LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of pregabalin in elderly people with generalised anxiety disorder.

BACKGROUND
Pregabalin is a novel compound that has been shown to have efficacy in the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder and is licensed for the treatment of the disorder in the European Union.


AIMS
The current study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pregabalin, an alpha(2)delta-ligand, in the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder in people 65 years and older.


METHOD
This was a double-blind, randomised (2:1), placebo-controlled, 8-week trial of pregabalin, in flexible doses of 150-600 mg/day, in the treatment of DSM-IV generalised anxiety disorder with a baseline Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HRSA) total score >/=20. The primary outcome was end-point (week 8 or last visit, with last observation carried forward (LOCF)) change in HRSA total score.


RESULTS
A total of 273 patients (women, 78%; mean age, 72 years (s.d.=6); mean baseline HRSA total score, 26 (s.d.=4.6)) were randomised and received study treatment. On the primary intent-to-treat LOCF analysis, pregabalin was associated with a 2-point greater reduction in HRSA total score than placebo (12.87 v. 10.7; P<0.05). In a post hoc repeated measures mixed-effect model analysis, pregabalin was associated with significantly greater improvement than placebo in the HRSA total score from week 2 (-9.8 (s.d.=0.6) v. -7.2 (s.d.=0.8); P=0.0052) through week 8 (-14.4 (s.d.=0.6) v. -11.6 (s.d.=0.8); P=0.0070). Significant improvement was observed in the pregabalin group on both the HRSA psychic and somatic anxiety factors. There was a significantly greater decrease from baseline in mean Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) score with pregabalin compared with placebo (-5.48 (s.d.=0.46) v. -4.02 (s.d.=0.59); P=0.041). Pregabalin was well-tolerated, with almost all adverse events in the mild-to-moderate range, and self-limiting (median duration of 4-16 days). Discontinuations due to adverse events were similar for pregabalin (10.7%) and placebo (9.4%).


CONCLUSIONS
Pregabalin, in doses of 150-600 mg/day, was a safe and effective treatment of generalised anxiety disorder in patients 65 years and older. The anxiolytic efficacy of pregabalin had an early onset (by 2 weeks) and significantly improved both psychic and somatic symptoms of anxiety.
Rogue-Access-Point Detection: Challenges, Solutions, and Future Directions

Rogue devices are an increasingly dangerous reality in the insider threat problem domain. Industry, government, and academia need to be aware of this problem and promote state-of-the-art detection methods.
Gender gap in the executive suite: CEOs and female executives report on breaking the glass ceiling

Executive Overview While business organizations are struggling to hold on to their best and brightest women, the persistence of the glass ceiling makes this diiiicult. Dismantling the glass ceiling requires an accurate understanding of the overt and subtle barriers to advancement faced by women, and the strategies used to overcome these barriers. A large-scale, national survey of Fortune 1000 CEOs and the highest-ranking, most successful women in their companies identified key career strategies used by the women in their rise to the top, and the barriers to advancement they faced in their firms. A startling finding of the study was the disparity in the perceptions of chief executive officers and the high-ranking women in their firms. The Fortune 1000 CEOs had vastly different perceptions of the organizational and environmental barriers faced by their female employees, and in their companies' progress towards equality in the workplace.
MINERAL AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF BASALTS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF GIZA, EGYPT

Abstract The Sixth of October and El-Haddadine Basalts lie to the west of Cairo, in the neighbourhood of Giza, and occur as lava flows and volcanic cones associated with the initial (Early Miocene) stages of the opening of the Red Sea. On the basis of mineral and whole rock chemistry they are classified as quartz tholeiites, derived from a heterogeneous upper mantle source with a low degree of melting. The heterogeneity probably was caused by interaction of the mantle with a kimberlite melt.
Extremely high exposures in an obese patient receiving high-dose cyclophosphamide, thiotepa and carboplatin

