nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Assessment of salivary gland function in patients after successful kidney transplantation using (99m)Tc-pertechnetate salivary gland scintigraphy.

Chronic renal failure and its treatment can induce oral health problems and salivary glands dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to assess salivary glands function in patients with kidney transplantation using technetium-99m pertechnetate ((99m)Tc-P) salivary glands scintigraphy. We prospectively studied 34 patients with kidney transplantation (30 males and 4 females,mean age 39.76±11.6 years) and 28 healthy controls (12 males and 16 females, mean age 36.1±9.5 years). Salivary gland scintigraphy was performed nearly 4.4±2.9 years after successful kidney transplantation. Dynamic salivary glands scintigraphy was performed during 25min after the intravenous administration of 185MBq of (99m)Tc-P. Time-activity curves and glands functional parameters were calculated for the parotid and submandibular salivary glands: uptake ratio, maximum accumulation of the radionuclide, and excretion fraction. Statistical analysis of the functional parameters showed no significant differences between patients with kidney transplantation and healthy controls (P>0.05). In conclusion, this study showed that using (99m)Tc-P salivary gland scintigraphy, salivary glands function of patients with successful kidney transplantation do not differ statistically from those in healthy controls.
Hospitalisation of severely mentally ill patients with and without problematic substance use before and during Assertive Community Treatment: an observational cohort study

Co-occurring substance use increases the risk of hospitalisation in people with severe mental illness, whereas Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) generally reduces hospitalisation in patients with severe mental illness and high inpatient service use. Because the superiority of ACT over standard services amongst patients with problematic substance use is uncertain, the present study examined inpatient service use amongst patients with and without problematic substance use in the 2 years before and the 2 years after they enrolled into ACT teams.



This naturalistic observational study included 142 patients of 12 different ACT teams throughout Norway. The teams assessed the patients upon enrolment into ACT using clinician-rated and self-reported questionnaires. We obtained hospitalisation data from the Norwegian Patient Register for the 2 years before and the 2 years after enrolment into ACT. We used linear mixed models to assess changes in hospitalisation and to explore associations between problematic substance use and changes in hospitalisation, controlling for socio-demographic and clinical characteristics.



A total of 84 (59%) participants had problematic substance use upon enrolment into the ACT teams. In the 2 years after ACT enrolment both participants with and without problematic substance use experienced a reduction in total inpatient days. Those with problematic substance use also had fewer involuntary inpatient days. Exploratory analyses suggested that symptom severity and functioning level interacted with problematic substance use to influence change in total inpatient days.



These findings may suggest that ACT teams successfully support people with complex mental health problems in the community, including those with problematic substance use, and thereby contribute to a reduction in inpatient service use.
Nocturnal oxygen saturation and sleep quality in patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease during treatment with moderate dose CR-theophylline

The effect of a 24-h controlled-release (CR) preparation of theophylline (Th) on nocturnal arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) and sleep quality has been evaluated in 7 patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a double-blind cross-over experiment; median values: age 61 y; PaO2 8.0 kPa; PaCO2 5.8 kPa. During treatment with 450–900 mg Th in the evening, morning plasma drug levels ranged from 5.2–12.9 µg·ml−1. During Th and placebo treatment, the median evening FEV1 was 0.45 l and 0.46 l, respectively, and the morning FEV1 was 0.53 l and 0.41 l. Sleep was monitored by whole-night polysomnographic recording of oximetric SaO2, airflow, respiratory and body movements (static charge sensitive bed), eye movements and submental electromyogram. There was no significant difference between Th and placebo in sleep quality. Th treatment was associated with a marginal improvement in nocturnal oxygenation in most of the patients; the average nocturnal SaO2 ranged from 84.4%–92.8% during Th and from 82.2–90.5% during placebo treatment, respectively. Only in the morning, during the last 2 h in bed, was the slight difference in SaO2 statistically significant in favour of Th. It is concluded that a moderate dose of CR-theophylline did not alter the sleep quality or substantially improve nocturnal oxygenation in patients with advanced COPD and mild to moderate day-time hypoxaemia.
The ACCURE-trial: the effect of appendectomy on the clinical course of ulcerative colitis, a randomised international multicenter trial (NTR2883) and the ACCURE-UK trial: a randomised external pilot trial (ISRCTN56523019)

Over the past 20 years evidence has accumulated confirming the immunomodulatory role of the appendix in ulcerative colitis (UC). This led to the idea that appendectomy might alter the clinical course of established UC. The objective of this body of research is to evaluate the short-term and medium-term efficacy of appendectomy to maintain remission in patients with UC, and to establish the acceptability and cost-effectiveness of the intervention compared to standard treatment.



