LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Clinical trial on the efficacy of a new symbiotic formulation, Flortec, in patients with acute diarrhea: a multicenter, randomized study in primary care.

OBJECTIVES
Few randomized studies have been carried out on adult patients affected by acute diarrhea especially in primary care, which is the natural context for this kind of disorder. Lactobacillus paracasei B 21060 is a novel strain of lactobacillus, which has been shown to be effective in relieving symptoms associated with diarrhea of irritable bowel syndrome subtype and in shortening diarrhea duration. In this study, we compared the therapeutic efficacy, safety, and tolerability of a new symbiotic formulation, Flortec, containing L. paracasei B-21060, with lactobacillus GG (FlorVis GG) in the treatment of acute presumed infectious diarrhea.


METHODS
Fourteen general practitioners working in the Perugia health authority district carried out a randomized controlled, parallel-group, open trial in 174 adult patients suffering from acute diarrhea (87 enrolled in the Flortec group and 87 in the FlorVis group). Both the products were administered according to their standard recommended dosage. The main efficacy criterion was the duration of diarrhea after beginning treatment. Treatment duration was 10 days. Enrolled patients kept a careful track of their symptoms noting them in a personal diary for 12 days.


RESULTS
The 2 groups resulted to be homogeneous at baseline with regard to prognostic variables. The mean duration of diarrhea from the start of treatment in the Flortec group was 4.24 (2.73 SD) days versus 5.09 (3.72 SD) days in the FlorVis group (P=0.09).Clinical success rates in terms of absence of abdominal pain and absence of diarrhea (defined as <2 bowel movements of watery or loose stool consistency) recorded at different time-points were statistically superior in the Flortec group (Kaplan-Meyer P=0.05 for both the symptoms). The physician judged that overall efficacy was good or very good in 91.8% of the patients in the Flortec group. The corresponding value in the FlorVis group was 83.7% (P=0.003). The 2 treatments showed a very good tolerability profile, with negligible and similar adverse event rates and similar concomitant medication usage rates.


CONCLUSIONS
Oral therapy with Flortec proved to be more effective than FlorVis GG in the treatment of acute diarrhea in adults treated at a primary care setting.
The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Age-Related Third Molar Study.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this investigation was to assess the frequency of complications of third molar surgery, both intraoperatively and postoperatively, specifically for patients 25 years of age or older.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
This prospective study evaluated 3,760 patients, 25 years of age or older, who were to undergo third molar surgery by oral and maxillofacial surgeons practicing in the United States. The predictor variables were categorized as demographic (age, gender), American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, chronic conditions and medical risk factors, and preoperative description of third molars (present or absent, type of impaction, abnormalities or association with pathology). Outcome variables were intraoperative and postoperative complications, as well as quality of life issues (days of work missed or normal activity curtailed). Frequencies for data collected were tabulated.


RESULTS
The sample was provided by 63 surgeons, and was composed of 3,760 patients with 9,845 third molars who were 25 years of age or older, of which 8,333 third molars were removed. Alveolar osteitis was the most frequently encountered postoperative problem (0.2% to 12.7%). Postoperative inferior alveolar nerve anesthesia/paresthesia occurred with a frequency of 1.1% to 1.7%, while lingual nerve anesthesia/paresthesia was calculated as 0.3%. All other complications also occurred with a frequency of less than 1%.


CONCLUSION
The findings of this study indicate that third molar surgery in patients 25 years of age or older is associated with minimal morbidity, a low incidence of postoperative complications, and minimal impact on the patients quality of life.
Non-invasive subcutaneous fat reduction: a review.

The risks, financial costs and lengthy downtime associated with surgical procedures for fat reduction have led to the development of a number of non-invasive techniques. Non-invasive body contouring now represents the fastest growing area of aesthetic medicine. There are currently four leading non-invasive techniques for reducing localized subcutaneous adipose tissue: low-level laser therapy (LLLT), cryolipolysis, radio frequency (RF) and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). To review and compare leading techniques and clinical outcomes of non-invasive subcutaneous fat reduction. The terms 'non-invasive', 'low-level laser', 'cryolipolysis', 'ultrasound' and 'radio frequency' were combined with 'lipolysis', 'fat reduction' or 'body contour' during separate searches in the PubMed database. We identified 31 studies (27 prospective clinical studies and four retrospective chart reviews) with a total of 2937 patients that had been treated with LLLT (n = 1114), cryolipolysis (n = 706), HIFU (n = 843) or RF (n = 116) or other techniques (n = 158) for fat reduction or body contouring. A majority of these patients experienced significant and satisfying results without any serious adverse effects. The studies investigating these devices have all varied in treatment regimen, body locations, follow-up times or outcome operationalization. Each technique differs in offered advantages and severity of adverse effects. However, multiple non-invasive devices are safe and effective for circumferential reduction in local fat tissue by 2 cm or more across the abdomen, hips and thighs. Results are consistent and reproducible for each device and none are associated with any serious or permanent adverse effects.
The impact of information and communication technology in education: Gender issues

