LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Salmeterol plus fluticasone propionate versus fluticasone propionate plus montelukast: a randomised controlled trial investigating the effects on airway inflammation in asthma

BACKGROUND
Few studies have compared treatment strategies in patients with asthma poorly controlled on low dose inhaled corticosteroids, and little is known about the effects of different treatments on airway inflammation. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study, we compared the effects of salmeterol plus fluticasone propionate (FP) (Seretide; SFC) and FP plus montelukast (FP/M) on sputum inflammatory markers, airway responsiveness, lung function, and symptoms in adult asthmatics.


METHODS
Sixty-six subjects were randomised to SFC or FP/M for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was changes in neutrophil, eosinophil, macrophage, lymphocyte, and epithelial cell levels in induced sputum. Additional outcomes included the change in other sputum markers of airway inflammation, airway responsiveness, symptom control, and lung function.


RESULTS
Both treatments had no significant effect on induced sputum inflammatory cells, although there was a trend for a reduction in sputum eosinophils. Both treatments significantly improved airway responsiveness, whereas SFC generally led to greater improvements in symptom control and lung function than FP/M. FP/M led to significantly greater reductions in sputum cysteinyl leukotrienes than SFC (treatment ratio 1.80; 95% CI 1.09, 2.94).


CONCLUSION
Both treatments led to similar control of eosinophilic airway inflammation, although PEF and symptom control were better with SFC. STUDY NUMBER: SAM40030 (SOLTA).
TENSEGRITY BASED PROBES FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION : ENTRY , DESCENT AND LANDING ( EDL ) AND SURFACE MOBILITY ANALYSIS

In this paper we evaluate tensegrity probes on the basis of the EDL phase performance of the probe in the context of a mission to Titan. Tensegrity probes are structurally designed around tension networks and are composed of tensile and compression elements. Such probes have unique physical force distribution properties and can be both landing and mobility platforms, allowing for dramatically simpler mission profile and reduced costs. Our concept is to develop a tensegrity probe in which the tensile network can be actively controlled to enable compact stowage for launch followed by deployment in preparation for landing. Due to their natural compliance and structural force distribution properties, tensegrity probes can safely absorb significant impact forces, enabling high speed Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) scenarios where the probe itself acts much like an airbag. However, unlike an airbag which must be discarded after a single use, the tensegrity probe can actively control its shape to provide compliant rolling mobility while still maintaining its ability to safely absorb impact shocks that might occur during exploration. (See Figure 1) This combination of functions from a single structure enables compact and light-weight planetary exploration missions with the capabilities of traditional wheeled rovers, but with the mass and cost similar or less than a stationary probe. In this paper we cover this new mission concept and tensegrity probe technologies for compact storage, EDL, and surface mobility, with an focus on analyzing the landing phase performance and ability to protect and deliver scientific payloads. The analysis is then supported with results from physical prototype drop-tests.
Prevalence of GH and other anterior pituitary hormone deficiencies in adults with nonsecreting pituitary microadenomas and normal serum IGF-1 levels.

OBJECTIVE
GH is usually the first pituitary hormone to be affected following a pathological insult to the pituitary; however, data on the prevalence of GH deficiency in patients with nonsecreting pituitary microadenomas and normal serum IGF-1 levels are scarce. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of GH and other anterior pituitary hormone deficiencies, and to determine whether microadenomas per se could be associated with reduced GH response rates to GHRH-arginine stimulation.


DESIGN
Analytical, retrospective, two-site case-control study.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
Thirty-eight patients with nonsecreting pituitary microadenomas (mean size 4.2 mm) and normal serum IGF-1 levels were studied. Anterior pituitary function testing, including the GHRH-arginine test to examine GH reserve, was performed in all patients. Serum IGF-1 levels and peak GH levels in the patients that passed the GHRH-arginine test were compared with 22 age- and BMI-matched healthy controls.


