nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Buteyko breathing techniques in asthma: a blinded randomised controlled trial.

To evaluate the effect of Buteyko breathing techniques (BBT) in the management of asthma.



Prospective, blinded, randomised study comparing the effect of BBT with control classes in 39 subjects with asthma. The study was conducted from January 1995 to April 1995.



Subjects recruited from the community, aged 12 to 70 years, with asthma and substantial medication use.



Medication use; morning peak expiratory flow (PEF); forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1); end-tidal (ET) CO2; resting minute volume (MV); and quality of life (QOL) score, measured at three months.



No change in daily PEF or FEV1 was noted in either group. At three months, the BBT group had a median reduction in daily beta 2-agonist dose of 904 micrograms (range, 29 micrograms to 3129 micrograms), whereas the control group had a median reduction of 57 micrograms (range, -2343 micrograms to 1143 micrograms) (P = 0.002). Daily inhaled steroid dose fell 49% (range, -100% to 150%) for the BBT group and 0 (range, -82% to +100%) for the control group (P = 0.06). A trend towards greater improvement in QOL score was noted for BBT subjects (P = 0.09). Initial MV was high and similar in both groups; by three months, MV was lower in the BBT group than in the control group (P = 0.004). ET CO2 was low in both groups and did not change with treatment.



Those practising BBT reduced hyperventilation and their use of beta 2-agonists. A trend toward reduced inhaled steroid use and better quality of life was observed in these patients without objective changes in measures of airway calibre.
Assessment of malignant skeletal disease: initial experience with 18F-fluoride PET/CT and comparison between 18F-fluoride PET and 18F-fluoride PET/CT.

18F-fluoride PET/CT was performed on 44 oncologic patients to evaluate its diagnostic accuracy in assessing malignant osseous involvement and in differentiating malignant from benign bone lesions.



(18)F-fluoride PET and (18)F-fluoride PET/CT were interpreted separately. Lesions showing increased (18)F-fluoride uptake were categorized as malignant, benign, or inconclusive. The final diagnosis of lesions was based on histopathology, correlation with contemporaneous diagnostic CT or MRI, or clinical follow-up of at least 6 mo (mean, 10 +/- 3 mo).



Increased (18)F-fluoride uptake was detected at 212 sites, including 111 malignant lesions, 89 benign lesions, and 12 lesions for which the final diagnosis could not be determined. In a lesion-based analysis, the sensitivity of PET alone in differentiating benign from malignant bone lesions was 72% when inconclusive lesions were considered false negative and 90% when inconclusive lesions were considered true positive. On PET/CT, 94 of 111 (85%) metastases presented as sites of increased uptake with corresponding lytic or sclerotic changes, and 16 of the 17 remaining metastases showed normal-appearing bone on CT, for an overall sensitivity of 99% for tumor detection. For only 1 metastasis was PET/CT misleading, suggesting the false diagnosis of a benign lesion. The specificity of PET/CT was significantly higher than that of PET alone (97% vs. 72%, P < 0.001). PET/CT identified benign abnormalities at the location exactly corresponding to the scintigraphic increased uptake for 85 of 89 (96%) benign lesions. In a patient-based analysis, the sensitivity of PET and PET/CT was 88% and 100%, respectively (P < 0.05) and the specificity was 56% and 88%, respectively (not statistically significant). Among the 12 patients referred for (18)F-fluoride assessment because of bone pain despite negative findings on (99m)Tc-methylene diphosphonate bone scintigraphy, (18)F-fluoride PET/CT suggested malignant bone involvement in all 4 patients with proven skeletal metastases, a potential benign cause in 4 of 7 patients who had no evidence of metastatic disease, and a soft-tissue tumor mass invading a sacral foramen in 1 patient.



The results indicate that (18)F-fluoride PET/CT is both sensitive and specific for the detection of lytic and sclerotic malignant lesions. It accurately differentiated malignant from benign bone lesions and possibly assisted in identifying a potential cause for bone pain in oncologic patients. For most lesions, the anatomic data provided by the low-dose CT of the PET/CT study obviates the performance of full-dose diagnostic CT for correlation purposes.
Less effect of intranasal than oral hormone therapy on factors associated with venous thrombosis risk in healthy postmenopausal women.

