Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical Validity and Utility of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Routine Clinical Practice for Breast Cancer Patients: Current and Future Directions

The interest in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) as a prognostic biomarker in breast cancer has grown in recent years. Biomarkers must undergo comprehensive evaluation in terms of analytical validity, clinical validity and clinical utility before they can be accepted as part of clinical practice. The International Immuno-Oncology Biomarker Working Group has developed a practice guideline on scoring TILs in breast cancer in order to standardize TIL assessment. The prognostic value of TILs as a biomarker in early-stage breast cancer has been established by assessing tumor samples in thousands of patients from large prospective clinical trials of adjuvant therapy. There is a strong linear relationship between increase in TILs and improved disease-free survival for triple-negative and HER2-positive disease. Higher levels of TILs have also been associated with increased rates of pathological complete response to neoadjuvant therapy. TILs have potential clinical utility in breast cancer in a number of areas. These include prediction of responders to immune checkpoint blockade, identification of primary HER2-positive and triple-negative patients who have excellent prognoses and may thus be appropriate for treatment de-escalation, and potentially incorporation into a neoadjuvant endpoint which may be a better surrogate maker for drug development.
Psychosis in the community and in prisons: a report from the British National Survey of psychiatric morbidity.

OBJECTIVE Reports of increased rates of psychosis in prisons could be due to sampling and ascertainment differences. The authors compared two samples of subjects 16-64 years of age: those from the general population of residents in Great Britain and prisoners in England and Wales. METHOD A random sample of remanded and sentenced male and female prisoners (N=3,142) and a two-phase, cross-sectional random sample of household residents (N=10,108) were assessed with structured questionnaires and the semistructured Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry. RESULTS The weighted prevalence of probable functional psychosis in the past year was 4.5 per thousand (95% CI=3.1 to 5.8) in the household survey. In the prison survey, the weighted prevalence was over 10 times greater: 52 per thousand (95% CI=45 to 60). One in four prisoners with a psychotic disorder had psychotic symptoms attributed to toxic or withdrawal effects of psychoactive substances. The proportion of subjects with specific types of hallucinations or delusions did not differ between prison and household psychosis cases. CONCLUSIONS This large study using standardized comparisons showed that the prevalence of psychosis in prisons is substantially higher than in the community and is deserving of greater attention to treatment and prevention. Apart from a minority of prisoners with symptoms attributable to psychoactive substances, the clinical symptom profile of psychosis is the same in both settings. Longitudinal research is needed to better understand these prevalence differences.
Substance Abuse and Symptoms of Mental Illness Among HIV-positive Persons in the Southeast

Objectives: Mental illness and substance abuse have been consistently associated with poor HIV-medication adherence and other negative health outcomes. Methods: A brief mental health and substance use screening instrument was administered to 1,362 HIV-infected individuals receiving care at two academic medical center Infectious Diseases Clinics in North Carolina. Results: Study results indicated high frequencies of symptoms of mental illness (60%), substance abuse (32%), and co-occurring symptoms of mental illness and substance abuse (23%). Younger age (P = 0.03), male sex (P < 0.001), and higher viral load (P < 0.001) were associated with substance use problems. White race (P = 0.001), younger age (P = 0.023), and higher viral load (P = 0.042) were associated with symptoms of mental illness. Conclusions: In the Southeast, mental health and substance abuse services are sparse and stigma is high; thus, innovative treatment strategies are needed to address the high levels of co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse. Antiretroviral therapies will not reach their potential for slowing the HIV/AIDS epidemic and prolonging survival if comorbidities that influence patient behavior are not addressed.
A study of sustainability verification practices: the French case

Purpose – The growth in social and environmental reports is followed by a growth in reports including an assurance statement done by an outsider to the company. The aim of this paper is to study the implementation by companies of a third party assurance provision to their sustainability reports.Design/methodology/approach – The author examined the practices of French companies as far as verification of sustainability information is concerned and opted for an exploratory study. The study analyses the assurance statement of French CAC 40 listed companies publishing a sustainability report verified by a third party. It also analyses semi‐structured interviews conducted with sustainability managers and assurance providers.Findings – The paper provides an insight of how assurance reports are stated and it seems that they lack precision and explanation. The interest for companies to engage in the assurance of their sustainability information is to manage their sustainable development policy and to progress in r.
Evaluation of a hospital admission prediction model adding coded chief complaint data using neural network methodology

