LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
The DRUID study: exploring mediating pathways between racism and depressive symptoms among Indigenous Australians

Racism is an important determinant of mental and physical health for minority populations. However, to date little is known about the relationship between racism and ill-health outside of the U.S. or the causal pathways between racism and poor health. This paper focuses on the relationship between racism and depression in a non-U.S. indigenous population, including examination of novel mediators and moderators. One hundred and eighty-five adults in the Darwin Region Urban Indigenous Diabetes study responded to a validated instrument assessing multiple facets of racism. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Stress, optimism, lack of control, social connections, cultural identity and reactions/responses to interpersonal racism were considered as possible mediators and moderators in linear regression models. Interpersonal racism was significantly associated with depression after adjusting for socio-demographic factors (β = 0.08, p < 0.001). Lack of control, stress, negative social connections and feeling ashamed, amused or powerless as reactions to racism were each identified as significant mediators of the relationship between racism and depressive symptoms. All examined mediators together accounted for 66% of the association between interpersonal racism and depressive symptoms. This study demonstrates that racism is associated with depressive symptoms in an indigenous population. The mediating factors between racism and depressive symptoms identified in this study suggest new approaches to ameliorating the detrimental effects of racism on health.
Evaluating the Usability and Usefulness of a Mobile App for Atrial Fibrillation Using Qualitative Methods: Exploratory Pilot Study

BACKGROUND
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common form of heart arrhythmia and a potent risk factor for stroke. Nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are routinely prescribed to manage AFib stroke risk; however, nonadherence to treatment is a concern. Additional tools that support self-care and medication adherence may benefit patients with AFib.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceived usability and usefulness of a mobile app designed to support self-care and treatment adherence for AFib patients who are prescribed NOACs.


METHODS
A mobile app to support AFib patients was previously developed based on early stage interview and usability test data from clinicians and patients. An exploratory pilot study consisting of naturalistic app use, surveys, and semistructured interviews was then conducted to examine patients' perceptions and everyday use of the app.


RESULTS
A total of 12 individuals with an existing diagnosis of nonvalvular AFib completed the 4-week study. The average age of participants was 59 years. All participants somewhat or strongly agreed that the app was easy to use, and 92% (11/12) reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the app. Participant feedback identified changes that may improve app usability and usefulness for patients with AFib. Areas of usability improvement were organized by three themes: app navigation, clarity of app instructions and design intent, and software bugs. Perceptions of app usefulness were grouped by three key variables: core needs of the patient segment, patient workflow while managing AFib, and the app's ability to support the patient's evolving needs.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study suggest that mobile tools that target self-care and treatment adherence may be helpful to AFib patients, particularly those who are newly diagnosed. Additionally, participant feedback provided insight into the varied needs and health experiences of AFib patients, which may improve the design and targeting of the intervention. Pilot studies that qualitatively examine patient perceptions of usability and usefulness are a valuable and often underutilized method for assessing the real-world acceptability of an intervention. Additional research evaluating the AFib Connect mobile app over a longer period, and including a larger, more diverse sample of AFib patients, will be helpful for understanding whether the app is perceived more broadly to be useful and effective in supporting patient self-care and medication adherence.
Histamine release during rapid vancomycin administration

Rapid administration of vancomycin induces red-man syndrome (RMS), characterised by rash (on the face, neck and torso), pruritus, and hypotension, attributed to histamine release [1–3]. Vancomycin stimulates histamine release by a chemically mediated anaphylactoid reaction [4]. The incidence of RMS can be reduced by infusion over 1 h which may be impractical in urgent clinical situations or ambulatory care. Other drug-induced, chemically mediated, anaphylactoid reactions can be attenuated by chemoprophylaxis with antihistamines [5–7]. The extent to which the manifestations of RMS are histamine-mediated has not been clearly established. We performed a prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to investigate the correlation of RMS and histamine release and the ability of H1 and H2 antihistamines to attenuate RMS associated with rapid vancomycin administration.
Current trends in patients with chronic total occlusions undergoing coronary CT angiography.

OBJECTIVE
Data describing the prevalence, characteristics and management of coronary chronic total occlusions (CTOs) in patients undergoing coronary CT angiography (CCTA) have not been reported. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, characteristics and treatment strategies of CTO identified by CCTA.


METHODS
We identified 23 745 patients who underwent CCTA for suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) from the prospective international CCTA registry. Baseline clinical data were collected, and allocation to early coronary revascularisation performed within 90 days of CCTA was determined. Multivariable hierarchical mixed-effects logistic regression reporting OR with 95% CI was performed.


