nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
A controlled trial of acute effects of human exposure to traffic particles on pulmonary oxidative stress and heart rate variability

For many individuals, daily commuting activities on roadways account for a substantial proportion of total exposure, as well as peak-level exposures, to traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPS) including ultrafine particles, but the health impacts of these exposures are not well-understood. We sought to determine if exposure to TRAPs particles during commuting causes acute oxidative stress in the respiratory tract or changes in heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of autonomic activity. We conducted a randomized, cross-over trial in which twenty-one young adults took two 1.5-hr rides in a passenger vehicle in morning rush-hour traffic. The subjects wore a powered-air-purifying respirator, and were blinded to high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration during one of the rides. At time points before and after the rides, we measured HRV and markers of oxidative stress in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) including nitrite, the sum of nitrite and nitrate, malondialdehyde, and 8-isoprostane. We used mixed linear models to evaluate the effect of exposure on EBC and HRV outcomes, adjusting for pre-exposure response levels. We used linear models to examine the effects of particle concentrations on EBC outcomes at post-exposure time points. Mean EBC nitrite and the sum of nitrite and nitrate were increased from baseline at immediately post-exposure comparing unfiltered to filtered rides (2.11 μM vs 1.70 μM, p = 0.02 and 19.1 μM vs 10.0 μM, p = 0.02, respectively). Mean EBC malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations were about 10% greater following the unfiltered vs. filtered exposures, although this result was not statistically significant. We found no significant associations between exposure to traffic particles and HRV outcomes at any of the time points. At immediately post-exposure, an interquartile range increase in particle number concentration was associated with statistically significant increases in nitrite (99.4%, 95% CI 32.1% to 166.7%) and nitrite + nitrate (75.7%, 95% CI 21.5% to 130.0%). Increases in markers of oxidative stress in EBC may represent early biological responses to widespread exposures to TRAPs particles that affect passengers in vehicles on heavily trafficked roadways.
Social desirability and change following substance abuse treatment in male offenders.

The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral treatment for substance abuse is contingent on changing clients' attitudes, beliefs, and expectancies. Assessing such change with self-report instruments may be problematic in offenders to the extent that they perceive that treatment success may secure privileges. This study assesses the extent to which increases in social desirability predict improvement in self-efficacy, perceptions of control, and perceived ability to cope and resist use of drugs. Male offenders in a moderate-intensity (N = 1,431) and a high-intensity (N = 316) substance abuse program were assessed before and after treatment on a range of beliefs and attitudes targeted in treatment, along with a measure of social desirability. Regression analyses indicate that those reporting the greatest increase in social desirability also reported the greatest improvement in attitudes and beliefs about drug and alcohol use, thereby suggesting that such self-report measures of change should be regarded with a degree of skepticism.
Medical and psychological factors related to pain in adults with pediatric-onset spinal cord injury: a biopsychosocial model

A cross-sectional study.The aim of this study is to determine medical and psychological correlates of pain in individuals with pediatric-onset spinal cord injury (Shriners Hospitals for Children—Chicago, Philadelphia and Northern California (A total of 187 adults who had sustained an injury before 19 years of age completed interviews that included medical information, standardized measures of psychological functioning (Beck Anxiety Inventory and Patient Health Questionnaire) and a comprehensive pain questionnaire to assess the location, frequency, intensity and duration of pain and distress and disability related to pain.The findings identified the medical and psychological correlates of pain. Greater symptoms of depression and anxiety were strong and consistent predictors of several aspects of pain, above and beyond the impact of gender, injury-related characteristics and secondary medical complications.The findings support a biopsychosocial model of the development and persistence of pain in individuals with pediatric-onset SCI. Interdisciplinary rehabilitation may incorporate psychological treatment such as cognitive-behavioral therapy to reduce the pain and improve functioning. The assessment and treatment of pain in pediatric-onset SCI is a clinical and research priority.This study is supported by funding from Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, grant
Validation of the classification criteria for cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis.

The aim of this study was to validate the classification criteria for cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis (CV).



Twenty-three centres were involved. New patients with CV (group A) and controls, i.e. subjects with serum cryoglobulins but lacking CV based on the gold standard of clinical judgment (group B) and subjects without cryoglobulins but with clinical features that can be observed in the course of CV (group C), were studied. Positivity of serum cryoglobulins was necessary for CV classification. Sensitivity and specificity of the criteria were calculated by comparing group A vs group B. The group A vs group C comparison was done to demonstrate the possible diagnostic utility of the criteria.



