nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Patellar taping increases vastus medialis oblique activity in the presence of patellofemoral pain.

A common rehabilitation strategy for patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), which lacks scientific evidence, includes pulling the patella medially with tape to reduce pain and increase the vastus medialis oblique (VMO) muscle activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of various patellar taping procedures on force production, EMG activity of the VMO and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles, and perceived pain experienced by 30 women (27.3 +/- 1.53), half diagnosed with PFPS. The perceived pain, force, and EMG of the VMO and VL, were recorded while subjects performed maximal isokinetic leg presses at 30 degrees /s for each of the following patellar taping conditions: no tape (control), no glide (placebo), medial and lateral glide (experimental). The medial and placebo procedures significantly (P < 0.01) reduced perceived pain (70-80%) in PFPS subjects. Although patellar taping did not influence leg press force (P > 0.05), it increased the VMO activity and decreased the VL activity in PFPS subjects but had the opposite effect in healthy subjects. The findings suggest that taping the patella medially can contribute positively to PFPS rehabilitation. Because the medial glide and placebo taping conditions had similar effects, it is proposed that the benefits of patellar taping are not due to a change in patellar position but rather due to enhanced support of the patellofemoral ligaments and/or pain modulation via cutaneous stimulation.
Drug-exposed infants and developmental outcome: effects of a home intervention and ongoing maternal drug use.

To evaluate the effects of a home intervention and ongoing maternal drug use on the developmental outcome of drug-exposed infants.



Longitudinal randomized cohort study of a home intervention with substance-abusing mothers and their infants. Mother-infant dyads were randomly assigned to a control or intervention group at 2 weeks' post partum. Control families received brief monthly tracking visits. Intervention families received weekly home visits from 0 to 6 months and biweekly visits from 6 to 18 months by trained lay visitors.



One hundred eight low-income, inner-city, drug-exposed children (control, 54; intervention, 54) who underwent developmental testing at 6, 12, and 18 months post partum and who remained with their biological mothers through 18 months.



Infant scores from the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) at 6, 12, and 18 months post partum. Maternal report of drug use during the pregnancy and ongoing drug use through 18 months post partum was assessed.



In the repeated-measures analyses, intervention infants had significantly higher BSID Mental Developmental Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Developmental Index scores than control infants. Ongoing maternal cocaine and/or heroin use was associated with lower MDI scores. Finally, MDI scores decreased significantly in both groups.



Ongoing maternal drug use is associated with worse developmental outcomes among a group of drug-exposed infants. A home intervention led to higher BSID scores among drug-exposed infants. However, BSID MDI scores decreased during the first 18 months post partum among inner-city, low-socioeconomic-status infants in the present study.
External validation of a prognostic model predicting overall survival in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer patients treated with abiraterone.

A prognostic model was derived from the population of the COU-AA-301 phase 3 trial for metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer patients treated with abiraterone after docetaxel, and it stratifies patients into three risk groups based on clinical parameters. We validated this model in an independent cohort of patients treated with abiraterone after docetaxel outside a clinical trial (group A; n=94) and explored its utility in patients treated with abiraterone in the prechemotherapy setting (group B; n=64). For group A, median overall survival (mOS) was significantly different across the three prognostic groups (good: n=39, mOS: 21.8 mo; intermediate: n=44, mOS: 10.6 mo; poor: n=7, mOS: 6.8 mo; p<0.001; area under the curve [AUC]: 0.71). Analysis of group B confirmed the ability of the model to prognosticate for survival in the prechemotherapy setting: (good: n=44, mOS: 45.6 mo; intermediate or poor: n=20, mOS: 34.5 mo; p=0.042; AUC: 0.61). These results serve to validate the prognostic model in an independent population treated with abiraterone after docetaxel and support clinical implementation of the score. Calibration of the model was poorer in patients receiving abiraterone prechemotherapy. Prospective evaluation of this model in clinical trials is needed.
Breastfeeding and infant illness in low-income, minority women: a prospective cohort study of the dose-response relationship.

