nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Sex hormone-binding globulin concentrations before conception as a predictor for gestational diabetes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Low plasma sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations during pregnancy have been associated with the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Women presenting with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) often exhibit low plasma SHBG concentration and are at increased risk of developing GDM. In this study, we investigate whether SHBG levels before conception are predictive of GDM in women with PCOS.



A total of 50 women with PCOS were enrolled and followed up during pregnancy. Initial endocrine, metabolic and physical features were assessed according to a standardized preconception screening program. At 24-26 weeks of gestational age a 100-g glucose tolerance test was performed to screen for GDM.



Of the 50 women, 21 (42%) were diagnosed with GDM by a 100-g glucose tolerance test. Waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure, plasma glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and SHBG levels before conception were significantly different between women who did and did not develop GDM. Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that SHBG was the most significant predictive parameter for GDM (odds ratio 0.92; 95% confidence interval 0.87-0.97), without significant contribution of waist circumference and HOMA-IR. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that plasma SHBG (area under the curve 0.86) had the highest predictive value for subsequent development of GDM, however, the limited group size did not allow for calculation of a threshold value of SHBG.



In women with PCOS, preconception SHBG levels are strongly associated with subsequent development of GDM. Regression and ROC analysis show that preconception SHBG levels may be a better predictor for GDM in PCOS women compared with waist circumference or HOMA-IR.
A phase I clinical trial of 12- O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate for patients with relapsed/refractory malignancies

Phorbol esters activate protein kinase C and modulate a variety of downstream cell signaling pathways. 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) is a phorbol ester that induces differentiation or apoptosis in a variety of cell lines at low concentrations. A phase I dose escalation trial of TPA was undertaken for patients with relapsed or refractory malignancies. The starting dose was 0.063 mg/m2 and most patients were treated with an intravenous infusion of TPA on days 1–5 and 8–12 followed by a 2-week rest period prior to retreatment. Thirty-five patients were treated. A biological assay was used to monitor levels of TPA-like activity in the blood after treatment. Serious adverse events included individual episodes of gross hematuria, a grand mal seizure, syncope, and hypotension. Many patients had transient fatigue, mild dyspnea, fever, rigors, and muscular aches shortly after the infusion. Dose-limiting toxicities included syncope and hypotension at a dose of 0.188 mg/m2. Only a single patient had evidence of tumor response. These studies establish 0.125 mg/m2 as the maximally tolerated dose when TPA is administered on this schedule.
Towards performance measurements for the Java Virtual Machine's invokedynamic

This paper presents a study of a Java Virtual Machine prototype from the Da Vinci Machine project, defined by JSR 292. It describes binary translation techniques to prepare benchmarks to run on the invokedynamic mode of the prototype, resulting in the invokedynamic version of the SciMark 2.0 suite. Benchmark preparation techniques presented in this paper are proven to be useful as the invokedynamic version of benchmark programs successfully identified strange slowness behavior of the invokedynamic mode of the server virtual machine.
 Surprisingly, benchmarking results show that the invoke-dynamic mode with direct method handles on the server virtual machine is just 2-5 times slower than native Java invocations, except the Monte Carlo benchmark. But this mode on the client virtual machine still requires further performance tuning.
NOD2/CARD15 single nucleotide polymorphism 13 (3020insC) is associated with risk of sepsis and single nucleotide polymorphism 8 (2104C>T) with herpes viruses reactivation in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Three NOD2 polymorphisms (single nucleotide polymorphism [SNP]8 [2104C>T, Arg702Trp], SNP12 [2722G>C, Gly908Arg], and SNP13 [3020insC, Leu1007 fsins C]), identified as disease-associated variants in Crohn's disease, have recently been suggested as gene markers of the outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In the present multicenter study of 464 donor-recipient pairs, we focused on the effect of NOD2 mutation(s) on the risk of infections and acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD). The presence of SNP13 in recipients, donors, or both was more frequently seen in patients having sepsis than in those lacking sepsis (9 of 48 versus 33 of 386, P = .046). The presence of SNP8 (recipient and/or donor positive) was associated with a higher rate of Herpes viruses reactivation (17 of 21 versus 86 of 173, P = .007). In the SNP8-positive group, a trend for a higher rate of bacteremia well controlled by antibiotics was found (9 of 10 versus 47 of 81, P = .106). In contrast, the presence of SNP13 in recipient and/or donor resulted in a poor response to antibiotics (5 of 11 versus 9 of 10, P = .042). A statistically significant association between the presence of NOD2 SNPs and acute grade > II GVHD was found in a subgroup of HSCT patients who received transplants from unrelated donors with a myeloablative conditioning regimen that included antithymocyte globulin (ATG). In this subgroup of patients, donor positivity for any SNPs investigated (7 of 18 versus 17 of 113, P = .036) and, independently, only the presence of SNP8 (4 of 8 versus 20 of 123, P = .055) were associated with severe grade ≥ II aGVHD. In conclusion, SNP8 positivity in donors or recipients makes patients more prone to Herpes viruses reactivation and bacteremia but not to sepsis. Septic complications were associated with SNP13 polymorphism. SNP8 in donors constitutes a risk factor of severe aGVHD, but only if patients received transplants from unrelated donors and received ATG as part of a conditioning regimen.
Comparative effectiveness of white blood cell growth factors on neutropenia, infection, and survival in older people with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with chemotherapy.

