nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Health-related quality of life and anemia in hospitalized patients with heart failure.

Anemia is a serious and highly prevalent co-morbidity in chronic heart failure (HF) patients. Its influence on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) has rarely been studied, and no data is available regarding the role it plays in hospitalized HF patients.



Baseline data from the COACH study (Coordinating study evaluating Outcomes of Advising and Counselling in Heart Failure) were used. HR-QoL was assessed by means of generic and disease-specific questionnaires. Analyses were performed using ANOVA and ANCOVA, with covariates of age, gender, eGFR, diabetes, and NYHA class.



In total, 1013 hospitalized patients with a mean age of 71 (SD 11) years were included; 70% of these patients had no anemia (n=712), 14% had mild anemia (n=141), and 16% had moderate-to-severe anemia (n=160). Independent associations were found between anemia and physical functioning (p=0.019), anemia and role limitations due to physical functioning (p=0.002), anemia and general health (p=0.024), and anemia and global well-being (p=0.003).



In addition to the burden of HF itself, anemia is an important factor which influences HR-QoL in hospitalized HF patients, and one that is most pronounced in the domain related to physical functioning and general health.
Sexual Risk Behaviors for HIV Infection in Spanish Male Sex Workers: Differences According to Educational Level, Country of Origin and Sexual Orientation

The stigma associated with male sex workers (MSW) hinders the prevention, treatment, and care of HIV infection in this population. These factors make social and public health resources less accessible to MSW. To improve the effectiveness of prevention strategies, this study examines social factors such as educational level, country of origin, and sexual orientation. Semi-structured interviews of 100 MSW in Castellón and Valencia (Spanish cities) indicate that knowledge of HIV transmission is good; nevertheless, MSW significantly overestimate or underestimate some sexual practices. Levels of condom use are high; notably, they are higher during anal sex. Levels of condom use are lower with intimate partners than with clients. MSW do not present differences in terms of the socio-demographic variables analyzed and sexual orientation. Furthermore, regression analyses are not significant. These results offer more accurate profiles of MSW than were previously available, which will ultimately help improve the effectiveness of prevention programs. El estigma asociado al colectivo de Trabajadores Masculinos del Sexo (TMS) dificulta la prevención y el tratamiento de la infección por VIH en este colectivo. Estos factores hacen que los TMS tengan menor accesibilidad a los diferentes recursos sociales y sanitarios. Para mejorar la efectividad de las estrategias de prevención, este estudio examina algunos aspectos sociales como el nivel educativo, el país de origen y la orientación sexual. Las entrevistas semiestructuradas realizadas a 100 TMS de Castellón y Valencia (ciudades españolas) indican que el conocimiento sobre la transmisión del VIH es bueno. A pesar de esto, los TMS presentan errores de sobrestimación y subestimación en determinadas prácticas sexuales. El uso del preservativo es alto, especialmente en sexo anal. El uso de condón es menor en las relaciones no comerciales que con los clientes. No se encuentran diferencias según las variables sociodemográficas analizadas y según orientación sexual. Los análisis de regresión no son significativos. Los resultados ofrecen un perfil actualizado del trabajador masculino del sexo que ayudará a mejorar la efectividad de los programas preventivos.
Transcriptome Analysis Describing New Immunity and Defense Genes in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Large-scale gene expression profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients could provide a molecular description that reflects the contribution of diverse cellular responses associated with this disease. The aim of our study was to identify peripheral blood gene expression profiles for RA patients, using Illumina technology, to gain insights into RA molecular mechanisms.