The authors' objective was to determine whether cumulative weekly breastfeeding duration by 13 weeks was associated with infant otitis media, respiratory and gastrointestinal illness, and total illness visits up to 12 months. The authors performed a secondary analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial of low-income, primarily Hispanic and Black women enrolled from 2 medical center affiliated clinics. "Breastfeeding sensitive" (BFS) outpatient and emergency room (ER) visit data for the above illnesses were obtained for 255 mother/infant dyads. Outcome measures were unadjusted and adjusted rates of outpatient and ER visits with sick and BFS diagnoses. The authors found no significant associations between breastfeeding intensity and infant visits for otitis media, respiratory and gastrointestinal illness, or total illness visits. In this low-income, multiethnic sample, breastfeeding intensity was not associated with infant health service use, in contrast to other evidence-based reports. Low exclusive breastfeeding rates and lack of coverage for health visits may be reasons for this finding.
Improving cancer patients’ knowledge about totally implantable access port: a randomized controlled trial

Providing patients with written information about totally implantable access ports (TIAPs) is recommended during the pre-implantation period to reduce anxiety and to help recalling information. No study tested the effectiveness of information about TIAP neither with oral communication nor with booklets. This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of an information booklet, alone or together with answers to clarification questions, both in improving patients’ short- and long-time knowledge about TIAP and in decreasing patients’ physiological indicators of anxiety immediately after TIAP implantation. This is a randomized controlled trial with three parallel groups: group A (n = 34) receiving only the booklet, group B (n = 34) receiving the booklet with answers to clarification questions, and group C (n = 37) receiving routine care. After 3 months, pair comparisons revealed a significant improvement in knowledge of TIAP in each group (p < 0.001), together with a significant difference in group C compared with groups A (p < 0.001) and B (p < 0.001), similar to each other. Physiological indicators of anxiety decreased in the intervention groups compared to control group immediately after TIAP implantation. The interventions provided resulted effective in decreasing patients’ physiological indicators of anxiety immediately after TIAP implantation and improving patients’ knowledge about TIAP immediately and at 3 months. Adding answers to clarification questions to the booklet was not more effective than the booklet alone. A well-designed booklet with attention both to scientific content and to communication techniques is useful in improving patients’ knowledge about TIAP and reducing anxiety.
UFT plus carboplatin for head and neck cancer.

Cisplatin plus fluorouracil (5-FU) is widely accepted as neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; UFT is also an active agent against this disease. In the first retrospective study, we examined the efficacy of UFT as adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with maxillary cancer. The 5-year survival rate of those treated with UFT vs those not treated was 71.4% vs 23.8%, respectively. In the second study we developed the carboplatin plus UFT regimen--as a modification of cisplatin plus 5-FU--and studied its efficacy and toxicity in patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. These patients received UFT plus carboplatin. The objective response rate was 53.1%; grade > or = 3 leukopenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia were rare. These findings suggest that UFT plus carboplatin in the outpatient setting is feasible for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Patterns of use of medical cannabis among Israeli cancer patients: a single institution experience.

The use of the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa L.) for the palliative treatment of cancer patients has been legalized in multiple jurisdictions including Israel. Yet, not much is currently known regarding the efficacy and patterns of use of cannabis in this setting.



To analyze the indications for the administration of cannabis among adult Israeli cancer patients and evaluate its efficacy.



Efficacy and patterns of use of cannabis were evaluated using physician-completed application forms, medical files, and a detailed questionnaire in adult cancer patients treated at a single institution.



Of approximately 17,000 cancer patients seen, 279 (<1.7%) received a permit for cannabis from an authorized institutional oncologist. The median age of cannabis users was 60 years (range 19-93 years), 160 (57%) were female, and 234 (84%) had metastatic disease. Of 151 (54%) patients alive at six months, 70 (46%) renewed their cannabis permit. Renewal was more common among younger patients and those with metastatic disease. Of 113 patients alive and using cannabis at one month, 69 (61%) responded to the detailed questionnaire. Improvement in pain, general well-being, appetite, and nausea were reported by 70%, 70%, 60%, and 50%, respectively. Side effects were mild and consisted mostly of fatigue and dizziness.



Cannabis use is perceived as highly effective by some patients with advanced cancer and its administration can be regulated, even by local authorities. Additional studies are required to evaluate the efficacy of cannabis as part of the palliative treatment of cancer patients.
Ensemble Merit Merge Feature Selection for Enhanced Multinomial Classification in Alzheimer's Dementia

The objective of this study is to develop an ensemble classifier with Merit Merge feature selection that will enhance efficiency of classification in a multivariate multiclass medical data for effective disease diagnostics. The large volumes of features extracted from brain Magnetic Resonance Images and neuropsychological tests for diagnosis lead to more complexity in classification procedures. A higher level of objectivity than what readers have is needed to produce reliable dementia diagnostic techniques. Ensemble approach which is trained with features selected from multiple biomarkers facilitated accurate classification when compared with conventional classification techniques. Ensemble approach for feature selection is experimented with classifiers like Naïve Bayes, Random forest, Support Vector Machine, and C4.5. Feature search is done with Particle Swarm Optimisation to retrieve the subset of features for further selection with the ensemble classifier. Features selected by the proposed C4.5 ensemble classifier with Particle Swarm Optimisation search, coupled with Merit Merge technique (CPEMM), outperformed bagging feature selection of SVM, NB, and Random forest classifiers. The proposed CPEMM feature selection found the best subset of features that efficiently discriminated normal individuals and patients affected with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Dementia with 98.7% accuracy.
Prevalence, risk factors and clinical implications of malnutrition in French Comprehensive Cancer Centres

