Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Switching to an L/N-Type Calcium Channel Blocker Shows Renoprotective Effects in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: The Kyoto Cilnidipine Study

OBJECTIVE: This open-label, randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of cilnidipine, an L/N-type calcium channel blocker (CCB), in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: Sixty patients with CKD and well-controlled hypertension being treated with a renin—angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitor and an L-type CCB (L-CCB) were randomly assigned either to switch from the L-CCB to cilnidipine after a 4-week observation period or to continue with L-CCB treatment. Blood pressure, heart rate and renal function were monitored for 12 months. Data were available for analysis from 50 patients: 24 from the cilnidipine group and 26 from the L-CCB group. RESULTS: Blood pressure was well controlled in both groups. After 12 months, proteinuria and heart rate were significantly decreased in the cilnidipine group, but proteinuria increased and heart rate remained unchanged in the L-CCB group. There was a significant positive correlation between the percentage changes in proteinuria and heart rate. CONCLUSIONS: Cilnidipine has antihypertensive effects equivalent to those of L-CCBs. In patients with CKD, proteinuria can be decreased by switching from an L-CCB to cilnidipine, thereby improving renal function.
A Family of High-Voltage Gain Single-Phase Hybrid Switched-Capacitor PFC Rectifiers

This paper presents the derivation, the analysis, and the experimentation of a family of unidirectional three-level PFC rectifiers, based on pulse-width-modulated hybrid switched capacitor principle. The topologies feature reduced voltage stress across the switches, low number of switches, control of the output voltage, and high-voltage gain without the utilization of transformers. Experimental results for a laboratory prototype of 220 Vrms to 1600 Vdc voltages and nominal power of 2500 W are included in the paper, to validate the theoretical analysis, where the measured maximum efficiency reached 97.91%. The proposed converters are suitable for applications that require rectification with unity power factor and high-voltage gain.
EFFECT OF G-CSF ON ETHANOL-INDUCED HEMORRHAGIC GASTRITIS MODEL IN DIABETES MELLITUS-INDUCED RATS

Diabetes mellitus can affect every organ system, including large and small vessels, eyes, nerves, kidneys and gastrointestinal system. Acid peptic disease is an inflammatory condition involving the upper gastrointestinal tract. The elevated serum glucose levels of diabetics affect traditional host defenses such as neutrophil counts and functions. We aimed to investigate changes of gastric mucosa and the role of impaired neutrophil functions in a diabetes-induced experimental model and whether G-CSF, which modulates neutrophil counts and function, has protective effects against gastric mucosal injury in diabetic rats. Fifty rats were divided into three groups. Diabetes mellitus was induced by a single dose of streptozotocin in 40 of 50 rats. Controls had a sham injection. The gastric mucosal lesions were produced by intragastric administration of 1 ml of 95% ethanol in all three groups. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was subcutaneously injected to twenty of diabetes-induced rats. Stomach histology and tissue malondialdehyde and glutathione levels were determined. White blood cell count, neutrophil counts and functions were determined. Peripheral blood cell counts, neutrophil phagocytosis index were decreased but neutrophil adhesivity index was not different in diabetes-induced groups. G-CSF administration improved neutrophil counts and function. Macroscopic and microscopic gastric mucosal injury were significantly greater in control and only diabetes group compared with G-CSF pretreated group (p < 0.05). The tissue malondialdehyde and glutathione levels were significantly decreased in G-CSF-administrated diabetic group compared to untreated diabetics (p < 0.001). Finally, G-CSF has been shown to cause neutrophilia and improve neutrophil phagocytosis in diabetic. G-CSF may be cytoprotective for gastric mucosa in diabetes mellitus-induced rats.
Patterns of Use of Oral Rehydration Therapy in Srinagar (Garhwal), Uttaranchal, India

