Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drug treatment for faecal incontinence in adults.

BACKGROUND Faecal incontinence is a common symptom which causes significant distress and reduction in quality of life. Available treatment options for faecal incontinence include conservative treatments (biofeedback, pelvic floor muscle training, dietary manipulation or drug therapy) or surgical treatments (e.g. sphincter repair, post anal repair, neosphincter). Drug treatment is often given either alone or in combination with other treatment modalities. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of drug therapy for the treatment of faecal incontinence. In particular, to assess the effects of individual drugs relative to placebo or other drugs, and to compare drug therapy with other treatment modalities. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Incontinence Group trials register (January 2003) and the reference lists of relevant articles. Date of the most recent search: January 2003. SELECTION CRITERIA All randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials of the use of pharmacological agents for the treatment of faecal incontinence in adults. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Working independently, reviewers selected studies from the literature, assessed the methodological quality of each trial, and extracted data. MAIN RESULTS Eleven trials were identified for inclusion in this review. Nine trials were of cross-over design. Seven trials included only people with faecal incontinence related to liquid stool (either chronic diarrhoea or following ileoanal pouch surgery). Three trials (total 58 participants) compared topical phenylephrine gel with placebo. Two trials (56 participants) compared loperamide with placebo. One trial (11 participants) compared loperamide oxide with placebo. One trial (15 participants) compared diphenoxylate plus atropine with placebo. One trial (17 participants) compared sodium valproate with placebo. One trial (30 participants) compared loperamide with codeine with diphenoxylate plus atropine. Two further trials (total 265 participants) assessed the use of lactulose in elderly people.No studies comparing drugs with other treatment modalities were identified. There was limited evidence that antidiarrhoeal drugs and drugs which enhance anal sphincter tone may reduce faecal incontinence in patients with liquid stools. However, the trials were small and of short duration. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS The small number of trials identified for this review assessed several different drugs in a variety of patient populations. The focus of most of the included trials was on the treatment of diarrhoea, rather than faecal incontinence. There is little evidence to guide clinicians in the selection of drug therapies for faecal incontinence. Larger, well-designed controlled trials, which include clinically important outcome measures, are required.
Assessing the efficacy of treatments for panic disorder and agoraphobia. II. The Panic and Agoraphobia Scale

Despite the plethora of rating scales for anxiety disorders and agoraphobia, a qualified scale for assessing the severity of panic disorder and agoraphobia (PDA) is still lacking. The new Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (P&A) is presented in this paper. It was developed to assess the degree of severity of these disorders after a diagnosis has been made according to the criteria of the DSM-III-R/IV or the ICD-10. The P&A was specially developed for use in clinical drug trials. Factors which impair the quality of life, in panic disorder and agoraphobia patients (panic attacks, phobic avoidance, anticipatory anxiety, impairment in social relationships and work, assumption of somatic disease) were considered in the development of this scale so that the efficacy of a certain drug therapy on each of these factors can be assessed separately. Both an observer rating and a self-rating with matching items are available. The observer rating only takes about 10 minutes to complete. Translation into many European languages is planned so that it can be used in multicentre trials. Satisfactory results of item analysis. , inter-rater reliability, objectivity, external validity and factor structure are presented. The P&A should be a useful tool for assessing the severity of PDA and may solve some of the methodological problems that have arisen in former PDA studies.
Oncocytic Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms of the Pancreas: Imaging and Histopathological Findings

