nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Effect of dopaminergic medications on the time course of explicit motor sequence learning in Parkinson's disease.

The capacity to learn new motor sequences is fundamental to adaptive motor behavior. The early phase of motor sequence learning relies on the ventral and anterior striatal circuitry, whereas the late phase relies on the dorsal and posterior striatal circuitry. Early Parkinson's disease (PD) is mainly characterized by dopaminergic denervation of the dorsal and posterior striatum while sparing anterior and ventral regions. Dopaminergic medication improves dorsal and posterior striatum function by compensating for the loss of dopamine. However, previous work has shown that dopaminergic medication interferes with the ventral and anterior striatum function by overdosing this relatively intact structure in early-state PD. Here we test whether these effects are also observed over the time course of motor sequence learning. Fourteen PD patients ON and OFF dopaminergic medications and 11 healthy age-matched control participants performed an explicit motor sequence learning task. When sequence learning was compared across different learning phases in patients ON and OFF medication, a significant impairment associated with medication was observed in the early relative to later phases of learning. The rate of learning in the early phase measured trial by trial in patients ON medication was significantly slower than that in controls and when patients were OFF medication. No significant impairment was found in the later learning phases. These results demonstrate that dopaminergic medications may selectively impair early-phase motor sequence learning. These results extend and generalize the dopamine overdose effects previously reported for (antero)ventral striatum-mediated cognitive tasks to motor sequence learning.
Epidemiology of acute kidney injury in Hungarian intensive care units: a multicenter, prospective, observational study

Despite the substantial progress in the quality of critical care, the incidence and mortality of acute kidney injury (AKI) continues to rise during hospital admissions. We conducted a national, multicenter, prospective, epidemiological survey to evaluate the importance of AKI in intensive care units (ICUs) in Hungary. The objectives of this study were to determine the incidence of AKI in ICU patients; to characterize the differences in aetiology, illness severity and clinical practice; and to determine the influencing factors of the development of AKI and the patients' outcomes.



We analysed the demographic, morbidity, treatment modality and outcome data of patients (n = 459) admitted to ICUs between October 1st, 2009 and November 30th, 2009 using a prospectively filled in electronic survey form in 7 representative ICUs.



The major reason for ICU admission was surgical in 64.3% of patients and medical in the remaining 35.7%. One-hundred-twelve patients (24.4%) had AKI. By AKIN criteria 11.5% had Stage 1, 5.4% had Stage 2 and 7.4% had Stage 3. In 44.0% of patients, AKI was associated with septic shock. Vasopressor treatment, SAPS II score, serum creatinine on ICU admission and sepsis were the independent risk factors for development of any stage of AKI. Among the Stage 3 patients (34) 50% received renal replacement therapy. The overall utilization of intermittent renal replacement therapy was high (64.8%). The overall in-hospital mortality rate of AKI was 49% (55/112). The ICU mortality rate was 39.3% (44/112). The independent risk factors for ICU mortality were age, mechanical ventilation, SOFA score and AKI Stage 3.



For the first time we have established the incidence of AKI using the AKIN criteria in Hungarian ICUs. Results of the present study confirm that AKI has a high incidence and is associated with high ICU and in-hospital mortality.
Hemodynamic interactions of a new beta blocker, celiprolol, with nifedipine in angina pectoris

The hemodynamic consequences of blockade at both beta-adrenoceptors and slow calcium channels is of therapeutic importance for patients with angina pectoris. The hemodynamic interaction of a new cardioselective beta blocker, celiprolol, and nifedipine was examined in an acute hemodynamic study using three prospectively matched groups with angiographically confirmed coronary artery disease (n = 10/group). Patients were randomly allocated to intravenous celiprolol (8 mg), sublingual nifedipine (20 mg), or their combination. Rest and exercise (supine bicycle) hemodynamics were determined before and following each therapy. At rest, celiprolol did not alter pumping function; nifedipine reduced diastolic blood pressure and systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI), with a small increase in heart rate. Combination therapy reduced systemic arterial pressure and SVRI; heart rate and cardiac stroke volume index increased. During exercise celiprolol tended to reduce heart rate and cardiac index; nifedipine reduced exercise SVR and cardiac stroke work indices. Combination therapy reduced all components of blood pressure; cardiac stroke work and SVR indices fell. These hemodynamic data suggest that beta blockade with celiprolol may result in a slight depression of cardiac pumping during exercise; however, such effects are offset by the vasodilating actions of nifedipine (reflex sympathetic action offsetting cardiodepression). Thus the acute hemodynamic effects of this combination were seemingly safe in these patients; the longer term effects during maintained therapy should be further assessed.
Insulin increases plasma leptin concentrations in normal subjects and patients with NIDDM

