nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Inconsistency of prognostic factors for post-chemotherapy nausea and vomiting

A number of prognostic factors have been reported to influence the probability of developing nausea and vomiting after cytotoxic chemotherapy. This study used data collected in four randomized anti-emetic trials conducted by the Clinical Trials Group of the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC-CTG) to assess the consistency of the effects of these prognostic factors. A total of 582 patients, all of whom had received moderately emetogenic chemotherapy for the first time, but who were assigned to different anti-emetics, were included in the analysis. The major findings was that the probability of post-chemotherapy nausea and vomiting was much more strongly influenced by the type of chemotherapy given and the type of anti-emetic used than by patient (e.g., age, gender) or environmental (e.g., treatment location, time of administration) characteristics. Further, patient-related factors had different, and sometimes opposite, effects in different anti-emetic and chemotherapy subgroups. Finally, the relative potency of anti-emetics appeared to vary with chemotherapy regimens. Implications of these findings for future studies are discussed.
Ultrasound-detected joint inflammation and B cell count: related variables for rituximab-treated RA patients?

This cross-sectional observational study aimed to explore the relationship between B cell count and ultrasound (US)-detected synovitis, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with rituximab. Thirty-seven consecutive RA patients treated with RTX were recruited for the study. The patients underwent clinical [i.e., Disease Activity Score 28 joints (DAS28)], laboratory, and US assessment of 12 joints. Each joint was semiquantitatively (0–3) scored on B-mode and power Doppler mode. The scores were summed, and a global index was created for BM (BMS) and PD scores (PDI) synovitis. BM subclinical synovitis was evident in all patients, with PD synovial signal detected in 16 patients (43.2 %). No correlation was found between DAS28 and US scores. B cells were detected in 27 (72.9 %) patients, but there was no association in the mean B cell count and disease activity as measured by DAS28 (DAS28 < 2.6 = 34.53, DAS28 > 2.6 = 49.45, p = 0.52) and PDI score (PDI < 1 = 49.48, PDI > 1 = 35.44, p = 0.54). There was no correlation between the B cell count and DAS28, BMS, and PDI (r = 0.020, p = 0.907; r = −0.151, p = 0.371; r = −0.099, p = 0.558, respectively). In RTX-treated RA patients, no relationship could be established between US-detected synovitis and peripheral blood B cell count.
Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) prevents dose-limiting neutropenia in lymphoma patients receiving standard dose chemotherapy.

In this study, nine patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (n = 6) and Hodgkin's disease (n = 3) receiving different cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens were given granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) (5 micrograms/kg/day) from 48 hours after the end of chemotherapy to 48 hours before the next chemotherapy administration. The decrease in mean absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) and in mean platelet (Plt) counts was not significant when pre-therapy counts were compared with post-therapy ones (p < 0.375 and p > 0.4, respectively). The mean actual dose intensity was 92% (range 68-100%). G-CSF treatment after chemotherapy reduces neutropenia and permits administration of the full chemotherapy program. A wash-out period between G-CSF treatment and chemotherapy administration is needed to prevent the detrimental effect of chemotherapy on leukocyte and platelet recovery when repeated cycles of cytotoxic drugs and G-CSF are administered.
Body proportions before and during growth hormone therapy in children with chronic renal failure

Growth retardation is a common problem in children with chronic renal failure (CRF). Few published data are available on whether the normalization of height in these children during growth hormone (GH) treatment is accompanied by proportional growth of the other parts of the body. In this study, body proportions before and during GH therapy were assessed in children with severe growth retardation due to CRF. Various body segments, such as sitting height, arm span, tibia, hand and foot length, biacromial and biiliacal diameter were measured in 15 children participating in a double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over trial and in 22 children participating in a double-blind dose-response trial. Twelve children continued GH therapy after having participated in one of the two former trials and received GH therapy for 4 years. All results were adjusted for age and sex, and expressed as SD scores using reference values for healthy Dutch children. To assess body proportions, the various body segments were related to height and expressed as shape values (SV). At baseline all body segments SD scores were significantly lower than zero, indicating that the stunted growth of children with CRF included all body segments. Since height was not significantly more or less affected than the other body segments, all children had normal SV, indicating normal body proportions. The placebo-controlled study showed a significant increase of the SD scores of height and several body segments during 6 months of GH [28 IU/m2 per week (or 1.3 mg/m2 per day)] versus placebo. The dose-response study demonstrated that height SDS as well as all other body segments SD scores increased significantly during 2 years of GH therapy with 28 IU/m2 per week, compared with treatment with 14 IU/m2 per week. Also during 4 years of GH therapy with 28 IU/m2 per week, body segment SD scores increased to the same extent as height SDS, showing that GH did not significantly change SV i.e., body proportions. Both before and during GH therapy, children on dialysis had normal body proportions, comparable with children on conservative renal treatment. In conclusion, children with severe growth retardation due to CRF maintain normal body proportions in spite of their chronic disease. GH therapy with 28 IU/m2 per week induces and maintains catch-up growth of height and all body segments without signs of disproportionate growth. Thus GH therapy does not negatively influence body proportions in children with severe growth retardation secondary to CRF.
Role of irbesartan in prevention of post-coronary artery bypass graft atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common complication of cardiothoracic surgery (CTS). Existing evidence about the potential protective role of angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonists (angiotensin receptor blockers [ARBs]) for post-CTS AF has been limited and conflicting. In this single-blind, open-label, randomized prospective pilot study, we evaluated the potential protective role of irbesartan (an ARB) in post-coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) AF.



