nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of sentinel node detection in vulvar cancer.

In vulvar cancer, in a large portion of patients with early stages of the disease, the inguinal lymphadenectomy not only does not influence the overall survival and recurrence rate but may increase the incidence of complications. Sentinel lymph node (SN) detection is a promising technique for detecting groin lymph nodes, which may in future lead to less extensive use of surgical treatment. The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of the sentinel node detection technique in patients with vulvar cancer.



Between the years 2003 and 2005, we performed intraoperative lymphatic mapping on 10 patients with planoepithelial vulvar cancer. In eight cases, vulvar lesion was localized centrally, around the clitoris. The extent of the surgery included radical vulvectomy with bilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy in nine cases and unilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy in one case. For the lymphatic mapping, we employed two detection methods: (99m)Tc-labelled radiocolloid (activity 35-70 MBq) and blue dye (3-5 ml). Both techniques were used in six cases (60%), blue dye only in three cases and radiocolloid only in one case.



In each patient, we detected at least one sentinel lymph node. Sentinel nodes were localized in 14 of 19 operated groins (73.7%); a total of 25 SNs in all. The mean number of SNs for one groin was 1.78. Nodal metastases were found in four cases. In three cases, metastases were detected only in the SN. In one patient, two SNs with metastases were found in one groin and in the contralateral groin (without any SN) there was one unchanged node, which transpired to be metastatic. This can be explained by a complete overgrowth of neoplasm in the lymph node resulting in lymph flow stasis and disabling tracer uptake. In five cases, an SN was found only in one groin ó the first case is described above, in the second case the vulvar tumor was localized laterally, opposite to the groin without any SN. In the remaining three cases, we have used only one method of SN detection.



Lymphatic mapping in vulvar cancer based on the combined detection technique is a highly accurate method after adequate training of the surgeons.
The vallecular line: an objective measure in evaluating the base of the tongue and vallecular cancers for transoral robotic surgery.

We hypothesized that the degree of the exophytic nature of the base of the tongue and vallecular cancers (BOTs) impacts the feasibility of transoral resection. The growth pattern of these cancers can be measured by the vallecular line (VL), which is the distance between the hyoid bone and the vallecular tip.



The normal VL was measured by 3 radiologists on 50 magnetic resonance imaging scans. The VL was then measured on magnetic resonance imaging scans of patients with BOT cancers.



The mean VL was 8.2 mm (6.4-10 mm) in the healthy patients. The mean VL of the patients with predominantly exophytic BOT cancer was 22.7 mm (20.6-24.8 mm). Postoperative images of these patients demonstrate minimal loss of the native tongue after transoral resection.



The VL is a valuable objective measurement of the exophytic nature of BOT cancers. Predominantly exophytic BOT cancers are deemed more amenable for successful and functional transoral surgical resection.
The Impact of Constipation on Growth in Children

The observation on the impact of constipation on nutritional and growth status in healthy children was never reported. During a 4-y period, we evaluated the consequence of constipation on growth in children. The enrolled children were aged between 1 and 15 y with constipation. Medical response of constipation to treatment was evaluated by the scoring of constipation symptoms. The correlation of therapeutic effect of constipation with growth status at 12 wk and 24 wk was statistically evaluated. About 2426 children (1284 boys, 1142 girls) with a mean age of 7.31 ± 3.65 (range 1.1–14.9) y were enrolled. After 12-wk treatment, significant increase of z-scores of height-for-age, weight-for-age, and body mass index-for-age were all found in patients with good medical responses (1377 cases) than in those with poor medical responses (1049 cases). The 1049 patients with poor medical response received advanced medications; significant increase of z-scores of height-for-age, weight-for-age, and body mass index were also found in these patients. A marked increase of appetite was significantly correlated with better gain on height and weight after treatment. We conclude that chronic constipation may retard growth status in children, and a long-term medication for constipation in children appears beneficial to their growth status.
Evaluating the diet of children at increased risk for type 1 diabetes: first results from the TEENDIAB study.

