LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of hyaluronan treatment in combination therapy with home exercise for knee osteoarthritis pain.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the efficacy and safety of intra-articular injections of sodium hyaluronate combined with a home exercise program (HEP) in the management of pain associated with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.


DESIGN
Single-blinded, parallel-design, 1-year clinical study with sequential enrollment.


SETTING
University-based outpatient physiatric practice.


PARTICIPANTS
Sixty patients (18 men, 42 women; age, > or =50 y) with moderate-to-severe pain associated with OA of the knee.


INTERVENTIONS
(1) Five weekly intra-articular hyaluronate injections (5-HYL); (2) 3 weekly intra-articular hyaluronate injections (3-HYL); or (3) a combination of an HEP with 3 weekly intra-articular hyaluronate injections (3-HYL+HEP).


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The primary outcome measure was a 100-mm visual analog scale for pain after a 50-foot walk (15.24 m). Secondary measures included the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index subscales.


RESULTS
The 3-HYL+HEP group had significantly faster onset of pain relief compared with the 3-HYL (P<.01) and 5-HYL groups (P=.01). All groups showed a mean symptomatic improvement from baseline (reduction in baseline pain at 3 mo was 59%, 49%, and 48% for the 3-HYL+HEP, 3-HYL, and 5-HYL groups, respectively) that was clinically and statistically significant. There were no between-group differences in the incidence or nature of adverse events.


CONCLUSIONS
The combined use of hyaluronate injections with HEP should be considered for management of moderate-to-severe pain in patients with knee OA.
Hoaxy: A Platform for Tracking Online Misinformation

Massive amounts of misinformation have been observed to spread in uncontrolled fashion across social media. Examples include rumors, hoaxes, fake news, and conspiracy theories. At the same time, several journalistic organizations devote significant efforts to high-quality fact checking of online claims. The resulting information cascades contain instances of both accurate and inaccurate information, unfold over multiple time scales, and often reach audiences of considerable size. All these factors pose challenges for the study of the social dynamics of online news sharing. Here we introduce Hoaxy, a platform for the collection, detection, and analysis of online misinformation and its related factchecking efforts. We discuss the design of the platform and present a preliminary analysis of a sample of public tweets containing both fake news and fact checking. We find that, in the aggregate, the sharing of fact-checking content typically lags that of misinformation by 10–20 hours. Moreover, fake news are dominated by very active users, while fact checking is a more grass-roots activity. With the increasing risks connected to massive online misinformation, social news observatories have the potential to help researchers, journalists, and the general public understand the dynamics of real and fake news sharing.
Getting a grip on tangible interaction: a framework on physical space and social interaction

Our current understanding of human interaction with hybrid or augmented environments is very limited. Here we focus on 'tangible interaction', denoting systems that rely on embodied interaction, tangible manipulation, physical representation of data, and embeddedness in real space. This synthesis of prior 'tangible' definitions enables us to address a larger design space and to integrate approaches from different disciplines. We introduce a framework that focuses on the interweaving of the material/physical and the social, contributes to understanding the (social) user experience of tangible interaction, and provides concepts and perspectives for considering the social aspects of tangible interaction. This understanding lays the ground for evolving knowledge on collaboration-sensitive tangible interaction design. Lastly, we analyze three case studies, using the framework, thereby illustrating the concepts and demonstrating their utility as analytical tools.
Summary of European Association of Urology (EAU) Guidelines on Neuro-Urology.

CONTEXT
Most patients with neuro-urological disorders require life-long medical care. The European Association of Urology (EAU) regularly updates guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of these patients.


OBJECTIVE
To provide a summary of the 2015 updated EAU Guidelines on Neuro-Urology.


EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
Structured literature searches in several databases were carried out to update the 2014 guidelines. Levels of evidence and grades of recommendation were assigned where possible.


EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
Neurological disorders often cause urinary tract, sexual, and bowel dysfunction. Most neuro-urological patients need life-long care for optimal life expectancy and quality of life. Timely diagnosis and treatment are essential to prevent upper and lower urinary tract deterioration. Clinical assessment should be comprehensive and usually includes a urodynamic investigation. The neuro-urological management must be tailored to the needs of the individual patient and may require a multidisciplinary approach. Sexuality and fertility issues should not be ignored. Numerous conservative and noninvasive possibilities of management are available and should be considered before a surgical approach is chosen. Neuro-urological patients require life-long follow-up and particular attention has to be paid to this aspect of management.


CONCLUSIONS
The current EAU Guidelines on Neuro-Urology provide an up-to-date overview of the available evidence for adequate diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of neuro-urological patients.


