LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Trial of heparin in viper bites.

AIMS OF THE STUDY
Viper bites produce hematotoxicity and coagulopathy which may be either true disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) or DIC-like syndrome. Role of heparin is studied in the present study of viper bite cases as use of heparin provides a rational therapy for defibrination caused by viper envenomation.


METHODOLOGY
One hundred and twenty two patients with viper bite and incoagulable blood were randomised into test group and control group. Test group received heparin in addition to antisnake venom (ASV). Efficacy was assessed by monitoring bleeding time (BT), clotting time (CT), prothrombin time (PT), platelets, fibrinogen, blood urea (BU), serum creatinine, development of complications and overall outcome.


RESULTS
Heparin group showed favourable outcome in all parameters studied. But many of them were not statistically significant.


CONCLUSION
Heparin seems to be having a beneficial role which needs to be confirmed by larger trials and longer duration of heparin administration.
Tranexamic acid for the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage after cesarean section: a double-blind randomization trial

Our purpose in conducting this study was to determine the efficacy of tranexamic acid (TXA) in reducing blood loss in patients after cesarean section (CS). A randomized, double-blind, case-controlled study was conducted on 174 primipara undergoing CS. 88 of them given 10 mg/kg TXA immediately before CS were compared with 86 others to whom TXA was not given. Blood loss was calculated from blood collected and measured during two periods: the first period was from placental delivery to end of CS and the second from the end of CS to 2 h postpartum. Vital signs such as BP, HR, RP, hemoglobin, platelet count, postoperative PT and PPT were tested in the two groups. Blood loss in the period between the end of CS and 2 h postpartum was significantly lower (p < 0.01) in the TXA group (46.6 ± 42.7) than in the control group (84.7 ± 80.2). The quantity of total blood from placental delivery to 2 h postpartum was also significantly reduced (p = 0.02) in the TXA group (379.2 ± 160.1) than in the control group (441.7 ± 189.5). However, the amount of blood loss in the period from placental delivery to the end of CS did not differ between the TXA and control groups (p = 0.17). PPH stopped in 65 women (75.6 %) in the control group and in 81 (92.0 %) in the TXA group (p < 0.01). No significant abnormal vital signs were observed after TXA administration. Mild, transient side effects occurred more often in the TXA group than in the control group. Treatment with TXA is effective in reducing blood loss in patients undergoing CS. Although the study was not adequately powered to address safety issues, the observed side effects were mild and transient.
Role of video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy in the treatment of primary hyperhidrosis.

CONTEXT
Essential hyperhidrosis is a frequent disorder causing significant functional impairment. The advent and development of video-assisted thoracoscopic techniques now allows thoracic sympathectomy to be carried out precisely and safety with good results and minimal morbidity.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the impact of video-assisted thoracic sympathectomy in patients diagnosed as presenting severe and disabling hyperhidrosis.


TYPE OF STUDY
This was a longitudinal study of the clinical course of all hyperhidrosis cases selected for surgery between May 1999 and January 2003.


SETTING
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Universidade Federal de S o Paulo (UNIFESP).


PARTICIPANTS
743 patients with surgery indicated due to palmar hyperhidrosis (49.8%), palmar-axillary hyperhidrosis (38.1%), craniofacial hyperhidrosis (8.9%) or isolated axillary hyperhidrosis (2.8%).


PROCEDURES
Video-thoracoscopic sympathectomy was performed, isolating the second thoracic ganglion (T2) in all patients, with additional sympathectomy of T3 and T4 if necessary.


MAIN MEASUREMENTS
The clinical course was followed up via questionnaires, phone calls, letters and statements. Simple questions were asked regarding the disappearance of symptoms and presence and intensity of compensatory sweating.


