Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk of Bacterial Infection in Previously Healthy Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Infected Young Children Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

Objective: To evaluate the risk of bacterial infection and use of antibiotics in otherwise healthy children infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: Demographics, clinical information, interventions and outcomes were extracted from the charts of consecutive patients with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection at Children’s Hospital, Boston from October 1990 through April 2002. Patients born at <36 weeks gestational age or with preexisting medical conditions were excluded. Results: The median age of the 165 previously healthy infants infected with RSV was 42 days. Almost all patients received supplementary FiO2, and 63 (38.2%) patients required mechanical ventilator support. No patients died. The median length of stay was 3 days in the ICU and 7 days in the hospital. Most patients had bacterial cultures sent: 155 (93.9%), blood cultures; 121 (73.3%), urine cultures; and 85 (51.5%) cerebrospinal fluid cultures. Only 1 blood culture was positive, and 1 potential urinary tract infection was identified in a patient with a negative urinalysis. All intubated patients and 80.4% of nonintubated patients received antibiotic therapy. Conclusions: In otherwise healthy infants admitted to the ICU with RSV infection, bacteremia, urinary tract infection and meningitis are uncommon. Although bacterial pneumonia in this cohort may be more prevalent, overdiagnosis is common.
Determinants Of Financial Euroisation In A Small Open Economy: The Case Of Serbia

This paper examines the phenomenon of financial euroisation in Serbia, focusing on the liability side of the banking system. A time series model is estimated and evaluated using a monthly data sample from January 2007 to January 2016 for Serbia. The results of this paper show that the mean pattern of financial euroisation in Serbia is determined by the exchange rate, inflation, and the interest rate differential. Financial euroisation in Serbia is found to be volatile and to exhibit a clustering pattern. Of the estimated and tested models the ARCH (1) model is found to be best suited to explain the volatile behaviour pattern of financial euroisation in Serbia.
Does Gender Affect Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy?

The relationship between sex and outcome after laparoscopic surgery for symptomatic cholelithiasis remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of sex on the clinical presentation of patients with symptomatic gallstone disease and the clinical outcomes of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The rates of conversion to open cholecystectomy, complication rates, operative times, and lengths of hospital stay were compared between the sexes. Compared with female patients, males were significantly older and more likely to have coexisting cardiovascular disease, previous upper abdominal surgery, previous hospitalization for acute cholecystitis and pancreatitis, acute cholecystitis, and suppurative cholecystitis (such as empyema), conversions, and complications. The mortality rate was nil. Analyses revealed an independent effect of sex on the prevalence of complications, even when including all of the major confounding factors in the model. In contrast, the effect of sex on conversion to open cholecystectomy was not significant when controlling for patient age. Operative time and postoperative hospital stay were significantly longer in males than in females. The tendency of male patients to have cholecystitis of greater severity should remind surgeons of the need to inform patients about the higher conversion rate among male patients, to reduce the disappointment of a large laparotomy wound or prolonged recovery period. On the other hand, there may be an increased need for surgeons to strongly advice male patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis to undergo early intervention.
High-Altitude Exposure Reduces Inspiratory Muscle Strength

It was the aim of the study to assess the maximal pressure generated by the inspiratory muscles (MIP) during exposure to different levels of altitude (i.e., hypobaric hypoxia). Eight lowlanders (2 females and 6 males), aged 27 - 46 years, participated in the study. After being evaluated at sea level, the subjects spent seven days at altitudes of more than 3000 metres. On the first day, they rode in a cable car from 1200 to 3200 metres and performed the first test after 45 - 60 minutes rest; they then walked for two hours to a mountain refuge at 3600 metres, where they spent three nights (days 2 - 3); on day 4, they walked for four hours over a glacier to reach Capanna Regina Margherita (4559 m), where they spent days 5 - 7. MIP, flow-volume curve and SpO (2) % were measured at each altitude, and acute mountain sickness (Lake Louise score) was recorded. Increasing altitude led to a significant decrease in resting SpO (2) % (from 98 % to 80 %) and MIP (from 134 to 111 cmH (2)O) (baseline to day 4: p < 0.05); there was an improvement in SpO (2) % and a slight increase in MIP during the subsequent days at the same altitude. Expiratory (but not inspiratory) flows increased, and forced vital capacity and FEF (75) decreased at higher altitudes. We conclude that exposure to high altitude hypoxia reduces the strength of the respiratory muscles, as demonstrated by the reduction in MIP and the lack of an increase in peak inspiratory flows. This reduction is more marked during the first days of exposure to the same altitude, and tends to recover during the acclimatisation process.
Noncoherent pulse compression

