LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
First Multicenter Study of Modified Release Phosphatidylcholine “LT-02” in Ulcerative Colitis: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial in Mesalazine-Refractory Courses

OBJECTIVES:Phosphatidylcholine is a key component of the mucosal barrier. Treatment with modified release phosphatidylcholine aims to improve the impaired barrier function. The primary objective is to evaluate the efficacy of LT-02, a newly designed modified release phosphatidylcholine formula, in a multicenter setting.METHODS:This is a double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, superiority study conducted in 24 ambulatory referral centers in Germany, Lithuania, and Romania. A total of 156 patients with an inadequate response to mesalazine, a disease activity score (Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI)) of ≥5, and bloody diarrhea underwent treatment with 0, 0.8, 1.6, or 3.2 g LT-02. The primary end point was defined a priori as changes in SCCAI from baseline to the end of treatment. The primary statistical model was a general linear least-squares model. The study was funded by the sponsor Lipid Therapeutics, Heidelberg, Germany, and registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01011322.RESULTS:Baseline characteristics and dropouts were well balanced between all groups. The primary analyses revealed an SCCAI drop of 33.3% in the placebo group (from 9.0 to 6.0 points) compared with 44.3% in the 0.8 g LT-02 (from 8.8 to 4.9, P>0.05) and 40.7% in the 1.6 g groups (from 8.6 to 5.1, P>0.05). The 3.2 g group improved 51.7% from 8.5 to 4.1 (P=0.030 in comparison with placebo). The remission rate was 15% (6/40) in the placebo group compared with 31.4% (11/35) in the highest LT-02 dose group (P=0.089). Mucosal healing was achieved in 32.5% of placebo patients compared with 47.4% of LT-02 patients (P=0.098); the rates for histologic remission were 20% compared with 40.5%, respectively (P=0.016). There were 17 (48.6%) treatment-emergent adverse events in the highest dose group (and 0 serious adverse events (SAEs)) compared with 22 (55%) in the placebo group (4 SAEs).CONCLUSIONS:The primary end point analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in disease activity during LT-02 treatment in comparison with placebo. The drug was found to be very safe.
Applying an extended model of deterrence across cultures: An investigation of information systems misuse in the U.S. and South Korea

Intentional employee misuse of IS is a global problem. Research suggests that security countermeasures can deter misuse by increasing the perceived certainty and severity of punishment for such behavior. However, the value of generalizing this work beyond Western cultures is open to question. In our study, we examined whether national culture influenced the deterrent capabilities of security policies, security education, training, and awareness programs and computer monitoring. Using U.S. and Korean samples, we found evidence that the deterrent effect of certain security countermeasures varied between the two countries, as did the influence of age and gender. The results have implications for information security management practices in global businesses. 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Deep or shallow, NLP is breaking out

Neural net advances improve computers' language ability in many fields.
Effect of drip irrigation on growth and yield of onion (Allium cepa L.)

Drip irrigation is one of the essential, advanced and innovative irrigation methods over surface irrigation. In view of this, an experiment was conducted to study the efficiency of drip irrigation system over surface irrigation in onion during Rabi 2013-14 and 2014-15 and Kharif 2014 and 2015. The results revealed that drip irrigation system performed superior over surface irrigation system in terms of superior plant morphology, yield and quality of bulb. Drip irrigation recorded maximum plant height (66.37 cm & 61.88), number of leaves (9.23 & 8.00) and neck thickness (1.62 cm & 1.30 cm) in both Rabi and Kharif seasons. The bulb equatorial and polar diameter, higher gross yield as well as marketable yield obtained in drip irrigation system. In drip, gross yield and marketable yield increased 18.16% and 24.49%, respectively over surface irrigation method and better water use efficiency and also saved 29.36% and 27.12% water during Rabi and Kharif seasons, respectively.
Deep Reinforcement Learning for Dialogue Generation

• Current neural network models. – They have drawbacks • Solution: – Deep reinforcement learning. CISC850 Cyber Analytics
All-arthroscopic repair of Palmer 1B triangular fibrocartilage complex tears using the FasT-Fix device.

PURPOSE
The FasT-Fix device (Smith and Nephew Endoscopy, Andover, MA), initially developed for knee meniscal tears, is described for all-arthroscopic triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) repairs. Potential benefits of this technique are ease of use, the lack of prominent suture knots, and strength of repair. This case series evaluates the early clinical outcomes of this technique.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective review of patients with TFCC Palmer type 1B injuries treated by 1 hand surgeon from 2005 to 2009. The patients' charts were reviewed for postoperative complications, range of motion, grip strength (percentage of contralateral), and return to full activity. In addition, each patient completed Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) and Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) questionnaires.


