nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Validation of self-reported colorectal cancer screening behavior from a mixed-mode survey of veterans.

The aim of the study was to validate self-reported colorectal cancer (CRC) screening using the National Cancer Institute Colorectal Cancer Screening questionnaire.



890 patients, ages 50 to 75 years, from the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center were surveyed by mail. Phone administration was attempted with mail nonresponders. VA and non-VA records were combined for the reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity, concordance, and report-to-records ratio (R2R) were estimated for overall and test-specific CRC adherence among respondents providing complete medical records. Secondary analyses examined variation in estimates by patient characteristics, treatment of missing and uncertain responses, and whether a strict or liberal time interval was used for assessing concordance.



Complete medical records were available for 345 of the 686 survey responders. For overall adherence, sensitivity was 0.98, specificity was 0.59, concordance was 0.88, and R2R was 1.14. Sensitivity was 0.82 for fecal occult blood test (FOBT), 0.75 for sigmoidoscopy, 0.97 for colonoscopy, and 0.63 for double-contrast barium enema (DCBE). Specificity was 0.89 for FOBT, 0.76 for sigmoidoscopy, 0.72 for colonoscopy, and 0.85 for DCBE. Concordance was >0.80 for all tests other than sigmoidoscopy (0.76). R2R was 1.31 for FOBT, 1.33 for sigmoidoscopy, 1.42 for colonoscopy, and 6.13 for DCBE. The R2R was lower for a combined sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy measure. Overreporting was more pronounced for older, less-educated individuals with no family history of CRC. Sensitivity and R2R improved using a liberal interval and treating uncertain responses as nonadherent (versus missing), but differences were not statistically significant.



Self-reported CRC screening validity is generally acceptable and robust across definitional decisions, but varies by screening test and patient characteristics.
Association between migraine, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors: a population-based cross-sectional study

To investigate whether sex-specific associations exist between migraine, lifestyle or socioeconomic factors. We distinguished between the subtypes migraine with aura (MA) and migraine without aura (MO). In 2002, a questionnaire containing validated questions to diagnose migraine and questions on lifestyle and socioeconomic factors was sent to 46,418 twin individuals residing in Denmark. 31,865 twin individuals aged 20–71 were included. The twins are representative of the Danish population with regard to migraine and other somatic diseases and were used as such in the present study. An increased risk of migraine was significantly associated with lower level of schooling and education, retirement, unemployment, and smoking. A decreased risk of migraine was significantly associated with heavy physical exercise and intake of alcohol. Direct comparison between the subtypes showed a decreased risk of MA compared to MO in subjects with low education or weekly intake of alcohol. The risk of MA was increased compared to MO in unemployed or retired subjects. Direct comparison between sexes showed a decreased risk of migraine for men compared to women in subjects who were low educated, unemployed or studying. The risk was increased for men compared to women in subjects with heavy physical exercise, intake of alcohol, and body mass index >25. Migraine was associated with several lifestyle and socioeconomic factors. Most associations such as low education and employment status were probably due to the negative effects of having migraine while others such as smoking were risk factors for migraine.
A cluster-randomized trial to provide clinicians inhaled corticosteroid adherence information for their patients with asthma.

Inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) nonadherence is common among patients with asthma; however, interventions to improve adherence have often been complex and not easily applied to large patient populations.



To assess the effect of supplying patient adherence information to primary care providers.



Patients and providers were members of a health system serving southeast Michigan. Providers (88 intervention; 105 control) and patients (1335 intervention; 1363 control) were randomized together by practice. Patients were age 5 to 56 years, had a diagnosis of asthma, and had existing prescriptions for ICS medication. Adherence was estimated by using prescription and fill data. Unlike clinicians in the control arm, intervention arm providers could view updated ICS adherence information on their patients via electronic prescription software, and further details on patient ICS use could be viewed by selecting that option. The primary outcome was ICS adherence in last 3 months of the study period.



At the study end for the intention-to-treat analysis, ICS adherence was not different among patients in the intervention arm compared with those in the control arm (21.3% vs 23.3%, respectively; P = .553). However, adherence was significantly higher among patients whose clinician elected to view their detailed adherence information (35.7%) compared with both control arm patients (P = .026) and intervention arm patients whose provider did not view adherence data (P = .002).



