Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Macroeconomic determinants of long-term government yields : a study of American and Norwegian yields using an ECM approach

This thesis examines the macroeconomic determinants of 10-year government bond yields in Norway and the US. We use Johansen cointegration testing and a VECM framework to identify long-run relationships between non-stationary variables. These relationships are further used in a more flexible ECM framework. We find that US rates prior to 2007 had a stable long-run relationship with the US policy rate, 5-year inflation expectations and the current account. Furthermore, we find short-run effects from the policy rate, inflation expectations, VIX (expected volatility in financial markets) and PMI (business cycles), as well as some evidence of an effect of government debt. We find that Norwegian rates over the entire period have a stable long-run relationship with the German 10-year rate and the Norwegian policy rate. We find short-run effects in the pre2007 period for the policy rate, German 10-year rate, and the VIX index. We find large changes in the post-2007 period for both countries. Neither rate react to any significant degree to deviations from long-run relationships, and the US long-run relationship breaks completely down. For both countries, most of the estimated short-run effects weaken, or disappear. In this period, the effect of government debt supply is clearer and we also find effects from increases in central bank reserves indicating that QE has had a large impact on long-term rates. In Norway, we only find a significant short-run effect from the German 10-year rate. Overall, we find that the period since 2007 represent a large change in determination of longterm rates compared to the 16 years prior to that period. Even though there have been large changes, our models are still able to predict movements in the rates in recent years relatively well, with some exceptions which are discussed.
Clinical characteristics as predictors of recurrent alcohol-related seizures.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether clinical data available in the emergency department can accurately predict a subset of patients at low risk of developing recurrent seizures following one or more initial alcohol-related seizures in the out-of-hospital arena. METHODS This was a retrospective secondary analysis of data obtained from the placebo arms of two prospective, randomized trials of drug treatments for the prevention of recurrent alcohol-related seizures. Subjects with and without one or more recurrent alcohol-related seizures during the study period were compared according to the following characteristics: 1) age, 2) gender, 3) daily ethanol consumption, 4) years of ethanol abuse, 5) previous alcohol-related seizure, 6) previous seizure of other etiology, 7) temperature, 8) heart rate, 9) systolic blood pressure, 10) diastolic blood pressure, 11) respiratory rate, and 12) ethanol level. Data were analyzed with t-tests and chi-square where appropriate. RESULTS One hundred five placebo-treated patients were analyzed and 31 (30%) developed recurrent alcohol-related seizures. None of the listed characteristics were statistically different between the two groups except for the initial ethanol level. Subjects with an ethanol level higher than 100 mg/dL were less likely (0%) to develop recurrent seizures than patients with a level equal to or below 100 mg/dL (36%) (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS An initial ethanol level higher than 100 mg/dL was significantly associated with a low risk for recurrent alcohol-related seizures during the observation period. No other low-risk clinical characteristics could be identified.
Molecular Basis for Pacemaker Cells in Epithelia*

Intercellular signaling is highly coordinated in excitable tissues such as heart, but the organization of intercellular signaling in epithelia is less clear. We examined Ca2+ signaling in hepatoma cells expressing the hepatocyte gap junction protein connexin32 (cx32) or the cardiac gap junction protein cx43, plus a fluorescently tagged V1avasopressin receptor (V1aR). Release of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) in wild type cells increased Ca2+ in the injected cell but not in neighboring cells, while the Ca2+ signal spread to neighbors when gap junctions were expressed. Photorelease of caged Ca2+ rather than InsP3 resulted in a small increase in Ca2+that did not spread to neighbors with or without gap junctions. However, photorelease of Ca2+ in cells stimulated with low concentrations of vasopressin resulted in a much larger increase in Ca2+, which spread to neighbors via gap junctions. Cells expressing tagged V1aR similarly had increased sensitivity to vasopressin, and could signal to neighbors via gap junctions. Higher concentrations of vasopressin elicited Ca2+ signals in all cells. In cx32 or cx43 but not in wild type cells, this signaling was synchronized and began in cells expressing the tagged V1aR. Thus, intercellular Ca2+ signals in epithelia are organized by three factors: 1) InsP3 must be generated in each cell to support a Ca2+ signal in that cell; 2) gap junctions are necessary to synchronize Ca2+ signals among cells; and 3) cells with relatively increased expression of hormone receptor will initiate Ca2+ signals and thus serve as pacemakers for their neighbors. Together, these factors may allow epithelia to act in an integrated, organ-level fashion rather than as a collection of isolated cells.
Professional exposure to ionizing radiations in health workers and white blood cells.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to estimate if low dose of occupational exposure to ionizing radiations can cause alterations of plasma concentrations of total white blood cells, lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes (eosinophils, basophils, neutrophils), in the health workers of a big hospital. METHODS 266 non smokers subjects of both sexes (133 health workers and 133 controls) were included in this study, compared on the basis of sex, age and working seniority. The complete blood count (CBC) was performed in all included workers. RESULTS The differences between the mean values were compared using Student T-test for unpaired data. The frequencies of the single variables were compared using Chi (2) test with Yates correction. The differences were considered significant when the P values were < 0.05. The mean values and the distribution of the mean values of total white blood cell were significantly decreased in health workers of both sexes compared to controls. The average values of granulocytes neutrophils were significantly low in female health workers compared to female controls. CONCLUSIONS The obtained results suggest that low dose of occupational exposure to ionizing radiations is able to influence some lines of the hematopoietic system in exposed workers.
Association of TNF‐α genetic polymorphism with HLA DPB1*0301

