LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Rectal suction biopsy in the workup of childhood chronic constipation: indications and diagnostic value

Defecation disorders are very common in children and account for up to 3% of pediatric outpatient visits and up to 25% of pediatric gastroenterological disorders. Functional constipation (FC) represents the most common encountered situation. In 1999, a consensus conference was held in Rome and developed specific diagnostic criteria for functional gastrointestinal disorders in childhood, including FC (Rome II diagnostic criteria) [1]. According to Rome II criteria, FC is diagnosed, provided any cause of organic constipation is excluded. As intestinal dysganglionoses (ID) (i.e. Hirschsprung’s disease and intestinal neuronal dysplasia) represent organic causes of constipation, they should be excluded in the diagnostic workup of a constipated child. Although patients with Hirschsprung’s disease (HD) usually present in the newborn period with delayed passage of meconium, bilious vomiting, obstruction and/or enterocolitis, a subset of patients present later in life with severe chronic constipation [2]. Similarly, patients with intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND) can either present in the newborn period or later in childhood and the passage of meconium can be delayed or not [3, 4]. The gold standard for the diagnosis IDs is rectal suction biopsy (RSB) [5]. But when is to perform an RSB? Are there reliable indications? Is it possible to suspect an ID on a clinical basis only? Are there univocal clinical details (personal or family history, symptoms and signs) to exclude the presence of an ID? For the time being, RSB is usually performed based on the age of onset, severity of symptoms, previous Xray investigations, manometric studies, failure of medical treatment and others [2, 3, 6]. However, as already demonstrated in 2002 by Montedonico et al. [4] with regard to IND type B, clinical and manometric features of ID can overlap with those of FC. Similarly, X-ray investigations can be misleading in patients with ID [7] and this frequently makes the decision to perform an RSB very subjective. The aim of this paper is to describe the clinical features of patients, with ID (HD and IND) who were diagnosed in the period between February 2000 and July 2005 along with a group of consecutive patients A. Pini-Prato S. Avanzini V. Gentilino G. Mattioli G. M. Bisio V. Jasonni Pediatric Surgery Unit, Gaslini Research Centre and Children Institute, Largo G. Gaslini, 5, Genoa 16148, Italy
Cost Effectiveness of Paclitaxel/Cisplatin Compared with Cyclophosphamide/Cisplatin in the Treatment of Advanced Ovarian Cancer in Belgium

Objective: To assess the economic impact of two polychemotherapy regimens for patients with advanced ovarian cancer from the perspective of the Belgian health insurance and financing system. Design: An economic evaluation was integrated in an intergroup randomised controlled trial (EORTC 55931) in which patients were randomised to receive the new treatment of paclitaxel and cisplatin or the standard therapy of cyclophosphamide and cisplatin. Data on the use of medical resources were collected prospectively for the 231 European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) patients in the trial and costs were valued by using unit prices. The outcome for the economic evaluation was mean survival time as determined by the so-called restricted means method, with the time point of restriction fixed by statistical criteria. A correction of censoring of the cost data collected in the trial was also performed. Main outcome measures and results: The paclitaxel and cisplatin group experienced a statistically significant improvement in mean survival time of 4 months, which was associated with an increase in the average total cost per patient of 6795 euros (EUR; 1998 values), when costs were assessed over the same period as the gain in mean survival time. This corresponds to a point estimate of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of EUR20 385 per life-year gained. The impact of uncertainty was assessed by using a bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrap method with 5000 resamples, and the final results of the analysis are expressed in terms of a cost-effectiveness acceptability curve. Conclusions: The present economic evaluation has shown that the substitution of paclitaxel for cyclophosphamide in the chemotherapy regimen for women with advanced ovarian cancer leads to a significant improvement in patient survival, which is associated with an increase in costs for the Belgian health insurance system.
First-line treatment with bortezomib rapidly stimulates both osteoblast activity and bone matrix deposition in patients with multiple myeloma, and stimulates osteoblast proliferation and differentiation in vitro

OBJECTIVES
The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of bortezomib on osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, as well as on bone matrix deposition for the first time in bisphosphonate-naïve, previously untreated patients with myeloma.


METHODS
Twenty newly diagnosed patients received four cycles of bortezomib treatment, initially as monotherapy and then combined with a glucocorticoid from cycle two to four. Bone remodeling markers were monitored closely during treatment. Furthermore, the effects of bortezomib and a glucocorticoid on immature and mature osteoblasts were also studied in vitro.