The Illumina Human-6v2 Expression BeadChips were used for a complete genome-wide transcript profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 18 RA patients and 15 controls. Differential analysis per gene was performed with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and P values were adjusted to control the False Discovery Rate (FDR<5%). Genes differentially expressed at significant level between patients and controls were analyzed using Gene Ontology (GO) in the PANTHER database to identify biological processes. A differentially expression of 339 Reference Sequence genes (238 down-regulated and 101 up-regulated) between the two groups was observed. We identified a remarkably elevated expression of a spectrum of genes involved in Immunity and Defense in PBMCs of RA patients compared to controls. This result is confirmed by GO analysis, suggesting that these genes could be activated systemically in RA. No significant down-regulated ontology groups were found. Microarray data were validated by real time PCR in a set of nine genes showing a high degree of correlation.



Our study highlighted several new genes that could contribute in the identification of innovative clinical biomarkers for diagnostic procedures and therapeutic interventions.
Potential of the histoculture drug-response assay to contribute to cancer patient survival.

The histoculture drug-response assay (HDRA) was recently evaluated in a retrospective clinical trial and was found to correlate to drug sensitivity, resistance, and patient survival. To further investigate the potential of HDRA to contribute to patient survival, 215 patients with gastric cancer from 45 medical centers were tested with the HDRA in a blinded study after resection of the primary lesion. One hundred sixty-eight patients received at least 20 mg/m2 of mitomycin C and a minimum of 30 g UFT, a mixture of tegafur and uracil at a molar ratio of 1:4, thereby making them eligible for the study. Of these cases 128 were evaluable by the HDRA. The evaluable patient tumors were tested by the HDRA with the [3H]thymidine incorporation end point measured by microautoradiography to be drug "sensitive" or "resistant." The in vitro conditions for distinguishing sensitivity and resistance that matched the response rates for historical controls for gastric carcinoma were 90% inhibition rate and 0.12 microgram/ml for mitomycin C and 70% inhibition rate and 1 microgram/ml for 5-fluorouracil, respectively. Most importantly in the blinded study, the overall and disease-free survival rates of the HDRA-sensitive group were found to be significantly higher than those of the HDRA-resistant group tested under the above conditions. The data further indicate the importance of three-dimensional tumor culture for obtaining accurate clinical information. The results demonstrate that the HDRA response correlates to patient survival, which suggests the potential of the HDRA to contribute to patient survival in gastric cancer when used prospectively.
Extratemporal hypometabolism on FDG PET in temporal lobe epilepsy as a predictor of seizure outcome after temporal lobectomy

We investigated the relationship between the presence of extratemporal hypometabolism on fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) and seizure outcome after temporal lobectomy in patients with medically intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). In 47 patients with intractable unilateral mesial TLE, regional metabolic changes on FDG PET images obtained during the 2 months preceding anterior temporal lobectomy were compared with postoperative seizure outcome. Postoperative seizure outcome was evaluated with a mean follow-up period of 6.1±0.6 years (range 5.2−7.2 years). Forty-two (89%) of the 47 patients achieved a good postoperative seizure outcome (Engel class I or II). All patients had hypometabolism in the temporal cortex ipsilateral to the epileptogenic region on FDG PET scans. Fourteen (78%) of the 18 patients with hypometabolism only in the ipsilateral temporal cortex were completely seizure free (Engel class Ia) after surgery. In contrast, five (45%) of the 11 patients with extratemporal cortical hypometabolism confined to the ipsilateral cerebral hemisphere and only four (22%) of the 18 patients with hypometabolism in the contralateral cerebral cortex were completely seizure free after surgery. The postoperative seizure-free rates were significantly different across the three groups of patients with different cortical metabolic patterns (P<0.005). Furthermore, all of the nine patients with a non-class I outcome (Engel class II−IV) had extratemporal (including contralateral temporal) cortical hypometabolism. Thalamic hypometabolism was noted in 20 (43%) of the 47 patients (ipsilateral in 12, bilateral in 8). Sixteen (59%) of the 27 patients with normal thalamic metabolism were completely seizure free after surgery, while only seven (35%) of the 20 patients with thalamic hypometabolism became completely seizure free (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that among variables including clinical, EEG, magnetic resonance imaging, pathological and FDG PET metabolic findings, only cortical metabolic pattern was an independent factor for the prediction of postoperative seizure outcome (P<0.005). It is concluded that extratemporal cortical hypometabolism outside the seizure focus, in particular hypometabolism in the contralateral cerebral cortex, may be associated with a poorer postoperative seizure outcome in TLE and may represent underlying pathology that is potentially epileptogenic. Thalamic hypometabolism, which was associated, but not independently, with a higher likelihood of postoperative seizures, may be secondary to extratemporal or temporal pathology.
The Effects of Free-Living Interval-Walking Training on Glycemic Control, Body Composition, and Physical Fitness in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

