Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Profile of H1N1 infection in a tertiary care center.

BACKGROUND A novel swine origin influenza virus (H1N1) is spreading worldwide and threatens to become pandemic.H1N1 critical illness mostly affects young patients and is often fatal. AIM The aim of the present study is to evaluate the clinical characteristic of H1N1 infection in a tertiary care hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 92 nasal and pharyngeal swabs from suspected cases of swine flu were processed by real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR). RESULT Twenty(21.73%) were positive of which two were treating physicians and five (25%) patients expired. CONCLUSIONS The age group of positive cases of H1N1 was between 21 and 30 years and age group of patients who died ranged from 40 to 45 year. This overview indicates that although the majority of hospitalized persons infected with novel influenza A (H1N1) recovered without complications, certain patients had severe and prolonged disease. It was also noted that 2009 influenza A (H1N1) infection - related clinical illness predominantly affects young patients. All hospitalized patients with novel influenza A (H1N1) infection should be monitored carefully and treated with antiviral therapy. Mandatory vaccination of health-care workers is especially important in emerging pandemic.
A complex degradation signal in Cyclin A required for G1 arrest, and a C‐terminal region for mitosis

The destruction box (D‐box) consensus sequence has been defined as a motif mediating polyubiquitylation and proteolysis of B‐type cyclins during mitosis. We show here that the regions with similarity to D‐boxes are not required for mitotic degradation of Drosophila Cyclin A. Instead of a simple D‐box, a complex N‐terminal degradation signal is present in this cyclin. Mutations that impair or abolish mitotic Cyclin A destruction delay progression through metaphase, but only when overexpressed. Moreover, these mutations prevent epidermal cells from entering the first G1 phase of embryogenesis and lead to a complete extra division cycle instead of a timely cell proliferation arrest. Residual Cyclin A activity after mitosis, therefore, has S phase‐promoting activity. In principle, an S phase defect could also explain why epidermal cells fail to enter mitosis 16 in mutants lacking zygotic Cyclin A function. However, we demonstrate that this failure of mitosis is not caused simply by DNA replication or damage checkpoints. Entry into mitosis requires a function of Cyclin A that does not depend on the presence of the N‐terminal region.
Decomposition and wage inequality

Earning differentials are investigated by a quantile regressions based decomposition, which disentangles the inequalities linked to the covariates and coefficients at various quantiles. Gender and region are considered the main sources of inequality. The unexplained gender and regional differences decrease at the highest wages. Their combination at the lower wages’ level affects women more, causing a so-called sticky floor. Gender and regional covariate effects show a prevalence of women covariates compared with the men’s group, and a prevalence of southern women covariates within the women’s group, particularly at the higher quantiles. This can be interpreted as a glass ceiling hindering southern women at higher wages.
Labor Market Policies and the "Missing Deflation" Puzzle: Lessons from Hoover Policies during the U.S Great Depression

We document the existence of a "missing deflation" puzzle during the U.S. Great Depression (1929-1941) and show that the solution of this puzzle lies in Hoover policies. Herbert Hoover made multiple public announcements asking firms not to cut wages, most of which complied. The consequences of such a policy are ambiguous since it affects aggregate fluctuations via two channels: as a negative aggregate supply shock this policy decreases output while increasing inflation, but more inflation can postpone the occurrence of a liquidity trap when the economy is hit by a large negative aggregate demand shock. We develop and estimate a medium scale New Keynesian model to measure the effect of Hoover policies during the Great Depression and we find evidence that without such polices the U.S. economy would have ended up in a liquidity trap two years before it actually did, suffering an even deeper recession with a larger deflation. In addition, the welfare effects of Hoover policy are found to be clearly positive.
Paracetamol Self-Poisoning Characteristics, Prevention and Harm Reduction