Pulse compression can be performed in noncoherent radars by using coded on-off keying (OOK). We show how any bipolar pulse-compression code (e.g., Barker) can be modified into unipolar OOK through Manchester coding. The resulted transmitted signal is a burst of dense subpulses, with pulse position modulation. In the receiver, the envelope-detected signal is aperiodically cross-correlated with a mismatched bipolar reference signal, yielding noncoherent integration with a low-sidelobe response. The concept can be used in simple radars where Doppler information is not required, in direct-detection laser radars and in ultrawideband (UWB) radars. Examples are given with bursts of 13 and 70 subpulses. Detection probabilities dependence on SNR is studied and compared with coherent processing.
Asymmetric Business-Cycle Risk and Social Insurance

This paper studies the business-cycle variation in higher-order (labor) income risk—that is, risks that are captured by moments higher than the variance. We examine the extent to which such risks can be smoothed within households or with government social insurance and tax policies. We use panel data from three countries that differ in many aspects relevant for our analysis: the United States, Germany, and Sweden. Our analysis has three main results. First, using individual gross income, we document that skewness is procyclical and dispersion (variance) is flat and acyclical in Germany and Sweden, as was previously documented for the United States. The same patterns hold true for groups defined by education, gender, public- versus private-sector jobs, among others. Second, household-level income displays cyclical patterns that are very similar to individual income, indicating that within-household smoothing is not very effective at mitigating business cycle fluctuations in skewness. Third, government tax and transfer programs blunt some of the largest declines in incomes, reducing procyclical fluctuations in skewness, especially in Germany and Sweden. The resulting welfare gain—through the lens of a structural model—amounts to 1.3% in consumption-equivalent terms for Sweden (for which we are able to perform this calculation). However, the remaining risk (in household disposable income) is still substantial: households are willing to pay 4.6% of their consumption to completely eliminate procyclical fluctuations in skewness.
Assessment of Leydig and Sertoli cell functions in infants with nonmosaic Klinefelter syndrome: insulin-like peptide 3 levels are normal and positively correlated with LH levels.

CONTEXT Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is the most common sex chromosome disorder and a major cause of male infertility. In adult patients, serum inhibin B and anti-Mullerian-hormone (AMH) are undetectable, testosterone secretion is often impaired, and the tubules are depleted of germ cells. Before puberty, inhibin B, AMH, and testosterone levels are within the normal range. OBJECTIVE Sertoli and Leydig cell secretions, including insulin-like peptide-3 (INSL3), were evaluated in infants with nonmosaic XXY karyotype to assess testicular function soon after birth. DESIGN The study was conducted in four University Pediatric Departments from the United States and France. SUBJECTS Sixty-eight prenatally diagnosed infants aged 2-750 d were enrolled. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Serum FSH, LH, inhibin B, AMH, and INSL3 were measured by immunoassay, and testosterone was measured by tandem mass-spectrometry. RESULTS In infants with KS, INSL3 levels transiently increased at 2-3 months of age and were significantly correlated with testosterone (Spearman r = 0.57) and LH (Spearman r = 0.73) levels. They did not differ from controls. Testosterone levels were within the normal range, but most of them were below the median of controls. Inhibin B and AMH levels were also within normal range. Inhibin B was correlated with FSH (Spearman r = 0.49). AMH was not correlated with FSH or testosterone. FSH levels were above normal in 25% of patients, despite normal inhibin B levels. CONCLUSIONS In infants with KS, Leydig cells are normally sensitive to the LH proliferative effect. In contrast, the Sertoli cell sensitivity to FSH is questionable, which may be prophetic of the postpubertal Sertoli cell resistance to FSH.
Are the Risk Attitudes of Professional Investors Affected by Personal Catastrophic Experiences?

