Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Palliative Care Training during Fellowship: A National Survey of U.S. Hematology and Oncology Fellows.

BACKGROUND Despite requirements for palliative care training during fellowship, there is a paucity of recent data regarding the attitudes, knowledge, and skills of hematology/ oncology fellows in palliative care. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to assess fellows' attitudes toward and quality of training in palliative care during fellowship and perceived preparedness to care for patients at the end of life (EOL). METHODS In May 2013 a cross-sectional survey of hematology/oncology fellows was conducted. RESULTS Fellows from 93 of 138 fellowship programs responded (67.4%). Of the 347 fellows e-mailed, 176 participated. Nearly all fellows (99%) indicated that physicians have a responsibility to help patients at EOL. Fellows felt their overall training in fellowship was superior to training in EOL care (4.24±0.78 versus 3.53±0.99 on a 5-5 scale where 1=poor and 5=excellent, p<0.0001). Fellows who had a rotation in palliative care during fellowship (44.9%) reported better teaching on managing a patient at EOL than those who did not (3.91±1.0 versus 3.21±0.87, p<0.0001). Fellows reporting better teaching in EOL care felt better prepared to care for patients at EOL (r=0.52, p<0.0001). More than 25% reported not being explicitly taught how to assess prognosis, when to refer a patient to hospice, or how to conduct a family meeting to discuss treatment options. CONCLUSION Many recent oncology fellows are still inadequately prepared to provide palliative care to their patients. There is significant room for improvement with regards to the quality of palliative care training in U.S. hematology/oncology fellowship programs.
Prevalence and Mechanisms of Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux in Adult Cystic Fibrosis Patients

Gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) occurs frequently in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) but has not been studied in adult CF. We surveyed such symptoms by structured questionnaire in 50 adult CF patients (mean age 26 years, range 16–50; 24 male) and performed oesophageal manometry and 24-hour pH recording in 10 who had reflux symptoms (mean age 28 years, range 21–35; 8 men). 47 patients (94%) had upper gastrointestinal symptoms: 40 (80%) heartburn (27 worse when supine); 26 (52%) regurgitation; and 28 (56%) dyspepsia. At oesophageal manometry, lower oesophageal sphincter barrier pressure (LOSBP) was subnormal in 6 of the 10 patients and 3 had uncoordinated peristalsis in the mid oesophagus. 8 patients had raised DeMeester scores, indicating significant GOR. Those patients with a LOSBP <5mm Hg had a higher DeMeester score (mean 81.0, range 47.9–128.8) than the patients with a normal LOSBP (26.9, 8.7-56.5; p< 0.002). These results show that adult CF patients have high rates of GOR symptoms, diminished LOSBP, and acid reflux.
Literature review and challenging research agenda on politicians’ use of accounting information

Recent research on politicians’ use of financial and performance information is reviewed. Survey-based studies overestimate the frequency of this use; observational studies present a more accurate picture. A new and challenging research agenda is presented that will improve our understanding of the use and usefulness of accounting information. Implications for the real world of practice are discussed.
Evaluation of geriatric assessment in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: Results of the CLL9 trial of the German CLL study group

Abstract Multidimensional geriatric assessment (GA) has been demonstrated to predict outcomes in older patients with cancer. This study evaluated GA in a cohort of older patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Seventy-five of 97 subjects with CLL who were enrolled in a clinical trial of the German CLL Study Group underwent GA prior to the start of study treatment (low-dose chemotherapy with fludarabine). GA included cumulative illness rating scale (CIRS), timed-up-and-go (TUG) test, dementia detection (DEMTECT) test and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) index. There was little correlation between CIRS, TUG, DEMTECT or IADL results and treatment toxicity, feasibility or efficacy in this study. CIRS and IADL had no statistically significant impact on overall prognosis. However, under-performance in TUG or DEMTECT test was strongly associated with poor survival. The latter findings provide a rationale to further investigate geriatric assessment in CLL and in the context with other CLL treatments.
Circulating clonal CLA+ and CD4+ T cells in Sézary syndrome express the skin‐homing chemokine receptors CCR4 and CCR10 as well as the lymph node‐homing chemokine receptor CCR7

