nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Increased olfactory sensitivity in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder with event-related episodes compared with patients with bipolar disorder without such episodes.

Some patients with bipolar disorder experience mood episodes following emotional life events, whereas others do not. There is evidence that orbitofrontal hypoactivity may be related to this, because the orbitofrontal cortex is involved in the regulation of emotional and behavioural responses to external events. The close anatomical and functional connection between the orbitofrontal cortex and olfactory processing suggests that patients with bipolar disorder and heightened emotional reactivity may exhibit altered olfactory function compared with patients with bipolar disorder who do not exhibit this sensitivity.



In this pilot study, olfactory function was assessed in patients with bipolar disorder and a history of event-triggered episodes (n = 7) and in patients with bipolar disorder without such a history (n = 9) at the Department of Psychiatry and the Taste and Smell Clinic of the University of Dresden, Germany. Each patient's bipolar disorder was in remission at study entry, and they were on monotherapy with mood stabilizers. Assessment included olfactory event-related potentials (ERP) and psychophysical tests for odour threshold, odour identification and olfactory quality discrimination.



Odour thresholds were lower in patients with bipolar disorder and event-triggered episodes compared with the other patient group. In addition, patients with event-triggered episodes exhibited shorter N1 peak latencies of the olfactory ERP.



Our findings indicate disinhibition of orbitofrontal areas involved in the processing of emotional events in a subset of patients with bipolar illness.
Beta-Band Frequency Peaks Inside the Subthalamic Nucleus as a Biomarker for Motor Improvement After Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) remains an empirical, yet highly effective, surgical treatment for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). DBS outcome depends on accurate stimulation of the STN sensorimotor area which is a trial-and-error procedure taking place during and after surgery. Pathologically enhanced beta-band (13-35 Hz) oscillatory activity across the cortico-basal ganglia pathways is a prominent neurophysiological phenomenon associated with PD. We hypothesized that weighing together beta-band frequency peaks from simultaneous microelectrode recordings in “off-state” PD patients could map the individual neuroanatomical variability and serve as a biomarker for the location of the STN sensorimotor neurons. We validated our hypothesis with 9 and 11 patients that, respectively, responded well and poorly to bilateral DBS, after at least two years of follow up. We categorized “good” and “poor” DBS responders based on their clinical assessment alongside a > 40% and <;30% change, respectively, in “off” unified PD rating scale motor scores. Good (poor) DBS responders had, in average, 1 mm (3.5 mm) vertical distance between the maximum beta-peak weighted across the parallel microelectrodes and the center of the stimulation area. The distances were statistically different in the two groups (p = 0.0025). Our biomarker could provide personalized intra- and postoperative support in stimulating the STN sensorimotor area associated with optimal long-term clinical benefits.
Strengthening Exercises Improve Symptoms and Quality of Life but Do Not Change Autonomic Modulation in Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Autonomic dysfunction is an important mechanism that could explain many symptoms observed in fibromyalgia (FM). Exercise is an effective treatment, with benefits potentially mediated through changes in autonomic modulation. Strengthening is one of the less studied exercises in FM, and the acute and chronic effects of strengthening on the autonomic system remain unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the chronic effects of strengthening exercises (STRE) on autonomic modulation, pain perception and the quality of life (QOL) of FM patients.



Eighty sedentary women with FM (ACR 1990) were randomly selected to participate in STRE or flexibility (FLEX) exercises in a blinded controlled trial. The intensity of STRE was set at 45% of the estimated load of 1 Repetition Maximum (RM) in 12 different exercises. Outcomes were Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis, treadmill test, the sit and reach test (Wells and Dillon's Bench), maximal repetitions test and handgrip dynamometry; and quality of life by the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), the Beck and Idate Trait-State Inventory (IDATE), a short-form health survey (SF-36).



The STRE group was more effective to strength gain for all muscles and pain control after 4 and 16 weeks (p<0.05). The FLEX group showed higher improvements in anxiety (p<0.05). Both groups showed improvements in the QOL, and there was no significant difference observed between the groups. There was no change in the HRV of the STRE and FLEX groups.



Strengthening exercises show greater and more rapid improvements in pain and strength than flexibility exercises. Despite the benefits in fitness, pain, depression, anxiety and quality of life, no effect was observed on the autonomic modulation in both groups. This observation suggests that changes in autonomic modulation are not a target tobe clinically achieved in fibromyalgia.
Effects of mirror neurons stimulation on motor skill rehabilitation in children with cerebral palsy: a clinical trial.

The authors aimed to compare the motor function measured by Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66) between mirror neurons stimulation based VCD program at home and conventional physical therapy in children with cerebral palsy for two months.



