nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Fat overload induces changes in circulating lactoferrin that are associated with postprandial lipemia and oxidative stress in severely obese subjects.

Lactoferrin is an innate immune system protein with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. We aimed to evaluate circulating lactoferrin levels in association with lipid concentrations, and parameters of oxidative stress and inflammation in subjects with morbid obesity after an acute fat intake. The effects of a 60 g fat overload on circulating lactoferrin and antioxidant activities were evaluated in 45 severely obese patients (15 men and 30 women, BMI 53.4 +/- 7.2 kg/m(2)). The change in circulating lactoferrin after fat overload was significantly and inversely associated with the free fatty acid (FFA) change. In those subjects with the highest increase in lactoferrin (in the highest quartile), high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol decreased after fat overload to a lesser extent (P = 0.03). In parallel to lipid changes, circulating lactoferrin concentrations were inversely linked to the variations in catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GSH-Rd). Baseline circulating lactoferrin concentration was also inversely associated with the absolute change in antioxidant activity after fat overload, and with the change in C-reactive protein (CRP). Furthermore, those subjects with higher than the median value of homeostasis model assessment of insulin secretion (HOMA(IS)) had significantly increased lactoferrin concentration after fat load (885 +/- 262 vs. 700 +/- 286 ng/ml, P = 0.03). Finally, we further explored the action of lactoferrin in vitro. Lactoferrin (10 micromol/l) led to significantly lower triglyceride (TG) concentrations and lactate dehydrogenase activity (as expression of cell viability) in the media from adipose explants obtained from severely obese subjects. In conclusion, circulating lactoferrin concentrations, both at baseline and fat-stimulated, were inversely associated with postprandial lipemia, and parameters of oxidative stress and fat-induced inflammation in severely obese subjects.
Behaviour does not fully explain the high risk of chronic liver disease in less educated men in Hungary.

Hungary has among the highest mortality rates from chronic liver disease (CLD) and cirrhosis in Europe. Usually, conventional behavioural factors are hypothesized as the cause of the high risk of CLD.



A case-control study was performed with 287 cases and 892 controls to study the relationship between socio-economic and behavioural factors and the risk of CLD. Liver disease was verified by physical examination and blood tests. Blood samples were collected for detecting hepatitis B, C and E virus infection. Information on exposure factors was recorded by the participating physicians and by self-administered questionnaire. Simple regression analysis was used to study the relationship between CLD/cirrhosis and potential risk factors as alcohol intake (amount and source), problem drinking, cigarette smoking, physical activity, viral hepatitis infections, socio-economic factors (education, financial and marital status). Multiple regression analysis was used to identify whether the effect of socio-economic factors is fully mediated by health behaviour (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity).



The univariate analysis showed that heavy alcohol consumption, problem drinking, former and heavy cigarette smoking, single, separated or divorced marital status, bad or very bad perceived financial status and lower education significantly increased the risk of CLD/cirrhosis. The effect of marital status and of education did not change after adjustment for behavioural factors, but the effect of perceived financial status disappeared.



The effect of low socio-economic status on the risk of CLD/cirrhosis is only partially explained by conventional behavioural risk factors in Hungary.
An observational study on the outcome after surgery for lumbar disc herniation in adolescents compared with adults based on the Swedish Spine Register.

Disc-related sciatica has a prevalence of about 2% in adults, but is rare in adolescents. If conservative treatment is unsuccessful, surgery is an option.



The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of surgery for lumbar disc herniation in adolescents with adults in the Swedish Spine Register.



This is a prospective observational study: National Quality Register.



This study included 151 patients, 18 years or younger, 4,386 patients, 19-39 years, and 6,078 patients, 40 years or older, followed for 1-2 years after surgery.



The primary outcomes were patient satisfaction and global assessment of leg and back pain. Secondary outcomes were Visual Analog Scale (VAS) leg pain, VAS back pain, Oswestry disability index (ODI), and EuroQol-5 dimensions (EQ-5D).



Statistical analyses were performed with the Welch F test, the chi-square test, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.



At follow-up, 86% of the adolescents were satisfied compared with 78% in the younger adults and 76% in the older adults group (p<.001). According to the global assessment, significantly decreased leg pain was experienced by 87% of the adolescents, 78% of the younger adults, and 71% of the older adults (p<.001). Corresponding figures for back pain were 88%, 73%, and 70%, respectively (p<.001). All groups experienced significant postoperative improvement of VAS leg pain, VAS back pain, ODI, and EQ-5D (all p<.001).