The development of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is potentially influenced by nutrition. The aim of our study was to assess food and nutrient intakes of children at increased risk of T1D.



Dietary intake of the last 4 weeks was assessed using a diet history interview. The daily nutrient and food intakes were compared with the German Dietary Reference Intakes, the Optimized Mixed Diet recommendations and those of a representative sample of children from the EsKiMo study.



Children included in the analysis participated in the prospective TEENDIAB study.



First-degree relatives of people with T1D (n 268), aged 8-12 years.



The TEENDIAB children consumed 52·0 % of their total energy from carbohydrates, 32·6 % from fat and 14·3 % from protein. Compared with the reference values, their intake was lowest for folate at 61·3 % of the reference, for iodine at 58·1 % and for vitamin D at 8·9 %, and exceeded the reference for vitamin K about 5-fold, for Na about 3·5-fold and for protein about 1·5-fold. Their nutrient intakes were similar to those of a control cohort without increased T1D risk. The consumption of non-desirable food groups (meat products, sweets/snacks) was above the recommendations and the consumption of desirable food groups (fruits, vegetables, carbohydrate-rich foods) was below the recommendations.



The TEENDIAB children had intakes considerably below the recommendations for vitamin D, iodine, folate and plant-based foods, and intakes above for vitamin K, Na, protein, meat products and sweets/snacks. They showed similar dietary patterns to non-risk children.
Fermented cereal with specific bifidobacteria normalizes bowel movements in elderly nursing home residents. A randomized, controlled trial.

To assess how fermented oat drink with two selected Bifidobacterium longum strains influences bowel movements among elderly nursing home residents.



A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.



12 wards in two nursing homes in Finland.



209 residents.



Wards were randomized to receive daily a fermented oat drink with 1) 109 CFU/day Bifidobacterium longum strains or 2) 109 CFU/day Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12 or 3) without viable bacteria (placebo) for 7 months.



Regularity of bowel movements (no movements or functioning) and consistency of stools (normal, soft or diarrhoea) were recorded for each resident on a daily basis.



The fermented oat drinks were well taken by the subjects, compliance being 85%. The groups receiving active products had more frequent bowel movements than did the placebo group (B. longum group normal functioning 28.5% of follow-up days, B.lactis group 26.9%, and placebo group 20.0%, respectively). The differences between the B. longum and the placebo group (mean 7.1, 95% CI 2.3 - 11.9, p=0.004) and between the B.lactis group and the placebo (mean 6.7, 95% CI 2.5 - 10.9, p = 0.002) were significant even when diarrhoea and constipation in the 3 months prior to the study were used as covariates.



It is possible to normalize bowel movements in frail nursing home.
Yield of colonoscopy in patients with nonacute rectal bleeding: a multicenter database study of 1766 patients