A randomized controlled trial was performed with thirty children with spastic diplegia aged 2-10 years in Thammasat university hospital and Rajanukul institue. They were randomly assigned to receive either the mirror neurons stimulation based VCD program practice at home (experimental group) or the conventional physical therapy (control group) for two months. Both groups were measured the motor function by GMFM-66 at entry, the first month and the end of the second month. Analysis of covariance was used to compare mean changes of GMFM-66 scores between both groups at the second month after adjusted for the baseline level.



A total of 30 children with cerebral palsy, aged 2.2-9.5 years (mean age 5.9 +/- 2.2 years). The mean changes of the GMFM scores in experimental group were slightly higher than those in the control group of 2.1 (95% CI: -2.3, 6.5) at the second month after adjusted for the baseline level. The mean GMFM scores were significantly improved in all dimensions except lying and rolling dimension, at the first and second month when compared to the baseline level in both groups.



This pilot study demonstrated the mirror neurons stimulation based VCD program can improve motor function, at least, as much as the conventional physical therapy.
Mercaptopurine therapy intolerance and heterozygosity at the thiopurine S-methyltransferase gene locus.

Patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia are often treated with 6-mercaptopurine, and those with homozygous deficiency in thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) enzyme activity have an extreme sensitivity to this drug as a result of the accumulation of higher cellular concentrations of thioguanine nucleotides. We studied the metabolism, dose requirements, and tolerance of 6-mercaptopurine among patients with different TPMT phenotypes.



We compared, by use of statistical modeling, 6-mercaptopurine pharmacology and tolerance in 180 patients who achieved remission on St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Protocol Total XII composed of weekly methotrexate (40 mg/m(2)) and daily oral 6-mercaptopurine (75 mg/m(2)) given for 2.5 years, interrupted every 6 weeks during the first year for treatment with either high-dose methotrexate or teniposide plus cytarabine. Statistical tests were two-sided.



Erythrocyte concentrations of thioguanine nucleotides (pmol/8 x 10(8) erythrocytes) were inversely related to TPMT enzyme activity (P<.01), with averages (+/- standard deviations) of 417 (+/-179), 963 (+/-752), and 3565 (+/-1282) in TPMT homozygous wild-type (n = 161), heterozygous (n = 17), and homozygous-deficient (n = 2) patients, respectively. There was complete concordance between TPMT genotype and phenotype in a subset of 28 patients for whom TPMT genotype was determined. There were no sex differences in thioguanine nucleotide concentrations (P =.24), TPMT enzyme activity (P =.22), or average weekly prescribed dose of 6-mercaptopurine (P=.49). The cumulative incidence of 6-mercaptopurine dose reductions due to toxicity was highest among patients homozygous for mutant TPMT (100%), intermediate among heterozygous patients (35%), and lowest among wild-type patients (7%) (P<.001), with average (+/- standard deviation) final weekly 6-mercaptopurine doses of 72 (+/-60), 449 (+/-160), and 528 (+/-90) mg/m(2), respectively. Lowering doses of 6-mercaptopurine in TPMT heterozygotes and in deficient patients allowed administration of full protocol doses of other chemotherapy while maintaining high thioguanine nucleotide concentrations.



We conclude that genetic polymorphism in TPMT is an important determinant of mercaptopurine toxicity, even among patients who are heterozygous for this trait.
Functional status in the young-old: establishing a working prototype of an extended-instrumental activities of daily living scale.

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) exhibit strong predictive power for the presence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment. However, IADLs are often less effective in younger cohorts or in healthy community-dwelling samples, presenting with large ceiling effects. This study aimed to construct an IADL scale with an extended range. An effort was made to incorporate leisure activity tasks that were more stimulating, and potentially more challenging, into a set of traditional IADLs.



Beginning with a set of IADL and leisure activity items, nonparametric item response theory methodology was used to construct a scale with appropriate dimensionality, monotonicity, item discrimination power, and scalability within a large cohort of young-old (aged 65-75). Dimensionality was further scrutinized by principal component analysis of the residuals. The predictive validity of the resulting scale for poor cognitive performance was evaluated using logistic regression.



A reliable (ρ = .73) unidimensional construct was established, meeting the Mokken item response theory criteria of medium scalability. Excluding demented participants, the adjusted model proved sensitive to relatively subtle cognitive deficits; each additional task endorsed (nine-item scale) significantly decreased the odds of being in the bottom quarter of composite domains relating to processing speed (odds ratio = 0.73 [confidence interval: 0.56-0.97], p < .05) and visuospatial ability (odds ratio = 0.70 [confidence interval: 0.73-0.87], p < .01).



