LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the effect of tofacitinib on measured glomerular filtration rate in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: results from a randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION
Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). During the clinical development programme, increases in mean serum creatinine (SCr) of approximately 0.07 mg/dL and 0.08 mg/dL were observed which plateaued early. This study assessed changes in measured glomerular filtration rate (mGFR) with tofacitinib relative to placebo in patients with active RA.


METHODS
This was a randomised, placebo-controlled, Phase 1 study (NCT01484561). Patients were aged ≥18 years with active RA. Patients were randomised 2:1 to oral tofacitinib 10 mg twice daily (BID) in Period 1 then placebo BID in Period 2 (tofacitinib → placebo); or oral placebo BID in both Periods (placebo → placebo). Change in mGFR was evaluated by iohexol serum clearance at four time points (run-in, pre-dose in Period 1, Period 1 end, and Period 2 end). The primary endpoint was the change in mGFR from baseline to Period 1 end. Secondary endpoints included: change in mGFR at other time points; change in estimated GFR (eGFR; Cockcroft-Gault equation) and SCr; efficacy; and safety.


RESULTS
148 patients were randomised to tofacitinib → placebo (N = 97) or placebo → placebo (N = 51). Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. A reduction of 8% (90% confidence interval [CI]: 2%, 14%) from baseline in adjusted geometric mean mGFR was observed during tofacitinib treatment in Period 1 vs placebo. During Period 2, mean mGFR returned towards baseline during placebo treatment, and there was no difference between the two treatment groups at the end of the study--ratio (tofacitinib → placebo/placebo → placebo) of adjusted geometric mean fold change of mGFR was 1.04 (90% CI: 0.97, 1.11). Post-hoc analyses, focussed on mGFR variability in placebo → placebo patients, were consistent with this conclusion. At study end, similar results were observed for eGFR and SCr. Clinical efficacy and safety were consistent with prior studies.


CONCLUSION
Increases in mean SCr and decreases in eGFR in tofacitinib-treated patients with RA may occur in parallel with decreases in mean mGFR; mGFR returned towards baseline after tofacitinib discontinuation, with no significant difference vs placebo, even after post-hoc analyses. Safety monitoring will continue in ongoing and future clinical studies and routine pharmacovigilance.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01484561. Registered 30 November 2011.
Differentiating Type of Muscle Movement via AR Modeling and Neural Network Classification

The aim of this study is to classify electromyogram (EMG) signals for controlling multifunction proshetic devices. An artificial neural network (ANN) implementation was used for this purpose. Autoregressive (AR) parameters of a1, a2, a3, a4 and their signal power obtained from different arm muscle motions were applied to the input of ANN, which is a multilayer perceptron. At the output layer, for 5000 iterations, six movements were distinguished at a high accuracy of 97.6%.
ORCAS: optimized robots configuration and scheduling system

In this paper, we study a distributed intelligent multi-robot system (MRS) in assembly setting where robots have partially overlapping capabilities. We treat the problem of the system's self-(re)configurability and self-optimization. In this light, we propose a distributed and optimized robots configuration and scheduling system ORCAS which integrates the MRS configuration based on semantic descriptions with process scheduling.
Efficacy of vinorelbine, epirubicin and prednisone combination regimen in pretreated elderly patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
To assess the efficacy and toxic profile of the NAEPP protocol, a regimen including vinorelbine, epirubicin and prednisone, in a particularly troublesome subset of patients: pretreated elderly patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).


DESIGN AND METHODS
From November 1998 to January 2000, 20 pretreated patients who had all relapsed after first-line VNCOP-B chemotherapy were enrolled in a phase II trial and treated with the NAEPP regimen: vinorelbine (25 mg/m(2) i.v. on days 1 and 8), epirubicin (40 mg/m(2) i.v. on days 1 and 8), and prednisone (40 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8) with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor administered at 5 mg/kg/day on days 2-5 and days 9-12. Chemotherapy was repeated every 4 weeks for a total of 6 cycles.


RESULTS
Six (30%) patients achieved complete remission (CR) and 7 (35%) had partial responses (PR), giving an overall response rate of 65%. The response rate was not affected either by type of relapse presentation (nodal versus nodal plus extranodal), presence of bulky disease, or time of relapse. No major toxic effects were recorded.


INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS
These preliminary data suggest that the NAEPP regimen is an effective combination with a low toxicity profile in elderly pretreated patients with aggressive NHL. Further trials using NAEPP as a consolidation phase following first-line treatment are needed to establish the advantage in terms of CR rate and relapse-free survival in these patients.
Observational study of the outcomes and costs of initiating maintenance therapies in patients with moderate exacerbations of COPD

BACKGROUND
There are limited data describing patients with moderate COPD exacerbations and evaluating comparative effectiveness of maintenance treatments in this patient population. The study examined COPD patients with moderate COPD exacerbations. COPD-related outcomes were compared between patients initiating fluticasone propionate-salmeterol 250/50 mcg (FSC) vs anticholinergics (ACs) following a moderate COPD exacerbation.


METHODS
This retrospective observational study used a large administrative claims database (study period: 2003-2009) to identify and describe patients with an initial, moderate COPD exacerbation. A descriptive analysis of patients with moderate COPD exacerbations was done evaluating maintenance treatment rates, subsequent COPD exacerbation rates, and COPD-related costs during a 1-year period. A cohort analysis compared COPD exacerbation rates and associated costs during a variable-length follow-up period between patients initiating maintenance therapy with FSC or ACs. COPD exacerbations were reported as rate per 100 patient-years, and monthly costs were reported (standardized to USD 2009). COPD exacerbation rates between cohorts were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models, and costs were analyzed using generalized linear models with log-link and gamma distribution.


RESULTS
21,524 patients with a moderate COPD exacerbation were identified. Only 25% initiated maintenance therapy, and 13% had a subsequent exacerbation. Annual costs averaged $594 per patient. A total of 2,849 treated patients (FSC = 925; AC = 1,924) were eligible for the cohort analysis. The FSC cohort had a significantly lower rate of COPD exacerbations compared to the AC cohort (20.8 vs 32.8; P = 0.04). After adjusting for differences in baseline covariates, the FSC cohort had a 42% significantly lower risk of a COPD exacerbation (HR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.38, 0.91). The FSC cohort incurred significantly higher adjusted pharmacy costs per patient per month by $37 (95% CI: $19, $72) for COPD-related medications vs the AC cohort. However, this increase was offset by a significant reduction in adjusted monthly medical costs per patient for the FSC vs the AC cohort ($82 vs $112; P < 0.05). Total monthly COPD-related costs, as a result, did not differ between cohorts.


CONCLUSIONS
Only a quarter of patients with a moderate COPD exacerbation were subsequently treated with maintenance therapy. Initiation of FSC among those treated was associated with better clinical and economic outcomes compared to AC.
Factors that influence young people's mental health help-seeking behaviour: a study based on the Health Belief Model.

AIM
To identify key predictors and moderators of mental health 'help-seeking behavior' in adolescents.


BACKGROUND
Mental illness is highly prevalent in adolescents and young adults; however, individuals in this demographic group are among the least likely to seek help for such illnesses. Very little quantitative research has examined predictors of help-seeking behaviour in this demographic group.


DESIGN
A cross-sectional design was used.


METHODS
A group of 180 volunteers between the ages of 17-25 completed a survey designed to measure hypothesized predictors and moderators of help-seeking behaviour. Predictors included a range of health beliefs, personality traits and attitudes. Data were collected in August 2010 and were analysed using two standard and three hierarchical multiple regression analyses.


FINDINGS
The standard multiple regression analyses revealed that extraversion, perceived benefits of seeking help, perceived barriers to seeking help and social support were direct predictors of help-seeking behaviour. Tests of moderated relationships (using hierarchical multiple regression analyses) indicated that perceived benefits were more important than barriers in predicting help-seeking behaviour. In addition, perceived susceptibility did not predict help-seeking behaviour unless individuals were health conscious to begin with or they believed that they would benefit from help.


CONCLUSION
A range of personality traits, attitudes and health beliefs can predict help-seeking behaviour for mental health problems in adolescents. The variable 'Perceived Benefits' is of particular importance as it is: (1) a strong and robust predictor of help-seeking behaviour; and (2) a factor that can theoretically be modified based on health promotion programmes.
Dynamic inventory strategies for profit maximization in a service facility with stochastic service, demand and lead time

This paper addresses an optimal inventory control in a supply chain in which customers arrive at a facility according to a Poisson process and the facility provides service which takes exponential amounts of time, using items supplied by an outside supplier with exponential lead time process. Formulating our model as a Markov decision problem, we identify a replenishment policy which maximizes the facility’s profit subject to the costs of service delay, inventory holding, and replenishment setup and analytically examine how the changes in system parameters affect the optimal profit and the optimal replenishment policy. We show that these results can be extended to Erlang lead time process. We present numerical study for the optimal performance evaluation and comparison of the optimal replenishment policy with ðQ; rÞ policy.
ARIA in the pharmacy: management of allergic rhinitis symptoms in the pharmacy. Allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma.