A total of 100 consecutive patients undergoing CABG were randomly assigned to irbesartan (n = 50) versus no irbesartan (n = 50) for 5 days prior to the scheduled surgery. Data were collected for imaging studies, laboratory values, and peri-operative details. Patients were monitored post-operatively for in-hospital AF episodes. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the effect of irbesartan on the incidence of post-CABG AF.



A total of 14 patients developed AF during their post-operative hospital stay. The incidence of AF in patients who received irbesartan was 6% (n = 3) compared with 22% (n = 11) in patients who did not receive irbesartan (p = 0.021). Univariate logistic regression analysis identified irbesartan and age as statistically significant variables. An adjusted multivariate logistic model identified irbesartan as an important protective factor against development of post-CABG AF (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.20; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04, 0.94; p = 0.04). Increasing age (adjusted OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.01, 1.17; p = 0.03) was also identified as an independent risk factor for development of post-CABG AF.



Pretreatment with irbesartan tends to have a significant protective effect against the occurrence of AF during the post-operative period in patients undergoing CABG.
Drug-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis: Evidence from patients receiving an oral glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor in the Orbofiban in Patients with Unstable coronary Syndromes- (OPUS-TIMI 16) trial

To assess etiology and impact of thrombocytopenia in a large oral glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitor trial.  Heparin is known to cause thrombocytopenia, and in some of these patients thrombosis. GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors are also associated with thrombocytopenia.  The Orbofiban in Patients with Unstable Coronary Syndromes (OPUS-TIMI 16) Trial randomized 10,392 patients with ACS to the oral GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor orbofiban or placebo. Patients were followed for a minimum of ten months. Thrombocytopenia was defined prospectively as a platelet count < 80,000.  Thrombocytopenia was rare in the OPUS-TIMI 16 trial (0.68% at Day 30 and 0.80% at 1 year), but more common in patients treated with orbofiban (0.92%) compared with those treated with placebo (0.2%), p < 0.001. Patients who developed thrombocytopenia had higher rates of death (11.6% vs. 1.7%, p < 0.001), recurrent MI (12.1% vs. 2.8%, p < 0.001), intracranial hemorrhage (2.9% vs. 0.0%, p < 0.001), and major or severe bleeding (19.0% vs. 2.0%, p < 0.001) at 30 days (with similar results at one year).  Thrombocytopenia, though uncommon, was associated with orbofiban use and an increased risk of bleeding, but also death and MI. This study provides further evidence that drugs that lead to thrombocytopenia are, in a significant proportion of patients associated with thrombotic events.
Model for assessing cardiovascular risk in a Korean population.

A model for predicting cardiovascular disease in Asian populations is limited.



In total, 57 393 consecutive asymptomatic Korean individuals aged 30 to 80 years without a prior history of cardiovascular disease who underwent a general health examination were enrolled. Subjects were randomly classified into the train (n=45 914) and validation (n=11 479) cohorts. Thirty-one possible risk factors were assessed. The cardiovascular event was a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke. In the train cohort, the C-index (95% confidence interval) and Akaike Information Criterion were used to develop the best-fitting prediction model. In the validation cohort, the predicted versus the observed cardiovascular event rates were compared by the C-index and Nam and D'Agostino χ(2) statistics. During a median follow-up period of 3.1 (interquartile range, 1.9-4.3) years, 458 subjects had 474 cardiovascular events. In the train cohort, the best-fitting model consisted of age, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, current smoking, family history of coronary heart disease, white blood cell, creatinine, glycohemoglobin, atrial fibrillation, blood pressure, and cholesterol (C-index =0.757 [0.726-0.788] and Akaike Information Criterion =7207). When this model was tested in the validation cohort, it performed well in terms of discrimination and calibration abilities (C-index=0.760 [0.693-0.828] and Nam and D'Agostino χ(2) statistic =0.001 for 3 years; C-index=0.782 [0.719-0.846] and Nam and D'Agostino χ(2) statistic=1.037 for 5 years).