To compare the effects of intranasal and oral administration of 17beta-estradiol (E2) and norethisterone(acetate) [NET(A)] in healthy postmenopausal women on activated protein C (APC) resistance and other hemostatic parameters associated with venous thrombosis.



In this 2-center, randomized, double-blind, 1-year trial, 90 postmenopausal women (56.6+/-4.7 years of age) received daily either an intranasal spray with 175 microg/275 microg E2/NET (n=47) or 1 mg/0.5 mg oral E2/NETA (n = 43). Normalized APC sensitivity ratios (nAPCsr) were determined with a thrombin generation-based APC resistance test. After 1 year, the increase in nAPCsr was smaller in the intranasal than in the oral group: 11% (95% CI, 1% to 22%) versus 53% (95% CI, 37% to 72%). Overall, the decrease in antithrombin and increase in prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2) were smaller and the decrease in free protein S larger in the intranasal compared with the oral group after 1 year. In both groups, the decreases in protein C and prothrombin, and the increase in d-dimer were similar.



Compared with oral E2/NETA therapy, intranasal administration of E2/NET had less effect on APC resistance and on a number of other parameters associated with venous thrombosis. This observation suggests the possibility of a lower venous thrombosis risk for intranasal E2/NET compared with oral therapy.
Galantamine: a cholinergic patch in the treatment of alcoholism: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial

The involvement of the central cholinergic system in alcohol abuse behavior is well known. It is possible that the reinforcing effects of ethanol are partially mediated by nicotinic receptors, which modulate neurotransmitter release. It was demonstrated that the application of a cholinesterase inhibitor reduces alcohol consumption in alcohol-preferring rats. This suggests that galantamine (GAL), a cholinesterase inhibitor, could be effective when seeking to prolong abstinence in recently detoxified alcoholics. This study represents the first reported clinical trial of a cholinergic drug in alcohol-relapse prevention. We investigated the efficacy and safety of GAL by conducting a 24-week randomized, placebo-controlled, multicentric clinical trial on 149 recently detoxified alcoholics. Survival analyses (Kaplan–Meier) were performed to reveal evidence of prolonged abstinence periods in patients who received GAL. Our findings did not support our hypothesis. GAL did not extend the time to first severe relapse. However, additional post hoc analyses suggest that relapsed patients treated with GAL consume less ethanol per drinking day than patients treated with placebo. GAL seems to be ineffective when used in relapse prevention of detoxified alcoholics. It is possible that alcohol needs to be “on board” for GAL to be beneficial. This could explain why our post hoc analysis showed that GAL possibly reduces the alcohol consumption of relapsers. If confirmed, GAL could play a role in the reduction of harmful alcohol use and at-risk consumption.
The Feasibility of Cognitive Adaptation Training for Outpatients with Schizophrenia in Integrated Treatment

Cognitive adaptation training (CAT) has been tested as a psychosocial treatment, showing promising results. To date there are no reported tests of CAT treatment outside the United States. Thus, we decided to adjust CAT treatment and apply it to an Integrated Treatment setting in Denmark. In this article we describe and discuss the feasibility of using CAT treatment in a randomized clinical trial in Denmark. The treatment period was shorter and the patients were instructed in prompting for specific actions by using newer tools such as schedules in their mobile phones. Social functioning, symptoms and quality of life were assessed using instruments validated in a Danish context. It was judged that, after some adjustments to fit the Danish assertive community treatment, CAT treatment was feasible in a Danish setting.
Feasibility of endovascular recanalization for symptomatic cervical internal carotid artery occlusion.

This study sought to report technical details and clinical results of the first series of endovascular recanalization for cervical internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion.



Cervical ICA occlusion is associated with impaired cerebral perfusion, which may lead to ischemic cerebral symptoms and hemodynamic infarcts. Neither surgical nor endovascular revascularization has been shown to benefit this population.



