Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variation in printed handoff documents: Results and recommendations from a multicenter needs assessment.

BACKGROUND Handoffs of patient care are a leading root cause of medical errors. Standardized techniques exist to minimize miscommunications during verbal handoffs, but studies to guide standardization of printed handoff documents are lacking. OBJECTIVE To determine whether variability exists in the content of printed handoff documents and to identify key data elements that should be uniformly included in these documents. SETTING Pediatric hospitalist services at 9 institutions in the United States and Canada. METHODS Sample handoff documents from each institution were reviewed, and structured group interviews were conducted to understand each institution's priorities for written handoffs. An expert panel reviewed all handoff documents and structured group-interview findings, and subsequently made consensus-based recommendations for data elements that were either essential or recommended, including best overall printed handoff practices. RESULTS Nine sites completed structured group interviews and submitted data. We identified substantial variation in both the structure and content of printed handoff documents. Only 4 of 23 possible data elements (17%) were uniformly present in all sites' handoff documents. The expert panel recommended the following as essential for all printed handoffs: assessment of illness severity, patient summary, action items, situation awareness and contingency plans, allergies, medications, age, weight, date of admission, and patient and hospital service identifiers. Code status and several other elements were also recommended. CONCLUSIONS Wide variation exists in the content of printed handoff documents. Standardizing printed handoff documents has the potential to decrease omissions of key data during patient care transitions, which may decrease the risk of downstream medical errors.
The prevalence of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk factors in a group of obese Saudi children and adolescents: A hospital-based study

Background and Objectives: We assessed the distribution of risk factors associated with the metabolic syndrome in a group of obese Saudi children and adolescents. No previous studies had addressed this issue in the Saudi pediatric population. Subjects and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients evaluated for obesity between 2004 and 2008 and collected data on age, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), BP, fasting lipid profile, fasting glucose, insulin concentrations, and insulin resistance based on the homeostasis assessment model-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) score. Obesity was defined as a BMI above the 95th percentile for age and gender and metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to standard criteria. Results: We studied 57 obese Saudi children and adolescents with a mean (standard deviation) age of 9.8 (3.5) years. Mean weight and body mass index (BMI) were 63.7 (28.3) kg and 31.6 (8.0) kg/m 2 , respectively. Systolic BP was elevated in 24 (42%) of the 57 subjects. Of the 39 children who had a lipid profile in their records, 10 had hypertriglyceridemia, 8 had hypercholesterolemia, 6 had elevated LDL cholesterol levels, and 6 had low HDL cholesterol levels. Impaired fasting glucose was found in 10 of 38 patients in which it was measured, and 9 of 25 patients had fasting hyperinsulinemia. Eleven of 37 patients (29.7%) met the diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome. Diastolic BP correlated positively with BMI (r=0.440, P =.001), and HDL cholesterol correlated negatively with weight and BMI (r=-0.487, P =.002 and r=-0.317, P =.05). HOMA-IR correlated positively with BMI and triglyceride levels and negatively with HDL cholesterol levels. Conclusions: Obese Saudi children and adolescents have multiple risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome.
Palmitic acid in the sn-2 position of triacylglycerols acutely influences postprandial lipid metabolism.

BACKGROUND The triacylglycerol structure of saturated fats may influence postprandial lipemia. OBJECTIVE We tested the hypothesis that high-fat meals rich in palmitic acid (16:0) in the sn-2 position decrease lipemia. DESIGN Postprandial changes in plasma lipids, apolipoprotein B48, and cytokines were compared in healthy men (n = 25) and women (n = 25) by using a randomized crossover design after meals that provided 50 g fat supplied as high-oleic sunflower oil (control), palm olein (PO), interesterified palm olein (IPO), and lard containing 0.6, 9.2, 39.1, and 70.5 mol% 16:0, respectively, at sn-2. RESULTS The sn-2-rich meals elicited different postprandial responses in plasma concentrations of nonesterified fatty acid (meal × time, P = 0.00014), triacylglycerol (meal × time, P = 0.002), and apolipoprotein B48 (meal × time × sex, P = 0.008). Nonesterified fatty acid concentrations were lower up to 3 h after lard and IPO meals than after control or PO meals. Triacylglycerol increased less steeply after lard and IPO meals than after control and PO meals; the incremental AUCs (iAUCs) were 34% (95% CI: 7%, 124%; P < 0.05) and 26% (95% CI: 16%, 132%; P < 0.05) lower after lard than after control and PO meals, respectively. In men, the maximal increment in apolipoprotein B48 was 14% (95% CI: 3%, 25%; P < 0.05) and 16% (95% CI: 2%, 30%; P < 0.05) lower for lard and IPO, respectively, compared with control. The postprandial iAUC in triacylglycerol was 51% lower in women (P = 0.001) than in men. Plasma IL-6 increased postprandially, but IL-8, TNF-α, and E-selectin decreased after all meals. CONCLUSION Fats with a higher proportion of palmitic acid in the sn-2 position decrease postprandial lipemia in healthy subjects. This trial was registered at controlled-trials.com as ISRCTN20774126.
Material versus psychosocial explanations of socioeconomic Differences in health-related functioning in older people