Overall, providing adherence information to clinicians did not improve ICS use among patients with asthma. However, patient use may improve when clinicians are sufficiently interested in adherence to view the details of this medication use.
Hypovitaminosis D in recent onset rheumatoid arthritis is predictive of reduced response to treatment and increased disease activity: a 12 month follow-up study

Vitamin D displays immunomodulatory activities and has been proposed as a potential player in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A negative association between serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels and RA activity was demonstrated but longitudinal studies investigating the role of vitamin D levels in predicting RA activity and response to treatment are lacking. Therefore, this study was designed to test the hypothesis of an association between serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels at RA diagnosis and disease activity evaluated by clinimetric, laboratory and ultrasound (US) parameters and to detect the prevalence of remission and response to treatment after 12 months follow-up.



This is a longitudinal, retrospective study on data obtained from thirty-seven patients with early RA treatment-naïve. Serum inflammatory markers, auto-antibodies and 25(OH) vitamin D levels were obtained at baseline. Hypovitaminosis D was diagnosed for 25(OH) vitamin D levels < 20 ng/ml. Tender joint count (TJCs), swollen joint count (SJCs), Visual Analog Scales (VAS), Disease Activity Score (DAS) 28 score were assessed at baseline and 12 months after diagnosis. Joints synovitis and power-Doppler were evaluated at baseline and 12 months later.



At baseline mean 25(OH) vitamin D levels were 24.4 ± 11.9 ng/ml; 35% of study subjects had hypovitaminosis D which strongly associated with higher RA activity and lower prevalence of remission and response to treatment (all p-values < 0.001). The percentage of patients not presenting a reduction of the US synovitis score after 12 months from diagnosis was significantly higher among patients with hypovitaminosis D than in those with normal serum 25(OH) vitamin D at baseline.



In patients with early RA and basal hypovitaminosis D after 12 months follow-up reduction of disease activity and percentage of remission and response to treatment were significantly lower than those observed in patients with normal vitamin D levels. These results provide further support to the immunomodulatory action of vitamin D in RA and suggest a role of basal vitamin D status in the prediction of disease evolution. Vitamin D measurement and possibly vitamin D supplementation should be considered an additional option in the management of early RA patients.
Growth hormone therapy in dilated cardiomyopathy monitored with MRI

Left ventricular failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) severely impairs the prognosis of patients . A pilot study of recombinant human growth hormone (GH) indicated very strong effect on myocardial wall thickness and ejection fraction in these patients . However, study was not controlled, and sample size was small (seven patients). In the setting of a double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial we assessed the impact of recombinant human growth hormone on 50 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy using MRI and conventional echocardiography . The parameters measured were left ventricular (LV) diameters, LV volumes and LV ejection fraction as well as LV muscle mass and end systolic wall stress. The numbers of subjects needed to detect changes of 10 and 20% of baseline values were calculated.
Influence of naloxone on the effects of high frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in angina pectoris induced by atrial pacing.

The influence of naloxone on the effects of high frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in angina pectoris induced by atrial pacing was studied in 11 patients with severe coronary artery disease. The patients were catheterised and treated with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on two occasions, double blind and in random order, with a single intravenous dose of saline or with a single intravenous dose of 50 mg naloxone. Treatment with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation increased tolerance to pacing and significantly improved lactate metabolism with placebo and with naloxone. The positive effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation were thus reproducible and not reversed by single intravenous doses of naloxone. The results indicate that the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on the heart are not mediated by beta endorphin but they do not exclude activation of more short-acting opioids such as delta or kappa receptor agonists (met-enkephalin or dynorphin or both) because naloxone has a low affinity for these receptors. Non-opioid mechanisms may also be important.
Cement augmented anterior reconstruction with short posterior instrumentation: A less invasive surgical option for Kummell’s disease with cord compression