The study included 268 patients in group A, 182 controls in group B and 193 controls in group C (small vessel vasculitis, 51.8%). The questionnaire (at least 2/3 positive answers) showed 89.0% sensitivity and 93.4% specificity; the clinical item (at least 3/4 clinical involvement) showed 75.7% sensitivity and 89.0% specificity and the laboratory item (at least 2/3 laboratory data) showed 80.2% sensitivity and 62.4% specificity. The sensitivity and specificity of the classification criteria (at least 2/3 positive items) were 89.9% and 93.5%, respectively. The comparison of group A with group C demonstrated the clinical utility of the criteria in differentiating CV from CV mimickers.



Classification criteria for CV were validated in a second, large, international study confirming good sensitivity and specificity in a complex systemic disease.
Marijuana craving during a public speaking challenge: Understanding marijuana use vulnerability among women and those with social anxiety disorder.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is associated with risk for developing marijuana dependence, yet it remains unclear whether urge to use marijuana increases in anticipation of social anxiety-provoking situation, during the situation, or afterwards (to avoid post-event processing). The present study examined the timing of marijuana craving in response to a social anxiety task among 60 (50% female; 33% with SAD) marijuana users randomly assigned to either a speech or reading task. Participants completed ratings of marijuana craving at baseline (prior to being informed of task assignment), before, during, and after task. Among women and participants with SAD, the speech task was associated with greater craving than the reading task. This effect was particularly pronounced during the social anxiety induction task. This effect was not observed for men or participants without SAD. Identification of timing of urge to use marijuana has important implications for treatment and relapse prevention of marijuana problems among women and people with SAD (a group at particular risk for marijuana-related problems).
Dietary changes in migrant adolescents with increasing length of stay in Australia and associated risk of wheeze – a retrospective, cross sectional study

Recent studies have reported that asthma prevalence increases on migration to Australia. We hypothesised that changes in dietary intake contribute to this phenomenon. The aim of this study was to assess dietary intake in relation to migration status, length of stay in Australia and the association with self-reported wheeze.



Students (n = 144) in a multicultural high school in Western Sydney completed the asthma symptoms ISAAC video questionnaire (AVQ3.0), spirometry and allergy skin prick tests. A dietitian administered a'Food Frequency' and 'Food Habits' questionnaire and a dietary history interview.



Students who spoke a language other than English, consumed a traditional or mixed dietary pattern, with lower consumption of saturated fat, compared to students who spoke English only. Saturated fat intake increased and fibre intake decreased with length of time in Australia. Intake of foods high in saturated or trans fatty acids were positively associated with length of stay in Australia. No associations between nutrient intake or whole food intake and self-reported wheeze were observed.



As time progressed, dietary intake of immigrant children changed. While this was not associated with the development of wheeze in the students in this cohort, these changes are likely to have negative health consequences.
Opioid-Induced Bowel Dysfunction in Patients Undergoing Spine Surgery: Comparison of Oxycodone and Oxycodone-Naloxone Treatment

Opioids are needed for postoperative pain in spine surgery patients, but opioid-induced constipation is a harmful adverse event. The aim of this clinical trial was to compare the use of a controlled-release oxycodone-naloxone combination product with oxycodone controlled-release tablets in these patients. The main outcome measure was the prevalence of constipation at 7 days postoperatively assessed with a Bowel Function Index questionnaire. A follow-up assessment at 21 days after surgery was also included.



A total of 180 patients undergoing spine surgery, 91 having preoperative opioids in use and 89 opioid-naïve, were randomized to receive twice-daily oxycodone 10 mg or oxycodone-naloxone 10/5 mg controlled-release tablets for the first 7 postoperative days. Patients were followed-up for 21 days after surgery.



At baseline, prevalence of constipation was common both in the opioid-naïve-25/87 (29%) and on-opioid groups 43/90 (48%) (P = 0.009). This increased at 7 days postoperatively with no difference between the groups, 54/89 with oxycodone and 54/88 with oxycodone-naloxone had constipation. At 21 days, constipation was less than in the baseline in both groups, in the opioid-naïve group the prevalence of constipation was 3/43 (7%) in patients with oxycodone-naloxone compared to 9/44 (21%) with oxycodone (effect size 0.68; P = 0.068). Both study compounds provided similar pain relief and were well tolerated.



In patients presented for back surgery, the prevalence of constipation was significantly higher than that in the community. In opioid-naïve subjects, oxycodone-naloxone was beneficial concerning constipation; but this was not distinguishable in subjects with chronic opioid use. The analgesic efficacy of oxycodone and oxycodone-naloxone was similar.
Responsive neurostimulation for the treatment of seizures that do not respond to medication.

