nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Cotinine versus questionnaire: early-life environmental tobacco smoke exposure and incident asthma

The use of biomarkers has expanded considerably, as an alternative to questionnaire-based metrics of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS); few studies have assessed the affect of such alternative metrics on diverse respiratory outcomes in children, and we aimed to do so.



We evaluated various measures of birth-year ETS, in association with multiple respiratory endpoints early years of life, in the novel context of a birth cohort at high risk for asthma. We administered questionnaires to parents, both at the end of pregnancy and at one year of life, and measured cotinine in cord blood (CCot; in 275 children) and in urine (UCot; obtained at 12 months in 365 children), each by radioimmunoassay. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association of the various metrics with recurrent wheeze at age 2 and with bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and asthma at age 7.



Self-reported 3rd trimester maternal smoking was associated with significantly increased risk for recurrent wheeze at age 2 (odds ratio 3.5 [95% confidence interval = 1.2,10.7]); the risks associated with CCot and 3rd trimester smoking in any family member were similar (OR 2.9 [1.2,7.0] and 2.6 , respectively). No metric of maternal smoking at 12 months appeared to significantly influence the risk of recurrent wheeze at age 2, and no metric of ETS at any time appeared to significantly influence risk of asthma or BHR at age 7.



Biomarker- and questionnaire-based assessment of ETS in early life lead to similar estimates of ETS-associated risk of recurrent wheeze and asthma.
Patterns of glucose lowering drugs utilization in Portugal and in the Netherlands. Trends over time.

To compare the temporal trends in the consumption patterns of glucose lowering drugs (GLD) between Portugal and the Netherlands from 2004 to 2013 and to examine possible reasons behind the cross-national variation found.



All GLD (ATC pharmacological subgroup A10B) were selected for analysis. Consumption data were obtained for the 10-year period. Portuguese and Dutch drug estimates were obtained from nationwide databases.



The consumption of GLD increased in Portugal from 52.9 defined daily dose per 1000 inhabitants per day (DHD) in 2004 to 70.0 DHD in 2013 and in the Netherlands from 44.9 DHD in 2004 to 50.7 DHD in 2013. In Portugal, the use of fixed-dose combinations, especially with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4) increased remarkably and in 2013 represented almost a quarter of total GLD consumption. In the Netherlands, the use of combinations was residual.



The consumption of GLD rose over the 10-year period in both countries. However, Portuguese overall consumption and costs of GLD were higher. The differentially rapid uptake of DPP-4 inhibitors in Portugal was the main driver of the cost difference.
Pentoxifylline, ciprofloxacin and prednisone failed to prevent transplant-related toxicities in bone marrow transplant recipients and were associated with an increased incidence of infectious complications

TNF-α (Tumor necrosis factor-alpha) is involved in many immunological and inflammatory processes, and might be expected to play an important role in the development of BMT-related complications. Triple therapy (pentoxifylline, ciprofloxacin and prednisone) with known anti-TNF activity was tested in 37 patients undergoing a hematopoietic progenitor transplant (HPT). A control group of 16 patients with similar characteristics was selected among consecutive patients receiving a HTP in a neighboring center who did not receive anti-TNF prophylaxis. Major transplant-related complications were registered (VOD, acute GVHD, infectious episodes, renal failure and mucositis) and survival status. TNF plasma concentrations were determined by ELISA, and pentoxifylline plasma concentrations were determined by HPLC. Among patients treated with pentoxifylline (PTX), ciprofloxacin and steroids, no difference in the mean survival time was observed compared with the control group. The incidence of procedure-related death up to day +35 was 11% in the study group and 6% in the control group. In spite of a tendency to a lower incidence of mucositis there was a higher incidence of infections (positive blood cultures) in the study group (49%) than in the control group (16.7%) (P = 0.16). This difference achieved statistical significance in patients receiving an allogeneic HPT (P = 0.05). It is likely that the use of steroids in the early period after transplant increases infectious episodes and makes control of GVHD difficult. The combined administration of steroids with pentoxifylline and ciprofloxacin has not proved beneficial in preventing mucositis, renal failure, VOD or GVHD, or in improving patient survival.
Budesonide led to a greater remission rate and fewer severe adverse events than did mesalamine in Crohn's disease.