RESULTS
Nineteen patients (50%) failed the GHRH-arginine test and had higher body mass index (BMI) than those that passed the GHRH-arginine test and healthy controls. Peak GH levels in patients that passed the GHRH-arginine test were lower compared to healthy controls and 19 patients (50%) had at least one other pituitary hormone deficit. A negative correlation (r = -0.42, P < 0.01) between peak GH levels and BMI was identified, but no correlations were found between peak GH and serum IGF-1 levels.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data demonstrated that a substantial number of patients with nonsecreting pituitary microadenomas failed the GHRH-arginine test despite normal serum IGF-1 levels, and had at least one other pituitary hormone deficiency, suggesting that nonsecreting microadenomas may not be clinically harmless. We therefore recommend long-term follow-up with periodic basal pituitary function testing, and to consider dynamic pituitary testing should clinical symptoms arise in these patients.
HEART score to further risk stratify patients with low TIMI scores.

OBJECTIVE
The ability to risk stratify patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with potential acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is critical. The thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) risk score can risk stratify ED patients with potential ACS but cannot identify patients safe for ED discharge. The symptom-based HEART score identifies very low-risk patients. Our hypothesis was that patients with a TIMI score of 0 or 1 may be stratified further with the HEART score to identify a group of patients at less than 1% risk of 30-day cardiovascular events.


METHODS
We conducted a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study in a tertiary care hospital ED. Patients with potential ACS who were >30 years of age were included. Data collected included demographics, history, electrocardiogram, laboratories, and components of the TIMI and HEART scores. Follow-up was conducted by structured record review and phone. The main outcome was a composite of death, acute myocardial infarction, or revascularization at 30 days.


RESULTS
There were 8815 patients enrolled (mean age, 52.8 ± 15.1 years; 57% women, and 69% black). At 30 days, the composite event rate was 8.0% (660 patients): 108 deaths, 410 acute myocardial infarction, and 301 revascularizations. Of the 485 patients with both a TIMI score of 0 and a HEART score of 0, there were no cardiovascular events (95% confidence interval, 0-0.8%); but no other score combination had an upper limit confidence interval less than 1%.


CONCLUSION
At all levels of TIMI score, the HEART score was able to further substratify patients with respect to 30-day risk. A HEART score of 0 in a patient with a TIMI of 0 identified a group of patients at less than 1% risk for 30-day adverse events.
Linear time recognition of P4-indifference graphs

A graph is a P4-indifference graph if it admits an ordering < on its vertices such that every chordless path with vertices a, b, c, d and edges ab, bc, cd has a
Phase II study of tivantinib (ARQ 197) in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer

Background MET expression and activation appear to be important for initiation and progression of triple-negative breast cancer. Tivantinib (ARQ 197) is an orally administered agent that targets MET, although recent preclinical data suggests the agent may have mechanisms of action that are independent of MET signaling. We conducted a phase 2 study of tivantinib monotherapy in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Methods Patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who had received 1 to 3 prior lines of chemotherapy in the metastatic setting were enrolled into this two-stage, single arm phase 2 study. Treatment consisted of twice daily oral dosing of tivantinib (360 mg po bid) during a 21-day cycle. Patients underwent restaging scans at 6 weeks, and then every 9 weeks. Tumor biomarkers that might predict response to tivantinib were explored. Results 22 patients were enrolled. The overall response rate was 5 % (95 % CI 0–25 %) and the 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) was 5 % (95 % CI 0–25 %), with one patient achieving a partial response (PR). Toxicity was minimal with only 5 grade ≥3 adverse events (one grade 3 anemia, one grade 3 fatigue, and 3 patients with grade 3/4 neutropenia). Conclusion This study represents the first evaluation of tivantinib for the treatment of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. These results suggest that single agent tivantinib is well tolerated, but did not meet prespecified statistical targets for efficacy.
Two PIFA-Related Miniaturized Dual-Band Antennas

