nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Research evaluation and prospective diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies.

To evaluate the relative merits of recently developed criteria for dementia with Lewy bodies (DLBs) in a longitudinal study of dementia.



The diagnosis of DLBs was used in combination with other clinical diagnosis. Patients were classified primarily based on the NINCDS-ADRDA (National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association) clinical criteria for probable or possible Alzheimer disease, or with other disease process that can cause dementia (eg, Parkinson disease), and secondarily according to the consensus guidelines for DLBs. This "double" clinical diagnosis was implemented to capture different pathological entities. The neuropathological diagnosis of Lewy bodies was made with monoclonal antibodies against alpha-synuclein.



Multidisciplinary research clinic.



Prospective application of the consensus guidelines for DLBs from January 1, 1997, to September 29, 2000, identified 11 patients having the diagnosis of probable DLBs and 35 having possible DLBs. The diagnosis of probable or possible DLBs was associated with probable Alzheimer disease in 34 patients, with possible Alzheimer disease in 5 patients, with Parkinson disease in 2 patients, and with other disease processes in 2 patients. Three patients were diagnosed as having probable DLBs alone. An autopsy was performed in 26 of the cases who were clinically examined during the study period. Cortical Lewy bodies were identified in 13 cases; 4 had had premortem diagnosis of DLBs (sensitivity, 30.7%; specificity, 100%).



The prospective validation of the clinical criteria for DLBs showed poor accuracy in this series. We believe that current criteria for DLBs are useful when DLBs occur in isolation, but have low sensitivity when Lewy bodies coexist with the pathological abnormalities of Alzheimer disease.
Rhythm and Conduction Analysis of Patients With Acute Rheumatic Fever

Various rhythm and conduction abnormalities can develop in acute rheumatic fever. This study investigated rhythm and conduction abnormalities in children with acute rheumatic fever using a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram and 24-h rhythm Holter recordings. This multicenter retrospective study, performed between August 2011 and March 2012, enrolled 73 consecutive children with acute rheumatic fever. Standard electrocardiography was used to measure PR and corrected QT intervals. Holter recordings were evaluated for all the patients, and 52 of the patients (71.2 %) had carditis that was either isolated or together with other major criteria. A positive correlation was detected between carditis and the mean PR interval on standard electrocardiography, but this was not significant (p > 0.05). Standard electrocardiography showed a significant positive correlation between PR and corrected QT intervals (p = 0.03; r = 0.55). Standard electrocardiography showed only three patients (4.2 %) with premature contractions, whereas 24-h electrocardiography showed 26 patients (35.6 %) with premature contractions. Carditis was positively correlated with premature contractions (p < 0.01; r = 0.57). One patient with junctional rhythm and one patient with left bundle block were detected by standard electrocardiography. Whereas some patients with carditis exhibited no arrhythmic evidence on standard electrocardiograms, complete atrioventricular block, supraventricular tachycardia, and Mobitz type 1 block were observed on 24-h Holter recordings. A positive correlation also was observed between the presence of premature contractions and serum levels of acute-phase reactants (p = 0.03; r = 0.62). These findings led to the conclusion that rhythm and conduction disorders in acute rheumatic fever are more common than previously thought.
Performance characterization and scalable design of sensing-as-a-service platform

Advancements and proliferation of sensing and actuation technologies in diverse computing and physical devices call for a flexible Sensing-as-a-Service Platform (SeaaS-P) that can enable massive-scale next generation applications. A key aspect of such a platform, which has been largely unexplored in terms of applicability at a massive scale, is the notification system (e.g. city incident notification) to send event alerts to subscribers. Conventional event-based systems (e.g. publish-subscribe) typically trigger notifications with every event arrival. Observations based on deployment of even a simple SeaaS-P instantiation (with just mobile based event reporting at a very large scale) show resources (e.g. CPU) can become bottleneck and get overused when event rates and number of subscriptions go beyond certain thresholds. Thus, it may be necessary to opportunistically delay the notification, i.e. not send the notifications with every event update (e.g., time-triggered periodic notifications), depending on the delay-tolerance of the application. This paper proposes a: (i) performance profiling of SeaaS-P in terms of resource utilizations and % notification drop; and (ii) design framework to determine the design boundaries of SeaaS-P notification system for both event-triggered and time-triggered notifications.
Myocardial enterovirus infection with left ventricular dysfunction: a benign disease compared with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Endomyocardial biopsy samples from patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy were screened for the presence of enterovirus genome. Patients with enterovirus-positive samples were further studied with regard to disease course, histologic variables and response to interferon-alpha treatment.