A study was conducted to assess the knowledge of preparing packet oral rehydration solution (ORS) and home-made salt-sugar solution (SSS) among mothers in Srinagar (Garhwal), Uttaranchal. Two hundred and twenty-five mothers were interviewed. Only a small proportion recognized the ORS packets (18.66%) and only 17.77% mentioned the correct method of preparing a solution from a packet (even after reading the instructions on the packet). Home-made SSS was adequately discussed by only 6.22% mothers and they were taught to correctly prepare and administer ORS and home-made SSS. After the educational programme, significant (P<0.001) improvement in their knowledge was found. Eighty-six per cent knew the correct method of preparing packet ORS and 80.88% the correct method of preparing home-made SSS (P<0.001). Interventions of this kind should be carried out to improve the knowledge and skills of mothers in treating childhood diarrhoea.
Estimating Yield Gaps with Limited Data: An Application to United States Wheat

The objective of this research is to estimate and analyze the gap between in-trial yield potential, on-farm yield potential, and actual on-farm wheat yields. Yield gaps are quantified by measuring how varietal mean yields have changed over time, due to productivity increases generated by public and private wheat breeding programs. Variety performance trial data for Kansas winter wheat are used to summarize the evolution of wheat yields over the time period 1985 to 2011. A measure of yield potential is compared to actual on-farm yields to derive implications for wheat industry stakeholders. Persistent and expanding yield gaps between potential yield and actual on-farm yield are measured and analyzed. Producers’ variety adoption decisions explain a relatively small portion of this gap, and producers have become more effective at identifying and adopting yield-enhancing varieties over time. The largest portion of these gaps was explained by on-farm production decisions.
Impact of patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 gene polymorphism (rs738409) on severity of liver disease in HIV/hepatitis C virus-coinfected patients

Objective:To analyze the association between patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 gene (PNPLA3) rs738409 polymorphism and severity of liver disease in HIV/hepatitis C virus-coinfected patients. Methods:We performed a cross-sectional study of 215 patients who underwent a liver biopsy. PNPLA3 rs738409 polymorphism was genotyped using GoldenGate assay. The outcome variables were as follows: advanced fibrosis (F ≥3 and FIB-4 ≥3.25), rapid fibrosis progression (FPR ≥0.10 fibrosis units/year), severe activity grade (A≥3), and steatosis (fatty hepatocytes ≥10%). The genetic association analysis was carried out according to an additive genetic model through logistic regressions adjusted by the most significant covariables. Results:Overall, 21.4% had F at least 3, 8.9% had FIB-4 at least 3.25, 11.4% had A at least 3, 60.6% had steatosis, and 32.5% had FPR at least 0.10. For each rs738409 G allele, we found an increased frequency of patients with advanced fibrosis (F at least 3) (0% CC, 18.5% CG, and 25.2% GG; P = 0.049) and FIB-4 at least 3.25 (0% CC, 3.8% CG, and 13.2% GG; P = 0.016). Furthermore, for each rs738409 G allele, the odds of having F at least 3 increased 2.15 times (95% confidence interval=1.07; 4.35; P = 0.029) and having FIB-4 at least 3.25 increased 8.77 times (95% of confidence interval = 1.11; 69.0; P = 0.039). Note that rs738409 G allele carriers tended to higher likelihood of having FPR at least 0.10, but statistical significance was not reached (P = 0.054). Finally, we did not find any association for A at least 3 and liver steatosis. Conclusion:PNPLA3 rs738409 polymorphism was associated with the severity of liver fibrosis in patients coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C virus, suggesting that this polymorphism might also play a significant role in the progression of hepatic fibrosis in this group of patients.
Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Demonstrates the Efficacy and Safety of Oral Aripiprazole for the Treatment of Tourette's Disorder in Children and Adolescents