Background Adhesion molecules and chemokine receptors are involved in tissue‐specific homing of T cells to the skin and play an important role in the pathophysiology of cutaneous lymphoma. It has recently been reported that the chemokine CCL27 expressed by keratinocytes attracts lymphocytes bearing the chemokine receptor CCR10.
Construction, Phenotypic Analysis, and Immunogenicity of a UL5/UL29 Double Deletion Mutant of Herpes Simplex Virus 2

ABSTRACT A number of studies have shown that replication-defective mutant strains of herpes simplex virus (HSV) can induce protective immunity in animal systems against wild-type HSV challenge. However, all of those studies used viruses with single mutations. Because multiple, stable mutations provide optimal levels of safety for live vaccines, we felt that additional mutations needed to be engineered into a candidate vaccine strain for HSV-2 and genital herpes. We therefore isolated an HSV-2 strain with deletion mutations in two viral DNA replication protein genes, UL5 and UL29. The resulting double deletion mutant virus strain, dl5-29, fails to form plaques or to give any detectable single cycle yields in normal monkey or human cells. Nevertheless, dl5-29 expresses nearly the same pattern of gene products as the wild-type virus or the single mutant viruses and induces antibody titers in mice that are equivalent to those induced by single deletion mutant viruses. Therefore, it is feasible to isolate a mutant HSV strain with two mutations in essential genes and with an increased level of safety but which is still highly immunogenic.
Non-Performing Loans in the ECCU: Determinants and Macroeconomic Impact

This paper assesses the determinants of NPLs in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) and whether a deterioration in asset quality may result in negative feedback effects from the banking system to economic activity. The results suggest that the deterioration in asset quality can be attributed to both macroeconomic and bank-specific factors. Banks with stronger profitability and lower exposure to the construction sector and household loans tend to have lower NPLs. Further, some evidence indicates that foreign owned banks systematically have lower NPLs than domestic banks, pointing to the presence of important differences across bank practices with an impact on asset quality. Finally, the results emphasize the strength of macrofinancial feedback loops in the ECCU.
T-Cell Growth Transformation by Herpesvirus Saimiri Is Independent of STAT3 Activation

ABSTRACT Herpesvirus saimiri (saimirine herpesvirus 2) (HVS), a T-lymphotropic tumor virus, induces lymphoproliferative disease in several species of New World primates. In addition, strains of HVS subgroup C are able to transform T cells of Old World primates, including humans, to permanently growing T-cell lines. In concert with the Stp oncoprotein, the tyrosine kinase-interacting protein (Tip) of HVS C488 is required for T-cell transformation in vitro and lymphoma induction in vivo. Tip was previously shown to interact with the protein tyrosine kinase Lck. Constitutive activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) has been associated with oncogenesis and has also been detected in HVS-transformed T-cell lines. Furthermore, Tip contains a putative consensus YXPQ binding motif for the SH2 (src homology 2) domains of STAT1 and STAT3. Tip tyrosine phosphorylation at this site was required for binding of STATs and induction of STAT-dependent transcription. Here we sought to address the relevance of STAT activation for transformation of human T cells by introducing a tyrosine-to-phenylalanine mutation in the YXPQ motif of Tip of HVS C488. Unexpectedly, the recombinant virus was still able to transform human T lymphocytes, but it had lost its capability to activate STAT3 as well as STAT1. This demonstrates that growth transformation by HVS is independent of STAT3 activation.
Quercetin‐3‐methyl ether inhibits lapatinib‐sensitive and ‐resistant breast cancer cell growth by inducing G2/M arrest and apoptosis