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is recognised as a vehicle to improve the lives of people in marginalized communities of South Africa. In the past few years, ICT plays an important role in the educational sector in South Africa more especial in the urban areas of the country. ICT enables access to information and new forms of communication and provides many online services (e.g. facebook, email) in the sphere of commerce, culture, entertainment, socio-economic development and education. While it is well established that ICT use in education has different impacts in gender (boys and girls), there is still a lack of research on ICT use, ICT experience and attitudes towards ICT use particularly in rural areas of South Africa. Most research from the literature review shows that research was conducted in developed countries where access in computers is not a major issue. ICT use and access, however, is growing rapidly in both primary and secondary education. This paper aim to investigate different impacts of ICTs on gender issues in marginalized rural schools of South Africa. The paper will draws primarily on literature from ICT experience, ICT access, attitudes towards ICT. Preliminary reviews of literature indicate that while boys and girls both tend to use ICTs for school homework or social networking, they take on different tasks differently when working together.
Relapse after emergency department discharge for acute asthma.

OBJECTIVES
The objectives were to determine patient and treatment-response factors associated with relapse after emergency department (ED) treatment for acute asthma.


METHODS
Subjects aged 18-55 years who were treated for acute asthma in 20 Canadian EDs prospectively underwent a structured ED interview and telephone contact 2 weeks later.


RESULTS
Of 695 enrolled patients, 604 (86.9%) were discharged from the ED; follow-up was available in 529 (87.5%); 63% were female and the median age was 29 years. Most patients were discharged on oral (70.8%) and inhaled (60.1%) corticosteroids (CS); 2-week treatment adherences were 93.3 and 80.9%, respectively. Relapse occurred in 9.2% at 1 week (95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.1% to 12.0%) and 13.9% (95% CI = 11% to 17%) at 2 weeks. In multivariable modeling, factors associated with relapse were ethnicity (risk ratio [RR] white = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.52 to 0.83); female gender (RR = 1.57; 95% CI = 1.14 to 2.09); any ED visits in the past 2 years (RR = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.18 to 1.80); ever admitted for asthma treatment (RR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.09 to 2.84); use of combined inhaled CS plus long-acting beta(2)-agonists (RR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.07 to 1.78) and of oral CS (RR = 1.35; 95% CI = 1.12 to 1.59) at the time of ED presentation.


CONCLUSIONS
Ethnicity (white), female gender, prior ED visits and admissions for asthma, and recent treatments (especially oral CS) were associated with asthma relapse, which remains relatively common. Future research is required to target this high-risk group.
Process quality indicators targeting cognitive impairment to support quality of care for older people with cognitive impairment in emergency departments.

OBJECTIVES
The objective of this study was to develop process quality indicators (PQIs) to support the improvement of care services for older people with cognitive impairment in emergency departments (ED).


METHODS
A structured research approach was taken for the development of PQIs for the care of older people with cognitive impairment in EDs, including combining available evidence with expert opinion (phase 1), a field study (phase 2), and formal voting (phase 3). A systematic review of the literature identified ED processes targeting the specific care needs of older people with cognitive impairment. Existing relevant PQIs were also included. By integrating the scientific evidence and clinical expertise, new PQIs were drafted and, along with the existing PQIs, extensively discussed by an advisory panel. These indicators were field tested in eight hospitals using a cohort of older persons aged 70 years and older. After analysis of the field study data (indicator prevalence, variability across sites), in a second meeting, the advisory panel further defined the PQIs. The advisory panel formally voted for selection of those PQIs that were most appropriate for care evaluation.


RESULTS
In addition to seven previously published PQIs relevant to the care of older persons, 15 new indicators were created. These 22 PQIs were then field tested. PQIs designed specifically for the older ED population with cognitive impairment were only scored for patients with identified cognitive impairment. Following formal voting, a total of 11 PQIs were included in the set. These PQIs targeted cognitive screening, delirium screening, delirium risk assessment, evaluation of acute change in mental status, delirium etiology, proxy notification, collateral history, involvement of a nominated support person, pain assessment, postdischarge follow-up, and ED length of stay.


CONCLUSIONS
This article presents a set of PQIs for the evaluation of the care for older people with cognitive impairment in EDs. The variation in indicator triggering across different ED sites suggests that there are opportunities for quality improvement in care for this vulnerable group. Applied PQIs will identify an emergency services' implementation of care strategies for cognitively impaired older ED patients. Awareness of the PQI triggers at an ED level enables implementation of targeted interventions to improve any suboptimal processes of care. Further validation and utility of the indicators in a wider population is now indicated.
Report of an HIV clinic-based pain management program and utilization of health status and health service by HIV patients.

