nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Assessing adolescent mindfulness: validation of an adapted Mindful Attention Awareness Scale in adolescent normative and psychiatric populations.

Interest in mindfulness-based interventions for children and adolescents is burgeoning, bringing with it the need for validated instruments to assess mindfulness in youths. The present studies were designed to validate among adolescents a measure of mindfulness previously validated for adults (e.g., Brown & Ryan, 2003), which we herein call the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale-Adolescent (MAAS-A). In 2 large samples of healthy 14- to 18-year-olds (N = 595), Study 1 supported a single-factor MAAS-A structure, along with acceptably high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and both concurrent and incremental validity. In Study 2, with a sample of 102 psychiatric outpatient adolescents age 14-18 years, participants randomized to a mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention showed significant increases in MAAS-A scores from baseline to 3-month follow-up, relative to nonsignificant score changes among treatment-as-usual participants. Increases in MAAS-A scores among mindfulness-based stress reduction participants were significantly related to beneficial changes in numerous mental health indicators. The findings support the reliability and validity of the MAAS-A in normative and mixed psychiatric adolescent populations and suggest that the MAAS-A has utility in mindfulness intervention research.
Compliance in heart failure patients: the importance of knowledge and beliefs.

Non-compliance in patients with heart failure (HF) contributes to worsening HF symptoms and may lead to hospitalization. Several smaller studies have examined compliance in HF, but all were limited as they only studied either the individual components of compliance and its related factors or several aspects of compliance without studying the related factors. The aims of this study were to examine all dimensions of compliance and its related factors in one HF population.



Data were collected in a cohort of 501 HF patients. Clinical and demographic data were assessed and patients completed questionnaires on compliance, beliefs, knowledge, and self-care behaviour. Overall compliance was 72% in this older HF population. Compliance with medication and appointment keeping was high (>90%). In contrast, compliance with diet (83%), fluid restriction (73%), exercise (39%), and weighing (35%) was markedly lower. Compliance was related to knowledge (OR=5.67; CI 2.87-11.19), beliefs (OR=1.78; CI 1.18-2.69), and depressive symptoms (OR=0.53; CI 0.35-0.78).



Although some aspects of compliance had an acceptable level, compliance with weighing and exercise were low. In order to improve compliance, an increase of knowledge and a change of patient's beliefs by education and counselling are recommended. Extra attention should be paid to patients with depressive symptoms.
Chronic care clinics for diabetes in primary care: a system-wide randomized trial.

To evaluate the impact of primary care group visits (chronic care clinics) on the process and outcome of care for diabetic patients.



We evaluated the intervention in primary care practices randomized to intervention and control groups in a large-staff model health maintenance organization (HMO). Patients included diabetic patients > or = 30 years of age in each participating primary care practice, selected at random from an automated diabetes registry. Primary care practices were randomized within clinics to either a chronic care clinic (intervention) group or a usual care (control) group. The intervention group conducted periodic one-half day chronic care clinics for groups of approximately 8 diabetic patients in their respective doctor's practice. Chronic care clinics consisted of standardized assessments; visits with the primary care physician, nurse, and clinical pharmacist; and a group education/peer support meeting. We collected self-report questionnaires from patients and data from administrative systems. The questionnaires were mailed, and telephoned interviews were conducted for nonrespondents, at baseline and at 12 and 24 months; we queried the process of care received, the satisfaction with care, and the health status of each patient. Serum cholesterol and HbA1c levels and health care use and cost data was collected from HMO administrative systems.



In an intention-to-treat analysis at 24 months, the intervention group had received significantly more recommended preventive procedures and helpful patient education. Of five primary health status indicators examined, two (SF-36 general health and bed disability days) were significantly better in the intervention group. Compared with control patients, intervention patients had slightly more primary care visits, but significantly fewer specialty and emergency room visits. Among intervention participants, we found consistently positive associations between the number of chronic care clinics attended and a number of outcomes, including patient satisfaction and HbA1c levels.