Abstract Objectives: Aripiprazole modulates dopaminergic and serotonergic pathways that may play a role in the pathogenesis of Tourette's disorder (TD). This trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of oral aripiprazole in the suppression of tics in children and adolescents with TD. Methods: This phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01727700) recruited patients who were 7–17 years old with a diagnosis of TD from hospitals, private practices, and research clinics at 76 sites in the United States, Canada, Hungary, and Italy. Patients were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio by using an interactive voice/web-response system to low-dose aripiprazole (5 mg/day if <50 kg; 10 mg/day if ≥50 kg), high-dose aripiprazole (10 mg/day if <50 kg; 20 mg/day if ≥50 kg), or placebo for 8 weeks. Randomization was stratified by region (North America or Europe) and baseline body weight (<50 kg vs. ≥50 kg). The primary efficacy endpoint was mean change from baseline to week 8 in the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale Total Tic Score (YGTSS-TTS) for the intent-to-treat population. Results: Between November 2012 and May 2013, 133 patients were recruited and randomized to low-dose aripiprazole (n = 44), high-dose aripiprazole (n = 45), or placebo (n = 44). Least-squares mean treatment differences versus placebo in change from baseline to week 8 in the YGTSS-TTS were statistically significant (high dose, −9.9 [95% confidence interval, CI, −13.8 to −5.9], low dose, −6.3 [95% CI, −10.2 to −2.3]). At week 8, 69% (29/42) of patients in the low-dose and 74% (26/35) of patients in the high-dose aripiprazole groups demonstrated a Clinical Global Impression–Tourette's Syndrome improvement score of 1 (very much improved) or 2 (much improved) compared with 38% (16/42) in the placebo group. The most common adverse events (AEs) were sedation (low dose, 8/44 [18.2%], high dose, 4/45 [8.9%], placebo, 1/44 [2.3%]), somnolence (low dose, 5/44 [11.4%], high dose, 7/45 [15.6%], placebo, 1/44 [2.3%]), and fatigue (low dose, 3/44 [6.8%], high dose, 7/45 [15.6%], placebo, 0). No serious AEs or deaths occurred. Conclusions: This study indicates that oral aripiprazole is a safe and effective treatment for tics in children and adolescents with TD.
Covariation of mutation pairs expressed in HIV-1 protease and reverse transcriptase genes subjected to varying treatments

A previous study, focused on the correlation of muta-tion pairs of synonymous (S) and asynonymous (A) mutations, distinguished only between the treated and untreated data of protease and reverse tran-scriptase (RT) of HIV-1 subtype B. It is well known that single mutation patterns in HIV-1 are treat-ment-specific. It logically follows that covariation between mutations will also be treatment specific. Thus, our motivation is to give a more in depth study of the covariation between mutation pairs, analyzing not only treated and untreated, but what specific treatments were used, and how they affected the co-variation between the mutations differently. We in-tended to further deepen this study by analyzing the covariation of mutations in protease and RT in dif-ferent subtypes of HIV-1. We found that virus sam-ples subjected to antiretroviral Protease- and RT- inhibitors do show different patterns of mutation covariation in B-subtype protease and RT of HIV-1, while maintaining the same overall trend. covariation will tend to be higher and more distinct from and covariation after treatment. The same trend continues in protease and RT re-gardless of subtype. We also found the highly cova-ried codon positions, position pairs, and position- covariation clusters in protease, affected by different treatments. Most of them are well known major drug-resistance sites for these treatments.
The contribution of information and communication technologies to economic growth in nine OECD countries

This paper compares the impact of ICT capital accumulation on output growth in Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The analysis uses a growth accounting framework and a newly compiled database of investment in ICT equipment and software based on the System of National Accounts 1993 (SNA93). It is found that over the past two decades, ICT contributed between 0.2 and 0.5 percentage point per year to economic growth, depending on the country. During the second half of the 1990s, this contribution rose to 0.3 to 0.9 percentage point per year.
Assessment of nutritional status of preschool children in the Bangang rural community, Cameroon

Malnutrition is a public health problem of significant importance in Cameroon. The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status of preschool children in Bangang rural community. In this study, 475 children aged 2 weeks to 5 years were randomly selected. The eating habits of children were obtained through a questionnaire. The height and weight of children were measured and anthropometric indices of height/age, weight/age and weight/height were used to estimate children's nutritional status. Blood samples were collected on the children's venous. The blood collected was centrifuged and the serum concentration of albumin, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and the C-reactive protein were measured using a spectrophotometer. These children consumed low meat, fresh fish, vegetables and fruits. The prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting of children was 41.26, 10.52 and 3.58%, respectively. The mean serum levels of albumin, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc were respectively 36.22 ± 16.87 g/L, 7.73 ± 4.48 mg/dl, 1.95 ± 0.8 mg/dl, 4.09 ± 2.29 mg/dl and 62.16 ± 25.72 µg/dl. The prevalence of deficiencies in albumin, calcium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus were 49.2, 73.56, 45.96, 62.98 and 62.23%, respectively. The prevalence of malnutrition, essentially stunting with altered biological markers was a problem of children in this community. We identified some risk factors including type of feeding, low fruits and vegetables intake and low education of family. The present results are currently used in developing an educational program using locally available food.
Coffee Production Effects on Child Labor and Schooling in Rural Brazil