CONTEXT
Current reports on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pain are limited to epidemiological data on neuropathic pain in HIV and most studies were conducted before the availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Complex pain was reported to be highly prevalent and associated with advanced disease.


OBJECTIVES
The authors conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of 81 patients from the Center for Positive Living (CPL) at Montefiore Medical Center who were newly referred to a pain management program in 2006 to identify the potential benefits of integrating a pain management team into the care of persons living with HIV and etiologies of pain.


METHODS
A standardized chart abstraction tool was used to capture clinical data. Data related to health service utilization and viral outcomes were obtained from the clinical information systems.


RESULTS
The most common pain diagnoses were multiple syndromes, degenerative disc disease or spinal stenosis, and neuropathy. There was a decrease in emergency room utilization in the 12 months following an initial pain management appointment (p < 0.0001) and an increase in use of primary care (p = 0.0017). The use of adjuvant medications increased after intake into the pain clinic (p < 0.0001). Having an opioid dose in excess of 200 mg/d oral morphine equivalents and maintenance of each palliative care and infectious disease clinic appointment were inversely associated with viral loads in excess of 75 copies: odds ratio (OR) = 0.21 (95% confidence interval/CI], 0.11-0.44), OR = 0.77 (95% CI, 0.68-0.86), and 0.94 (95% CI, 0.93-0.99), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The decrease in emergency room visits and increase in use of adjuvant analgesics and compliance with primary care and nonmedication approaches for the management of pain in the 12 months subsequent to initial palliative/pain clinic appointments highlight potential improved quality of care associated with the integration of a pain management team into the primary care of persons living with HIV disease.
Spiritual needs of patients with chronic pain diseases and cancer - validation of the spiritual needs questionnaire

PURPOSE
For many patients confronted with chronic diseases, spirituality/religiosity is a relevant resource to cope. While most studies on patients' spiritual needs refer to the care of patients at the end of life, our intention was to develop an instrument to measure spiritual, existential and psychosocial need of patients with chronic diseases.


METHODS
In an anonymous cross-sectional survey, we applied the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (SpNQ version 1.2.) to 210 patients (75% women, mean age 54 +/- 12 years) with chronic pain conditions (67%), cancer (28%), other chronic conditions (5%). Patients were recruited at the Community Hospital Herdecke, the Institute for Complementary Medicine (University of Bern), and at a conference of a cancer support group in Herten.


RESULTS
Factor analysis of the 19-item instrument (Cronbach's alpha +/- .93) pointed to 4 factors which explain 67% of variance: Religious Needs, Need for Inner Peace, Existentialistic Needs (Reflection / Meaning), and Actively Giving. Within the main sample of patients with chronic pain and cancer, Needs for Inner Peace had the highest scores, followed by Self competent Attention; Existentialistic Needs had low scores, while the Religious Needs scores indicate no interest. Patients with cancer had significantly higher SpNQ scores than patients with chronic pain conditions. There were just some weak associations between Actively Giving and life satisfaction (r +/- .17; p +/- .012), and negatively with the symptom score (r +/- -.29; p < .0001); Need for Inner Peace was weakly associated with satisfaction with treatment efficacy (r +/- .24; p < .0001). Regression analyses reveal that the underlying disease (i.e., cancer) was of outstanding relevance for the patients' spiritual needs.


CONCLUSION
The preliminary results indicate that spiritual needs are conceptually different from life satisfaction, and can be interpreted as the patients' longing for spiritual well-being. Methods how health care professionals may meet their patients' spiritual needs remain to be explored.
Prevalence of subscapularis tears and accuracy of shoulder ultrasound in pre-operative diagnosis

Subscapularis tears can be difficult to diagnose and their treatment requires advanced arthroscopic skills. The objective of this study was to find the prevalence of subscapularis tears on arthroscopic examination of shoulders with rotator cuff pathology and to determine the accuracy of pre-operative ultrasound in diagnosing these tears. Ultrasound and intra-operative reports of 236 patients who underwent shoulder arthroscopy for rotator cuff pathology by the senior author at his institution were compared. Prevalence of subscapularis tear was noted and classified using Lafosse classification system. Ultrasound reports and intra-operative findings were compared to determine the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound in detecting subscapularis tears. The prevalence of subscapularis tears in patients needing rotator cuff repair was found to be 31.4 %. A total of 6.4 % of patients needing a rotator cuff repair had an isolated subscapularis tear. The sensitivity of ultrasound was 39.5 % and specificity 93.1 % in detection of these tears. The overall accuracy of ultrasound was 75.8 %. Sensitivity of ultrasound was low (42.8 %) for smaller (type 1 and 2) tears and higher (79 %) for larger (types 3, 4, 5) tears. The overall positive predictive value of USS was 73.1 % and negative predictive value 76.4 %. The shoulder surgeon should be skilled in diagnosing and repairing subscapularis tendon tears arthroscopically and cannot completely rely on pre-operative ultrasound scans in ruling out smaller tears as its sensitivity in diagnosing smaller tears is quite low. Unsettling anterior shoulder pain with a normal ultrasound may need further arthroscopic evaluation to rule out missed subscapularis tears.
A Review of the Relationship Among Parenting Practices, Parenting Styles, and Adolescent School Achievement