This epidemiological observational study aimed at determining the prevalence of malnutrition in non-selected adults with cancer, to identify risk factors of malnutrition and correlate the results with length of stay and 2-month mortality.This prospective multicentre 1-day study conducted in 17 French Comprehensive Cancer Centres included 1545 patients. Body mass index (BMI), weight loss (WL) in the past 6 months and age were routinely recorded according to the French national recommendations for hospitalised patients; malnutrition was rated as absent, moderate or severe according to the level of WL and BMI. Age, sex, tumour site, type of hospitalisation and treatment, disease stage, World Health Organisation performance status (PS) and antibiotic therapy were the potential malnutrition risk factors tested. Follow-up at 2 months allowed to determine the correlation with length of stay and mortality.Malnutrition was reported in 30.9% of patients, and was rated as severe in 12.2%. In multivariate analysis, only pre-existing obesity (BMI⩾30), PS ⩾2 and head-and-neck or upper digestive cancers were associated with increased risk of malnutrition. Antibiotics use was significantly higher in malnourished patients (35.5 vs 22.8%; P<0.001). Severe malnutrition was independently associated with mortality. The median length of stay was 19.3±19.4 days for malnourished patients vs 13.3±19.4 days for others (In French Comprehensive Cancer Centres, one out of three cancer patients are malnourished and this was associated with a longer length of stay. Pre-existing obesity could be identified as a new risk factor for malnutrition in our cancer patient population perhaps because of a misidentification or a delay in nutrition support in this category of patients.
Myopia is Inversely Associated With the Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in the South Korean Population.

Diabetic retinopathy is a major cause of irreversible vision loss. Recent studies have suggested that myopia may be negatively correlated with the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy. We sought to further investigate the association between refractive error and the likelihood of having diabetic retinopathy in a cross-sectional, population-based study of the South Korean population.



Cross-sectional study.



Data were included from right eyes of 13 424 participants who were 40 years and older with gradable fundus photographs of the Fourth and the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Diabetic retinopathy was graded using standard fundus photographs. Autorefraction data were collected to calculate spherical equivalent of refraction in diopters (D) and further classified into 4 groups: hyperopia (≥1.0 D), emmetropia (-0.99 D to 0.99 D), mild myopia (-1.0 D to -2.99 D), and moderate to high myopia (≤-3.0 D). Demographic, comorbidity, and health-related behavior information was obtained via interview. A multivariate model was used to evaluate the association between the diagnosis of any diabetic retinopathy and the refractive status.



Mild myopia and moderate to high myopia groups were negatively associated with development of any diabetic retinopathy (odds ratio [OR] 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.18-0.97 and OR 0.14; 95% CI 0.02-0.88, respectively). In addition, for every 1 D increase in spherical equivalent, there was a 30% increase of having diabetic retinopathy (OR 1.30; 95% CI, 1.08-1.58).



Our results from a population-based study suggest that myopic status is associated with lower odds of having diabetic retinopathy in the South Korean population.
A randomized trial of cognitive behavioral therapy in primary care-based buprenorphine.

To determine the impact of cognitive behavioral therapy on outcomes in primary care, office-based buprenorphine/naloxone treatment of opioid dependence.



We conducted a 24-week randomized clinical trial in 141 opioid-dependent patients in a primary care clinic. Patients were randomized to physician management or physician management plus cognitive behavioral therapy. Physician management was brief, manual guided, and medically focused; cognitive behavioral therapy was manual guided and provided for the first 12 weeks of treatment. The primary outcome measures were self-reported frequency of illicit opioid use and the maximum number of consecutive weeks of abstinence from illicit opioids, as documented by urine toxicology and self-report.



The 2 treatments had similar effectiveness with respect to reduction in the mean self-reported frequency of opioid use, from 5.3 days per week (95% confidence interval, 5.1-5.5) at baseline to 0.4 (95% confidence interval, 0.1-0.6) for the second half of maintenance (P<.001 for the comparisons of induction and maintenance with baseline), with no differences between the 2 groups (P=.96) or between the treatments over time (P=.44). For the maximum consecutive weeks of opioid abstinence there was a significant main effect of time (P<.001), but the interaction (P=.11) and main effect of group (P=.84) were not significant. No differences were observed on the basis of treatment assignment with respect to cocaine use or study completion.



