nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Data in support on the shape of Schwann cells and sympathetic neurons onto microconically structured silicon surfaces

This article contains data related to the research article entitled "Laser fabricated discontinuous anisotropic microconical substrates as a new model scaffold to control the directionality of neuronal network outgrowth" in the Biomaterials journal . Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis is performed to investigate whether Schwann cells and sympathetic neurons alter their morphology according to the underlying topography, comprising arrays of silicon microcones with anisotropic geometrical characteristics . It is observed that although soma of sympathetic neurons always preserves its round shape, this is not the case for Schwann cells that become highly polarized in high roughness microconical substrates.
Implementing successful residential alternatives to acute in-patient psychiatric services: lessons from a multi-centre study of alternatives in England.

Standard acute psychiatric care in the UK is costly but problematic. Alternatives to standard in-patient wards exist, but little is known about their effectiveness, implementation and sustainability. This paper explores successful features and limitations of five residential alternative services in England and factors that facilitate or impede their initial and sustained implementation and success.



Semi-structured interviews about the functioning of six alternative services were conducted with 36 mental health professionals with good working knowledge of, and various connections with these services. A group interview with study researchers was also conducted. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.



One service did not show evidence of operating as an alternative and was excluded from further analysis. The remaining five alternatives are valued for providing a more holistic style of care than standard services that confers many perceived benefits. However, they are seen as less appropriate for compulsorily detained or highly disturbed patients, and as providing less comprehensive treatment packages than hospital settings. Factors identified as important to successful implementation and sustainability are: responding to known shortcomings in local acute care systems; balancing role clarity and adaptability; integration with other services; and awareness of the alternative among relevant local health-care providers.



Residential alternatives can play an important role in managing mental health crises. Their successful implementation and endurance depend on establishing and maintaining a valued position within local service systems. Findings contribute to bridging the gap between research evidence on the problems of standard acute care and delivering improved crisis management services.
The Concordance between Patients’ Renal Replacement Therapy Choice and Definitive Modality: Is It a Utopia?

It is desirable for patients to play active roles in the choice of renal replacement therapy (RRT). Patient decision aid tools (PDAs) have been developed to allow the patients to choose the option best suited to their individual needs.



An observational, prospective registry was conducted in 26 Spanish hospitals between September 2010 and May 2012. The results of the patients' choice and the definitive RRT modality were registered through the progressive implementation of an Education Process (EP) with PDAs designed to help Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients choose RRT.



Patients included in this study: 1044. Of these, 569 patients used PDAs and had made a definitive choice by the end of registration. A total of 88.4% of patients chose dialysis [43% hemodialysis (HD) and 45% peritoneal dialysis (PD)] 3.2% preemptive living-donor transplant (TX), and 8.4% conservative treatment (CT). A total of 399 patients began RRT during this period. The distribution was 93.4% dialysis (53.6% HD; 40% PD), 1.3% preemptive TX and 5.3% CT. The patients who followed the EP changed their mind significantly less often [kappa value of 0.91 (95% CI, 0.86-0.95)] than those who did not follow it, despite starting unplanned treatment [kappa value of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.75-0.95]. A higher agreement between the final choice and a definitive treatment was achieved by the EP and planned patients [kappa value of 0.93 (95% CI, 0.89-0.98)]. Those who did not go through the EP had a much lower index of choosing PD and changed their decision more frequently when starting definitive treatment [kappa value of 0.73 (95% CI, 0.55-0.91)].



Free choice, assisted by PDAs, leads to a 50/50 distribution of PD and HD choice and an increase in TX choice. The use of PDAs, even with an unplanned start, achieved a high level of concordance between the chosen and definitive modality.
Association between Health Systems Performance and Treatment Outcomes in Patients Co-Infected with MDR-TB and HIV in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: Implications for TB Programmes

To improve the treatment of MDR-TB and HIV co-infected patients, we investigated the relationship between health system performance and patient treatment outcomes at 4 decentralised MDR-TB sites.



In this mixed methods case study which included prospective comparative data, we measured health system performance using a framework of domains comprising key health service components. Using Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficients we quantified the direction and magnitude of the association between health system performance and MDR-TB treatment outcomes. Qualitative data from participant observation and interviews analysed using systematic text condensation (STC) complemented our quantitative findings.



We found significant differences in treatment outcomes across the sites with successful outcomes varying from 72% at Site 1 to 52% at Site 4 (p<0.01). Health systems performance scores also varied considerably across the sites. Our findings suggest there is a correlation between treatment outcomes and overall health system performance which is significant (r = 0.99, p<0.01), with Site 1 having the highest number of successful treatment outcomes and the highest health system performance. Although the 'integration' domain, which measured integration of MDR-TB services into existing services appeared to have the strongest association with successful treatment outcomes (r = 0.99, p<0.01), qualitative data indicated that the 'context' domain influenced the other domains.