Insulin is known to increase expression of the ob gene product leptin in adipose tissue of rodents. We determined whether insulin increases circulating leptin concentrations in humans, and whether this effect might be altered in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Plasma leptin concentrations were determined during an 8.5-h hyperinsulinaemic clamp (serum free insulin approximately 480 pmol/l) and during an 8.5-h infusion of physiological NaCl solution (saline) in eight normal subjects (age 51±3 years, BMI 26.3±0.6 kg/ m2, fasting plasma glucose 5.6±0.2 mmol/l) and seven patients with NIDDM (age 54±2 years, 27.0±0.9 kg/m2, 11.1±0.8 mmol/l). Fasting serum insulin level correlated with plasma leptin (r=0.72, p<0.005), even after adjusting for the percentage of body fat (p<0.005). During the insulin infusion, a significant increase in the plasma leptin concentration was observed after 6 h (37±14%; 5.2±0.8 vs 3.9±0.6 ng/ml, 6 vs 0 h, p<0.05) in the normal subjects and after 8.5 h (38±11%; 7.1±1.0 vs 5.5±0.9 ng/ml, 8.5 vs 0 h, p<0.05) in the patients with NIDDM. During the saline infusion, plasma leptin concentrations decreased significantly in the normal subjects by 11±1% (p<0.005) and in the patients with NIDDM by 14±1% (p<0.01) after 2 h. During the infusion of insulin as compared to saline, plasma leptin concentrations were 32±13 (p<0.05), 53±14 (p<0.001), 106±15 (p<0.001) and 165±21 (p<0.001)% higher at 2, 4, 6 and 8.5 h in the normal subjects, and 11±9 (p<0.05), 27±10 (p<0.05), 58±7 (p<0.001) and 106±13 (p<0.001)% higher in the patients with NIDDM, respectively. No differences were observed in plasma leptin concentrations between the normal subjects and patients with NIDDM, under any conditions. We conclude that prolonged exposure to insulin increases plasma leptin concentrations in humans implying a role for insulin in chronic but not acute regulation of plasma leptin concentrations. The decrease in plasma leptin concentrations during saline infusion was greater than that expected on the basis of change in serum insulin concentrations, suggesting that factors other than insulin also contribute to regulation of plasma leptin concentrations.
Are Random Forests Better than Support Vector Machines for Microarray-Based Cancer Classification?

Cancer diagnosis and clinical outcome prediction are among the most important emerging applications of gene expression microarray technology with several molecular signatures on their way toward clinical deployment. Use of the most accurate decision support algorithms available for microarray gene expression data is a critical ingredient in order to develop the best possible molecular signatures for patient care. As suggested by a large body of literature to-date, support vector machines can be considered "best of class" algorithms for classification of such data. Recent work however found that random forest classifiers outperform support vector machines. In the present paper we point to several biases of this prior work and conduct a new unbiased evaluation of the two algorithms. Our experiments using 18 diagnostic and prognostic datasets show that support vector machines outperform random forests often by a large margin.
Pill-poppers and dopers: a comparison of non-medical prescription drug use and illicit/street drug use among college students.