These paired phase III multicenter prospective randomised studies will include patients over 18 years of age with an established diagnosis of ulcerative colitis and a disease relapse within 12 months prior to randomisation. Patients need to have been medically treated until complete clinical (Mayo score <3) and endoscopic (Mayo score 0 or 1) remission. Patients will then be randomised 1:1 to a control group (maintenance 5-ASA treatment, no appendectomy) or elective laparoscopic appendectomy plus maintenance treatment. The primary outcome measure is the one year cumulative UC relapse rate - defined both clinically and endoscopically as a total Mayo-score ≥5 with endoscopic subscore of 2 or 3. Secondary outcomes that will be assessed include the number of relapses per patient at 12 months, the time to first relapse, health related quality of life and treatment costs, and number of colectomies in each arm.



The ACCURE and ACCURE-UK trials will provide evidence on the role and acceptability of appendectomy in the treatment of ulcerative colitis and the effects of appendectomy on the disease course.
Gender Differences in HIV Care among Criminal Justice-Involved Persons: Baseline Data from the CARE+ Corrections Study

HIV-infected individuals recently released from incarceration have suboptimal linkage and engagement in community HIV care. We conducted a study to evaluate an information and communication technology intervention to increase linkage to community care among HIV-infected persons recently involved in the criminal justice (CJ) system. Baseline characteristics including risk behaviors and HIV care indicators are reported and stratified by gender.



We recruited HIV-infected individuals in the District of Columbia jail and persons with a recent history of incarceration through community and street outreach. Participants completed a baseline computer-assisted personal interview regarding HIV care and antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence, substance use, and sexual behaviors. CD4 and HIV plasma viral load testing were performed at baseline or obtained through medical records. Data were analyzed for the sample overall and stratified by gender.



Of 110 individuals, 70% were community-enrolled, mean age was 40 (SD = 10.5), 85% were Black, and 58% were male, 24% female, and 18% transgender women. Nearly half (47%) had condomless sex in the three months prior to incarceration. Although drug dependence and hazardous alcohol use were highly prevalent overall, transgender women were more likely to have participated in drug treatment than men and women (90%, 61%, and 50% respectively; p = 0.01). Prior to their most recent incarceration, 80% had an HIV provider and 91% had ever taken ART. Among those, only 51% reported ≥90% ART adherence. Fewer women (67%) had received HIV medications during their last incarceration compared to men (96%) and transgender women (95%; p = 0.001). Although neither was statistically significant, transgender women and men had higher proportions of baseline HIV viral suppression compared to women (80%, 69%, and 48.0% respectively, p>0.05); a higher proportion of women had a CD4 count ≤200 compared to men and transgender women (17%, 8% and 5% respectively; p>0.05).



In this study, HIV-infected persons with recent incarceration in Washington, DC reported important risk factors and co-morbidities, yet the majority had access to HIV care and ART prior to, during, and after incarceration. Self-reported ART adherence was sub-optimal, and while there were not statistically significant differences, CJ-involved women appeared to be at greatest risk of poor HIV outcomes.
Routing methodology for minimizing 1nterconnect energy dissipation

In this paper, we propose a new physical design technique for sub-quarter micron system-on-a-chip (SoC). By optimizing the routing grid configuration for the automatic place and route methodology, coupling effects such as crosstalk noise and coupled energy dissipation are almost eliminated with only a small cost to the runtime. Experiments are performed on the design of an image processing circuit using a sub-quarter micron CMOS process with multi-layered interconnects. Simply by employing our proposed technique, net switching energy dissipation can be reduced by about 10% maximum without any area penalty. This significant energy reduction greatly accelerates the performance of SoCs.
Platelet aggregation in traumatic spinal cord injury

Collagen-induced platelet aggregation and platelet count of ten paraplegic patients (four females, six males, aged 16–42 years) with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) (posttraumatic 12–48 weeks) and of ten age-matched healthy volunteers (control group; five females, five males, aged 18–37 years) were investigated.  Investigation of platelet aggregation in the whole blood of the patients with SCI.  Ankara/Turkey.  Platelet aggregation was evaluated by impedance technique using Chrono Log Model 560 WB aggregometer in whole blood. Platelet count was determined by Medonic Cell Analyser 610.  Maximal intensity of collagen-induced platelet aggregation of the patients was 18.50±8.28 ohm (mean±SD) and of the controls was 7.60±4.25 ohm. Maximal rate of collagen-induced aggregation of platelets from the patients was 3.98±1.59 ohm/min, maximal rate of aggregation of platelets from the controls was 1.57±1.01 ohm/min. Platelet counts of the patients and controls were 290 500±50 357/mm3 and 273 000±48 343/mm3 respectively. It was determined that both maximal rate (P<0.001) and maximal intensity (P<0.01) of collagen-induced platelet aggregation of the patients were significantly higher than those of the controls. There was no significant difference between the two groups in respect to platelet counts.  Collagen-induced platelet aggregation of patients with traumatic SCI 12–48 weeks after the trauma was significantly higher than that of the controls. Our results indicate that increased tendency of platelet aggregation, which is probably induced by free radicals, may have a great impact on the late thromboembolic complications reported in patients with traumatic SCI.
Hematologic malignancies: an opportunity to fill a gap in cancer surveillance