Background We speculated TNF‐α can be one of candidate gene for aspirin‐intolerant asthma (AIA) because TNF‐α is pro‐inflammatory cytokine and known to be increased level in asthmatic airways. In addition, genetic interaction between TNF‐α and human antigen leucocyte (HLA) DPB1*0301, which is a strong genetic marker for AIA, was examined for its close location within chromosome 6.
Erythropoietin should be part of congestive heart failure management.

BACKGROUND Up to 64% of patients referred to nephrologists with chronic kidney insufficiency (CKI) have evidence of congestive heart failure (CHF), and most of these patients are also anemic. We have called this triad of anemia, CKI, and CHF the cardio renal anemia (CRA) syndrome. The 3 components of this syndrome form a vicious circle, with each one capable of causing or worsening the other 2. Anemia is found in one-third to one-half of CHF patients and can either cause or worsen the CHF, and can increase the mortality, hospitalization, and malnutrition in this condition. Anemia is also associated with a worsening of renal function in CHF and CKI, causing a more rapid progression to dialysis than is found in those without anemia. Uncontrolled CHF can cause rapid deterioration of renal function and may also cause anemia. Chronic kidney insufficiency can cause anemia and worsen the CHF. METHODS Aggressive therapy of CHF with all the accepted CHF medications in the accepted doses will often fail to improve the CHF if anemia is also present but is not corrected. However, when the anemia was corrected with subcutaneous erythropoietin and, in some cases, with intravenous iron, the cardiac and patient function and quality of life improved, the need for hospitalization and for high-dose oral and intravenous diuretics was strikingly reduced, and renal function, which had previously been deteriorating, stabilized. RESULTS Nephrologists should carefully assess the cardiac status of all CKI patients, including routinely getting an echocardiogram and possibly measuring B-type natriuretic peptide. Where CHF is present, the indicated CHF agents in the indicated doses should be used. CONCLUSION Studies show that most cardiologists and internists do not recognize, investigate, or treat the anemia frequently seen in their CHF patients. In our experience cooperation between nephrologists and these specialists has increased their awareness about anemia, resulting in its earlier correction, and thus preventing the deterioration of the CHF, the CKI, and the anemia itself.
Controversies in Communication of Genetic Risk for Hereditary Breast Cancer

Abstract: Increased availability and heightened consumer awareness of “cancer genes” has increased consumer interest in, and demand for breast cancer risk assessment, and thus a pressing need for providers to identify effective, efficient methods of communicating complicated genetic information to consumers and their potentially at‐risk relatives. With increasing direct‐to‐consumer and ‐physician marketing of predictive genetic tests, there has been considerable growth in web‐ and telephone‐based genetic services. There is urgent need to further evaluate the psychosocial and behavioral outcomes (i.e., risks and benefits) of telephone and web‐based methods of delivery before they become fully incorporated into clinical care models. Given the implications of genetic test results for family members, and the inherent conflicts in health care providers’ dual responsibilities to protect patient privacy and to “warn” those at‐risk, new models for communicating risk to at‐risk relatives are emerging. Additional controversies arise when the at‐risk relative is a minor. Research evaluating the impact of communicating genetic risk to offspring is necessary to inform optimal communication of genetic risk for breast cancer across the lifespan. Better understanding the risks and benefits associated with each of these controversial areas in cancer risk communication are crucial to optimizing adherence to recommended breast cancer risk management strategies and ensuring psycho‐social well‐being in the clinical delivery of genetic services for breast cancer susceptibility.
Extracellular Enzyme Activities and Carbon Chemistry as Drivers of Tropical Plant Litter Decomposition