The adolescent age group was more satisfied with the treatment than the adult groups. There was a significant improvement in all age groups after surgery.
PCSK7 Genotype Modifies Effect of a Weight-Loss Diet on 2-Year Changes of Insulin Resistance: The POUNDS LOST Trial

A common variant rs236918 in the PCSK7 gene has the strongest association with iron homeostasis and is related to insulin resistance. Dietary carbohydrate (CHO) modulates the genetic effect on insulin resistance. We examined whether 2-year weight-loss diets modify the effect of PCSK7 genetic variants on changes in fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance in a randomized, controlled trial.



Data were analyzed in the Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies (POUNDS LOST) trial, which is a randomized, controlled 2-year weight-loss trial using diets that differed in macronutrient proportions. PCSK7 rs236918 was genotyped in 730 overweight or obese adults (80% whites) in this trial. We assessed the progression in fasting insulin and glucose levels, and insulin resistance by genotypes.



During the 6-month weight-loss phase, the PCSK7 rs236918 G allele was significantly associated with greater decreases in fasting insulin levels in the high-dietary CHO group (P for interaction = 0.04), while the interaction for changes in HOMA-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (P for interaction = 0.06) did not reach significant levels in white subjects. The G allele was significantly associated with a greater decrease in fasting insulin levels and HOMA-IR in response to high dietary CHO levels (P = 0.02 and P = 0.03, respectively). From 6 months to 2 years (weight-regain phase), the interactions became attenuated due to the regaining of weight (P for interactions = 0.08 and 0.06, respectively). In addition, we observed similar and even stronger results in the whole-study samples from the trial.



Our data suggest that PCSK7 genotypes may interact with dietary CHO intake on changes in insulin sensitivity in the white Americans.
Random Cross-Sectional Determination of the Level of Awareness Among Female Saudi Patients About Breast Cancer

The purpose of this study was to randomly determine the level of awareness and knowledge among female Saudi patients about the risk factors and symptoms of breast cancer as well as any awareness about the practices for breast cancer self-examination. A random cross-sectional survey was conducted over 4 months at two private medical clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 4-month period was from December 2013 to March 2014. The survey instrument was a questionnaire that was both self-explanatory and user-friendly. Our study subjects included 174 randomly selected Saudi female patients with no medical history of breast cancer. These patients visited these private clinics for medical advice or for consultation on problems unrelated to breasts. Participants’ perception of risk factors regarding early menses showed only 47.1 %. The most common risk factor known by the participants was a family history of breast cancer (84 %). The most widely recognized symptoms of breast cancer were occurrence of breast lumps (86.2 %) and breast pain (93.7 %). Awareness of information regarding breast self-examination (BSE) was 81.6 % in general. Many were aware of the opinion that proper and assisted knowledge about BSE can help in early detection of breast cancer. The patients were also aware that BSE is the most widely used method of screening for breast cancer in clinics and hospitals. All the participants showed sufficient knowledge about the risk factors and symptoms of breast cancer. These baseline findings are encouraging for providing more self-explanatory information (to patients) and guidance to health authorities for developing effective breast health care programs in the entire Kingdom for the female population and not only for patients visiting health care clinics for advice on other medical issues.
A randomised clinical trial of the effectiveness of home-based health care with telemonitoring in patients with COPD.

We studied the effect of telemonitoring in addition to usual care compared to usual care alone in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A total of 110 patients with moderate to severe COPD were recruited from a specialist respiratory service in Northern Ireland. Patients had at least two of: emergency department admissions, hospital admissions or emergency general practitioner (GP) contacts in the 12 months before the study. Exclusion criteria were patients who had any respiratory disorder other than COPD, or were cognitively unable to learn the process of monitoring. Patients were randomised to receive six months of home telemonitoring with usual care, or six months of usual care. The primary outcome measure was disease-specific quality of life, as measured by the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire for COPD patients (SGRQ-C). Of 100 patients completing the study, 48 patients were randomised to telemonitoring and 52 patients were randomised to the control group. The SGRQ-C scores improved significantly in the intervention group compared to usual care (P = 0.001). The HADS anxiety score was significantly higher in the telehealth group compared to the usual care group (P = 0.01). There were significantly more contacts with the Community Respiratory Team in the telemonitoring group compared to the control group (P = 0.029). There were no significant between group differences in EQ-5D scores, HADS depression scores, GP activity, emergency department visits, hospital admissions or exacerbations. The total cost to the health service of the intervention over the 6-month study period was £2039, giving an estimated ICER of £203,900. In selected patients with COPD, telemonitoring was effective in improving health-related quality of life and anxiety, but was not a cost-effective intervention.
Short-term effects of atorvastatin on C-reactive protein.

To study the short-term effect of atorvastatin on C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with or at risk for coronary heart disease.



