LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Clinical features and outcomes of gastric variceal bleeding: retrospective Korean multicenter data

BACKGROUND/AIMS
While gastric variceal bleeding (GVB) is not as prevalent as esophageal variceal bleeding, it is reportedly more serious, with high failure rates of the initial hemostasis (>30%), and has a worse prognosis than esophageal variceal bleeding. However, there is limited information regarding hemostasis and the prognosis for GVB. The aim of this study was to determine retrospectively the clinical outcomes of GVB in a multicenter study in Korea.


METHODS
The data of 1,308 episodes of GVB (males:females=1062:246, age=55.0±11.0 years, mean±SD) were collected from 24 referral hospital centers in South Korea between March 2003 and December 2008. The rates of initial hemostasis failure, rebleeding, and mortality within 5 days and 6 weeks of the index bleed were evaluated.


RESULTS
The initial hemostasis failed in 6.1% of the patients, and this was associated with the Child-Pugh score [odds ratio (OR)=1.619; P<0.001] and the treatment modality: endoscopic variceal ligation, endoscopic variceal obturation, and balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration vs. endoscopic sclerotherapy, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, and balloon tamponade (OR=0.221, P<0.001). Rebleeding developed in 11.5% of the patients, and was significantly associated with Child-Pugh score (OR=1.159, P<0.001) and treatment modality (OR=0.619, P=0.026). The GVB-associated mortality was 10.3%; mortality in these cases was associated with Child-Pugh score (OR=1.795, P<0.001) and the treatment modality for the initial hemostasis (OR=0.467, P=0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical outcome for GVB was better for the present cohort than in previous reports. Initial hemostasis failure, rebleeding, and mortality due to GVB were universally associated with the severity of liver cirrhosis.
Early Gestational Weight Gain Rate and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Korean Women

During pregnancy, many women gain excessive weight, which is related to adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. In this study, we evaluated whether rate of gestational weight gain (RGWG) in early, mid, and late pregnancy is strongly associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. A retrospective chart review of 2,789 pregnant Korean women was performed. Weights were recorded at the first clinic visit, during the screening test for fetal anomaly, and during the 50g oral glucose challenge test and delivery, to represent early, mid, and late pregnancy, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between RGWG and adverse pregnancy outcomes. At early pregnancy, the RGWG was significantly associated with high risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), large for gestational age (LGA) infants, macrosomia, and primary cesarean section (P-CS). The RGWG of mid pregnancy was not significantly associated with any adverse pregnancy outcomes. The RGWG at late pregnancy was significantly associated with a lower risk of developing GDM, preterm birth and P-CS, but with a higher risk of developing LGA infants and macrosomia. When the subjects were divided into three groups (Underweight, Normal, and Obese), based on pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), the relationship between early RGWG and adverse pregnancy outcomes was significantly different across the three BMI groups. At early pregnancy, RGWG was not significantly associated to adverse pregnancy outcomes for subjects in the Underweight group. In the Normal group, however, early RGWG was significantly associated with GDM, PIH, LGA infants, macrosomia, P-CS, and small for gestational weight (SGA) infants, whereas early RGWG was significantly associated with only a high risk of PIH in the Obese group. The results of our study suggest that early RGWG is significantly associated with various adverse pregnancy outcomes and that proper preemptive management of early weight gain, particularly in pregnant women with a normal or obese pre-pregnancy BMI, is necessary to reduce the risk of developing adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Effect of a thromboxane A(2) antagonist on sputum production and its physicochemical properties in patients with mild to moderate asthma.

STUDY OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of a specific thromboxane A(2) (TxA(2)) receptor antagonist, seratrodast, on asthma control and airway secretions.


DESIGN
Multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.


PATIENTS
Forty-five patients with mild to moderate asthma who had been continuously expectorating sputum of > 20 g/d. Patients with a current pulmonary infection or taking oral corticosteroids, antibiotics, or mucolytic agents were excluded from the trial.


INTERVENTIONS
Following a 2-week run-in period, while pulmonary function, sputum production, and mucociliary function were assessed, patients were assigned to receive seratrodast, 40 mg/d, or placebo for 6 weeks.


MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS
During the treatment period, the changes in FEV(1) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were not different between the two patient groups, but there were significant reductions in diurnal variation of PEF (p = 0.034), frequency of daytime asthma symptoms (p = 0.030), and daytime supplemental use of beta(2)-agonist (p = 0.032) in the seratrodast group. For sputum analysis, seratrodast treatment decreased the amount of sputum (p = 0.005), dynamic viscosity (p = 0. 007), and albumin concentration (p = 0.028), whereas it had no effect on elastic modulus or fucose concentration. Nasal clearance time of a saccharin particle was shortened in the seratrodast group at week 4 (p = 0.031) and week 6 (p = 0.025), compared with the placebo group.