A risk model based on traditional clinical and biomarkers has a feasible model performance in predicting cardiovascular events in an asymptomatic Korean population.
Impact of biatrial defragmentation in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: results from a randomized prospective study.

Single procedure success rates of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) are still unsatisfactory. In patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF), ablation of complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAEs) after PVI results in improved outcomes.



We aimed to investigate if PAF-patients with intraprocedurally sustained AF after PVI might benefit from additional CFAE ablation.



A total of 1134 consecutive patients underwent a first catheter ablation procedure of PAF between June 2008 and December 2012. In most patients, AF was either not inducible or terminated during PVI. In 68 patients (6%), AF sustained after successful PVI. These patients were randomized to either cardioversion (PVI-alone group; n = 33) or additional CFAE ablation (PVI+CFAE group; n = 35) and followed up every 1-3 months and serial Holter recordings were also obtained. The primary end point was the recurrence of AF/atrial tachycardia (AT) after a blanking period of 3 months.



Procedure duration (127 ± 6 minutes vs 174 ± 10 minutes), radiofrequency application time (44 ± 3 minutes vs 74 ± 5 minutes), and fluoroscopy time (26 ± 2 minutes vs 41 ± 3 minutes) were longer in the PVI+CFAE group (all P < .001). In 30 of 35 patients (86%) in the PVI+CFAE group, ablation terminated AF. There was no significant group difference with respect to freedom from AF/AT (22 of 33 [67%] vs 22 of 35 [63%]; P = .66). Subsequently, 10 of 11 patients in the PVI-alone group (91%) and 11 of 13 patients in PVI+CFAE group (85%) underwent repeat ablation (P = 1.00). Overall, 29 of 33 [88%] vs 30 of 35 [86%] patients (P = 1.00) were free from AF/AT after 1.4 ± 0.1 vs 1.4 ± 0.2 (P = .87) procedures.



Patients with sustained AF after PVI in a PAF cohort are rare. Regarding AF/AT recurrence, these patients did not benefit from further CFAE ablation compared to PVI alone, but are exposed to longer procedure duration, fluoroscopy time, and radiofrequency application time.
ERK1/2 phosphorylation is an independent predictor of complete remission in newly diagnosed adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2 (ERK1/2) is frequently found constitutively activated (p-ERK1/2) in hematopoietic diseases, suggesting a role in leukemogenesis. The aim of this study was to assess the expression and clinical role of p-ERK1/2 in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In 131 primary samples from adult de novo ALL patients enrolled in the Gruppo Italiano per le Malattie Ematologiche dell'Adulto (GIMEMA) Leucemia Acute Linfoide (LAL) 2000 protocol and evaluated by flow cytometry, constitutive ERK1/2 activation was found in 34.5% of cases; these results were significantly associated with higher white blood cell (WBC) values (P=.013). In a multivariate analysis, p-ERK1/2 expression was an independent predictor of complete remission achievement (P=.027). Effective approaches toward MEK inhibition need to be explored in order to evaluate whether this may represent a new therapeutic strategy for adult ALL patients.
Can fiberoptic bronchoscopy be applied to critically ill patients treated with noninvasive ventilation for acute respiratory distress syndrome? Prospective observational study

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a cornerstone for the treatment of acute respiratory failure of various etiologies. Using NIV is discussed in mild-to-moderate acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients (PaO2/FiO2 > 150). These patients often have comorbidities that increase the risk for bronchoscopy related complications. The primary outcome of this prospective observational study was to evaluate the feasibility, safety and contribution in diagnosis and/or modification of the ongoing treatment of fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) in patients with ARDS treated with NIV.



ARDS patients treated with NIV and who require FOB as the diagnostic or therapeutic procedure were included the study. Intensive care ventilators or other dedicated NIV ventilators were used. NIV was applied via simple oro-nasal mask or full-face mask. Pressure support or inspiratory positive airway pressure (IPAP), external positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) or expiratory positive airway pressure (EPAP) levels were titrated to achieve an expiratory tidal volume of 8 to 10 ml/kg according to ideal body weight, SpO2 > 90 % and respiratory rate below 25/min.



Twenty eight subjects (mean age 63.3 ± 15.9 years, 15 men, 13 women, PaO2/FiO2 rate 145 ± 50.1 at admission) were included the study. Overall the procedure was well tolerated with only 5 (17.9 %) patients showing minor complications. There was no impairment in arterial blood gas and cardiopulmonary parameters after FOB. PaO2/FiO2 rate increased from 132.2 ± 49.8 to 172.9 ± 63.2 (p = 0.001). No patient was intubated within 2 h after the bronchoscopy. 10.7, 32.1 and 39.3 % of the patients required invasive mechanical ventilation after 8 h, 24 h and 48 h, respectively. Bronchoscopy provided diagnosis in 27 (96.4 %) patients. Appropriate treatment was decided according to the results of the bronchoscopic sampling in 20 (71.4 %) patients.