Periodic primary care sessions organized to meet the complex needs of diabetic patients imrproved the process of diabetes care and were associated with better outcomes.
Comparison of alprazolam versus captopril in high blood pressure: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE. Anxiety is an important cause of acute blood pressure (BP) elevation. However, the role of anxiolysis in this situation is still controversial. In this study, the relationship of anxiety with BP and the effect of anxiolytic treatment on BP were investigated.  Emergency department (ED) patients with an initial systolic BP (SBP) ≥ 160 mmHg or diastolic BP (DBP) ≥ 100 mmHg but no end organ damage were approached for inclusion in the study. In those consenting to participate, anxiety levels were measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Index (STAI) and Visual Analog Scale for Anxiety (VAS-A). Patients were randomly assigned to receive oral alprazolam 0.5 mg or captopril 25 mg. BP and anxiety levels were measured at baseline and at 1 and 2 h after administration of the study medication.  Of 133 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 53 patients agreed to participate. Of these, 27 patients (50.9%) received captopril and 26 patients (49.1%) received alprazolam. The majority of the patients had a high-level trait (96.2%, n = 51) and state anxiety (81.1%, n = 43). The mean SBP and VAS-A values of both patient groups dropped significantly over the 2 h, with no significant difference between the two groups. A significant association between SBP and VAS-A scores was found (F((2,50)) = 6.27, p = 0.004).



A significant association exists between the level of BP and anxiety in hypertensive ED patients. Alprazolam is as effective as captopril in lowering BP in ED patients with an initial SBP > 160 mmHg.
Exenatide versus insulin glargine: a cost-effectiveness evaluation in patients with Type 2 diabetes in Switzerland.

To investigate the long-term clinical and economic outcomes associated with exenatide versus insulin glargine as "add-on" treatments to oral therapy in individuals with Type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with combination oral agents in the Swiss setting.



A computer simulation model of diabetes was used to project complications, life expectancy, quality-adjusted life expectancy and direct medical costs over a 35-year time horizon. Cohort characteristics and treatment effect data were derived from a 26-week randomized clinical trial comparing exenatide and insulin glargine. Modeled treatment effects included reductions in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) by -0.99% and -1.07% and in body mass index (BMI) by -0.80 and +0.55 kg/m2 with exenatide and insulin glargine respectively. Changes in systolic blood pressure and serum lipid levels were also captured. Simulations incorporated published quality of life utilities and Swiss costs from 2006. Extensive sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of projected outcomes. Future clinical and economic outcomes were discounted at 2.5% per annum.



In the base-case analysis exenatide was associated with comparable life expectancy (11,549 years versus 11,468 years) and an improvement in quality-adjusted life expectancy of 0.43 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) versus insulin glargine over a 35-year time horizon. Exenatide was associated with a reduced cumulative incidence of most diabetes-related complications including an absolute reduction in myocardial infarction by 0.28%. Assuming an annual treatment cost of CHF 2,797.74 for exenatide, direct costs increased by CHF 8,378 per patient over the 35-year time horizon compared to insulin glargine. The resultant incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was CHF 19,450 per QALY gained for exenatide versus insulin glargine.



Exenatide was associated with comparable life expectancy and an improvement in quality-adjusted life expectancy versus insulin glargine over a 35-year time horizon. Based on current standards exenatide would be a cost-effective treatment alternative to insulin glargine in Switzerland for Type 2 diabetes patients inadequately controlled on oral therapy.
Quantitative proteomic analysis of eight cartilaginous tissues reveals characteristic differences as well as similarities between subgroups.

Human synovial joints display a characteristic anatomic distribution of arthritis, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis primarily affects the metacarpophalangeal and proximal finger joints, but rarely the distal finger joints, whereas osteoarthritis occurs in the distal and proximal finger joints. Pelvospondylitis has a selective localization to the spine and sacroiliac joints. Is this tropism due to differences between the cartilages at the molecular level? To substantiate this concept the present study provides a background detailed compositional analysis by relative quantification of extracellular matrix proteins in articular cartilages, meniscus, intervertebral disc, rib, and tracheal cartilages on samples from 5-6 different individuals using an optimized approach for proteomics. Tissue extraction followed by trypsin digestion and two-dimensional LC separations coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, relative quantification with isobaric labeling, iTRAQ(TM), was used to compare the relative abundance of about 150 proteins. There were clear differences in protein patterns between different kinds of cartilages. Matrilin-1 and epiphycan were specific for rib and trachea, whereas asporin was particularly abundant in the meniscus. Interestingly, lubricin was prominent in the intervertebral disc, especially in the nucleus pulposus. Fibromodulin and lumican showed distributions that were mirror images of one other. Analyses of the insoluble residues from guanidine extraction revealed that a fraction of several proteins remained unextracted, e.g. asporin, CILP, and COMP, indicating cross-linking. Distinct differences in protein patterns may relate to different tissue mechanical properties, and to the intriguing tropism in different patterns of joint pathology.
Heritability and shared genetic effects of asthma and hay fever: an Italian study of young twins.