There are two novel printed inverted-F antenna (PIFA) related dual-band antennas for 2.45 and 5.25 GHz wireless local area network (WLAN) applications introduced in this paper. One is designed by spiraling the tail of the PIFA and the other is by modifying the feed structure of the PIFA into a coupling configuration. An equivalent transmission line model is proposed to explain the dual-band operation of the spiraling PIFA. The measurement results show that the former antenna has a 10 dB return loss with bandwidth 140 MHz in the 2.45 GHz frequency band and bandwidth 756 MHz at 5.25 GHz, whereas the latter one has the bandwidth 240 MHz at 2.45 GHz and bandwidth 672 MHz at 5.25 GHz. In addition, omnidirectional radiation patterns are achieved at those operating frequency bands with average antenna gains near 0 dBi. The proposed antenna possesses the properties of good performance, compact size (about 50% of a typical PIFA), low profile, and low cost; hence, it is suitable for practical applications in a combo WLAN system
Tetrahydrobiopterin Supplementation Improves Endothelial Function But Does Not Alter Aortic Stiffness in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

BACKGROUND
Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic inflammatory condition associated with increased cardiovascular risk that may be due to underlying endothelial dysfunction and subsequent aortic stiffening. We hypothesized that supplementation with tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) would recouple endothelial nitric oxide synthase and thus improve endothelial function and consequently reduce aortic stiffness.


METHODS AND RESULTS
We conducted 2 randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover studies examining 2 separate regimens: an acute regimen, with a single dose of BH4 400 mg versus placebo (n=18), and a short-term regimen, composed of a 1-week treatment with BH4 400 mg once daily versus placebo (n=15). Flow-mediated dilatation and aortic pulse wave velocity were studied 4 times, before and after each treatment phase. Acute BH4 supplementation led to an improvement of flow-mediated dilatation, whereas placebo had no effect (mean±SD of effect difference 2.56±4.79%; P=0.03). Similarly, 1-week treatment with BH4 improved endothelial function, but there was no change with placebo (mean±SD of effect difference 3.50±5.05%; P=0.02). There was no change in aortic pulse wave velocity following acute or short-term BH4 supplementation or placebo (mean±SD of effect difference: acute 0.09±0.67 m/s, P=0.6; short-term 0.03±1.46 m/s, P=0.9).


CONCLUSION
Both acute and short-term supplementation with oral BH4 improved endothelial function but not aortic stiffness. This result suggests that BH4 supplementation may be beneficial for patients with rheumatoid arthritis by improving endothelial dysfunction and potentially reducing risk of cardiovascular disease. There appears to be no causal relationship between endothelial function and aortic stiffness, suggesting that they occur in parallel, although they may share common risk factors such as inflammation.
Effects of anonymity, invisibility, and lack of eye-contact on toxic online disinhibition

0747-5632/$ see front matter 2011 Elsevier Ltd. A doi:10.1016/j.chb.2011.10.014 ⇑ Corresponding author. Present address: Departme Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Emek Yezreel 193 5153868. E-mail address: noaml@yvc.ac.il (N. Lapidot-Lefler The present research studied the impact of three typical online communication factors on inducing the toxic online disinhibition effect: anonymity, invisibility, and lack of eye-contact. Using an experimental design with 142 participants, we examined the extent to which these factors lead to flaming behaviors, the typical products of online disinhibition. Random pairs of participants were presented with a dilemma for discussion and a common solution through online chat. The effects were measured using participants’ self-reports, expert judges’ ratings of chat transcripts, and textual analyses of participants’ conversations. A 2 2 2 (anonymity/non-anonymity visibility/invisibility eye-contact/lack of eye-contact) MANOVA was employed to analyze the findings. The results suggested that of the three independent variables, lack of eye-contact was the chief contributor to the negative effects of online disinhibition. Consequently, it appears that previous studies might have defined the concept of anonymity too broadly by not addressing other online communication factors, especially lack of eye-contact, that impact disinhibition. The findings are explained in the context of an online sense of unidentifiability, which apparently requires a more refined view of the components that create a personal sense of anonymity. 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A reliable method for paper currency recognition based on LBP

Paper currency recognition with good accuracy and high processing speed has great importance for banking system. How to extract high quality monetary features from currency images is a key problem in paper currency recognition. Based on the traditional local binary pattern (LBP) method, an improved LBP algorithm, called block-LBP algorithm, is proposed in this paper for characteristic extraction. The proposed method has advantages of simplicity and high speed. The experimental results show that this improved method has a high recognition rate, as well as robustness for noise and illumination change.
BetterWays to Cut a Cake