Lapatinib, an oral, small‐molecule, reversible inhibitor of both EGFR and HER2, is highly active in HER2 positive breast cancer as a single agent and in combination with other therapeutics. However, resistance against lapatinib is an unresolved problem in clinical oncology. Recently, interest in the use of natural compounds to prevent or treat cancers has gained increasing interest because of presumed low toxicity. Quercetin‐3‐methyl ether, a naturally occurring compound present in various plants, has potent anticancer activity. Here, we found that quercetin‐3‐methyl ether caused a significant growth inhibition of lapatinib‐sensitive and ‐resistant breast cancer cells. Western blot data showed that quercetin‐3‐methyl ether had no effect on Akt or ERKs signaling in resistant cells. However, quercetin‐3‐methyl ether caused a pronounced G2/M block mainly through the Chk1‐Cdc25c‐cyclin B1/Cdk1 pathway in lapatinib‐sensitive and ‐resistant cells. In contrast, lapatinib produced an accumulation of cells in the G1 phase mediated through cyclin D1, but only in lapatinib‐sensitive cells. Moreover, quercetin‐3‐methyl ether induced significant apoptosis, accompanied with increased levels of cleaved caspase 3, caspase 7, and poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) in both cell lines. Overall, these results suggested that quercetin‐3‐methyl ether might be a novel and promising therapeutic agent in lapatinib‐sensitive or ‐resistant breast cancer patients. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of direct drilling on the soil fauna

Numbers of most species of invertebrates were greater in the soil in which direct-drilled crops were grown. Attacks by slugs and wireworms were much less serious after ploughing. Attack by stem-boring fly larvae tended to be greater in crops in ploughed soil than those direct drilled where cereals were grown continuously. Numbers of Lumbricus terrestris were 2 to 5 times greater with direct drilling than with ploughing but numbers of other species differed much less.
Sovereign risk and deposit dynamics: evidence from Europe

ABSTRACT The unprecedented expansion of sovereign balance sheets since the beginning of the global crisis has given a new meaning to the term sovereign risk. Developments in Europe since early 2010 revealed new challenges for the functioning of private banks in an environment of heightened sovereign risk and may have contributed to deleveraging. The article uses an innovative way of measuring the perception of sovereign risk and its impact. Using an extension of a common market discipline framework, it shows that exposure to sovereign risk may have limited the ability of banks in Europe to collect deposits. Potential identification issues between deposits and bank efficiency are controlled by using data envelopment analysis (DEA). The results are robust to inclusion of conventional measures of bank performance and the sector-wide holdings of foreign sovereign debt.
[The relationship between mitral annular calcification and red cell distribution width: a cross-sectional study].

OBJECTIVE Mitral annular calcification (MAC) and atherosclerosis are similar in regard to risk factors and pathogenesis. Increased red blood cell distribution width (RDW) has been shown to be associated with atherosclerotic diseases. However, no data evaluating the association of MAC with RDW has been available. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between MAC and RDW among patients with various cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS A total of 623 patients (MAC-positive group: n=413; control group: n=210) admitted to our cardiology outpatient clinics were enrolled between March and November 2014. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters of all participants were recorded. RDW was analyzed from complete blood samples of study participants. RESULTS Patients in MAC-positive group showed older age and higher rate of hypertension. Mean RDW value was significantly higher in MAC-positive group, compared to control group (15.3±1.4% vs. 13.9±1.4%, p<0.001). In Pearson correlation analysis, statistically significant and positive correlation was determined between neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and RDW (r=0.284, p<0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, age (OR: 1.041, p<0.001), hypertension (OR: 1.540, p=0.039), and RDW (OR: 5.351, p<0.001) were determined as independent predictors of MAC. CONCLUSION RDW levels were significantly increased in patients with MAC, and RDW was determined as an independent predictor for presence of MAC. Therefore, increased RDW can be used as a marker of continuing inflammatory process in MAC patients.
Teacher and school factors influencing collective teacher efficacy in elementary schools