Patients 182 patients (68% women) who were 18–74 years of age and had Crohn’s disease confined to the distal ileum, ileocaecal region, and ascending colon which was confirmed by colonoscopy, small bowel follow through, or barium enema in the previous 24 months. Exclusion criteria were Crohn’s disease in the rectum; septic complications; abscess; perforation; active fistulas; ileostomy; colostomy; resection of >100 cm of the ileum; need for immediate surgery; diabetes mellitus; active peptic ulcer disease; systemic infection; clinically significant renal, hepatic, or cardiovascular disease; pregnancy; lactation; or allergy to glucocorticoids or mesalamine.
Effect of pre-exercise carbohydrate ingestion on substrate consumption in persons with spinal cord injury

To investigate the influence of pre-exercise carbohydrate ingestion on fat and carbohydrate oxidation during prolonged arm cranking exercise in persons with spinal cord injury.Six male paraplegic subjects (PS, Ll–Th3, 46.3±6.6 years) and seven able-bodied subjects (AB, 43.1±4.6 years) were volunteered to participate in the present study.The subjects were required to consume a glucose solution (1 g kg−1 body mass and 500 ml plain water; glucose experiment) or only plain water (water experiment) before the prolonged exercise. Then the subjects performed for 1-h arm cranking exercise at a moderate workload.In the water experiment, the carbohydrate oxidation slightly decreased and the fat oxidation increased continuously in AB. In contrast, the carbohydrate and fat oxidation of PS was constant during the exercise in the water experiment. In the glucose experiment, the fat oxidation did not rise and the carbohydrate oxidation was constant until the end of the exercise in PS and AB. PS oxidized more fat than AB in the glucose experiment (P<0.05), but no significant difference was found between PS and AB in the water experiment.Using a wheelchair in daily life regularly was regarded as an exercise training that disciplined PS indirectly and is considered to cause PS to have more percentage of type I fiber than AB in the anterior deltoid muscle. Thus, the distribution of muscle fiber type in anterior deltoid muscle might be one of the factors that impacted the fat oxidation of PS in glucose experiment.
Effect of interleukin-2 on the pool of latently infected, resting CD4+ T cells in HIV-1-infected patients receiving highly active anti-retroviral therapy

The size of the pool of resting CD4+ T cells containing replication-competent HIV in the blood of patients receiving intermittent interleukin (IL)-2 plus highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) was significantly lower than that of patients receiving HAART alone. Virus could not be isolated from the peripheral blood CD4+ T cells in three patients receiving IL-2 plus HAART, despite the fact that large numbers of resting CD4+ T cells were cultured. Lymph node biopsies were done in two of these three patients and virus could not be isolated. These results indicate that the intermittent administration of IL-2 with continuous HAART may lead to a substantial reduction in the pool of resting CD4+ T cells that contain replication-competent HIV.
Multicentre double-blind randomized controlled trial of perhexiline as a metabolic modulator to augment myocardial protection in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy undergoing cardiac surgery.

Patients undergoing cardiac surgery require adequate myocardial protection. Manipulating myocardial metabolism may improve the extent of myocardial protection. Perhexiline has been shown to be an effective anti-anginal agent due to its metabolic modulation properties by inhibiting the uptake of free fatty acids into the mitochondrion, and thereby promoting a more efficient carbohydrate-driven myocardial metabolism. Metabolic modulation may augment myocardial protection, particularly in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) known to have a deranged metabolic state and are at risk of poor postoperative outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the role of perhexiline as an adjunct in myocardial protection in patients with LVH secondary to aortic stenosis (AS), undergoing an aortic valve replacement (AVR).