RESULTS
The surgery was regarded as efficient in all cases of palmar hyperhidrosis. In the craniofacial hyperhidrosis cases, partial recurrence of the symptoms occurred in 2 cases (3.0%). Partial recurrence or persistence of symptoms occurred in 20% of the patients with predominantly axillary symptomatology. The compensatory sweating was considered disagreeable or uncomfortable by about 30% of the patients, but it only reached the level of regretting the operation for 3% of them. This occurred more frequently in patients with axillary hyperhidrosis. Ten cases of complications occurred.


CONCLUSION
Thoracoscopic sympathectomy provides very good results in most patients, with a very low complication rate. However, the assessment of surgical results using conventional methods is imprecise and inaccurate. Different methodology, including quality of life assessment, must be used for comparing results and providing objective data on the results of this operation.
PowerPoint or chalk and talk: Perceptions of medical students versus dental students in a medical college in India

PURPOSE
To assess students' perceptions of the impact of PowerPoint (PPT) presentations in lectures in comparison to the traditional chalk and talk method and lectures using transparencies and overhead projector (TOHP). The study analyzes the preferences for teaching aids of medical students versus dental students.


METHODS
Second year medical and dental undergraduates were asked to fill in a nine-item questionnaire about their perceptions of the three lecture delivery methods. Following analysis of the questionnaire the students were interviewed further. The results were analyzed separately for medical and dental students to see if there was any difference in their perceptions.


RESULTS
The majority of the medical students (65.33%) preferred PPT presentations, while 15.16% of students preferred the lectures using chalkboard, and 19.51% preferred TOHP for teaching (P < 0.001). Of the dental students: 41.84% preferred chalkboard, 31.21% preferred TOHP, and 25.85% students preferred PPT presentations in the lectures (P < 0.05). Some important comments of the students were also recorded on interview which could be valuable for the medical teachers.


CONCLUSION
The medical students clearly preferred the use of PPT presentations while the dental students did not. The study does not bring out evidence based superiority of any lecture delivery method. It appears that in the hands of a trained teacher any teaching aid would be appropriate and effective. This highlights the need for formal training in teaching technologies to develop good presentation skills and thus motivate the students.
Value of serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein as a prognostic marker of large-joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis--data from the RAPIT study.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the utility of serum COMP level measurements as a predictor of future damage of the weight-bearing (large) joints in RA patients participating in intensive exercise.


METHODS
Data of the 281 completers of a 2-yr randomized controlled trial (Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients In Training; RAPIT) comparing the effects of usual care physical therapy with high-intensity weight-bearing exercises were analysed. The primary outcome variable was defined as the change in radiological joint damage (Larsen score) of the large joints. Potential predictors of outcome were defined: baseline and change in serum level of COMP after 3 months, baseline radiological damage of the large and small joints, number of months on glucocorticoids, change in disease activity and in physical capacity (aerobic fitness and muscle strength) after 2 yrs, and participation in the exercise group.


RESULTS
In cross-sectional evaluation of baseline data, we found strong association between the high serum COMP level and current damage of the large joints. Serum COMP level at baseline, however, was not associated with an increased rate of radiological joint damage after 2 yrs of follow-up. Furthermore, neither interaction between baseline COMP level and participation in exercises, nor change in COMP level after 3 months of exercising were associated with future damage of the large joints.


CONCLUSION
Neither baseline serum COMP level nor its individual change after 3 months from start of intensive exercise predict longitudinal progression of damage of the large joints in this population.
Circulating Kidney Injury Molecule-1 Levels in Acute Heart Failure: Insights From the ASCEND-HF Trial (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure).

OBJECTIVES
This study sought to determine the relationship of KIM-1 levels with adverse clinical outcomes in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).


BACKGROUND
Kidney injury molecule (KIM)-1 is a biomarker expressed by the nephron in acute tubular injury, and is a sensitive and specific marker for early acute kidney injury. Although commonly measured in urine, KIM-1 levels are also detectable in plasma, but its clinical and prognostic utility in ADHF is unknown.


METHODS
Baseline, 48- to 72-h, and 30-day KIM-1 plasma levels were measured in 874 subjects in the ASCEND-HF (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure) trial. Multivariable logistic and Cox models were used to assess the relationship between KIM-1 levels and outcomes during and after ADHF.


