LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Latanoprost and respiratory function in asthmatic patients: randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled crossover evaluation.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of single and multiple administrations of the ocular hypotensive drug latanoprost on respiratory function, asthma symptoms, and use of asthma medication in patients with bronchial asthma.


METHODS
Twenty-four stable patients with asthma (forced expiratory volume in 1 second: 70% to 90% of predicted and a minimum of 10% reversibility after inhalation of albuterol sulfate) with no previous exposure to inhaled corticosteroids participated in this randomized, double-masked crossover trial. Patients received latanoprost, 0.005%, or placebo, 1 drop per day, in each eye during two 6-day treatment periods separated by a 2-week washout period. Acute latanoprost or placebo provocation, methacholine chloride airway reactivity, and 12-stimulator reversibility tests were performed.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Morning and evening peak expiratory flow, spirometric performance throughout treatment periods and during different provocation tests, asthma symptoms, and use of asthma medications were evaluated.


RESULTS
There were no statistically significant differences between treatments in morning and evening peak expiratory flow, scored daytime and nocturnal asthma symptoms, or daily consumption of asthma medication. During placebo provocation, there was a small increase in forced expiratory volume in 1 second that was not seen during latanoprost provocation. This small difference (-0.09 L) was statistically significant but without clinical importance.


CONCLUSIONS
Resting and provoked airway function and asthma symptoms were unaffected by latanoprost treatment in patients with asthma with no previous exposure to corticosteroids. Latanoprost can be used in patients with glaucoma and concomitant bronchial asthma.
Training-induced strength and functional adaptations after hip fracture.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
At 3 months after hip fracture, most people are discharged from physical therapy despite residual muscle weakness and overall decreased functional capabilities. The purposes of this study were: (1) to determine, in frail elderly adults after hip fracture and repair, whether a supervised 6-month exercise program would result in strength gains in the fractured limb equivalent to the level of strength in the nonfractured limb; (2) to determine whether the principle of specificity of training would apply to this population of adults; and (3) to determine the relationship between progressive resistance exercise training (PRT) intensity and changes in measures of strength and physical function.


SUBJECTS
The study participants were 31 older adults (9 men and 22 women; age [X+/-SD], 79+/-6 years) who had surgical repair of a hip fracture that was completed less than 16 weeks before study enrollment and who completed at least 30 sessions of a supervised exercise intervention.


METHODS
Participants completed 3 months of light resistance and flexibility exercises followed by 3 months of PRT. Tests of strength and function were completed at baseline, before PRT, and after PRT.


RESULTS
After PRT, the subjects increased knee extension and leg press 1-repetition maximum by 72%+/-56% and 37%+/-30%, respectively. After 3 and 6 months of training, lower-extremity peak torques all increased. Specificity of training appeared to apply only to the nonfractured limb after PRT. Strong correlations were observed between training intensity and lower-extremity strength gains as well as improvements in measures of physical function.


DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Frail elderly adults after hip fracture can benefit by extending their rehabilitation in a supervised exercise setting, working at high intensities in order to optimize gains in strength and physical function.
Should empiric antibiotic therapy be withheld when aetiology of preterm birth is non-infectious? A protocol for a systematic review

INTRODUCTION
Preterm birth (PTB) at <37 weeks of gestation is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality in developed countries. The traditional approach has been based on the assumption that PTB is primarily a result of intrauterine infection, which triggers preterm labour and puts the newborn at risk of early onset sepsis (EOS). We are currently experiencing a rise in prematurity that results from maternal and fetal diseases unrelated to infection. We have designed a systematic review to assess whether chemoprophylaxis should be withheld when the aetiology of preterm birth is non-infectious.


METHODS AND ANALYSIS
Our study will focus on studies evaluating EOS in preterm infants. We will conduct a comprehensive search of literature available up to 28 February 2018. An information specialist will search for eligible studies in Medline (Ovid interface, 1948 and onwards), Embase (Ovid interface, 1980 onwards) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Wiley interface, current issue). We will search databases and registries including records of ongoing research, conference proceedings and thesis (clinical trials, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform). Two authors will independently extract data from eligible studies and assess risk of bias. For continuous outcomes, which follow discrete distribution, mean difference will be calculated. Dichotomous data will be presented using risk ratios, while count data will be expressed using rate ratios. Time-to-event outcomes will be reported as HRs. All estimates will be presented together with 95% CI. Studies comparable with respect to methodology and reporting the same outcomes will be combined in a meta-analysis.


ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
Our systematic review does not require approval from the research and ethics board. We will use the findings to prepare a future multicentre randomised control trial in order to establish safe and adequate antibiotics policies for preterm infants, based on the aetiology of PTB.


PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER
CRD42016029707.
Stunting is associated with poor outcomes in childhood pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE
Stunting affects 26.7% of children worldwide, and little is known about its effects on the outcomes of childhood pneumonia. We evaluated the effect of stunting on the outcomes of pneumonia among children enrolled in two large clinical trials.


METHODS
We analysed data from two WHO and USAID-sponsored inpatient treatment trials, the Severe Pneumonia Evaluation Antimicrobial Research study (n = 958) and the Amoxicillin Penicillin Pneumonia International Study (n = 1702), which enrolled children aged 2-59 months across 16 sites in LMICs. We assessed the effect of stunting (height-for-age Z score < -2) on treatment outcome and time to resolution of hypoxaemic pneumonia.


RESULTS
Among 2542 (96%) children with valid data for height, 28% were stunted and 12.8% failed treatment by 5 days. The failure rate among stunted patients was 16.0% vs. 11.5% among non-stunted patients [unadjusted RR = 1.24 (95% CI 1.08, 1.41); adjusted RR = 1.28 (95% CI 1.10, 1.48)]. An inverse relationship was observed between height and failure rates, even among non-stunted children. Among 845 patients with hypoxaemic pneumonia, stunting was associated with a lower probability of normalisation of respiratory rate [HR = 0.63 (95% CI 0.52, 0.75)] and oxygen saturation [HR = 0.74 (95% CI 0.61, 0.89)].


CONCLUSIONS
Stunting increases the risk of treatment failure and is associated with a longer course of recovery in children with pneumonia. Strategies to decrease stunting may decrease the burden of adverse outcomes in childhood pneumonia in low-resource settings.
Learning and computers

A theoretical examination of the epistemological presuppositions of current educational practice is presented and contrasted with the Genetic Epistemology of Jean Piaget. Piaget's theory holds that the neophyte builds knowledge by subjecting previously established knowledge to an interaction with the environment. New objects are assimilated to current knowledge structures and the knowledge structures are accommodated to the objects. This proposition of Genetic Epistemology constitutes a particular formulation of a more general method of knowledge construction through an active process of hypothesis generation and hypothesis testing. A survey of the history of technological development from primitive society to the beginnings of modern chemistry and physics demonstrates that, in the absence of definite information, humans have a propensity for generating hypothesis when faced with novel occurrences. These hypotheses may be more or less fantastic in form. Modem day children exhibit a tendency to generate explanations of natural events which reveal a tendency for animism. These explanations are initial working hypotheses. The implications for education are two-fold. The neophyte approaches a novel problem with a history of hypotheses generated in the absence of scientific explanation. These constitute the subject's beliefs and prejudices. If these beliefs contradict the new information and they are not addressed at their own level, they may hinder the learning process. The second implication is that learning through hypothesis generation and hypothesis testing may be more effective than the more traditional method of instruction which consists of a top down presentation of material. This theme is further considered in the light of the scientific methodology. Karl Popper's suggestion that science progresses through a process of conjecture and refutation provides addition evidence for the central thesis. Another implication of this is that if scientists are trained through hypothesis generation and testing, they receive implicit training on method. Computers can be used to facilitate such a training method. Virtual laboratories, that are more or less constrained, could be constructed to allow students to conduct experiments quickly, easily, and safely. Simulation would facilitate the testing and elimination of hypotheses as necessary, and knowledge structures could be built through a process of conjecture and refutation. Thesis Supervisor: Professor John R. Williams Title: Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
QoS/QoE Mapping and Adjustment Model in the Cloud-based Multimedia Infrastructure

The quality of service (QoS) requirement and multicast service support from IP networks are two important factors for providing cloud-based multimedia services. However, QoS lacks an important element in characterizing multimedia services, namely, user perception. In this paper, we propose a QoS to quality of experience (QoE) mapping and adjustment model to translate the network QoS parameters into the user's QoE in the cloud-based multimedia infrastructure. The model is composed of three parts: QoE function, practical measurement and statistical analysis, and a simulated streaming video platform. We first discuss how to design the QoE function, and then use the practical measurement and statistical analysis to derive the optimum values of eight QoE parameters in the proposed QoE function. To map the network QoS parameters into the user's QoE, a simulated streaming video platform is used to denote a cloud-based multimedia infrastructure. Each multicast member that has guaranteed bandwidth in the simulated streaming video platform uses the QoE function to calculate its QoE score after watching the streaming video. If the QoE score is less than a derived lower bound value, it means that one of the multicast members has a low QoE. In this situation, the genetic algorithm is enabled to adjust the constructed diffserv-aware multicast tree to respond quickly to the degradation of QoE. The simulation results show that the user's QoE and network QoS are consistent with each other.
AVOIDIT : A Cyber Attack Taxonomy