RESULTS
Twelve patients had all-arthroscopic peripheral (1B) TFCC repairs using the FasT-Fix suture device. The mean follow-up period was 17.5 months (range, 11-27). Mean supination was 78° (± 14°), and mean grip strength was 64% (±16%) of the nonsurgical extremity by 3 months after surgery. All other range of motion was full. The mean QuickDASH score was 11 (±12), and the mean PRWE score was 19 (±14). Average time to full activity was 5 months. There were no surgical complications of the procedure. One patient complained of persistent ulnar-sided wrist pain 12 months after surgery and had an ulnar shortening osteotomy. Arthroscopy at the time of the osteotomy revealed that the TFCC was stable.


CONCLUSIONS
At mean 1-year follow-up, 11 out of 12 patients achieved excellent subjective outcomes based on QuickDASH and PRWE questionnaires. Although range of motion and grip strength were slightly decreased compared to prior case series reports, the short-term results indicate that the FasT-Fix all-arthroscopic, all-inside technique is a safe and effective technique for repair of Palmer type 1B TFCC tears.
Breastfeeding and dummy use have a protective effect on sudden infant death syndrome

UNLABELLED
We conducted a literature review on the effect of breastfeeding and dummy (pacifier) use on sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). From 4343 abstracts, we identified 35 relevant studies on breastfeeding and SIDS, 27 on dummy use and SIDS and 59 on dummy use versus breastfeeding.


CONCLUSION
We found ample evidence that both breastfeeding and dummy use reduce the risk of SIDS. There has been a general reluctance to endorse dummy use in case it has a detrimental effect of breastfeeding. However, recent evidence suggests that dummy use might not be as harmful to breastfeeding as previously believed.
Proton and metal ion binding to natural organic polyelectrolytes-II. Preliminary investigation with a peat and a humic acid

Abstract We summarize here experimental studies of proton and metal ion binding to a peat and a humic acid. Data analysis is based on a unified physico-chemical model for reaction of simple ions with polyelectrolytes employing a modified Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. Peat exhibited an apparent intrinsic acid dissociation constant of 10 −4.05 , and an apparent intrinsic metal ion binding constant of: 400 for cadmium ion; 600 for zinc ion; 4000 for copper ion; 20000 for lead ion. A humic acid was found to have an apparent intrinsic proton binding constant of 10 −2.6 . Copper ion binding to this humic acid sample occurred at two types of sites. The first site exhibited reaction characteristics which were independent of solution pH and required the interaction of two ligands on the humic acid matrix to simultaneously complex with each copper ion. The second complex species is assumed to be a simple monodentate copper ion-carboxylate species with a stability constant of 18.
GPUs and the Future of Parallel Computing

This article discusses the capabilities of state-of-the art GPU-based high-throughput computing systems and considers the challenges to scaling single-chip parallel-computing systems, highlighting high-impact areas that the computing research community can address. Nvidia Research is investigating an architecture for a heterogeneous high-performance computing system that seeks to address these challenges.
Ectopic pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy is a implantation occurring elsewhere than in the cavity of the uterus, whereas nintynine percent of extrauterine pregnancies occur in the fallopian tube. The incidence of extrauterine pregnancy has increased from 0.5% thirty years ago, to a present day 1–2%. The most frequent cause of tubal pregnancy is previous salpingitis. Mortality rates for tubal pregnancies used to be approximately 1.7% in the 1970 s but dropped to 0.3% in 1980 s. Diagnosis: Using transvaginal ultrasound it is possible to obtain positive evidence of an ectopic pregnancy at a very early stage. In cases of hCG titers>2000 IU/l, intrauterine pregnancy can be diagnosed with certainty. The most important differential diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy is early intrauterine pregnancy. Clinical management and therapy: Regardless of the therapeutic strategy selected by the physician, informing the patient is a major aspect of the management of ectopic pregnancy. If surgery is considered appropriate, the patient must be informed about the nature, side effects and complications of the procedure. However, it should be remembered that in some cases, the actual chances of cure first become apparent at surgery. In asymptomatic patients with a serum hCG titer <1000 IU/l that is falling, it is appropriate to wait and watch. In clinically stable patients with an unruptured tubal pregnancy and steady hCG levels, systemic treatment with methotrexate might also be considered. In unruptured tubal pregnancy with a hCG titer between 1000 and 2500, a further therapeutic alternative is intratubal injection of prostaglandins, hyperosmolar glucose of NaCl. Generally speaking, the currently widespread laparoscopic surgical treatment of the fallopian tube hardly influences the risk of recurrence. If the gestational mass is larger, the serum hCG titer higher than the approximate limit of 2500 mU/ml and/or the tube already ruptured, surgery is usually required. Prevention: The most effective prevention is to avoid tubal inflammation or, in cases of preexisting inflammation, to administer effective therapy.
Protocol for the examination of specimens from patients with merkel cell carcinoma of the skin.