Background Paracetamol is now the most common drug used for self-poisoning in the UK and is associated with potentially fatal liver damage. Patients admitted to hospital because of paracetamol overdoses were studied in order to determine their characteristics and factors which might have deterred them from taking paracetamol or reduced the dangers of the overdose. Method Eighty patients were studied in hospital using a structured interview schedule, measures of depression and suicidal intent, information collected through the Oxford Monitoring System for Attempted Suicide, and the results of liver function tests. Results Acute liver dysfunction (25 patients) was associated with consumption of more than 25 tablets (odds ratio 4.46, 95% CI 1.31 to 17.41, P = 0.014). The proportionate use of tablets from blister packs (60%) and loose preparations (46%; 5 patients using both types) reflected their general availability. More of those who took tablets from a loose preparation consumed 25 or more tablets (69%) than those who used a blister-pack preparation (40%; odds ratio = 3.0, 95% CI 1.12 to 9.95, P = 0.028). Only 20 patients thought that any type of warning label would have deterred them from taking a paracetamol overdose. Conclusions Establishing a maximum number of tablets (e.g. 25) that can be available in individual preparations is likely to reduce the dangers of paracetamol self-poisoning. The potential effects of other measures are uncertain.
Functions of human bitter taste receptors depend on N‐glycosylation

Human bitter taste receptors of the TAS2R gene family play a crucial role as warning sensors against the ingestion of toxic food compounds. Moreover, the genetically highly polymorphic hTAS2Rs recognize an enormous number of structurally diverse toxic and non‐toxic bitter substances, and hence, may substantially influence our individual eating habits. Heterologous expression in mammalian cells is a useful tool to investigate interactions between these receptors and their agonists. However, many bitter taste receptors are poorly expressed at the cell surface of heterologous cells requiring the addition of plasma membrane export promoting epitopes to the native receptor proteins. Currently, nothing is known about amino acid motifs or other receptor‐intrinsic features of TAS2Rs affecting plasma membrane association. In the present study, we analyzed the Asn‐linked glycosylation of hTAS2Rs at a consensus sequence in the second extracellular loop, which is conserved among all 25 hTAS2Rs. Non‐glycosylated receptors exhibit substantially lower cell surface localization and reduced association with the cellular chaperone calnexin. As the auxiliary factors receptor transporting proteins 3 and 4 are able to restore the function of non‐glycosylated hTAS2R16 partially, we conclude that glycosylation is important for receptor maturation but not for its function per se.
Compliance and barriers to self-monitoring of blood glucose in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus: A systematic review

Objective: This study intends to understand the barriers to self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) patients. In addition, it also aims to know the factors that influence the compliance with SMBG-testing among GDM patients. Methods: The study primarily comprised a search of various databases (PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, PsycINFO, PROQUEST, and CINAHL). Research papers published between March 2010 and June 2018 were searched for this review. Article types considered for this review were observational studies, experimental studies, and systemic reviews with or without meta-analysis. Using a set of eligibility criteria; initially, the papers were scrutinized by reviewing the abstracts, following which a full-text review of the selected papers was undertaken. Finally, a critical appraisal and an overall qualitative assessment of these studies were done. Results: Literature search identified 25 papers, excluding the duplicates. Six studies (two qualitative and four quasi-experimental) that matched the eligibility criteria of this study were reviewed. The barriers of SMBG in GDM patients were non-prescription of SMBG by the health-care providers, poor perception and fear of SMBG, and family history of Type 2 diabetes. Use of smartphone technology and SMBG-education improved the compliance to SMBG testing. However, most of the quasi-experimental studies did not have a pre- and post-intervention comparison of their results or comparison of their findings with any control group. Moreover, the way of determining compliance among three of these studies was not identical. Similarly, among the qualitative studies, one study does not have a clear mention of the language in which the interviews were conducted, whereas the other qualitative study does not state, if the English language translation of the verbatim transcripts was validated or not. Only one study mentioned the diagnostic criteria used to diagnose GDM. Conclusion: The recent evidence to the barriers of SMBG and the factors that influence the compliance of SMBG is weak and not generalizable. Moreover, there is a scarcity of literature that addresses the context.
Detection of ‘antiphospholipid’ antibodies: a single chromogenic assay of thrombin generation sensitively detects lupus anticoagulants, anticardiolipin antibodies, plus antibodies binding β2‐glycoprotein I and prothrombin

