LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Adjunctive treatment with oral AKL1, a botanical nutraceutical, in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

PURPOSE
The objective of this pilot trial was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AKL1, a patented botanical formulation containing extracts of Picrorhiza kurroa, Ginkgo biloba, and Zingiber officinale, as add-on therapy for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic cough.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled male and female patients >18 years old with COPD and Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) score of <18. The 10-week study period comprised a 2-week single-blind placebo run-in period followed by add-on treatment with AKL1 or placebo twice daily for 8 weeks. The primary study endpoint was the change from week 0 to week 8 in cough-related health status, as assessed by the LCQ.


RESULTS
Of 33 patients enrolled, 20 were randomized to AKL1 and 13 to placebo. Patients included 19 (58%) men and 14 (42%) women of mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 67 (9.4) years; 15 (45%) patients were smokers and 16 (49%) were ex-smokers. The mean (SD) change from baseline in LCQ score at 8 weeks was 2.3 (4.9) in the AKL1 group and 0.6 (3.7) in the placebo group, with mean difference in change of 1.8 (95% confidence interval: -1.5 to 5.1; P=0.28). The St George's Respiratory Questionnaire score improved substantially in the AKL1 treatment group by a mean (SD) of -7.7 (11.7) versus worsening in the placebo group (+1.5 [9.3]), with mean difference in change of -9.2 (95% confidence interval: -19.0 to 0.6; P=0.064). There were no significant differences between treatment groups in change from baseline to week 8 in other patient-reported measures, lung function, or the 6-minute walk distance.


CONCLUSION
Further study is needed with a larger patient population and over a longer duration to better assess the effects of add-on therapy with AKL1 in COPD.
Predictors of acupuncture use among children and adolescents with cancer.

BACKGROUND
Evidence for the application of acupuncture in pediatric oncology is limited. We investigated the acceptance of acupuncture and factors associated with its use among children and adolescents with cancer.


METHODS
Ninety acupuncture-naïve children receiving cancer treatment at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) provided consent/assent for participation. Participants could choose to receive or refuse integrative services offered at CUMC. Symptoms were collected for a 6-month period with the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS). Acute and delayed adverse events among participants who received acupuncture were recorded.


RESULTS
Fifty-four percent of the participants elected to receive acupuncture. In total, 252 acupuncture sessions were administered with a median of four sessions per patient (range 1-13 sessions). Pain (56%), nausea (51%), lack of energy (50%), and irritability (43%) were the most frequently reported symptoms in the whole cohort. Determinants of acupuncture use included older age and ethnicity. Acupuncture was more likely than other integrative modalities to be used for gastrointestinal and constitutional symptoms including drowsiness (odds ratio [OR], 3.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.98-5.66; P < 0.0001), lack of energy (OR, 3.23; 95% CI, 1.78-5.87; P = 0.0001), and pain (OR, 2.63; 95% CI, 1.46-4.72; P = 0.001). Adverse events were reported by 3% of the participants. There was no increased incidence of adverse events in children with thrombocytopenia (P = 0.189) or neutropenia (P = 0.497).


CONCLUSION
Our results highlight the potential use of acupuncture as a safe, adjunctive therapy for symptom management within existing supportive care regimens in pediatric oncology and potential areas to focus research initiatives.
The Role of Teacher Mentoring in Educational Reform. PREL Briefing Paper.

Teacher mentoring programs are perceived as an effective staff development approach for beginning teachers. By establishing mentoring programs, districts serve two purposes: novice teachers get a strong start in their careers, and experienced classroom teachers serving as mentors receive recognition and incentives. Supporting beginning teachers at the outset contributes to retention in the school system. The significance of mentoring for beginning teachers is gaining wider recognition throughout the Pacific region. The mentoring process extends far beyond supporting new teachers, and it is more demanding then classroom teaching. Even experienced teachers cannot always objectively assess the quality of new teachers' teaching performance. In education, mentoring is a complex, multidimensional process of guiding, teaching, influencing, and supporting new teachers. The terms mentoring, modeling, and coaching are often used interchangeably by educators, though there are actually significant differences in concept. Functions of the mentor teacher vary according to the needs of the new employee, the goals of the mentoring program, and the local educational context or situation. Staff development is crucial in creating successful mentoring relationships. As many teachers are leaving the profession, it is important to devise new support structures to induct and retain new teachers. Four tasks that schools and districts must undertake in starting mentoring programs include selecting and training mentors, matching mentors and proteges, setting goals and expectations, and establishing mentoring programs. (SM) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ********************************************************************************
Adherence to national guidelines for drug treatment of suspected acute myocardial infarction: evidence for undertreatment in women and the elderly.