Studies of patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy have reported widely divergent clinical outcomes, suggesting that there is no unique underlying pathogenetic mechanism.



Five left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy samples were screened for the presence of the enterovirus genome by an established in situ hybridization technique in combination with a histologic, histomorphometric and immunohistologic workup. The course of the disease was then prospectively followed for up to 50 months. Virus-positive patients whose condition deteriorated were treated with interferon-alpha.



Of 77 patients, 20 (26%) had enterovirus-positive and 57 (74%) enterovirus-negative biopsy samples. During a mean follow-up period of 25.8 +/- 13.7 months, 1 patient in the enterovirus-positive group and 11 in the enterovirus-negative group died. Four patients in the enterovirus-negative group underwent heart transplantation (p < 0.05). The surviving 19 enterovirus-positive patients had a decrease in mean left ventricular end-diastolic diameter from 66 to 61 mm (p < 0.05) and a mean increase in left ventricular ejection fraction from 0.35 to 0.43 (p < 0.05). In contrast, enterovirus-negative patients had no significant change in end-diastolic diameter or left ventricular ejection fraction. Four patients in the enterovirus-positive group whose condition deteriorated were treated with a 6-month course of subcutaneous interferon-alpha (3 x 10(6) U every second day). This treatment induced hemodynamic improvement in all four patients and eliminated the persistent enteroviral infection in two.



Enterovirus-positive patients have a better heart transplantation-free survival rate and hemodynamic course, with fewer histologic changes, than do enterovirus-negative patients. In addition, enterovirus-positive patients respond favorably to interferon-alpha treatment. These observations indicate that myocardial enteroviral infection with associated left ventricular dysfunction is a distinct disease entity with a benign course.
Outcome scores in degenerative cervical disc surgery

Forty-six consecutive patients with neck pain and arm radiculopathy were treated with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. All patients had neurological symptoms corresponding to a herniated disc and/or spondylosis at one or two cervical levels, verified by magnetic resonance imaging. The patients were stabilized with an anterior graft and randomized to either fixation with a CSLP plate or no internal fixation. Preoperatively and 2 years postoperatively the patients filled in a questionnaire that included a modified Million Index, a modified Oswestry Index and the Zung Depression Scale. They were also asked to register their pain in the arm and in the neck on a vertical visual analogue scale (VAS). At the 2-year follow-up, an unbiased observer graded the patients’ clinical outcome using Odom’s criteria. A test-retest procedure was carried out to examine the questionnaire reproducibility. In the group that was operated at one level, there was no significant improvement in any of the scores. Nevertheless, 81% of the patients were satisfied with the outcome of the surgery. All scores improved in the group operated at two levels. The pain in the neck and arm, as measured on a VAS, decreased in both groups. The improvement in arm pain was significantly more pronounced in patients operated with a plate at two levels compared to those who were operated without a plate. At the 2-year follow-up, patients with an excellent or good result according to Odom’s criteria had a lower Million Index ¶(P < 0.0005), Oswestry Index (P < 0.0005), and Zung (P = 0.024) score, than the group classified as fair or poor. There was a significant correlation (P < 0.0001 for all scores) between the test and retest results. We conclude that the modified Million Index and Oswestry Index are clinically useful tools in the evaluation of outcome after degenerative cervical disc surgery. The clinical benefits of plate fixation were minimal. The outcome after surgery, measured with the Oswestry Index, Million Index and VAS for arm and neck pain, seems to correlate well with the classification of outcome by Odom.
Intensity modulated stereotactic body radiation therapy for single or multiple vertebral metastases with spinal cord compression.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of intensity modulated radiation therapy with simultaneous integrated boost (SIB-IMRT) for single or multiple vertebral metastases (VM) with spinal cord compression using tomotherapy.



