LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Effects of fluticasone plus salmeterol versus twice the dose of fluticasone in asthmatic patients

 Objective. Current guidelines advocate adding a long acting β2-agonist (LABA) to an inhaled corticosteroid as an alternative to increasing the dose of the latter. Since it is unclear how this translates into effects on surrogate inflammatory markers, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity of fluticasone plus salmeterol in combination versus twice the dose of fluticasone alone. Methods. Fifteen mild-to-moderate asthmatics (mean FEV1 80% predicted) uncontrolled on inhaled corticosteroids (mean dose 470 μg) were randomised in a single-blind crossover fashion to receive 2 weeks each of fluticasone 250 µg plus salmeterol 50 µg in combination (FP+SM), 1 puff b.i.d., and fluticasone 500 µg (FP), 1 puff b.i.d. Prior to each randomised treatment, there was a 2-week run-in and washout period during which patients used their usual inhaled corticosteroid therapy. Measurements were made before and after randomised treatment periods. The primary outcome was airway hyper-responsiveness to adenosine monophosphate (AMP PC20), while secondary endpoints were exhaled tidal nitric oxide (NO), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced mid-expiratory flow (FEF25–75). Results. For AMP PC20, FP alone but not FP+SM conferred a significant (P<0.05) improvement amounting to 3.27 (95% CI 1.46–7.32) and 1.44 (95% CI 0.64–3.23) geometric mean fold shifts, respectively, from baseline, while the difference between treatments was significantly (P<0.05) greater with FP alone: a 2.26-fold (95% CI 1.01–5.07) difference. Both FP alone and FP+SM conferred significant (P<0.05) falls in NO from baseline: 2.33 (95% CI 1.71–3.19) and 1.49 (95% CI 1.09–2.03) geometric mean fold changes, respectively, while between treatments the reduction was significantly (P<0.05) greater with FP alone: a 1.57-fold (95% CI 1.15–2.14) difference. Neither treatment significantly improved FEV1 or FEF25–75. Conclusion. Double the dose of FP alone relative to FP+SM conferred superior effects on surrogate inflammatory markers but not on lung function. Long-term studies are required to evaluate whether these improvements on surrogate inflammatory markers translate into commensurate reductions in airway remodelling and exacerbations.
Can a supported self-management program for COPD upon hospital discharge reduce readmissions? A randomized controlled trial

INTRODUCTION
Patients with COPD experience exacerbations that may require hospitalization. Patients do not always feel supported upon discharge and frequently get readmitted. A Self-management Program of Activity, Coping, and Education for COPD (SPACE for COPD), a brief self-management program, may help address this issue.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate if SPACE for COPD employed upon hospital discharge would reduce readmission rates at 3 months, compared with usual care.


METHODS
This is a prospective, single-blinded, two-center trial (ISRCTN84599369) with participants admitted for an exacerbation, randomized to usual care or SPACE for COPD. Measures, including health-related quality of life and exercise capacity, were taken at baseline (hospital discharge) and at 3 months. The primary outcome measure was respiratory readmission at 3 months.


RESULTS
Seventy-eight patients were recruited (n=39 to both groups). No differences were found in readmission rates or mortality at 3 months between the groups. Ten control patients were readmitted within 30 days compared to five patients in the intervention group (P>0.05). Both groups significantly improved their exercise tolerance and Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ-SR) results, with between-group differences approaching statistical significance for CRQ-dyspnea and CRQ-emotion, in favor of the intervention. The "Ready for Home" survey revealed that patients receiving the intervention reported feeling better able to arrange their life to cope with COPD, knew when to seek help about feeling unwell, and more often took their medications as prescribed, compared to usual care (P<0.05).


CONCLUSION
SPACE for COPD did not reduce readmission rates at 3 months above that of usual care. However, encouraging results were seen in secondary outcomes for those receiving the intervention. Importantly, SPACE for COPD appears to be safe and may help prevent readmission with 30 days.
Periodontal status, inflammation, and malnutrition in hemodialysis patients - is there a link?

BACKGROUND
Periodontal disease (PDD) was associated with inflammation, malnutrition, and higher mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients.