In a multicentre double-blind randomized controlled trial of patients with AS undergoing AVR ± coronary artery bypass graft surgery, patients were randomized to preoperative oral therapy with either perhexiline or placebo. The primary end point was incidence of inotrope use to improve haemodynamic performance due to a low cardiac output state during the first 6 h of reperfusion, judged by a blinded end points committee. Secondary outcome measures included haemodynamic measurements, electrocardiographic and biochemical markers of new myocardial injury and clinical safety outcome measures.



The trial was halted early on the advice of the Data Safety and Monitoring Board. Sixty-two patients were randomized to perhexiline and 65 to placebo. Of these, 112 (54 perhexiline and 48 placebo) patients received the intervention, remained in the trial at the time of the operation and were analysed. Of 110 patients who achieved the primary end point, 30 patients (16 perhexiline and 14 placebo) had inotropes started appropriately; there was no difference in the incidence of inotrope usage OR of 1.65 [confidence interval (CI): 0.67-4.06] P = 0.28. There was no difference in myocardial injury as evidenced by electrocardiogram odds ratio (OR) of 0.36 (CI: 0.07-1.97) P = 0.24 or postoperative troponin release. Gross secondary outcome measures were comparable between the groups.



Perhexiline as a metabolic modulator to enhance standard myocardial protection does not provide an additional benefit in haemodynamic performance or attenuate myocardial injury in the hypertrophied heart secondary to AS. The role of perhexiline in cardiac surgery is limited.
Electrical stimulation of the posteroventral pallidum influences internally guided saccades in Parkinson’s disease

Chronic electrical stimulation of the posteroventral internal pallidum, a recently developed treatment option in advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD), improves bradykinesia, rigidity and medication-induced dyskinesia. Apart from disturbances of the somatic motor system, PD is also characterized by disturbances of saccadic eye movements with hypometric and delayed internally guided saccades. We examined these internally guided eye movements (memory-guided and anti-task saccades) in a patient with bilaterally implanted stimulation electrodes, when stimulation was turned on and off. The electrical stimulation not only improved the bradykinesia and rigidity, but also the internally guided saccades by shortening the latency of the anti-saccades and increasing the gain of the memory-guided saccades. This finding supports the idea that the oculomotor pathways through the basal ganglia are organized like the somatic motor pathways and that stimulation of the posteroventral pallidum influences both.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of stratified versus stepped care strategies for acute treatment of migraine: The Disability in Strategies for Care (DISC) Study.

The Disability in Strategies for Care (DISC) study was the first large randomised controlled trial to compare alternative treatment strategies in the acute treatment of migraine. With 835 patients in its intention-to-treat efficacy analysis, DISC compared a stratified care strategy, where initial therapy was based on clinical need as determined by the Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS) and two stepped care strategies (across attacks and within attacks), where first-line therapy with a simple combination analgesic was escalated, if response had been inadequate, to zolmitriptan, a migraine-specific therapy.



To report on the cost effectiveness of these three strategies from a societal perspective.



A cost-effectiveness analysis was undertaken using data from the DISC study, and including both health service and productivity costs. Data were collected prospectively on drug usage (main therapy and rescue medication); resource use associated with adverse events was estimated by a clinician blinded to treatment strategy. Health service resource use was costed using UK unit costs (1999 to 2000 values). Data were collected using diary cards on the amount of time patients lost from work, and on reduced effectiveness at work, due to a migraine attack. This facilitated an estimate of the productivity costs associated with the treatment strategies. To assess cost effectiveness, the differences in costs between the strategies were related to the two primary outcome measures in the trial: headache response 2 hours after initial therapy and disability-adjusted time during the first 4 hours after initial therapy.