A number of studies have provided evidence of a significant familial aggregation for both asthma and hay fever, and have reported a substantial comorbidity between the two conditions. However, far fewer, especially in Italy, have aimed at clarifying the origins of such comorbidity. The main aims of the present study were (a) to estimate heritability of asthma and hay fever, (b) to measure the association between asthma and hay fever at the individual level, and (c) to assess the extent to which genetic and environmental factors, shared by the two conditions, mediate this association. The twin method was used. The study sample was derived from the Italian Twin Registry, and included 392 twin pairs aged 8 to 17 years. Data collection was performed through parent self-administered questionnaire. Bivariate structural equation twin modeling was applied to asthma and hay fever. Genetic factors accounted for 92% and 78% of the variance in liability to asthma and hay fever, respectively, with the remaining contributions due to unique environmental influences. The within-individual association between asthma and hay fever was substantial. The genetic correlation between the two conditions was .58, whereas no evidence of overlapping unique environmental effects was found. In conclusion, this study showed a high heritability of asthma and hay fever in the Italian child and adolescent population. It also indicated that asthma and hay fever share, to a large extent, a common genetic background, and environmental factors are not relevant to explain the comorbidity.
Mental disorder and perceived threat to the public: people who do not return to community living.

In the UK, people with mental disorder thought to pose a high risk of harm to others are usually put in a high-security (special) hospital. Little is known about what happens after that.



To test a hypothesis that, under current services and laws (from the mid-1980s), no one leaving high-security hospitals remains indefinitely institutionalised.



The special hospitals' case register was used for case ascertainment and admission data; post-discharge data were collected from multiple sources on patients discharged in 1984 (census date 31.12.1995).



In this discharge cohort (n=223), 36 (17%) did not return to the community: 17 died in special hospital and 19 continuously lived in other institutions until death or the census date. Over two-thirds of these had mental illness, were older on admission and had lived longer in special hospital than their better-rehabilitated peers. Offending history was irrelevant to this. Most post-discharge institution time was in open psychiatric hospital, or back in special hospital, not in medium secure units or prison.



The hypothesis was not sustained, but fewer people never reached the community than before the mid-1980s. Atypical antipsychotics might reduce this number. We found no justification for a new tier of long-term medium secure units.
Polymer immobilized Cu(I) formation and azide-alkyne cycloaddition: A one pot
reaction

During the polymerization of aniline using copper sulphate, act as an oxidizing agent, the in-situ synthesized Cu(I) ion catalyzed the cyclo-addition between azides and alkynes. This work represents the merging of two steps, synthesis of the catalyst and application of the catalyst, in a one pot reaction. The elimination of the separate catalyst synthesis step is economic in terms of cost and time. As aniline was used as one of the reactant components so there is no requirement to use additional base for this reaction that further eliminates the cost of the process. Again, the catalyst can be readily recovered by filtration and efficiently used for the several sets of reactions without any significant loss of catalytic activity.
Association of Proton Pump Inhibitors With Risk of Dementia: A Pharmacoepidemiological Claims Data Analysis.

Medications that influence the risk of dementia in the elderly can be relevant for dementia prevention. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely used for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases but have also been shown to be potentially involved in cognitive decline.



To examine the association between the use of PPIs and the risk of incident dementia in the elderly.



We conducted a prospective cohort study using observational data from 2004 to 2011, derived from the largest German statutory health insurer, Allgemeine Ortskrankenkassen (AOK). Data on inpatient and outpatient diagnoses (coded by the German modification of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision) and drug prescriptions (categorized according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System) were available on a quarterly basis. Data analysis was performed from August to November 2015.



Prescription of omeprazole, pantoprazole, lansoprazole, esomeprazole, or rabeprazole.



The main outcome was a diagnosis of incident dementia coded by the German modification of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision. The association between PPI use and dementia was analyzed using time-dependent Cox regression. The model was adjusted for potential confounding factors, including age, sex, comorbidities, and polypharmacy.



A total of 73,679 participants 75 years of age or older and free of dementia at baseline were analyzed. The patients receiving regular PPI medication (n = 2950; mean [SD] age, 83.8 [5.4] years; 77.9% female) had a significantly increased risk of incident dementia compared with the patients not receiving PPI medication (n = 70,729; mean [SD] age, 83.0 [5.6] years; 73.6% female) (hazard ratio, 1.44 [95% CI, 1.36-1.52]; P < .001).