I n this paper we show how mathematics can illuminate the study of cake-cutting in ways that have practical implications. Specifically, we analyze cake-cutting algorithms that use a minimal number of cuts (n − 1 if there are n people), where a cake is a metaphor for a heterogeneous, divisible good, whose parts may be valued differently by different people. These algorithms not only establish the existence of fair divisions—defined by the properties described below—but also specify a procedure for carrying them out. In addition, they give us insight into the difficulties underlying the simultaneous satisfaction of certain properties of fair division, including strategy-proofness, or the incentive for a person to be truthful about his or her valuation of a cake. As is usual in the cake-cutting literature, we postulate that the goal of each person is to maximize the value of the minimum-size piece (maximin piece) that he or she can guarantee, regardless of what the other persons do. Thus, we assume that each person is risk-averse: He or she will never choose a strategy that may yield a more valuable piece of cake if it entails the possibility of getting less than a maximin piece. First we analyze the well-known 2-person, 1-cut cake-cutting procedure, “I cut, you choose,” or cutand-choose. It goesbackat least to the HebrewBible (Brams and Taylor, 1999, p. 53) and satisfies two desirable properties:
Final report of multicenter Canadian Phase III randomized trial of 3 versus 8 months of neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy before conventional-dose radiotherapy for clinically localized prostate cancer.

PURPOSE
To evaluate the effect of 3 vs. 8 months of neoadjuvant hormonal therapy before conventional-dose radiotherapy (RT) on disease-free survival for localized prostate cancer.


METHODS AND MATERIALS
Between February 1995 and June 2001, 378 men were randomized to either 3 or 8 months of flutamide and goserelin before 66 Gy RT at four participating centers. The median baseline prostate-specific antigen level was 9.7 ng/mL (range, 1.3-189). Of the 378 men, 26% had low-, 43% intermediate-, and 31% high-risk disease. The two arms were balanced in terms of age, Gleason score, clinical T category, risk group, and presenting prostate-specific antigen level. The median follow-up for living patients was 6.6 years (range, 1.6-10.1). Of the 378 patients, 361 were evaluable, and 290 were still living.


RESULTS
The 5-year actuarial freedom from failure rate for the 3- vs. 8-month arms was 72% vs. 75%, respectively (p = 0.18). No difference was found in the failure types between the two arms. The median prostate-specific antigen level at the last follow-up visit for patients without treatment failure was 0.6 ng/mL in the 3-month arm vs. 0.50 ng/mL in the 8-month arm. The disease-free survival rate at 5 years was improved for the high-risk patients in the 8-month arm (71% vs. 42%, p = 0.01).


CONCLUSION
A longer period of NHT before standard-dose RT did not alter the patterns of failure when combined with 66-Gy RT. High-risk patients in the 8-month arm had significant improvement in the 5-year disease-free survival rate.
Krill Oil Improves Mild Knee Joint Pain: A Randomized Control Trial

BACKGROUND
Krill oil is an edible oil extracted from krill, a small red-colored crustacean found in the Antarctic Ocean. The administration of krill oil is reported to mitigate inflammation in patients with cardiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or osteoarthritis. However, the effect of krill oil on mild knee pain has not yet been determined.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the effect of krill oil on mild knee pain.


DESIGN
A randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial of fifty adults (38-85 years old) with mild knee pain attending the Fukushima Orthopedic Clinic (Tochigi, Japan) between September 2014 and March 2015.


INTERVENTIONS
Participants were randomized to receive 2 g per day of either krill oil or an identical placebo for 30 days.


OUTCOMES
The primary outcome was improvement in subjective symptoms of knee pain as assessed by the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association score (JOA). Secondary outcomes included blood and urine biochemical parameters.


RESULTS
Both the placebo and krill oil groups showed significant improvements in the questions in the JKOM and JOA questionnaires after administration. After the intervention, krill oil group showed more improvements than placebo group in two questions regarding the pain and stiffness in knees in JKOM. Controlling for age, sex, weight, and smoking and drinking habits, krill oil significantly mitigated knee pain in sleeping (P < 0.001), standing (P < 0.001) and the range of motion of both right and left knees (both P = 0.011) compared to placebo. Krill oil administration raised plasma EPA (P = 0.048) and EPA/AA ratio (P = 0.003).