We suggest that there is an association between treatment outcomes and health system performance. The chance of treatment success is greater if decentralised MDR-TB services are integrated into existing services. To optimise successful treatment outcomes, regular monitoring and support are needed at a district, facility and individual level to ensure the local context is supportive of new programmes and implementation is according to guidelines.
Respiratory function and other biological risk factors for completed suicide: 40 years of follow-up of European cohorts of the Seven Countries Study.

Prospective cohort studies on biological risk factors of completed suicide are scarce. We aimed to test which biological risk factors independently identify subjects at increased risk of suicidal death.



In the prospective cohort of the Seven Countries Study, 5,321 middle-aged men from Finland, Serbia, Italy, and Greece were included. Completed suicide (ICD-8 codes E950-959) was assessed during 40 years of follow-up. Biological cardiovascular risk factors (including forced vital capacity [FVC] and height) were tested for their role as predictors in multivariable Cox models stratified by country.



There were 4518 deaths during follow-up, with 64 from suicide (1.4%). In univariable models, only FVC and height were strongly inversely related with suicide. Socio-economic status and being unmarried were potential confounders. In multivariable models taking these confounders into account, both a low FVC (0.30 for top vs. lowest quartile; 95% CI: 0.12-0.76; P=0.006 for trend) and a low FVC/height ratio (0.37 for top vs. lowest quartile; 95% CI: 0.17-0.82; P=0.004 for trend) were strongly inversely related with completed suicide.



Information on proximal causes, such as prior suicidal ideation, emotional distress and depression, was lacking at baseline.



Poor respiratory function in middle-aged men was an independent risk factor for completed suicide.
Food pattern and nutritional status of children with cerebral
palsy

To assess the food intake pattern and the nutritional status of children with cerebral palsy.  children from two to 12.8 years with cerebral palsy in the following forms: hemiplegia, diplegia, and tetraplegia. Nutritional status was assessed by weight, height, and age data. Food intake was verified by the 24-hour recall and food frequency questionnaire. The ability to chew and/or swallowing, intestinal habits, and physical activity were also evaluated. 3 year-old age group, the mean energy intake followed the recommended range; in 4-6 year-old age group with hemiplegia and tetraplegia, energy intake was below the recommended limits. All children presented low intake of carbohydrates, adequate intake of proteins and high intake of lipids. The tetraplegia group had a higher prevalence of chewing (41%) and swallowing (12.8%) difficulties compared to 14.5 and 6.6% of children with hemiplegia, respectively. Most children of all groups had a daily intestinal habit. All children presented mild physical activity, while moderate activity was not practiced by any child of the tetraplegia group, which had a significantly lower height/age Z score than those with hemiplegia (-2.14 versus -1.05; p=0.003).  The children with cerebral palsy presented inadequate dietary pattern and impaired nutritional status, with special compromise of height. Tetraplegia imposes difficulties regarding chewing/swallowing and moderate physical activity practice.
Surviving and Thriving With Cancer Using a Web-Based Health Behavior Change Intervention: Randomized Controlled Trial

Given the substantial improvements in cancer screening and cancer treatment in the United States, millions of adult cancer survivors live for years following their initial cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, latent side effects can occur and some symptoms can be alleviated or managed effectively via changes in lifestyle behaviors.



The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a six-week Web-based multiple health behavior change program for adult survivors.



Participants (n=352) were recruited from oncology clinics, a tumor registry, as well as through online mechanisms, such as Facebook and the Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR). Cancer survivors were eligible if they had completed their primary cancer treatment from 4 weeks to 5 years before enrollment. Participants were randomly assigned to the Web-based program or a delayed-treatment control condition.



In total, 303 survivors completed the follow-up survey (six months after completion of the baseline survey) and participants in the Web-based intervention condition had significantly greater reductions in insomnia and greater increases in minutes per week of vigorous exercise and stretching compared to controls. There were no significant changes in fruit and vegetable consumption or other outcomes.



The Web-based intervention impacted insomnia and exercise; however, a majority of the sample met or exceeded national recommendations for health behaviors and were not suffering from depression or fatigue at baseline. Thus, the survivors were very healthy and well-adjusted upon entry and their ability to make substantial health behavior changes may have been limited. Future work is discussed, with emphasis placed on ways in which Web-based interventions can be more specifically analyzed for benefit, such as in regard to social networking.
Total hip arthroplasty through the mini-incision (Micro-hip) approach versus the standard transgluteal (Bauer) approach: a prospective, randomised study.

To compare outcome after total hip arthroplasty (THA) through the mini-incision approach versus the standard transgluteal approach.