RESULTS
The prevalence of CTO was 1.4% (342/23 745) in all patients and 6.2% in patients with obstructive CAD (≥50% stenosis). The presence of CTO was independently associated with male sex (OR 3.12, 95% CI 2.39 to 4.08, p<0.001), smoking (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.64, p<0.001), diabetes (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.22 to 2.11, p=0.001), typical angina (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.12 to 2.06, p=0.008), hypertension (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.88, p=0.003), family history of CAD (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.67, p=0.04) and age (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.07, p<0.001). Most patients with CTO (61%) were treated medically, while 39% underwent coronary revascularisation. In patients with severe CAD (≥70% stenosis), CTO independently predicted revascularisation by coronary artery bypass grafting (OR 3.41, 95% CI 2.06 to 5.66, p<0.001), but not by percutaneous coronary intervention (p=0.83).


CONCLUSIONS
CTOs are not uncommon in a contemporary CCTA population, and are associated with age, gender, angina status and CAD risk factors. Most individuals with CTO undergoing CCTA are managed medically with higher rates of surgical revascularisation in patients with versus without CTO.


TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01443637.
Men's likelihood of sexual aggression: the influence of alcohol, sexual arousal, and violent pornography

Previous research findings have indicated that both alcohol intoxication and violent pornography exposure may contribute to increased sexual aggression by men. This study used an experimental paradigm to examine the effects of a moderate alcohol dose, alcohol-related beliefs, and victim response on men’s self-reported likelihood of committing sexual aggression. A community sample of male social drinkers (N5 84) participated in an experiment in which they read an eroticized rape depiction after completing an alcohol administration protocol. The stimulus story varied whether the victim, who initially expressed unwillingness to engage in sexual activity, expressed pleasure or distress in response to the man physically forcing her to perform several explicit sex acts. A path analytic model illustrated that participants’ self-reported likelihood of behaving like the sexual aggressor in the story was directly related to their own sexual arousal. Heightened sexual arousal was reported by participants who had consumed alcohol, those who read the victim-pleasure story, and those who believed that drinking women are sexually vulnerable. Results suggest that sexual arousal to violent pornography, as influenced by acute alcohol intoxication and other factors, may be an important component of men’s perceptions of their own sexual aggression likelihood. Aggr. Behav. 32:581–589, 2006. r 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering: Status and Future Trends

During the last decades the disciplines of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Software Engineering (SE) have developed separately without much exchange of research results. In AI we researched techniques for the computations that made it possible to perceive, reason, and act. Research in SE was concerned with supporting human beings to develop better software faster. Today, several research directions of both disciplines come closer together and are beginning to build new research areas. Software Agents play an important role as research objects in Distributed AI (DAI) as well as in agentoriented software engineering (AOSE). Knowledge-Based Systems (KBS) are being investigated for learning software organizations (LSO) as well as knowledge engineering. Ambient Intelligence (AmI) is a new research area for distributed, non-intrusive, and intelligent software systems both from the direction of how to build these systems as well as how to design the collaboration between ambient systems. Last but not least, Computational Intelligence (CI) plays an important role in research about software analysis or project management as well as knowledge discovery in databases or machine learning. Furthermore, in the last five to ten years several books, journals, and conferences have focused on the intersection between AI and SE. The international conference and associated journal Automated Software Engineering (ASE) presents research about formal and autonomic approaches to support SE [2]. Similar topics with a stronger focus on KBS and knowledge management are published in the international conference and associated journal of Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering (IJSEKE) [1]. In this paper, we give a short overview about the status and future trends in the intersection between AI and SE. We focus on the topics software agents, KBS, AmI, and CI as the areas covered by the contributions of this special issue. In Section 2 we describe the disciplines AI and SE. The
High school automated external defibrillator programs as markers of emergency preparedness for sudden cardiac arrest.

CONTEXT
School-based automated external defibrillator (AED) programs have demonstrated a high survival rate for individuals suffering sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in US high schools.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between high schools having an AED on campus and other measures of emergency preparedness for SCA.


DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.


SETTING
United States high schools, December 2006 to September 2009.


PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS
Principals, athletic directors, school nurses, and certified athletic trainers represented 3371 high schools.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)
Comprehensive surveys on emergency planning for SCA submitted by high school representatives to the National Registry for AED Use in Sports from December 2006 to September 2009. Schools with and without AEDs were compared to assess other elements of emergency preparedness for SCA.