BACKGROUND
Evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been published and disseminated by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. Few studies have examined the rates of adherence to these guidelines in eligible populations and the influence of age and gender on highly effective AMI treatments in community hospital settings.


METHODS
Medical records of 2409 individuals admitted to 37 Minnesota hospitals between October 1992 and July 1993 for AMI, suspected AMI, or rule-out AMI, and meeting electrocardiographic, laboratory, and clinical criteria suggestive of AMI were reviewed to determine the proportion of eligible patients who received thrombolytic, beta-blocker, aspirin, and lidocaine hydrochloride therapy. The effects of patient age, gender, and hospital teaching status on the use of these treatments were estimated using logistic regression models.


RESULTS
Eligibility for treatment ranged from 68% (n=1627) for aspirin therapy, 38% (n=906) for lidocaine therapy, and 30% (n=734) for thrombolytic therapy to 19% (n=447) for beta-blocker therapy. Seventy-two percent of patients eligible to receive a thrombolytic agent received this therapy; 53% received beta-blockers; 81% received aspirin; and 88% received lidocaine. Among patients ineligible for lidocaine therapy (n=1503), 20% received this agent. Use of study drugs was lower among eligible elderly patients, especially those older than 74 years (thrombolytic agent: odds ratio, 0.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.1 to 0.4; aspirin: odds ratio, 0.4, 95% confidence interval, 0.3 to 0.6; beta-blocker: odds ratio, 0.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.2 to 0.8). Female gender was associated with lower levels of aspirin use among eligible patients (odds ratio, 0.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.6 to 0.9); and there was a trend toward lower levels of beta-blocker and thrombolytic use among eligible women.


CONCLUSIONS
Use of lifesaving therapies for eligible patients with AMI is higher than previously reported, particularly for aspirin and thrombolytic use in nonelderly patients. Lidocaine is still used inappropriately in a substantial proportion of patients with AMI. Increased adherence to AMI treatment guidelines is required for elderly patients and women.
The Role of Depression and Attachment Styles in Predicting Students’ Addiction to Cell Phones

BACKGROUND
The present study aimed at investigating the role of depression and attachment styles in predicting cell phone addiction.


METHODS
In this descriptive correlational study, a sample including 100 students of Payame Noor University (PNU), Reyneh Center, Iran, in the academic year of 2013-2014 was selected using volunteer sampling. Participants were asked to complete the adult attachment inventory (AAI), Beck depression inventory-13 (BDI-13) and the cell phone overuse scale (COS).


FINDINGS
Results of the stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that depression and avoidant attachment style were the best predictors of students' cell phone addiction (R(2) = 0.23).


CONCLUSION
The results of this study highlighted the predictive value of depression and avoidant attachment style concerning students' cell phone addiction.
The Spam-Filtering Accuracy Plateau at 99 . 9 % Accuracy and How to Get Past It .

