Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The choice of gender: is elective gender selection, indeed, sexist?

BACKGROUND Like a number of international organizations before them, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recently issued an ethics opinion, which condemned all indications of elective gender selection as devaluatory to women and sexist and, therefore, given the choice, assumed automatic preference for male gender selection in all populations. This study intended to investigate this notion for accuracy. METHODS We investigated the desired gender in 92 couples who had undergone between January 2004 and December 2006 first in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles in attempts at gender selection for family balancing purposes. Their choices were then also investigated stratified for the ethnicity of the couple. RESULTS Among 92 cycles, 36 cycles were selected for female and 56 for male (P = 0.037). An analysis based on the couples' ethnicities revealed, however, considerable differences in gender selection patterns. Especially Chinese (21 out of 22), Arab/Muslim (5 out of 6) and Asian-Indian (5 out of 5) couples primarily selected for males. Other ethnicities, however, actually preferentially selected for female gender (34 female, 25 male selections in 59 cycles). Gender choices thus varied in a statistically significant way between ethnicities (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In an ethnically mixed patient population, elective gender selection for family balancing purposes in most ethnic groups does not represent a discriminatory procedure against female equality. However, cultural biases against females are, indeed, still maintained in some minority populations. Ethics opinions should be considerate of minority opinions, but should be based on prevalent sentiments in a majority of the population.
Assessment of counseling practice in medicine retail outlets in Mekelle City, Northern Ethiopia

Introduction Patient counseling can ideally be providing medication information orally or in written form to patients or their attendants, and it helps to form a concordant approach on encouraging patient involvement in the pharmaceutical care process and to explore patient’s knowledge and understanding. Lack of adequate knowledge on drugs and up-to-date drug information are the major factor that hinders counseling services. This study assessed counseling practice of pharmacy professionals in Mekelle City. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Professionals who volunteered to participate were involved. Self-administered questionnaires were used as data collecting tool to grasp professionals’ practice on patient counseling, and the data were analyzed by using SPSS version 23. One-way analysis of variance and post hoc statistical tests were done to check for association between sociodemographic and other variables of counseling practice. In the statistical analyses, p-value of 0.05 and 95% confidence interval were considered. Results The most frequent drug information given by the pharmacy professionals to clients were unit dose (65%), frequency of administration (79%), and duration of therapy (62%). Study participants claimed that lack of knowledge (37%), lack of updated drug information (49%), high patient load (62%), and absence of a private counseling room (51%) were the main factors that prohibit pharmacy professionals from counseling their patients. Those pharmacy professionals whose monthly income was <2000 Ethiopian Birr claimed lack of knowledge (p=0.007), limited access for updated drug information (p=0.009), and lack of experience (p=0.039) as factors for poor counseling practice. Results of the post hoc analysis showed significant difference among the participants with <5 and >10 years of experience in providing information on storage conditions and written materials with p-value of 0.025 and 0.016, respectively. Conclusion This study proves that the level of satisfactory counseling is still very low compared to the expected practice. Lack of knowledge, lack of updated drug information, high patient load, absence of private counseling room, and underestimating the importance of counseling were identified as some of the factors that impede counseling services.
Political change and territoriality in Indonesia

1. Territorial Change in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia 2. Breaking Boundaries, Splitting Regions: The Politics of Territorial Coalitions 3. Origins and Dilemmas of Territorial Administration in Colonial Indonesia 4. Post-Colonial Territorial Administration and the Imperative Toward Centralization 5. Marginality and Opportunity in the Periphery 6. Territoriality and Membership: The Case of Kepulauan Riau 7. Elite Conflict and Pressure From Above: Dividing West Papua 8. Politics of Territorial Change: Comparisons and Conclusions
Epoetin alfa therapy increases hemoglobin levels and improves quality of life in patients with cancer-related anemia who are not receiving chemotherapy and patients with anemia who are receiving chemotherapy.