PATIENT SUMMARY
Patients with a neurological disorder often suffer from urinary tract, sexual, and bowel dysfunction and life-long care is usually necessary. The update of the EAU Guidelines on Neuro-Urology, summarized in this paper, enables caregivers to provide optimal support to neuro-urological patients. Conservative, noninvasive, or minimally invasive approaches are often possible.
Treatment of adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: do the specifics of the regimen matter?: Results from a prospective randomized trial.

BACKGROUND
Induction therapy for adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is similar across essentially all regimens, comprised of vincristine, corticosteroids, and anthracyclines intensified with cyclophosphamide, asparaginase, or both. Given the lack of randomized data, to date, no regimen has emerged as standard. The authors previously evaluated cytarabine 3 g/m(2) daily for 5 days with mitoxantrone 80 mg/m(2) (the ALL-2 regimen) as a novel induction regimen. Compared with historic controls, the ALL-2 regimen was superior in terms of incidence of complete remission, failure with resistant disease, and activity in patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive ALL.


METHODS
The authors conducted a multicenter, prospective, randomized trial of the ALL-2 regimen compared with a standard 4-drug induction (the L-20 regimen). Patients also received consolidation, maintenance therapy, and central nervous system prophylaxis. The trial accrued patients from August 1996 to October 2004.


RESULTS
The median follow-up for survivors was 7 years, and the median patient age was 43 years. Responses were evaluated in 164 patients. The treatment arms were balanced in terms of pretreatment characteristics. The frequency of complete remission for the ALL-2 regimen versus the L-20 regimen was 83% versus 71% (P = .06). More patients on the L-20 arm failed with resistant disease (21% vs 8%; P = .02). Induction deaths were comparable at 9% (ALL-2) versus 7% (L-20). The median survival was similar; and, at 5 years, the survival rate was 33% alive on the ALL-2 arm versus 27% on the L-20.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite superior results of induction therapy with the ALL-2 regimen, this treatment did not improve long-term outcomes. When coupled to the reported experience of other studies in adults with ALL, the results of this randomized trial raise the possibility that ultimate outcomes in adult ALL may be independent of the specific regimen chosen. Cancer 2013. © 2012 American Cancer Society.
Nonlinear dispersive regime of cavity QED: The dressed dephasing model

Maxime Boissonneault, Jay Gambetta, 3 and Alexandre Blais Département de Physique et Regroupement Québécois sur les Matériaux de Pointe, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada, J1K 2R1 Institute for Quantum Computing and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada Centre for Quantum Computer Technology, Centre for Quantum Dynamics, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland 4111, Australia (Dated: June 17, 2008)
Facilitating HIV testing, care and treatment for orphans and vulnerable children aged five years and younger through community-based early childhood development playcentres in rural Zimbabwe

INTRODUCTION
Early diagnosis of children living with HIV is a prerequisite for accessing timely paediatric HIV care and treatment services and for optimizing treatment outcomes. Testing of HIV-exposed infants at 6 weeks and later is part of the national prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV programme in Zimbabwe, but many opportunities to test infants and children are being missed. Early childhood development (ECD) playcentres can act as an entry point providing multiple health and social services for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) under 5 years, including facilitating access to HIV treatment and care.


METHODS
Sixteen rural community-based, community-run ECD playcentres were established to provide health, nutritional and psychosocial support for OVC aged 5 years and younger exposed to or living with HIV, coupled with family support groups (FSGs) for their families/caregivers. These centres were located in close proximity to health centres giving access to nurse-led monitoring of 697 OVC and their caregivers. Community mobilisers identified OVC within the community, supported their registration process and followed up defaulters. Records profiling each child's attendance, development and health status (including illness episodes), vaccinations and HIV status were compiled at the playcentres and regularly reviewed, updated and acted upon by nurse supervisors. Through FSGs, community cadres and a range of officers from local services established linkages and built the capacity of parents/caregivers and communities to provide protection, aid psychosocial development and facilitate referral for treatment and support.


RESULTS
Available data as of September 2011 for 16 rural centres indicate that 58.8% (n=410) of the 697 children attending the centres were tested for HIV; 18% (n=74) tested positive and were initiated on antibiotic prophylaxis. All those deemed eligible for antiretroviral therapy were commenced on treatment and adherence was monitored.