Data from the 2001 College Alcohol Study, a national sample of U.S. college students, were used to conduct multinomial logistic regression analysis examining correlates of substance use. Students were divided into three groups based on their lifetime substance use: non-users, non-medical prescription drug use only, and illicit/street drug use only. The purpose of this analytic strategy was to examine the similarities/differences in the correlates of non-medical prescription drug use and illicit/street drug use. Findings indicate that race, age, G.P.A., sexual activity, health, binge drinking, marijuana use, social bonding and social learning measures are correlates of non-medical prescription drug use. Correlates of illicit/street drug use include gender, Hispanic ethnicity, sexual activity, binge drinking, marijuana use, social bonding and social learning measures. Finally, the focus of the paper is a comparison of students who report only non-medical prescription drug use to students who report only illicit/street drug use. Findings indicate that gender, race, marital status, sexual activity, marijuana use, and social bonding measures significantly distinguish illicit/street drug use from non-medical prescription drug use. Important implications, limitations, and future research needs were discussed.
A comparison of albumin-bolus therapy versus normal saline-bolus therapy for hypotension in neonates

We compared responses to bolus infusion of 5% albumin (ALB) or normal saline (NS) for hypotension in neonates.Hypotensive infants were given 10 ml kg−1 of NS or ALB. A second bolus was given for persistent hypotension. Dopamine therapy was started for hypotension after the second bolus. The primary response was increase in arterial blood pressure toward normal range 1 h postinfusion. Secondary measures included duration of normotension, meeting criteria for second bolus, meeting criteria for vasopressor support and cost comparison.Those receiving ALB (N=49 ALB and 52 NS) were more likely to achieve a normotensive state (ALB=57.1%, NS=32.1% P=0.01) 1 h following the initial bolus therapy. Subsequently, the NS group was also more likely to qualify for vasopressor infusion (ALB=24.5%, NS=44.2% P=0.02). Overall cost for either therapy was equivalent.In hypotensive neonates, ALB results in a greater likelihood of achieving normotension and decreased subsequent use of vasopressors when compared to NS.
Effects of a one week multidisciplinary inpatient self-management programme for patients with fibromyalgia: a randomised controlled trial

Self-management programmes (SMP) are recommended for patients with fibromyalgia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of a one week multidisciplinary inpatient self-management programme on psychological distress, skills as a consumer of health services, self-efficacy, and functional and symptomatic consequences of fibromyalgia (FM).



A randomised controlled two-armed, assessor-blinded trial with three-week follow-up to evaluate SMP. Primary outcomes were the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-20) and the Effective Musculoskeletal Consumer Scale (EC-17), while secondary outcomes included the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and Self-efficacy scales for pain, function and symptoms (ASES).



150 patients with FM were randomised to one week one SMP (n = 75) or to a waiting list control group (n = 75). Of these, 58 participants in the treatment group and 60 in the control group completed the study. At three weeks' follow up there was a significant difference in EC-17 (0-100) in favour of the treatment group (mean difference 4.26, 95 CI 0.8 to 7.7, p = 0.02). There were no differences between the groups for any of the other outcomes.



This study shows that in patients with FM the SMP had no effect on psychological distress, functional and symptomatic consequences and self-efficacy, except for a small short-term effect on skills and behaviour that are important for managing and participating in health care (EC-17). Clinical Trials.gov Id: NCT01035125.
Comparison of 9-month angiographic outcomes of Resolute zotarolimus-eluting and everolimus-eluting stents in a real world setting of coronary intervention in Korea

Clinical outcomes of new-generation drug-eluting stents (DES), Everolimus-eluting stent (EES) or Resolute zotarolimus-eluting stent (R-ZES), have been reported. However, angiographic follow-up data of new-generation DES are limited, especially in Asians. We investigated the angiographic and clinical outcomes of EES and R-ZES in a real-world setting of Korean patients.



Angiographic and clinical outcomes of 679 patients (866 lesions) who had been treated with EES or R-ZES from Jun 2008 to May 2010 were evaluated. The primary analysis was to compare in-segment late loss at 9 months and the secondary analyses were to compare the clinical outcomes.