Endovascular recanalization was attempted in 30 patients with ICA occlusions (27 men; age 72.1 +/- 8.0 years, range 48 to 85 years). Recurrent neurologic deficit or cerebral ischemia by perfusion study, after known ICA occlusion, was noted in all patients. Strategies and devices for coronary occlusion intervention were applied, including microcatheter-supported tapered-tip stiff coronary guidewires. Contralateral ICA stenosis was found in 9 patients (30%). All patients underwent independent neurologic and duplex ultrasound follow-up.



The overall technical success rate was 73% (22 of 30). No neck hematoma, intracranial hemorrhage, or hyperperfusion was noted. One (3.3%) fatal brainstem infarction occurred 1 day after a successful ICA procedure, with angiographically proven acute basilar artery occlusion and patent ICA stent. Baseline ophthalmic artery flow was reversed in 15 of the 22 successfully recanalized patients, and was normalized in 12 after the procedure. There was no new cerebral ischemic event or neurologic death for a mean follow-up of 16.1 +/- 18.5 months.



Endovascular recanalization for cervical ICA occlusion is feasible with acceptable midterm clinical results.
Prophylactic mesh at end-colostomy construction reduces parastomal hernia rate: a randomized trial.

Parastomal hernia (PSH) is the most common complication of an end-colostomy and about one-quarter of patients need operative repair, which is often unsuccessful. A randomized trial was carried out to compare the results of using mesh or no mesh at the time of formation of a colostomy with the clinical identification of PSH as the primary outcome.



In this two-centre randomized trial (Oslo University Hospital and Sykehuset Innlandet Hospital Trust, Norway), patients with rectal cancer undergoing open pelvic surgery were randomized to receive a retromuscular synthetic mesh (study group, n = 32) or no mesh (control group, n = 26) at the time of end-colostomy formation. Postoperative follow up was not blinded and included clinical examination and routine CT.



The median period of follow up was 40 (range: 84) months. There were no differences in demographic variables or complications between the study and control groups. PSH developed in two patients of the study group and in 12 of the control group [OR = 0.04 (95% CI: 0.01-0.30) and hazard ratio 0.134 (95% CI: 0.030-0.603); P < 0.001]. The number needed to treat to avoid one PSH was 2.5 patients. CT demonstrated an increase over time in the size of the fascial orifice in patients with PSH without mesh prophylaxis, in contrast to a stable size in patients with mesh and in the control patients who did not develop PSH.



The retromuscular insertion of synthetic mesh at the time of formation of an end-colostomy reduced the risk of PSH.
Venlafaxine for the control of hot flashes: results of a longitudinal continuation study.

To evaluate the intermediate term efficacy and toxicity of the use of venlafaxine for the control of hot flashes.



An open-label continuation phase study following a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial that tested three doses of venlafaxine for the control of hot flashes.



North Central Cancer Treatment Group institutions.


SAMPLE
102 postmenopausal women.



Women could titrate venlafaxine to optimum efficacy while recording daily hot flash counts and weekly toxicity information.



Hot flash frequency, hot flash score.



The reduction in hot flashes previously reported in the randomized study phase was maintained during the open-label study. Toxicity did not appear to increase over time.



The data from this study provides evidence that venlafaxine has intermediate term efficacy and good tolerability as a treatment for hot flashes.



Nurses can inform symptomatic women that an effective nonhormonal alternative exists to control their hot flashes.
A pilot randomized controlled trial of the feasibility of a self-directed coping skills intervention for couples facing prostate cancer: Rationale and design

Although it is known both patients' and partners' reactions to a prostate cancer diagnosis include fear, uncertainty, anxiety and depression with patients' partners' reactions mutually determining how they cope with and adjust to the illness, few psychosocial interventions target couples. Those that are available tend to be led by highly trained professionals, limiting their accessibility and long-term sustainability. In addition, it is recognised that patients who might benefit from conventional face-to-face psychosocial interventions do not access these, either by preference or because of geographical or mobility barriers. Self-directed interventions can overcome some of these limitations and have been shown to contribute to patient well-being. This study will examine the feasibility of a self-directed, coping skills intervention for couples affected by cancer, called Coping-Together, and begin to explore its potential impact on couples' illness adjustment. The pilot version of Coping-Together includes a series of four booklets, a DVD, and a relaxation audio CD.