ABSTRACT Litter quality parameters such as nitrogen and lignin content correlate with decomposition rates at coarse scales, but fine-scale mechanisms driving litter decomposition have proven more difficult to generalize. One potentially important driver of decomposition is the activity of extracellular enzymes that catalyze the degradation of complex compounds present in litter. To address the importance of this mechanism, we collected 15 Hawaiian plant litter types and decomposed them in fertilized and control plots for up to two years. We measured litter nutrient content and carbon chemistry prior to decomposition, as well as extracellular enzyme activities, mass loss, and litter nutrient content over time. We found that water-soluble carbon content, cellobiohydrolase activities, and polyphenol oxidase activities were significantly correlated with mass loss. Enzyme activities and decomposition rate constants both varied significantly by litter type, and fertilization increased mass loss rates in five litter types. Some litter types that decayed faster under fertilization also showed time-dependent increases in carbon-degrading enzyme activities, but others decayed faster independent of enzyme changes. These results suggest that extracellular enzyme activities partially determine litter decomposition rates, but high soluble carbon content may circumvent the requirement for enzyme-catalyzed decomposition.
Supraspinal projections to the ventromedial lumbar spinal cord in adult male rats

In the present study, the fluorescent tract tracing compound Fluorogold was used to study the afferents of the SNB (spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus), which is found in the ventromedial spinal grey and innervates penile muscles of the male rat. Fluorogold was iontophoretically injected into the SNB, which was located by recording antidromic activation of the motoneurons after stimulating the bulbocavernosus muscle, Retrogradely labeled cells were found in laminae I, V–IX, and area X of the lumbar spinal cord, suggesting segmental input to the SNB. Supraspinally, the greatest number of labeled cells were in the medulla oblongata, particularly in the lateral vestibular nucleus, gigantocellular reticular nucleus, and ventral and alpha divisions of the gigantocellular reticular nucleus. Labeled cells were also observed in the medullary raphe nuclei, the ventral medullary nucleus, and the spinal vestibular nucleus. In the pons, labeled cells were observed in the nucleus locus coeruleus, nucleus subcoeruleus, and caudal pontine reticular nucleus. No labeled cells were present in the cerebellum, rostral pons, mesencephalon, and cerebral cortex. The most rostral occurrence of labeled cells was in the medial parvicellular division of the hypothalamic para ventricular nucleus. These potential afferents to the SNB identified in male rats imply that the inputs to motoneurons that innervate sex‐specific muscles involved in male reproductive behavior may be similar to the inputs to lumbar motoneurons described in the female rat that innervate muscles involved in female sexual behavior.
Multilocus Sequence Typing Subtypes of Poultry Clostridium perfringens Isolates Demonstrate Disease Niche Partitioning

ABSTRACT Clostridium perfringens is a ubiquitous and versatile pathogenic bacterium and is implicated in the etiology of the poultry diseases necrotic enteritis (NE) and poultry gangrene (PG). In this study, multilocus sequence typing was used to investigate genotypic relationships among 139 C. perfringens isolates from 74 flocks. These isolates had multiple disease, host, and environmental origins. The results indicated a polymorphic yet highly clonal population, with 79.6% of all isolates partitioning into one of six clonal complexes or two dominant sequence types, ST-9 and ST-31. The most prolific clonal complex, CC-1, contained 27.3% of all isolates and was not clearly associated with one particular disease. The subtypes CC-4 and ST-31 were highly associated with NE and represented 9.4% and 7.2% of the total isolates, respectively. No PG-associated and NE-associated C. perfringens isolates shared the same sequence type or clonal complex. NE-associated subtypes were more clonal and appeared more evolutionarily divergent than PG-associated subtypes, which tended to cluster in the more ancestral lineages alongside isolates from asymptomatic chickens and turkeys. Toxin gene screening identified cpb2 throughout these isolates and correlated the presence of netB with NE pathology. Previous investigations into the genetic basis of C. perfringens pathogenicity have focused on toxins and other variable genetic elements. This study presents the first sequence-based comparison of C. perfringens isolates recovered in clinical cases of PG and NE and demonstrates that niche specialization is observable in the core genomes of poultry-associated C. perfringens isolates, a concept with both epidemiological and evolutionary significance.
Evidence from a