STUDY DESIGN AND OBJECTIVE
Cross-sectional observational study, aiming to assess the prevalence of PDD and the possible relationship among PDD, inflammation, and malnutrition in HD patients.


SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS
Single HD center, 263 patients (age: 57.4 ± 12.3 years; 60% males; HD vintage 6.6 ± 4.9 years; the primary renal diseases were mainly primary glomerular nephropathies in 34% cases, with 11% diabetic nephropathy).


MEASUREMENTS
Oral health status was assessed by the Silness and Loe plaque index, loss of clinical attachment level, periodontal pocket depth according to World Health Organization recommendations, by a single examiner. Patients were stratified by periodontal pocket depth (PPD): normal oral status/mild PDD (PPD < 4 mm), moderate PDD (PPD 4-5 mm), and severe PDD (PPD ≥ 6 mm). Demographic, smoking status, hematologic, dialysis-related data and parameters of the nutritional (Subjective Global Assessment score, anthropemetrical, and biochemical) and inflammatory status were collected.


RESULTS
Poor periodontal status was shown by 75% of patients, 23% of them with severe PDD. Patients with PDD were older; higher percentages of them were smokers, diabetics, had malnutrition, and inflammation. Subjects with severe PDD had higher HD vintage, lower hemoglobin, and required higher darbepoetin doses than those with healthy periodontium. Darbepoetin resistance index was higher in patients with severe PDD than in those with normal periodontium. Models of multivariable linear logistic regression for the potential promoters and for the consequences of PDD revealed smoking and HD duration as significant contributors; increased C-reactive protein was associated with severe PDD.


LIMITATION
Cross-sectional observational design.


CONCLUSIONS
Impaired periodontal health is highly prevalent in HD patients. PDD is more frequent in elderly diabetic smokers and in those with longer HD vintage; smoking and HD duration seems to be the most important determinants. The prevalence is higher in malnourished and in inflamed patients; inflammation seems to accompany PDD and to influence anemia response to treatment.
Chaperoning epigenetics: FKBP51 decreases the activity of DNMT1 and mediates epigenetic effects of the antidepressant paroxetine

Epigenetic processes, such as DNA methylation, and molecular chaperones, including FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP51), are independently implicated in stress-related mental disorders and antidepressant drug action. FKBP51 associates with cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5), which is one of several kinases that phosphorylates and activates DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1). We searched for a functional link between FKBP51 (encoded by FKBP5) and DNMT1 in cells from mice and humans, including those from depressed patients, and found that FKBP51 competed with its close homolog FKBP52 for association with CDK5. In human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells, expression of FKBP51 displaced FKBP52 from CDK5, decreased the interaction of CDK5 with DNMT1, reduced the phosphorylation and enzymatic activity of DNMT1, and diminished global DNA methylation. In mouse embryonic fibroblasts and primary mouse astrocytes, FKBP51 mediated several effects of paroxetine, namely, decreased the protein-protein interactions of DNMT1 with CDK5 and FKBP52, reduced phosphorylation of DNMT1, and decreased the methylation and increased the expression of the gene encoding brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf). In human peripheral blood cells, FKBP5 expression inversely correlated with both global and BDNF methylation. Peripheral blood cells isolated from depressed patients that were then treated ex vivo with paroxetine revealed that the abundance of BDNF positively correlated and phosphorylated DNMT1 inversely correlated with that of FKBP51 in cells and with clinical treatment success in patients, supporting the relevance of this FKBP51-directed pathway that prevents epigenetic suppression of gene expression.
An Ultrathin and Broadband Radar Absorber Using Resistive FSS

An ultrathin and broadband radar absorber comprising single-layer resistive frequency selective surface (FSS) is investigated in this letter. The resistive FSS layer constructed from resistive/low-conductivity treble-square loops is backed by a grounded foam material. Numerical results show that the proposed absorber can provide a 10-dB radar cross section (RCS) reduction for the conducting plate over the frequency range of 10.7-29 GHz, which is equivalent to a relative bandwidth of 92.2%. Moreover, the structure has the thickness of 2 mm (only 0.071 to 0.193 at lowest and highest frequencies, respectively). The equivalent circuit model is then used to introduce the working principles of the proposed absorber.
Current recommended parenteral protein intakes do not support protein synthesis in critically ill septic, insulin-resistant adolescents with tight glucose control.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of insulin infusion and increased parenteral amino acid intakes on whole body protein balance, glucose kinetics, and lipolysis in critically ill, insulin-resistant, septic adolescents.