Thirty patients with 40 VM were treated with SIB-IMRT as initial radiation therapy. Either 40 Gy in 8 fractions or 48 Gy in 16 fractions was prescribed depending on the Katagiri prognostic index. The radiation doses to the spinal cord and other risk organs were reduced to tolerance levels using intensity modulation. One to 4 lesions in consecutive vertebrae were treated in 1 course of SIB-IMRT. Radiologic and physical examinations were performed at 1-3 month intervals after SIB-IMRT. The Barthel index (BI) and numerical rating scale (NRS) were used to evaluate activities of daily living (ADL) and pain status, respectively.



The median follow-up period was 8 months. The NRS significantly dropped at 1 month after SIB-IMRT (P < .0001) and the effect continued for over 2 months. No significant BI decrease was observed at 2 months after SIB-IMRT (P = .7). The 1-year local control rate was 84% (95% confidence interval, 70%-100%). No grade≥2 neurologic toxicity resulting from SIB-IMRT was observed.



SIB-IMRT could be successfully applied to VM with spinal cord compression in up to 4 consecutive vertebrae. Good ADL preservation and pain control were achieved with acceptable toxicity.
The flow angle beneath the gastrojejunostomy predicts delayed gastric emptying in Roux-en-Y reconstruction after distal gastrectomy

Delayed gastric emptying without mechanical obstruction after Roux-en-Y reconstruction has been defined as Roux stasis syndrome. It occurs in 10–30% of patients after such reconstruction. So far, the cause of this stasis has not been completely identified. This study aimed to reduce Roux stasis using surgical techniques. From November 2007 to October 2010, we performed 101 distal gastrectomies with Roux-en-Y reconstruction. All the gastrojejunostomies were performed with end-to-end anastomoses. Roux stasis was analyzed with respect to tumor location, extent of the dissection, tumor progression, operation time, antecolic/retrocolic reconstruction, and the shape of the gastrojejunostomy. The shape of the gastrojejunostomy was evaluated by contrast gastroradiography 4 days after the operation. Roux stasis syndrome was observed in 17 of the 101 patients. There was no relationship between the extent of the dissection, tumor progression, or operation time and the occurrence of Roux stasis. There was no difference in the incidence of Roux stasis between antecolic and retrocolic reconstructions. However, the group that displayed a straight anastomotic shape on contrast radiography demonstrated an apparently lower incidence of Roux stasis (p = 0.0003). In addition, Roux-en-Y reconstruction following gastric cancer was more frequently followed by Roux stasis in the antrum than in the midstomach (p = 0.0036). Cases of Roux stasis occurred 11.8 days after surgery on average and resolved within 2 weeks on average. Our findings demonstrate the substantial benefits of a straight anastomosis of the gastrojejunostomy for the prevention of Roux stasis syndrome.
Good response to infliximab in rheumatoid arthritis following failure of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist.

To evaluate the efficacy of tumor necrosis factor inhibitor infliximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were disease-resistant to recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra).



A total of 104 patients with active RA despite methotrexate (MTX) treatment were enrolled in the open trial. Among them, 27 IL-1Ra nonresponders 'Switchers' and 51 biologic-naive patients 'Naivers' received an infusion of 3 mg/kg infliximab at weeks 0, 2, 6 and 14, combined with concurrent MTX therapy, while the other 26 patients who had never received any biologics 'Controls' continued MTX monotherapy. Clinical outcomes and safety were assessed at weeks 0, 2 and every 4 weeks thereafter for 18 weeks with the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) core set criteria, the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints, and records of adverse events (AEs) and abnormal laboratory findings.



At week 18, an ACR20 response was achieved in 56% of Switchers and 61% of Naivers, compared with 23% of Controls (P = 0.0013 and 0.0126, respectively). Compared with Controls, both Switchers and Naivers achieved a significant improvement in tender-joint count, swollen-joint count, patient's assessment of pain, patient's and physician's global assessment of disease activity, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein. Switchers even achieved a greater benefit from health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) scores than Naivers. Infliximab was well tolerated, with a similar incidence of AEs across all study groups.