To determine the effect of colony-stimulating factor (CSF) on incidence of febrile neutropenia, infection, and survival in older people with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) treated with chemotherapy.



Retrospective cohort study.



The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database.



Thirteen thousand two hundred twenty-three people diagnosed with NHL at age 65 and older (mean age 74.9, range 65-102) in 1992 to 2002 who received chemotherapy within 12 months of diagnosis.



Primary prophylaxis was defined as CSF administered at the start of chemotherapy before febrile neutropenia or infection; secondary prophylaxis was defined as CSF use after febrile neutropenia or infection.



Participants with five to nine administrations of primary prophylactic CSF had a 42% lower risk of febrile neutropenia (odds ratio (OR)=0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.41-0.83), and participants with 10 or more administrations had a 48% lower risk (OR=0.52, 95% CI=0.36-0.76) after adjusting for age, stage, histology, and comorbidity. Results did not differ significantly after adjusting for propensity score of receiving CSF. There was no significant association between primary prophylactic CSF and overall survival, but secondary prophylactic CSF was significantly associated with better survival. Four to 10 administrations of secondary prophylactic CSF was associated with 9% lower mortality risk (hazard ratio (HR)=0.91, 95% CI=0.84-0.99), 11 to 23 administrations was associated with 23% lower mortality risk (HR=0.77, 95% CI=0.71-0.84) and 24 or more administrations was associated with 13% lower mortality risk (HR=0.87, 95% CI+0.79-0.95) than in participants not receiving CSF after neutropenia or infection.



Primary prophylactic CSF was observed to be effective in reducing the incidence of neutropenia and infection. These findings substantiate the clinical guidelines for recommending prophylactic CSF in older people with NHL receiving chemotherapy.
Effect of pioglitazone treatment on the adrenal androgen response to corticotrophin in obese patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

To investigate the effect of pioglitazone on adrenal steroidogenesis in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), we studied 11 obese (two with BMI >25 kg/m(2); nine with BMI >27 kg/m(2)) PCOS women before and after 6 months of treatment at a dose of 45 mg/day.



During the early follicular phase, ultrasonography and hormonal assays were performed. On separate days, all women underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), a euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp and an adrenocorticotrophin hormone (ACTH) test. The same protocol was repeated after therapy.