Allergic rhinitis is a symptomatic disorder of the nose induced by an immunoglobulin (IgE)-mediated inflammation of the nasal membranes in response to allergen exposure (1). Predominant symptoms are rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, nasal itching and sneezing, which improve spontaneously or with treatment (1–3). The high prevalence of allergic rhinitis and its effect on quality of life have led to its being classified as a major chronic respiratory disease (1, 4). It is reported to affect 10% to 40% of the global population and its prevalence is increasing both in children and adults. Allergic rhinitis can significantly reduce quality of life (5), impairing sleep and adversely affecting leisure, social life, school performance (6) and work productivity (7). The direct and indirect financial costs of allergic rhinitis are substantial. Indirect costs include sick leave, school and work absenteeism and loss of productivity (8, 9). Asthma and rhinitis are common co-morbidities suggesting the concept of ‘‘one airway, one disease’’ (1). In addition, allergic rhinitis is associated with conjunctivitis and sinusitis. Recently, advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying inflammation of the upper and lower airways have led to improved therapeutic strategies for managing allergic rhinitis. Practice guidelines incorporating these advances have been developed (1). In addition, a new classification of allergic rhinitis aids the establishment of appropriate initial treatment strategy based on the duration and intensity of the patient’s symptoms and lifestyle limitations (1, 10). Many patients who suffer with allergic rhinitis do not recognise the process as such anddonot consult a physician (10, 11). Others commonly seek self-treatment for relief of symptoms using proven or unproven therapies. Worldwide, pharmacists receive sophisticated clinical training. Given the well-known and well-publicised recognition of iatrogenic disease, pharmacists’ skills represent an enormous potential resource to maximise the benefits and minimise the adverse events associated with pharmacotherapy (12). Pharmaceutical care includes prevention, treatment or cure of a disease (13). Interest and expectation that pharmacists provide broader ‘‘pharmaceutical care’’ services has therefore increased (14). Pharmaceutical care for the patient is likely to be optimal when there is collaboration between pharmacists, patients and other health care professionals, specifically physicians. In many countries, advice in pharmacies may not necessarily be from a qualified pharmacist but from a member of staff under the supervision of a pharmacist. Members of the workshops* Paris, October 23, 2002 San Antonio, November 17, 2002
Mergers and Acquisitions : Strategic and Informational Issues

A merger is a transaction that combines two firms, leaving one surviving entity. An acquisition is the purchase of one firm by another individual or firm. Both transactions fall under the more general heading of takeovers. Takeovers can play a constructive economic role, for example by removing inefficient management or by achieving economies of scale and complementarity. On the other hand, they can have the possibly less desirable effect of redistributing wealth, as in takeovers that exploit tax benefits or expropriate bondholders or stakeholders. Finally, takeovers may reduce efficiency if they reflect agency problems on the part of bidding managers, or result simply from misjudgments. There are many important conflicts of interest and informational differences among parties to takeovers: bidding shareholders who only want an acquisition if the price of the target is not too high compared to underlying value, bidding management who may seek self-aggrandization through takeover, target shareholders who wish to obtain a price that fully reflects any possible takeover improvements, target management who wish to retain private benefits of control, and potential competing bidders deciding whether to make their own offers. This essay describes the relationships between different models of the takeover process, and where possible provides analytical syntheses to integrate major trends in the literature. I focus mainly on three types of models: (1) models of tender offers, which examine the decisions of individual shareholders whether to tender (sell) their shares to a bidder, (2) models of competition among multiple bidders, and (3) models that examine the voting power of target managers who own shares, l Beginning with (1), tender offers to purchase shares directly from shareholders are a crucial mechanism for overcoming management opposition to takeover,
Automating keyphrase extraction with multi-objective genetic algorithms

Keyphrases have been used extensively in IR systems to facilitate information exchange, organize information and assist information retrieval. Automation of keyphrase generation is essential for the timely creation of keyphrases for large repositories in new domains where previous thesauri do not exist or for metacollections in which keyphrases that are meaningful across disparate collections are needed. In this paper we propose an automated keyphrase extraction algorithm using a non-dominated sorting multi-objective genetic algorithm. The "clumping" property of keyphrases is used to judge the appropriateness of a phrase and is quantified by a condensation clustering measure proposed by Bookstein. The objective is to find the smallest phrase set that has the best precision, as measured by average condensation clustering. Keyphrases were retrieved from a collection of design conference papers and the results were presented to domain experts for evaluation. Ninety percent of the generated phrases were deemed appropriate for use in a thesaurus for engineering design.
The Origin of Baryonic Matter in the Universe: A Brief Review

I briefly review the main ideas and challenges involved in the computation of the observed baryonic asymmetry of the Universe.
Politicising 'independent' curatorial practice under neoliberalism : critical responses to the structural pressures of project-making

2
Capturing sexual assault data: An information system designed by forensic clinicians and healthcare researchers.

BACKGROUND
The Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC) in Perth, Western Australia provides free 24-hour medical, forensic, and counseling services to persons aged over 13 years following sexual assault.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this research was to design a data management system that maintains accurate quality information on all sexual assault cases referred to SARC, facilitating audit and peer-reviewed research.