CONCLUSION
Blockade of TxA(2) receptor has minimal effects on pulmonary function, but may cause an improvement in mucociliary clearance by decreasing the viscosity of airway secretions.
Graph Convolutional Neural Networks via Scattering

We generalize the scattering transform to graphs and consequently construct a convolutional neural network on graphs. We show that under certain conditions, any feature generated by such a network is approximately invariant to permutations and stable to graph manipulations. Numerical results demonstrate competitive performance on relevant datasets.
Direct Entry of Gadolinium into the Vestibule Following Intratympanic Applications in Guinea Pigs and the Influence of Cochlear Implantation

Although intratympanic (IT) administration of drugs has gained wide clinical acceptance, the distribution of drugs in the inner ear following IT administration is not well established. Gadolinium (Gd) has been previously used as a marker in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to visualize distribution in inner ear fluids in a qualitative manner. In the present study, we applied gadolinium chelated with diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid (Gd-DTPA) to the round window niche of 12 guinea pigs using SeprapackTM (carboxlmethylcellulose-hyaluronic acid) pledgets which stabilized the fluid volume in the round window niche. Gd-DTPA distribution was monitored sequentially with time following application. Distribution in normal, unperforated ears was compared with ears that had undergone a cochleostomy in the basal turn of scala tympani and implantation with a silastic electrode. Results were quantified using image analysis software. In all animals, Gd-DTPA was seen in the lower basal scala tympani (ST), scala vestibuli (SV), and throughout the vestibule and semi-circular canals by 1 h after application. Although Gd-DTPA levels in ST were higher than those in the vestibule in a few ears, the majority showed higher Gd-DTPA levels in the vestibule than ST at both early and later time points. Quantitative computer simulations of the experiment, taking into account the larger volume of the vestibule compared to scala tympani, suggest most Gd-DTPA (up to 90%) entered the vestibule directly in the vicinity of the stapes rather than indirectly through the round window membrane and ST. Gd-DTPA levels were minimally affected by the implantation procedure after 1 h. Gd-DTPA levels in the basal turn of scala tympani were lower in implanted animals, but the difference compared to non-implanted ears did not reach statistical significance.
Cooling via one hand improves physical performance in heat-sensitive individuals with Multiple Sclerosis: A preliminary study

BACKGROUND
Many individuals afflicted with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience a transient worsening of symptoms when body temperature increases due to ambient conditions or physical activity. Resulting symptom exacerbations can limit performance. We hypothesized that extraction of heat from the body through the subcutaneous retia venosa that underlie the palmar surfaces of the hands would reduce exercise-related heat stress and thereby increase the physical performance capacity of heat-sensitive individuals with MS.


METHODS
Ten ambulatory MS patients completed one or more randomized paired trials of walking on a treadmill in a temperate environment with and without cooling. Stop criteria were symptom exacerbation and subjective fatigue. The cooling treatment entailed inserting one hand into a rigid chamber through an elastic sleeve that formed an airtight seal around the wrist. A small vacuum pump created a -40 mm Hg subatmospheric pressure enviinside the chamber where the palmar surface of the hand rested on a metal surface maintained at 18-22 degrees C. During the treatment trials, the device was suspended from above the treadmill on a bungee cord so the subjects could comfortably keep a hand in the device without having to bear its weight while walking on the treadmill.


RESULTS
When the trials were grouped by treatment only, cooling treatment increased exercise durations by 33% (43.6 +/- 17.1 min with treatment vs. 32.8 +/- 10.9 min. without treatment, mean +/- SD, p < 5.0.10-6, paired t-test, n = 26). When the average values were calculated for the subjects who performed multiple trials before the treatment group results were compared, cooling treatment increased exercise duration by 35% (42.8 +/- 16.4 min with treatment vs. 31.7 +/- 9.8 min. without treatment, mean +/- SD, p < 0.003, paired t-test, n = 10).


CONCLUSION
These preliminary results suggest that utilization of the heat transfer capacity of the non-hairy skin surfaces can enable temperature-sensitive individuals with MS to extend participation in day-to-day physical activities despite thermally stressful conditions. However, systematic longitudinal studies in larger cohorts of MS patients with specific deficits and levels of disability conducted under a variety of test conditions are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.
Can virtual reality improve anatomy education? A randomised controlled study of a computer-generated three-dimensional anatomical ear model.

INTRODUCTION
The use of computer-generated 3-dimensional (3-D) anatomical models to teach anatomy has proliferated. However, there is little evidence that these models are educationally effective. The purpose of this study was to test the educational effectiveness of a computer-generated 3-D model of the middle and inner ear.