Pioglitazone treatment significantly reduced the insulin response to OGTT and improved the insulin sensitivity indices (P < 0.01 and P = 0.03 respectively). A significant decrease was found in LH (P < 0.05) and androstenedione (P < 0.01) levels after therapy, whereas the other hormonal parameters improved but not significantly. Pioglitazone administration reduced the response of 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (17OHP) and androstenedione to ACTH (P < 0.01 and P < 0.02 respectively), most likely through an inhibition of cytochrome P450. The same treatment was able to rebalance the relative activity of 17,20-lyase, as documented by an increase in the androstenedione:17OHP ratio (P < 0.05) after ACTH stimulation.



Our data support the contention that insulin enhances ACTH-stimulated steroidogenesis, while inducing a relative impairment of 17,20-lyase activity. Whether the beneficial effects of pioglitazone on this imbalance could be related to the ameliorated glyco-insulinaemic metabolism or to a direct effect on the adrenal glands remains to be determined.
A long-term evaluation of cryoballoon ablation in 205 atrial fibrillation patients: a single center experience

Atrial fibrillation is the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia with significant healthcare impact with regards to treatment costs, morbidity, and mortality. Many of the focal electrical activities that initiate and sustain atrial fibrillation have been found to reside within or near the pulmonary veins. Consequently, pulmonary vein isolation by catheter ablation has emerged as an effective method to eliminate the focal triggers associated with atrial fibrillation. In this single-center study, 205 patients were ablated for atrial fibrillation using a cryoballoon catheter and followed-up long-term by retrospective chart examination to evaluate their post-procedural freedom from atrial fibrillation. Patients were followed for up to 6 years with a cohort median of 3 years of post-ablation evaluation. Overall, at 12, 24, and 36 months post-ablation, 71, 49, and 31 % of evaluated patients were free of atrial fibrillation, respectively. We found the type of atrial fibrillation (paroxysmal vs. persistent) as an independent predictor for arrhythmia recurrence (HR 1.97; 95 % CI: 1.24–3.13, P   = 0.006). The cohort median atrial fibrillation-free survival time was 24 months (27 months for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation patients and 14 months for persistent atrial fibrillation patients). There were a total of 37 (18 %) complications, 8 (3.9 %) were categorized as major complications, all without permanent sequels. The most common complication was phrenic nerve palsy which occurred in 14 (6.8 %) patients. Long-term outcomes in this study suggest that the pulmonary vein isolation using the cryoballoon technique is relatively an effective method especially in the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.
Trial of CBT for impulse control behaviors affecting Parkinson patients and their caregivers.

To test the effects of a novel cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)-based intervention delivered by a nurse therapist to patients with Parkinson disease (PD) with clinically significant impulse control behaviors (ICB).



This was a randomized controlled trial comparing up to 12 sessions of a CBT-based intervention compared to a waiting list control condition with standard medical care (SMC). A total of 27 patients were randomized to the intervention and 17 to the waiting list. Patients with a Mini-Mental State Examination score of <24 were excluded. The coprimary outcomes were overall symptom severity and neuropsychiatric disturbances in the patients and carer burden and distress after 6 months. Secondary outcome measures included depression and anxiety, marital satisfaction, and work and social adjustment in patients plus general psychiatric morbidity and marital satisfaction in carers.



There was a significant improvement in global symptom severity in the CBT intervention group vs controls, from a mean score consistent with moderate to one of mild illness-related symptoms (χ(2) = 16.46, p < 0.001). Neuropsychiatric disturbances also improved significantly (p = 0.03), as did levels of anxiety and depression and adjustment. Measures of carer burden and distress showed changes in the desired direction in the intervention group but did not change significantly. General psychiatric morbidity did improve significantly in the carers of patients given CBT.



This CBT-based intervention is the first to show efficacy in ICB related to PD in terms of patient outcomes. The hoped-for alleviation of carer burden was not observed. The study demonstrates the feasibility and potential benefit of a psychosocial treatment approach for these disturbances at least in the short term, and encourages further larger-scale clinical trials.