Bayesian filters have now become the standard for spam filtering; unfortunately most Bayesian filters seem to reach a plateau of accuracy at 99.9 percent. We experimentally compare the training methods TEFT, TOE, and TUNE, as well as pure Bayesian, token-bag, tokensequence, SBPH, and Markovian ddiscriminators. The results deomonstrate that TUNE is indeed best for training, but computationally exorbitant, and that Markovian discrimination is considerably more accurate than Bayesian, but not sufficient to reach four-nines accuracy, and that other techniques such as inoculation are needed. MIT Spam Conference 2004 This work may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part for any commercial purpose. Permission to copy in whole or in part without payment of fee is granted for nonprofit educational and research purposes provided that all such whole or partial copies include the following: a notice that such copying is by permission of Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.; an acknowledgment of the authors and individual contributions to the work; and all applicable portions of the copyright notice. Copying, reproduction, or republishing for any other purpose shall require a license with payment of fee to Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright c © Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc., 2004 201 Broadway, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 The Spam-Filtering Accuracy Plateau at 99.9% Accuracy and How to Get Past It. William S. Yerazunis, PhD* Presented at the 2004 MIT Spam Conference January 18, 2004 MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts Abstract: Bayesian filters have now become the standard for spam filtering; unfortunately most Bayesian filters seem to reach a plateau of accuracy at 99.9%. We experimentally compare the training methods TEFT, TOE, and TUNE, as well as pure Bayesian, token-bag, token-sequence, SBPH, and Markovian discriminators. The results demonstrate that TUNE is indeed best for training, but computationally exorbitant, and that Markovian discrimination is considerably more accurate than Bayesian, but not sufficient to reach four-nines accuracy, and that other techniques such as inoculation are needed. Bayesian filters have now become the standard for spam filtering; unfortunately most Bayesian filters seem to reach a plateau of accuracy at 99.9%. We experimentally compare the training methods TEFT, TOE, and TUNE, as well as pure Bayesian, token-bag, token-sequence, SBPH, and Markovian discriminators. The results demonstrate that TUNE is indeed best for training, but computationally exorbitant, and that Markovian discrimination is considerably more accurate than Bayesian, but not sufficient to reach four-nines accuracy, and that other techniques such as inoculation are needed.
Engineering biosynthesis of the anticancer alkaloid noscapine in yeast

Noscapine is a potential anticancer drug isolated from the opium poppy Papaver somniferum, and genes encoding enzymes responsible for the synthesis of noscapine have been recently discovered to be clustered on the genome of P. somniferum. Here, we reconstitute the noscapine gene cluster in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to achieve the microbial production of noscapine and related pathway intermediates, complementing and extending previous in planta and in vitro investigations. Our work provides structural validation of the secoberberine intermediates and the description of the narcotoline-4'-O-methyltransferase, suggesting this activity is catalysed by a unique heterodimer. We also reconstitute a 14-step biosynthetic pathway of noscapine from the simple alkaloid norlaudanosoline by engineering a yeast strain expressing 16 heterologous plant enzymes, achieving reconstitution of a complex plant pathway in a microbial host. Other engineered yeasts produce previously inaccessible pathway intermediates and a novel derivative, thereby advancing protoberberine and noscapine related drug discovery.
Pro-substance p for evaluation of risk in acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND
Pro-substance P (ProSP) is a stable surrogate marker for labile substance P, which has pro-inflammatory effects, increases platelet aggregation and clot strength, and reduces fibrinolysis.


OBJECTIVES
This study assessed whether ProSP was associated with poor prognosis after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) to identify novel pathophysiological mechanisms.


METHODS
ProSP was measured in 1,148 AMI patients (825 men, mean age 66.2 ± 12.8 years). Endpoints were major adverse cardiac events (composite of death, reinfarction, and heart failure [HF] hospitalization), death/reinfarction, and death/HF. GRACE (Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events) scores were compared with ProSP for death and/or reinfarction at 6 months.


RESULTS
During 2-year follow-up, there were 140 deaths, 112 HF hospitalizations, and 149 re-AMI. ProSP levels were highest on the first 2 days after admission and related to estimated glomerular filtration rate, age, history of diabetes, ischemic heart disease or hypertension, Killip class, left ventricular wall motion index, and sex. Multivariate Cox regression models showed ProSP level was a predictor of major adverse events (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10 to 1.54; p < 0.002), death and/or AMI (HR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.20 to 1.68; p < 0.0005), death and/or HF (HR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.14 to 1.67; p < 0.001). ProSP levels with GRACE scores were independent predictors of 6-month death and/or reinfarction (p < 0.0005 for both). ProSP-adjusted GRACE scores reclassified patients significantly (overall category-free net reclassification improvement of 31.6 (95% CI: 14.3 to 49.0; p < 0.0005) mainly by down-classifying those without endpoints.