In-segment late loss at 9-month follow-up angiography was 0.23 ± 0.52 mm for EES and 0.29 ± 0.64 mm for R-ZES (p = 0.248). In addition, the rate of binary restenosis did not show between-group differences (5.8% vs. 6.8% for EES and R-ZES, respectively, p = 0.716). During a median follow-up of 33 months, there were no significant differences in Kaplan-Meier estimates of target lesion failure (TLF) (7.5% vs. 7.9% for EES and R-ZES, respectively, p = 0.578) and patient-oriented composite outcomes (POCO including all-cause death, any myocardial infarction, and any revascularization, 22.8% vs. 20.1%, p = 0.888). The adjusted hazard ratios for TLF and POCO were 0.875 (95% CI 0.427 - 1.793; p = 0.715) and 1.029 (95% CI 0.642 - 1.650; p = 0.904), respectively, for EES over R-ZES in the propensity score matched group analysis.



In Korean patients undergoing new-generation DES implantation for coronary artery disease, EES and R-ZES showed similar angiographic outcomes at 9 months and comparable clinical outcomes during 2.8 years of median follow-up.
The impact of anemia on energy and physical functioning in individuals with AIDS.

To our knowledge, the relationship between changes in hemoglobin level and energy and physical functioning in the anemic and "normal" ranges of hemoglobin among individuals with AIDS has not been well characterized.



In a multicenter, prospective, cohort study involving 19 clinics in the United States, 1406 individuals, 13 years and older, with AIDS were administered the Medical Outcomes Study HIV [human immunodeficiency virus] Health Survey (MOS-HIV) at baseline and at 3- to 6-month follow-up visits. Energy and physical functioning scores were the main outcomes.



At baseline, a higher hemoglobin level was associated with a higher energy score and a higher physical functioning score (P < .001 for both), after adjusting for CD4 lymphocyte count, sex, age, education, and HIV risk factor. In longitudinal analyses, increases in hemoglobin were associated with increases in energy and physical functioning scores (P < .001 for both), after adjusting for CD4 lymphocyte count, sex, age, education, and HIV risk factor. Changes in the energy scales were, on average, 1.5 and 2.3 scale points per 1-g/dL change in hemoglobin level in the normal and anemic ranges, respectively. For the physical functioning scale, average changes were 2.7 and 2.6 scale points per 1-g/dL change in hemoglobin level in the normal and anemic ranges, respectively.



Higher levels of hemoglobin are associated with better quality of life among individuals with AIDS. Changes in hemoglobin level within the conventional normal range of hemoglobin are also significantly associated with changes in quality of life.
Detection of Small Bowel Mucosal Healing and Deep Remission in Patients With Known Small Bowel Crohn’s Disease Using Biomarkers, Capsule Endoscopy, and Imaging

Mucosal healing (MH) and deep remission (DR) are associated with improved outcomes in Crohn’s disease (CD). However, most of the current data pertain to colonic MH and DR, whereas the evidence regarding the prevalence and impact of small bowel (SB) MH is scarce. The aim of this study was to to evaluate the prevalence of SBMH and DR in quiescent SBCD.Methods:Patients with known SBCD in clinical remission (CDAI<150) or with mild symptoms (CDAI<220) were prospectively recruited and underwent video capsule endoscopy after verification of SB patency. Inflammation was quantified using the Lewis score (LS). SBMH was defined as LS<135, whereas a significant inflammation was defined as LS>790. Clinico-biomarker remission was defined as a combination of clinical remission and normal biomarkers. DR was defined as a combination of clinico-biomarker remission and MH.Results:Fifty-six patients with proven SB patency were enrolled; 52 (92.9%) patients were in clinical remission and 21 (40.4%) in clinico-biomarker remission. SBMH was demonstrated in 8/52 (15.4%) of patients in clinical remission. Moderate-to-severe SB inflammation was demonstrated in 11/52 (21.1%) of patients in clinical remission and in 1/21 (4.7%) of patients in clinical and biomarker remission. Only 7/52 (13.5%) patients were in DR.Conclusions:SB inflammation is detected in the majority of CD patients in clinical and biomarker remission. SBMH and DR were rare and were independent of treatment modality. Our findings represent the true inflammatory burden in quiescent patients with SBCD.
Childhood sun exposure influences risk of multiple sclerosis in monozygotic twins.