To evaluate the feasibility of free-living walking training in type 2 diabetic patients and to investigate the effects of interval-walking training versus continuous-walking training upon physical fitness, body composition, and glycemic control.



Subjects with type 2 diabetes were randomized to a control (n = 8), continuous-walking (n = 12), or interval-walking group (n = 12). Training groups were prescribed five sessions per week (60 min/session) and were controlled with an accelerometer and a heart-rate monitor. Continuous walkers performed all training at moderate intensity, whereas interval walkers alternated 3-min repetitions at low and high intensity. Before and after the 4-month intervention, the following variables were measured: VO(2)max, body composition, and glycemic control (fasting glucose, HbA(1c), oral glucose tolerance test, and continuous glucose monitoring [CGM]).



Training adherence was high (89 ± 4%), and training energy expenditure and mean intensity were comparable. VO(2)max increased 16.1 ± 3.7% in the interval-walking group (P < 0.05), whereas no changes were observed in the continuous-walking or control group. Body mass and adiposity (fat mass and visceral fat) decreased in the interval-walking group only (P < 0.05). Glycemic control (elevated mean CGM glucose levels and increased fasting insulin) worsened in the control group (P < 0.05), whereas mean (P = 0.05) and maximum (P < 0.05) CGM glucose levels decreased in the interval-walking group. The continuous walkers showed no changes in glycemic control.



Free-living walking training is feasible in type 2 diabetic patients. Continuous walking offsets the deterioration in glycemia seen in the control group, and interval walking is superior to energy expenditure-matched continuous walking for improving physical fitness, body composition, and glycemic control.
p27(Kip1) and cyclin E expression and breast cancer survival after treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy.

Abnormal expression of the cell cycle regulatory proteins p27(Kip1) (p27) and cyclin E may be associated with breast cancer survival and relapse. We studied these markers in a clinical trial setting with patients with breast cancer treated by a uniform drug regimen so that treatment was not associated with variability in outcome.



We used tissue microarrays to evaluate the expression of p27 and cyclin E proteins by immunohistochemistry in tumor tissue from 2123 (68%) of 3122 patients with moderate-risk primary breast cancer who were enrolled in Southwest Oncology Group-Intergroup Trial S9313, in which patients were assigned to receive doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide administered concurrently (n = 1595) or sequentially (n = 1527). Disease-free and overall survival were equivalent in the two arms. Expression of the proteins was rated on a scale of 1-7, and the median value was used as the cut point. Log-rank tests and Cox regression analyses were used to assess associations with survival. Overall survival was defined as time to death from all causes; disease-free survival was defined as time to recurrence or death. All P values were from two-sided statistical tests.



Lower p27 expression was associated with worse overall survival (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 1.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.21 to 1.86) and disease-free survival (unadjusted HR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.10 to 1.57) than higher p27 expression. Among hormone receptor-positive patients, lower p27 expression was associated with worse overall survival (HR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.94) and worse disease-free survival (HR = 1.27, 95% CI = 0.99 to 1.63) than higher p27 expression after adjustment for treatment, menopausal status, tumor size, and number of positive lymph nodes. Among these patients, 5-year overall survival associated with higher p27 expression (0.91, 95% CI = 0.89 to 0.93) was similar to that associated with lower p27 expression (0.85, 95% CI = 0.82 to 0.87). No association between p27 expression and survival was found in hormone receptor-negative patients. Cyclin E expression was not statistically significantly associated with overall survival (HR = 1.12, 95% CI = 0.91 to 1.38) or disease-free survival (HR = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.92 to 1.29).