Efstathia Tzatha, MD Steven C. Karceski, MD In the last 18 years, 12 new antiseizure medications have been discovered. Although there are more medications, there have been no medicines that are clearly better than the older ones. To be clear, the newer medicines do not seem to be any more effective at stopping seizures than the older ones. Studies have shown that about one-third of people with epilepsy have seizures that do not respond to antiseizure medication. A doctor will call the person’s seizures refractory if they have tried 2 or more antiseizure medications, and their seizures have not stopped. Although the newer medicines do not seem to be more effective than the older ones, generally speaking, they seem to cause fewer side effects. Despite this, many patients have difficulty tolerating the high doses that are needed to control their seizures. Because of this, there has been increasing interest in devices that can help to control seizures. One device, the vagus nerve stimulator (VNS), is already available. It was approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997 for the treatment of refractory epilepsy. Other devices are being studied now, including the responsive cortical stimulator (also known as the responsive neurostimulator or RNS), as discussed in this Patient Page.
Platelet doubling after the first azacitidine cycle is a promising predictor for response in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients in the Dutch azacitidine compassionate named patient programme.

The efficacy of azacitidine in the treatment of high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) (20-30% blasts) has been demonstrated. To investigate the efficacy of azacitidine in daily clinical practice and to identify predictors for response, we analysed a cohort of 90 MDS, CMML and AML patients who have been treated in a Dutch compassionate named patient programme. Patients received azacitidine for a median of five cycles (range 1-19). The overall response rate (complete/partial/haematological improvement) was 57% in low risk MDS, 53% in high risk MDS, 50% in CMML, and 39% in AML patients. Median overall survival (OS) was 13·0 (9·8-16·2) months. Multivariate analysis confirmed circulating blasts [Hazard Ratio (HR) 0·48, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0·24-0·99; P = 0·05] and poor risk cytogenetics (HR 0·45, 95% CI 0·22-0·91; P = 0·03) as independent predictors for OS. Interestingly, this analysis also identified platelet doubling after the first cycle of azacitidine as a simple and independent positive predictor for OS (HR 5·4, 95% CI 0·73-39·9; P = 0·10). In conclusion, routine administration of azacitidine to patients with variable risk groups of MDS, CMML and AML is feasible, and subgroups with distinct efficacy of azacitidine treatment can be identified.
Volumetric intravascular ultrasound analysis of Paclitaxel-eluting and bare metal stents in acute myocardial infarction: the harmonizing outcomes with revascularization and stents in acute myocardial infarction intravascular ultrasound substudy.

Vascular responses to drug-eluting stents in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction are unknown. In the prospective, multicenter Harmonizing Outcomes With Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction (HORIZONS-AMI) trial, patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction within 12 hours of symptom onset were randomized 3:1 to TAXUS EXPRESS paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) or EXPRESS bare metal stents (BMS).



A formal intravascular ultrasound substudy enrolled 464 patients with baseline and 13-month follow-up imaging at 36 centers. Overall, 446 lesions in 402 patients were suitable for standard qualitative and quantitative analyses, which were performed at an independent blinded core laboratory. The primary prespecified end point was the in-stent percent net volume obstruction at follow-up. Median stent length measured 23.4 mm (first and third quartiles, 18.5 and 31.9 mm). PES compared with BMS significantly reduced 13-month percent net volume obstruction (6.5% [first and third quartiles, 2.2% and 10.8%] versus 15.6% [first and third quartiles, 7.2% and 28.8%]; P<0.0001). PES compared with BMS also resulted in more late-acquired stent malapposition (29.6% versus 7.9%; P=0.0005) resulting from positive vessel remodeling. Plaque and/or thrombus protrusion through stent struts was initially present in 70.4% of PES and 64.8% of BMS; all resolved during follow-up. New aneurysm formation, stent fracture, and subclinical thrombus were uncommon, although seen only in PES.



PES compared with BMS significantly reduce neointimal hyperplasia in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction but also result in a high frequency of late-acquired stent malapposition as a result of positive vessel remodeling. Ongoing long-term follow-up is required to establish the clinical significance of these findings.
The effectiveness of a basic exercise intervention to improve strength and balance in women with osteoporosis

To determine the effects of a simple exercise program on the balance and strength of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.



This program was based on low intensity strength and balance exercises, and was carried out with simple, readily available equipment. Sixty five women were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (EG; n=33, age: 57.4±4.8 years) or the control group (CG; n=32, age: 58.8±4.5 years). Participants in the EG underwent balance and strength training for 60 min, three times/week for 6 months. Each session consisted of warm-up exercises (10 min), balance training (20 min), strength training (20 min), and cooldown (10 min). Participants from the CG were asked not to modify their usual habits during the course of the study. Static balance was evaluated using the blind monopodal stance static balance test. In contrast, dynamic balance was assessed using the "8-foot up and go" test, whereas the strength of the upper and lower limbs was measured using the "arm curl" and "30 s chair stand" tests, respectively. All these variables were assessed at baseline and upon program completion.