Although the mean health service cost was higher in the stratified care group (mean over 6 attacks of pound 28.25 versus pound 11.74 and pound 23.15 in the stepped care across attacks group and within attacks group, respectively), mean productivity costs over 6 attacks were lower in the stratified group (pound 112.22 versus pound 144.70 and pound 127.53). The total mean cost over six attacks was, therefore, lowest in the stratified care group (pound 138.95 compared with pound 157.19 in the stepped care across attacks group and pound 148.53 in the stepped care within attacks group), although these differences did not reach statistical significance. In terms of headache response, stratified care was statistically significantly more effective than both forms of stepped care. Using disability-adjusted time, stratified care was statistically significantly more effective than stepped care across attacks, but not against stepped care within attacks.



Given its lower mean costs and higher mean effectiveness, a stratified care strategy, which included zolmitriptan, was the dominant strategy and was unequivocally more cost effective from a societal perspective than either stepped care strategy. When the uncertainty around these means was considered, stratified care had the highest probability of being cost effective.
Diagnostic accuracy of two endocervical sampling method: randomized controlled trial

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of endocervical curettage (ECC) and endocervical brushing (EB) in patients referred for colposcopic evaluation for low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. A prospective, randomized, comparative trial was conducted in an Education and Research Hospital, Gynecologic Oncology Clinic. After exclusion of 40 subjects, 208 patients were randomly allocated into ECC (n = 104) and EB (n = 104) groups. A pathologist blinded to the specimen obtaining method evaluated all samples for the primary outcome of sampling adequacy. Secondary outcome measure was pain scores during the sampling was investigated by using visual analogue scale (VAS). Ten samples from the ECC group (9.6 %) and 12 samples from the brushing group (12 %) contained scanty endocervical specimen (p = 0.09). Evaluating samples for stroma; it was reported that brushing group had a statistically significantly higher percentage of specimens with no stroma (44 %) than ECC group (24 %) (p = 0.003). Mean and standard deviation of VAS scores during the ECC and EB procedures were 2.55 ± 1.12 and 1.99 ± 0.87, respectively (p < 0.001). Endocervical brushing was proved to be as accurate with respect to diagnostic yield as ECC but less painful, evaluating the endocervical canal. It can be an alternative for evaluation of the cervical canal pathology in patients with low grade cytologic abnormalities but devoid of the misinterpretation of stromal invasion; ECC should be preferred in patients with a suspicion of invasive disease.
Drug-Induced Modulation of T Lymphocytes as a Potential Mechanism of Susceptibility to Infections in Patients with Multiple Myeloma During Bortezomib Therapy

Bortezomib is effective in the therapy of multiple myeloma (MM), but causes infections that are different from those associated with conventional chemotherapy. It is important to identify the risk factors that facilitate infections associated with bortezomib therapy. In the present report, we sought to (1) define the features of the infections associated with this therapy and (2) identify the immune mechanisms responsible for the observed susceptibility to these infections. We first retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 143 patients who had received bortezomib therapy for MM. We then prospectively assessed the modulation of T lymphocyte status during this therapy, and evaluated potential relationships between infections and T lymphocyte changes. The infection rates peaked during the first cycle of bortezomib therapy (47.6 %) in patients with MM (p < 0.05 vs. subsequent cycles). Bortezomib therapy was associated with higher incidence rates of viral and fungal infections (15.8 %, p < 0.05 vs. conventional chemotherapy). In addition, patients with the IgG immunophenotype showed higher bacterial and viral infection rates (respectively, p = 0.008 and 0.009). The T lymphocyte numbers significantly decreased after bortezomib therapy (p < 0.05), and the same was true for the Th1/Th2 ratio (p < 0.01). Patients with MM who have decreased lymphocyte counts, while on bortezomib therapy are more likely to develop bacterial or viral infections. In addition, an imbalance in T lymphocyte subsets is also associated with bacterial or viral infections in these patients.
FV encoding for low-power data I/O

The power consumed by I/O pins of a CPU is signi cant due to high capacitances associated with the pins. While highly e ective techniques for reducing address bus switching exist [1], similarly e ective techniques for data bus have not been developed. We have discovered a characteristic of values transmitted over the data bus according to which a small number of distinct values, called frequent values, account for 58-68% of transmissions over the external data bus. To exploit this characteristic we have developed a method for dynamic identi cation of frequent values and their use in encoding data values using FV (frequent value) encoding scheme. Our experiments show that FV encoding of 32 frequent values yields an average reduction of 42.7% (with onchip data cache) and 67.63% (without on-chip data cache) in data bus switching activity for SPEC95 benchmarks.
Effective dose range of enalapril in mild to moderate essential hypertension.