Low p27 expression appears to be associated with poor prognosis, especially among patients with steroid receptor-positive tumors.
The burden of headache in Russia: validation of the diagnostic questionnaire in a population-based sample.

We report validation of the Russian-language version of the Lifting The Burden headache screening and diagnostic questionnaire in a population-based sample of 501 individuals in four cities (Smolensk, Tchelyabinsk, Nishny Novgorod and Tver) and three rural areas (Tula, Tver and Gornyi) of Russia.



The structured questionnaire, based on ICHD-II criteria, was applied face to face by trained non-medical interviewers calling at randomly selected households. Response rates were about 73% in cities and 80% in rural areas.



Of those responding, 301 reported headache in the previous year; of the total sample, 143 people with and 47 without headache according to the questionnaire were re-interviewed by telephone by one of the two neurologists unaware of the questionnaire diagnoses. Migraine (MIG), either definite (dMIG) or probable (pMIG), was diagnosed by the questionnaire in 72 cases, and tension-type headache (TTH), either definite (dTTH) or probable (pTTH), in 66 cases; the five others with headache were unclassifiable by questionnaire. Physicians diagnosed dMIG or pMIG in 65 cases, dTTH or pTTH in 89 cases and no headache in 31 cases; in five cases, headache was unclassifiable. The questionnaire had sensitivities and specificities of 77% and 82% for MIG (κ=0.58) and of 64% and 91% for TTH (κ=0.56).



We concluded that the questionnaire can be utilized in a population-based countrywide survey of the burden attributable to primary headache disorders in Russia.
Alvimopan accelerates gastrointestinal recovery after radical cystectomy: a multicenter randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer is frequently associated with delayed gastrointestinal (GI) recovery that prolongs hospital length of stay (LOS).



To assess the efficacy of alvimopan to accelerate GI recovery after RC.



We conducted a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial in patients undergoing RC and receiving postoperative intravenous patient-controlled opioid analgesics.



Oral alvimopan 12 mg (maximum: 15 inpatient doses) versus placebo.



The two-component primary end point was time to upper (first tolerance of solid food) and lower (first bowel movement) GI recovery (GI-2). Time to discharge order written, postoperative LOS, postoperative ileus (POI)-related morbidity, opioid consumption, and adverse events (AEs) were evaluated. An independent adjudication of cardiovascular AEs was performed.



Patients were randomized to alvimopan (n=143) or placebo (n=137); 277 patients were included in the modified intention-to-treat population. The alvimopan cohort experienced quicker GI-2 recovery (5.5 vs 6.8 d; hazard ratio: 1.8; p<0.0001), shorter mean LOS (7.4 vs 10.1 d; p=0.0051), and fewer episodes of POI-related morbidity (8.4% vs 29.1%; p<0.001). The incidence of opioid consumption and AEs or serious AEs (SAEs) was comparable except for POI, which was lower in the alvimopan group (AEs: 7% vs 26%; SAEs: 5% vs 20%, respectively). Cardiovascular AEs occurred in 8.4% (alvimopan) and 15.3% (placebo) of patients (p=0.09). Generalizability may be limited due to the exclusion of epidural analgesia and the inclusion of mostly high-volume centers utilizing open laparotomy.



Alvimopan is a useful addition to a standardized care pathway in patients undergoing RC by accelerating GI recovery and shortening LOS, with a safety profile similar to placebo.



This study examined the effects of alvimopan on bowel recovery in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. Patients receiving alvimopan experienced quicker bowel recovery and had a shorter hospital stay compared with those who received placebo, with comparable safety.
Clinical inertia in poorly controlled elderly hypertensive patients: a cross-sectional study in Spanish physicians to ascertain reasons for not intensifying treatment.