Switching from IL-1Ra to infliximab is effective in improving disease activity and maintaining joint function.
Cardiovascular reactivity to and recovery from stressful tasks following a mindfulness analog in college students with a family history of hypertension.

Ninety-seven (97) undergraduates with a family history of hypertension participated in a study that evaluated the effects of a brief mindfulness-induction on cardiovascular reactivity and recovery to two stressors.



Participants were randomized to either a mindfulness-induction or control condition and were then exposed to the cold pressor task (CPT) followed by the mirror-tracing task (MT). Blood pressure and heart rate were measured at baseline and postinduction, as well as during and immediately following each stressor.



There were no group differences in reactivity to either stressor. Participants in the mindfulness-analog condition experienced significantly greater latency to systolic blood pressure recovery following the CPT and a tendency toward greater latency to diastolic blood pressure recovery, although these findings were not replicated with the MT task.



These results are contrary to what was hypothesized and to the anecdotal evidence available regarding effects of comprehensive mindfulness interventions on reactivity. The findings are discussed with respect to purported mechanisms of mindfulness and learning theory.
Impact of income status on prognosis of acute coronary syndrome patients during Greek financial crisis

The effect of income status on patient outcome merits investigation during periods of financial crisis. We evaluated the impact of income status on out-of-hospital prognosis in a cohort of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients, included in a countrywide study during a period of financial crisis. The study is a secondary analysis of a prospective, multicenter, observational study–the PHAETHON study—enrolling consecutive ACS patients in 37 hospitals in Greece. Patients were classified as low or high income based on the reported net annual household income using as a cut-off point the relative poverty threshold for Greece of 12,000 Euros. The outcome measure was survival free of the primary composite endpoint (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke/transient ischemic attack, urgent revascularization and urgent hospitalization due to cardiovascular causes). The study population included 794 patients. The administration rate of evidence-based medications was similar in the low- (n = 455) and high-income (n = 339) groups during hospitalization and upon discharge. In a median follow-up of 189 days (interquartile range: 180–212 days), low-income patients had 92 % higher risk of the combined endpoint as compared to high-income patients [Hazard ratio (HR):1.92, 95 % CI:1.25–2.94, p = 0.003]. The effect of low-income status on the combined outcome remained significant after adjustment for age, gender and depression (HR:1.59, 95 % CI:1.02–2.49; p = 0.043). In a period of financial crisis, low income is a significant and independent predictor of poor out-of-hospital outcome in ACS patients. This association has profound implications and should be taken into consideration by public health policy makers.
Expression of miR-210 in relation to other measures of hypoxia and prediction of benefit from hypoxia modification in patients with bladder cancer

The addition of hypoxia modifiers carbogen and nicotinamide (CON) to radiotherapy (RT) improved overall survival (OS) in bladder cancer patients in the BCON phase III clinical trial. We investigate whether expression of hsa-miR-210 in BCON patient samples reflects hypoxia and predicts benefit from hypoxia modification.In all, 183 T1–T4a bladder cancer samples were available for miR-210 analysis. A total of 86 received RT+CON and 97 received RT alone. TaqMan qPCR plates were used to assess miR-210 expression. Patients were classified as low (<median expression) or high (⩾median) miR-210. Data on other hypoxia biomarkers were available for comparison.Patients with high miR-210 had a trend towards improved 5-year OS with RT+CON (53.2%) compared with RT alone (37.8%; hazard ratio (HR) 1.68, 95% CI 0.95–2.95, P=0.07). No benefit was seen with low miR-210 (HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.58–1.79, P=0.97). High miR-210 was significantly associated with high HIF-1α protein (P=0.001), CA9 protein (P=0.0004), Glut-1 protein (P=0.001), 26-gene hypoxia score (P=0.007), tumour necrosis (P=0.02) and concurrent pTis (High miR-210 may reflect hypoxia in bladder cancer. However, its ability to predict benefit from hypoxia modification does not improve upon other hypoxia markers. Investigation as part of a miRNA hypoxia signature may reveal the full potential of miR-210.
177Lu-DKFZ-PSMA-617 therapy in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer: safety, efficacy, and quality of life assessment