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Investigating the phenomenon of earnings management in the Egyptian stock market

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the phenomenon of earnings management in Egypt, with particular reference to the pricing of IPOs. In addition, it aims to discuss its respondents' perceptions of the factors that are likely to weaken the effectiveness of internal corporate governance mechanisms in preventing the engagement in earnings management practices.Design/methodology/approach – To achieve the objectives of this paper, a multi‐method approach was adopted. This approach includes secondary data analysis and the collection of primary data from a number of semi‐structured interviews.Findings – The results indicate that Egyptian IPO managers have no incentive to affect the offering proceeds of their firms through exercising their discretion over the accounting accruals before going public. On the contrary, the results suggest that the amount of equity retained by issuers and the size of IPOs have a very significant impact on determining offering prices in the Egyptian stock market. The re.
ADAM28 is overexpressed in human non‐small cell lung carcinomas and correlates with cell proliferation and lymph node metastasis

ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloproteinases) are a recently discovered gene family of proteins with sequence similarity to the reprolysin family of snake venom metalloproteinases, and about one‐third of the family members have the catalytic site consensus sequence in their metalloproteinase domains. We screened the mRNA expression of 11 different ADAM species with putative metalloproteinase activity in human non‐small cell lung carcinomas by RT‐PCR, and found that prototype membrane‐anchored ADAM28 (ADAM28m) and secreted ADAM28 (ADAM28s) are predominantly expressed in the carcinoma tissues. Real‐time quantitative PCR demonstrated that the expression levels of ADAM28m and ADAM28s are significantly 16.8‐fold and 9.0‐fold higher in the carcinomas than in the non‐carcinoma tissues, respectively. In addition, the expression levels of ADAM28m and ADAM28s were significantly higher in the carcinomas with >30 mm in diameter than in those ≦30 mm. The expression levels were also significantly higher in the carcinomas with lymph node metastasis than in those without metastasis. MIB1‐positive cell index of the carcinomas had a direct correlation with the expression levels of ADAM28m and ADAM28s (r = 0.667, p < 0.001 and r = 0.535, p < 0.01, respectively). In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry demonstrated that ADAM28 is expressed predominantly in the carcinoma cells. Immunoblot analysis showed the activated form of ADAM28 in the carcinoma tissues. These data demonstrate for the first time that ADAM28 is overexpressed and activated in human non‐small cell lung carcinomas, and suggest the possibility that ADAM28 plays a role in cell proliferation and progression of the human lung carcinomas. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Contributions of a local health examination survey to the surveillance of chronic and infectious diseases in New York City.

OBJECTIVES We sought to evaluate the contribution of the New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NYC-HANES) to local public health surveillance. METHODS Examination-diagnosed estimates of key health conditions from the 2004 NYC-HANES were compared with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2004 national estimates. Findings were also compared with self-reported estimates from the Community Health Survey (CHS), an annually conducted local telephone survey. RESULTS NYC-HANES estimated that among NYC adults, 25.6% had hypertension, 25.4% had hypercholesterolemia, 12.5% had diabetes, and 25.6% were obese. Compared with US adults, NYC residents had less hypertension and obesity but more herpes simplex 2 and environmental exposures (P<.05). Obesity was higher and hypertension was lower than CHS self-report estimates (P<.05). NYC-HANES and CHS self-reported diabetes estimates were similar (9.7% vs 8.7%). CONCLUSIONS NYC-HANES and national estimates differed for key chronic, infectious, and environmental indicators, suggesting the need for local data. Examination surveys may provide more accurate information for underreported conditions than local telephone surveys. Community-level health and nutrition examination surveys complement existing data, providing critical information for targeting local interventions.
Mechanisms underlying anoxic hyperpolarization of hippocampal neurons.

The outward current evoked in CA1 neurons by brief anoxia is strongly voltage dependent and is abolished by an atropine-sensitive action of carbachol (and also when recording with a GTP gamma S-containing microelectrode). In this respect, it closely resembles the M-type K current, but the involvement of other, voltage-independent, carbachol-sensitive K channels has not been excluded. When the anoxic outward current is eliminated, an anoxic inward current is revealed, which may be Cl- mediated. It is suggested that an early release of Ca2+ from a dantrolene (and perhaps GTP)-sensitive internal store activates Ca-sensitive Cl channels, as well as carbachol-sensitive (mainly M-type? ) K channels. The opposing Cl- and K currents would account for the variable depolarizing and hyperpolarizing effects of anoxia.
Inflection Point Significance for the Investment Size

Inflection points in the the function for determining estimated geometric gain with respect to capital committed emerge when planning an investment for a finite time horizon. These are points where marginal increases in reward with respect to risk peaks. We analyze the properties of inflection points for a mix of one risky asset and one risk-free asset and illustrate their practical implications with examples.
How Has the Euro Changed the Monetary Transmission Mechanism?