METHODS
We reconstructed a fully interactive model of the middle and inner ear from a magnetic resonance imaging scan of a human cadaver ear. To test the model's educational usefulness, we conducted a randomised controlled study in which 28 medical students completed a Web-based tutorial on ear anatomy that included the interactive model, while a control group of 29 students took the tutorial without exposure to the model. At the end of the tutorials, both groups were asked a series of 15 quiz questions to evaluate their knowledge of 3-D relationships within the ear.


RESULTS
The intervention group's mean score on the quiz was 83%, while that of the control group was 65%. This difference in means was highly significant (P < 0.001).


DISCUSSION
Our findings stand in contrast to the handful of previous randomised controlled trials that evaluated the effects of computer-generated 3-D anatomical models on learning. The equivocal and negative results of these previous studies may be due to the limitations of these studies (such as small sample size) as well as the limitations of the models that were studied (such as a lack of full interactivity). Given our positive results, we believe that further research is warranted concerning the educational effectiveness of computer-generated anatomical models.
The Effect of Syndesmosis Screw Removal on the Reduction of the Distal Tibiofibular Joint: A Prospective Radiographic Study.

BACKGROUND
Injury to the tibiofibular syndesmosis is frequent with rotational ankle injuries. Multiple studies have shown a high rate of syndesmotic malreduction with the placement of syndesmotic screws. There are no studies evaluating the reduction or malreduction of the syndesmosis after syndesmotic screw removal. The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate syndesmotic reduction with CT scans and to determine the effect of screw removal on the malreduced syndesmosis.


METHODS
This was an IRB-approved prospective radiographic study. Patients over 18 years of age treated at 1 institution between August 2008 and December 2011 with intraoperative evidence of syndesmotic disruption were enrolled. Postoperative CT scans were obtained of bilateral ankles within 2 weeks of operative fixation. Syndesmotic screws were removed after 3 months, and a second CT scan was then obtained 30 days after screw removal. Using axial CT images, syndesmotic reduction was evaluated compared to the contralateral uninjured ankle. Twenty-five patients were enrolled in this prospective study. The average age was 25.7 (range, 19 to 35), with 3 females and 22 males.


RESULTS
Nine patients (36%) had evidence of tibiofibular syndesmosis malreduction on their initial postoperative axial CT scans. In the postsyndesmosis screw removal CT scan, 8 of 9 or 89% of malreductions showed adequate reduction of the tibiofibular syndesmosis. There was a statistically significant reduction in syndesmotic malreductions ( t = 3.333, P < .001) between the initial rate of malreduction after screw placement of 36% (9/25) and the rate of malreduction after all screws were removed of 4% (1/25).


CONCLUSIONS
Despite a high rate of initial malreduction (36%) after syndesmosis screw placement, 89% of the malreduced syndesmoses spontaneously reduced after screw removal. Syndesmotic screw removal may be advantageous to achieve final anatomic reduction of the distal tibiofibular joint, and we recommend it for the malreduced syndesmosis.


LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Level IV, prognostic case series.
Radiation in a Fractal Cosmology

It is shown that Homogeneous radiation can not be included in the Fractal Cosmological model obtained earlier by assuming an isotropic fractal cosmography, General Relativity and the Copernican Principle.
The Effect of Probiotics on Childhood Constipation: A Randomized Controlled Double Blind Clinical Trial

Background. Inconsistent data exist about the role of probiotics in the treatment of constipated children. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of probiotics in childhood constipation. Materials and Methods. In this placebo controlled trial, fifty-six children aged 4-12 years with constipation received randomly lactulose plus Protexin or lactulose plus placebo daily for four weeks. Stool frequency and consistency, abdominal pain, fecal incontinence, and weight gain were studied at the beginning, after the first week, and at the end of the 4th week in both groups. Results. Forty-eight patients completed the study. At the end of the fourth week, the frequency and consistency of defecation improved significantly (P = 0.042 and P = 0.049, resp.). At the end of the first week, fecal incontinence and abdominal pain improved significantly in intervention group (P = 0.030 and P = 0.017, resp.) but, at the end of the fourth week, this difference was not significant (P = 0.125 and P = 0.161, resp.). A significant weight gain was observed at the end of the 1st week in the treatment group. Conclusion. This study showed that probiotics had a positive role in increasing the frequency and improving the consistency at the end of 4th week.
Quantum-Mechanical Computers

E very two years for the past 50, computers have become twice as fast while their components have become half as big. Circuits now contain wires and transistors that measure only one hundredth of a human hair in width. Because of this explosive progress, today’s machines are millions of times more powerful than their crude ancestors. But explosions do eventually dissipate, and integrated-circuit technology is running up against its limits. Advanced lithographic techniques can yield parts /100 the size of what is currently available. But at this scale—where bulk matter reveals itself as a crowd of individual atoms— integrated circuits barely function. A tenth the size again, the individuals assert their identity, and a single defect can wreak havoc. So if computers are to become much smaller in the future, new technology must replace or supplement what we now have.
Multiple effects of silymarin on the hepatitis C virus lifecycle.