An obese 53-year-old woman (height 167 cm, weight 130 kg) with metastatic breast cancer received high-dose chemotherapy comprising cyclophosphamide, thiotepa and carboplatin (CTC). The cyclophosphamide (1 g/m2 per day) and thiotepa (80 mg/m2 per day) doses were based on body surface area (BSA) calculated using total body weight (TBW). The daily carboplatin dose was calculated based on the Calvert formula, using a target area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) value of 3.25 mg·min/ml and applying the Cockcroft-Gault equation to estimate the glomerular filtration rate. The patient received the three agents as short infusions over four consecutive days. For therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), blood samples were collected on day 1. Thiotepa and its main metabolite tepa, ultrafilterable platinum, cyclophosphamide and its activated metabolite 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide were determined. Individual pharmacokinetics were assessed using Bayesian analysis. Exposure to the individual compounds was determined by calculating the AUC. Exposures to 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide, the combination of thiotepa/tepa and carboplatin were 94%, 117% and 71% higher than the median respective exposures in a non-obese population of patients (n=24) receiving similar doses. Because high AUCs of 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide, thiotepa/tepa and carboplatin correlate with increased toxicity, the treatment risk in this obese patient was significantly increased. Therefore doses were adapted on the 3rd day of the course. It is concluded that cyclophosphamide and thiotepa in obese patients should not be dosed on the basis of BSA incorporating TBW since the patient will be overexposed. Moreover, applying the Cockcroft-Gault equation to obese patients leads to an overprediction of creatinine clearance and, when used in the Calvert equation, consequently to a carboplatin dose that is too high. Obese patients represent a unique group of patients in which TDM is extremely valuable in optimizing dosing, particularly in high-dose chemotherapy.
Phase transition and heterogeneous / epitaxial nucleation of hydrated and anhydrous theophylline crystals

Theophylline crystallizes in the anhydrous or monohydrate form. The solubility of the anhydrous form exceeds the solubility of the monohydrate form below 60°C. The anhydrous: hydrate phase transition of theophylhne in buffered suspensions has been studied by measurement of the supersaturation profile and the crystal size djstributions. The role of c~stallographic parameters in the nucleation and growth of monohydrate crystals, during dissolution of the anhydrous phase, has been investigated. A solvent-mediated route has been identified and can be described in terms of the dissolution kinetics of the anhydrous phase and the nucleation and growth kinetics of the hydrated phase. The growth rate of the monohydrate crystals depends on the square of the supersaturation and is independent of the stirring rate. which suggests a surface-controlled growth process. The dissolution rate of the anhydrous crystals depends on the 1.5 order of the undersaturation and is inversely proportional to the square root of the crystal size. Anhydrous theophyIline crystals act as heterogeneous nucleation substrates for the crystals of the monohydrate phase and these grow epitaxiafly on the anhydrous crystals. Based on the kinetic equations for dissolution of the anhydrous form and crystallization of the monohydrate form, a computer simulation has been developed that predicts the changes in the concentration of theophylhne in solution during the phase transition.
Fitness efficacy of vibratory exercise compared to walking in postmenopausal women

In this study, we compared the efficacy of 8 months of low-frequency vibration and a walk-based program in health-related fitness. Twenty-seven postmenopausal women were randomly assigned into two groups: whole-body vibration (WBV) group (n = 18) performed three times/week a static exercise on a vibration platform (6 sets of 1-min with 1 min of rest, with a 12.6 Hz of frequency and an amplitude of 3 mm); walk-based program (WP) group (n = 18) performed three times/week a 60-min of walk activity at 70–75% of maximal heart rate. A health-related battery of tests was applied. Maximal unilateral concentric and eccentric isokinetic torque of the knee extensors was recorded by an isokinetic dynamometer. Physical fitness was measured using the following tests: vertical jump test, chair rise test and maximal walking speed test over 4 m. Maximal unilateral isokinetic strength was measured in the knee extensors in concentric actions at 60 and 300°/s, and eccentric action at 60°/s. After 8 months, the WP improved the time spent to walk 4 m (20%) and to perform the chair rise test (12%) compared to the WBV group (P = 0.006, 0.002, respectively). In contrast, the comparison of the changes in vertical jump showed the higher effectiveness of the vibratory exercise in 7% (P = 0.025). None of exercise programs showed change on isokinetic measurements. These results indicate that both programs differed in the main achievements and could be complementary to prevent lower limbs muscle strength decrease as we age [ISRCTN76235671].
PWM Switching Technique for Three-Phase Bidirectional Grid-Tie DC–AC–AC Converter With High-Frequency Isolation