RESULTS
Treatment with bortezomib caused a significant increase in bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and pro-collagen type I N-terminal propeptide, a novel bone formation marker. The addition of a glucocorticoid resulted in a transient decrease in collagen deposition. In vitro bortezomib induced osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. Differentiation but not proliferation was inhibited by glucocorticoid treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Bortezomib used as first-line treatment significantly increased collagen deposition in patients with multiple myeloma and osteolytic lesions, but the addition of a glucocorticoid to the treatment transiently inhibited the positive effect of bortezomib, suggesting that bortezomib may result in better healing of osteolytic lesions when used without glucocorticoids in patients that have obtained remission with a previous therapy. The potential bone-healing properties of single-agent bortezomib are currently being explored in a clinical study in patients who have undergone high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation.
Decreased Medical Expenditures for Care of HIV-Seropositive Patients

Objective: To identify any changes in expenditures and in morbidity and mortality with the progression of treatment of the HIV-seropositive population from monotherapy with a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) [1993] through dual NRTI therapy (1995) to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) [1997]. Design and setting: This study retrospectively compared 3 separate years of the total expenditures encountered in the management of HIV-seropositive individuals seen at a US Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Interventions: Utilising a computerised hospital database, we identified those patients with HIV-related International Classification of Diseases, version 9 (ICD-9) codes and collected all healthcare-related expenditure data. The 3 eras selected for comparison were controlled for similar utilisation of prophylaxis against opportunistic infections, access to investigational antivirals, consistency between primary care providers and distribution of new anti-HIV therapies relative to that era. Cost data for inpatient and outpatient activities (visits and admissions) were derived from actual expenditures. Major categories were then compared, including total inpatient/outpatient expenditures and utilisation, laboratory and prescription costs, and morbidity and mortality rates. Main outcome measures and results: The 3 periods had similar patient populations, with 86, 86 and 82% of patients in 1993, 1995 and 1997, respectively, having some degree of immunosuppression (defined as CD4+ lymphocyte counts <500 cells/mm3). Morbidity and mortality were not changed by the addition of dual NRTI therapy. HAART therapy produced 60 and 70% declines in relative mortality when compared with the single and dual NRTI eras. Dual NRTI or HAART therapy decreased overall expenditures as compared with NRTI monotherapy. HIV-related outpatient resource utilisation other than pharmacy and laboratory costs fell by 25 and 59% in 1997 as compared with 1993 and 1995, respectively. The greatest fall in resource utilisation was for inpatient bed-days of care, where the average cost per patient fell by $US2782 between 1993 and 1997. Pharmacy and laboratory expenditures increased by $US1825 and $US231 per patient from 1993 to 1997, respectively. Overall, the impact of HAART was a decrease of $US1193 in the average total cost per patient from 1993 to 1997. Conclusions: The introduction of HAART provided a positive outcome on patient morbidity and mortality and on medical centre expenditures. The end result was a cost shift of expenditures from inpatient utilisation to outpatient pharmacy and laboratory costs. This information is important for patients and providers, who need to make clinical decisions on lifelong therapies, and for healthcare financial planners,who need to predict inpatient and outpatient healthcare utilisation during an era of limited healthcare dollars.
Patients' preferences for adjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage breast cancer: is treatment worthwhile?

When making decisions about adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer, costs and benefits of treatment should be carefully weighed. In this process, patients’ preferences are of major importance. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to determine the minimum benefits that patients need to find chemotherapy acceptable, and (2) to explore potential preference determinants, namely: positive experience of the treatment, reconciliation with the treatment decision, and demographic variables. Preferences were elicited from patients scheduled for adjuvant chemotherapy (chemotherapy group: n = 38) before (T1), during (T2), and 1 month after chemotherapy (T3), and were compared to responses from patients not scheduled for chemotherapy (no-chemotherapy group: n = 38). The patients were asked, for a hypothetical situation, to indicate the minimum benefit (in terms of improved 5-year disease-free survival) to find adjuvant chemotherapy acceptable. In the chemotherapy group, the median benefit was 1% at all 3 measurement points. In the no-chemotherapy group the attitude towards chemotherapy became more negative over time, although not statistically significantly so (T1: 12%, T2: 15%, T3: 15%;P = 0.10). At all measurement points, the patients in the chemotherapy group indicated that they would accept chemotherapy for significantly (P< 0.01) less benefit than the patients in the no-chemotherapy group. Of the demographic variables, age was related to preferences, but only at T2and only in the no-chemotherapy group. The more positive attitude towards chemotherapy and the stability of preferences in the chemotherapy group indicated that reconciliation with the treatment decision was a more important determinant of patients’ preferences than positive experience of the treatment. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.com
Menopausal status strongly influences the utility of predictive models in differential diagnosis of ovarian tumors: an external validation of selected diagnostic tools.