CONCLUSIONS
ProSP levels post-AMI are prognostic for death, recurrent AMI, or HF, and they improve risk prediction of GRACE scores, predominantly by down-classifying risk in those without events.
Governing nursing through reflection: a discourse analysis of reflective practices.

AIM
This paper is a report of a study to analyse reflection as discourse and a technology of confession which produces a certain desirable subjectivity within nursing practice.


BACKGROUND
Reflection and reflective practice are common themes in nursing practices and in the literature on nursing. These practices are often construed as positive and empowering, and more critical analyses of them are needed.


METHOD
A Foucauldian-inspired discourse analysis based on the concepts of governmentality and technologies of the self was conducted. Transcripts of interviews conducted in 2006-07 with 42 managers, supervisors, teachers and participants in an in-service programme to prepare healthcare assistants to become Licensed Practice Nurses in the elder care sector were analysed.


FINDINGS
Reflection as confession operates as a governing technology within the nursing practice analysed. Programme participants are encouraged to reflect and scrutinize themselves about their work as a way to improve their competencies and practice. Through appraisals, they are invited to reflect about themselves as way to achieve their desires. In this way, active, responsible, problem-solving, self-governing practitioners are constructed.


CONCLUSION
Through a Foucauldian reading of reflective practices it is possible to illustrate that reflection is not a neutral or apolitical practice. Instead, it is a governing practice that does something, in discursive terms, to nursing subjectivity - something that can create a space for reflection about what reflection discursively does to subjectivity.
Correction: The detection of oral pre- malignant lesions with an autofluorescence based imaging system (VELscopeTM) – a single blinded clinical evaluation

OBJECTIVE
The disease specific five-year survival rate especially for patients with advanced oral cancer has not improved significantly over the period of time. The most effective way of combating this dilemma is an early detection, diagnosis and eradication of early-stage lesions and their precursors. The use of VELscope® using an autofluorescence as a diagnostic tool might be useful in early detection of oral malignant lesions.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
120 patients with suspicious oral premalignant lesions were examined with two examination methods. They were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 was examined conventional with white-light and group 2 was examined additionally to the white-light-examination with an autofluorescence visualization device, VELscope®. Biopsies were obtained from all suspicious areas identified in both examination groups (n = 52). The diagnostic strategies were compared regarding sensitivity and specificity.


RESULTS
Based upon the result, use of the VELscope® leads to a higher sensitivity (22.0%), but regarding specificity the additional use of the VELscope® is inferior (8.4%).


CONCLUSION
The VELscope device is a simple, non-invasive test of the oral mucosa, which can help the experienced clinician to find oral precursor malignant lesions.
Combined inhibin and CA125 assays in the detection of ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND
The reproductive hormone inhibin has been used as a diagnostic marker of ovarian mucinous and granulosa cell cancers. The aims of this study were to develop a new inhibin immunofluorometric assay (alphaC IFMA) to replace an inhibin RIA as a diagnostic marker of these ovarian cancers and to assess whether the alphaC IFMA in combination with CA125, which detects serous cancers, leads to an improved biochemical diagnosis of all ovarian cancers.


METHODS
Serum inhibin concentrations were determined in healthy postmenopausal women (n = 165) and women with ovarian cancers (n = 154), using an inhibin RIA and an alphaC IFMA, which detects inhibin forms containing the alphaC subunit as well as the free alphaC subunit.


RESULTS
The alphaC IFMA gave a similar or better discrimination of mucinous (90% vs 71%) and granulosa cell (100% vs 100%) cancers compared with the inhibin RIA. Combination of CA125 and alphaC IFMA values by canonical variate analysis or by multiROC analysis showed that the percentage of all ovarian cancers detected was significantly increased compared with either CA125 or alphaC IFMA alone.