METHODS
The work to develop SARC Medical Services Clinical Information System (SARC-MSCIS) took place during 2007-2009 as a collaboration between SARC and Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia. Patient demographics, assault details, including injury documentation, and counseling sessions were identified as core data sections. A user authentication system was set up for data security. Data quality checks were incorporated to ensure high-quality data.


RESULTS
An SARC-MSCIS was developed containing three core data sections having 427 data elements to capture patient's data. Development of the SARC-MSCIS has resulted in comprehensive capacity to support sexual assault research. Four additional projects are underway to explore both the public health and criminal justice considerations in responding to sexual violence. The data showed that 1,933 sexual assault episodes had occurred among 1881 patients between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2015. Sexual assault patients knew the assailant as a friend, carer, acquaintance, relative, partner, or ex-partner in 70% of cases, with 16% assailants being a stranger to the patient.


CONCLUSION
This project has resulted in the development of a high-quality data management system to maintain information for medical and forensic services offered by SARC. This system has also proven to be a reliable resource enabling research in the area of sexual violence.
Changes in Body Fat Distribution and Fitness Are Associated With Changes in Hemoglobin A1c After 9 Months of Exercise Training

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the associations between changes in body composition and fitness after exercise training and changes in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in individuals with type 2 diabetes.


RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Participants (n = 201) were randomized to aerobic, resistance, or combined training for 9 months. HbA1c, waist circumference, total and trunk fat mass, appendicular fat mass, lean body mass, isokinetic leg muscle strength, peak O2 uptake, and estimated METs were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Change in HbA1c was evaluated across quartiles of change in body composition and fitness.


RESULTS
Change in HbA1c was associated with changes in body weight (r = 0.13, P = 0.052), waist circumference (r = 0.17, P = 0.013), trunk fat mass (r = 0.19, P = 0.005), and estimated METs (r = -0.16, P = 0.023). There was a trend in change in HbA1c across quartiles of waist circumference (P = 0.011), trunk fat mass (P = 0.020), and estimated METs (P = 0.011). Participants with increased estimated METs and reduced trunk fat mass had greater odds of having reduced HbA1c after training (3.48, 1.46-8.31). Finally, participants with increased estimated METs and reduced waist circumference were 2.81 (1.13-6.98) times more likely to have reduced HbA1c and type 2 diabetes medication use than those without improved fitness and central adiposity.


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with type 2 diabetes, a reduction in central adiposity and increase in fitness were the most prominent predictors of the change in HbA1c in response to exercise training.
Approaches for identifying germ cell mutagens: Report of the 2013 IWGT workshop on germ cell assays(☆).

This workshop reviewed the current science to inform and recommend the best evidence-based approaches on the use of germ cell genotoxicity tests. The workshop questions and key outcomes were as follows. (1) Do genotoxicity and mutagenicity assays in somatic cells predict germ cell effects? Limited data suggest that somatic cell tests detect most germ cell mutagens, but there are strong concerns that dictate caution in drawing conclusions. (2) Should germ cell tests be done, and when? If there is evidence that a chemical or its metabolite(s) will not reach target germ cells or gonadal tissue, it is not necessary to conduct germ cell tests, notwithstanding somatic outcomes. However, it was recommended that negative somatic cell mutagens with clear evidence for gonadal exposure and evidence of toxicity in germ cells could be considered for germ cell mutagenicity testing. For somatic mutagens that are known to reach the gonadal compartments and expose germ cells, the chemical could be assumed to be a germ cell mutagen without further testing. Nevertheless, germ cell mutagenicity testing would be needed for quantitative risk assessment. (3) What new assays should be implemented and how? There is an immediate need for research on the application of whole genome sequencing in heritable mutation analysis in humans and animals, and integration of germ cell assays with somatic cell genotoxicity tests. Focus should be on environmental exposures that can cause de novo mutations, particularly newly recognized types of genomic changes. Mutational events, which may occur by exposure of germ cells during embryonic development, should also be investigated. Finally, where there are indications of germ cell toxicity in repeat dose or reproductive toxicology tests, consideration should be given to leveraging those studies to inform of possible germ cell genotoxicity.