I use variation in coffee production to measure changes in local economic conditions, which proxy for the value of children's time. I test how this variation affects child labor and schooling in Brazilian coffee regions using seven rounds of household surveys. Increases in county-level value of coffee production led to more work and less schooling among boys, and lower schooling among girls. Girls without childcare responsibilities were more likely to work. Poorer boys and girls were withdrawn from school, while richer children were more likely to attend. Thus, during periods of economic growth, education of the poor is adversely affected.
Crystal Structure of the Heterodimeric Complex of the Adaptor, ClpS, with the N-domain of the AAA+ Chaperone, ClpA*

Substrate selectivity and proteolytic activity for the E. coli ATP-dependent protease, ClpAP, is modulated by an adaptor protein, ClpS. ClpS binds to ClpA, the regulatory component of the ClpAP complex. We report the crystal structure of ClpS in complex with the isolated N-terminal domain of ClpA in two different crystal forms at 2.3- and 3.3-Å resolution. The ClpS structure forms an α/β-sandwich and is topologically analogous to the C-terminal domain of the ribosomal protein L7/L12. ClpS contacts two surfaces on the N-terminal domain in both crystal forms; the more extensive interface was shown to be favored in solution by protease protection experiments. The N-terminal 20 residues of ClpS are not visible in the crystal structures; the removal of the first 17 residues produces ClpSΔN, which binds to the ClpA N-domain but no longer inhibits ClpA activity. A zinc binding site involving two His and one Glu residue was identified crystallographically in the N-terminal domain of ClpA. In a model of ClpS bound to hexameric ClpA, ClpS is oriented with its N terminus directed toward the distal surface of ClpA, suggesting that the N-terminal region of ClpS may affect productive substrate interactions at the apical surface or substrate entry into the ClpA translocation channel.
The Shp-2 Tyrosine Phosphatase Has Opposite Effects in Mediating the Activation of Extracellular Signal-regulated and c-Jun NH2-terminal Mitogen-activated Protein Kinases*

Shp-2 is a widely expressed cytoplasmic tyrosine phosphatase with two SH2 domains. A targeted mutant allele of theShp-2 gene with a deletion of 65 amino acids in the NH2-terminal SH2 domain was created that leads to embryonic lethality at mid-gestation in homozygous mutant mice. To define the Shp-2 function in cell signaling, we have established mutant fibroblast cell lines, and have examined the effect of the Shp-2 mutation on extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathways. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I-induced ERK activation was completely abolished, while ERK activity upon platelet-derived growth factor and epidermal growth factor stimulation was significantly reduced and shortened in mutant cells. Stimulation of ERK by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate was not affected in mutant cells, but the phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced ERK activity decayed much faster compared with that in wild-type cells. In contrast, JNK activation upon heat shock was significantly enhanced in Shp-2 mutant cells. Based on these results, we conclude that Shp-2 plays differential positive regulatory roles in various mitogenic signaling pathways leading to ERK activation, and that Shp-2 is a negative effector in JNK activation by cellular stress. This is the first evidence that a tyrosine phosphatase has opposite effects in mediating the activation of ERK and JNK MAP kinases.
Determinants of households' inflation expectations

In this paper, we investigate the determinants of households' inflation expectations in Japan and the United States. We estimate a vector autoregression model in which the four endogenous variables are inflation expectations, inflation, the short-term nominal interest rate and the output gap, with energy prices and (fresh) food prices being exogenous. Short-term nonrecursive restrictions are imposed taking account of simultaneous codependence between realized inflation and expected inflation. We find, first, that responding not only to changes in energy prices and food prices but also to monetary policy shocks, inflation expectations adjust more quickly than does realized inflation. This explains why Japanese and US data indicate that inflation expectations lead realized inflation. Second, the effects of changes in energy prices and food prices on inflation and inflation expectations are large in the short run in Japan, while in the United States, they are not only large but also long lasting. Third, shocks to expectations occasionally fluctuate greatly, and can have self-fulfilling effects on realized inflation. The self-fulfilling property is more apparent in the United States than in Japan.
Memantine, an NMDA Receptor Antagonist, Prevents Thyroxin-induced Hypertension, but Not Cardiac Remodeling