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to externally validate the diagnostic performance of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis logistic regression models (LR1 and LR2, 2005) and other popular prognostic models including the Timmerman logistic regression model (1999), the Alcazar model (2003), the risk of malignancy index (RMI, 1990), and the risk of malignancy algorithm (ROMA, 2009). We compared these models to subjective ultrasonographic assessment performed by an experienced ultrasonography specialist, and with our previously developed scales: the sonomorphologic index and the vascularization index. Furthermore, we evaluated diagnostic tests with regard to the menopausal status of patients.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study included 268 patients with adnexal masses; 167 patients with benign ovarian tumors and 101 patients with malignant ovarian tumors were enrolled. All tumors were evaluated by using trans- vaginal ultrasonography according to the diagnostic criteria of the analyzed models.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study included 268 patients with adnexal masses; 167 patients with benign ovarian tumors and 101 patients with malignant ovarian tumors were enrolled. All tumors were evaluated by using trans- vaginal ultrasonography according to the diagnostic criteria of the analyzed models.


RESULTS
The subjective ultrasonographic assessment and all of the studied predictive models achieved similar diagnostic performance in the whole study population. However significant differences were observed when pre- and postmenopausal patients were analyzed separately In the subgroup of premenopausal patients, the highest area under the curve (AUC) was achieved by subjective ultrasonographic assessment (0.931), the Alcazar model (0.912), and LR1 (0.909). Alternatively in the group of postmenopausal patients, the highest AUC was noted for the Timmerman model (0.973), ROMA (0.951), and RMI (0.938).


CONCLUSIONS
Menopausal status is a key factor that affects the utility of prognostic models for differential diagno sis of ovarian tumors. Diagnostic models of ovarian tumors are reasonable tools for predicting tumor malignancy
Unique relations among anxiety sensitivity factors and anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is composed of three lower-order dimensions, cognitive concerns, physical concerns, and social concerns. We examined the relations between AS dimensions using a more adequate assessment of subscales (ASI-3) than has previously been used, and measures of anxiety and mood disorders as well as suicidal ideation in a sample of 256 (M age = 37.10 years, SD = 16.40) treatment-seeking individuals using structural equation modeling. AS cognitive concerns was uniquely associated with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), major depressive disorder (MDD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal ideation. AS physical concerns was uniquely associated with OCD, social anxiety disorder (SAD), panic disorder (PD), and specific phobia. AS social concerns was uniquely associated with SAD, GAD, OCD, and MDD. These results highlight the importance of considering the lower-order AS dimensions when examining the relations between AS and psychopathology.
CGRAPHIC: Educational software for learning the foundations of programming

We present CGRAPHIC, an original software for learning the basic concepts of implementing (possibly educational) software. CGRAPHIC is being used in first-year university courses in engineering studies, and its main aim is to complement the role of the teacher and improve the quality of teaching foundations of programming. CGRAPHIC is a virtual tutor, a programming textbook (online), and an interpreter as well as a debugger of the programming language C, and can be executed on any navigator program in Internet or locally. This software enables different levels of learning (theoretical and practical) and allows the student to study—intuitively, graphically, and gradually—the principles of programming that are crucial to developing new software. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 11: 167–178, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.10048
Leveraging SDN to Improve the Performance of Multicast-Enabled IPTV Distribution Systems

Distribution of live multimedia streams to a high number of end users through an ISP network may be efficiently implemented through IP multicasting. Multicast traffic engineering with traditional decentralized approaches, however, is still a challenging problem for network operators. In this article we present a centralized approach to management of source-specific multicast traffic flows relying on software defined networking. Our approach is suitable for hybrid IP/SDN networks, where network nodes behave as traditional IP routers by default, but whose packet forwarding behavior may be customized for specific flows thanks to an OpenFlow-enabled control plane. We also describe a traffic management system that we implemented as a proof of concept, which can be used by an ISP to compute multicast distribution trees for a given set of channels to be distributed to their customers.
Diagrammatic Reasoning beyond Clifford+T Quantum Mechanics

The ZX-Calculus is a graphical language for diagrammatic reasoning in quantum mechanics and quantum information theory. An axiomatisation has recently been proven to be complete for an approximatively universal fragment of quantum mechanics, the so-called Clifford+T fragment. We focus here on the expressive power of this axiomatisation beyond Clifford+T Quantum mechanics. We consider the full pure qubit quantum mechanics, and mainly prove two results: (i) First, the axiomatisation for Clifford+T quantum mechanics is also complete for all equations involving some kind of linear diagrams. The linearity of the diagrams reflects the phase group structure, an essential feature of the ZX-calculus. In particular all the axioms of the ZX-calculus are involving linear diagrams. (ii) We also show that the axiomatisation for Clifford+T is not complete in general but can be completed by adding a single (non linear) axiom, providing a simpler axiomatisation of the ZX-calculus for pure quantum mechanics than the one recently introduced by Ng&Wang.
Systems Development Process Improvement: A Knowledge Integration Perspective