Objective Our objective was to apply neural network methodology to determine whether adding coded chief complaint (CCC) data to triage information would result in an improved hospital admission prediction model than one without CCC data. Participants and methods We carried out a retrospective derivation and validation cohort study of all adult emergency department visits to a single center. We downloaded triage, chief complaint, and admission/discharge data on each included visit. Using a CCC algorithm and the Levenberg–Marquardt back-propagation learning method, we derived hospital admission prediction models without and with CCC data and applied these to the validation cohort, reporting the prediction models’ characteristics. Results A total of 74 056 emergency department visits were included in the derivation cohort, 85 144 in the validation cohort with 213 CCC categories. The sensitivity/specificity of the derivation cohort models without and with CCC data were 64.0% [95% confidence interval (CI): 63.7–64.3], 87.7% (95% CI: 87.4–88.0), 59.8% (95% CI: 59.5–60.3%), and 91.7% (95% CI: 91.4–92.0) respectively. The sensitivity/specificity of the derived models without and with CCC data applied to the validation cohort were 60.7% (95% CI: 60.4–61.0), 87.7% (95% CI: 87.4–88.0), 59.8% (95% CI: 59.5–60.3), and 90.6% (95% CI: 90.3–90.9) respectively. The area under the curve in the validation cohort for the derived models without and with CCC data were 0.840 (95% CI: 0.838–0.842) and 0.860 (95% CI: 0.858–0.862). Net reclassification index (0.156; 95% CI: 0.148–0.163) and integrated discrimination improvement (0.060; 95% CI: 0.058–0.061) in the CCC model were significant. Conclusion Neural net methodology application resulted in the derivation and validation of a modestly stronger hospital admission prediction model after the addition of CCC data.
Disentangling Diffusion: The Effects of Social Learning and Economic Competition on State Policy Innovation and Expansion

When modeling regional policy diffusion effects, scholars have traditionally made appeals to both social learning and economic competition as causes of diffusion. In their empirical studies of policy adoption, however, they do not attempt to determine which of these two processes are at work. In this article, we argue that these two types of diffusion may have different implications for when a state first adopts a policy and subsequent changes in the extent of that policy and that these effects vary by policy area. In the specific policy area that we study, Indian gaming, we expect social learning diffusion to influence adoption but not expansion; economic competition should influence both policy adoption and policy expansion. Our empirical results confirm these predictions. To study both policy adoption and innovation, we apply models for event counts to state policy data, which allows us to model the extent of policy adoption over time, rather than just the timing of first adoption as is common with event history models.
Adherence to Regimens and Glycemic Control of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Attending a Tertiary Hospital Clinic

This cross-sectional study is aimed to measure the prevalence of patient adherence to treatment regimens and factors affecting glycemic control among Type 2 diabetes patients. 243 diabetes patients seeking care at a tertiary hospital diabetic clinic in Bangkok were interviewed. HbA1c was used as an index of glycemic control. The proportions of cases with good adherence to physical exercise and diet regimen were 31.7 and 54.3%, respectively. About 46.5% reported receiving good social support for diabetes from his/her family. The median of HbA1c was 8% (normal range 4.7-6.3%). Approximately 33.3% achieved good glycemic control (HbAlc < or =7%), while 50.2% had poor control (HbAlc >8%). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated two variables were significantly associated with glycemic control: adherence to diet control and exercise. Interactive health education should be introduced to increase patient adherence to treatment regimens. Family members should be informed about their important roles in encouraging patients' glycemic control.
PPARγ and NAD(P)H oxidase system interaction in glycerol-induced acute renal failure: role of gp91phox subunit of NAD(P)H oxidase

Abstract Increased NAD(P)H oxidase-dependent free radical generation has been proposed to be a mechanism in glycerol-induced acute renal failure (ARF). Previously, we showed a PPARγ-mediated regulation of free radical generation in ARF. In this study, we examined NAD(P)H oxidase-dependent pathology in ARF and its connection with PPARγ using both Sprague–Dawley rats and gp91phox (+/−) mice. Male gp91phox (+/−) or wild type (+/+) mice were distributed into vehicle and ARF group (50% glycerol; 8 mL/kg bw; i.m.). Animals were placed in metabolic cages for 24 hr and were sacrificed under pentobarbital anesthesia. Urine, plasma and kidneys were processed for biochemical and molecular analysis. Glycerol doubled proteinuria in (+/+) mice (68 ± 4 mg/24 hr) but not in (+/−) mice (43 ± 9 mg/24 hr). This was associated with a markedly reduced creatinine excretion in (+/+) mice (Con: 0.6 ± 0.03 & ARF: 0.37 ± 0.02). Basal plasma and urinary NO was higher in (+/−) mice than the (+/+) type while plasma 8-isoprostane level was lower in (+/−) mice (WT: 165 ± 20; KO: 100 ± 15 pg/mL). Glycerol reduced UNOXV in both (+/+) and (+/−) mice although plasma NO was unchanged. Glycerol also doubled 8-isoprostane in (+/+) (363 ± 22 pg/mL) but not in (+/−) mice (152 ± 20 pg/mL) and this was associated with an increased NAD(P)H oxidase activity in the (+/+) mice. In ARF, PPARγ expression was reduced in (+/+) mice but increased in (+/−) mice. PPARγ activity was also reduced in (+/+) mice but was unchanged in (+/−) mice. We conclude that gp91phox contributes to NAD(P)H oxidase-mediated increased free radical generation in ARF and this may be via reduced PPARγ.
Corporate social and environmental reporting: a survey of disclosure practices in Egypt