A reliable extended-IADL scale was constructed meeting item response theory assumptions relating to unidimensionality, monotonicity, and invariant item ordering. The range of measurement extends well beyond traditional IADL scales. Finally, the scale appears to be sensitive to cognitive differences within the normal spectrum.
The Effects of Strontium Ranelate in Asian Women with Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of strontium ranelate in the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis in Taiwan. In this 12-month multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 125 women with osteoporosis were randomly given either strontium ranelate 2 g daily or placebo. Lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total-hip bone mineral density (BMD) and biochemical markers of bone turnover were measured; adverse events and tolerability were recorded and assessed. Subjects treated with strontium ranelate showed significant increases in BMD of 5.9% at the lumbar spine, 2.6% at the femoral neck, and 2.7% at the total hip, while the placebo group exhibited no significant change at 12 months. Serum level of a formation marker (bone-specific alkaline phosphatase) was also significantly increased at 6 and 12 months. Thus, although the sample size and the treatment duration of this study could not show its effect of reducing osteoprotic fractures, strontium ranelate showed bone protection effects by increasing BMD and concentrations of a bone formation marker. Safety assessment revealed adverse events were mild and not significantly different from placebo.
Effect of laparoscopic and conventional colorectal resection on peritoneal fibrinolytic capacity: a prospective randomized clinical trial

Reduced fibrinolytic activity of the peritoneum seems to be the main cause of postoperative adhesions. This prospective randomized trial compared the peritoneal fibrinolytic activity between laparoscopic and conventional colorectal resection.  Parietal peritoneal biopsy specimens were taken in standardized elective laparoscopic (n=14) and conventional (n=16) colorectal resections at the beginning and at the end of surgery. Activities and concentrations of tissue-plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activator (PAI) type 1, and tPA/PAI complex were determined by ELISA kits.  There was no difference in age, sex, or body mass index between the two groups. Perioperative tPA activity decreased in both groups without differences between the groups. Concentrations and activities of tPA, PAI-1, and tPA/PAI complex did not differ between the groups at any time.  Peritoneal concentrations and activities of tPA, PAI-1, and tPA/PAI complex are similar during laparoscopic and conventional colorectal resections. A capnoperitoneum of 12 mmHg over 3 h did not affect the peritoneal fibrinolytic activity
Effect of capsule placement with transnasal endoscopy.

One of the prohibiting factors in achieving complete small bowel capsule endoscopy is slow gastric transit of the capsule. The present study retrospectively investigated the success rate of, and the time required for, transnasal endoscope-assisted capsule placement to assess its clinical utility.



In 24 of 27 patients who underwent capsule placement assisted by a transnasal endoscope, the capsule was successfully transported to and released in the duodenum (capsule placement group). For each patient in the capsule placement group, three age- and sex-matched patients who underwent conventional capsule endoscopy were assigned as controls (n=72). Gastric transit time, small bowel transit time, and rate of capsule arrival at the cecum within 8h were compared between the two patient groups.



Among the 27 patients in whom capsule placement was carried out, the capsule was successfully placed in the duodenum in 24 patients (88.9% success rate). In the capsule placement group, gastric transit time was significantly shorter (10.5 vs 46.2min, P=0.0021), small bowel transit time was significantly longer (354.7 vs 301.3min, P=0.0134), and completion rate (capsule arrival at the cecum within 8h) was significantly higher (83.3 vs 61.1%, P=0.0455) than in the control group. There were no procedural accidents associated with capsule placement.



Transnasal endoscope-assisted capsule placement appears to be a safe and reliable procedure, achieving complete small bowel capsule endoscopy, and is considered clinically useful.
Growth and carcass attributes of growing Creole kids according to experimental infection level and type of diet

In the tropics one of the major constraints to goat production is infection by gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN). One promising alternative to chemotherapy is the improvement of host nutrition. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of infection and supplementation on packed cell volume (PCV), average daily gain (ADG) and carcass quality in growing Creole kids. Sixty male goats were reared indoors following a 2 × 3 factorial design: two experimental infection levels, (infected (I) and non-infected (NI)) and three diets D (G, kids were fed exclusively with tropical forages; B, kids were supplemented with dried and crushed banana and C, kids were supplemented with commercial pellets). Faecal egg counts did not vary among I groups (on average 2,200 ω/g). The PCV and ADG were improved (P < 0.001) for NI vs. I animals. There was a D effect (P < 0.001) and no I × D interaction was observed. There was no significant effect of GIN on the main carcass data, except the weights of liver, white offal and abdominal fat, which increased slightly in I compared with NI goats (P < 0.05). All carcass data increased significantly with the addition of supplement in the diet (P < 0.001), except for carcass-cut proportions. Meat physical parameters were degraded when I kids received low N diets (B or G) with higher lightness and water loss than in the C groups. Given that GIN affect the animal’s N metabolism it is recommended to avoid the use of unbalanced diet such as those banana-based. Further research is necessary to assess the nutrition × parasitism interactions on physiological features and carcass quality of Creole goats.
A multicentre cohort study of acute heart failure syndromes in Korea: rationale, design, and interim observations of the Korean Acute Heart Failure (KorAHF) registry.