CONCLUSIONS
The alphaC IFMA shows a similar or better specificity compared with the RIA, but with increased sensitivity. In combination with CA125, the alphaC IFMA provides an effective dual test for the detection of the majority (90%) of ovarian cancers.
FEATURE SELECTION METHODS AND ALGORITHMS

Feature selection is an important topic in data mining, especially for high dimensional datasets. Feature selection (also known as subset selection) is a process commonly used in machine learning, wherein subsets of the features available from the data are selected for application of a learning algorithm. The best subset contains the least number of dimensions that most contribute to accuracy; we discard the remaining, unimportant dimensions. This is an important stage of preprocessing and is one of two ways of avoiding the curse of dimensionality (the other is feature extraction). There are two approaches in Feature selection known as Forward selection and backward selection. Feature selection has been an active research area in pattern recognition, statistics, and data mining communities. The main idea of feature selection is to choose a subset of input variables by eliminating features with little or no predictive information. Feature selection methods can be decomposed into three broad classes. One is Filter methods and another one is Wrapper method and the third one is Embedded method. This paper presents an empirical comparison of feature selection methods and its algorithms. In view of the substantial number of existing feature selection algorithms, the need arises to count on criteria that enable to adequately decide which algorithm to use in certain situations. This work reviews several fundamental algorithms found in the literature and assesses their performance in a controlled scenario. KeywordsFeature Selection, Feature Selection Methods, Feature Selection Algorithms.
Extracting Non-Deterministic Concurrent Programs

We introduce an extension of intuitionistic fixed point logic by a modal operator facilitating the extraction of non-deterministic concurrent programs from proofs. We apply this extension to program extraction in computable analysis, more precisely, to computing with Tsuiki's infinite Gray code for real numbers.
Incidence of trichostasis spinulosa at a single institution in Yemen.

BACKGROUND
Trichostasis spinulosa (TS) is a common, underdiagnosed cosmetic skin condition.


OBJECTIVES
The main objectives of this study were to determine the occurrence of TS relative to age and gender, to analyze its cutaneous distribution, and to investigate any possible familial basis for this condition, its impact on patients, and the types and efficacy of previous treatments.


METHODS
All patients presenting to the outpatient dermatology clinic at the study institution and their relatives were examined for the presence of TS and were questioned about family history and previous treatment. Photographs and biopsies of suspected cases of TS were obtained.


RESULTS
Of 2400 patients seen between August and December 2013, 286 patients were diagnosed with TS (135 males, 151 females; prevalence: 11.9%). Women presented more frequently than men with complaints of TS (6.3 vs. 4.2%), and more women had received prior treatment for TS (10.5 vs. 2.8%). The most commonly affected sites were the face (100%), interscapular area (10.5%), and arms (3.1%). Lesions involved the nasal alae in 96.2%, the nasal tip in 90.9%, the chin in 55.9%, and the cheeks in 52.4% of patients. Only 15.7% of patients had forehead lesions, and only 4.5% had perioral lesions. Among the 38 previously treated patients, 65.8% reported temporary improvement.


CONCLUSIONS
Trichostasis spinulosa is a common condition that predominantly affects the face in patients of all ages. Additional studies employing larger cohorts from multiple centers will be required to determine the prevalence of TS in the general population.
Conflicts and conflict management in the collaboration between nurses and physicians - a qualitative study.

In health care, optimal collaboration between nurses and physicians is crucial in the quality of the care process – but not self-generating. Little is known about how health-care professionals cope with conflicts within their collaboration. This qualitative study investigates the way nurses and physicians cope with conflict and clarifies the determinants of conflict management styles. All respondents formulate clear expectations which in their opinion are essential to collaboration. When collaboration leads to disagreement, physicians and nurses choose between ignoring the conflict or engaging in it. Choice is determined by five factors: the influence of oneself, the influence of the other, the nature of the conflict, the context of conflict, and personal motives.