We adopt a novel empirical approach to show that the risk attitudes of professional investors are affected by their catastrophic experiences – even for catastrophes with no economic impact on these investors or their portfolio firms. We study the portfolio risk of U.S.-based mutual funds that invest outside the U.S. before and after fund managers personally experience severe natural disasters. Using differences-in-differences, we compare managers in disaster versus non-disaster counties matched on prior disaster probability and fund characteristics. We find that monthly fund return volatility decreases by roughly 60 bps in year 1 and the effect disappears by year 3. Systematic risk drives the results. Additional analyses rule out wealth effects (using disasters with no damages) and managerial agency, skill, and catering explanations.
Striatal hypometabolism distinguishes striatonigral degeneration from Parkinson's disease

Regional and global metabolic rates for glucose were estimated using 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose and positron emission tomography in 10 patients with a clinical likelihood of striatonigral degeneration (2 men and 8 women; mean age, 61.8 ± 6.9 years; mean disease duration, 4.7 ± 2.2 years; mean Hoehn and Yahr score, 3.5 ± 0.8). Measures of brain glucose metabolism in these patients were compared with those for 10 age‐matched normal volunteers, 10 disease severity–matched patients with Parkinson's disease(PD), and 10 disease duration–matched patients with PD. Normalized glucose metabolism was significantly reduced in the caudate(p < 0.03) and putamen (p < 0.003) as compared with that in normal and PD control subjects, and discriminated patients with striatonigral degeneration from control subjects (p < 0.002). Putamenal hypometabolism in patients with striatonigral degeneration correlated significantly with quantitaive ratings of motor disability (p < 0.02). These results suggest that quantitative 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography techniques may be useful in supporting a diagnosis of striatonigral degeneration in life, and in objectively assessing disease severity and potential therapeutic interventions.
Bves modulates epithelial integrity through an interaction at the tight junction

We first identified Bves (blood vessel/epicardial substance) as a transmembrane protein that localized to the lateral compartment of the epithelial epicardium. Bves traffics to sites of cell-cell contact in cultured epicardial cells and promotes adhesion following transfection into non-adherent fibroblastic L-cells, reminiscent of a cell adhesion molecule. Currently, no function for Bves in relation to epithelial cell adhesion has been identified. We hypothesize that Bves plays a role at cell junctions to establish and/or modulate cell adhesion or cell-cell interactions in epithelial cell types. In this study, we demonstrate that Bves regulates epithelial integrity and that this function may be associated with a role at the tight junction (TJ). We report that Bves localizes with ZO-1 and occludin, markers of the TJ, in polarized epithelial cell lines and in vivo. We find that the behavior of Bves following low Ca2+ challenge or TPA treatment mimics that observed for ZO-1 and is distinct from adherens junction proteins such as E-cadherin. Furthermore, GST pull-down experiments show an interaction between ZO-1 and the intracellular C-terminal tail of Bves. Finally, we demonstrate that Bves modulates tight junction integrity, as indicated by the loss of transepithelial resistance and junction protein localization at the membrane following Bves knock-down in cultured cells. This study is the first to identify a function for Bves in epithelia and supports the hypothesis that Bves contributes to establishment and/or maintenance of epithelial cell integrity.
HEMATOLOGY AND PLASMA BIOCHEMISTRY VALUES FOR THE GIANT GARTER SNAKE (THAMNOPHIS GIGAS) AND VALLEY GARTER SNAKE (THAMNOPHIS SIRTALIS FITCHI) IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY OF CALIFORNIA