There are few data to guide the choice between colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy in patients with nonacute rectal bleeding, especially in younger age groups. Our aim was to determine the yield of colonoscopy for significant proximal large bowel disease in the absence of significant distal disease, with special reference to young patients.This was a retrospective study of data collected prospectively in 1766 patients (median age 57 yr, 711 women). The endoscopic database (GI-Trac) contained 152 discrete fields for data input. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify variables independently associated with the presence of isolated significant proximal disease.Young patients had a higher percentage of normal examinations than did older patients. The incidence of diverticular disease, small polyps, large polyps, and cancer rose with increasing age. No patient aged <40 yr had an isolated proximal cancer, but 7% had other significant isolated proximal disease. There was no overall association between age and significant proximal disease in the absence of significant distal disease (p = 0.66). The only variable associated with isolated proximal disease was anemia (odds ratio = 1.81; 95% CI = 1.11–2.93; p = 0.02).CONCLUSION:The yield of colonoscopy (beyond the range of sigmoidoscopy) for neoplasia is low in patients aged <40 yr, but other significant disease may be missed if age is the only criterion determining colonoscopy use.
Amelioration of sensory nerve dysfunction by C-Peptide in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Studies have demonstrated that proinsulin C-peptide stimulates the activities of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and endothelial nitric oxide synthase, both of which are enzyme systems of importance for nerve function and known to be deficient in type 1 diabetes. The aim of this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study was to investigate whether C-peptide replacement improves nerve function in patients with type 1 diabetes. Forty-nine patients without symptoms of peripheral neuropathy were randomized to either 3 months of treatment with C-peptide (600 nmol/24 h, four doses s.c.) or placebo. Forty-six patients (15 women and 31 men, aged 29 years, diabetes duration 10 years, and HbA(1c) 7.0%) completed the study. Neurological and neurophysiological measurements were performed before and after 6 and 12 weeks of treatment. At baseline the patients showed reduced nerve conduction velocities in the sural nerve (sensory nerve conduction velocity [SCV]: 50.9 +/- 0.70 vs. 54.2 +/- 1.2 m/s, P < 0.05) and peroneal nerve (motor nerve conduction velocity: 45.7 +/- 0.55 vs. 53.5 +/- 1.1 m/s, P < 0.001) compared with age-, height-, and sex-matched control subjects. In the C-peptide treated group there was a significant improvement in SCV amounting to 2.7 +/- 0.85 m/s (P < 0.05 compared with placebo) after 3 months of treatment, representing 80% correction of the initial reduction in SCV. The change in SCV was accompanied by an improvement in vibration perception in the patients receiving C-peptide (P < 0.05 compared with placebo), whereas no significant change was detectable in cold or heat perception. In conclusion, C-peptide administered for 3 months as replacement therapy to patients with early signs of diabetic neuropathy ameliorates nerve dysfunction.
Comparison of the OxyMask and Venturi mask in the delivery of supplemental oxygen: pilot study in oxygen-dependent patients.

The OxyMask (Southmedic Inc, Canada) is a new face mask for oxygen delivery that uses a small 'diffuser' to concentrate and direct oxygen toward the mouth and nose. The authors hypothesized that this unique design would enable the OxyMask to deliver oxygen more efficiently than a Venturi mask (Hudson RCI, USA) in patients with chronic hypoxemia.



Oxygen-dependent patients with chronic, stable respiratory disease were recruited to compare the OxyMask and Venturi mask in a randomized, single-blind, cross-over design. Baseline blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) was established breathing room air, followed in a random order by supplemental oxygen through the OxyMask or Venturi mask. Oxygen delivery was titrated to maintain SaO2 4% to 5% and 8% to 9% above baseline for two separate 30 min periods of stable breathing. Oxygen flow rate, partial pressure of inspired and expired oxygen (PO2) and carbon dioxide (PCO2), minute ventilation, heart rate, nasal and oral breathing, SaO2 and transcutaneous PCO2 were collected continuously. The study was repeated following alterations to the OxyMask design, which improved clearance of carbon dioxide.



Thirteen patients, aged 28 to 79 years, were studied initially using the original OxyMask. Oxygen flow rate was lower, inspired PO2 was higher and expired PO2 was lower while using the OxyMask. Minute ventilation and inspired and expired PCO2 were significantly higher while using the OxyMask, whereas transcutaneous PCO2, heart rate and the ratio of nasal to oral breathing did not change significantly throughout the study. Following modification of the OxyMask, 13 additional patients, aged 18 to 79 years, were studied using the same protocol. The modified OxyMask provided a higher inspired PO2 at a lower flow rate, without evidence of carbon dioxide retention.