Cyber-attacks have greatly increased over the years, and the attackers have progressively improved in devising attacks towards specific targets. To aid in identifying and defending against cyber-attacks we propose a cyber attack taxonomy called AVOIDIT (Attack Vector, Operational Impact, Defense, Information Impact, and Target). We use five major classifiers to characterize the nature of an attack: classification by attack vector, classification by operational impact, classification by defense, classification by informational impact, and classification by attack target. Classification by defense is oriented towards providing information to the network administrator regarding attack mitigation or remediation strategies. Contrary to the existing taxonomies, AVOIDIT efficiently classifies blended attacks. We further propose an efficient cause, action, defense, analysis, and target (CADAT) process used to facilitate attack classification. AVOIDIT and CADAT are used by an issue resolution system (IRS) to educate the defender on possible cyber-attacks and the development of potential security policies. We validate the proposed AVOIDIT taxonomy using cyber-attacks scenarios and highlight future work intended to simulate AVOIDIT’s use within the IRS. Keywords—Taxonomy; Cyber Attack Taxonomy; Vulnerability; Computer Security; Cyberspace; Issue Resolution System
Primary care physicians' reported use of pre-screening discussions for prostate cancer screening: a cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND
Professional medical organizations recommend individualized patient decision making about prostate cancer screening. Little is known about primary care physicians' use of pre-screening discussions to promote informed decision making for prostate cancer screening. The aim of this study is to explore physicians' use of pre-screening discussions and reasons why physicians would or would not try to persuade patients to be screened if they initially refuse testing.


METHODS
Primary care physicians completed a self-administered survey about prostate cancer screening practices for informed decision making.


RESULTS
Sixty-six physicians (75.9%) completed the survey, and 63 were used in the analysis. Thirteen physicians (20.6%) reported not using prescreening discussions, 45 (71.4%) reported the use of prescreening discussions, and 3 (4.8%) reported neither ordering the PSA test nor discussing it with patients. Sixty-nine percent of physicians who reported not having discussions indicated they were more likely to screen African American patients for prostate cancer, compared to 50% of physicians who reported the use of discussions (Chi-square(1) = 1.62, p = .20). Similarly, 91% of physicians who reported not having discussions indicated they are more likely to screen patients with a family history of prostate cancer, compared to 46% of those who reported the use of discussion (Chi-square(1) = 13.27, p < .001). Beliefs about the scientific evidence and efficacy of screening, ethical concerns regarding patient autonomy, and concerns about time constraints differed between physicians who would and would not try to persuade a patient to be tested.


CONCLUSION
Although guidelines recommend discussing the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening, physicians report varying practice styles. Future research needs to consider the nature of discussions and the degree to which informed decision making is being achieved in clinical practice.
Identifying patterns in spatial information: A survey of methods

Explosive growth in geospatial data and the emergence of new spatial technologies emphasize the need for automated discovery of spatial knowledge. Spatial data mining is the process of discovering interesting and previously unknown, but potentially useful patterns from large spatial databases. The complexity of spatial data and implicit spatial relationships limits the usefulness of conventional data mining techniques for extracting spatial patterns. In this paper, we explore the emerging field of spatial data mining, focusing on different methods to extract patterns from spatial information. We conclude with a look at future research needs. C © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. WIREs Data Mining Knowl Discov 2011 1 193–214 DOI: 10.1002/widm.25
ST Segment Monitoring ST / AR Algorithm IntelliVue Patient Monitor and Information Center , Application Note

This application note describes principles and uses for continuous ST segment monitoring. It also provides a detailed description of the ST Analysis algorithm implemented in the multi-lead ST/AR (ST and Arrhythmia) algorithm, and an assessment of the ST analysis algorithm's performance.
Premature aging of T cells is associated with faster HIV-1 disease progression.

OBJECTIVE
To determine if untreated HIV-1 infection and progression is associated with premature aging of memory CD8 and CD4 T cells and naive CD4 T cells.


METHODS
Twenty HIV-1-infected fast progressors and 40 slow progressors were included in our study, using risk set sampling. The expression of cell surface markers reflecting the differentiation stages of lymphocytes was measured using flow cytometry analyses performed on cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells.


RESULTS
We found that HIV-1 disease progression is associated with a decreased CD28 median florescence intensity on CD4 and CD8 T cells; an increased proportion of intermediate- and late-differentiated CD8 T cells and a decreased CD31 median florescence intensity on naive CD4 T cells of recent thymic origin. A selective depletion of peripherally expanded naive CD4 T cells was found to be associated with HIV-1 infection but not with HIV-1 disease progression.