DESIGN
A single-center, randomized, crossover study.


SETTING
A medicosurgical intensive care unit in a tertiary university hospital.


PATIENTS
Nine critically ill, septic adolescents (age 15.0 ± 1.2 yrs, body mass index 20 ± 4 kg m(-2)) receiving total parenteral nutrition.


INTERVENTIONS
Patients received total parenteral nutrition with standard (1.5 g · kg(-1) · day(-1)) and high (3.0 g · kg(-1) · day(-1)) amino acid intakes in a 2-day crossover setting, randomized to the order in which they received it. On both study days, we conducted a primed, constant, 7-hr stable isotope tracer infusion with [1-(13)C]leucine, [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose, and [1,1,2,3,3-(2)H(5)]glycerol, in combination with a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp during the last 3 hrs.


MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Insulin decreased protein synthesis at standard amino acid and high amino acid intakes (p < .01), while protein breakdown decreased with insulin at standard amino acid intake (p < .05) but not with the high amino acid intake. High amino acid intake improved protein balance (p < .05), but insulin did not have an additive effect. There was significant insulin resistance with an M value of ~3 (mg · kg(-1) · min(-1))/(mU · mL(-1)) which was 30% of reported normal values. At high amino acid intake, endogenous glucose production was not suppressed by insulin and lipolysis rates increased.


CONCLUSION
The current recommended parenteral amino acid intakes are insufficient to maintain protein balance in insulin-resistant patients during tight glucose control. During sepsis, insulin decreases protein synthesis and breakdown, and while high amino acid intake improves protein balance, its beneficial effects may be offset by enhanced endogenous glucose production and lipolysis, raising concerns that insulin resistance may have been exacerbated and that gluconeogenesis may have been favored by high amino acid intakes. Dose-response studies on the effect of the level of amino acid intakes (protein) on energy metabolism are needed.
Sciatic nerve structure and nomenclature: epineurium to paraneurium: is this a new paradigm?

Sciatic nerve structure and nomenclature: epineurium to paraneurium is this a new paradigm? We read with interest the study by Perlas et al., (1) about the sciatic nerve block at the level of its division in the popliteal fossa. We have been developing this technique in our routine practice during the past 7 years and have no doub about the effi cacy and safety of this approach (2,3). However, we do not agree with the author's defi nition of the structure and limits of the nerve. Given the impact of publications from the principal author's research group on the regional anesthesia community, we are compelled to comment on proposed terminology that we feel may create confusion and contribute to the creation of a new paradigm in peripheral nerve blockade. The peripheral nerve is a well-defi ned anatomical entity with an unequivocal histological structure (Figure 1). The fascicle is the noble and functional unit of the nerves. Fascicles are constituted by a group of axons covered individually by the endoneurium and tightly packed within the perineurium. The epineurium comprises all the tissues that hold and surround the fascicles and defi nes the macroscopic external limit of the nerve. Epineurium includes loose connective and adipose tissue and epineurial vessels. Fascicles can be found as isolated units or in groups of fascicles supported and held together into a mixed collagen and fat tissue in different proportions (within the epineurial cover). The epineurium cover is the thin layer of connective tissue that encloses the whole structure and constitutes the anatomical limit of the nerve. It acts as a mechanical barrier (limiting the spread of injected local anesthetic), but not as a physical barrier (allowing the passive diffusion of local anesthetic along the concentration gradient). The paraneurium is the connective tissue that supports and connects the nerve with the surrounding structures (eg, muscles, bone, joints, tendons, and vessels) and acts as a gliding layer. We agree that the limits of the epineurium of the sciatic nerve, like those of the brachial plexus, are more complex than in single nerves. Therefore, the sciatic nerve block deserves special consideration. If we accept that the sciatic nerve is an anatomical unit, the epineurium should include the groups of fascicles that will constitute the tibial and the common peroneal nerves. Similarly, the epineurium of the common peroneal nerve contains the fascicles that will be part of the lateral cutane-ous, …
Speed Control of DC Motor Using Fuzzy PID Controller