Reporting of hematologic malignancies is an increasingly important focus for cancer surveillance. As trends in cancer care are shifting to the outpatient setting, hospital-based data collection methods used for cancer surveillance will result in under-reporting of these cancers. This study describes the testing and validation of an automated system for capturing and reporting cancers from community oncology providers. The system was evaluated in 5 oncology practices in two states processing claims data for a 4- or 8-month interval. Resulting cancers were matched with the state registries. A random sample of nonmatched cases was reabstracted to measure the accuracy of the claims data for reporting of hematologic malignancies. The overall match rate for the 1,935 hematologic malignancies reported during the study period was 58.2 % (range, 37.4 % for CLL to 71.2 % for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma). The overall accuracy rate for billing-reported hematologic malignancies was 95 %. Accuracy among cases that did not match with the cancer registry was 88 %. The estimated number of missed cases for the five participating practices ranged from 0.8 leukemia cases/oncologist/year to 3.4 CLL cases/oncologist/year. The estimated total number of missed cases in the five participating practices was 292 with an interquartile range of 263–323. As cancer diagnosis and treatment continue migration into ambulatory physician practice settings unreported hematopoietic cases will become increasingly problematic. Leveraging the standardized electronic billing data for automated reporting of cancer cases from physician practices may be an efficient method to reduce this gap in cancer surveillance reporting.
Mortality rates, life expectancy, and causes of death in people with hemophilia A or B in the United Kingdom who were not infected with HIV.

Since the 1970s, mortality in the hemophilia population has been dominated by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and few reports have described mortality in uninfected individuals. This study presents mortality in 6018 people with hemophilia A or B in the United Kingdom during 1977 to 1998 who were not infected with HIV, with follow-up until January 1, 2000. Given disease severity and factor inhibitor status, all-cause mortality did not differ significantly between hemophilia A and hemophilia B. In severe hemophilia, all-cause mortality did not change significantly during 1977 to 1999. During this period, it exceeded mortality in the general population by a factor of 2.69 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.37-3.05), and median life expectancy in severe hemophilia was 63 years. In moderate/mild hemophilia, all-cause mortality did not change significantly during 1985 to 1999, and median life expectancy was 75 years. Compared with mortality in the general population, mortality from bleeding and its consequences, and from liver diseases and Hodgkin disease, was increased, but for ischemic heart disease it was lower, at only 62% (95% CI: 51%-76%) of general population rates, and for 14 other specific causes it did not differ significantly from general population rates. There was no evidence of any death from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or from conditions that could be confused with it.
The effects of twice and four times daily zidovudine on p24 antigenaemia in CDC stage II/III patients.

Reduction of HIV p24 antigenaemia by zidovudine was investigated in 34 HIV antibody-positive, asymptomatic patients in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Zidovudine was shown to lower p24 antigen levels as effectively when administered twice daily as when administered four times daily. Serum levels of p24 antigen varied little over 18 weeks in patients taking placebo.
Effectiveness of lumbar zygapophysial joint blockage for low back pain.

Zygapophysial joints have been a well-recognized source of low back pain. This paper compares the efficacy of lumbar zygapophysial joints blockage and medical therapy in terms of pain relief, loss of working days and recurrence of pain in a population with mechanical low back pain.



80 patients suffering from low back pain were included in the study. Patients were divided into 2 groups. Patients in Group I were given diclofenac sodium, thiocolchicoside and were recommended bed rest. Patients in Group II received zygapophysial joints blockage by prilocaine, bupivacaine and methylprednisolone acetate. Both of the groups were evaluated with a Oswestry low back pain disability questionnaire and visual analog scale for pain.



Posttreatment VAS and ODQ scores were significantly lower than pretreatment scores. The decrease in these scores in Group II was greater than those of Group I.



Blockage of the lumbar facet joints is a rapid and effective way to reduce pain originating from lumbar facet joints.
Effectiveness of cognitive-functional (Cog-Fun) intervention with children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a pilot study.