80 women and 63 men aged 33 to 89 (mean, 62) years with primary osteoarthritis of the hip were randomised to undergo unilateral THA through a mini-incision approach (Micro-hip, n=55) or standard, lateral, transgluteal approach (Bauer, n=88). Levels of haemoglobin, haematocrit, serum creatine kinase, and C-reactive protein, length of hospital stay, mobilisation, and any complication were recorded. Visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain was assessed. Hip function was assessed using the Harris Hip Score and the Oxford Hip Score, whereas general health was assessed using the EQ-5D general health questionnaire. The cup inclination and varus/valgus of the stem position were measured using a goniometer.



The Micro-hip group achieved a significantly lower mean incision length (9.3 vs. 13.4 cm, p<0.001), mean surgical time (60 vs. 68 minutes, p=0.021), mean reduction in haemoglobin level (2.1 vs. 2.8 g/dl, p<0.001), and mean VAS for pain from hour 6 to day 6 (all p<0.05). One patient in the Micro-hip group developed early aseptic loosening of the cup and underwent revision surgery at month 4. Three patients in the Bauer group and one patient in the Micro-hip group sustained intra-operative nondisplaced fractures of the proximal femur, which were fixed with cerclages. Two patients in the Microhip group developed deep vein thrombosis during week 1.



THA through the Micro-hip approach achieved faster pain relief.
Supplementation with omega-3 fish oil has no effect on bone mineral density in adults with knee osteoarthritis: a 2-year randomized controlled trial

This study aimed to determine the effect of fish oil on bone mineral density (BMD). There were no differences in the 2-year BMD measures between high and low dose groups after adjusting for baseline BMD. This randomized controlled trial did not demonstrate any efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids on bone loss in adults. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether supplementation with high dose omega-3 fish oil could have an impact on BMD. In a multicentre, double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) (ACTRN 12607000415404), 202 Australian participants aged ≥40 with knee osteoarthritis (mean age, 61.0 ± 10.0 years; 49 % female) were randomized to receive either high dose (4.5 g eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid daily) or low dose (0.45 g/day) omega-3 fish oil for 2 years. BMD was assessed at baseline and 2 years by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. In subjects with baseline and 2-year assessments, mean standardized BMD at baseline for low or high dose group was 1198 ± 198 and 1157 ± 169 mg/cm2, respectively, for the lumbar spine and was 1035 ± 165 and 1017 ± 174 mg/cm2, respectively, for the femoral neck. There were no differences in the 2-year BMD measures between high and low dose groups after adjusting for baseline BMD in the complete case regression analyses (lumbar spine 3.7, 95 % confidence interval (CI) −7.9 to 15.3 mg/cm2 and femoral neck −5.5, 95 % CI −14.9 to 3.9 mg/cm2). The findings did not change with additional adjustments of age, gender, study centre and uses of bone-related drugs during the study period as well as using the intention-to-treat analysis or limiting to older participants (≥55 years at the baseline) (all P ≥ 0.25). Mild adverse events such as headache and gastrointestinal intolerance were common but did not occur more frequently in either group. There were no serious adverse events related to the intervention. A 2-year supplementation with high-dose omega-3 fish oil did not alter bone loss among men and women with knee osteoarthritis.
Effect of telmisartan on selected adipokines, insulin sensitivity, and substrate utilization during insulin-stimulated conditions in patients with metabolic syndrome and impaired fasting glucose.

Telmisartan improves glucose and lipid metabolism in rodents. This study evaluated the effect of telmisartan on insulin sensitivity, substrate utilization, selected plasma adipokines and their expressions in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in metabolic syndrome.



Twelve patients with impaired fasting glucose completed the double-blind, randomized, crossover trial. Patients received telmisartan (160 mg/day) or placebo for 3 weeks and vice versa with a 2-week washout period. At the end of each period, a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp (HEC) combined with indirect calorimetry was performed. During HEC (0, 30, and 120 min), plasma levels of adipokines were measured and a needle biopsy (0 and 30 min) of SAT was performed.



Fasting plasma glucose was lower after telmisartan compared with placebo (P<0.05). There were no differences in insulin sensitivity and substrate utilization. We found no differences in basal plasma adiponectin, resistin and tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα), but an increase was found in basal leptin, after telmisartan treatment. Insulin-stimulated plasma adiponectin (P<0.05), leptin and resistin (P<0.001) were increased, whereas TNFα was decreased (P<0.05) after telmisartan treatment. Expression of resistin, but not adiponectin, TNFα and leptin was increased after telmisartan treatment.



Despite the decrease in fasting plasma glucose, telmisartan does not improve insulin sensitivity and substrate utilization. Telmisartan increases plasma leptin as well as insulin-stimulated plasma adiponectin, leptin and resistin, and decreases plasma TNFα during HEC. Changes in plasma adipokines cannot be explained by their expressions in SAT. The changes in plasma adipokines might be involved in the metabolic effects of telmisartan in metabolic syndrome.
The DESIR cohort: a 10-year follow-up of early inflammatory back pain in France: study design and baseline characteristics of the 708 recruited patients.