In this double-blind, two-group, parallel, randomized controlled trial, 70 couples will be recruited within 4 months of a prostate cancer diagnosis through urology private practices and randomized to: 1) Coping-Together or 2) a minimal ethical care condition. Minimal ethical care condition couples will be mailed information booklets available at the Cancer Council New South Wales and a brochure for the Cancer Council Helpline. The primary outcome (anxiety) and additional secondary outcomes (distress, depression, dyadic adjustment, quality of life, illness or caregiving appraisal, self-efficacy, and dyadic and individual coping) will be assessed at baseline (before receiving study material) and 2 months post-baseline. Intention-to-treat and per protocol analysis will be conducted.



As partners' distress rates exceed not only population norms, but also those reported by patients themselves, it is imperative that coping skills interventions target the couple as a unit and enhance both partners' ability to overcome cancer challenges. This pilot study will examine the feasibility and potential efficacy of Coping-Together in optimising couples' illness adjustment. This is one of the first feasibility studies to test this innovative coping intervention, which in turn will contribute to the larger literature advocating for psychosocial care of couples affected by prostate cancer.
Cough receptor sensitivity to capsaicin does not change after allergen bronchoprovocation in allergic asthma.

The relationship between cough receptor sensitivity and eosinophilic inflammation of the airway in patients with asthma remains unclear.



Eighteen patients with asthma sensitised to house dust mite (HDM) were enrolled in a randomised parallel group study. Patients with asthma whose main symptom was cough were not enrolled in the study. Half the patients were randomly assigned to inhale saline and the other half to inhale HDM allergen. Cough receptor sensitivity to capsaicin, airway responsiveness to histamine, and sputum eosinophils analysed with hypertonic saline inhalation were investigated before and 24 hours after saline or HDM allergen bronchoprovocation.



Patients inhaling saline showed no significant changes in sputum eosinophils (from 7.87% (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.08 to 12.19) to 8.60% (95% CI 3.03 to 14.18); p=0.97), airway responsiveness to histamine (from 726.68 micro g/ml (95% CI 251.90 to 2096.36) to 773.01 micro g/ml (95% CI 251.36 to 2377.23); p=0.96), or capsaicin sensitivity (from 7.23 micro M (95% CI 2.45 to 21.31) to 7.24 micro M (95% CI 2.46 to 21.31); p=0.96). Early asthmatic response was induced in all patients, and late asthmatic response was observed in six of nine patients inhaling HDM allergen. Although there were significant increases in sputum eosinophils (from 9.83% (95% CI 6.78 to 14.27) to 21.00% (95% CI 13.85 to 28.15); p<0.01) and airway responsiveness to histamine (from 784.16 micro g/ml (95% CI 318.24 to 1932.24) to 377.81 micro g/ml (95% CI 118.43 to 1205.24); p<0.05) 24 hours after HDM allergen inhalation compared with baseline levels, capsaicin sensitivity did not change significantly (from 5.75 micro M (95% CI 1.91 to 17.30) to 6.20 micro M (95% CI 2.21 to 17.38); p=0.77).



These findings suggest that cough receptor sensitivity to capsaicin is not associated with eosinophilic inflammation of the airway in patients with allergic asthma whose main symptoms are wheezing and dyspnoea but not cough.
Using sport to promote HIV/AIDS education for at-risk youths: an intervention using peer coaches in football.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an ongoing AIDS education intervention program (EMIMA) using peers in a sport context. A secondary purpose was to determine whether a mastery-based motivational strategy would enhance the effectiveness of the peer coaches. A quasi field experimental study was employed in which at-risk children in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania (N=764) were recruited (average age=13.6 years) and were randomly grouped into two treatment groups and two control groups. The treatment groups were peer coaches conducting the AIDS education to the children within sport, one with mastery coaching strategies and one without. The two control groups were in-school children, who received traditional AIDS education, and out-of-school children, who received no education at all. The intervention lasted for 8 weeks. The results indicated that the intervention using peers in sport was more effective in transmitting HIV prevention knowledge, cognitions and perceived behaviors than the control groups. The mastery-based motivational strategies were effective in influencing some of the variables. Contrary to expectation, the school-based HIV education was no more effective than the informal education obtained by the out-of-school children. The use of peer coaches within the EMIMA program was reliably the most effective means for HIV/AIDS education for these at-risk children.
Relating Reputation and Money in On-line Markets