This article reviews the literature on the relationship among parenting practices, parenting styles, and adolescent school achievement. The review of the empirical research indicates that parental involvement and monitoring are robust predictors of adolescent achievement. Several studies, however, indicate that parental involvement declines in adolescence, prompting the call for future research on the reasons for and associated consequences of this decline. Furthermore, the review indicates that authoritative parenting styles are often associated with higher levels of student achievement, although these findings are not consistent across culture, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Darling and Steinberg’s contextual model of parenting provides a promising model to help resolve these discrepancies, however, further research is needed to examine the major linkages of the model. It is also argued that the contextual model should expand its notion of context towards the larger cultural and economic context in which families reside.
The effects of video game playing on attention, memory, and executive control.

Expert video game players often outperform non-players on measures of basic attention and performance. Such differences might result from exposure to video games or they might reflect other group differences between those people who do or do not play video games. Recent research has suggested a causal relationship between playing action video games and improvements in a variety of visual and attentional skills (e.g., [Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2003). Action video game modifies visual selective attention. Nature, 423, 534-537]). The current research sought to replicate and extend these results by examining both expert/non-gamer differences and the effects of video game playing on tasks tapping a wider range of cognitive abilities, including attention, memory, and executive control. Non-gamers played 20+ h of an action video game, a puzzle game, or a real-time strategy game. Expert gamers and non-gamers differed on a number of basic cognitive skills: experts could track objects moving at greater speeds, better detected changes to objects stored in visual short-term memory, switched more quickly from one task to another, and mentally rotated objects more efficiently. Strikingly, extensive video game practice did not substantially enhance performance for non-gamers on most cognitive tasks, although they did improve somewhat in mental rotation performance. Our results suggest that at least some differences between video game experts and non-gamers in basic cognitive performance result either from far more extensive video game experience or from pre-existing group differences in abilities that result in a self-selection effect.
Corporate Governance and Accounting Scandals 1

This paper empirically examines whether certain corporate governance mechanisms are related to the probability of a company restating its earnings. We examine a sample of 159 U.S. public companies that restated earnings and an industrysize matched sample of control firms. We have assembled a novel, hand-collected dataset measuring corporate governance characteristics of these 318 firms. We find that several key governance characteristics are unrelated to the probability of a company restating earnings. These include the independence of boards and audit committees, and the provision of non-audit services by outside auditors. We find that the probability of restatement is lower in companies whose boards or audit committees have an independent director with a background in accounting or finance. This relation is statistically significant, large in magnitude, and robust to alternative specifications. Our findings are consistent with the idea that independent directors with financial expertise are valuable in providing oversight of a firm’s financial reporting practices. JEL classification: G34, G38, K22, L51, M41
[Magnitude and characteristics of residual lipid risk in patients with a history of coronary revascularization: the ICP-bypass study].

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES
Residual lipid risk has been defined as the excess of cardiovascular events observed in patients with adequate control of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and has been mainly attributed to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides. The aim of our study was to describe the clinical features and the magnitude and characteristics associated with residual lipid risk in patients with a history of coronary revascularization.


METHODS
Multicenter, observational, cross-sectional study of patients with a history of coronary revascularization. Residual lipid risk was defined as the presence of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <40 mg/dL and/or triglycerides >150 mg/dL in patients with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol <100 mg/dL.


RESULTS
We included 2292 patients with a mean age of 65.5 (12.4) years; 94.1% were receiving no statin therapy and 4.8% no lipid therapy. Statin-only therapy (74%) was the most common strategy, followed by combination with ezetimibe (17%). The prevalence of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <40 mg/dL was 35.8%, hypertriglyceridemia 38.9%, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol >100 mg/dL 44.9%; the residual lipid risk group included 29.9% of all patients. This patient group had a similar clinical profile except for slightly lower mean age, higher incidence of diabetes, and higher proportion of men. Multivariate analysis identified positive associations of diabetes and male sex with residual lipid risk; current smoking, male sex, and fibrate therapy were associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <40 mg/dL; current smoking, abdominal obesity, and fibrate therapy were associated with hypertriglyceridemia.


CONCLUSIONS
In daily clinical practice, almost one-third of patients with a history of coronary revascularization have low-density lipoprotein cholesterol <100 mg/dL plus low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and/or hypertriglyceridemia, a concept known as residual lipid risk.