The study provides Class IV evidence that CBT plus SMC is more effective than SMC alone in reducing the severity of ICB in PD, based upon Clinical Global Impression assessment (χ(2) = 16.46, p < 0.001): baseline to 6-month follow-up, reduction in symptom severity CBT group, 4.0-2.5; SMC alone group, 3.7-3.5.
Use of the PiCCO system in critically ill patients with septic shock and acute respiratory distress syndrome: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Hemodynamic monitoring is very important in critically ill patients with shock or acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS). The PiCCO (Pulse index Contour Continuous Cardiac Output, Pulsion Medical Systems, Germany) system has been developed and used in critical care settings for several years. However, its impact on clinical outcomes remains unknown.



The study is a randomized controlled multi-center trial. A total of 708 patients with ARDS, septic shock or both will be included from January 2012 to January 2014. Subjects will be randomized to receive PiCCO monitoring or not. Our primary end point is 30-day mortality, and secondary outcome measures include ICU length of stay, days on mechanical ventilation, days of vasoactive agent support, ICU-free survival days during a 30-day period, mechanical-ventilation-free survival days during a 30-day period, and maximum SOFA score during the first 7 days.



We investigate whether the use of PiCCO monitoring will improve patient outcomes in critically ill patients with ARDS or septic shock. This will provide additional data on hemodynamic monitoring and help clinicians to make decisions on the use of PiCCO.
Long-term immune responses and comparative effectiveness of one or two doses of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) in HIV-positive adults in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy

HIV infection impairs maintenance of immunological memory, yet few studies of HIV-positive adults receiving 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) have followed them beyond the first year. We determined and compared the durability of serological responses and the clinical outcomes of HIV-positive adults annually for five years following vaccination with one or two doses of PCV7.



In this non-randomized clinical trial, 221 pneumococcal vaccine-naïve HIV-positive adults receiving one (n = 109) or two doses four weeks apart (n = 112) of PCV7 between 2008 and 2010 were longitudinally followed for evaluation of significant serological response and for episodes of pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease.



At the time of vaccination, the two groups were well matched for age, risk factors, combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) coverage, CD4 count and plasma HIV RNA load (PVL). At the end of five years, the CD4 counts for the one- and two-dose groups had increased from 407 and 406 to 550 and 592 cells/µL, respectively, and 82.4 and 81.6% of the participants had fully suppressed PVL. Significant immune responses to ≥ 2 serotypes persisted for 67.9 vs 78.6%, 64.2 vs 71.4%, 66.1 vs 71.4%, 57.8 vs 69.6% in the second, third, fourth and fifth years after one and two doses of PCV7 in the intention-to-treat analysis, respectively. In multivariate analysis, immunization with two doses of PCV7 (odds ratio (OR) 1.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10 to 2.65, p = 0.016), concurrent cART (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.16 to 4.00, p = 0.015) and CD4 proliferation (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.27, p = 0.031) were predictive of persistent serological responses in the fifth year. Only one patient in the one-dose group had documented pneumococcal pneumonia (non-bacteraemic) and none had invasive pneumococcal disease in the 6.5 years of follow-up.



One or two doses of PCV7 achieve durable seroprotective responses in HIV-treated participants; however, two doses may be more robust than one dose in a larger study population or in real-world populations with less cART coverage.
Risk factors for hyperferritinemia secondary to red blood cell transfusions in pediatric cancer patients.

Transfusion of packed red blood cells is common in pediatric cancer patients who receive chemotherapy. This study was done to identify characteristics of pediatric cancer patients at risk of hyperferritinemia secondary to frequent transfusions.


PROCEDURE
In this retrospective chart review, all pediatric cancer patients who completed chemotherapy from January 2007 to January 2012 and had an assessment of serum ferritin 6 months after the end of treatment were included. Variables included: age, sex, type of cancer diagnosis, weight and body surface area (BSA) at the time of diagnosis, number of transfusions, total transfused volume (TTV), total transfused volume per body weight (TVPBW), and weight and BSA change from the time of diagnosis to the time of ferritin check.