CONCLUSIONS
This community-based playcentre model strengthens comprehensive care (improving emotional, cognitive and physical development) for OVC younger than 5 years and provides opportunities for caregivers to access testing, care and treatment for children exposed to, affected by and infected with HIV in a secure and supportive environment. More research is required to evaluate barriers to counselling and testing of young children and the long-term impact of playcentres upon specific health and developmental outcomes.
Searching for Learner-Centered , Constructivist , and Sociocultural Components of Collaborative Educational Learning Tools

strategies and tools must be based on some theory of learning and cognition. Of course, crafting well-articulated views that clearly answer the major epistemological questions of human learning has exercised psychologists and educators for centuries. What is a mind? What does it mean to know something? How is our knowledge represented and manifested? Many educators prefer an eclectic approach, selecting “principles and techniques from the many theoretical perspectives in much the same way we might select international dishes from a smorgasbord, choosing those we like best and ending up with a meal which represents no nationality exclusively and a design technology based on no single theoretical base” (Bednar et al., 1995, p. 100). It is certainly the case that research within collaborative educational learning tools has drawn upon behavioral, cognitive information processing, humanistic, and sociocultural theory, among others, for inspiration and justification. Problems arise, however, when tools developed in the service of one epistemology, say cognitive information processing, are integrated within instructional systems designed to promote learning goals inconsistent with it. When concepts, strategies, and tools are abstracted from the theoretical viewpoint that spawned them, they are too often stripped of meaning and utility. In this chapter, we embed our discussion in learner-centered, constructivist, and sociocultural perspectives on collaborative technology, with a bias toward the third. The principles of these perspectives, in fact, provide the theoretical rationale for much of the research and ideas presented in this book. 2
PhD training in simulation: NATCOR

To provide a broader education for Operational Research PhD students in the UK, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council funds the National Taught Course Centre for Operational Research (NATCOR). This is an initiative led by six UK universities and includes a one-week, residential simulation module taught for the first time in July 2009. We describe the background to NATCOR, summarize its content and reflect on its further development.
Analysis of Temperature Distribution in Cast-resin Dry-type Transformers

Non-flammable characteristic of dry-type castresin transformers make them suitable for residential and hospital usages. However, because of resin’s property, thermal behavior of these transformers is undesirable, so it is important to analyze their thermal behavior. Temperature distribution of cast-resin transformers is mathematically modeled in this paper. The solution of the model was carried out successfully by finite difference method. In order to validate the model, the simulation results were compared with the experimental data measured from an 800 kVA transformer. Finally, the influences of some construction parameters and environmental conditions on temperature distribution of cast-resin transformers were discussed.
Use of dynamic 3-dimensional transvaginal and transrectal ultrasonography to assess posterior pelvic floor dysfunction related to obstructed defecation.

BACKGROUND
New ultrasound techniques may complement current diagnostic tools, and combined techniques may help to overcome the limitations of individual techniques for the diagnosis of anorectal dysfunction. A high degree of agreement has been demonstrated between echodefecography (dynamic 3-dimensional anorectal ultrasonography) and conventional defecography.


OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to evaluate the ability of a combined approach consisting of dynamic 3-dimensional transvaginal and transrectal ultrasonography by using a 3-dimensional biplane endoprobe to assess posterior pelvic floor dysfunctions related to obstructed defecation syndrome in comparison with echodefecography.


DESIGN AND SETTING
This was a prospective, observational cohort study conducted at a tertiary-care hospital.


PATIENTS
Consecutive female patients with symptoms of obstructed defecation were eligible.


INTERVENTION
Each patient underwent assessment of posterior pelvic floor dysfunctions with a combination of dynamic 3-dimensional transvaginal and transrectal ultrasonography by using a biplane transducer and with echodefecography.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Kappa (κ) was calculated as an index of agreement between the techniques. Diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values) of the combined technique in detection of posterior dysfunctions was assessed with echodefecography as the standard for comparison.


RESULTS
A total of 33 women were evaluated. Substantial agreement was observed regarding normal relaxation and anismus. In detecting the absence or presence of rectocele, the 2 methods agreed in all cases. Near-perfect agreement was found for rectocele grade I, grade II, and grade III. Perfect agreement was found for entero/sigmoidocele, with near-perfect agreement for rectal intussusception. Using echodefecography as the standard for comparison, we found high diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal and transrectal ultrasonography in the detection of posterior dysfunctions.


LIMITATIONS
This combined technique should be compared with other dynamic techniques and validated with conventional defecography.


CONCLUSIONS
Dynamic 3-dimensional transvaginal and transrectal ultrasonography is a simple and fast ultrasound technique that shows strong agreement with echodefecography and may be used as an alternative method to assess patients with obstructed defecation syndrome.
Wiener-Hopf Solution for Impenetrable Wedges at Skew Incidence

A new Wiener-Hopf approach for the solution of impenetrable wedges at skew incidence is presented. Mathematical aspects are described in a unified and consistent theory for angular region problems. Solutions are obtained using analytical and numerical-analytical approaches. Several numerical tests from the scientific literature validate the new technique, and new solutions for anisotropic surface impedance wedges are solved at skew incidence. The solutions are presented considering the geometrical and uniform theory of diffraction coefficients, total fields, and possible surface wave contributions
Breast cancer recurrence following radioguided seed localization and standard wire localization of nonpalpable invasive and in situ breast cancers: 5-Year follow-up from a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND
This study compared 5-year breast cancer (BC) recurrence rates in patients randomized to radioguided seed localization (RSL) or wire localization (WL) for non-palpable BC undergoing breast conserving surgery.