We report the surgical procedure and clinical outcomes of a cement augmented anterior reconstruction with pedicle screw fixation for osteoporotic vertebral collapse with an intravertebral cleft (Kummell's disease). Ten consecutive patients with cord compression were enrolled in this study. The mean number of fused segments was 3.2. Instrumentation and posterolateral bone grafts were performed for one level above and below the collapsed vertebra with the exception of one patient. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement was then injected into the intravertebral cleft and posterior decompression was performed when needed. The visual analog scale (VAS) pain score and Frankel grade were used to evaluate the clinical results and radiological parameters were also assessed. The mean VAS score before vertebroplasty was 7.5, which was reduced to 3.2 postoperatively, and was 3.7 at the most recent follow-up. The mean follow-up duration was 12.1 months. Seven (83%) of the eight patients with motor deficits showed an improvement in neurological function by at least 1 Frankel grade. The mean decrease in the kyphosis (Cobb) angle was 12.6° and the wedge angle was 12.1° (p<0.05). However, the angle improvement regressed slightly during follow-up. None of the patients showed vertebral collapse, or loss or leakage of PMMA into the canal. One patient developed wound dehiscence. There was no need for revision or evidence of instrument failure. Based on the preliminary results, we advocate the use of short instrumentation in combination with vertebroplasty with PMMA and posterolateral fusion for Kummell's disease in patients who are elderly or medically compromised.
Attachment and alliance in the treatment of depressed, sexually abused women.

Depression among women with sexual abuse histories is less treatment responsive than in general adult samples. One contributor to poorer treatment outcomes may be abused women's difficulties in forming and maintaining secure relationships, as reflected in insecure attachment styles, which could also impede the development of a positive therapeutic alliance. The current study examines how attachment orientation (i.e. anxiety and avoidance) and development of the working alliance are associated with treatment outcomes among depressed women with histories of childhood sexual abuse.



Seventy women seeking treatment in a community mental health center who had Major Depressive Disorder and a childhood sexual abuse history were randomized to Interpersonal Psychotherapy or treatment as usual.



Greater attachment avoidance and weaker working alliance were each related to worse depression symptom outcomes; these effects were independent of the presence of comorbid Borderline Personality Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The effect of avoidant attachment on outcomes was not mediated by the working alliance. Further, working alliance had a stronger effect on depression outcomes in the Interpersonal Psychotherapy group.



Understanding the influence of attachment style and the working alliance on treatment outcomes can inform efforts to improve the treatments for depressed women with a history of childhood sexual abuse.
Decreased conversion of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 to 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 following cholecalciferol therapy in patients with CKD.

Elevated concentrations of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) are postulated to promote 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) insufficiency in CKD by stimulating 24-hydroxylation of this metabolite, leading to its subsequent degradation; however, prospective human studies testing this relationship are lacking.



An open-label prospective study was conducted from October 2010 through July 2012 to compare the effect of 8 weeks of oral cholecalciferol therapy (50,000 IU twice weekly) on the production of 24,25(OH)2D3 in vitamin D-insufficient patients with CKD (n=15) and controls with normal kidney function (n=15). Vitamin D metabolites were comprehensively profiled at baseline and after treatment, along with FGF23 and other mineral metabolism parameters.



Vitamin D3 and 25(OH)D3 concentrations increased equivalently in the CKD and control groups following cholecalciferol treatment (median D3 change, 8.6 ng/ml [interquartile range, 3.9-25.6 ng/ml] for controls versus 12.6 ng/ml [6.9-41.2 ng/ml] for CKD [P=0.15]; 25(OH)D3 change, 39.2 ng/ml [30.9-47.2 ng/ml] for controls versus 39.9 ng/ml [31.5-44.1 ng/ml] for CKD [P=0.58]). Likewise, the absolute increase in 1α,25(OH)2D3 was similar between CKD participants and controls (change, 111.2 pg/ml [64.3-141.6 pg/ml] for controls versus 101.1 pg/ml [74.2-123.1 pg/ml] for CKD; P=0.38). Baseline and post-treatment 24,25(OH)2D3 concentrations were lower in the CKD group; moreover, the absolute increase in 24,25(OH)2D3 after therapy was markedly smaller in patients with CKD (change, 2.8 ng/ml [2.3-3.5 ng/ml] for controls versus 1.2 ng/ml [0.6-1.9 ng/ml] for patients with CKD; P<0.001). Furthermore, higher baseline FGF23 concentrations were associated with smaller increments in 24,25(OH)2D3 for individuals with CKD; this association was negated after adjustment for eGFR by multivariate analysis.