Purpose: To describe cases of endogenous fungal endophthalmitis (EFE) post-recovery from or hospitalization for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: This prospective audit involved patients with suspected endophthalmitis referred to a tertiary eye care center over a one-year period. Comprehensive ocular examinations, laboratory studies, and imaging were performed. Confirmed cases of EFE with a recent history of COVID-19 hospitalization +/- intensive care unit admission were identified, documented, managed, followed up, and described. Results: Seven eyes of six patients were reported; 5/6 were male, and the mean age was 55. The mean duration of hospitalization for COVID-19 was approximately 28 days (14-45); the mean time from discharge to onset of visual symptoms was 22 days (0-35). All patients had underlying conditions (5/6 hypertension; 3/6 diabetes mellitus; 2/6 asthma) and had received dexamethasone and remdesivir during their COVID-related hospitalization. All presented with decreased vision, and 4/6 complained of floaters. Baseline visual acuity ranged from light perception (LP) to counting fingers (CF). The fundus was not visible in 3 out of 7 eyes; the other 4 had “creamy-white fluffy lesions” at the posterior pole as well as significant vitritis. Vitreous taps were positive for Candida species in six and Aspergillus species in one eye. Anti-fungal treatment included intravenous amphotericin B followed by oral voriconazole and intravitreal amphotericin B. Three eyes underwent vitrectomy; the systemic health of two patients precluded surgery. One patient (with aspergillosis) died; the others were followed for 7-10 months – the final visual outcome improved from CF to 20/200-20/50 in 4 eyes and worsened (hand motion to LP) or did not change (LP), in two others.
Emerging Role of Nrf2 in Protecting Against Hepatic and Gastrointestinal Disease

Transcription factor NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) belongs to the basic region-leucine zipper family and is activated in response to electrophiles and reactive oxygen species. Nrf2 coordinately regulates the constitutive and inducible transcription of a wide array of genes involved in drug metabolism, detoxification, and antioxidant defenses. During periods of oxidative stress, Nrf2 is released from sequestration in the cytoplasm and translocates to the nucleus. Nrf2 binds antioxidant response elements (AREs) in the regulatory regions of target genes and activates transcription. Genetically modified mice lacking Nrf2 serve as a useful tool for identifying new ARE-regulated genes and assessing the ability of Nrf2 to confer protection against a variety of pathologies in numerous organs including the liver, intestine, lung, skin, and nervous system. With regards to the liver and gastrointestinal tract, Nrf2 knockout mice are more susceptible to acetaminophen-induced hepatocellular injury, benzo[a]pyrene-induced tumor formation and Fas-and TNFα-mediated hepatocellular apoptosis. The higher sensitivity of Nrf2 knockout mice to chemical toxicity is due in part to reduced basal and inducible expression of detoxification enzymes. Nrf2 may also be important in protecting against liver fibrosis, gallstone development, and formation of aberrant crypt foci. Research of Nrf2 has opened up new opportunities in understanding how antioxidant defense pathways are regulated, how oxidative stress contributes to disease progression and may serve as a novel target for designing therapies to prevent and treat diseases in which oxidative stress is implicated.
Family Conferences: A Method to Diminish Transfer Anxiety

&NA; Because family members have an impact on patient recovery, failure to address their needs may hinder patient recovery. One such need often expressed by family members of acutely ill patients is that of dealing with anxiety generated by the hospital setting. Families may experience anxiety at any time during the hospital stay, but the literature suggests the time of transfer from the high technologic environment of the intensive care unit (ICU) to a general care unit is crucial. Although the nursing literature contains much information on needs expressed by family members at this time. there is a dearth of information about meeting these needs. For this reason, a study was designed to test one nursing intervention used to diminish the anxiety level of family members of patients experiencing transfer from an ICU to a general care unit‐the pretransfer care conference.
Streptococcus pyogenes upper respiratory infection and atopic conditions other than asthma: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND Patients with asthma have an increased risk of Streptococcus pyogenes infection compared with those without asthma. It is unknown whether this is true for children with other atopic conditions such as atopic dermatitis or allergic rhinitis. AIMS To determine the risk of developing S. pyogenes infections of the upper respiratory tract in children and adolescents with atopic dermatitis and/or allergic rhinitis. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study that followed a convenience sample of 340 healthy children. Atopic dermatitis or eczema and allergic rhinitis or hay fever were determined based on a physician diagnosis documented in medical records. All laboratory test results of cultures, rapid antigen detection, and polymerase chain reaction tests for S. pyogenes infections during the first 18 years of life were collected to compare the incidence of S. pyogenes infections between children with and without a physician diagnosis of atopic conditions. A Poisson regression was fit to determine the association between asthma and S. pyogenes infections, controlling for other covariates including asthma. RESULTS Of the 340 subjects, 327 were eligible for the study. Of these 327 subjects, 143 (44%) had atopic conditions other than asthma. The incidence of S. pyogenes infections in children with atopic conditions other than asthma and those without atopic conditions was 0.24 per person-year and 0.18 per person-year, respectively. The adjusted risk ratios for allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis were 1.36 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.66, p=0.011) and 1.30 (95% CI 0.98 to 1.71, p=0.06), respectively, controlling for asthma and other covariates. CONCLUSIONS In addition to asthma, allergic rhinitis but not atopic dermatitis is associated with an increased risk of S. pyogenes upper respiratory tract infections.