Authors Priya Rao, MD, FCAP* Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California Bonnie L. Balzer, MD, PhD, FCAP Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California Bianca D. Lemos, MD Division of Dermatology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, Washington Nanette J. Liegeois, MD Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland Jennifer M. McNiff, MD, FASCP Departments of Dermatology and Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut Paul Nghiem, MD, PhD Division of Dermatology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, Washington Victor G. Prieto, MD, PhD, FCAP Departments of Pathology and Dermatology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, Texas M. Timothy Smith, MD Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina Bruce Robert Smoller, MD, FCAP Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas Mark R. Wick, MD, FCAP Department of Pathology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia David P. Frishberg, MD, FCAP† Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
Comparison of noninvasive diagnostic tests for Helicobacter pylori infection.

OBJECTIVES
Since the (13)C-urea breath test (UBT) has become a highly reliable method for the noninvasive diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection, this study was performed in order to compare the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy among noninvasive tests including capsule UBT, conventional UBT and serology in the diagnosis of H. pylori infection.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
One hundred patients received capsule UBT, conventional UBT and gave blood samples for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed in all patients. H. pylori infection was defined as the presence of a positive culture or positive results of both histology and rapid urease test (CLO test). McNemar's test was used to determine the significance of differences among capsule UBT, conventional UBT and serology. Differences were considered significant at p < 0.05.


RESULTS
According to the predefined criteria, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of capsule UBT, conventional UBT and serology was 100, 95.7, 96.4 and 100%; 100, 85.1, 88.3 and 100%, and 90.6, 85.1, 82.7 and 88.9%, respectively. The accuracy of capsule UBT was higher than that of conventional UBT and serology (98 vs. 93 and 88%, respectively). Capsule UBT had a similar ability for the detection of H. pylori infection compared with conventional UBT and serology (McNemar's test, p > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
According to our study, capsule UBT was highly accurate compared with other noninvasive tests including conventional UBT and serology. It could become a good alternative to endoscopy for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection.
Examining the feasibility and utility of an SBAR protocol in long-term care.

Ineffective nurse-physician communication in the nursing home setting adversely affects resident care as well as the work environment for both nurses and physicians. Using a repeated measures design, this quality improvement project evaluated the influence of SBAR (Situation; Background of the change; Assessment or appearance; and Request for action) protocol and training on nurse communication with medical providers, as perceived by nurses and physicians, using a pre-post questionnaire. The majority (87.5%) of nurses respondents found the tool useful to organize information and provide cues on what to communicate to medical providers. Limitations expressed by some nurses included the time to complete the tool, and communication barriers not corrected by the SBAR tool. Project findings, including reported physician satisfaction, support the use of SBAR to address both issues of complete documentation and time constraints.
An Optically Tunable Optoelectronic Oscillator

An optically tunable optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) implemented by employing a two-port optical phase modulator without using any electronic microwave filters is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The key device in the system is the two-port phase modulator, which functions, in conjunction with a dispersive element in the loop, to form a high-Q microwave filter to perform microwave frequency selection. The central frequency of the microwave filter is a function of the optical wavelength and the chromatic dispersion of the dispersive element, therefore, the oscillation frequency can be simply tuned by tuning the wavelength of the laser source or the chromatic dispersion of the dispersive element. A theoretical analysis is provided, which is verified by experiments. The phase noise performance and the frequency tunability are both experimentally investigated.
Quality of Service for Database in the Cloud

Cloud computing is a recent trend of technology that aims to provide on-demand services following a pay-peruse model. In the cloud, the service user has some guarantees, such as performance and availability. These guarantees of quality of service are defined between the service provider and user and are expressed through a service level agreement. There are many models for agreement and quality of services in cloud computing. However, most of these models are multipurpose and do not deal with data management aspects in the cloud. This paper presents QoSDBC, an approach to quality of service for database in the cloud. This approach can be used by providers to improve the quality of their services and encompasses different aspects such as response time, throughput, availability and consistency. In order to evaluate QoSDBC, some experiments that measure the quality of service are presented.
Credit SuPPLy identifying BaLanCe-Sheet ChanneLS With Loan aPPLiCationS and granted LoanS

To identify credit availability we analyze the extensive and intensive margins of lending with loan applications and all loans granted in Spain. We find that both worse economic and tighter monetary conditions reduce loan granting, especially to firms or from banks with lower capital or liquidity ratios. Moreover, responding to applications for the same loan, weak banks are less likely to grant the loan. Our results suggest that firms cannot offset the resultant credit restriction by turning to other banks. Importantly the bank-lending channel is notably stronger when we account for unobserved time-varying firm heterogeneity in loan demand and quality.
Prognostic index score and clinical prediction model of local regional recurrence after mastectomy in breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE
To develop clinical prediction models for local regional recurrence (LRR) of breast carcinoma after mastectomy that will be superior to the conventional measures of tumor size and nodal status.