Galvanic isolation based high-frequency transformers have become very attractive in bidirectional dc/ac converters. This paper presents a new pulse width modulation (PWM) switching technique for controlling a bidirectional isolated dc–ac–ac converter employing a high-frequency link transformer. The proposed PWM technique has the ability to control the input dc current and to inject a sinusoidal three-phase current to the grid at unity power factor. The primary-side is an H-bridge converter used to convert the dc voltage to a high-frequency square-wave single-phase voltage. The secondary side is a matrix converter used to convert the grid three-phase voltage to a high-frequency single-phase waveform. The dc–ac–ac converter utilizes a high-frequency link transformer for the galvanic isolation between the H-bridge and matrix converters as alternative for the bulky line-frequency transformers (50/60 Hz). The bidirectional power flow is controlled by the phase shift angle between the primary and secondary voltages of the high-frequency transformer. The mathematical model and the circuit operational modes are presented along with the voltage controllable limit. The feasibility of the proposed PWM switching technique and the accuracy of the mathematical model are demonstrated experimentally by using a 200 V/1 kW laboratory prototype system.
Preeclampsia and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Dessie referral hospital, Northeast Ethiopia: a hospital-based study

BACKGROUND
Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in Ethiopia. It has been increasing and linked to multiple factors, making prevention of the disease a continuous challenge. Yet few studies have been conducted in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with preeclampsia among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Dessie referral hospital, Northeast Ethiopia.


METHODS
A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Dessie referral hospital between August and September 2013. All pregnant women who had antenatal visit at Dessie referral hospital were included for the study. A total of 490 pregnant women were enrolled in the study. Pretested and structured questionnaire via face-to-face interview technique was used for data collection. The data were entered in to EPI info version 3.5.3 statistical software and exported to SPSS version 20 statistical package for further analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to explore the data in relation to relevant variables. Binary logistic regression analysis was employed. Odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was computed to identify factors associated with Preeclampsia.


RESULTS
The prevalence of preeclampsia among pregnant women in Dessie referral hospital was found to be 8.4%. Women having family history of hypertension [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 7.19 (95% CI 3.24-15.2)], chronic hypertension [AOR = 4.3 (95% CI 1.33-13.9)], age ≥35 years [AOR = 4.5 (95% CI 1.56-12.8)], family history of diabetes mellitus [AOR = 2.4 (95% CI 1.09-5.6)] and being unmarried [AOR = 3.03 (95% CI 1.12 - 8.2)] were found to be associated with preeclampsia.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of preeclampsia in this hospital was lower that other studies. Having personal or family history of hypertension, older age, and family history of diabetic mellitus were factors associated with preeclampsia. Encouraging pregnant women to have health seeking behavior during pregnancy would provide a chance to diagnose preeclampsia as early as possible.
What Landscape Means to Me

AbstractPaul Evans is a freelance writer and broadcaster specialising in ecological and landscape issues. He is a Country Diarist and a regular contributor of environmental features for The Guardian, Nature Watch columnist for The Guardian Weekly, a presenter of the BBC Radio 4 programme Nature and a contributor to other radio programmes – such as Landlines – and environmental periodicals. He has a background in horticulture, arboriculture and nature conservation, is a past chair of BANC (British Association of Nature Conservationists) and has interests in natural history, poetry and wandering about in woods. Much of the author's work is concerned with what he calls a philosophy of Nature, and how values, attitudes and ideas affect our understanding of phenomena in the environment. He lives with his family in Much Wenlock, Shropshire.
Computational techniques for solving the bidomain equations in three dimensions