The French Society of Rheumatology has initiated a large national multicenter, longitudinal, prospective follow-up of patients presenting with early inflammatory back pain in order to set up a database to facilitate several investigations on diagnosis, prognosis, epidemiology, pathogenesis and medico-economics in the field of early inflammatory back pain and spondyloarthritis.



Patients were recruited if they had inflammatory back pain of more than 3 months and less than 3 years. Patients will be followed every 6 months during the first 2 years then every year during at least 5years. Apart from information collected on a Case Report Form (demographics, disease activity, severity, co-morbidities, socio-economics, treatments, radiological and MRI evaluation of the spine and the pelvis according to the local investigators, and for some centers bone densitometry and ultrasonography of entheses), the digital X-rays and MRI of the spine and pelvis are stored using a specific software (Carestream) and the biological samples (DNA, RNA, sera, urines) are centralized at the Biological Resources Center (Bichat Hospital).



The recruitment period of the 708 patients (mean age: 34±9years, female 54%, HLA-B27 positive: 57%) in the 25 centers was 26 months (from December 2007 to April 2010). The modified New York criteria, Amor criteria, ESSG criteria and axial ASAS criteria were fulfilled by 26%, 77%, 76% and 67% of the patients at entry, respectively. A history or current symptoms suggestive of peripheral arthritis, acute anterior uveitis and inflammatory bowel disease were observed in 21%, 9% and 4% of the patients, respectively. The disease was active (BASDAI: 45±20) despite an NSAID intake in 66% of the patients.



This large cohort should facilitate the conduct of researches in different areas (clinical, medico-economics, translational) in order to improve our knowledge on the pathogenesis and natural history of axial spondyloarthritis.
Practical evaluation of the Lasp programming model at large scale: an experience report

Programming models for building large-scale distributed applications assist the developer in reasoning about consistency and distribution. However, many of the programming models for weak consistency, which promise the largest scalability gains, have little in the way of evaluation to demonstrate the promised scalability. We present an experience report on the implementation and large-scale evaluation of one of these models, Lasp, originally presented at PPDP '15, which provides a declarative, functional programming style for distributed applications. We demonstrate the scalability of Lasp's prototype runtime implementation up to 1024 nodes in the Amazon cloud computing environment. It achieves high scalability by uniquely combining hybrid gossip with a programming model based on convergent computation. We report on the engineering challenges of this implementation and its evaluation, specifically related to operating research prototypes in a production cloud environment.
Long-term outcome according to renal histological lesions in 118 patients with monoclonal gammopathies.

The prognosis of monoclonal gammopathies with multiple myeloma and renal involvement is poor, and the indication for renal replacement therapy is controversial. Few studies address the value of renal histology for determining prognosis according to initial pathology findings.



We studied the course of 118 patients with multiple myeloma according to renal biopsy lesions. The monoclonal component was identified and quantified in serum and urine. Tumor cell mass was classified as stage 1, 2 or 3, according to Durie and Salmon. End-points were death, or survival on dialysis, or serum creatinine level at last examination.



Renal biopsy showed myeloma kidney in 48 cases (41%), AL-amyloidosis in 35 (30%), light chain deposit disease in 22 (19%), chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis in 12 (10%) and cryoglobulinaemic kidney with multiple myeloma in 1. Maintenance haemodialysis was required in 46 patients (39%), earlier (P<0.0001) in myeloma kidney (mean: 3 months after diagnosis) than in AL-amyloidosis (mean: 15 months) and light chain deposit disease (mean: 18 months). Median survival was 12 months in myeloma kidney, 24 months in AL-amyloidosis and 48 months in light chain deposit disease. Dialysis increased survival in light chain deposit disease, in contrast with myeloma kidney and AL-amyloidosis patients whose survival was shorter when dialysed. The main cause of death during first year of dialysis was cardiac involvement in AL-amyloidosis, and sepsis or cardiac insufficiency in myeloma kidney. There was a trend to increased survival with multidrug chemotherapy which seemed to slow progression to end-stage renal failure. At last follow-up (median: 12 months, range 1-297), 65 (55%) patients had died. By multivariate analysis, independent predictors of survival were: age < 70, serum creatinine < or = 300 micromol/l, and serum calcium < or = 2.5 mmol/l.



Initial renal biopsy helps predict prognosis in patients with multiple myeloma and renal involvement. Maintenance haemodialysis is a reasonable indication in light chain deposit disease and AL-amyloidosis, especially in patients aged < 70. Multidrug therapy tends to prolong survival and slow progression to end-stage renal disease.