PURPOSE To evaluate efficacy, safety, and quality of life (QOL) changes with epoetin alfa therapy for anemia in patients with nonmyeloid malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS Anemic cancer patients were enrolled onto this prospective, open-label study from 34 centers across Canada. The trial had two cohorts: patients who were and were not receiving chemotherapy during the 16-week study. All patients initially received epoetin alfa 150 IU/kg subcutaneously three times per week. The dose was doubled after 4 weeks for patients who did not experience sufficient response. RESULTS Of the 183 patients enrolled in the nonchemotherapy cohort, statistically significant and clinically relevant improvements in QOL were observed with epoetin alfa therapy using both the FACT-An questionnaire and linear analog scale assessment. Hemoglobin levels increased significantly (P <.001; mean increase 2.5 g/dL from baseline to end of study) and these increases were positively correlated with improved QOL and change in Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scores. There was a significant reduction in the percentage of patients who required blood transfusions. The 218 patients in the chemotherapy cohort also experienced significant improvements in QOL, decreased transfusion use, and increased hemoglobin levels that correlated with QOL improvements and change in ECOG scores. Epoetin alfa was well-tolerated in both cohorts. CONCLUSION Epoetin alfa administered to patients with cancer-related anemia for up to 16 weeks resulted in significantly improved QOL, increased hemoglobin levels, and decreased transfusion use. These benefits were observed in cancer patients who were not receiving chemotherapy as well as those who were.
MHC control of IL-4-dependent enhancement of B cell Ia expression and Ig class switching in mice treated with mercuric chloride.

Systemic treatment of susceptible mouse strains with HgCl2 is known to induce elevated serum concentrations of IgG1, IgG2A, and IgE, formation of antinuclear (ANA) and antinucleolar autoantibodies (ANolA), and immune glomerulonephritis. The development of these HgCl2-induced immunological alterations requires CD4+ T cells. The H-2s haplotype encodes susceptibility and, as far as studied, H-2d determines resistance. For a better understanding of susceptibility and resistance to HgCl2 at the level of Th and B cells, we compared the effects of HgCl2 treatment in the H-2 congenic mouse strains B10.S (H-2s) and B10.D2/n (H-2d). We show that (1) H-2s but not H-2d mice responded to HgCl2 treatment with massive activation of their B cells and switch to IgE, IgG1, and IgG2A; (2) both H-2s and H-2d mice responded to HgCl2 with IL-4-dependent increases in B cell Ia expression, but significantly higher levels were induced in H-2s than in H-2d mice; (3) splenic CD4+ T cells of HgCl2-treated H-2s mice showed a strong increase in IL-4 mRNA, whereas those of H-2d mice showed only a weak increase; (4) both H-2s and H-2d mice expressed enhanced splenic numbers of CD45RBlo CD4+ T cells, suggesting activation of T cells in both strains. These results indicate that the MHC, presumably by its class II loci, modulates the T cell response to the etiologic agent HgCl2, and, hence, determines which type of immune effector mechanism is activated. A possible explanation of the observed strain difference is that H-2s and H-2d mice responded to systemic treatment with HgCl2 by preferential activation of Th2 and Th1 cells, respectively.
Reproducibility of measurements of regional resting and hyperemic myocardial blood flow assessed with PET.

UNLABELLED PET with 13N-ammonia permits the noninvasive quantification of myocardial blood flow (MBF) in humans. The present study was done to assess the reproducibility of quantitative blood flow measurements at rest and during pharmacologically induced hyperemia in healthy individuals. METHODS Thirty healthy volunteers (26 men, 4 women) were studied. Paired measurements of MBF at rest (n = 21), during adenosine (n = 15) and during dipyridamole (n = 7) were performed using a two-compartment model for 13N-ammonia PET. The mean difference between baseline and follow-up blood flow (% difference) was calculated to assess reproducibility. RESULTS No significant difference was observed between resting blood flow at baseline or follow-up (15.8% +/- 15.8%; p = ns). Baseline and follow-up resting blood flow were linearly correlated (r = 0.63, p < 0.005). Normalization of resting blood flow to the rate pressure product improved the reproducibility significantly (15.8% +/- 15.8% versus 10.1% +/- 10.5%, p < 0.05). Baseline and follow-up hyperemic myocardial blood flow did not differ (11.8% +/- 9.4%; p = ns) and were linearly correlated (r = 0.69, p < 0.0005). CONCLUSION MBF at rest can be measured reproducibly with 13N-ammonia PET. The individual response to pharmacologic stress appears to be relatively consistent. Thus, serial blood flow measurements with 13N-ammonia PET can be used to quantify the effect of various interventions on MBF and vasodilatory reserve.
Reinitiation of Cell Wall Growth After Threonine Starvation of Streptococcus faecalis