Although organizations have applied a variety of practices and tools to address information systems development (ISD) performance problems, most of these approaches have focused on controlling and improving predictability of the development process. There is growing recognition that ISD is a knowledge-intensive process that requires the integration of specialized stakeholder knowledge. We develop the perspective that integration of this specialized knowledge across knowledge boundaries in the ISD process drives ISD performance. We theorize that formal and informal organizational integrative practices influence ISD performance, because they facilitate the development of boundary objects that effectively span knowledge boundaries. Results from a field study of 110 firms provide considerable support for the proposed model. This paper makes three novel contributions to the technology management literature. First, it demonstrates that knowledge integration across knowledge boundaries through boundary objects improves ISD performance. Second, it shows how formal and informal organizational integrative practices enhance the integration of specialized knowledge within and across organizational subunits. Third, it shows that the positive influence of formal and informal organizational integrative practices on ISD performance is partially mediated by knowledge integration. For engineering and technology managers, the results highlight the centrality of knowledge integration for the management of technology development. Collectively, these findings offer a novel knowledge integration-based perspective that complements prior research on systems development and new product development
Entrepreneurship, Economic Growth and Entrepreneurship Theories

This study discusses entrepreneurship, economic growth and entrepreneurship theories. Economic theories of entrepreneurship are explained in this study. Theories of entrepreneurship are used to link entrepreneurship to economic growth. Entrepreneurial ventures are also differentiated from ordinary small businesses, and entrepreneurship as a discipline is explained in a way that shows how it differs from management in general.
A Semantic Approach To Textual Entailment: System Evaluation and Task Analysis

This paper discusses our contribution to the third RTE Challenge – the SALSA RTE system. It builds on an earlier system based on a relatively deep linguistic analysis, which we complement with a shallow component based on word overlap. We evaluate their (combined) performance on various data sets. However, earlier observations that the combination of features improves the overall accuracy could be replicated only partly.
Effect of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate added to acidic beverages on enamel erosion in vitro.

BACKGROUND
To investigate, in vitro, the effect on enamel erosion of the addition of 0.2% w/v casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) to four commercially-available soft drinks, two of which were carbonated.


METHODS
Enamel specimens (n=27) were sectioned from sound extracted human third molar teeth and polished to a mirror finish. Exposed enamel windows of 1 mm2 were created by painting the surface with acid-resistant nail varnish. Four citric flavoured soft drinks (pH range 2.2 to 2.4) and distilled deionized water (DDW) were tested. Each drink was tested with and without 0.2% CPP-ACP w/v. The specimens were placed into 50 mL of solution at 37 °C for 30 minutes, rinsed and varnish removed. The samples were profiled with a white light profilometer and erosive depths recorded.


RESULTS
All soft drinks tested caused enamel erosion but adding 0.2% w/v CPP-ACP significantly reduced (p<.05) erosive depth in all test solutions in comparison with the solutions without CPP-ACP. The erosive depths for all solutions with 0.2% CPP-ACP did not differ significantly from those of DDW.


CONCLUSIONS
Adding CPP-ACP at 0.2% w/v significantly decreased the erosivity of all four soft drinks. The erosivity of the soft drinks with 0.2% CPP-ACP added did not differ significantly from that of distilled water.
Well-being therapy of generalized anxiety disorder.

BACKGROUND
There is increasing awareness that the goal of treatment in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) should not simply be a response, but restoration of normal function. The aim of this study was to apply a novel psychotherapeutic approach for increasing the level of remission in GAD.


METHODS
Twenty patients with DSM-IV GAD devoid of comorbid conditions were randomly assigned to 8 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or the sequential administration of 4 sessions of CBT followed by other 4 sessions of well-being therapy (WBT). Assessment methods included the Anxiety and Depression Scales of Paykel's Clinical Interview for Depression, Ryff's Psychological Well-being Scales and Kellner's Symptom Questionnaire. A one-year follow-up was undertaken.


RESULTS
Significant advantages of the CBT-WBT sequential combination over CBT only were observed with both observer and self-rated methods after treatment. Such gains were maintained at follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
These preliminary results suggest the feasibility and clinical advantages of adding WBT to the treatment of GAD. They lend support to a sequential use of treatment components for achieving a more sustained recovery.
An Experience Teaching a Graduate Course in Cryptography

This article describes an experience of teaching a graduate-level course in cryptography and computer security at New York University. The course content as well as lessons learned and plans for the future are discussed.
‘Enclosing Some Snapshots’: James Patrick Brady, Photography, and Political Activism

James Brady was a mid twentieth-century Indigenous political organiser, trapper, prospector, writer, and intellectual. He was also a prolific photographer. This article considers the significance a...
Inverse conic programming with applications

Linear programming duality yields e,cient algorithms for solving inverse linear programs. We show that special classes of conic programs admit a similar duality and, as a consequence, establish that the corresponding inverse programs are e,ciently solvable. We discuss applications of inverse conic programming in portfolio optimization and utility function identi0cation. c © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.