METHODS AND MATERIALS
Clinical information from 1,010 invasive breast cancer patients who had primary modified radical mastectomy formed the database of the training and testing of clinical prognostic and prediction models of LRR. Cox proportional hazards analysis and Bayesian tree analysis were the core methodologies from which these models were built. To generate a prognostic index model, 15 clinical variables were examined for their impact on LRR. Patients were stratified by lymph node involvement (<4 vs. >or =4) and local regional status (recurrent vs. control) and then, within strata, randomly split into training and test data sets of equal size. To establish prediction tree models, 255 patients were selected by the criteria of having had LRR (53 patients) or no evidence of LRR without postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) (202 patients).


RESULTS
With these models, patients can be divided into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups on the basis of axillary nodal status, estrogen receptor status, lymphovascular invasion, and age at diagnosis. In the low-risk group, there is no influence of PMRT on either LRR or survival. For intermediate-risk patients, PMRT improves LR control but not metastases-free or overall survival. For the high-risk patients, however, PMRT improves both LR control and metastasis-free and overall survival.


CONCLUSION
The prognostic score and predictive index are useful methods to estimate the risk of LRR in breast cancer patients after mastectomy and for estimating the potential benefits of PMRT. These models provide additional information criteria for selection of patients for PMRT, compared with the traditional selection criteria of nodal status and tumor size.
Spatial representation of magnitude in humans (Homo sapiens), Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), and American black bears (Ursus americanus)

The spatial-numerical association of response codes (SNARC) effect is the tendency for humans to respond faster to relatively larger numbers on the left or right (or with the left or right hand) and faster to relatively smaller numbers on the other side. This effect seems to occur due to a spatial representation of magnitude either in occurrence with a number line (wherein participants respond to relatively larger numbers faster on the right), other representations such as clock faces (responses are reversed from number lines), or culturally specific reading directions, begging the question as to whether the effect may be limited to humans. Given that a SNARC effect has emerged via a quantity judgement task in Western lowland gorillas and orangutans (Gazes et al., Cog 168:312–319, 2017), we examined patterns of response on a quantity discrimination task in American black bears, Western lowland gorillas, and humans for evidence of a SNARC effect. We found limited evidence for SNARC effect in American black bears and Western lowland gorillas. Furthermore, humans were inconsistent in direction and strength of effects, emphasizing the importance of standardizing methodology and analyses when comparing SNARC effects between species. These data reveal the importance of collecting data with humans in analogous procedures when testing nonhumans for effects assumed to bepresent in humans.
Impact of comorbid conditions in COPD patients on health care resource utilization and costs in a predominantly Medicare population

BACKGROUND
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often have multiple underlying comorbidities, which may lead to increased health care resource utilization (HCRU) and costs.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the comorbidity profiles of COPD patients and examine the associations between the presence of comorbidities and HCRU or health care costs.


METHODS
A retrospective cohort study utilizing data from a large US national health plan with a predominantly Medicare population was conducted. COPD patients aged 40-89 years and continuously enrolled for 12 months prior to and 24 months after the first COPD diagnosis during the period of January 01, 2009, through December 31, 2010, were selected. Eleven comorbidities of interest were identified 12 months prior through 12 months after COPD diagnosis. All-cause and COPD-related hospitalizations and costs were assessed 24 months after diagnosis, and the associations with comorbidities were determined using multivariate statistical models.


RESULTS
Ninety-two percent of 52,643 COPD patients identified had at least one of the 11 comorbidities. Congestive heart failure (CHF), coronary artery disease, and cerebrovascular disease (CVA) had the strongest associations with all-cause hospitalizations (mean ratio: 1.56, 1.32, and 1.30, respectively; P<0.0001); other comorbidities examined had moderate associations. CHF, anxiety, and sleep apnea had the strongest associations with COPD-related hospitalizations (mean ratio: 2.01, 1.32, and 1.21, respectively; P<0.0001); other comorbidities examined (except chronic kidney disease [CKD], obesity, and osteoarthritis) had moderate associations. All comorbidities assessed (except obesity and CKD) were associated with higher all-cause costs (mean ratio range: 1.07-1.54, P<0.0001). CHF, sleep apnea, anxiety, and osteoporosis were associated with higher COPD-related costs (mean ratio range: 1.08-1.67, P<0.0001), while CVA, CKD, obesity, osteoarthritis, and type 2 diabetes were associated with lower COPD-related costs.


CONCLUSION
This study confirms that specific comorbidities among COPD patients add significant burden with higher HCRU and costs compared to patients without these comorbidities. Payers may use this information to develop tailored therapeutic interventions for improved management of patients with specific comorbidities.