The avoidance of PPI medication may prevent the development of dementia. This finding is supported by recent pharmacoepidemiological analyses on primary data and is in line with mouse models in which the use of PPIs increased the levels of β-amyloid in the brains of mice. Randomized, prospective clinical trials are needed to examine this connection in more detail.
DCD and ADHD: a genetic study of their shared aetiology.

Previous studies have found that rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are very similar, both being approximately 7% in sample populations [Kadesjö, B., & Gillberg, C. (1999). Developmental coordination disorder in Swedish 7-year-old children.  Milberger, S., Faraone, S., Biederman,  (1996). New phenotype definition of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in relatives for genetic analyses. American Journal of Medical Genetics, 67, 369-377]. The rate of comorbidity between the two has been found to be close to 50% [Barkley, R. (1990). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment.  Investigations into the comorbidity of the disorders points to a shared aetiology between them. The aim of the present investigation was to examine the extent to which the shared aetiology is due to common genetic factors to both disorders. We also investigated whether particular subtypes of each disorder were more linked than others. Mailed questionnaires were completed by parents (predominantly mothers) of 1285 twin pairs aged 5 and 16 years from the volunteer Australian Twin Registry (ATR). Included were a DSM-IV-based ADHD form, the alternative SWAN (Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behaviour scale) and the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ). Statistical analyses including structural equation modelling were carried out to explore the genetic factors of both disorders. The modelling showed a strong shared additive genetic component between most subtypes of ADHD and DCD to the subtypes of the other disorder. Analyses comparing the two ADHD measures showed an overlap of the symptoms captured by each measure but also significant differences. The DCD-fine motor and ADHD-Inattentive were most strongly linked using the DSM-IV based scale. On the SWAN scale the results were similar but the general coordination scale was also very strongly linked. Implications for the use of different assessment tools are discussed.
Thoughts and experiences in design and implementation of a trial of therapeutic endoscopy in upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage

This paper deals with some of the ideas, concerns, and experiences involved with the design and ultimate implementation of a therapeutic trial of endoscopy in upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The initial issue, prior to even considering the undertaking of a clinical study or trial, must address whether or not the question or questions being asked are important ones. Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, for the purpose of this discussion, can be defined as emesis of bright red blood, clots, or coffee-ground material or as the presence of grossly visible blood in the nasogastric aspirate which may be associated with melena or hematochezia. Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, as just defined, is an important medical problem, accounting for approximately 150,000-250,000 hospital admissions yearly in the United States (1). With the median duration of hospitalization for upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage being 7.5 days (2) and the average cost per day being approximately $300-$400 in many hospitals throughout the United States, conservative estimates of the cost for upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage range from $350 million to $750 million per year. So the economic impact of this problem is immense. Of greater concern is the fact that, despite improvement in the general care of the critically ill patients and despite improvements in the
Influence of Low Back Pain and Prognostic Value of MRI in Sciatica Patients in Relation to Back Pain

Patients with sciatica frequently complain about associated back pain. It is not known whether there are prognostic relevant differences in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) findings between sciatica patients with and without disabling back pain.



The study population contained patients with sciatica who underwent a baseline MRI to assess eligibility for a randomized trial designed to compare the efficacy of early surgery with prolonged conservative care for sciatica. Two neuroradiologists and one neurosurgeon independently evaluated all MR images. The MRI readers were blinded to symptom status. The MRI findings were compared between sciatica patients with and without disabling back pain. The presence of disabling back pain at baseline was correlated with perceived recovery at one year.



Of 379 included sciatica patients, 158 (42%) had disabling back pain. Of the patients with both sciatica and disabling back pain 68% did reveal a herniated disc with nerve root compression on MRI, compared to 88% of patients with predominantly sciatica (P<0.001). The existence of disabling back pain in sciatica at baseline was negatively associated with perceived recovery at one year (Odds ratio [OR] 0.32, 95% Confidence Interval 0.18-0.56, P<0.001). Sciatica patients with disabling back pain in absence of nerve root compression on MRI at baseline reported less perceived recovery at one year compared to those with predominantly sciatica and nerve root compression on MRI (50% vs 91%, P<0.001).



Sciatica patients with disabling low back pain reported an unfavorable outcome at one-year follow-up compared to those with predominantly sciatica. If additionally a clear herniated disc with nerve root compression on MRI was absent, the results were even worse.