To address the role of childhood sun exposure on the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) after controlling for genetic susceptibility, we investigated the association between sun exposure and MS comparing disease-discordant monozygotic (MZ) twins.



Twins with MS were sought by yearly newspaper advertisements throughout North America from 1980 to 1992. Diagnosis was verified by updated medical documentation through 2005. This analysis was restricted to 79 disease- and exposure-discordant monozygotic twin pairs who had ranked themselves before 1993 in relation to each of nine childhood sun exposure activities. A sun exposure index (SI) was defined as the sum of those exposures for which one twin ranked higher than his or her co-twin. The SI difference within each twin pair was calculated by subtracting the SI value of the affected twin from the SI value of the unaffected twin (range -9 to +9). The results were then analyzed using conditional logistic models.



Each of the nine sun exposure-related activities during childhood seemed to convey a strong protection against MS within MZ twin pairs. Depending on the activity, the odds ratio (OR) ranged from 0.25 to 0.57. For example, the risk of subsequent MS was substantially lower (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.83) for the twin who spent more time suntanning in comparison with the co-twin. For each unit increase in SI, the relative risk of MS decreased by 25%.



Early sun avoidance seems to precede the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). This protective effect is independent of genetic susceptibility to MS.
Prevalence and clinical correlates of YMDD variants during lamivudine therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis B.

YMDD variants of hepatitis B virus (HBV) emerge in some patients with chronic hepatitis B who receive lamivudine. YMDD variants were examined in 794 patients in 4 controlled studies of 1 year's duration. The long-term effects of YMDD variants were examined in a subset of patients treated up to 4 years. YMDD variants were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment-length polymorphism assays. After 1 year, YMDD variants were detected in 81 (24%) of 335 patients. In these patients, the median serum HBV DNA concentration at 1 year was <20% of the baseline level, and serum alanine transaminase (ALT) levels and liver histologic findings had significantly improved. In patients with YMDD variants who were treated for up to 4 years, median HBV DNA and ALT levels showed improvements. Sex, baseline body mass index, and HBV DNA level were associated with emergence of YMDD variants. Patients with YMDD variants losing clinical response with a significant increase in the HBV DNA and ALT levels may require additional therapy.
Clinical characteristics and prevalence of complications of chronic kidney disease in children: the Taiwan Pediatric Renal Collaborative study

Little information is available regarding the clinical characteristics and prevalence of complications in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially in early disease stages. The objective of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics and prevalence of complications in children with predialytic CKD. This multicenter, cross-sectional study enrolled children at all stages of predialytic CKD. Children who were between the ages of 1 year and 18 years and who fulfilled the clinical criteria of CKD were included in the study. Baseline demographic data, previous history, clinical characteristics, and laboratory data were collected. A total of 757 children were included in the study. The median age at the time of enrollment was 10.6 years; 397 patients (52.4 %) were males. A total of 39.0 % of the patients were in CKD stage 1, 37.6 % were in stage 2, 14.8 % were in stage 3, 3.0 % were in stage 4, and 5.5 % were in stage 5. Nonglomerular renal diseases were the primary cause of CKD, comprising 51.9 % of the patients with CKD. The age at disease onset, gender, CKD stage distribution, and proportion of co-morbidities varied between the glomerular and nonglomerular CKD cases. Anemia, hyperlipidemia, hypocalcemia, and hyperphosphatemia were more prevalent in patients with glomerular CKD. The overall prevalence of complications was as follows: uncontrolled blood pressure, 44.1 %; anemia, 34.2 %; hyperlipidemia, 44.9 %; short stature, 10.3 %; and failure to thrive, 8.2 %. Uncontrolled blood pressure (BP), anemia, and hyperlipidemia were common, even in the early CKD stages. The prevalence of CKD complications generally increased with the worsening stage of CKD. This study reveals differences in CKD etiology and prevalence of specific complications according to the stage of CKD. Early recognition and awareness of complications are mandatory for clinicians during the follow-up visits of children with CKD.