Reputation in online economic systems is typically quantified using counters that specify positive and negative feedback from past transactions and/or some form of transaction network analysis that aims to quantify the likelihood that a network user will commit a fraudulent transaction. These approaches can be deceiving to honest users from numerous perspectives. We take a radically different approach with the goal of guaranteeing to a buyer that a fraudulent seller cannot disappear from the system with profit following a set of fabricated transactions that total a certain monetary limit. Even in the case of stolen identity, such an adversary cannot produce illegal profit unless a buyer decides to pay over the suggested limit.
KCNJ11 E23K affects diabetes risk and is associated with the disposition index: results of two independent German cohorts.

V arious cross-sectional studies suggest that a polymorphism (E23K) within the ATP-sensitive K channel KCNJ11 gene is associated with type 2 diabetes (1). However, only two prospective studies have addressed the relation between KCNJ11 E23K and type 2 diabetes, and these studies were intervention trials based on individuals with impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance (2–4). With respect to functional effects, recent studies have been inconsistent regarding demonstration of a relation of the polymorphism with markers of insulin secretion (3,5,6), although in vitro studies clearly suggested a defect in insulin secretion (7–9). One study proposed a relation to glucagon response, while insulin secretion itself was not affected (10). However, the relation between polymorphism and insulin secretion might have been masked in some of those studies by differences of insulin sensitivity, and detailed analysis might thus require consideration of insulin sensitivity of the study participants, such as that given in the disposition index (11). We investigated the effect of KCNJ11 E23K on diabetes risk within a prospective case-cohort study (n 2,945) of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Potsdam cohort. We additionally tested the association with diabetes in a second independent cross-sectional study, the Metabolic Syndrome Berlin Potsdam (MeSyBePo) cohort, from the same geographical region (n 1,891). Within this second study, the association between polymorphism and disposition index was additionally investigated.
Recombinant human deoxyribonuclease for the treatment of acute asthma in children.

Airway obstruction in acute asthma is the result of airway smooth muscle contraction, inflammation and mucus plugging. Case reports suggest that mucolytic therapy might be beneficial in acute asthma. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of the mucolytic drug recombinant human deoxyribonuclease (rhDNase) in addition to standard treatment at the emergency department in children with an asthma exacerbation.



In a multicentre randomised double-blind controlled clinical trial, 121 children brought to the emergency room for a moderate to severe asthma exacerbation were randomly assigned to receive either a single dose of 5 mg nebulised rhDNase or placebo following the second dose of bronchodilators. An asthma score (scale 5-15) was assessed at baseline and at 1, 2, 6, 12 and 24 h. The primary outcome variable was the asthma score 1 h after the study medication.



One hour after the study medication the asthma score in the rhDNase group showed an adjusted mean decrease from baseline of 1.0 (95% CI 0.5 to 1.6) points compared with 0.7 (95% CI 0.3 to 1.2) points in the placebo group (mean difference 0.4 (95% CI -0.2 to 1.0) points; p = 0.23). The asthma score over the study period of 24 h also did not differ significantly between the rhDNase and placebo group (mean difference 0.2 (95% CI -0.3 to 0.7) points, p = 0.40). The duration of oxygen supplementation and number of bronchodilator treatments in the first 24 h were similar in both groups.



Adding a single dose of nebulised rhDNase to standard treatment in the emergency room has no beneficial effects in children with moderate to severe acute asthma.