In this paper we have designed a DC motor whose speed can be controlled using PID controller. The proportional, integral and derivate (KP, KI, KD) gains of the PID controller are adjusted according to FUZZY LOGIC. First, the fuzzy logic controller is designed according to fuzzy rules so that the systems are fundamentally robust. There are 25 fuzzy rules for self-tuning of each parameter of PID controller. The FLC has two inputs. One is the motor speed error between the reference and actual speed and the second is change in speed error (speed error derivative).Secondly, the output of the FLC i.e. the parameters of PID controller are used to control the speed of the DC Motor. The study shows that both precise characters of PID controllers and flexible characters of fuzzy controller are present in fuzzy selftuning PID controller. The fuzzy self-tuning approach implemented on a conventional PID structure was able to improve the dynamic as well as the static response of the system. Comparison between the conventional output and the fuzzy self-tuning output was done on the basis of the simulation result obtained by MATLAB. The simulation results demonstrate that the designed self-tuned PID controller realize a good dynamic behavior of the DC motor, a perfect speed tracking with less rise and settling time, minimum overshoot, minimum steady state error and give better performance compared to conventional PID controller.
Face Spoofing Detection Using Colour Texture Analysis

Research on non-intrusive software-based face spoofing detection schemes has been mainly focused on the analysis of the luminance information of the face images, hence discarding the chroma component, which can be very useful for discriminating fake faces from genuine ones. This paper introduces a novel and appealing approach for detecting face spoofing using a colour texture analysis. We exploit the joint colour-texture information from the luminance and the chrominance channels by extracting complementary low-level feature descriptions from different colour spaces. More specifically, the feature histograms are computed over each image band separately. Extensive experiments on the three most challenging benchmark data sets, namely, the CASIA face anti-spoofing database, the replay-attack database, and the MSU mobile face spoof database, showed excellent results compared with the state of the art. More importantly, unlike most of the methods proposed in the literature, our proposed approach is able to achieve stable performance across all the three benchmark data sets. The promising results of our cross-database evaluation suggest that the facial colour texture representation is more stable in unknown conditions compared with its gray-scale counterparts.
Spatially-Resolved Eigenmode Decomposition of Red Blood Cells Membrane Fluctuations Questions the Role of ATP in Flickering

Red blood cells (RBCs) present unique reversible shape deformability, essential for both function and survival, resulting notably in cell membrane fluctuations (CMF). These CMF have been subject of many studies in order to obtain a better understanding of these remarkable biomechanical membrane properties altered in some pathological states including blood diseases. In particular the discussion over the thermal or metabolic origin of the CMF has led in the past to a large number of investigations and modeling. However, the origin of the CMF is still debated. In this article, we present an analysis of the CMF of RBCs by combining digital holographic microscopy (DHM) with an orthogonal subspace decomposition of the imaging data. These subspace components can be reliably identified and quantified as the eigenmode basis of CMF that minimizes the deformation energy of the RBC structure. By fitting the observed fluctuation modes with a theoretical dynamic model, we find that the CMF are mainly governed by the bending elasticity of the membrane and that shear and tension elasticities have only a marginal influence on the membrane fluctations of the discocyte RBC. Further, our experiments show that the role of ATP as a driving force of CMF is questionable. ATP, however, seems to be required to maintain the unique biomechanical properties of the RBC membrane that lead to thermally excited CMF.
Yolk testosterone, postnatal growth and song in male canaries