Oxygen is delivered safely and more efficiently by the OxyMask than by the Venturi mask in stable oxygen-dependent patients.
Visual, proprioceptive and tactile performance in left neglect patients

Patients with unilateral spatial neglect due to right-hemisphere lesions typically fail to attend to and explore left-sided stimulus objects. It has been postulated that in right-brain damaged (RBD) patients an ipsilesional displacement of the egocentric frame of reference (ER), whether visual or tactile, may be responsible for a contralesional supramodal spatial bias causing their left neglect behavior. However, this hypothesis had been proposed without testing, in the same patients, the position of the ER or their performance in the visual and tactile modalities. Thus, the aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that an ipsilateral shift of the ER is responsible for a supramodal spatial bias in neglect. For this purpose, a within-subject design is required. Consequently, 12 left neglect patients and 12 control subjects were asked to perform a proprioceptive straight-ahead pointing task while blindfolded, as well as visual and tactile bisection tasks. In the left neglect patients, we found:no systematic deviation of the ER on the ipsilesional right side;a significant rightward bias in visual bisection, and normal performance in tactile bisection;no correlation among the three tasks;that only visual bisection correlated with the severity of neglect. These results are discussed with regard to the egocentric and attentional hypothesis of neglect.
Interval Sine and Cosine Functions Computation Based on Variable-Precision CORDIC Algorithm

In this paper we design a CORDIC architecture for variable–precision, and a new algorithm is proposed to perform the interval sine and cosine functions. This system allows us to specify the precision to perform the sine and cosine functions, and control the accuracy of the result, in such a way that recomputation of inaccurate results can be carried out with higher precision. An important reduction in the number of iterations is obtained by taking advantage of the differential angle, and the number of cycles per iteration is reduced by avoiding the additions of the leading all zerowords. As a consequence, the computation time of the interval function evaluation obtained is close to that of a point function evaluation. The problem of the large table of angles and the scale factor compensation involved in a high precision CORDIC has been solved efficiently.
Serial personal digital assistant data capture of health-related quality of life: A randomized controlled trial in a prostate cancer clinic

In clinical and research practice linked to prostate cancer treatment, frequent monitoring of patient health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is essential. Practical and analytic limitations of paper questionnaire data capture may be overcome with the use of self-administered personal digital assistant (PDA) data collection. The objective of this study was to assess the reliability, validity, and feasibility of using PDA in place of paper versions of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), the Patient Oriented Prostate Cancer Utility Survey (PORPUS), and the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) in a prostate cancer clinic setting.



152 participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 1) paper followed by PDA survey; 2) PDA followed by paper survey; or 3) PDA followed by PDA survey. Evaluation included an assessment of data quality (internal consistency, test-retest reliability, response correlation, completeness of data), and feasibility (participation rates, time to completion, preference and difficulty/ease of using PDA).



Internal consistency was similar for both PDA and paper applications. Test-retest reliability was confirmed for PDA repeated administration. Data from paper and PDA questionnaires were strongly correlated. Lower missed item rates were found in PDA administration. 82.8% of participants preferred using the PDA or had no preference. Mean difficulty/ease ratings indicated that participants found the PDA easy to use. Age did not significantly correlate with preference or difficulty.



The results confirm the adaptability of the IPSS, IIEF-5, and the PORPUS to PDA administration. Similarly, the findings of this study support the feasibility of using PDA technology for HRQOL serial data capture in the prostate cancer patient population.
Graph-based Semi-supervised Learning for Text Classification

In this paper, we propose a graph-based representation of document collections in which both documents and features are represented by nodes. The nodes are connected with weights based on word order, context similarity and word frequency. Graph-based representations can overcome the limitations of bag-of-words based representations that suffer from sparseness for collections with short documents. In a series of experiments, we evaluate multiple types of graph-based text features in the context of semi-supervised text classification, and investigate the effect of the number of labeled documents in the collection. We find that graph-based semi-supervised learning outperforms bag-of-words semi-supervised learning but not bag-of-words supervised learning in 20-class text categorization. A large asset of graph-based representations is that they are flexible in the types of nodes and relations that are included.
Phase I-II study of irinotecan combined with mitomycin-C in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Irinotecan (CPT-11) shows synergism with mitomycin-C (MMC) in a preclinical setting. The goals of this study were to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), the dose limiting toxicity, the recommended dose (RD), and preliminary anti-tumor activity in a combined CPT-11 and MMC treatment of advanced gastric cancer.