Of 109 eligible patients, 85 (78%) received transfusions. Sixteen patients (14.7%) had ferritin levels > 200 µg/L and four (3.7%) had ferritin levels > 1,000 µg/L. Although age, weight and BSA at cancer diagnosis, number of transfusions and TVPBW were correlated with the level of ferritin, independent risk factors were TTV (range 1,961-30,090 ml in patients with hyperferritinemia, P < 0.001) and BSA change from the time of diagnosis to the time of ferritin check (range -0.15 to 0.31 m(2) in patients with hyperferritinemia, P < 0.001). Increase in BSA was correlated with reduction of hyperferritinemia in follow-up ferritin measurements (P = 0.049).



In addition to TTV, change in BSA is an independent predictor for the degree and possibly persistence of hyperferritinemia in pediatric cancer patients and should be considered in decisions to initiate interventions.
The difference in autonomic denervation and its effect on atrial fibrillation recurrence between the standard segmental and circumferential pulmonary vein isolation techniques.

This study examined the difference in autonomic modification (AM) and its effect on paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) recurrence between segmental pulmonary vein isolation (S-PVI) and circumferential PVI (C-PVI).



Successful S-PVI or C-PVI with a basket catheter was achieved in 120 consecutive PAF patients. Serial 24 Holter-recordings were obtained before, immediately, and 1, 3, 6, 12 months after the PVI to analyse the heart rate variability (HRV). Nineteen patients were excluded from analysis because of additional ablation for recurrent PAF after successful PVI. Among the residual 101 patients, 33 had PAF recurrences (S-PVI = 44.0%, C-PVI = 21.6%) at 1 year of follow-up. The root mean square of successive differences and high-frequency power reflecting parasympathetic nervous activity were significantly lower in patients with and without PAF recurrences after C-PVI and patients without PAF recurrences after S-PVI than patients with PAF recurrences after S-PVI (P < 0.005-0.0001). However, there were no significant differences in any HRV parameters in the immediate aftermath of PVI among the patients without PAF recurrences after S-PVI and those with and without PAF recurrences after C-PVI.



Although additional radiofrequency ablation for AM may be recommended after S-PVI to reduce PAF recurrences, it should be carefully determined after C-PVI.
Analysis of the Metabolic and Structural Brain Changes in Patients With Torture-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (TR-PTSD) Using 18F-FDG PET and MRI

Many people exposed to torture later suffer from torture-related post-traumatic stress disorder (TR-PTSD). The aim of this study was to analyze the morphologic and functional brain changes in patients with TR-PTSD using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET). This study evaluated 19 subjects. Thirteen subcortical brain structures were evaluated using FSL software. On the T1-weighted images, normalized brain volumes were measured using SIENAX software. The study compared the volume of the brain and 13 subcortical structures in 9 patients suffering from TR-PTSD after torture and 10 healthy volunteers (HV). Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was performed in the transverse plane. In addition, the 18F-FDG PET data were evaluated to identify the activity of the elected regions. The mean left hippocampal volume for the TR-PTSD group was significantly lower than in the HV group (post hoc test (Bonferroni) P < 0.001). There was a significant difference between the gray matter volume of the patients with TR-PTSD and the HV group (post hoc test (Bonferroni) P < 0.001). The TR-PTSD group showed low significant expansion of the ventricles in contrast to the HV group (post hoc test (Bonferroni) P < 0.001). Diffusion-weighted imaging revealed significant differences in the right frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe between the TR-PTSD and HV group (post hoc test (Bonferroni) P < 0.001). Moderate hypometabolism was noted in the occipital lobe in 6 of the 9 patients with TR-PTSD, in the temporal lobe in 1 of the 9 patients, and in the caudate nucleus in 5 of the 9 patients. In 2 cases, additional hypometabolism was observed in the posterior cingulate cortex and in the parietal and frontal lobes. The findings from this study show that TR-PTSD might have a deleterious influence on a set of specific brain structures. This study also demonstrated that PET combined with MRI is sensitive in detecting possible metabolic and structural brain changes in TR-PTSD.