Collective teacher efficacy has shown promise as a predictor of student achievement. Although individual self-efficacy and teacher efficacy research is prevalent, less is known about how the collective self efficacy reflecting a group of individuals interacts with student achievement. This descriptive study used survey design to gather data and multiple correlation analysis for data analysis, as well as, multiple regression to relate collective teacher efficacy to student achievement. Two groups of factors related to collective teacher efficacy included: school-related (age, size, SES and school wide achievement on Criterion Referenced Competency Tests in mathematics and reading), and teacher factors (teaching experience total, teaching experience at present location, professional experience outside of education, path to teacher certification, and highest level of education attained). Social cognitive theory was the theoretical framework for this study. This framework explains how individuals acquire and maintain specific behavior patterns. While the theory is well represented in the literature for individuals, much less has been hypothesized with social cognitive theory for a group as the unit of analysis. Findings showed that collective teacher efficacy could not predict student achievement, above and beyond the strong influence of school socioeconomic status. School related environmental factors described collective teacher efficacy stronger than individual teacher factors for this study. Collective teacher efficacy was best described by school socioeconomic status, school enrollment and teacher experience at present location. Recommendations for future study included: sampling at different times of the school year, identifying schools from this study with extreme scores in collective teacher efficacy for future research employing qualitative research methods, further analysis of this data set at the item level to further define this construct, and examining the relationship between collective teacher efficacy and job satisfaction. INDEX WORDS: Collective efficacy; Multiple correlation analysis; Survey design; Teacher experience; Social cognitive theory; Unit of analysis; Elementary schools; Education TEACHER AND SCHOOL FACTORS INFLUENCING COLLECTIVE TEACHER EFFICACY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Increase of GAP‐43 in the rat cerebellum following unilateral striatal 6‐OHDA lesion

In order to further characterize synaptic alterations following a severe lesion of the nigrostriatal system, the expression of synaptic marker proteins, synaptophysin and growth‐associated protein‐43 (GAP‐43), was examined in various brain regions of 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA)‐treated rats, an animal model of Parkinson's disease. Unilateral nigrostriatal lesioning induced an increase in synaptophysin protein levels by 68% and 106% in the sensorimotor cortex and striatum, respectively, while changes in the level of GAP‐43 were not observed. In contrast, 6‐OHDA induced a 73% increase in the level of GAP‐43 protein in the cerebellum. This increase was also confirmed with immunohistochemistry. The level of synaptophysin in the cerebellum remained unchanged in response to the lesion. These results suggest that a neurotoxic lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway differentially affects the expression of the two synaptic proteins and that plasticity‐related changes in this model are not solely restricted to the nigrostriatal system. In addition, these results provide further evidence of the involvement of the cerebellum in the late response to a 6‐OHDA lesion. Synapse 56:170–174, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of Dietary Flaxseed on Intestinal Tumorigenesis in Apc Min Mouse

Dietary flaxseed has been shown to prevent azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colorectal cancers in male Fisher rats. The present study was designed to investigate the chemopreventive effects of dietary flaxseed on the development of intestinal tumors in Apc Min mice. Apc Min mice were divided into five different groups, fed with control (AIN-93M meal), corn meal, flaxseed meal, corn oil, and flaxseed oil supplemented diets. Results showed that dietary flaxseed significantly decreased ( P < 0.05) tumor multiplicity and size in the small intestine and colon as compared to control, corn-treated groups. Intestine, colon, and serum samples of corn-treated groups showed higher levels of ω -6 fatty acids, whereas the flaxseed treated groups exhibited higher levels of ω -3 fatty acids. Lignans were detected in the serum, intestine, and colon samples for flaxseed meal group. COX-1 and COX-2 expression in the colon samples from the flaxseed meal group were significantly lower ( P < 0.05) as compared to the corn meal group. Dietary flaxseed may be chemopreventive for intestinal tumor development in Apc Min mice possibly by increasing ω -3 fatty acid levels, lignans, and decreasing COX-1 and COX-2 levels.
Manganese superoxide dismutase levels are elevated in a proportion of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient cell lines.