– The purpose of this study is to survey the corporate social and environmental reporting (CSR) practices of Egyptian corporate entities. It aims at contributing to the body of knowledge on the CSR disclosure phenomenon in developing/transitional economies. , – A 34‐item disclosure index covering environmental, energy, human resources, customer and community involvement issues was used to rank corporations. , – A review of a random sample of 60 annual reports for the 2002 financial year revealed significant differences in reporting practices among the members of the nine industry segments surveyed. Findings of this research also lend support to the significance of ownership structure on the reporting decision. , – The study is based on the annual report disclosures of corporations in the industrial sector. Hence, the conclusions arrived at should not be generalised to the non‐industrial sector. A longitudinal study based on a reasonably large sample, which includes the non‐industrial sector, is needed to highlight trends in CSR reporting practices in Egypt. In‐depth case study‐type research would also facilitate understanding of not only what, but also why and how companies are making social and environmental disclosures in Egypt. , – Reviews of disclosure practices in different parts of the world are always welcome and are arguably somewhat limited in developing countries.
Interlocking Boards of Trustees and Grant Acquisition Among Homeless Service Organizations

Research on trustee effectiveness has traditionally focused on board attributes like size and demographics, but networks are a better mechanism to consider the implications of boards for resource procurement. This research utilizes board of trustee interlocks from a sample of 523 nonprofit organizations that specialize in assisting the homeless. These organizations rely heavily on government and community funding, and interlock data from 1999 and 2003 are used to predict first-time grant acquisition in 2006. The findings suggest that board of trustee interlocks provide nonprofits with access to information and legitimacy, and ultimately increase the likelihood of receiving a grant.
Stable Shareholdings, the Decision Horizon Problem, and Earnings Smoothing

Prior studies argue that stable shareholders do not encourage firm managers to manage their earnings to achieve short-term earnings goals. They also state that firm managers with stable shareholders have an incentive to report smooth earnings to maintain long-term relationships with such shareholders. We focus on cross-shareholdings and stable shareholdings owned by financial institutions as stable shareholdings in Japan, and investigate the effect of these ownership structures on earnings management patterns. Specifically, we hypothesize that stable shareholdings are positively associated with the informational components of earnings smoothing. Consistent with our hypothesis, we first find that as stable shareholdings increase, managers are more likely to conduct earnings smoothing that provides useful information to stable shareholders. Further, our additional analysis shows that stable shareholdings reduce incentives for managers to cut discretionary expenditures to meet short-term earnings benchmarks, implying that stable shareholdings could reduce the possibility of a myopic problem. These results suggest that managers with stable shareholdings tend to report smoother and less volatile earnings, and do not tend to pursue earnings management to attain short-term earnings targets.
The Effects of Desensitizing Agents on the Hydraulic Conductance of Human Dentin in vitro

The hydrodynamic theory of dentin sensitivity states that a stimulus applied at the orifice of exposed dentinal tubules causes movement of tubular fluid which stimulates nerve receptors. The fluid should obey principles of fluid movement through capillary tubes. Any decrease in the functional radius of the dentinal tubules should greatly reduce the rate of fluid flow, thus reducing dentinal sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of agents that have been used previously for clinical dentin desensitization to reduce the rate of fluid flow through dentin in vitro. Dentin discs prepared from extracted human third molars were treated with 50% citric acid to remove debris from tubular orifices. After placing the discs in a split chamber device, the rate at which buffer solution could filter across the dentin under 240 cm of water pressure was measured. The occlusal side of the disc was then treated with an agent thought to desensitize dentin to determine if it reduced fluid flow rate. Discs that had more than a 50% reduction in flow rate were examined by scanning electron microscopy to determine if those agents that decreased fluid flow also partially occluded tubular orifices. This in vitro model provided a useful quantitative method for screening a host of preparations that have been used in the past to decrease dentin sensitivity.
Free radical scavenging actions of three Trifolium species in the protection of blood plasma antioxidant capacity in vitro

