nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Quality of life at the end of primary treatment of breast cancer: first results from the moving beyond cancer randomized trial.

During the last decade, survival rates for breast cancer have increased as a result of earlier detection and increased use of adjuvant therapy. Limited data exist on the psychosocial aspects of the transitional period between the end of primary treatment and survivorship. We investigated the baseline psychosocial status of women enrolled in a randomized trial testing two psychosocial interventions for women at the end of primary treatment.



Participants, identified within 1 month after surgery (registration), provided demographic information and limited measures of quality of life. They were followed until they finished primary treatment (enrollment), at which time they completed a mailed baseline survey that included standardized measures of quality of life (including standardized scales of physical and emotional functioning), mood, symptoms, and sexual functioning. A total of 558 patients (mean age = 56.9 years) were enrolled in the study between July 1, 1999, and June 30, 2002. Health outcomes were examined according to treatment received: mastectomy with and without chemotherapy, and lumpectomy with and without chemotherapy. All statistical tests were two-sided.



Among all treatment groups, patients who had a mastectomy had the poorest physical functioning at registration (P<.001) and at enrollment (P=.05). At enrollment, mood and emotional functioning were similar among all patients, with no differences by type of treatment received. At enrollment, symptoms, including muscle stiffness, breast sensitivity, aches and pains, tendency to take naps, and difficulty concentrating, were common among patients in all groups and were statistically significantly associated with poor physical functioning and emotional well-being. Sexual functioning was worse for women who received chemotherapy than for those who did not, regardless of type of surgery (P<.001).



At the end of primary treatment for breast cancer, women in all treatment groups report good emotional functioning but report decreased physical functioning, particularly among women who have a mastectomy or receive chemotherapy. Clinical interventions to address common symptoms associated with treatment should be considered to improve physical and emotional functioning at the end of primary treatment for breast cancer.
Changes in Lipoprotein Particle Number With Ezetimibe/Simvastatin Coadministered With Extended‐Release Niacin in Hyperlipidemic Patients

Combination therapy with ezetimibe/simvastatin (E/S) and extended-release niacin (N) has been reported to be safe and efficacious in concomitantly reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in hyperlipidemic patients at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular events. This analysis evaluated the effect of E/S coadministered with N on low-density lipoprotein particle number (LDL-P) and high-density lipoprotein particle number (HDL-P) as assessed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in patients with type IIa or IIb hyperlipidemia.



This was an analysis of a previously reported 24-week randomized, double-blind study in type IIa/IIb hyperlipidemic patients randomized to treatment with E/S (10/20 mg/day)+N (titrated to 2 g/day) or N (titrated to 2 g/day) or E/S (10/20 mg/day). Samples from a subset of patients (577 of 1220) were available for post hoc analysis of LDL-P and HDL-P by NMR spectroscopy. Increases in HDL-P (+16.2%) and decreases in LDL-P (-47.7%) were significantly greater with E/S+N compared with N (+9.8% for HDL-P and -21.5% for LDL-P) and E/S (+12.8% for HDL-P and -36.8% for LDL-P). In tertile analyses, those with the lowest baseline HDL-P had the greatest percent increase in HDL-P (N, 18.4/7.9/2.1; E/S, 19.3/12.2/5.3; and E/S+N, 26.9/13.8/6.9; all P<0.001). Individuals in the highest tertile of LDL-P had the greatest percent reduction in LDL-P (N, 18.3/23.1/24.6; E/S, 29.7/38.3/41.8; and E/S+N, 44.3/49.0/50.5; all P<0.001).