Patients with CKD exhibit an altered ability to increase serum 24,25(OH)2D3 after cholecalciferol therapy, suggesting decreased 24-hydroxylase activity in CKD. The observed relationship between baseline FGF23 and increments in 24,25(OH)2D3 further refutes the idea that FGF23 directly contributes to 25(OH)D insufficiency in CKD through stimulation of 24-hydroxylase activity.
Changes in Gallbladder Motility in Gastrectomized Patients

Gastric resection may predispose gallstone formation. However, the mechanism has not been clearly understood. To evaluate the relationship between gastric resection and gallstone formation, we compared gallbladder(GB) motility in gastrectomized patients and control subjects.



We compared the GB volume and ejection fraction of the 46 gastrectomized patients with 37 healthy controls using real time ultrasonography.



GB volume increased significantly in the gastrectomized group in fasting (30.2 +/- 13.9 ml). The GB volume after a fatty meal was greater in the gastrectomized group (12.6 +/- 6.4 ml) than in the control group (4.3 +/- 3.3 ml) (p < 0.01). A significant reduction of ejection fraction was found in gastrectomized patients (56.9 +/- 13.0%) in comparison with the control group (75.5 +/- 16.1%) (p < 0.01). The GB ejection fraction had a poor correlation to the postoperative period (r = 0.232).



A gastrectomy appears to be a risk factor of GB dysmotility, which may play a major role in gallstone formation in gastrectomized patients.
Low Annexin A1 expression predicts benefit from induction chemotherapy in oral cancer patients with moderate or poor pathologic differentiation grade

The benefit of induction chemotherapy in locally advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains to be clearly defined. Induction chemotherapy is likely to be effective for biologically distinct subgroups of patients and biomarker development might lead to identification of the patients whose tumors are to respond to a particular treatment. Annexin A1 may serve as a biomarker for responsiveness to induction chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to investigate Annexin A1 expression in pre-treatment biopsies from a cohort of OSCC patients treated with surgery and post-operative radiotherapy or docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (TPF) induction chemotherapy followed by surgery and post-operative radiotherapy. Furthermore we sought to assess the utility of Annexin A1 as a prognostic or predictive biomarker. Immunohistochemical staining for Annexin A1 was performed in pre-treatment biopsies from 232 of 256 clinical stage III/IVA OSCC patients. Annexin A1 index was estimated as the proportion of tumor cells (low and high, <50% and ≥50% of stained cells, respectively) to Annexin A1 cellular membrane and cytoplasm staining. There was a significant correlation between Annexin A1 expression and pathologic differentiation grade (P=0.015) in OSCC patients. The proportion of patients with low Annexin A1 expression was significantly higher amongst those with moderate/poorly differentiated tumor (78/167) compared to those with well differentiated tumor (18/65). Multivariate Cox model analysis showed clinical stage (P=0.001) and Annexin A1 expression (P=0.038) as independent prognostic risk factors. Furthermore, a low Annexin A1 expression level was predictive of longer disease-free survival (P=0.036, HR=0.620) and locoregional recurrence-free survival (P=0.031, HR=0.607) compared to high Annexin A1 expression. Patients with moderate/poorly differentiated tumor and low Annexin A1 expression benefited from TPF induction chemotherapy as measured by distant metastasis-free survival (P=0.048, HR=0.373) as well as overall survival (P=0.078, HR=0.410). Annexin A1 can be used as a prognostic biomarker for OSCC. Patients with moderate/poorly differentiated OSCC and low Annexin A1 expression can benefit from the addition of TPF induction chemotherapy to surgery and post-operative radiotherapy. Annexin A1 expression can potentially be used as a predictive biomarker to select OSCC patients with moderate/poorly differentiated tumor who may benefit from TPF induction chemotherapy.
Effect of psychosocial stressors on patients with Crohn's disease: threatening life experiences and family relations.