One hundred and fifty-five randomly selected patients from the SWiss Intervention Trial for lowering CHolesterol (SWITCH) were assessed for high sensitivity CRP, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides at baseline, and after 1 and 3 months of treatment with atorvastatin at various doses to reach pre-defined lipid target values. The median decrease of cholesterol was 28% after 1 month and 35% after 3 months. LDL-cholesterol was decreased by 37% and 45%, HDL-cholesterol was increased by 7% and 8%, respectively. Patients with a low CRP baseline concentration (lowest quartile <1.34 mg. l(-1)) displayed no significant change, whereas patients in the other quartiles showed a significant decrease, of 22% to 40% (P -value <0.05 to <0.001) at 1 month and of 32% to 36% after 3 months compared to baseline. The decrease in CRP lowering was thus fully established by 1 month and this response was independent of lipid and lipoprotein changes as well as atorvastatin doses.



Atorvastatin significantly decreases CRP concentrations after 4 weeks of therapy. These results may be important with respect to the early benefit of statin therapy.
Investigation into the effects of lead shielding for fetal dose reduction in CT pulmonary angiography.

This work aims to determine whether lead shielding can be used to decrease the radiation dose to the fetus during CT scans for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism during early stage pregnancy. An anthropomorphic phantom was modified to contain a 15 cc ionization chamber at the site of the uterus to enable fetal dose to be measured. The effects of a range of scan parameters, positioning of lead and thicknesses of lead were investigated. Fetal dose was lower with lower values of kV(p) and mAs. An increasing thickness of lead decreased the radiation dose to the uterus, as did increasing the proportion of the patient covered by the lead shielding. Fetal dose increased exponentially as the edge of the scan volume moved closer to the point of measurement. In no experiment was the dose to the fetus increased by the presence of the lead. It was found that the fetal radiation dose from a CT scan following a pulmonary embolism protocol can be effectively reduced by the use of lead shielding.
The STN beta-band profile in Parkinson's disease is stationary and shows prolonged attenuation after deep brain stimulation

Producing accurate movements may rely on the functional independence of sensorimotor circuits within basal ganglia nuclei. In parkinsonism there is abnormal synchrony of electrical activity within these circuits that results in a loss of independence across motor channels. Local field potential (LFP) recordings reflect the summation of local electrical fields and an increase in LFP power reflects increased synchrony in local neuronal networks. We recorded LFPs from the subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) lead in the operating room in 22 cases from 16 subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) who were off medication. There was elevated LFP power at beta frequencies (13-35 Hz) at rest. The LFP spectral profile was consistent across several periods of rest that were separated by movement and/or DBS, and appeared to be a relatively stationary phenomenon. The spectral profile and frequencies of the beta-band peak(s) varied among subjects but were similar between the right and left STNs within certain individuals. These results suggest that the LFP spectrum at rest may characterize a "signature" rhythm for an individual with PD. Beta-band power was attenuated after intra-operative STN DBS (p<0.05). The attenuation lasted for 10 s after short periods (30 s) and for up to 50 s after longer periods (5 min) of DBS. The finding that longer periods of DBS attenuated beta power for a longer time suggests that there may be long-acting functional changes to networks in the STN in PD after chronic DBS.
Predictors of quitting behaviour with special reference to nicotine dependence among adult tobacco-users in a slum of Burdwan district, West Bengal, India

Information on predictors of quitting behaviour in adult tobacco users is scarce in Indian context. Hence, this study was undertaken to assess the intention of tobacco-users towards quitting and its predictors with reference to nicotine dependence.



A community-based observational, cross-sectional study was conducted on 128 adult tobacco-users (89.8% male) with mean age of 41.1 ± 15.7 yr selected by complete enumeration method. Data were collected by interview using pre-designed, pre-tested schedule. Nicotine dependence was assessed by Fagerstrφm Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) questionnaire.



Of the 128 users, 63.3 per cent had intention to quit. Majority of the tobacco users who did not intend to quit belonged to the age group of > 40 yr (66.0%), were illiterate (55.3%), started tobacco use at 11 - 15 yr of age (57.4%), had been using tobacco for 20 yr or more (70.2%), were daily tobacco users (91.5%), and highly dependent on nicotine (80.9%). Tobacco users having high FTND score and who started tobacco use early in life were 1.83 and 3.30 times more unintended to quit, respectively.



Suitable plan for quitting should be developed depending on the FTND score of an individual, the most important determinant of quitting that would be beneficial for categorization of the treatment leading to successful quitting.
Does cervical kyphosis relate to symptoms following whiplash injury?