RESULTS
The median circulating KIM-1 level at baseline was 375.4 pg/ml (interquartile range [IQR]: 237.0 to 633.1 pg/ml), at 48 to 72 h was 373.7 pg/ml (IQR: 220.3 to 640.5 pg/ml), and at 30 days was 382.6 pg/ml (IQR: 236.5 to 638.0 pg/ml). There were no associations between KIM-1 levels and any 30-day outcomes. In univariable analysis, both baseline and follow-up KIM-1 were associated with greater 180-day mortality risk. However, after adjusting for blood urea nitrogen or creatinine in addition to established risk predictors from ASCEND-HF, higher KIM-1 at all time points during hospitalization was not associated with in-hospital or post-discharge outcomes (all p > 0.05), but KIM-1 levels measured at 30 days were associated independently with 180-day mortality (hazard ratio: 1.49; p = 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
In our study cohort, circulating KIM-1 at baseline and during hospitalization was not associated with adverse clinical outcomes in ADHF after adjusting for standard indices of kidney function.
Argumentation-based negotiation

Negotiation is essential in settings where autonomous agents have conflicting interests and a desire to cooperate. For this reason, mechanisms in which agents exchange potential agreements according to various rules of interaction have become very popular in recent years as evident, for example, in the auction and mechanism design community. However, a growing body of research is now emerging which points out limitations in such mechanisms and advocates the idea that agents can increase the likelihood and quality of an agreement by exchanging arguments which influence each others’ states. This community further argues that argument exchange is sometimes essential when various assumptions about agent rationality cannot be satisfied. To this end, in this article, we identify the main research motivations and ambitions behind work in the field. We then provide a conceptual framework through which we outline the core elements and features required by agents engaged in argumentation-based negotiation, as well as the environment that hosts these agents. For each of these elements, we survey and evaluate existing proposed techniques in the literature and highlight the major challenges that need to be addressed if argument-based negotiation research is to reach its full potential.
The Gender Paradigm In Domestic Violence: Research And Theory

Feminist theory of intimate violence is critically reviewed in the light of data from numerous incidence studies reporting levels of violence by female perpetrators higher than those reported for males, particularly in younger age samples. A critical analysis of the methodology of these studies is made with particular reference to the Conflict Tactics Scale developed and utilised by Straus and his colleagues. Results show that the gender disparity in injuries from domestic violence is less than originally portrayed by feminist theory. Studies are also reviewed indicating high levels of unilateral intimate violence by females to both males and females. Males appear to report their own victimization less than females do and to not view female violence against them as a crime. Hence, they differentially under-report being victimized by partners on crime victim surveys. It is concluded that feminist theory is contradicted by these findings and that the call for bqualitativeQ studies by feminists is really a means of avoiding this conclusion. A case is made for a paradigm having developed amongst family violence activists and researchers that precludes the notion of female violence, trivializes injuries to males and maintains a monolithic view of a complex social problem. D 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
ect of omeprazole 20 mg twice daily on duodenogastric and gastro-oesophageal bile reflux in Barrett ’ s oesophagus

Background—Both acid and duodenal contents are thought to be responsible for the mucosal damage in Barrett’s oesophagus, a condition often treated medically. However, little is known about the eVect of omeprazole on duodenogastric reflux (DGR) and duodenogastro-oesophageal reflux (DGOR). Aims—To study the eVect of omeprazole 20 mg twice daily on DGR and DGOR, using the technique of ambulatory bilirubin monitoring. Methods—Twenty three patients with Barrett’s oesophagus underwent manometry followed by 24 hour oesophageal and gastric pH monitoring. In conjunction with pH monitoring, 11 patients (group 1) underwent oesophageal bilirubin monitoring and 12 patients (group 2) underwent gastric bilirubin monitoring, both before and during treatment with omeprazole 20 mg twice daily. Results—In both groups there was a significant reduction in oesophageal acid (pH<4) reflux (p<0.005) and a significant increase in the time gastric pH was above 4 (p<0.005). In group 1, median total oesophageal bilirubin exposure was significantly reduced from 28.9% to 2.4% (p<0.005). In group 2, median total gastric bilirubin exposure was significantly reduced from 24.9% to 7.2% (p<0.005). Conclusions—Treatment of Barrett’s oesophagus with omeprazole 20 mg twice daily results in a notable reduction in the exposure of the oesophagus to both acid and duodenal contents. In addition, delivery of duodenal contents to the upper gastric body is reduced. (Gut 1998;43:603–606)
A Comparative Study on the Efficacy of a Positive Psychology Intervention and a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Clinical Depression