RESULTS
A total of 2784 schools (82.6%) reported having 1 or more AEDs on campus, with an average of 2.8 AEDs per school; 587 schools (17.4%) had no AEDs. Schools with an enrollment of more than 500 students were more likely to have an AED (relative risk [RR] = 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08, 1.16, P < .01). Suburban schools were more likely to have an AED than were rural (RR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.11, P < .01), urban (RR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.16, P < .01), or inner-city schools (RR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.23, P < .01). Schools with 1 or more AEDs were more likely to ensure access to early defibrillation (RR = 3.45, 95% CI = 2.97, 3.99, P < .01), establish an emergency action plan for SCA (RR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.67, 2.00, P < .01), review the emergency action plan at least annually (RR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.58, 2.50, P < .01), consult emergency medical services to develop the emergency action plan (RR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.05, 1.32, P < .01), and establish a communication system to activate emergency responders (RR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.08, P < .01).


CONCLUSIONS
High schools with AED programs were more likely to establish a comprehensive emergency response plan for SCA. Implementing school-based AED programs is a key step associated with emergency planning for young athletes with SCA.
Patterns of Contact and Communication in Scientific Research Collaboration

In this paper, we describe the influence of physical proximity on the development of collaborative relationships between scientific researchers and on the execution of their work. Our evidence is drawn from our own studies of scientific collaborators, as well as from observations of research and development activities collected by other investigators. These descriptions provide the foundation for a discussion of the actual and potential role of communications technology in professional work, especially for collaborations carried out at a distance.
Open-access MIMIC-II database for intensive care research

The critical state of intensive care unit (ICU) patients demands close monitoring, and as a result a large volume of multi-parameter data is collected continuously. This represents a unique opportunity for researchers interested in clinical data mining. We sought to foster a more transparent and efficient intensive care research community by building a publicly available ICU database, namely Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care II (MIMIC-II). The data harnessed in MIMIC-II were collected from the ICUs of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center from 2001 to 2008 and represent 26,870 adult hospital admissions (version 2.6). MIMIC-II consists of two major components: clinical data and physiological waveforms. The clinical data, which include patient demographics, intravenous medication drip rates, and laboratory test results, were organized into a relational database. The physiological waveforms, including 125 Hz signals recorded at bedside and corresponding vital signs, were stored in an open-source format. MIMIC-II data were also deidentified in order to remove protected health information. Any interested researcher can gain access to MIMIC-II free of charge after signing a data use agreement and completing human subjects training. MIMIC-II can support a wide variety of research studies, ranging from the development of clinical decision support algorithms to retrospective clinical studies. We anticipate that MIMIC-II will be an invaluable resource for intensive care research by stimulating fair comparisons among different studies.
Treatment dismantling pilot study to identify the active ingredients in personalized feedback interventions for hazardous alcohol use: randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND
There is a considerable body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of personalized feedback interventions for hazardous alcohol use-whether delivered face-to-face, by postal mail, or over the Internet (probably now the primary mode of delivery). The Check Your Drinking Screener (CYD; see www.CheckYourDrinking.net) is one such intervention.


OBJECTIVES
The current treatment dismantling study assessed which components of personalized feedback interventions were effective in motivating change in drinking. Specifically, the major objective of this project was to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the impact of the normative feedback and other personalized feedback components of the CYD intervention in the general population.


METHODS
Participants were recruited to take part in an RCT and received either the complete CYD final report, just the normative feedback sections of the CYD, just the personalized feedback components of the CYD, or were assigned to a no-intervention control group. Participants were followed-up at 3 months to assess changes in alcohol consumption.


RESULTS
A total of 741 hazardous drinking participants were recruited for the trial, of which 73 percent provided follow-up data. Analyses using an intent-to-treat approach found some evidence for the impact of the personalized feedback components of the CYD in reducing alcohol consumption on the variables, number of drinks in a week and AUDIT-C (p = .028 and .047 respectively; no impact on highest number of drinks on one occasion; p = .594). However, there was no significant evidence of the impact of the normative feedback components (all p > .3).


CONCLUSIONS
Personalized feedback elements alone could provide an active intervention for hazardous drinkers, particularly in situations where normative feedback information was not available.