Hematology and plasma biochemistry parameters are useful in the assessment and management of threatened and endangered species. Although reference ranges are readily available for many mammalian species, reference ranges for snakes are lacking for most species. We determined hematology and plasma biochemistry reference ranges for giant garter snakes (Thamnophis gigas) and valley garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi) living in four management areas in the Central Valley of California. White blood cell, heterophil, lymphocyte, and azurophil counts in giant garter snakes were approximately twice the values of valley garter snakes. Statistically significant differences in aspartate aminotransferase, globulin, and potassium between the two species did not appear clinically significant. No significant differences were found in the measured parameters between male and female giant garter snakes. Some differences were found among collection sites. These reference ranges provide baseline data for comparisons over time and between collection sites.
Socio-demographic correlates of depression and anxiety among female caregivers living with HIV in rural Uganda

ABSTRACT Women living with HIV are at increased risk for psychosocial distress, especially among social and economically disadvantaged women living in rural areas. Little is known about how social support and wealth impacts the mental health of women caring for young children in low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this paper was to assess demographic, socio-economic, and social support correlates of depression and anxiety in HIV-infected+ female caregivers living in rural Uganda. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25), two-domains of social support (family and community) were measured with the adapted Multidimensional Scale for Perceived Social Support, and wealth was measured using a checklist of material possessions and housing quality among 288 women. Multivariable linear regression models assessed the association of depression and anxiety with demographic and social predictors. Sixty-one percent of women reported clinically significant symptoms of depression or anxiety using the standard HSCL-25 cut-off of >1.75. Lower wealth (p = .01) and family support (p = .01) were significantly associated with more depressive symptoms, with greater family support being more protective of depression in the highest wealth group (top 20%) compared to the lowest. More anxiety symptoms were associated with lower wealth (p = .001), lower family support (p = .02), and higher community support (p = .003). Economic and social support factors are important predictors of caregiver mental health in the face of HIV disease in rural Uganda. Findings suggest that interventions should consider ways to increase economic opportunities and strengthen family support for HIV+ caregivers.
A review of genome‐wide transcriptomics studies in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive and incurable neurodegenerative disorder. Although numerous genetic and environmental factors have been linked to the aetiology of PD the underlying pathobiology remains poorly understood, hampering the development of improved therapies. Transcriptomics has the potential to reveal significant insights into disease processes. In this review, we focused on published transcriptomics studies on PD with the aim of summarizing studies and identifying common biological pathways. A total of 96 articles were identified as follows: 12 meta‐analyses, 21 re‐analyses of existing data and 63 original studies. Of the 63 original studies, 33 were performed on brain tissue, 26 on blood, three on cerebrospinal fluid and one on skin. In the brain studies, altered pathways identified included those involved in dopamine metabolism, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, protein degradation, neuroinflammation, vesicular transport and synaptic transmission. Studies on blood samples revealed alterations in pathways involved in immune function, inflammation, RNA processing, protein chaperones, mitochondrial function and programmed cell death. Limitations of these studies include small sample sizes (generally <40 cases/40 controls) and the application of widely varying statistical analysis and parameters. Only eight studies used the RNA‐Seq technique. This review highlights the need for harmonization of transcriptomic approaches and the statistical analyses, and for the data to be deposited into publicly available databases in a standardized format for meta‐analyses. Notably, the concordance of several pathways such as mitochondrial function, protein degradation and inflammation, identified in both blood and brain tissues, suggests that the disease process is systemic and not restricted to neurological tissues.
Quantitative real‐time RT‐PCR detection of breast cancer micrometastasis using a multigene marker panel