These results suggest that E/S+N improves lipoprotein particle number, consistent with its lipid-modifying benefits in type IIa or IIb hyperlipidemia patients and may exert the greatest effect in those with high LDL-P and low HDL-P at baseline.
Effects of intravenous propranolol and metoprolol and their interaction with isoprenaline on pulmonary function, heart rate and blood pressure in asthmatics

The effects of propranolol (0.06 mg/kg i.v.), the selectiveβ 1-receptor antagonist metoprolol (0.12 mg/kg i.v.) and a placebo on pulmonary function, heart rate and blood pressure have been compared in asthmatics. The interaction of these drugs with increasing doses of isoprenaline on the same variables was also studied. The twoβ-blockers reduced resting heart rate to the same extent, indicating the same degree of blockade of cardiacβ-receptors. Bothβ-blockers reduced the basal forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and the effect tended to be more pronounced after propranolol. Isoprenaline caused a dose-dependent increase in FEV1 and vital capacity (VC). These effects were almost completely blocked by propranolol, whereas after metoprolol the changes approached that of the placebo. The isoprenaline-induced increase in heart rate and fall in diastolic blood pressure was also inhibited to a considerably greater extent by propranolol than by metoprolol. The results show a selectivity of metoprolol for so-calledβ 1-receptors and indicate that metoprolol may be used in asthmatics provided that it is combined withβ 2-receptor-stimulating drugs.
Optimizing Selection of Competing Services with Probabilistic Hierarchical Refinement

Recently, many large enterprises (e.g., Netflix, Amazon) have decomposed their monolithic application into services, and composed them to fulfill their business functionalities. Many hosting services on the cloud, with different Quality of Service (QoS) (e.g., availability, cost), can be used to host the services. This is an example of competing services. QoS is crucial for the satisfaction of users. It is important to choose a set of services that maximize the overall QoS, and satisfy all QoS requirements for the service composition. This problem, known as optimal service selection, is NP-hard. Therefore, an effective method for reducing the search space and guiding the search process is highly desirable. To this end, we introduce a novel technique, called Probabilistic Hierarchical Refinement (ProHR). ProHR effectively reduces the search space by removing competing services that cannot be part of the selection. ProHR provides two methods, probabilistic ranking and hierarchical refinement, that enable smart exploration of the reduced search space. Unlike existing approaches that perform poorly when QoS requirements become stricter, ProHR maintains high performance and accuracy, independent of the strictness of the QoS requirements. ProHR has been evaluated on a publicly available dataset, and has shown significant improvement over existing approaches.
Effects of moderate- versus high-intensity exercise training on physical fitness and physical function in people with type 2 diabetes: a randomized clinical trial.

Exercise training is effective for improving physical fitness and physical function in people with type 2 diabetes. However, limited research has been conducted on the optimal exercise training intensity for this population.



The primary study objective was to investigate the effects of moderate- versus high-intensity exercise training on physical fitness and physical function in people with type 2 diabetes.



This was a randomized clinical trial.



The setting was a university campus.



Twenty-one people with type 2 diabetes were randomly allocated to receive either moderate-intensity training (MOD group) or high-intensity training (HIGH group).



The MOD group performed resistance training at an intensity of 75% of the 8-repetition maximum (8-RM) and aerobic training at an intensity of 30% to 45% of the heart rate reserve (HRR). The HIGH group performed resistance training at an intensity of 100% of the 8-RM and aerobic training at an intensity of 50% to 65% of the HRR.



Muscle strength (peak torque [newton-meters]), exercise capacity (graded exercise test duration [minutes]), and physical function (Patient-Specific Functional Scale questionnaire) were measured at baseline and 3 months later. Acute exercise-induced changes in glucose levels were assessed immediately before exercise, immediately after exercise, and 1 hour after exercise during the first exercise training session.



Although both groups showed improvements in physical fitness and physical function, the between-group effect sizes were not statistically significant (exercise capacity estimated marginal mean [EMM] difference=2.1, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]=-0.2, 4.5; muscle strength EMM difference=20.8, 95% CI=-23.3, 65.0; and physical function EMM difference=0.1, 95% CI=-0.6, 0.9). Mean percent changes in glucose levels measured immediately before exercise and immediately after exercise, immediately after exercise and 1 hour after exercise, and immediately before exercise and 1 hour after exercise for the MOD group were -11.4%, -5.0%, and -15.8%, respectively; those for the HIGH group were -21.5%, 7.9%, and -15.3%, respectively.



Sample size, lack of outcome assessor masking, and physical function measurement subjectivity were limitations.