METHODS
Chart review of follow-up visits and surveillance imaging was conducted. Data collected included patient and tumour factors, adjuvant therapies and BC recurrence (local recurrence (LR), regional recurrence (RR), and distant metastasis (DM)). Univariate analysis was used.


RESULTS
Follow-up data were available for 298 patients (98%) and median follow-up time was 65 months. There were 11 (4%) cases of BC recurrence and median time to recurrence was 26 months. LR occurred in 8 patients (6 WL and 2 RSL; p = 0.28). Positive margins at first surgery (p = 0.024) and final surgery (p = 0.004) predicted for BC recurrence.


CONCLUSIONS
There was no detectable difference in BC recurrence between WL and RSL groups and positive margins at initial or final surgery both predicted for BC recurrence.
Best practices in business process redesign: use and impact

Purpose – This paper seeks to provide business process redesign (BPR) practitioners and academics with insight into the most popular heuristics to derive improved process designs. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was carried out in the years 2003-2004 among a wide range of experienced BPR practitioners in the UK and The Netherlands. Findings – The survey indicates that this “top ten” of best practices is indeed extensively used in practice. Moreover, indications for their business impact have been collected and classified. Research limitations/implications – The authors’ estimations of best practices effectiveness differed from feedback obtained from respondents, possibly caused by the design of the survey instrument. This is food for further research. Practical implications – The presented framework can be used by practitioners to keep the various aspects of a redesign in perspective. The presented list of BPR best practices is directly applicable to derive new process designs. Originality/value – This paper addresses the subject of process redesign, rather than the more popular subject of process reengineering. As such, it fills in part an existing gap in knowledge.
Influenza vaccine effectiveness in the community and the household.

BACKGROUND
There is a recognized need to determine influenza vaccine effectiveness on an annual basis and a long history of studying respiratory illnesses in households.


METHODS
We recruited 328 households with 1441 members, including 839 children, and followed them during the 2010-2011 influenza season. Specimens were collected from subjects with reported acute respiratory illnesses and tested by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Receipt of influenza vaccine was defined based on documented evidence of vaccination in medical records or an immunization registry. The effectiveness of 2010-2011 influenza vaccination in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza was estimated using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age and presence of high-risk condition, and stratified by prior season (2009-2010) vaccination status.


RESULTS
Influenza was identified in 78 (24%) households and 125 (9%) individuals; the infection risk was 8.5% in the vaccinated and 8.9% in the unvaccinated (P = .83). Adjusted vaccine effectiveness in preventing community-acquired influenza was 31% (95% confidence interval [CI], -7% to 55%). In vaccinated subjects with no evidence of prior season vaccination, significant protection (62% [95% CI, 17%-82%]) against community-acquired influenza was demonstrated. Substantially lower effectiveness was noted among subjects who were vaccinated in both the current and prior season. There was no evidence that vaccination prevented household transmission once influenza was introduced; adults were at particular risk despite vaccination.


CONCLUSIONS
Vaccine effectiveness estimates were lower than those demonstrated in other observational studies carried out during the same season. The unexpected findings of lower effectiveness with repeated vaccination and no protection given household exposure require further study.
Canine and Human Dirofilariosis in the Rostov Region (Southern Russia)

Epidemiological data on canine and human dirofilariosis in the Rostov Region (Southern Russia) are presented. Prevalence of Dirofilaria spp. infections in 795 autochthonous dogs, assessed by the Knott test, was 20.25%. The highest prevalence was found in Novocherkassk (38.3%) and Rostov-on-Don (18.5%), while prevalences were lower in other points of the region. Prevalence of D. repens was 44.7%, prevalence of D. immitis was 30.3%, and coinfections were observed in 25.0% of the dog population. A case finding study carried out during 9 years (2000-2009) revealed 131 cases of human dirofilariosis in the Rostov Region, 129 of subcutaneous dirofilariosis and 2 of pulmonary dirofilariosis. Seroprevalence among 317 healthy blood donors from the Rostov Region was 10.4%, while seroprevalence in policemen living in Rostov city and working in training dogs was 19%. These data show high infection rates of Dirofilaria spp. in both human and dog populations of Rostov, probably because of the existence of favorable conditions for the transmission in this region.