Real‐time RT‐PCR is a relatively new technology that uses an online fluorescence detection system to determine gene expression levels. It has the potential to significantly improve detection of breast cancer metastasis by virtue of its exquisite sensitivity, high throughput capacity and quantitative readout system. To assess the utility of this technology in breast cancer staging, we determined the relative expression levels of 12 cancer‐associated genes (mam, PIP, mamB, CEA, CK19, VEGF, erbB2, muc1, c‐myc, p97, vim and Ki67) in 51 negative‐control normal lymph nodes and in 17 histopathology‐positive ALNs. We then performed a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to determine the sensitivity and specificity levels of each gene. Areas under the ROC curve indicated that the most accurate diagnostic markers were mam (99.6%), PIP (93.3%), CK19 (91.0%), mamB (87.9%), muc1 (81.5%) and CEA (79.4.0%). mam was overexpressed in 16 of 17 lymph nodes known to contain metastatic breast cancer at levels ranging from 22‐ to 2.8 × 105‐fold above normal mean expression, whereas PIP was overexpressed from 30‐ to 2.2 × 106‐fold above normal in 13 lymph nodes. Real‐time RT‐PCR analysis of pathology‐negative LN from breast cancer patients revealed evidence of overexpression of PIP (6 nodes), mam (3 nodes) and CEA (1 node) in 8 of 21 nodes (38%). Our results provide evidence that mam, PIP, CK19, mamB, muc1 and CEA can be applied as a panel for detection of metastatic and occult micrometastatic disease. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Influence of Institutional Mission on Students’ Values: A Comparison Among Three Universities

Many business schools profess a commitment to ethics in their mission statements and focus a spotlight on the intersection between the university&#8217;s mission and attention to business ethics. To explore this trend, we analyze a sample of students&#8217; values from two universities with an explicit religious foundation and recognized commitment to ethics against students from another university where this attention is not as explicit. This study identifies the personal values orientations (PVOs) for these students, born between 1980 and 2000, thus millennials, and considers if differences can be attributed to the university&#8217;s culture and mission or business school curriculum. We utilize Social Identity Theory as a promising framework for illuminating these considerations. Our results confirm that a religious&#8208;orientation characterizing a university&#8217;s mission may influence the business students&#8217; (or millennials&#8217;) PVOs. Students at the two religious institutions manifested a stronger social, rather than personal, and moral, rather than competence, value orientation. Only marginal differences were discovered when assessing within group differences in the value orientations among our sample of business students.
Combination therapy with amphotericin B and fluconazole against invasive candidiasis in neutropenic-mouse and infective-endocarditis rabbit models

Although there are an increasing number of new antifungal agents available, the morbidity and mortality due to invasive mycoses remain high. The high rates of polyene toxicities and the development of azole resistance have raised the issue of using antifungal agents of these classes in combination, despite theoretical concerns regarding antagonism between such agents. This study was designed to evaluate the in vivo efficacy of combined therapy with amphotericin B and fluconazole against Candida albicans. Two distinct animal models were used in this study: a neutropenic-mouse model of hematogenously disseminated candidiasis and the infective-endocarditis rabbit model. Treatment efficacy was assessed by determining reductions in mortality as well as decreases in tissue fungal densities. In the neutropenic-mouse model, amphotericin B, as well as combination therapy, significantly prolonged survival compared to untreated controls (P < 10(-5) and P = 0.001, respectively). The fungal densities in the kidneys of neutropenic mice were significantly reduced with either amphotericin B monotherapy or amphotericin B-fluconazole combined therapy compared to those of controls (P < 10(-6)). Fluconazole monotherapy also reduced fungal densities in the kidneys; however, this decrease was not statistically significant (P = 0.17). In contrast, treatment with either fluconazole alone or combined with amphotericin B (but not amphotericin B monotherapy) significantly decreased fungal densities in the brain (P = 0.025). In the rabbit endocarditis model, amphotericin B monotherapy or combined therapy significantly decreased fungal densities in cardiac vegetations (P < 0.01 versus the controls). Although no significant antagonism was seen when fluconazole was given in combination with amphotericin B, combination therapy did not augment the antifungal activity of amphotericin B.