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a novel theranostic agent, 177Lu-DKFZ-PSMA-617 therapy in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Thirty-one mCRPC patients with progressive disease despite second-line hormonal therapy and/or docetaxel chemotherapy were recruited for the study. All patients underwent diagnostic68Ga-PSMA-HBED-CCPET/CT, prior to inclusion for therapy. Included patients then underwent quarterly 177Lu-DKFZ-PSMA-617 therapy. Hematological, kidney function, liver function tests, and serum PSA levels were recorded before and after therapy at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 3 month intervals. Biochemical response was assessed with trend in serum PSA levels. Metabolic response was assessed by PERCIST 1 criteria. Clinical response was assessed by visual analogue score (VASmax) analgesic score (AS), Karanofsky performance status (KPS), and ttoxicity and response criteria of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) criteria. The mean age of patients was 65.93 ± 9.77 years (range: 38–81 years). The mean activity administered in the 31 patients was 5069 ± 1845 MBq ranging from one to four cycles. There was a decline in the mean serum PSA levels from the baseline (baseline: 275 ng/mL, post 1st cycle therapy: 141.75 ng/mL). Based on biochemical response criteria 2/31, 20/31, 3/31, and 6/31 had complete response (CR), partial response(PR), stable disease (SD), and progressive disease (PD), respectively. Metabolic response revealed 2/6 patients with CR, and the remaining 3/6 patients with PR and 1/6 patients with SD. The mean VASmax score decreased from 7.5 to 3. The mean analgesic score decreased from 2.5 to 1.8 after therapy. The mean KPS score improved from 50.32 to 65.42 after therapies. The mean ECOG performance status improved from 2.54 to 1.78 after therapy. Two patients experienced grade I and grade II hemoglobin toxicity each. None of the patients experienced nephrotoxicity or hepatotoxicity. 177Lu-DKFZ-PSMA-617 radionuclide therapy is a safe and effective approach in the treatment of mCRPC patients.
Effects of anacetrapib on plasma lipids in specific patient subgroups in the DEFINE (Determining the Efficacy and Tolerability of CETP INhibition with AnacEtrapib) trial.

In the Determining the Efficacy and Tolerability of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) INhibition with AnacEtrapib (DEFINE) trial, anacetrapib added to statin produced robust low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)-lowering and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)-raising vs placebo in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Predictors of the degree of LDL-C and HDL-C responses to anacetrapib, however, are poorly understood.



Lipid effects of anacetrapib in patient subgroups within the DEFINE trial (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00685776) are reported.



The percent of placebo-corrected changes from baseline for LDL-C (estimated by Friedewald calculation [Fc-LDL-C]) and HDL-C after 24 weeks of anacetrapib 100 mg/day were compared among patients by age, gender, race, diabetes status, type of concomitant statin with or without other lipid therapies, and baseline HDL-C, Fc-LDL-C, and triglyceride (TG) levels.



Percent decreases in Fc-LDL-C and increases in HDL-C with anacetrapib were similar (magnitude of difference generally <1/5 of the overall treatment effect) across subgroups by age, gender, diabetes status, lipid-modifying regimen, and baseline Fc-LDL-C, HDL-C, or TG. On the other hand, anacetrapib effects on Fc-LDL-C (-24% vs -41%) and HDL-C (+75% vs +139%) appeared to be less in black vs white patients, respectively.



Effects of anacetrapib on Fc-LDL-C and HDL-C were generally comparable across subgroups, including being relatively independent of baseline Fc-LDL-C, HDL-C, or TG levels. The clinical impact of the lipid-modifying effects of anacetrapib is being evaluated in the cardiovascular disease outcomes trial, Randomized EValuation of the Effects of Anacetrapib though Lipid-modification (REVEAL).