FOB under NIV could be considered as a feasible tool for diagnosis and guide for treatment of patients with ARDS treated via NIV in intensive care units. However, FOB-correlated life-treathening complications in severe hypoxemia should not be forgotten. Furthermore, further controlled studies involving a larger series of homogeneous ARDS patients undergoing FOB under NIV are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.
The Relationship between Older Adults’ Risk for a Future Fall and Difficulty Performing Activities of Daily Living

Functional status is often defined by cumulative scores across indices of independence in performing basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL/IADL), but little is known about the unique relationship of each daily activity item with the fall outcome. The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the level of relative risk for a future fall associated with difficulty with performing various tasks of normal daily functioning among older adults who had fallen at least once in the past 12 months. The sample was comprised of community-dwelling individuals 70 years and older from the 1984-1990 Longitudinal Study of Aging by Kovar, Fitti, and Chyba (1992). Risk analysis was performed on individual items quantifying 6 ADLs and 7 IADLs, as well as 10 items related to mobility limitations. Within a subsample of 1,675 older adults with a history of at least one fall within the past year, the responses of individuals who reported multiple falls were compared to the responses of participants who had a single fall and reported 1) difficulty with walking and/or balance (FRAIL group, n = 413) vs. 2) no difficulty with walking or dizziness (NDW+ND group, n = 415). The items that had the strongest relationships and highest risk ratios for the FRAIL group (which had the highest probabilities for a future fall) included difficulty with: eating (73%); managing money (70%); biting or chewing food (66%); walking a quarter of a mile (65%); using fingers to grasp (65%); and dressing without help (65%). For the NDW+ND group, the most noteworthy items included difficulty with: bathing or showering (79%); managing money (77%); shopping for personal items (75%); walking up 10 steps without rest (72%); difficulty with walking a quarter of a mile (72%); and stooping/crouching/kneeling (70%). These findings suggest that individual items quantifying specific ADLs and IADLs have substantive relationships with the fall outcome among older adults who have difficulty with walking and balance, as well as among older individuals without dizziness or difficulty with walking. Furthermore, the examination of the relationships between items that are related to more challenging activities and the fall outcome revealed that higher functioning older adults who reported difficulty with the 6 items that yielded the highest risk ratios may also be at elevated risk for a fall.
SpiroVest: an e-textile-based wearable spirometer with posture change adaptability

Daily continuous spirometry is expected to detect lung disease initial symptoms that occur in daily contexts. Current medical spirometers are insufficient for such usage because they force uncomfortable conditions for users, such as pinching their noses with a clip and holding a mouthpiece in their mouths. To solve this issue, we propose an e-textile-based wearable spirometer called SpiroVest that estimates lung behavior from torso-girth movements. It does not require any uncomfortable conditions that interfere with daily activity. In addition, our wearable spirometer is able to estimate accurate respiratory volume against variety of postures by a simple and posture-independent error reduction mechanism.
Prophylactic vasopressin in patients receiving the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor ramipril undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of continuation versus discontinuation of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor ramipril and assess the efficacy of prophylactic vasopressin infusion on hemodynamic stability and vasoactive drug requirements in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.



A prospective, randomized, double-blinded, single-center clinical study.



Tertiary care hospital.



Forty-seven patients on the ACE inhibitor ramipril for 6 weeks before undergoing elective primary CABG surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).



Patients were randomly divided into 3 groups: group A (n = 16), patients discontinued ramipril 24 hours before surgery; group B (n = 16), patients continued ramipril until the morning of surgery; and group C (n = 15), patients continued ramipril until the morning of surgery and received vasopressin infusion (0.03 U/min) from the onset of rewarming until the hemodynamics were stable without vasopressor agents. The anesthetic technique and conduct of CPB were standardized for all the groups. Hemodynamic parameters and vasoactive drug requirements were recorded for 3 days postoperatively.



Patients in group A maintained stable mean arterial pressure (MAP) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR). In group B, MAP and SVR decreased after the induction of anesthesia and remained so throughout surgery (p < 0.05). In group C, MAP and SVR decreased upon the induction of anesthesia (p < 0.05) but normalized after CPB.



Preoperative ACE inhibitor continuation predisposed to hypotension upon the induction of anesthesia and in the post-CPB period. Prophylactic low-dose vasopressin infusion prevented post-CPB hypotension. Low-dose vasopressin can be considered as potential therapy in these patients.