Among patients receiving buprenorphine/naloxone in primary care for opioid dependence, the effectiveness of physician management did not differ significantly from that of physician management plus cognitive behavioral therapy.
Risk factors for depressive symptoms in a large population on chronic hemodialysis

Despite their significant influence on the quality of life, depressive symptoms are not usually included as a clinical parameter in the evaluation of hemodialysis patients. We aimed to identify depressive symptoms and associated risk factors in a large group of individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on chronic hemodialysis. This was a cross-sectional study of 400 consecutive patients. Cases were analyzed according to the presence/absence of depressive symptoms. All individuals were investigated by interview, and all variables were measured concurrently. Depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II ≥16) and sleep quality by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI > 5). Among the 400 patients (59% male), depressive symptoms were present in 77 (19.3%). Depressive symptoms were more common in women and were independently associated with poor sleep quality (P = <0.005), unemployment (P = 0.001), diabetes (P = 0.02), hypoalbuminemia (P = 0.01), low education (P = 0.03), and pruritus (P = 0.04). Women with ESRD on chronic hemodialysis are at increased risk of depression. Furthermore, unemployment and the presence of diabetes, hypoalbuminemia, low education, and pruritus are significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms are also independently associated with poor quality sleep and studies about the effects of sleep hygiene therapy on depressive symptoms are warranted.
The effect of soy isoflavone on bone mineral density in postmenopausal Taiwanese women with bone loss: a 2-year randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study

The treatment of 300-mg/day isoflavones (aglycone equivalents) (172.5 mg genistein + 127.5 mg daidzein) for 2 years failed to prevent lumbar spine and total proximal femur bone mineral density (BMD) from declining as compared with the placebo group in a randomized, double-blind, two-arm designed study enrolling 431 postmenopausal women 45–65 years old. This study evaluated the effects of soy isoflavones on bone metabolism in postmenopausal women. Four hundred and thirty-one women, aged 45–65 years, orally consumed 300-mg/day isoflavones (aglycone equivalents) or a placebo for 2 years in a parallel group, randomized, double-blind, two-arm study. Each participant also ingested 600 mg of calcium and 125 IU of vitamin D3 per day. The BMD of the lumbar spine and total proximal femur were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at baseline and every half-year thereafter. Serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, urinary N-telopeptide of type 1 collagen/creatinine, and other safety assessments were examined regularly. Two hundred out of 217 subjects in the isoflavone group and 199 out of 214 cases in placebo group completed the treatment. Serum concentrations of isoflavone metabolites, genistein and daidzein, of the intervention group were remarkably elevated following intake of isoflavones (p < 0.001). However, differences in the mean percentage changes of BMD throughout the treatment period were not statistically significant (lumbar spine, p = 0.42; total femur, p = 0.39) between the isoflavone and placebo groups, according to the generalized estimating equation (GEE) method. A significant time trend of bone loss was observed at both sites as assessed by the GEE method following repeated measurement of BMD (p < 0.001). Differences in bone marker levels were not significant between the two treatment groups. Treatment with 300-mg/day isoflavones (aglycone equivalents) failed to prevent a decline in BMD in the lumbar spine or total femur compared with the placebo group.
Impact of initiating carvedilol before angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy on cardiac function in newly diagnosed heart failure.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the therapeutic value of initiating a beta-blocker before an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) in the treatment of heart failure.



Although ACEI and carvedilol produce benefits in heart failure, whether the order of initiation of therapy determines the impact on left ventricular (LV) function and New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA FC) has not been determined.



A single-center, prospective, randomized, open-label study was performed. We evaluated whether initiation of therapy with carvedilol either before (n = 38) or after (n = 40) perindopril therapy in newly diagnosed patients in NYHA FC II to III heart failure with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, with the addition of the alternative agent after six months, determined subsequent changes in NYHA FC and LV function (echocardiography and radionuclide ventriculography). Study drugs were titrated to maximum tolerable doses.



There were no differences in baseline characteristics between the study groups. After 12 months 11 patients died (6 in the group where the ACEI was initiated). At 12 months the group receiving carvedilol as initial therapy achieved a higher tolerable dose of carvedilol (43 +/- 17 mg vs. 33 +/- 18 mg, p = 0.03); a lower dose of furosemide (p < 0.05); and better improvements in symptoms (NYHA FC, p < 0.002), LV ejection fraction (radionuclide: 15 +/- 16% vs. 6 +/- 13%, p < 0.05; echocardiographic, p < 0.01), and plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide concentrations (p < 0.02).



As opposed to the conventional sequence of drug use in the treatment of heart failure, initiation of therapy with carvedilol before an ACEI results in higher tolerable doses of carvedilol and better improvements in FC and LV function.