The diagnosis of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) requires both a typical clinical event plus a persistently positive test in an assay for either anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies or a lupus anticoagulant (LA). Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) specific for autoantibodies against β2‐glycoprotein I (β2GPI) or prothrombin are also used, but none of the tests are adequately sensitive or specific. A chromogenic assay was developed that measures the effect of test antibody or plasma samples on in vitro thrombin formation. It is able to detect both LA and β2GPI‐dependent aCL antibodies and may have greater specificity for APS than currently available tests. Using this method various monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) were examined, from mice immunized with β2GPI, mice with a spontaneous animal model of APS, and from three humans with APS. Plasma and affinity purified antibodies from patients with APS and control groups were also examined. Thrombin inhibition was more sensitive to perturbation by MoAbs than a combination of tests for LA (P < 0·05) and at lower antibody concentrations (12·5 µg/ml versus 100 µg/ml). There was a significant correlation between inhibition of thrombin generation and the level of MoAb reactivity to β2GPI (r = 0·90; P < 0·001) but not to CL (r = 0·06; P = 0·76). Plasma and affinity purified antibodies from patients with APS also inhibited thrombin generation, and significantly more so than patients with aPL from causes other than APS. APS patient samples showed thrombin inhibition in the presence of anti‐β2GPI or antiprothrombin antibodies. All MoAbs binding β2GPI showed inhibition of thrombin generation, while MoAbs binding domain I of β2GPI had more LA effect.
Two Different Families of hopQ Alleles in Helicobacter pylori

ABSTRACT Helicobacter pylori genomes contain about 30 different hop genes, which encode outer membrane proteins. In this study, we analyzed genetic diversity in the H. pylori hopQ (omp27) locus, which corresponds to HP1177 in the genome of H. pylori reference strain 26695. hopQ and its flanking genes were PCR amplified from multiple H. pylori strains, and the nucleotide sequences were determined. This analysis revealed the existence of two different families of hopQ alleles. Type I hopQ alleles are present in the genomes of two fully sequenced H. pylori strains, whereas the existence of type II hopQ alleles has not previously been recognized. Type I and type II hopQ alleles are 75 to 80% identical in nucleotide sequences and encode predicted outer membrane proteins that are 68 to 72% identical in amino acid sequences. PCR-based methods were developed to enable rapid differentiation between type I and type II hopQ alleles. Type I hopQ alleles were found significantly more commonly in cag+/type s1-vacA strains from patients with peptic ulcer disease than in cag-negative/s2-vacA strains from patients without ulcer disease (P < 0.001). Determination of hopQ allelic types provides a new method for classification of H. pylori strains. Further studies in multiple populations of patients are indicated to evaluate the usefulness of this approach for distinguishing potentially ulcerogenic H. pylori strains from less virulent strains.
Immune Thrombocytopenia and Hemolytic Anemia Associated with Hodgkin Disease

Purpose: We discuss an unusual clinical presentation of Hodgkin disease with immune thrombocytopenia and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Patients and Methods: A 4-year-old boy presented to us with a large anterior mediastinal mass, thrombocytopenia, and Coombs' positive hemolytic anemia refractory to transfusion therapy. Biopsy of the anterior mediastinal mass was possible only after administration of intravenous immunoglobulin to raise the platelet count. The immune manifestations decreased with initiation of appropriate chemotherapy. Result: The child was able to successfully complete chemotherapy and radiation therapy and has no clinical or laboratory evidence of persistent autoimmune phenomena. Conclusion: Immune thrombocytopenia with autoimmune hemolytic anaemia is a rare presenting manifestation of Hodgkin disease and can present difficulty in diagnosis and management.
Exchange rate risk exposure and the value of European firms