Threatening life experiences and adverse family relations are major psychosocial stressors affecting mental and physical health in chronic illnesses, but their influence in Crohn's disease (CD) is unclear. We assessed whether these stressors would predict the psychological and medical condition of CD patients.



Consecutive adult CD patients completed a series of instruments including demography, Patient Harvey-Bradshaw Index (P-HBI), Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (SIBDQ), short-form survey instrument (SF-36), brief symptom inventory (BSI), family assessment device (FAD), and list of threatening life experiences (LTE). Associations of FAD and LTE with P-HBI, SIBDQ, SF-36, and BSI were examined by multiple linear and quantile regression analyses.



The cohort included 391 patients, mean age 38.38±13.95 years, 59.6% women, with intermediate economic status. The median scores were as follows: P-HBI 4 (2-8), FAD 1.67 (1.3-2.1), LTE 1 (0-3), SF-36 physical health 43.75 (33.7-51.0), SF-36 mental health 42.99 (34.1-51.9), and BSI-Global Severity Index 0.81 (0.4-1.4). The SIBDQ was 47.27±13.9. LTE was associated with increased P-HBI in all quantiles and FAD in the 50% quantile. FAD and LTE were associated with reduced SIBDQ (P<0.001). Higher LTE was associated with lower SF-36 physical and mental health (P<0.001); FAD was associated with reduced mental health (P<0.001). FAD and LTE were associated positively with GSI in all quantiles; age was associated negatively.



CD patients with more threatening life experiences and adverse family relations were less healthy both physically and mentally. Physicians offering patients sociopsychological therapy should relate to threatening life experiences and family relations.
Successful transplantation of HLA-matched and HLA-mismatched umbilical cord blood from unrelated donors: analysis of engraftment and acute graft-versus-host disease.

To reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with unrelated donor bone marrow (BM) transplantation and potentially extend the pool of suitable donors, cryopreserved unrelated donor umbilical cord blood was considered as an alternate source of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation. Patients with leukemia, BM failure syndrome, or inborn error of metabolism were eligible for a phase I clinical trial designed to estimate the risk of graft failure and severe acute graft-versus-host disease after transplantation of umbilical cord blood from unrelated donors. As of December 21, 1995, unrelated donor umbilical cord blood was used to reconstitute hematopoiesis in eighteen patients aged 0.1 to 21.3 years weighing 3.3 to 78.8 kg with acquired or congenital lympho-hematopoietic disorders or metabolic disease. Patients received either HLA-matched (n = 7) or HLA-1 to 3 antigen disparate (n = 11) grafts collected and evaluated by the New York Blood Center (New York, NY). The probability of engraftment after unrelated donor umbilical cord blood transplantation was 100% with no patient having late graft failure to date. The probability of grade III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease at 100 days was 11%. With a median follow-up of 6 months (range, 1.6 to 17 months); the probability of survival at 6 months is 65% in this high risk patient population. We conclude that cryopreserved umbilical cord blood from HLA-matched and mismatched unrelated donors is a sufficient source of transplantable hematopoietic stem cells with high probability of donor derived engraftment and low risk of refractory severe acute graft-versus-host disease. Limitations with regard to recipient size and degree of donor HLA disparity remain to be determined.
Barriers to and Facilitators of Compliance with Clinic-Based Cervical Cancer Screening: Population-Based Cohort Study of Women Aged 23-60 Years

There are errors in the Funding section of the published article. The correct funding information is as follows: Swedish Cancer Foundation (070623, CAN 2007/1044, 11 0544, CAN 2011/ 471) URL: www.cancerfonden.se, SA; Karolinska Institutet Cancer Strategic grants (5888/05722) URL: www.ki.se, SA; Swedish Research Council (521-2008-2899) URL: www.vr.se, SA; Stockholm County Council (20130097) URL www.skl.se, SA. Marc Arbyn was supported by the seventh framework program of DG Research of the European Commission, through the COHEAHR Network (grant No 603019). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.