TRIALS REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01608763.
PASSIVE UHF RFID STRAIN SENSOR TAG FOR DETECTING LIMB MOVEMENT

A strain sensor tag with screen printed antenna for seamless integration with clothing is examined to provide a wireless method for monitoring of human body movements. The strain response of the tag is investigated in air and on human body. While the results indicate strong antenna-body interaction, the strain response of the tag is found to be a monotonic function of the strain.
Fine finger motor skill training with exoskeleton robotic hand in chronic stroke: Stroke rehabilitation

Background and Purpose. Stroke survivors often show a limited recovery in the hand function to perform delicate motions, such as full hand grasping, finger pinching and individual finger movement. The purpose of this study is to describe the implementation of an exoskeleton robotic hand together with fine finger motor skill training on 2 chronic stroke patients. Case Descriptions. Two post-stroke patients participated in a 20-session training program by integrating 10 minutes physical therapy, 20 minutes robotic hand training and 15 minutes functional training tasks with delicate objects(card, pen and coin). These two patients (A and B) had cerebrovascular accident at 6 months and 11 months respectively when enrolled in this study. Outcomes. The results showed that both patients had improvements in Fugl-Meyer assessment (FM), Action Research Arm Test (ARAT). Patients had better isolation of the individual finger flexion and extension based on the reduced muscle co-contraction from the electromyographic(EMG) signals and finger extension force after 20 sessions of training. Discussion. This preliminary study showed that by focusing on the fine finger motor skills together with the exoskeleton robotic hand, it could improve the motor recovery of the upper extremity in the fingers and hand function, which were showed in the ARAT. Future randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness.
Itch Severity Scale: a self-report instrument for the measurement of pruritus severity.

BACKGROUND
Assessing pruritus severity is difficult because of its subjective nature. A questionnaire that takes into account how the symptom is perceived by the patient may provide a more accurate representation of the pruritus. However, recently developed questionnaires do not specifically quantify severity of the symptom.


OBJECTIVES
To develop a self-report questionnaire to measure pruritus severity and to provide initial evidence of its validity and reliability.


METHODS
We modified a previously developed interview for the characterization and evaluation of pruritus, which was completed along with the RAND-36 Health Status Inventory and Dermatology Life Quality Index by patients with psoriasis-associated pruritus. Exploratory factor analysis, studies of internal consistency, and correlation analyses with health-related quality of life scores were used to help determine which components of the modified pruritus interview to include in the new questionnaire, the Itch Severity Scale (ISS). The ISS was then assessed for construct validity, internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability.


RESULTS
Seven of the initial 11 components of the modified pruritus interview were included in the ISS. ISS scores correlated moderately with physical (r=-0 x 483) and mental (r=-0 x 492) health composite scores of the RAND-36 and strongly with Dermatology Life Quality Index scores (r=0 x 628), evidence of construct validity. It had an internal consistency reliability of 0 x 80 and a test-retest reliability of 0 x 95.


CONCLUSIONS
Based on this preliminary evidence of validity and reliability, this new seven-item ISS may be useful in comparing pruritus severity among different disease populations or in assessing pruritus treatment effectiveness.
Effect of long term treatment with azithromycin on disease parameters in cystic fibrosis: a randomised trial.

BACKGROUND
Relentless chronic pulmonary inflammation is the major contributor to morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). While immunomodulating therapies such as prednisolone and ibuprofen may be beneficial, their use is limited by side effects. Macrolides have immunomodulatory properties and long term use dramatically improves prognosis in diffuse panbronchiolitis, a condition with features in common with the lung disease of CF.


METHODS
To determine if azithromycin (AZM) improves clinical parameters and reduces inflammation in patients with CF, a 3 month prospective randomised double blind, placebo controlled study of AZM (250 mg/day) was undertaken in adults with CF. Monthly assessment included lung function, weight, and quality of life (QOL). Blood and sputum collection assessed systemic inflammation and changes in bacterial flora. Respiratory exacerbations were treated according to the policy of the CF Unit.


RESULTS
Sixty patients were recruited (29 men) of mean (SD) age 27.9 (6.5) years and initial forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) 56.6 (22.3)% predicted. FEV1% and forced vital capacity (FVC)% predicted were maintained in the AZM group while in the placebo group there was a mean (SE) decline of -3.62 (1.78)% (p=0.047) and -5.73 (1.66)% (p=0.001), respectively. Fewer courses of intravenous antibiotics were used in patients on AZM (0.37 v 1.13, p=0.016). Median C reactive protein (CRP) levels declined in the AZM group from 10 to 5.4 mg/ml but remained constant in the placebo group (p<0.001). QOL improved over time in patients on AZM and remained unchanged in those on placebo (p=0.035).


CONCLUSION
AZM in adults with CF significantly improved QOL, reduced CRP levels and the number of respiratory exacerbations, and reduced the rate of decline in lung function. Long term AZM may have a significant impact on morbidity and mortality in patients with CF. Further studies are required to define frequency of dosing and duration of benefit.