The bidomain equations are the most complete description of cardiac electrical activity. Their numerical solution is, however, computationally demanding, especially in three dimensions, because of the fine temporal and spatial sampling required. This paper methodically examines computational performance when solving the bidomain equations. Several techniques to speed up this computation are examined in this paper. The first step was to recast the equations into a parabolic part and an elliptic part. The parabolic part was solved by either the finite-element method (FEM) or the interconnected cable model (ICCM). The elliptic equation was solved by FEM on a coarser grid than the parabolic problem and at a reduced frequency. The performance of iterative and direct linear equation system solvers was analyzed as well as the scalability and parallelizability of each method. Results indicate that the ICCM was twice as fast as the FEM for solving the parabolic problem, but when the total problem was considered, this resulted in only a 20% decrease in computation time. The elliptic problem could be solved on a coarser grid at one-quarter of the frequency at which the parabolic problem was solved and still maintain reasonable accuracy. Direct methods were faster than iterative methods by at least 50% when a good estimate of the extracellular potential was required. Parallelization over four processors was efficient only when the model comprised at least 500 000 nodes. Thus, it was possible to speed up solution of the bidomain equations by an order of magnitude with a slight decrease in accuracy.
Pathogenetic relevance of the pregnancy hormone relaxin to inborn hip instability

The etiology of inborn hip dysplasia is unknown. In general, a multifactorial genesis is assumed. The influence of hormones on the development of the fetal hip joint and its stability is discussed as well as mechanical influences. This study was carried out with the intention to examine the correlation between the concentration of the pregnancy hormone relaxin and the stability of the hip joint in newborns. Both hips of 90 newborn children were examined clinically and sonographically. In 25 hips (13.9%), pathological sonograms according to the classification of Graf were found. The relaxin concentration was measured in cord blood using a heterologous radioimmunoassay. Statistical evaluation revealed an insignificant decrease of relaxin concentration with increasing sonographic hip instability. The results indicate that hip instability frequently occurs with decreasing relaxin concentration. These facts contradict the earlier assumption that hip instability coincides with increased relaxin concentrations in newborns. We assume that there is a worse preparation of the pelvis and the birth canal during pregnancy due to the lower relaxin concentration and thus that there could be a higher pressure on the fetus in the perinatal phase. A decreased relaxin concentration seems to have no direct effect on the hip joint tissue, but indirectly there is consequent rigidity of the tissue in mother and child, which
Treatment and outcomes of urethral recurrence of urinary bladder cancer in women after radical cystectomy and orthotopic neobladder: a series of 12 cases.

INTRODUCTION
The incidence, treatment, and outcome of urethral recurrence (UR) after radical cystectomy (RC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer with orthotopic neobladder in women have rarely been addressed in the literature.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
A total of 12 patients (median age at recurrence: 60 years) who experienced UR after RC with an orthotopic neobladder were selected for this study from a cohort of 456 women from participating institutions. The primary clinical and pathological characteristics at RC, including the manifestation of the UR and its treatment and outcome, were reviewed.


RESULTS
The primary bladder tumors in the 12 patients were urothelial carcinoma in 8 patients, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma in 1 patient each, and mixed histology in 2 patients. Three patients (25%) had lymph node-positive disease at RC. The median time from RC to the detection of UR was 8 months (range 4-55). Eight recurrences manifested with clinical symptoms and 4 were detected during follow-up or during a diagnostic work-up for clinical symptoms caused by distant metastases. Treatment modalities were surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and bacillus Calmette-Guérin urethral instillations. Nine patients died of cancer. The median survival after the diagnosis of UR was 6 months.


CONCLUSIONS
UR after RC with an orthotopic neobladder in females is rare. Solitary, noninvasive recurrences have a favorable prognosis when detected early. Invasive recurrences are often associated with local and distant metastases and have a poor prognosis.
Neointimal coverage and stent strut apposition six months after implantation of a paclitaxel eluting stent in acute coronary syndromes: an optical coherence tomography study.

OBJECTIVES
Prospective optical coherence tomography (OCT) study of strut apposition and neointimal hyperplasia thickness (NIH) of a paclitaxel eluting stent (PES), (Infinium, Sahajanand Medical Technologies Pvt Ltd.).