CONCLUSION
This study indicates that krill oil administration (2 g/day, 30 days) improved the subjective symptoms of knee pain in adults with mild knee pain.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
UMIN-CTR; ID UMIN000014413.
Alcohol based tissue fixation as an alternative for formaldehyde: influence on immunohistochemistry.

BACKGROUND
Formaldehyde is commonly used in histopathology to fix tissue. Not only are the carcinogenic properties of this solution a hazard to the people in the workplace, it is also a major burden on the environment, and it crosslinks molecular groups that hinder immunohistochemistry.


AIMS
The influence of two new alcohol based non-crosslinking fixatives on immunohistochemical staining properties was tested on various tissues.


METHODS
Fresh tissue samples were cut into three equal pieces, which were then fixed in the alcohol based fixatives Boonfix or RCL2, or in neutral buffered formaldehyde (NBF) as control. After fixation, tissue was routinely processed to paraffin sections. Deparaffinised slides were blocked for endogenous peroxidase and subsequently submitted to the usual NBF based immunohistochemical protocols for 85 different common antibodies either not requiring antigen retrieval (AR), or AR in citrate buffer, EDTA or pepsin.


RESULTS
NBF fixed tissues provided significantly better immunostaining results (84% good staining) than RCL2 (66% good) and Boonfix (60%). The lesser performance of RCL2 and Boonfix was especially caused by pepsin AR which caused significant tissue damage. Omission of pepsin AR resulted in better immunostaining for these antibodies for RCL2 fixed tissues which were overall no longer significantly worse than NBF fixed tissue.


CONCLUSION
Tissues fixed in non-crosslinking alcohol based fixatives can successfully be immunohistochemically stained for most antibodies following the usual NBF based protocols. Omission of pepsin pretreatment seems to be important to retain proper morphology of immunostained tissues preserved in alcohol based fixatives. Therefore, when switching to less toxic and non-carcinogenic alcohol-based fixatives like RCL2, no major changes in the daily routine of immunohistochemistry are anticipated.
Association of interleukin 1B gene polymorphism and gastric cancers in high and low prevalence regions in China.

AIM
Our aim was to study the relationship between interleukin 1B (IL-1B) polymorphism, Helicobacter pylori infection, and gastric cancer in high prevalent (Shanxi) and low prevalent (Guangdong) regions in China.


METHOD
Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of 192 healthy volunteers, 84 gastric cancer patients from Guangdong and 169 healthy volunteers, and 86 gastric cancer patients from Shanxi. Polymorphisms in IL-1B that encodes IL-1beta and IL-1RN that encodes IL-1 receptor antagonist were analysed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). These polymorphic sites include promoter regions of IL-1B at positions +3954, -511 (C-T transition), and -31 (T-C transition), and IL-1RN variable tandem repeats.


RESULTS
In the low prevalence region, the frequencies of the IL-1B +3954 T/T and IL-1RN *2/*2 genotypes were similar. IL-1B -511T/T genotype frequency was significantly higher among patients with gastric cancer (25.0%) than control subjects (12.5%) (chi2=6.7, p=0.01). In the high prevalence region, the frequencies of the IL-1B +3954T/T and -511T/T genotypes and the IL-1RN *2/*2 genotype in the cancer and control groups were similar. IL-1B -31C/C genotype frequency was significantly higher among patients with gastric cancer (90.0%) than controls (78.0%) (chi2=5.0, p=0.025). Compared with the low prevalence region, control subjects from the high prevalence region had a higher frequency of the IL-1B -511T/T genotype (23.0% v 12.5%; chi2=7.0, p<0.008). While H pylori infection alone had only a modest effect on the risk of gastric cancer development (odds ratio (OR) 5.0 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5-16.3)), combined with the IL-1B -511T/T genotype the risk was markedly elevated (OR 17.1, 95% CI 3.8-76.4).


CONCLUSION
IL-1B -511T/T genotypes are associated with gastric cancer in China. The effect of IL-1B polymorphism is less obvious in areas of high prevalence for gastric cancer.