The Korean Acute Heart Failure registry (KorAHF) aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics, management, hospital course, and long-term outcomes of patients hospitalized for acute heart failure syndrome (AHFS) in Korea.



This is a prospective observational multicentre cohort study funded by the Korea National Institute of Health. Patients hospitalized for AHFS in 10 tertiary university hospitals across the country have been consecutively enrolled since March 2011. The study is expected to complete the scheduled enrolment of 5000 patients some time in 2014, and follow-up is planned through 2016. As of April 2012, the interim analysis of 2066 consecutive subjects was performed to understand the baseline characteristics of the population. The mean age was 69 ± 14 years; 55% were male; and 50% were de novo heart failure. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 40 ± 18%. Ischaemia was both the leading cause (38%) and the most frequent aggravating factor (26%) of AHFS. ACE inhibitors/ARBs and beta-blockers were prescribed at discharge in 65% and 51% of the patients, respectively. In-hospital mortality was 5.2%, and 0.9% of patients received urgent heart transplantation. Low blood pressure and azotaemia were the most important predictors of in-hospital mortality. The post-discharge 30-day and 180-day all-cause mortality were 1.2% and 9.2%, respectively.



Our analysis reveals that the prognosis of AHFS in Korea is poor and that there are specific features, including lower blood pressures at admission and lower rates of heart failure related to hypertension, compared with other registries. Adherence to current guidelines should be improved.
Prevalence of asymptomatic parasitemia and gametocytemia among HIV-infected Ugandan children randomized to receive different antiretroviral therapies.

In a recent randomized controlled trial, the use of protease inhibitor (PI)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) was associated with a significantly lower incidence of malaria compared with non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based ART in a cohort of human immunodeficiency virus-infected Ugandan children living in an area of high malaria transmission intensity. In this report, we compared the prevalence of asymptomatic parasitemia and gametocytemia using data from the same cohort. The prevalence of asymptomatic parasitemia did not differ between the two ART treatment arms. The PI-based arm was associated with a lower risk of gametocytemia at the time of diagnosis of malaria (6.6% versus 14.5%, P = 0.03) and during the 28 days after malaria diagnosis (3.4% versus 6.5%, P = 0.04). Thus, in addition to decreasing the incidence of malaria, the use of PI-based ART may lower transmission, as a result of a decrease in gametocytemia, in areas of high malaria transmission intensity.
Vitamin D, Insulin Secretion, Sensitivity, and Lipids

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an unfavorable metabolic profile in observational studies. The intention was to compare insulin sensitivity (the primary end point) and secretion and lipids in subjects with low and high serum 25(OH)D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) levels and to assess the effect of vitamin D supplementation on the same outcomes among the participants with low serum 25(OH)D levels.



Participants were recruited from a population-based study (the Tromsø Study) based on their serum 25(OH)D measurements. A 3-h hyperglycemic clamp was performed, and the participants with low serum 25(OH)D levels were thereafter randomized to receive capsules of 20,000 IU vitamin D(3) or identical-looking placebo twice weekly for 6 months. A final hyperglycemic clamp was then performed.



The 52 participants with high serum 25(OH)D levels (85.6 ± 13.5 nmol/L [mean ± SD]) had significantly higher insulin sensitivity index (ISI) and lower HbA(1c) and triglycerides (TGs) than the 108 participants with low serum 25(OH)D (40.3 ± 12.8 nmol/L), but the differences in ISI and TGs were not significant after adjustments. After supplementation, serum 25(OH)D was 142.7 ± 25.7 and 42.9 ± 17.3 nmol/L in 49 of 51 completing participants randomized to vitamin D and 45 of 53 randomized to placebo, respectively. At the end of the study, there were no statistically significant differences in the outcome variables between the two groups.



Vitamin D supplementation to apparently healthy subjects with insufficient serum 25(OH)D levels does not improve insulin sensitivity or secretion or serum lipid profile.
Document Classification Using Multiword Features

We investigate the use of multiword query features to improve the eeectiveness of text-retrieval systems that accept natural-language queries. A relevance feedback process is explained that expands an initial query with single and multiword features. The multiword features are modelled as a set of words appearing within windows of varying sizes. Our experimental results suggest that windows of larger span yield improvements in retrieval over windows of smaller span. This result gives rise to a query contraction process that prunes 25% of the features in an expanded query with no loss in retrieval eeectiveness.