CONCLUSIONS
The overall change during HIV-1 infection and progression is associated with a shift in the T-cell population toward an aged conformation, which may be further compromised by impaired renewal of the less-differentiated CD4 T-cell population. Our results suggest that HIV-1 infection induces an accelerated aging of T lymphocytes, which is associated with the clinical progression to AIDS and death.
Development of a Client-Server Communication Method for Matlab/ Simulink Based Remote Robotics Experiments

This paper describes the development of a client-server communication method using the TCP/IP protocol to run Matlab/Simulink compatible motion control units operating on the remote server side. The developed method is currently in use to allow access to a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) robot simulator developed for both on-site and remote use at the Control Laboratory in the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). The client-server communication is developed in C/C++ using wxWidgets to communicate with the Matlab/Simulink downloadable DS1104, which is used to develop a variety of robot dynamics configurations and control algorithms on the robotic simulator. Practical case study results from a remotely conducted graduate robotics project are also presented in relation to a HIL simulator developed for the real-time simulation of PUMA-type robots. The UAF remote laboratory Web site can be accessed at: http://www.uaf.edu/ece/remote-robotics
Is zero underestimation feasible? Extended Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy in solid lesions – a blind study

BACKGROUND
Vacuum-Assisted Breast Biopsy (VABB) is effective for the preoperative diagnosis of non-palpable mammographic solid lesions. The main disadvantage is underestimation, which might render the management of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) difficult. This study aims to develop and assess a modified way of performing VABB.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
A total of 107 women with non-palpable mammographic breast solid tumors BI-RADS 3 and 4 underwent VABB with 11G, on the stereotactic Fischer's table. 54 women were allocated to the recommended protocol and 24 cores were obtained according to the consensus meeting in Nordesterdt (1 offset-main target in the middle of the lesion and one offset inside). 53 women were randomly allocated to the extended protocol and 96 cores were excised (one offset-main target in the middle of the lesion and 7 peripheral offsets). A preoperative diagnosis was established. Women with a preoperative diagnosis of precursor/preinvasive/invasive lesion underwent open surgery. A second pathologist, blind to the preoperative results and to the protocol made the postoperative diagnosis. The percentage of the surface excised via VABB was retrospectively calculated on the mammogram. The discrepancy between preoperative and postoperative diagnoses along with the protocol adopted and the volume removed were evaluated by Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test, respectively.


RESULTS
Irrespectively of the protocol adopted, 82.2% of the lesions were benign. 14.0% of the lesions were malignancies (5.1% of BI-RADS 3, 5.3% of BI-RADS 4A, 25% of BI-RADS 4B, and 83.3% of BI-RADS 4C lesions). 3.7% of the biopsies were precursor lesions. There was no evidence of underestimation in either protocols. In the standard protocol, the preoperative/postoperative diagnoses were identical. In the extended protocol, the postoperative diagnosis was less severe than the preoperative in 55.5% of cases (55.5% vs. 0%, p = 0.029), and preoperative ADH was totally removed. The phenomenon of discrepancy between diagnoses was associated with larger volume removed (8.20 +/- 1.10 vs. 3.32 +/- 3.50 cm3, p = 0.037) and higher removed percentage of the lesion (97.83 +/- 4.86% vs. 74.34 +/- 23.43%, p = 0.024)


CONCLUSION
The extended protocol seems to totally excise precursor lesions, with minimal underestimation. This might possibly point to a modified management of ADH lesions.
Subcutaneous alemtuzumab in fludarabine-refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia: clinical results and prognostic marker analyses from the CLL2H study of the German Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Study Group.

PURPOSE
The phase II CLL2H trial evaluated safety and efficacy of subcutaneous alemtuzumab in patients with fludarabine-refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Clinical and biologic markers were evaluated for their impacts on outcome.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
One hundred nine patients were enrolled, and 103 received at least one dose of alemtuzumab. After dose escalation, alemtuzumab was administered subcutaneously at 30 mg three times weekly for up to 12 weeks. Response was assessed every 4 weeks during treatment and quarterly thereafter.


RESULTS
The overall response rate was 34% (complete response, 4%; partial response, 30%). The median progression-free survival was 7.7 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 19.1 months. Grades 3 to 4 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia occurred in 56%, 57%, and 49% of patients, respectively. Grades 3 to 4 noncytomegalovirus and cytomegalovirus infections occurred in 29% and 8% of patients, respectively. Injection-site skin reactions were generally mild. Efficacy did not vary significantly in subgroups defined by genetic parameters (in particular, in 17p deletion, 11q deletion, mutated TP53, and unmutated VH), but efficacy was inferior in patients with increased beta2-microglobulin (beta2-MG) and thymidine kinase (TK). In multivariate analysis of clinical and biologic variables, age, performance status, beta2-MG, and TK were independent prognostic factors for OS.


CONCLUSION
Subcutaneous alemtuzumab appears as effective and safe as intravenous alemtuzumab in fludarabine-refractory CLL. Subcutaneous administration should be the preferred delivery route because of its efficacy, convenience, improved adverse effect profile, and cost savings. In contrast to chemotherapy-based therapy, alemtuzumab treatment overcomes the adverse prognostic impact of VH mutation status, TP53 mutation, and genomic aberrations.