The EG showed significant improvements (P<0.001) in static balance (21%), dynamic balance (36%), and in the strength of the upper (80%) and lower (47%) limbs in comparison to the CG after the sixth month. Participants in the CG showed significantly lower values (P<0.001) in the four tests. In addition, a significant inverse relationship between static balance and the strength of the upper (r=-0.390; P=0.001) and lower (r=-0.317; P=0.01) limbs was found.



The present study demonstrates that a physical exercise program based on balance and strength exercises, carried out with simple and readily available equipment, is capable of significantly improving the strength and balance of women with osteoporosis.
[Efficacy of weekly epoetin Beta in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia in solid tumors].

The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy and safety of epoetin beta once-weekly in anemic patients with solid tumors treated with chemotherapy.



Prospective, open-label, multicenter, single-arm study of epoetin beta 30 000 I.U. once-weekly in anemic patients with solid tumors receiving chemotherapy (n = 365).



Epoetin beta increased mean haemoglobin (Hb) levels from 10.3 +/- 0.9 g/dL at baseline to 12.3+/-2.0 g/dL at week 12. The response rate was achieved in 61% (CI 95%: 55-68) of the patients. The mean Hb level increased was 1.8 g/dL (CI 95%: 1.5-2,0); in lung cancer patients (n = 102) Hb increase was 2.7 g/dL. Treatment with epoetin beta was well tolerated; only 1.4 % patients had thrombotic events.



Epoetin beta (30 000 I.U. once weekly) increased Hb levels and was well-tolerated to correct anemia in patients with solid tumors treated with chemotherapy.
Effect of carotid artery stenting on the release of S-100B and neurone-specific enolase.

Serum levels of S-100B and neurone-specific enolase (NSE) reflect cerebral injury in a variety of neurological conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, and cardiac arrest. There are limited data on the release of S-100B and NSE following carotid artery stenting (CAS). In 22 patients undergoing CAS, serial blood samples for S-100B and NSE were collected before and 2, 4, and 6 to 8 hours after the procedure. A group of 20 patients with significant CAS undergoing purely diagnostic angiography served as controls. A significant increase in S-100B levels was observed 2 hours after the procedure in patients with CAS (P = .001) with a gradual decline over the next hours. In contrast, patients who underwent purely diagnostic angiography did not show significant changes in S-100B levels up to 8 hours after the procedure. Neither patients with CAS nor those undergoing diagnostic angiography displayed any significant changes in serial NSE levels.
Human Bone Marrow Depleted of CD 33-Positive Cells Mediates Delayed but Durable Reconstitution of Hematopoiesis : Clinical Trial of MY 9 Monoclonal Antibody-Purged Autografts for the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

The CD33 antigen, identified by murine monoclonal antibody anti-MY9, is expressed by clonogenic leukemic cells from almost all patients with acute myeloid leukemia; it is also expressed by normal myeloid progenitor cells. Twelve consecutive patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia received myeloablative therapy followed by infusion of autologous marrow previously treated in vitro with anti-MY9 and complement. Anti-MY9 and complement treatment eliminated virtually all committed myeloid progenitors (colony-forming unit granulocyte-macrophage) from the autografts. Nevertheless, in the absence of early relapse of leukemia, all patients showed durable trilineage engraftment. The median interval post bone marrow transplantation (BMT) required t o achieve an absolute neutrophil count greater than 50OlpL was 43 days (range, 16 to 75). t o achieve a platelet count greater than 20,0OQ/pL without transfusion was 92 days (range, 35 to 679). and to achieve red blood cell transfusion independence was 105 days (range, 37 to 670). At the time of BM harvest, 10 patients were in second remission, one patient was in first remission, and one patient was in third remission.
μChIP—a rapid micro chromatin immunoprecipitation assay for small cell samples and biopsies

Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a powerful technique for studying protein-DNA interactions. Drawbacks of current ChIP assays however are a requirement for large cell numbers, which limits applicability of ChIP to rare cell samples, and/or lengthy procedures with limited applications. There are to date no protocols for fast and parallel ChIPs of post-translationally modified histones from small cell numbers or biopsies, and importantly, no protocol allowing for investigations of transcription factor binding in small cell numbers. We report here the development of a micro (micro) ChIP assay suitable for up to nine parallel quantitative ChIPs of modified histones or RNA polymerase II from a single batch of 1000 cells. MicroChIP can also be downscaled to monitor the association of one protein with multiple genomic sites in as few as 100 cells. MicroChIP is applicable to small fresh tissue biopsies, and a cross-link-while-thawing procedure makes the assay suitable for frozen biopsies. Using MicroChIP, we characterize transcriptionally permissive and repressive histone H3 modifications on developmentally regulated promoters in human embryonal carcinoma cells and in osteosarcoma biopsies. muChIP creates possibilities for multiple parallel and rapid transcription factor binding and epigenetic analyses of rare cell and tissue samples.