Moderate- and high-intensity exercise training, as defined in this study, may lead to similar improvements in physical fitness and physical function in people with type 2 diabetes.
Poorly differentiated carcinoma of the thyroid: validation of the Turin proposal and analysis of IMP3 expression

The Turin Proposal algorithm defines poorly differentiated carcinoma on the basis of the presence of solid/trabecular/insular growth pattern, absence of conventional nuclear features of papillary carcinoma, and the presence of at least one of the following features: convoluted nuclei, mitotic activity ≥3/10 HPF, or tumor necrosis. IMP3 appears to have diagnostic and prognostic value in many solid tumors, including thyroid carcinomas. We examined a series of follicular-cell carcinomas with prominent solid patterns diagnosed at Mayo Clinic (56 cases) (Rochester, MN, USA) and at the University of Turin (96 cases) (Northern Italy) to validate the Turin consensus criteria defining poorly differentiated carcinoma of the thyroid and to evaluate the prevalence and prognostic behavior of this tumor. On this series, we analyzed the expression of conventional markers by immunohistochemistry and we investigated the expression of IMP3 by both immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR. The prevalence of poorly differentiated carcinoma among the USA cases was 1.8% (56/3128) and that in the cases of Northern Italy was 6.7% (96/1442). Tumor characteristics were similar in the cases from the USA and from Italy except for extensive vascular invasion and a prevalent insular growth pattern (lower the former, higher the latter in the Italian series). In univariate analysis, the risk of death was higher for age ≥45, tumors ≥4 cm, and IMP3 positivity. Multivariate analysis showed that the risk of death from poorly differentiated carcinoma was higher for age ≥45. The Turin consensus criteria can reliably select poorly differentiated carcinomas. Tumors from the USA and from Italy showed similar overall survival, although the prevalence of poorly differentiated carcinoma was higher in Northern Italy. Expression of IMP3 appears to be an adverse prognostic factor for poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma.
Validation of a B-type natriuretic peptide as a prognostic marker in pneumonia patients: a prospective cohort study.

To validate a B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) as a prognostic marker in pneumonia patients.



A prospective cohort study.



Kanazawa Medical University Himi Municipal (a 250-bed community hospital in Himi-shi, Toyama-ken, Japan).



All patients diagnosed with pneumonia by the physician and admitted to our hospital between 1 January 2012 and 31 March 2015 whose BNP levels had been determined in the first 24 h of admission. A total of 673 patients were enrolled. Of these, BNP levels were measured for a total of 369 patients on admission.



After enrolment, baseline, demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics including levels of suspected prognostic markers for pneumonia proposed in previous papers, were collected. All patients were followed up until discharge. During analysis, they were divided into categories as follows: community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), aspiration pneumonia (AP), healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) and pneumonia with acute heart failure (PAHF). A univariate and multivariable Cox-regression analysis were applied to each parameter to identify predictors of death. Three cut-off points, namely 40, 100 and 200 pg/mL, as well as the mean, were applied when comparing BNP levels.



30-day mortality.



Of the 369 patients finally included, 137 were diagnosed with CAP, 122 with AP, 74 with HCAP, and 36 with PAHF. In the univariate analysis, BNP levels (mean, cut-off points 100 pg/mL and 200 pg/mL, p<0.01, respectively) were associated with death in CAP, and similar situation was found for BNP (cut-off points 200 pg/mL, p<0.05) in AP, but not for HCAP, or PAHF. In multivariable Cox-regression analysis, BNP remained an independent mortality predictor (HR 10.01, 95% CI 1.32 to 75.7, p=0.03) in CAP.



BNP levels may be a useful single prognostic marker for CAP. Further research for validation is warranted.
Late extended adjuvant treatment with letrozole improves outcome in women with early-stage breast cancer who complete 5 years of tamoxifen.

The National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group MA.17 trial examined the efficacy of letrozole (LET) started within 3 months of 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen in postmenopausal hormone receptor-positive early-stage breast cancer. When the trial was unblinded, patients who received placebo (PLAC) were offered LET.