This paper presents a new assessment of the exposure of European firms to exchange rate fluctuations which takes into account the potential common drivers of exchange rates and equity market conditions. Using monthly data for European firms from 1999 to 2011, we assess the impact of unexpected fluctuations in the USD, JPY, GBP and CHF against the Euro, and show that the proportion of firms subject to exchange rate risk is considerably larger when estimation accounts for potential common drivers and firm-specific factors than otherwise. Firm exposure to exchange rate risk is affected by the level of international involvement, industry, firm size and country of origin. European firms with largely domestic operations reveal the greatest vulnerability to unexpected exchange rate movements, suggesting an opportunity to improve risk management for these companies.
An examination of selected marketing mix elements and brand equity

This study explores the relationships between selected marketing mix elements and the creation of brand equity. The authors propose a conceptual framework in which marketing elements are related to the dimensions of brand equity, that is, perceived quality, brand loyalty, and brand associations combined with brand awareness. These dimensions are then related to brand equity. The empirical tests using a structural equation model support the research hypotheses. The results show that frequent price promotions, such as price deals, are related to low brand equity, whereas high advertising spending, high price, good store image, and high distribution intensity are related to high brand equity.
The C/ebp-Atf response element (CARE) location reveals two distinct Atf4-dependent, elongation-mediated mechanisms for transcriptional induction of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes in response to amino acid limitation

The response to amino acid (AA) limitation of the entire aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (ARS) gene family revealed that 16/20 of the genes encoding cytoplasmic-localized enzymes are transcriptionally induced by activating transcription factor 4 (Atf4) via C/ebp-Atf-Response-Element (CARE) enhancers. In contrast, only 4/19 of the genes encoding mitochondrial-localized ARSs were weakly induced. Most of the activated genes have a functional CARE near the transcription start site (TSS), but for others the CARE is downstream. Regardless of the location of CARE enhancer, for all ARS genes there was constitutive association of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and the general transcription machinery near the TSS. However, for those genes with a downstream CARE, Atf4, C/ebp-homology protein (Chop), Pol II and TATA-binding protein exhibited enhanced recruitment to the CARE during AA limitation. Increased Atf4 binding regulated the association of elongation factors at both the promoter and the enhancer regions, and inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9), that regulates these elongation factors, blocked induction of the AA-responsive ARS genes. Protein pull-down assays indicated that Atf4 directly interacts with CDK9 and its associated protein cyclin T1. The results demonstrate that AA availability modulates the ARS gene family through modulation of transcription elongation.
The Quality of Well-Being Scale: Applications in AIDS, Cystic Fibrosis, and Arthritis

The Quality of Well-being (QWB) Scale combines preference-weighted measures of symptoms and functioning to provide a numerical point in-time expression of well-being that ranges from zero (0) for death to 1.0 for asymptomatic optimum functioning. The QWB includes three scales of function: mobility, physical activity, and social activity. Each step of these scales is associated with preference weights. Preference adjustments for symptoms are also included. This paper describes how this general system was used to evaluate outcomes in three different clinical conditions: acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), cystic fibrosis, and arthritis. In one study, the QWB was administered to 31 patients participating in evaluation of azidothymidine (AZT) treatment for AIDS. The QWB system demonstrated substantial benefits of AZT treatment in comparison to placebo. In a second study, the QWB and a series of pulmonary function measures were administered to 44 patients with cystic fibrosis. The QWB was demonstrated to be significantly correlated with measures of pulmonary function, including FEV1 and maximal midexpiratory flow rate (MMEFR). In addition, there were significant associations between the QWB and measures of exercise tolerance. In the third study, the QWB and an arthritis-specific measure were administered to 83 arthritis patients before and after their treatment. The QWB was at least as capable of detecting clinical change in this population as was the disease-specific measure. For all three conditions, the QWB considered side effects and benefits of treatment in a common unit. Clinical trial data are cited to suggest that the QWB is a valuable outcome measure in arthritis treatment evaluation. We conclude that the QWB has substantial validity as a general health outcome measure and that the system can be used with different populations.
DIAGNOSIS OF MALARIA IN NON-ENDEMIC COUNTRIES BY THE PARASIGHT-F (cid:2) TEST