Avian eggs contain substantial amounts of maternal yolk androgens, which have been shown to modulate offspring phenotype. The first studies on the functional consequences of maternal yolk androgens have focused on early life stages and their role in sibling competition. However, recent longitudinal studies reported long-lasting effects of maternal yolk androgens on offspring phenotype, mostly concerning traits that are sensitive to androgens. This suggests that maternal yolk androgens could play an important role in sexual selection, since the expression of many male sexual characters is testosterone-dependent. Using male canaries as a model, we examined the consequences of an experimental elevation of yolk testosterone concentrations on early development as well as long-lasting effects particularly on song, which is one of the most important sexual characters in male songbirds. Elevated yolk testosterone concentrations inhibited male growth, possibly in interaction with an existent ectoparasite exposure. Males hatched from testosterone-treated eggs (T-males) did not have enhanced competitive skills, in contrast to previous studies. The elevation of yolk testosterone concentrations delayed song development but did not affect adult song phenotype. This is intriguing, as yolk testosterone possibly induced developmental stress, which is known to reduce song quality. We hypothesize that yolk testosterone has either no direct effect on adult song phenotype, or that positive effects are merged by the negative effects of developmental stress. Finally, females mated with T-males invested more in their clutch indicating that females either assess T-males as more attractive (differential allocation hypothesis) or compensated for lower offspring viability (compensation hypothesis).
New bottle but old wine: A research of cyberbullying in schools

This study investigates the nature and the extent of adolescences experience of cyberbullying. A survey study of 177 grade seven students in an urban city is conducted. In this paper, ‘‘cyberbullying’’ refers to bullying via electronic communication tools. The results show that almost 54% of the students were victims of traditional bullying and over a quarter of them had been cyber-bullied. Almost one in three students had bullied others in the traditional form, and almost 15% had bullied others using electronic communication tools. Almost 60% of the cyber victims are females, while over 52% of cyber-bullies are males. Majority of the cyber-bully victims and bystanders did not report the incidents to adults. 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
"Echocardiography in Nigeria: use, problems, reproducibility and potentials"

BACKGROUND
Although echocardiography is a useful and cost-effective technique for the detection of morphological and functional cardiac abnormalities, it has a main limitation in its subjectivity. Therefore the aim of the present study was to assess the intra-observer reproducibility and validity of 2-dimensional guided M-mode echo measurements at a Nigerian metropolitan Hospital.


METHODS
Standard echocardiographic examination was performed on twenty randomly selected patients (11 men and 9 women) aged 59.8 +/- 12.6 years in two different sessions seven days apart.


RESULTS
A good degree of intraobserver agreement was observed between test 1 and test 2. The correlation coefficient between the first and second studies ranged between 0.60 and 0.96; measurement errors between 0.050 and 0.205.


CONCLUSION
We would conclude that 2-dimensional guided M-mode measurements at echocardiography performed at our centre are reproducible with low intra-observer variability.
Validation study of the Multicultural Quality of Life Index (MQLI) in a Peruvian sample.

OBJECTIVE
The Multicultural Quality of Life Index is a concise instrument for comprehensive, culture-informed, and self-rated assessment of health-related quality of life. It is composed of 10 items (from physical well-being to global perception of quality of life). Each item is rated on a 10-point scale. The objective was to evaluate the reliability (test-retest), internal structure, discriminant validity, and feasibility of the Multicultural Quality of Life Index in Lima, Peru.


METHOD
The reliability was studied in general medical patients (n = 30) hospitalized in a general medical ward. The Multicultural Quality of Life Index was administered in two occasions and the correlation coefficients ("r") between both interviews were calculated. Its discriminant validity was studied statistically comparing the average score in a group of patients with AIDS (with presumed lower quality of life, n = 50) and the average score in a group of dentistry students and professionals (with presumed higher quality of life, n = 50). Data on its applicability and internal structure were compiled from the 130 subjects.


RESULTS
A high reliability correlation coefficient (r = 0.94) was found for the total score. The discriminant validity study found a significant difference between mean total score in the samples of presumed higher (7.66) and lower (5.32) quality of life. The average time to complete the Multicultural Quality of Life Index was less than 4 minutes and was reported by the majority of subjects as easily applicable. A high Cronbach's a (0.88) was also documented.


CONCLUSIONS
The results reported that the Multicultural Quality of Life Index is reliable, has a high internal consistency, is capable of discriminating groups of presumed different quality of life levels, is quite efficient, and easy to use.