Traditionally, treatments for depression have been primarily focused on reducing patients’ symptoms or deficits and less concerned with building positive resources. This study aims to compare the efficacy of a manualized protocol of empirically-validated positive psychology interventions (PPI) with a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) protocol. This controlled clinical trial included 96 adult women with a DSM-IV diagnosis of major depression or dysthymia. Participants were blindly allocated to a 10-session PPI (n = 47) or CBT (n = 49) group therapy condition. Intention to treat analysis showed that both interventions were effective in reducing clinical symptoms and increasing well-being. There were no significant differences between groups in either main outcomes (i.e., severity of depressive symptoms and clinical diagnosis) or secondary outcomes (e.g., positive and negative affect, and satisfaction with life). Even within the most severely depressed participants, no differences between PPI and CBT emerged. If further clinical studies confirm these results, this would widen treatment choice for both patients and professionals.
Self-reported quality of life of 8–12-year-old children with cerebral palsy: a cross-sectional European study

BACKGROUND
Little is known about the quality of life (QoL) of disabled children. We describe self-reported QoL of children with cerebral palsy, factors that influence it, and how it compares with QoL of the general population.


METHODS
1174 children aged 8-12 years were randomly selected from eight population-based registers of children with cerebral palsy in six European countries and 743 (63%) agreed to participate; one further region recruited 75 children from multiple sources. Researchers visited these 818 children. 318 (39%) with severe intellectual impairment could not self-report; 500 (61%) reported their QoL using KIDSCREEN, an instrument with scores in ten domains, each with SD=10. Multivariable regression was used to relate QoL to impairments, pain, and sociodemographic characteristics. Comparisons were made with QoL data from the general population.


FINDINGS
Impairments were not significantly associated with six KIDSCREEN domains. Comparison of least and most able groups showed that severely limited self-mobility was significantly associated with reduced mean score for physical wellbeing (7.6, 95% CI 2.7-12.4); intellectual impairment with reduced mean for moods and emotions (3.7, 1.5-5.9) and autonomy (3.3, 0.9-5.7); and speech difficulties with reduced mean for relationships with parents (4.5, 1.9-7.1). Pain was common and associated with lower QoL on all domains. Impairments and pain explained up to 3% and 7%, respectively, of variation in QoL. Children with cerebral palsy had similar QoL to children in the general population in all domains except schooling, in which evidence was equivocal, and physical wellbeing, in which comparison was not possible.


INTERPRETATION
Parents can be reassured that most children aged 8-12 years with cerebral palsy will have similar QoL to other children. This finding should guide social and educational policy to ensure that disabled children participate fully in society. Because of its association with QoL, children's pain should be carefully assessed.
Salvinorin A regulates dopamine transporter function via a kappa opioid receptor and ERK1/2-dependent mechanism