The mechanisms for developing long-lasting neck pain after whiplash injuries are still largely unrevealed. In the present study it was investigated whether a kyphotic deformity of the cervical spine, as opposed to a straight or a lordotic spine, was associated with the symptoms at baseline, and with the prognosis one year following a whiplash injury. MRI was performed in 171 subjects about 10 d after the accident, and 104 participated in the pain recording at 1-year follow-up. It was demonstrated that postures as seen on MRI can be reliably categorized and that a straight spine is the most frequent appearance of the cervical spine in supine MRI. In relation to symptoms it was seen that a kyphotic deformity was associated with reporting the highest intensities of headache at baseline, but not with an increased risk of long-lasting neck pain or headache. In conclusion, a kyphotic deformity is not significantly associated with chronic whiplash associated pain. Moreover, it is a clear clinical implication that pain should not be ascribed to a straight spine on MRI. We suggest that future trials on cervical posture focus upon the presence of kyphotic deformity rather than just on the absence of lordosis.
Dosimetric and motion analysis of margin-intensive therapy by stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for resectable pancreatic cancer

The retroperitoneal margin is a common site of positive surgical margins in patients with resectable pancreatic cancer. Preoperative margin-intensive therapy (MIT) involves delivery of a single high dose of ablative radiotherapy (30 Gy) focused on this surgically inaccessible margin, utilizing stereotactic techniques in an effort to reduce local failure following surgery. In this study, we investigated the motion of regional organs at risk (OAR) utilizing 4DCT, evaluated the dosimetric effects of abdominal compression (AC) to reduce regional motion, and compared various planning techniques to optimize MIT.



10 patients were evaluated with 4DCT scans. All 10 patients had scans using AC and seven of the 10 patients had scans both with and without AC. The peak respiratory abdominal organ and major vessel centroid excursion was measured. A "sub-GTV" region was defined by a radiation oncologist and surgical oncologist encompassing the retroperitoneal margin typically lateral and posterior to the superior mesenteric artery (SMA), and a 3-5 mm margin was added to constitute the PTV. Identical 3D non-coplanar SABR (3DSABR) plans were designed for the average compression and non-compression scans. Compression scans were planned with 3DSABR, coplanar IMRT (IMRT), and Cyberknife (CK) planning techniques. Dose volume analysis was undertaken for various endpoints, comparing OAR doses with and without AC and for different planning methods.



The mean PTV size was 20.2 cm3. Regional vessel motion of the SMA, celiac trunk, and renal vessels was small (< 5 mm) and not significantly impacted by AC. Mean pancreatic motion was > 5 mm, so AC has been used in all patients enrolled thus far. AC did not significantly increase OAR dose including the stomach and traverse colon. There were several statistically significant differences in the doses to OARs as a function of the type of planning modality used.



AC does not significantly reduce the limited motion of structures in close proximity to the MIT target and does not significantly increase the dose to OARs that can be displaced by the compression plate. The treatment planning techniques evaluated in this study have different advantages with no clearly superior method in our analysis. Dose to adjacent vessels may be reduced with 3DSABR or IMRT techniques, while conformality is increased with IMRT or CK.
Exercise and nutrition routine improving cancer health (ENRICH): The protocol for a randomized efficacy trial of a nutrition and physical activity program for adult cancer survivors and carers

The Exercise and Nutrition Routine Improving Cancer Health (ENRICH) study is investigating a novel lifestyle intervention aimed at improving the health behaviors of adult cancer survivors and their carers. The main purpose of the study is to determine the efficacy of lifestyle education and skill development delivered via group-based sessions on the physical activity and dietary behaviors of participants. This article describes the intervention development, study design, and participant recruitment.



ENRICH is a randomized controlled trial, conducted in Australia, with two arms: an intervention group participating in six, two-hour face-to-face sessions held over eight weeks, and a wait-list control group. Intervention sessions are co-facilitated by an exercise physiologist and dietician. Content includes healthy eating education, and a home-based walking (utilizing a pedometer) and resistance training program (utilizing elastic tubing resistance devices). The program was developed with reference to social cognitive theory and chronic disease self-management models. The study population consists of cancer survivors (post active-treatment) and their carers recruited through community-based advertising and referral from health professionals. The primary outcome is seven-days of sealed pedometry. Secondary outcomes include: self-reported physical activity levels, dietary intake, sedentary behavior, waist circumference, body mass index, quality of life, and perceived social support. The outcomes will be measured at baseline (one week prior to attending the program), eight-weeks (at completion of intervention sessions), and 20-weeks. The intervention group will also be invited to complete 12-month follow-up data collection. Process evaluation data will be obtained from participants by questionnaire and attendance records.



No trials are yet available that have evaluated the efficacy of group-based lifestyle education and skill development amongst mixed groups of cancer survivors and their carers. The results will have implications for the planning and provision of health and support services during the cancer survivorship phase.