BACKGROUND
Few data exist concerning neointimal coverage of PES. Uncovered and malapposed struts are more common following stenting in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) than in non-ACS lesions.


METHODS
All consecutive patients with ACS, treated with the above PES for single native coronary lesions between August 2008 and January 2009, who consented to invasive follow-up with OCT at six months (N=13), were included.


RESULTS
At 6 months no patient demonstrated angiographic restenosis. 3180 struts from 20 stents were analyzed, and 91.3% were covered with neointima (NIH 204.8 ± 159.5 μm). Standard statistics and least squares estimates (LSE) derived from a hierarchical ANCOVA model to take into account clustering effects are presented. Rate of uncovered struts was 8.6%, LSE 7.39 (95% CI 3.05-11.73), malapposed struts 2.2%, LSE 1.76 (95% CI 0.05-3.58), and protruding struts 2.9%, LSE 2.8 (95% CI 1.35-4.65). The proportion of uncovered malapposed struts was significantly higher compared to uncovered embedded struts (55.7% vs. 6.8%, p<0.01). In total, 5 (25%) PES were fully covered by neointima. No intracoronary thrombus or clinical events were detected.


CONCLUSIONS
Six months after implantation of a specific PES in patients with ACS, most of the stents were only partially covered with neointima, especially at sites of strut malapposition or protrusion. These findings emphasize the need for optimal stent apposition during implantation and for prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy.
Cellular prion protein protects from inflammatory and neuropathic pain

Cellular prion protein (PrPC) inhibits N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Since NMDA receptors play an important role in the transmission of pain signals in the dorsal horn of spinal cord, we thus wanted to determine if PrPC null mice show a reduced threshold for various pain behaviours.We compared nociceptive thresholds between wild type and PrPC null mice in models of inflammatory and neuropathic pain, in the presence and the absence of a NMDA receptor antagonist. 2-3 months old male PrPC null mice exhibited an MK-801 sensitive decrease in the paw withdrawal threshold in response both mechanical and thermal stimuli. PrPC null mice also exhibited significantly longer licking/biting time during both the first and second phases of formalin-induced inflammation of the paw, which was again prevented by treatment of the mice with MK-801, and responded more strongly to glutamate injection into the paw. Compared to wild type animals, PrPC null mice also exhibited a significantly greater nociceptive response (licking/biting) after intrathecal injection of NMDA. Sciatic nerve ligation resulted in MK-801 sensitive neuropathic pain in wild-type mice, but did not further augment the basal increase in pain behaviour observed in the null mice, suggesting that mice lacking PrPC may already be in a state of tonic central sensitization. Altogether, our data indicate that PrPC exerts a critical role in modulating nociceptive transmission at the spinal cord level, and fit with the concept of NMDA receptor hyperfunction in the absence of PrPC.
Weight gain associated with clozapine, olanzapine and risperidone in children and adolescents

The study was aimed at the evaluation of weight gain associated with atypical antipsychotics and its clinical risk factors in children and adolescents. Weight and body mass index (BMI) of initially hospitalised patients treated with clozapine (n = 15), olanzapine (n = 15), and risperidone (n = 15) were prospectively monitored on a weekly basis for the first 6 weeks. Different clinical risk factors were tested for their association with weight gain in the three groups. All three groups experienced significant weight gain between baseline and endpoint (p < 0.0001). For all weight measures, planned comparisons were all significant between olanzapine vs. clozapine and risperidone, respectively. Average weight gain was significantly higher for the olanzapine group (mean = 4.6 kg, SD = 1.9) than for the risperidone (mean = 2.8 kg, SD = 1.3) and clozapine (mean = 2.5 kg, SD = 2.9) groups. Olanzapine and risperidone, but not clozapine, caused a disproportionately higher weight gain in children and adolescents in comparison to adults.
A new proof of Reifenbergs topological disc theorem

We offer a new proof to the classical topological disk theorem of Reifenberg. The novelty of our method is that we construct the approximating surfaces globally, which makes our proof rather simple and direct.