The executive function (EF) deficits of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) hinder their performance of complex daily functions. Despite the existing evidence-based pharmacological interventions for ADHD symptoms, no intervention has yet been found that deals directly with EFs in daily tasks. Fourteen children and their parents participated in the Cognitive-Functional (Cog-Fun) program in occupational therapy, which is tailored to the executive dysfunction of ADHD and focuses on enabling cognitive strategies for occupational performance. The study included initial assessment of EFs (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions; Tower of London(DX)), occupational performance (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure), 10 sessions of Cog-Fun intervention with each child-parent dyad, and postintervention and 3-month follow-up assessments. We found significant improvements with medium to large effects on outcome measures after intervention, and most effects were maintained at follow-up. The findings warrant controlled studies examining the effectiveness of this intervention for children with ADHD.
Correlation between variation in quality of life and change in hemoglobin level after treatment with epoetin alfa 40,000 IU administered once-weekly

Anemia is frequently associated with cancer due to the disease itself and antineoplastic treatments. This open-label, uncontrolled, multi-center study evaluated the effects of once-weekly (qw) epoetin alfa 40,000 IU on hemoglobin (Hb) levels and quality of life (QoL) in anemic patients receiving chemotherapy for solid tumors. A total of 522 patients with Hb level ≤12 g/dL received epoetin alfa 40,000 IU qw subcutaneously for 9–20 weeks to reach and maintain Hb range of 12–14 g/dL. QoL was assessed with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Anemia (FACT-An [anemia sub-scale]) and Cancer Linear Analogue Scale (CLAS) at study entry, after two chemotherapy cycles, and at study end. Mean baseline Hb was 10.43 g/dL. Hb increases (g/dL) from baseline after 4, 8, 12 weeks and at study end were 1.07, 1.77, 1.92 and 1.71 g/dL, respectively. Response rates (Hb increase ≥1 and ≥2 g/dL during trial) were 81% and 61%, respectively. Mean increases in the FACT-An score from baseline (mean 55.4) were 3.1 after two chemotherapy cycles and 3.3 at study end; mean increases in the CLAS score from baseline (58.4 mm) were 5.9 mm after two chemotherapy cycles and 6.5 mm at study end. The greatest QoL increase was recorded when patients approached Hb level of 12 g/dL, independent of the baseline Hb level. Hb changes from baseline to trial end were related to corresponding changes in the FACT-An score. A positive correlation was also observed in patients with progressive disease. Adverse events were essentially those associated with chemotherapy. Incidence of thrombovascular events (6.7%) did not differ from the expected standard treatment in cancer patients. Epoetin alfa 40,000 IU qw increased Hb levels and improved or preserved QoL.
Effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on the pressure-natriuresis relationship.

Blood pressure-lowering mechanisms of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods, were analyzed based on the pressure-natriuresis relationship. Participants (n=375) were randomly assigned to control or DASH diet groups by using a parallel-group design. They then ate their assigned diet for 3 consecutive 30-day intervention feeding periods, during which sodium intake varied among 3 levels by a randomly assigned sequence. Urinary sodium excretion rate and mean arterial pressure were measured at the end of each sodium intake level. Mean arterial pressure and urinary sodium excretion were plotted on x and y axes, respectively, for participants eating control and DASH diets and were modeled as linear relationships for simplicity to allow the estimation of the extrapolated x-intercept and slope of the relationships. The DASH diet steepened the slope of the relationship (29.5+/-3.4 vs 64.9+/-13.1 [mmol/d]/mm Hg, P=0.0002) without significantly shifting the x-intercept (94.1+/-0.5 vs 93.2+/-0.6 mm Hg, NS) of the relationship. These data suggest a natriuretic action of the DASH diet.
A telemedicine meditation intervention for people with multiple sclerosis and their caregivers: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Mindfulness-based interventions, modified and shortened versions of meditation teachings, have proved to be effective in the improvement of quality of life in many clinical conditions, including chronic diseases. Preliminary results available in the literature and in clinical experience indicate a high potential for this treatment for the reduction of psychological suffering in people with chronic diseases.



This randomized controlled trial will investigate the impact of a multiple sclerosis (MS) specific telemedicine meditation intervention on the quality of life of people with multiple sclerosis and their caregivers. This trial will recruit 120 patients, men and women, with a diagnosis of relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive MS and their caregivers to participate in a 2-month intervention. Patients will undergo assessments of quality of life, anxiety, depression, quality of sleep, mindfulness and fatigue levels conducted at baseline, at week 8 (conclusion of the intervention) and at week 27 (6 months follow-up). Caregivers will complete assessments conducted at the same time for the same areas, plus caregiver burden. The intervention condition will consist of 2 hours/week of online meditation in a group setting led by a trainer, plus 1 hour/week of individual exercises. The control condition will incorporate a psycho-education online program and will require the same contact time commitment as the intervention condition.



Primary outcome measures will consist of assessments of quality of life, anxiety, and depression level. Assessments of mindfulness level, quality of sleep and fatigue level will be considered secondary outcome measures. This investigation will increase understanding of the role of meditation as part of a treatment plan for people with MS and their caregivers. Overall, this study design has the potential to lead to effective meditation intervention strategies for this population and improve their quality of life.