Salvinorin A (SalA), a selective κ-opioid receptor (KOR) agonist, produces dysphoria and pro-depressant like effects. These actions have been attributed to inhibition of striatal dopamine release. The dopamine transporter (DAT) regulates dopamine transmission via uptake of released neurotransmitter. KORs are apposed to DAT in dopamine nerve terminals suggesting an additional target by which SalA modulates dopamine transmission. SalA produced a concentration-dependent, nor-binaltorphimine (BNI)- and pertussis toxin-sensitive increase of ASP(+) accumulation in EM4 cells coexpressing myc-KOR and YFP-DAT, using live cell imaging and the fluorescent monoamine transporter substrate, trans 4-(4-(dimethylamino)-styryl)-N-methylpyridinium) (ASP(+)). Other KOR agonists also increased DAT activity that was abolished by BNI pretreatment. While SalA increased DAT activity, SalA treatment decreased serotonin transporter (SERT) activity and had no effect on norepinephrine transporter (NET) activity. In striatum, SalA increased the Vmax for DAT mediated DA transport and DAT surface expression. SalA up-regulation of DAT function is mediated by KOR activation and the KOR-linked extracellular signal regulated kinase-½ (ERK1/2) pathway. Co-immunoprecipitation and BRET studies revealed that DAT and KOR exist in a complex. In live cells, DAT and KOR exhibited robust FRET signals under basal conditions. SalA exposure caused a rapid and significant increase of the FRET signal. This suggests that the formation of KOR and DAT complexes is promoted in response to KOR activation. Together, these data suggest that enhanced DA transport and decreased DA release resulting in decreased dopamine signalling may contribute to the dysphoric and pro-depressant like effects of SalA and other KOR agonists.
An empirical study of gamification impact on e-Learning environment

Effective e-Learning requires students to be active, thus, creating an environment that engages the students is one of the challenges. One of the ways to build an engaging e-Learning environment is by applying gamification concept. It improves user engagement by enriching the system with the game design elements. This research aims to analyze the impact of gamification environment on e-Learning system by looking at student's quantitative interaction. 38 students from different high schools were voluntarily joined to test out two different system. This experiment focus on observing the impact of removing and adding gamification on the existing e-Learning system. The result shows that removing gamification causes significant decrement on student participation while adding gamification had no significant impact.
Competition for Antigen between Th1 and Th2 Responses Determines the Timing of the Immune Response Switch during Mycobaterium avium Subspecies paratuberulosis Infection in Ruminants

Johne's disease (JD), a persistent and slow progressing infection of ruminants such as cows and sheep, is caused by slow replicating bacilli Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) infecting macrophages in the gut. Infected animals initially mount a cell-mediated CD4 T cell response against MAP which is characterized by the production of interferon gamma (Th1 response). Over time, Th1 response diminishes in most animals and antibody response to MAP antigens becomes dominant (Th2 response). The switch from Th1 to Th2 response occurs concomitantly with disease progression and shedding of the bacteria in feces. Mechanisms controlling this Th1/Th2 switch remain poorly understood. Because Th1 and Th2 responses are known to cross-inhibit each other, it is unclear why initially strong Th1 response is lost over time. Using a novel mathematical model of the immune response to MAP infection we show that the ability of extracellular bacteria to persist outside of macrophages naturally leads to switch of the cellular response to antibody production. Several additional mechanisms may also contribute to the timing of the Th1/Th2 switch including the rate of proliferation of Th1/Th2 responses at the site of infection, efficiency at which immune responses cross-inhibit each other, and the rate at which Th1 response becomes exhausted over time. Our basic model reasonably well explains four different kinetic patterns of the Th1/Th2 responses in MAP-infected sheep by variability in the initial bacterial dose and the efficiency of the MAP-specific T cell responses. Taken together, our novel mathematical model identifies factors of bacterial and host origin that drive kinetics of the immune response to MAP and provides the basis for testing the impact of vaccination or early treatment on the duration of infection.
The optimal projection approach to model reduction and the relationship between the methods of Wilson and Moore

First-order necessary conditions for optimal reduced-order modelling of linear time-invariant systems are derived in the form of a pair of modified Lyapunov equations coupled by an oblique projection that determines the optimal reduced-order model. This form of the necessary conditions considerably simplifies previous results of Wilson ([1]) and clearly reveals the suboptimality of the balancing method of Moore ([2]).