The dose-response relationship of enalapril was evaluated in a double-blind, balanced, two-period, incomplete-block study in 91 patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension. Patients were randomly assigned to two of six treatments: placebo, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg/day of enalapril maleate. There were two 3-week treatment periods, each preceded by a 4-week, single-blind placebo washout. Each dose of enalapril produced significant decreases in standing and supine systolic and diastolic blood pressure after 2 and 3 weeks of treatment. There were no significant changes on placebo. There was a significant linear dose response relationship for both mean blood pressure and mean change from baseline in blood pressure (P less than 0.01 for systolic and mean arterial pressure, and P less than 0.05 for diastolic pressure). Enalapril was associated with an increasing dose-response relationship across the 2.5-40 mg/day range. The 2.5 mg/dose is effective in some patients; however, doses greater than or equal to 10 mg/day may be necessary to achieve satisfactory blood pressure control.
NNC 01-0687, a selective dopamine D1 receptor antagonist, in the treatment of schizophrenia

Studies in rodents and nonhuman primates indicate that selective antagonism of dopamine D~ receptors in schizophrenic patients may produce antipsychotic action, including effects on negative psychotic symptoms with a reduced potential for induction of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) (Gerlach et al. 1995). Most of the dopamine D 1 receptor antagonists currently being evaluated have affinity for 5-HT 2 receptors in addition to their D 1 receptor affinity. The benzazepine NNC 01-0687 is a potent D 1 receptor antagonist with very low affinity for 5-HT 2, D 2 and other neurotransmitter receptors (Andersen et al. 1992). We report the results of a phase II clinical trial with NNC 01-0687. The objectives of the study were to evaluate safety and tolerance of NNC 01-0687 in hospitalised male schizophrenic patients and to perform a preliminary evaluation of antipsychotic effects. The study was conducted as an open label, multicentre study with a treatment period of 35 days. Changes in psychotic symptoms were assessed by means of the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) (Kay et al. 1988) and Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) (Guy 1976). The Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale (ESRS) (Chouinard et al. 1980) and a modified UKU Side Effect Rating Scale (Lingjaerde et al. 1987) were
On the use of eye tracking in software traceability

The paper advocates for the induction of eye tracking technology in software traceability and takes a position that the use of eye tracking metrics can contribute to several software traceability tasks. The authors posit that the role of eye tracking is not simply restricted to an instrument for empirical studies, but also could extend to providing a foundation of a new software traceability methodology. Several scenarios where eye-tracking metrics could be meaningful are presented. The specific research directions include conducting empirical studies with eye-tracking metrics and replicating previously reported empirical studies, eye-tracking enabled traceability link recovery and management methodology, and visualization support.
Nocturnal hypoxemia and long-term oxygen therapy in COPD patients with daytime PaO2 60–70 mmHg

Six European treatment centers* contributed to a controlled trial to study nocturnal hypoxemia in COPD patients having daytime PaO2 of 60–70 mmHg. The trial is composed of two parts: first, patients inclusion, taking men aged under 70 years, excluding sleep apnea syndrome and all other concomitant pathologies leading to nocturnal desaturation. We described this population and determined the frequency and degree of nocturnal desaturation. Correlations between different daytime and sleep parameters have also been established. The second part concerns the study of the two subpopulations of nocturnal desaturators and nondesaturators. This is followed by random allocation of the desaturators to oxygen or no oxygen treatment. We defined significant nocturnal desaturation as cumulated unsaturation period, exceeding 30% of total time, in bed spent under SaO2 lower than 90%. Twenty out of 46 patients were desaturators (43%). Only the first part is dealt with in this article.