This cohort analysis describes the outcomes of women assigned PLAC at the initial random assignment after unblinding. Efficacy outcomes of women who chose LET (PLAC-LET group) were compared with those who did not (PLAC-PLAC group) by the hazard ratios and by P values calculated from Cox models that adjusted for imbalances between the groups. Toxicity analyses included only events that occurred after unblinding.



There were 1,579 women in the PLAC-LET group (median time from tamoxifen, 2.8 years) and 804 in the PLAC-PLAC group. Patients in the PLAC-LET group were younger; had a better performance status; and were more likely to have had node-positive disease, axillary dissection, and adjuvant chemotherapy than those in the PLAC-PLAC group. At a median follow-up of 5.3 years, disease-free survival (DFS; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.37; 95% CI, 0.23 to 0.61; P < .0001) and distant DFS (HR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.20 to 0.74; P = .004) were superior in the PLAC-LET group. More self-reported new diagnoses of osteoporosis and significantly more clinical fractures occurred in the women who took LET (5.2% v 3.1%, P = .02).



Interpretation of this cohort analysis suggests that LET improves DFS and distant DFS even when there has been a substantial period of time since the discontinuation of prior adjuvant tamoxifen.
Effects of nurse-delivered home visits combined with telephone calls on medication adherence and quality of life in HIV-infected heroin users in Hunan of China.

This study aimed to examine the effects of nurse-delivered home visits combined with telephone intervention on medication adherence, and quality of life in HIV-infected heroin users.



Drug use is consistently reported as a risk factor for medication non-adherence in HIV-infected people.



An experimental, pretests and post-tests, design was used: baseline and at eight months.



A sample of 116 participants was recruited from three antiretroviral treatment sites, and 98 participants completed the study. They were randomly assigned to two groups: 58 in the experimental group and 58 in the control group. The experimental group received nurse-delivered home visits combined with telephone intervention over eight months, while the control group only received routine care. The questionnaire of Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA) Antiretroviral Medication Self-Report was used to assess levels of adherence, while quality of life and depression were evaluated using Chinese versions of World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Abbreviated version (WHOQOL-BREF) and Self-rating Depression Scale, respectively. Data were obtained at baseline and eight months.



At the end of eight months, participants in the experimental group were more likely to report taking 100% of pills (Fisher's exact = 14.3, p = 0.0001) and taking pills on time (Fisher's exact = 18.64, p = 0.0001) than those in the control group. There were significant effects of intervention in physical (F = 10.47, p = 0.002), psychological (F = 9.41, p = 0.003), social (F = 4.09, p = 0.046) and environmental (F = 4.80, p = 0.031) domains of WHOQOL and depression (F = 5.58, p = 0.02).



Home visits and telephone calls are effective in promoting adherence to antiretroviral treatment and in improving the participants' quality of life and depressive symptoms in HIV-infected heroin users.


 TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
It is important for nurses to recognise the issues of non-adherence to antiretroviral treatment in heroin users. Besides standard care, nurses should consider conducting home visits and telephone calls to ensure better health outcome of antiretroviral treatment in this population.
Super Learner Analysis of Electronic Adherence Data Improves Viral Prediction and May Provide Strategies for Selective HIV RNA Monitoring.

Regular HIV RNA testing for all HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is expensive and has low yield since most tests are undetectable. Selective testing of those at higher risk of failure may improve efficiency. We investigated whether a novel analysis of adherence data could correctly classify virological failure and potentially inform a selective testing strategy.



Multisite prospective cohort consortium.



We evaluated longitudinal data on 1478 adult patients treated with ART and monitored using the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS) in 16 US cohorts contributing to the MACH14 consortium. Because the relationship between adherence and virological failure is complex and heterogeneous, we applied a machine-learning algorithm (Super Learner) to build a model for classifying failure and evaluated its performance using cross-validation.