UNLABELLED
Silymarin, an extract from milk thistle (Silybum marianum), and its purified flavonolignans have been recently shown to inhibit hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, both in vitro and in vivo. In the current study, we further characterized silymarin's antiviral actions. Silymarin had antiviral effects against hepatitis C virus cell culture (HCVcc) infection that included inhibition of virus entry, RNA and protein expression, and infectious virus production. Silymarin did not block HCVcc binding to cells but inhibited the entry of several viral pseudoparticles (pp), and fusion of HCVpp with liposomes. Silymarin but not silibinin inhibited genotype 2a NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity at concentrations 5 to 10 times higher than required for anti-HCVcc effects. Furthermore, silymarin had inefficient activity on the genotype 1b BK and four 1b RDRPs derived from HCV-infected patients. Moreover, silymarin did not inhibit HCV replication in five independent genotype 1a, 1b, and 2a replicon cell lines that did not produce infectious virus. Silymarin inhibited microsomal triglyceride transfer protein activity, apolipoprotein B secretion, and infectious virion production into culture supernatants. Silymarin also blocked cell-to-cell spread of virus.


CONCLUSION
Although inhibition of in vitro NS5B polymerase activity is demonstrable, the mechanisms of silymarin's antiviral action appear to include blocking of virus entry and transmission, possibly by targeting the host cell.
Mobile Robot Localization and Mapping with Uncertainty using Scale-Invariant Visual Landmarks

A key component of a mobile robot system is the ability to localize itself accurately and, simultaneously, to build a map of the environment. Most of the existing algorithms are based on laser range finders, sonar sensors or artificial landmarks. In this paper, we describe a vision-based mobile robot localization and mapping algorithm, which uses scale-invariant image features as natural landmarks in unmodified environments. The invariance of these features to image translation, scaling and rotation makes them suitable landmarks for mobile robot localization and map building. With our Triclops stereo vision system, these landmarks are localized and robot ego-motion is estimated by least-squares minimization of the matched landmarks. Feature viewpoint variation and occlusion are taken into account by maintaining a view direction for each landmark. Experiments show that these visual landmarks are robustly matched, robot pose is estimated and a consistent three-dimensional map is built. As image features are not noise-free, we carry out error analysis for the landmark positions and the robot pose. We use Kalman filters to track these landmarks in a dynamic environment, resulting in a database map with landmark positional uncertainty. KEY WORDS—localization, mapping, visual landmarks, mobile robot
Adherence and medication belief in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: A nationwide population-based cohort survey.

BACKGROUND
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) are rare diseases with a gradual decline in physical health. Adherence to treatment is crucial in these very symptomatic and life threatening diseases.


OBJECTIVE
To describe PAH and CTEPH patients experience of their self-reported medication adherence, beliefs about medicines and information about treatment.


METHODS
A quantitative, descriptive, national cohort survey that included adult patients from all PAH-centres in Sweden. All patients received questionnaires by mail: The Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) assesses treatment-related attitudes and behaviour problems, the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire-Specific scale (BMQ-S) assesses the patient's perception of drug intake and the QLQ-INFO25 multi-item scale about medical treatment information.


RESULTS
The response rate was 74% (n = 325), mean age 66 ± 14 years, 58% were female and 69% were diagnosed with PAH and 31% with CTEPH. Time from diagnosis was 4.7 ± 4.2 years. More than half of the patients (57%) reported a high level of adherence. There was no difference in the patients' beliefs of the necessity of the medications to control their illness when comparing those with high, medium or low adherence. Despite high satisfaction with the information, concerns about potential adverse effects of taking the medication were significantly related to adherence.


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment adherence is relatively high but still needs improvement. The multi-disciplinary PAH team should, together with the patient, seek strategies to improve adherence and prevent concern.
Perceived Neighborhood Social Cohesion and Condom Use Among Adolescents Vulnerable to HIV/STI

The relationship between neighborhood social dynamics and adolescent sexual behavior has not been well explored. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 343 adolescents recruited from two health clinics in Baltimore. Multivariate logistic regression was utilized to assess the influence of perceived neighborhood social cohesion and collective monitoring of youth on condom use at last sex, controlling for family and individual factors. Condom use was significantly higher among participants who perceived their neighborhoods as high, 54.7%, versus low, 40.4%, in social cohesion. Neighborhood cohesion was significantly associated with condom use in multivariate analyses, as was parental communication, family structure, and gender. No association between perceived neighborhood collective monitoring of youth and condom use was found. We conclude that perceived neighborhood social cohesion is positively associated with condom use among adolescents vulnerable to HIV/STI and should be encouraged in the context of community-based prevention efforts.