Clinical inertia, the failure of physicians to initiate or intensify therapy when indicated, is a major problem in the management of hypertension and may be more prevalent in elderly patients. Overcoming clinical inertia requires understanding its causes and evaluating certain factors, particularly those related to physicians.



The objective of our study was to determine the rate of clinical inertia and the physician-reported reasons for it.



An observational, cross-sectional, multi-center study was carried out in a primary care setting. We included 512 physicians, with a consecutive sampling of 1,499 hypertensive patients with clinical inertia.



Clinical inertia was defined when physicians did not modify treatment despite knowing that the therapeutic target had not been reached. Clinical inertia was considered to be justified (JCI) when physicians provided an explanation for not intensifying treatment and as not justified (nJCI) when no reasons were given.



JCI was observed in 30.1 % (95 % CI 27.8-32.4) of patients (n = 451) and nJCI in 69.9 % (95 % CI 67.6-72.2) (n = 1,058). JCI was associated with higher blood pressure (BP) values (both systolic and diastolic) and diabetes (p = 0.012) than nJCI. nJCI was associated with patients having an isolated increase of systolic or diastolic or high borderline BP values or cardiovascular disease.



Physicians provided reasons for not intensifying treatment in poorly controlled patients in only 30 % of instances. Main reasons for not intensifying treatment were borderline BP values, co-morbidity, suspected white coat effect, or perceived difficulty achieving target. nJCI was associated with high borderline BP values and cardiovascular disease.
External beam accelerated partial-breast irradiation using 32 gy in 8 twice-daily fractions: 5-year results of a prospective study.

External beam accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) is an increasingly popular technique for treatment of patients with early stage breast cancer following breast-conserving surgery. Here we present 5-year results of a prospective trial.



From October 2003 through November 2005, 98 evaluable patients with stage I breast cancer were enrolled in the first dose step (32 Gy delivered in 8 twice-daily fractions) of a prospective, multi-institutional, dose escalation clinical trial of 3-dimensional conformal external beam APBI (3D-APBI). Median age was 61 years; median tumor size was 0.8 cm; 89% of tumors were estrogen receptor positive; 10% had a triple-negative phenotype; and 1% had a HER-2-positive subtype. Median follow-up was 71 months (range, 2-88 months; interquartile range, 64-75 months).



Five patients developed ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR), for a 5-year actuarial IBTR rate of 5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1%-10%). Three of these cases occurred in patients with triple-negative disease and 2 in non-triple-negative patients, for 5-year actuarial IBTR rates of 33% (95% CI, 0%-57%) and 2% (95% CI, 0%-6%; P<.0001), respectively. On multivariable analysis, triple-negative phenotype was the only predictor of IBTR, with borderline statistical significance after adjusting for tumor grade (P=.0537).



Overall outcomes were excellent, particularly for patients with estrogen receptor-positive disease. Patients in this study with triple-negative breast cancer had a significantly higher IBTR rate than patients with other receptor phenotypes when treated with 3D-APBI. Larger, prospective 3D-APBI clinical trials should continue to evaluate the effect of hormone receptor phenotype on IBTR rates.
Improved rapid and efficient method for Staphylococcus aureus DNA extraction from milk for identification of mastitis pathogens

A rapid and efficient DNA extraction method was developed for detecting mastitis pathogens in milk. The first critical step involved cell wall disruption by bead-beating, as physical disruption using beads was more effective for DNA extraction from Gram-positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, than enzymatic disruption using proteinase K. The second critical step involves the use of acetic acid and ammonium sulfate in the purification process, as these reagents effectively and efficiently remove the lipids and proteins in milk. Using these methods, DNA suitable for loop-mediated isothermal amplification was obtained within 30 min. Also, the rapid and sensitive detection of S. aureus in milk was possible at levels as low as 200 cfu/ml.