The most frequent genetic causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) determined so far are mutations occurring in the gene for copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD). The mechanism may involve inappropriate formation of hyroxyl radicals, peroxynitrite or malfunctioning of the SOD protein. We hypothesized that undiscovered genetic causes of sporadically occurring amyotrophic lateral sclerosis might be found in the mechanisms that create and destroy oxygen free radicals within the cell. After determining that there were no CuZnSOD mutations present, we measured superoxide production from mitochondria and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), glutathione peroxidase, NFkappaB, Bcl-2 and Bax by immunoblot. Of the ten sporadic patients we tested we found three patients with significantly increased concentrations of MnSOD. These patients also had lower levels of superoxide production from mitochondria and decreased expression of Bcl-2. No mutations were found in the cDNA sequence of either MnSOD in any of the sporadic patients. A patient with a CuZnSOD mutation (G82R) used as a positive control showed none of these abnormalities. The patients displaying the MnSOD aberrations showed no specific distinguishing features. This result suggests that the cause of ALS in a subgroup of ALS patients (30%) is genetic in origin and can be identified by these markers. The alteration in MnSOD and Bcl-2 are likely epiphenomena resulting from the primary genetic defect. It suggests also that the oxygen free radicals are part of the cause in this subgroup and that dysregulation of MnSOD or increased endogenous superoxide production might be responsible.
Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Improve Cardiac Perfusion in an Ovine Immunocompetent Animal Model

ABSTRACT Background: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) hold considerable promise in the treatment of ischemic heart disease. Most preclinical studies of MSCs for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been performed either in syngeneic animal models or with human cells in xenogeneic immunodeficient animals. A preferable pre-clinical model, however, would involve human MSCs in an immunocompetent animal. Methods: AMI was generated in adult sheep by inducing ischemia reperfusion of the second diagonal branch. Sheep (n = 10) were randomized to receive an intravenous injection of human MSCs (1 × 106 cells/kg) or phosphate buffered saline. Cardiac function and remodeling were evaluated with echocardiography. Perfusion scintigraphy was used to identify sustained myocardial ischemia. Interaction between human MSCs and ovine lymphocytes was assessed by a mixed lymphocyte response (MLR). Results: Sheep receiving human MSCs showed significant improvement in myocardial perfusion at 1 month compared with baseline measurements. There was no change in ventricular dimensions in either group after 1 month of AMI. No adverse events or symptoms were observed in the sheep receiving human MSCs. The MLR was negative. Conclusion: The immunocompetent ovine AMI model demonstrates the clinical safety and efficacy of human MSCs. The human cells do not appear to be immunogenic, further suggesting that immunocompetent sheep may serve as a suitable pre-clinical large animal model for testing human MSCs.
Unraveling the Role of the Hippocampus in Reversal Learning

Research in reversal learning has mainly focused on the functional role of dopamine and striatal structures in driving behavior on the basis of classic reinforcement learning mechanisms. However, recent evidence indicates that, beyond classic reinforcement learning adaptations, individuals may also learn the inherent task structure and anticipate the occurrence of reversals. A candidate structure to support such task representation is the hippocampus, which might create a flexible representation of the environment that can be adaptively applied to goal-directed behavior. To investigate the functional role of the hippocampus in the implementation of anticipatory strategies in reversal learning, we first studied, in 20 healthy individuals (11 women), whether the gray matter anatomy and volume of the hippocampus were related to anticipatory strategies in a reversal learning task. Second, we tested 20 refractory temporal lobe epileptic patients (11 women) with unilateral hippocampal sclerosis, who served as a hippocampal lesion model. Our results indicate that healthy participants were able to learn the task structure and use it to guide their behavior and optimize their performance. Participants' ability to adopt anticipatory strategies correlated with the gray matter volume of the hippocampus. In contrast, hippocampal patients were unable to grasp the higher-order structure of the task with the same success than controls. Present results indicate that the hippocampus is necessary to respond in an appropriately flexible manner to high-order environments, and disruptions in this structure can render behavior habitual and inflexible. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Understanding the neural substrates involved in reversal learning has provoked a great deal of interest in the last years. Studies with nonhuman primates have shown that, through repetition, individuals are able to anticipate the occurrence of reversals and, thus, adjust their behavior accordingly. The present investigation is devoted to know the role of the hippocampus in such strategies. Importantly, our findings evidence that the hippocampus is necessary to anticipate the occurrence of reversals, and disruptions in this structure can render behavior habitual and inflexible.