Objectives To evaluate and correlate computed tomography/magnetic resonance findings and histopathologic features of oncocytic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (O-IPMNs). Methods Computed tomography/magnetic resonance examinations and resection specimens of 16 O-IPMNs were retrospectively reviewed. Qualitative and quantitative imaging features were analyzed according to “worrisome features” and “high risk stigmata. ” Correlations between radiological and histopathological findings were evaluated using Fisher test. Results Most O-IPMNs (75%) presented as large mixed- or main duct-type lesions (mean size, 56.9 mm; range, 20–180); all branch-duct type lesions were larger than 3 cm. Ten lesions presented main pancreatic duct dilation of 10 mm or greater. Solid enhancing nodules were found in 10 cases. Two lesions presented foci of invasion at histopathologic analysis, the remaining presented high-grade dysplasia. Neither invasive carcinoma nor nodal metastases were found. No significant correlations were found between radiological predictors of malignancy and histopathological features. Conclusions Oncocytic tumors are rare subtypes of pancreatic IPMN, whose imaging features are similar to other IPMN subtypes. Imaging predictors of malignancy as large size and huge solid internal nodules are frequently encountered in O-IPMNs; despite this, these features are not correlated with histopathological findings, being probably inapplicable to O-IPMNs.
CT quantification of emphysema in young subjects with no recognizable chest disease.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate volumetric CT emphysema quantification (CT densitovolumetry) in a young population with no recognizable lung disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A cohort of 30 nonsmoking patients with no recognizable lung disease (16 men, 14 women; age range, 19-41 years) underwent inspiratory and expiratory CT, after which the data were postprocessed for volumetric quantification of emphysema (threshold, -950 HU). Correlation was tested for age, weight, height, sex, body surface area (BSA), and physical activity. Normal limits were established by mean +/- 1.96 SD. RESULTS No correlation was found between the measured volumes and age or physical activity. Correlation was found between BSA and normal lung volume in inspiration (r = 0.69, p = 0.000), shrink volume (i.e., difference in total lung volume in inspiration and in expiration) (r = 0.66, p = 0.000), and percentage of shrink volume (r = 0.35, p = 0.05). For an alpha error of 5%, the limits of normality based on this sample are percentage of emphysema in inspiration, 0.35%; percentage of emphysema in expiration, 0.12%; and maximum lung volume in expiration, 3.6 L. The maximum predicted percentage of shrink volume can be calculated as %SV = 29.43% + 16.97% x BSA (+/- 1.96 x 7.61%). CONCLUSION Young healthy nonsmokers with no recognizable lung disease can also show a small proportion of emphysematous-like changes on CT densitovolumetry when a threshold of -950 HU is used. Reference values should be considered when applying the technique for early detection or grading of emphysema and when studying aging lungs.
Role of systematic reviews in the identification and prevention of poor quality research and scientific misconduct: random reflections based on anaesthesiologic cases

Research in clinical medicine often suffers from poor methodological quality and is sometimes based on fraudulent data, which may bias the conclusions of systematic reviews. This dissertation develops the idea that not all research malpractices and misconduct threaten the scientific knowledge, nor may they all bias the conclusions of systematic reviews to the same extent, but rather that the strict procedures applied during proper systematic reviewing actually should make systematic reviews robust to some common errors and misconduct. Moreover, well-performed systematic reviews could become part of the solution to the problem by providing clear research agendas and by providing important methodological information that may be used for future research. Furthermore, systematic reviewers may correct the published literature after having identified errors during critical appraisal of articles, and they may even play the role of whistle-blowers by identifying new, yet unrecognised, cases of misconducts.
Mirror Symmetry Opposes Splitting of Chromatically Homogeneous Surfaces

Chromatically homogeneous surfaces can be seen as single figures but also as two or more overlapping figures. Local factors such as relatability have been proposed in order to explain perception of two or more figures (Kellman and Shipley, 1991 Cognitive Psychology 23 141 – 221). However, even when these factors are at work, there are conditions favouring the perception of a single figure, which have not been explored so far. Here we propose that one such factor is the mirror symmetry of the surface. Three experiments were designed to test: (a) the main hypothesis, that mirror symmetry enhances perception of a single figure; (b) the role of orientation; (c) the effect of the number of axes of symmetry. The results show that (i) there is a good general correlation between mirror symmetry and perception of a single figure; (ii) vertical and horizontal axes of symmetry are the most effective; and (iii) the more axes of symmetry a surface has, the more likely is the perception of a single figure. These results suggest that mirror symmetry is an important factor in the perception of chromatically homogeneous displays. Some explanations are discussed, particularly one based on the rejection-of-coincidence principle [Rock, 1983 The Logic of Perception (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press)], and a version of the minimum principle in which the strength of the global solution depends on symmetry, whereas the strength of the splitting solution depends on the strength of local factors. In brief, global and local factors compete in determining the perceptual outcome in chromatically homogeneous surfaces.
Feasibility of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program for Early-Stage Breast Cancer Survivors

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of whether mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has a positive effect on breast cancer survivors’ psychological status, psychosocial characteristics, symptoms, and quality of life (QOL) during the critical transition period from end of treatment to resumption of daily activities. Design: Single-group, quasi-experimental, pretest—posttest design. Method: A sample of 19 women who completed breast cancer treatment with lumpectomy, radiation, and/or chemotherapy was recruited from the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, a National Cancer Institute— designated cancer center, and the University of South Florida. The authors assessed the feasibility, compliance, and whether an 8-week MBSR program positively influenced changes in psychological status (fear of recurrence, perceived stress, anxiety, depression), psychosocial characteristics (optimism, social support, spirituality), physical symptoms, and QOL. Findings: Seventeen women (89.5%) completed the study. The mean age was 57 years; the majority of participants (94%) were White. The estimated compliance rate for the program was 67%. Paired t tests indicated significant improvements fear of recurrence, perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and QOL through MBSR participation. Conclusions: Participants enrolled in the MBSR classes generally were compliant. Significant improvement in psychological status, symptoms, and QOL can be achieved with MBSR use in this population.
Synthetic Control Methods: Never Use All Pre-Intervention Outcomes as Economic Predictors