On January 1, 1999, the euro officially became the common currency for 11 countries of continental Europe, and a single monetary policy started under the authority of the European Central Bank (ECB). The European Monetary Union (EMU) followed decades of monetary policies set by national central banks to serve domestic interests, even though these national policies were constrained by monetary arrangements such as the European Monetary System (EMS), which was designed to limit exchange rate fluctuations. Approaching the tenth anniversary of the EMU, we begin to have sufficient data to potentially observe effects of the monetary union on business cycle dynamics. This paper has three objectives. The first is to characterize the transmission mechanism of monetary policy in the euro area (EA) and across its constituent countries. The second is to document how this transmission might have changed since the creation of the euro. The third objective consists of providing a set of explanations, based on a structural open‐economy model, for the observed differences over time and across countries in the responses of key macroeconomic variables. Our first twoobjectives require an empiricalmodel that captures empirically the EA‐wide macroeconomic dynamics, while allowing us to estimate the potentially heterogeneous transmission of EA shocks within individual countries. The factor‐augmented vector autogression (FAVAR) model proposed by Bernanke, Boivin, and Eliasz (2005) is a natural framework in this context. By pooling together a large set of macroeconomic indicators from individual countries, it allows us to identify areawide factors, quantify their importance in the country‐level fluctuations, and trace out the effect of identified aggregate shocks on all country‐level
The Persistence of the Criminal Justice Gender Gap: Evidence from 200 Years of Judicial Decisions

We document persistent gender gaps favoring females in jury convictions and judges’ sentences in nearly 200 years of London trials, which are unexplained by case characteristics. We find that three sharp changes in punishment severity locally affected the size and nature of the gaps but were generally not strong enough to offset their persistence. These local effects suggest a mechanism of preference-based discrimination (paternalism) in which the all-male judiciary protected females from the harshest available punishment.
Stepwise Progression of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis-Associated Desmoid Precursor Lesions Demonstrated by a Novel CT Scoring System

AbstractINTRODUCTION: Desmoids are rare, locally aggressive but nonmetastasizing clonal proliferations of fibroblasts that occur both sporadically and in association with familial adenomatous polyposis. Most occur in intra-abdominal sites, where they may lead to major morbidity and mortality. A proposed desmoid precursor lesion occurs in the mesentery of one-third of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, and postoperative mesenteric fibromatosis has been identified in 20 percent of such patients. True desmoids occur in 10 percent, which suggests a model of development in which the phenotype becomes increasingly severe in a manner analogous to the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. This work aimed to confirm such a progression. METHODS: A five-point CT scoring system for mesenteric fibromatosis and desmoids was devised and validated, and in doing so, their incidence was observed. In the second part of the study, seven patients known to have a precursor lesion underwent abdominal CT a median of 27.5 months after the surgery that identified the lesion. Scans were assessed by the scoring system and compared with those of a matched control group of familial adenomatous polyposis patients. RESULTS: The CT scoring system was reliable and reproducible. Of 103 scans of asymptomatic patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, mesenteric fibromatosis and desmoid tumors were identified in 21 and 2 percent, respectively. In the follow-up of patients with desmoid precursor lesions, those in the precursor lesion group had a significantly greater degree of mesenteric fibromatosis and desmoid formation than their corresponding controls (P = 0.009, Mann-Whitney U test). CONCLUSION: A reliable CT scoring system for mesenteric fibromatosis and desmoid tumors in familial adenomatous polyposis is presented. Results with this system provide further evidence for a stepwise progression in the development of desmoids.
Age distributions and returns of financial assets

This paper explores the relationship between age distribution and asset returns impled by an overlapping-generations asset pricing model. The model predicts that as more individuals reach the age when the increment to their wealth reaches its maximum, asset returns fall. Cross-sectional evidence from the Survey of Financial Characteristics of Consumers and the Surveys of Consumer Finances indicates that individuals aged 45 to 54 have the largest increment to wealth of all age group. Time series estimates confirm that a close link exists between aggregate household wealth and the size of this age group. In accordance with the model presented in this paper, time series estimates of the relationship between asset returns and age distribution suggests a large, statistically significant, negative correlation between the fraction of the population aged 45 to 54 and the returns of several types of assets.
Non-audit services and perceived auditor's independence: empirical evidence from an emerging market