Abstract Context: Three clover [Trifolium L. (Leguminosae)] species were selected on the basis of data from traditional medicine, phytochemical profiles, and agricultural significance. Objective: The in vitro evaluations of free radical scavenging properties, ferric reducing abilities, and antioxidant effects of extracts from T. pratense L. (crude extract and phenolic fraction), T. pallidum L. , and T. scabrum L. (phenolic fractions) were performed. Materials and methods: Activities of the Trifolium extracts were determined at their final concentrations of 1.5–50 µg/ml. Free radical scavenging properties of methanol extract solutions were estimated by the reduction of DPPH• and ABTS• radicals. Measurements of the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were carried out to assess the antioxidant activities of the extracts in human blood plasma under conditions of oxidative stress, induced by 200 μM peroxynitrite. Results: The phenolic fraction of T. pratense displayed the strongest ABTS• and DPPH• radical scavenging effects (EC50 value of 21.69 and 12.27 µg/ml, respectively). The EC50 value for T. pallidum extract attained 29.77 and 30.06 µg/ml. The two remaining extracts were less potent scavengers (EC50 value higher than 50 µg/ml). Similar differences were obtained during evaluation of the ferric reducing abilities. Analysis of antioxidant properties of the extracts in blood plasma did not provide such evident differences in their actions, however, it indicated that the T. pratense phenolic fraction displayed the strongest effect. Conclusions: The examined Trifolium extracts partly protected blood plasma and enhanced its non-enzymatic antioxidant defense against harmful action of peroxynitrite in vitro.
Impact of device‐guided slow breathing on symptoms of chronic heart failure: a randomized, controlled feasibility study

In many patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) even normal daily life activities cause dyspnoea and fatigue, well‐being might be considerably improved by even a modest decrease in such symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate if lowering breathing rate with the help of a respiratory modulation (RM) device could improve symptoms in patients with CHF.
The ripple effect of local house price movements in New Zealand

Utilising a selection of 10 urban area data sets in New Zealand for the period 1994–2004, we examine local house price co‐movements by using various house price indexing approaches, at a monthly level. Applying the Granger causality test based on a vector error correction model (VECM), where seasonality is considered by using seasonal dummy variables, we found in the long run that the ripple effect is most likely constrained within regions. There is little evidence to suggest that the ripple effect will spread nationally between main regional centres. The results support the theory that the ripple effect is likely to be caused by a region’s internal economic factors rather than migration and spatial arbitrage.
Towards a General Model of the Reasons for International Differences in Financial Reporting

The article first examines the existing modelling literature, which contains a large number of suggested reasons for international differences in accounting. After examining terminological problems, a preliminary parsimonious model is developed to explain the initial split of accounting systems into two classes. The term ‘accounting system’ is used here to mean the financial reporting practices used by an enterprise. A country might exhibit the use of several such systems in any one year or over time. Consequently, it should be systems and not countries that are classified. The model proposes a two-way classification using two variables: the strengths of equity markets and the degree of cultural dominance. Implications for classifiers and rule-makers are suggested.
A new approach to modelling the relationship between in vitro and in vivo drug dissolution/absorption.

A major goal of the pharmaceutical scientist is finding a relationship between an in vitro characteristic of an oral dosage form and its in vivo performance. One such relationship between drug dissolution (or absorption) in vivo and that in vitro is known as an 'in vitro-in vivo correlation' (IVIVC) whose importance stems from the fact that it may be used to minimize the number of human studies required during product development, assist in setting meaningful in vitro dissolution specifications and justify biowaivers for scale-up and post approval changes. A number of ways of describing an IVIVC have been reported with 'level A' being the most informative and therefore most desirable. In the majority of cases reported to date, both the model and the statistical methods employed for level A IVIVC are very simplistic. The model assumes that the rate and extent of dissolution in vivo are the same as those in vitro. The statistical methods ignore the repeated measures nature of the data and use a response variable as an independent variable without accounting for measurement error. This paper describes some new models which include the simple model as a special case. The modelling approach is based on considering the time at which a drug molecule enters solution (in vitro or in vivo) to be a random variable. The in vitro and in vivo distributions are then related to one another using a proportional odds, proportional hazards or proportional reversed hazards model. The models can be extended by adding a linear time component which describes a time varying relationship. Following the addition of random effects to these structural models in order to account for the repeated measures nature of the data collected, the models may be described as generalized linear mixed effects models. The models were fitted to some data sets using a maximum likelihood based method and the results indicate that these models have potential for describing an in vitro-in vivo relationship which cannot be described using the currently available models.
Partial Privatization, Foreign Competition, and Optimum Tariff

Using a simple international mixed oligopoly model with one public and one or more foreign firms, this paper examines the effect of partial privatization or foreign competition on optimum tariffs and finds that foreign competition lowers the optimal tariff rate but partial privatization raises it. This result implies that trade liberalization is welfare improving if a country opens up its economy by allowing foreign competition. However, the liberalization policy is not desirable when the country only partially or completely privatizes its publicly-owned enterprises.