It has become increasingly popular in applications of synthetic control methods to include the entire pre-treatment path of the outcome variable as economic predictors. We demonstrate both theoretically and empirically that using all outcome lags as separate predictors renders all other covariates irrelevant. This finding holds irrespective of how important these covariates are in order to accurately predict post-treatment values of the outcome, threatening the estimator’s unbiasedness. We exemplify that estimation results can change considerably when this pitfall is avoided and, consequently, other covariates obtain positive weights. Finally, we discuss feasible alternatives.
Sentence-level sentiment analysis in Persian

Sentiment analysis (SA) is a subfield of natural language processing and data mining which concerns the problem of extracting useful information from users' comments on the Web. Although researchers have been studying different problems in SA for more than one decade, most studies concentrate on English and languages like Persian have not received the attention they deserved. Resource scarcity for assessing sentiment analysis studies is the main limiting factor in Persian. This paper addresses the problem of resource scarcity by introducing two new resources; a sentence-level dataset for sentiment analysis in Persian, SPerSent and a new Persian lexicon, CNRC. SPerSent contains 150000 sentences, each associated with two labels; a binary label indicating the polarity of the sentence, and a five-star rating. These labels are obtained automatically using a lexicon-based method. Specifically, three lexicons are used independently to label each sentence. Then, the majority voting and average methods are used to aggregate the results for polarity and five-star labels, respectively. Finally, a well-known machine learning method, Naïve Bayes, is used to evaluate the SPerSent.
Responsible Leadership: Review and Prospects

The responsible leadership has gained considerable attention in contemporary management scholarship. As a new leadership theory, responsible leadership transcends traditional dyadic leader-subordinate relationship, and focuses on a full-range view of leader-stakeholder relationship, which can effectively deal with new challenges from all sectors of society. In this paper, we first provide an overview of the conception, structure, and measurement of responsible leadership. Besides, we analyze and conclude the antecedents and consequences of responsible leadership. Finally, we put forward some suggestions about future research in this field.
Analysis of cyclin E and CDK2 in ovarian cancer: Gene amplification and RNA overexpression

Cyclins and their associated kinases (cdks) play a key role in controlling the cell cycle, a process whose disregulation can potentially lead to uncontrolled cell growth and hence to cancer. We have studied the role of both cyclin E and its associated kinase cdk2 in ovarian cancer. Primary, metastatic, recurrent and benign ovarian tumors were screened for cyclin E and cdk2 gene amplification. Cyclin E was shown to be amplified in 21% and cdk2 in 6.4% of the cases analyzed. Cyclin E and cdk2 RNA expression levels were determined by semi‐quantitative RT‐PCR analysis in a partially overlapping series of samples and compared to the expression levels of normal ovarian surface epithelial cells. Cyclin E RNA was overexpressed in 29.5% and cdk2 in 6.5% of ovarian tumors tested. We determined that in most cases gene amplification leads to higher RNA levels for cyclin E and that the overall levels of cyclin E and cdk2 RNA were correlated. We hypothesize that cyclin E and cdk2 are, in part co‐regulated and that they may concur to ovarian tumor development. Int. J. Cancer 75:34–39, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Perfect Childhood? Clinical Correlates of Minimization and Denial on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire

Childhood trauma has pervasive and enduring effects on myriad health outcomes, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) is a widely used screening tool. To assess recall and reporting biases, the CTQ includes a Minimization/Denial (MD) Scale, although this scale is typically omitted or not reported on. As this practice is not supported by empirical data, we sought to examine the clinical correlates of the CTQ MD Scale, as well as its function as a response bias index (i.e., its moderation effects). We examined correlations between the MD Scale and attachment style, temperament, personality, depression, and clinical diagnoses in a group of 200 adult psychiatric outpatients. Regression analyses were performed to assess the impact of MD on the relationships between the CTQ and clinical variables. Twenty percent of our sample met MD criteria. When patients were grouped as MD-positive versus MD-negative, significant between-group differences were found on several clinical measures. MD status, however, did not significantly moderate the relationships between the CTQ and clinical variables. This is one of the first clinically focused examinations of the CTQ’s MD Scale. Although the MD Scale was associated with several clinical variables, it did not significantly moderate the relationship between the CTQ and clinical variables. These findings, therefore, call into question the value of the MD Scale as a response bias index, although they should be replicated in larger studies before the currently ubiquitous practice of ignoring it can be considered evidence-based.
Within-Subject Reliability and between-Subject Variability of Oxidative Stress Markers in Saliva of Healthy Subjects: A Longitudinal Pilot Study