This study examines the impact of joint provision of audit and non-audit services on investors' perceptions of auditor independence in Egypt as one of emerging markets. The findings of the study reveal that investors' perceptions of auditor independence, reliability of financial statements and investment decision are lower when auditor provides both audit and non-audit services compared to the situation in which auditor provides audit service only. The findings also reveal that investors' perceptions of auditor independence, reliability of financial statements and investment decision are lower when non-audit services are provided by the same staff performing financial statements audit.
Evidence-free zone? Examining claims about planning performance and reform in New South Wales

Many different claims about the planning system and its impact on development and the wider economy are made by different interest groups, particularly in the context of planning system reform. This paper uses discourse analysis to examine claims made by New South Wales (NSW) Treasury in response to proposals for a new planning system in NSW. The analysis shows that many claims are based on questionable evidence consistent with a wider ideological critique of the planning system, rather than examining which specific aspects of the planning system are generating particular problems, or whether previous reforms enacted over the past decade in NSW have proved effective. Instead, the tendency is to present generalised criticism of planning supported by tenuous links to development trends, undermining prospects for effective and positive planning system reform.
Fate of the nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug naproxen in agricultural soil receiving liquid municipal biosolids

Naproxen (2‐(6‐methoxy‐2‐naphthyl) propionic acid) is widely used for the treatment of pain and swelling associated with arthritis, gout, and other inflammatory conditions. Naproxen has been detected in municipal sewage outflows and in surface waters and could reach agricultural land through the application of municipal biosolids or reclaimed water. The persistence characteristics of naproxen in three agricultural soils were investigated. In laboratory microcosms of moist soil incubated at 30°C, [O‐14CH3]naproxen was rapidly and thoroughly mineralized to 14CO2 with comparable kinetics in a sandy loam soil, a loam soil, and a silt loam soil. Naproxen mineralization was responsive to soil temperature and soil moisture content, consistent with the primary mechanism of dissipation being biodegradation. Mineralization of naproxen was hastened by the addition of liquid municipal biosolids (LMBs) from a municipal sewage treatment plant that aerated this material. Naproxen was stable in autoclaved soils with or without addition of autoclaved LMBs, whereas naproxen was rapidly mineralized in sterile soil supplemented with nonsterile LMBs. An enrichment culture was obtained from aerobically digested LMBs in a mineral salts medium with naproxen as the sole source of carbon. The culture converted the parent compound to the corresponding naphthol, O‐desmethyl naproxen. In summary, naproxen was rapidly removed from soil, with mesophilic aerobic biodegradation being the primary mechanism of dissipation. Microorganisms carried in biosolids enhanced naproxen dissipation in soil, with the initial mechanism of attack likely being O‐demethylation. We conclude on this basis that naproxen in soils receiving biosolids would be readily biodegradable and, in the absence of preferential flow or runoff, pose little risk for contamination of adjacent water or crops.
Are Eastern European Countries Catching Up? Time Series Evidence for Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland

The catching up process in Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland is analysed by investigating the integration properties of log-differences in per-capita GDP vs. the EU15 and a Mediterranean country group. We account for structural changes by using unit root tests that allow for two endogenous breaks in the level and the trend. We find that Czech Republic and Hungary are stochastically converging towards the Mediterranean group, while only Czech Republic is stochastically converging towards EU15. Remaining per capita GDP differences are only reduced by deterministic trends. Extrapolating these trends we find that catching up will take about 20 years.
NICE evaluation of transmyocardial laser revascularisation and percutaneous laser revascularisation for refractory angina

The vast majority of patients with angina due to underlying coronary artery disease can have their symptoms adequately controlled by anti-anginal drugs, percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass surgery. There is, however, a cohort of patients with extensive coronary artery disease whose angina persists despite medical treatment and who are not suitable for conventional revascularisation procedures. A variety of treatments have been used in this patient group, including cognitive behavioural therapy, precordial transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, spinal cord stimulator implantation, intermittent local anaesthetic, sympathectomy, opioids, external enhanced counter pulsation, percutaneous myocardial laser revascularisation (PMR) and transmyocardial laser revascularisation (TMR). The last two treatments have recently been evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). TMR is a surgical procedure carried out under general anaesthesia and was first described in 1983. High-energy lasers are used to create channels within the wall of the left ventricular myocardium. The original theory was that these channels carried blood from the ventricular cavity into the myocardium, thereby relieving the symptoms of myocardial ischaemia. This was based on the model of the reptilian heart, in which the left ventricle is directly perfused from endothelium-lined channels which radiate out from the cavity of the left ventricle. This mechanism of action is unlikely, since the channels have been shown to occlude in the weeks following surgery. Other theories on the mechanism of action include the development of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and also damage to the nerve supply of the heart (denervation). It is possible that there may be a placebo effect which contributes to the improvement in patient's symptoms. The area to be treated …