Application of the Super Learner algorithm to MEMS data, combined with data on CD4 T-cell counts and ART regimen, significantly improved classification of virological failure over a single MEMS adherence measure. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, evaluated on data not used in model fitting, was 0.78 (95% confidence interval: 0.75 to 0.80) and 0.79 (95% confidence interval: 0.76 to 0.81) for failure defined as single HIV RNA level >1000 copies per milliliter or >400 copies per milliliter, respectively. Our results suggest that 25%-31% of viral load tests could be avoided while maintaining sensitivity for failure detection at or above 95%, for a cost savings of $16-$29 per person-month.



Our findings provide initial proof of concept for the potential use of electronic medication adherence data to reduce costs through behavior-driven HIV RNA testing.
What's in the black box of arthritis rehabilitation? A comparison of rehabilitation practice for patients with inflammatory arthritis in northern Europe.

In evaluating complex interventions, it is a challenge for researchers to provide transparent reporting of the intervention content with sufficient detail and clarity such that effects can be compared across studies or countries.



To describe and compare the content of current rehabilitation for patients with inflammatory arthritis across 4 northern European countries.



A total of 731 patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases participated in a multicentre, longitudinal observational study carried out in Sweden, The Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. Data on context, structure and process were reported by patients and teams at the different participating study sites according to the Scandinavian Team Arthritis Register-European Team Intiative for Care Research (STAR-ETIC) framework.



Although large similarities were found in the context, there were important differences between the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries. Regarding structure, there were considerable differences in the length of the rehabilitation period across settings and countries. The most evident differences concerned process variables, especially the type and dosage of individual treatment modalities.



The variation in important aspects of arthritis rehabilitation found in the present study underline the need for transparent and standardized description of these variables when comparing effects across settings and countries. A standardized description of current practice can be achieved by the STAR-ETIC framework.
Lopinavir/ritonavir monotherapy after 24 weeks of second-line antiretroviral therapy in Africa: a randomized controlled trial (SARA).

Boosted protease inhibitor (bPI) monotherapy (bPImono) potentially has substantial cost, safety and operational benefits. It has never been evaluated as second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Africa.



After 24 weeks of lopinavir/ritonavir-containing second-line therapy, DART participants were randomized to remain on combination therapy (CT), or change to bPImono maintenance (SARA trial; ISRCTN53817258). Joint primary end points were CD4(+) T-cell changes 24 weeks later and serious adverse events (SAEs); retrospectively assayed viral load (VL) was a secondary end point. Analyses were intention-to-treat.



A total of 192 participants were randomized to CT (n=95) or bPImono (n=97) and followed for median 60 weeks (IQR 45-84). Participants received median 4.0 years (IQR 3.5-4.4) first-line ART. Median CD4(+) T-cell count at first-line failure was 86 cells/mm(3) (47-136), increasing to 245 cells/mm(3) (173-325) after 24-week induction when 77% had VL<50 copies/ml. Overall, 44 (23%) were receiving second-line therapy with bPI and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) only, and 148 (77%) with bPI plus non-NRTI (NNRTI) with or without NRTI. At 24 weeks after randomization to CT versus bPImono, mean CD4(+) T-cell increase was 42 (CT, n=85) versus 49 cells/mm(3) (bPImono, n=88; adjusted difference 13 [95% CI -15, 43], P=0.37; non-inferior compared with predetermined non-inferiority margin [-33]). Virological suppression was greater for CT versus bPImono (trend P=0.009): 77% (70/91) versus 60% (56/94) were <50 copies/ml, and 5% (5) versus 14% (13) were ≥1,000 copies/ml, respectively. A total of 0 (0%) versus 5 (5%) participants had major protease inhibitor mutations and 3 (3%) versus 0 (0%) new NNRTI/NRTI mutations were detected during follow-up. Two participants (1 CT and 1 bPImono) died >24 weeks after randomization, and 5 (2 CT and 3 bPImono) experienced SAEs (P=0.51).



bPImono following a 24-week second-line induction was associated with similar CD4(+) T-cell response, but increased low-level viraemia, generally without protease inhibitor resistance. Longer-term trials are needed to provide definitive evidence about effectiveness in Africa.