The present study evaluated diurnal variations and day-to-day fluctuations of salivary oxidative stress (OS) markers in healthy adult individuals. Whole unstimulated saliva was collected at 2 time intervals over 3 consecutive days. Glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and uric acid (UA) were analyzed using spectrophotometric methods, while 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined using immunoassays. No significant differences for salivary OS markers between men and women were observed. For all examined OS markers, no significant day-to-day variations were demonstrated. Significant diurnal variations were found in salivary GPX, TAC and MDA levels. For SOD, TAC, GPX, and UA, good-to-moderate intraindividual coefficients of variations (CVs) were observed in more than 75% of the subjects. For MDA and 8-OHdG, intraindividual CVs > 35% were observed in 60% and 40% of the subjects, respectively. Between-subject variance was wide for all examined OS markers (CV% 30.08%–85.70%). Due to high intraindividual variability in the salivary concentrations of MDA and 8-OHdG, those markers cannot be reliably verified based on single measurements and multiple measurements over several days would provide more reliable information. Salivary SOD, TAC, GPX, and UA proved stable across three days of measurement. Trial Registration. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03029494. Registered on 2017-01-19.
Catalytic nucleotide-hydrolyzing antibodies in milk and serum of clinically healthy human mothers.

BACKGROUND In humans, pregnancy and lactation are associated with the production of catalytically active antibodies (abzymes) in serum and breast milk. However, the substrate specificities of the abzymes in these biological fluids, particularly breast milk, have not been studied MATERIAL/METHODS IgG fractions were isolated from human milk by subsequent steps of chromatographic purification on Protein-A Sepharose, DEAE-cellulose, and anti-IgG Sepharose. The nucleotide-hydrolyzing activity of electrophoretically homogeneous IgG antibodies was measured using 32P-labeled nucleotides and TLC. RESULTS We demonstrated by different methods that IgG antibodies from the serum and milk of clinically healthy human mothers are able to hydrolyze ribo- and deoxyribonucleoside-5'-mono, di- and triphosphates; this nucleotide-hydrolyzing activity was also present in Fab fragments of the IgG molecule. Affinity modification of the milk IgG oligomeric form by chemically reactive derivatives of ATP led to preferential modification of the L-chain. However, after separation of the subunits by SDS electrophoresis, an in-gel assay showed ATP-hydrolyzing activity in various oligomeric forms of IgG subunits (H2L2, H2L and HL), while the separated heavy (H) and light (L) chains were not catalytically active. The Km and Vmax values characterizing the interaction of IgG with nucleotides were estimated. CONCLUSIONS Our findings speak in favor of the generation of a variety of polyclonal nucleotide-hydrolyzing antibodies by the immune system of clinically healthy mothers.
Sensitivity to change of the Roland-Morris Back Pain Questionnaire: part 2.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE One purpose of this study was to determine whether the Roland-Morris Back Pain Questionnaire (RMQ) could be used to detect clinically meaningful change in individual patients. The construct that served as the basis for this study was that RMQ change scores should be greater for patients meeting their treatment goals than for patients who did not meet their goals. The second purpose of the study was to determine whether sensitivity to change (STC) varies depending on the magnitude of the initial RMQ score. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Of the 143 patients with low back pain who completed the study, 104 patients achieved their goals and 39 patients did not achieve their goals. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and likelihood ratios were used to determine the RMQ change scores that best classify patients as having met or not met their goals. RESULTS The area under the ROC curve for the entire RMQ scale was 0.68, while the curve areas for smaller RMQ intervals varied from 0.80 to 0.97. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION The STC for the entire RMQ scale was poor for the construct examined in this study. The likelihood ratios for smaller RMQ intervals support the construct validity of the RMQ for assessing change in disability. Initial RMQ score magnitudes must be taken into account to improve the rate of making correct predictions about whether meaningful change in disability will occur following treatment.
Morphological changes in the clasper gland of the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina, associated with the seasonal reproductive cycle

The clasper gland of the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina, was examined over a 1‐year period, covering an entire reproductive cycle. Changes in clasper gland tissue architecture, fluid production, and cell proliferation were assessed. No changes in tissue architecture were observed. Evidence of cell proliferation in the gland epithelium was not detected using immunocytochemistry for proliferating cell nuclear antigen, a cellular marker of mitosis. Epithelial cells were not observed to undergo mitosis, and cell membranes remained intact. The lack of structural changes and epithelial cell proliferation supports the proposed merocrinal mode of fluid secretion. Rays captured in nonbreeding months had clasper glands that exhibited tubules with reduced lumens. In contrast, rays caught during the breeding season had clasper gland tubules with enlarged lumens. Clasper gland fluid production was quantified through measurements of the fluid area and tubule area calculated from digital images. Clasper gland fluid production was significantly higher during the mating period than during months not associated with copulatory activity. These data support the notion that the clasper gland is involved in stingray copulatory activity. This study adds to the limited amount of literature focused on this poorly understood component of reproduction in skates and rays. J. Morphol. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.