Abstract: Stimulation of glutamatergic tone has been causally linked to myocardial pathogenesis and amplified systemic blood pressure (BP). Memantine, a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamatergic receptor (NMDA-R) antagonist, has been proposed to be an active cardioprotective drug. However, the efficacy of memantine and subsequently the possible involvement of the NMDA-R in the thyroxin (T4)-induced cardiovascular complications have never been investigated. We examined the effect of memantine (30 mg·kg−1·d−1) on the T4 (500 &mgr;g·kg−1·d−1)-provoked increase in mouse BP, cardiac hypertrophy indicated by enlarged overall myocardial mass, and reformed reactions of the contractile myocardium both in vivo and ex vivo after 2 weeks of treatment. Memantine alone did not result in any cardiovascular pathology in mice. Instead, memantine significantly prevented the T4-triggered systemic hypertension. But, it did not reverse cardiac hypertrophy, coupled in vivo left ventricular dysfunction (LV) or ex vivo right ventricular (RV) papillary muscle contractile alterations of the T4-treated mice. Our results openly direct the cardiovascular safety and tolerability of memantine therapy. Yet, extra research is necessary to endorse these prospective advantageous outcomes. Also, we believe that this is the first study to inspect the possible role of NMDA-R in the T4-stimulated cardiovascular disorders and concluded that NMDA-R could play a key role in the T4-induced hypertension.
The Impact of Mandatory IFRS Adoption on International Cross-listings

Using comprehensive international cross-listing data collected from 34 (50) home (target) countries, we examine whether mandatory IFRS adoption facilitates firms’ cross-listing activities. Our results show that following mandatory IFRS adoption, firms exhibit significantly higher cross-listing propensity and tend to cross-list their securities in more countries. We also find that cross-listing firms from countries with mandatory IFRS adoption are more likely to cross-list their securities in IFRS-adopting countries and countries with larger and more liquid capital markets following IFRS adoption. Further corroborating our results, we find that IFRS adoption has a greater impact on mandatory IFRS adopters from countries with larger accounting changes, lower disclosure requirement and less access to external capital prior to the IFRS adoption. Collectively, our findings are consistent with the notion that mandatory IFRS adoption facilitates firms’ cross-listing activities and highlight the importance to consider the change in firms’ crosslisting incentives in examining the capital market consequences of mandatory IFRS adoption.
Detection of human papillomavirus DNA in self-administered vaginal swabs as compared to cervical swabs

The primary risk factor for cervical cancer is infection with high-risk genotypes of human papillomavirus (HPV). This study compared HPV DNA detection between cervical swabs (CX) and self-administered vaginal swabs (SV). Phase I participants were 199 women chosen from a study comparing the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis from various anogenital sites. Phase II participants were 135 women from either the Colposcopy or HIV Outpatient Clinic. HPV DNA testing was performed using polymerase chain reaction and Roche reverse line blot hybridization. In Phase I samples, more CX samples amplified and more HPV genotypes (P < 0.05) were detected in CX. Genotype 52 were seen more in the cervix, whereas genotype 82 (MM4) was detected solely in the vagina. The presence of high-risk HPV genotypes in the cervix was a predictor of an abnormal Papanicolaou (Pap) smear. In Phase II samples, CX samples amplified more, but similar rates of HPV genotypes were seen in SV and CX samples. Higher concordance rates of high-risk genotypes were seen in Phase II compared to Phase I samples. Phase II demonstrated the feasibility of utilizing SV sampling to reflect cervical status. If validated, a self-vaginal swab method to detect cervical HPV DNA status could be utilized to triage women with indeterminate Pap smears and be a useful method to collect epidemiological data from large populations.