QBC (cid:2) , examination of thin blood smears, and Parasight-F (cid:2) were performed for every case of malaria suspected between May 1997 and December 1998. Data from 310 patients were reported. Fifty had malaria infection diagnosed by QBC (cid:2) and thin blood ﬁlm, among whom 39 had Plasmodium falciparum infection. Three of these 39 were negative with the Parasight-F (cid:2) test. Eleven patients had a positive ParaSight-F (cid:2) test but microscopic diagnosis methods were negative. Interpretation of these 11 positive ParaSight-F (cid:2) results is proposed to depend on clinical criteria.
Relationship of the Duration of Ventilator Support to Successful Weaning and Other Clinical Outcomes in 437 Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation Patients

Objective: To investigate the relationships between durations of ventilator support and weaning outcomes of prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) patients. Methods: Cohort study of 957 PMV patients sequentially admitted to a long-term acute care hospital (LTACH). The study population was 437 PMV patients who underwent weaning, having achieved ≥4 hours of sustained spontaneous breathing. They were divided into tertiles of mechanical ventilation (MV) durations and compared for differences (tertile A: 21-58 days, n = 146; tertile B: 59-103 days, n = 147; and tertile C: ≥104 days, n = 144). Results: Tertiles showed comparable weaning success rates and survival. As MV durations increased, LTACH postweaning days became progressively greater, whereas decannulations and discharge physical function diminished, and home discharges decreased while nursing facility discharges increased (all P < .001). Patients with lower physical function before critical illness or greater burdens of comorbidities were least likely to be weaned (all P < .001). Younger ages, lower comorbidity burdens, neurological diagnoses, higher admission prealbumin levels, and successful weaning, each independently reduced the risk of death (all P < .01). Conclusion: Durations of MV did not affect weaning success or survival, although deleterious effects were found in discharges, decannulations, LTACH postweaning days, and discharge physical function. Durations of MV alone should not guide transfer decisions for subsequent continuing care.
Dividend Policy and Earnings Management: Based on Discretionary Accruals and Real Earnings Management

In this paper, we attempt to identify the effect of high dividend payouts on earnings management by examining discretionary accruals and real earnings management. Firms experience pressure to payout dividends from institutional and foreign investors who pursue investments in firms with a high dividend policy. In such cases, managers execute high dividend payouts to meet expectations. However, in the face of lower income or losses, it will be more difficult for managers to justify the high payout of dividends to stakeholders. Therefore, firms will prefer to payout dividends when there is sufficient income. In turn, managers are likely to depend on earnings management as a means to increase the income from which dividends are paid. Under this rationale, we study the effect of high dividend payouts on earnings management.
Retinal Microaneurysm Detection Through Local Rotating Cross-Section Profile Analysis

A method for the automatic detection of microaneurysms (MAs) in color retinal images is proposed in this paper. The recognition of MAs is an essential step in the diagnosis and grading of diabetic retinopathy. The proposed method realizes MA detection through the analysis of directional cross-section profiles centered on the local maximum pixels of the preprocessed image. Peak detection is applied on each profile, and a set of attributes regarding the size, height, and shape of the peak are calculated subsequently. The statistical measures of these attribute values as the orientation of the cross-section changes constitute the feature set that is used in a naïve Bayes classification to exclude spurious candidates. We give a formula for the final score of the remaining candidates, which can be thresholded further for a binary output. The proposed method has been tested in the Retinopathy Online Challenge, where it proved to be competitive with the state-of-the-art approaches. We also present the experimental results for a private image set using the same classifier setup.