of sars-cov-2 among health care workers using both quantitative and qualitative serological assays; describe psychosocial well-being and coping strategies among health workers in their institutional settings and describe how knowledge of one's serostatus affect psychosocial well-being, and coping strategies. findings from this study will inform; 1) use of serological assays and testing algorithms, and 2) approaches to manage psychosocial stress for healthcare workers.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * 18 years of age or older * newyork-presbyterian (nyp) healthcare personnel employee or affiliate * understands and reads english exclusion criteria: * younger than 18 years of age * mentally and/or physically unable to complete study requirements
effects of weight loss in obese difficult-to-treat asthmatics

Conditions: Asthma; Obesity; Weight Loss

Summary: sixty percent of patients with difficult to control asthma seen in our outpatient clinic are obese. the impact of weight reduction in this subpopulation of asthmatics has not been studied. our aim is to evaluate the impact of weight reduction on asthma control of these patients.

study design: interventional, open label, randomized patients selection thirty-three difficult to control obese asthmatic patients, aged between 18 to 65 years old will be recruited from the outpatient clinics of the pulmonary division of the university of sao paulo hospital. difficult to control asthma will be defined as patients who do not achieve asthma control (according to gina) despite best treatment regimen and checked adherence after at least three months of treatment. intervention: patients will be divided in two groups: asthma treatment plus weight loss program or asthma treatment alone for 6 months without drug dose changing. procedures (baseline and after 6 months) - quality of life questionnaire, asthma control questionnaire, lung function tests, serum and sputum inflammatory markers.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * difficult-to-treat asthma * body mass index \> 30kg/m2 exclusion criteria: * subjets older than 65 years * current smoking * past smoking history (\> 10 pack-year) * pregnancy * contraindication for orlistat or sibutramine

Keywords: asthma obesity weight loss
aesthetic outcome of layered closure vs. layered closure followed by 2-octyl cyanoacrylate

Conditions: Scarring

Summary: following skin surgeries on the head and neck, several surgeons use a type of surgical glue (such as dermabond) as a final layer on the top of wound. this glue is thought to seal the wound. up until this point, there is limited data about the exact advantages or disadvantages of using this glue. we wish to determine if there is a difference in the cosmetic outcome of the scar when the glue is applied compared to when the glue is not applied. in addition, we want to determine if patients prefer to care for a wound with or without the glue.

sutures are the standard of care in repairing cutaneous wounds. the majority of surgical reconstructions following a mohs micrographic surgery and standard surgical excisions require two layers of sutures: a deep (subcutaneous) layer and a superficial (cuticular) layer. alternatively, skin adhesives, such as 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (commercially available as "dermabond"), have been used successfully in lieu of the outer layer of sutures. cosmetic outcomes with 2-octyl cyanoacrylate have been shown to be equivalent to sutured wounds, perhaps with a lower infection rate. however, wounds repaired with 2-octyl cyanoacrylate may have a higher dehiscence rate. recently, surgeons have been using 2-octyl cyanoacrylate, in addition to dissolvable sutures. this is thought to combine the advantages of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate, including easier wound care and lower infection rate, with the lower dehiscence rate of sutures. a previous study by zhuang et al found no difference in wound cosmesis between deep sutures supplemented by 2-octyl cyanoacrylate compared with layered closure with 5-0 fast-absorbing gut suture, with the exception of inferior scar pigmentation with 2-octyl cyanoacrylate.1 several studies likewise found no significant differences between 2-octyl cyanoacrylate versus sutures in repairing cutaneous wounds. to our knowledge, no study has been conducted directly comparing closure (2 layers) versus closure supplemented by 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (3 layers). we hope that our study will provide new insight into this aspect of cutaneous surgery.

Eligibility criteria:
all patients scheduled for cutaneous surgical procedures with one of the study investigators at the uc davis dermatology clinic will be screened for eligibility. inclusion criteria: * 18 years of age or older * able to give informed consent themselves * patient scheduled for cutaneous surgical procedure on the face or neck with predicted primary closure. * willing to return for follow up visit exclusion criteria: * incarceration * under 18 years of age * pregnant women * unable to understand written and oral english. * wounds with predicted closure length less than 3 cm none of these special populations will be included.
study to evaluate effect of intranasal teriparatide on serum p1np, a biomarker of bone formation, in postmenopausal women with low bone mass

Conditions: Osteoporosis; Osteopenia

Summary: this study is being conducted to evaluate the effect treatment has on serum p1np levels, a biomarker of bone formation in postmenopausal women with low bone mass.


Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * postmenopausal females age ≥ 45 years. * weight \> 45 kg and \< 90 kg * normal nasal examination at baseline. * low bone mass at lumbar spine, total hip or femoral neck (bmd t-score of ≤ - 1.5 or lower) or a recent (within 5 years of baseline) history of fragility fracture (excluding fractures of hands, feet, face and/or skull) and a t-score of -1.0 or lower at lumbar spine, total hip or femoral neck exclusion criteria: * serious medical condition * history of diseases which affect bone metabolism other than postmenopausal osteoporosis such as paget's disease, any secondary causes of osteoporosis, hypoparathyroidism, or hyperparathyroidism * have a history of cancer within the past 5 years, except for basal cell carcinoma * have hypocalcemia or hypercalcemia from any cause or have a recent history of kidney stones or pre-existing hypercalciuria; * have used any of the mostly commonly prescribed osteoporosis medications within 3 months of starting the investigational product, or for more than 1 month at any time within 6 months prior to starting investigational product