The study was designed to evaluate escalated doses of CPT-11 and MMC administered every two weeks. Five escalating dose levels were studied (CPT-11/ MMC: 100/5; 125/5; 150/5; 150/7; 150/10 mg/m2).



Thirty-one patients were enrolled. Thirty patients were assessable for toxicity and tumor response for 89 treatment cycles. The median age was 60 years (32-73 years), and most patients (90%) had a performance status of 0 to 1. Fourteen patients were previously treated and 17 were chemotherapynaive. The MTD was CPT-11 150 mg/m2 plus MMC 10 mg/m2, in which all three patients experienced grade 4 neutropenia. including one episode of prolonged and one of febrile neutropenia, and one patient experienced grade 3 diarrhea during the first cycle. Fifteen partial responses were observed.



The RD based on this phase I-II study was CPT-11 150 mg/m2 plus MMC 5 mg/m2 administered every two weeks. This combination demonstrates promising activity against advanced gastric cancer and warrants further investigation in another phase II study.
Surgical site infections following colorectal cancer surgery: a randomized prospective trial comparing common and advanced antimicrobial dressing containing ionic silver

An antimicrobial dressing containing ionic silver was found effective in reducing surgical-site infection in a preliminary study of colorectal cancer elective surgery. We decided to test this finding in a randomized, double-blind trial.



Adults undergoing elective colorectal cancer surgery at two university-affiliated hospitals were randomly assigned to have the surgical incision dressed with Aquacel Ag Hydrofiber dressing or a common dressing. To blind the patient and the nursing and medical staff to the nature of the dressing used, scrub nurses covered Aquacel Ag Hydrofiber with a common wound dressing in the experimental arm, whereas a double common dressing was applied to patients of control group. The primary end-point of the study was the occurrence of any surgical-site infection within 30 days of surgery.



A total of 112 patients (58 in the experimental arm and 54 in the control group) qualified for primary end-point analysis. The characteristics of the patient population and their surgical procedures were similar. The overall rate of surgical-site infection was lower in the experimental group (11.1% center 1, 17.5% center 2; overall 15.5%) than in controls (14.3% center 1, 24.2% center 2, overall 20.4%), but the observed difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.451), even with respect to surgical-site infection grade 1 (superficial) versus grades 2 and 3, or grade 1 and 2 versus grade 3.



This randomized trial did not confirm a statistically significant superiority of Aquacel Ag Hydrofiber dressing in reducing surgical-site infection after elective colorectal cancer surgery.
Left cardiac sympathetic denervation for treatment of symptomatic systolic heart failure patients: a pilot study.

To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and potential beneficial effects of left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD) in systolic heart failure (HF) patients.



In this prospective, randomized pilot study, inclusion criteria were New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II or III, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40%, sinus rhythm, and resting heart rate >65 b.p.m., despite optimal medical therapy (MT). Fifteen patients were randomly assigned either to MT alone or MT plus LCSD. The primary endpoint was safety, measured by mortality in the first month of follow-up and morbidity according to pre-specified criteria. Secondary endpoints were exercise capacity, quality of life, LVEF, muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels and 24 h Holter mean heart rate before and after 6 months. We studied clinical effects in long-term follow-up. Ten patients underwent LCSD. There were no adverse events attributable to surgery. In the LCSD group, LVEF improved from 25 ± 6.6 to 33 ± 5.2 (P = 0.03); 6 min walking distance improved from 167 ± 35 to 198 ± 47 m (P = 0.02). Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLWHFQ) score physical dimension changed from 21 ± 5 to 15 ± 7 (P = 0.06). The remaining analysed variables were unchanged. During 848 ± 549 days of follow-up, in the MT group, three patients either died or underwent cardiac transplantation (CT), while in the LCSD group six were alive without CT.



LCSD was feasible and seemed to be safe in systolic HF patients. Its beneficial effects warrant the development of a larger randomized trial.