Negation Detection for Robust Adverse Drug Event Extraction From Social Media Texts

Adverse Drug Event (ADE) extraction from user-generated content has gained popularity as a tool to aid researchers and pharmaceutical companies to monitor side effect of drugs in the wild. Automatic models can rapidly examine large collections of social media texts. However it is currently unknown if such models are robust in face of linguistic phenomena such as negation and speculation, which are pervasive across language varieties. We evaluate three state-of-the-art systems, showing their fragility against negation, and then we introduce two possible strategies to increase the robustness of these models: (i) a pipeline approach, using a specific component for negation detection; (ii) an augmentation of the dataset with artificially negated samples to further train the models. We show that both strategies bring significant increases in performance

Modelling and Parameter Identification of Ex-Situ Biological Biogas Upgrading

In this paper, a model of ex-situ biological biogas upgrading process is first developed. Then, parameter sensitivity analysis is performed, in order to determine the most relevant parameters for subsequent parameter identification, based on a linear fractional transformation (LFT) reformulation of the model. Biogas composition and volumetric production have been well predicted by the calibrated model, allowing its adoption as a designing tool for start-up operation of experimental pilot-scale activity

The effect of a multidisciplinary approach for smoking cessation in patients with Crohn's disease : results from an observational cohort study

Introduction: Cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor for Crohn's disease (CD). The effectiveness of smoking cessation programs (SCPs) in patients with CD is still poorly understood. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational, single-centre, cohort study of 136 active smokers with mean age 55 years (SD=11), 58% males, including 27 (19.8%) patients with CD who entered the multidisciplinary SCP of the Luigi Sacco University Hospital of Milan from January 2017 through January 2019. A pulmonologist was responsible for the clinical and pharmacological management, while a psychiatrist and a psychologist conducted the counselling and assessed the motivation to quit, anxiety and depression using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the nicotine dependence with the Fagerstr\uf6m test. Patients were defined as quitters after 12 months. Results: Demographic and clinical characteristics, and Fagerstr\uf6m score, did not differ in patients with and without CD. At baseline, patients with CD had a higher BPRS (median: 27, IQR: 22-32; vs 25 and 22-28.5; p=0.03), and a lower motivation to quit score (median: 10, IQR: 9-13; vs 14 and 12-15; p<0.001). After 12 months, the quitting rate of smokers with CD was significantly lower (14.8% vs 36.7%; p<0.022) and the chance of quitting was negatively associated with the baseline BPRS (r=-0.256; p<0.003). Varenicline and nicotine replacement therapy tended to be less effective in patients with CD. Conclusions: The lower efficacy of SCPs in patients with CD might be secondary to a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression. Psychological issue recognition and support should be enhanced to increase SCP effectiveness in CD

Short communication: Characterization of a monoclonal antibody for κ-casein B of cow's milk1

A monoclonal antibody (antik-B) against an oligopeptide of 23 AA corresponding to the region 131-153 of bovine kappa-casein (kappa-CN) B was generated using the Human Combinatorial Antibody Library (HuCAL) technology. Both AA substitutions distinguishing kappa-CN A and B are located in that region (positions 136 and 148). In this study, the reactivity of antik-B to milk samples collected from cows previously genotyped as CSN3*AA, CSN3*AB, and CSN3*BB was tested. According to Western blot results, antik-B recognized kappa-CN B and it showed no cross-reactivity toward kappa-CN A and other milk proteins. Furthermore, a modified Western blot method, urea-PAGE Western blot, was set up to assess the reactivity of antik-B toward all isoforms of kappa-CN B. In conclusion, antik-B was specific to kappa-CN B in milk and it seemed to be reactive toward all its isoforms

Tetracyclines in COVID-19 patients quarantined at home: Literature evidence supporting real-world data from a multicenter observational study targeting inflammatory and infectious dermatoses

Tetracyclines (TetraC) are widely used in dermatology for both inflammatory and infectious dermatoses; recently both in vivo and in vitro studies started to suggest also a potential antiviral effect. During COVID-19 outbreak, several dermatological patients contracted SARS-CoV-2 experiencing only mild symptoms, but no protocol were approved. A multicenter prospective observational study that enrolled COVID-19 patients visited with teledermatology and undergoing TetraC was performed. About 38 adult outpatients (M/F: 20/18, age 42.6 years [21-67]) were enrolled. During the TetraC treatment, symptoms resolved in all patients within 10 days. Remarkably, ageusia and anosmia disappeared in the first week of TetraC treatment. TetraC seem a promising drug to treat COVID-19 outpatients with mild symptoms

Helmet CPAP treatment in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia: a multicenter, cohort study

Helmet CPAP treatment fails in up to 44% of patients with moderate-to-severe hypoxemic acute respiratory failure due to COVID-19 pneumoni

Early management of COPD: Where are we now and where do we go from here? a delphi consensus project

Purpose: There is a lack of consensus on the most appropriate early diagnostic strategy, criteria for early access to treatment and follow-up approach for patients with COPD.Materials and methods: A Delphi consensus project investigated the early management of COPD. We formulated two questionnaires for completion by pneumologists in Italy.Results: A total of 207 specialists completed questionnaire 1 and 184 of them questionnaire 2, between November 2016 and October 2017. Early diagnosis of COPD was considered uncommon for 93.2% of the expert panel. Regardless of the definition of "early diagnosis" - a diagnosis made before the clinical manifestation of the disease for most responders (60.4%) - experts were confident of the positive effects of early disease management, which they consider is effective in modifying the natural history of the disease. Lack of awareness of the disease was considered the first limiting factor to early COPD management for 78% of respondents. The most effective steps to reduce functional decline were considered to be smoking cessation, followed by long-acting beta 2-agonist (LABA)/long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), LAMA, LABA, and finally inhaled corticosteroid/LABA (P<0.01 for each paired comparison). Specialists considered it "inappropriate" for general practitioners to perform both the early diagnosis and therapy of COPD without the involvement of a specialist.Conclusion: Early management of COPD is uncommon, and although data on the effects of early disease management on long-term outcomes are limited, Italian experts are confident of the clinical efficacy of this approach