Cultures of Streptococcus faecalis ATCC 9790 were starved of threonine for 10 hr and then allowed to reinitiate growth in a fresh complete medium. On regrowth, culture turbidity began to increase within 10 min, but the ability of cells to autolyze did not begin to increase until after 30 min. Ultrastructural studies of regrowth of the initially thick-walled cells showed, at about 30 min, centripetal linear extension of new thin cross wall. This was followed, at about 40 min, by a notching, splitting, and peeling apart of the base of the cross wall. After this, extension of new thin peripheral wall from the nascent cross wall appeared to push old thick wall toward the poles. After the first cell division, asymmetric cells with one initial generation thick-walled pole and one second generation thin-walled pole were seen. After two divisions, thick-walled hemispheres were still seen, suggesting conservation of old wall during this time. A small fraction of the initial cell population exhibited aberrations and difficulties in reinitiating linear wall extension and were useful in the establishment of a model for the reinitiation of linear wall extension.
Evaluation of chromogenic medium and direct latex agglutination test for detection of group B streptococcus in vaginal specimens from pregnant women in Lebanon and Kuwait.

This study was undertaken to evaluate chromogenic medium and a direct latex agglutination test (DLA) for detection of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in the vaginal specimens of pregnant women, and to ascertain the prevalence of GBS in this population in Kuwait and Lebanon. Vaginal swabs, collected from women at 35-37 weeks of gestation, were cultured on 5 % sheep blood agar (SBA), colistin nalidixic acid agar (CNA), Strept B Select chromogenic agar (SBS) as well as Lim enrichment broth in 168 cases in Lebanon while only SBA was used for 1391 samples in Kuwait. In addition, vaginal samples from 102 GBS-positive and 20 GBS-negative women near the time of delivery were collected in Kuwait for evaluation of the DLA test. During the study period, the prevalence of GBS colonization was determined to be 20.7 % (288/1391) in Kuwait while 18.4 % (31) of 168 pregnant women in Lebanon had vaginal cultures positive for GBS. By direct plating of vaginal swabs on the three media used, the isolation rates of GBS were 51.6, 64.5 and 77.4 % on SBA, CNA and SBS, respectively, which increased to 90.35, 93.1 and 96.8 %, respectively, following subculture in Lim broth after 18 h of incubation. The sensitivity of the DLA test was found to be dependent on the density of GBS colonization, resulting in 100 % sensitivity and 100 % specificity for heavy (>10(2) c.f. u. per swab) and moderately heavy (50-100 c.f.u. per swab) growth of GBS. However, for vaginal specimens yielding <50 c.f. u. per swab, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the DLA test were 100, 55.5, 63.6 and 100 %, respectively. In conclusion, a chromogenic agar, such as SBS, and a DLA test can be used for rapid detection of GBS in pregnant women. The DLA test, in particular, could prove to be a useful tool for immediate detection of GBS in women near delivery so that intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis can be initiated.
Intraventricular and Brachial Artery Thrombosis in Nephrotic Syndrome

A 23-year-old Saudi female presented with nephrotic syndrome. On renal biopsy she had primary focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis which was resistant to steroids. Two years later she presented with absent left arm pulses and on investigation a diagnosis of left ventricular thrombosis and thromboembolism of left brachial artery was made. Low antithrombin III, high fibrinogen levels and diuretic therapy were the possible causative factors for hypercoagulable state. On anticoagulation therapy initiated with heparin and continued with warfarin for 8 weeks there was complete dissolution of intraventricular and improvement of left brachial artery thrombosis. An early diagnosis and treatment of this potentially serious complication of nephrotic syndrome are stressed.
Government Ownership in Listed Firms Around the World

Abstract Based on the first of its kind large-scale research on worldwide government ownership from 47 countries, the results show that government owners like to be the largest blockholders; if government is the largest blockholder, the size of its ownership is also quite big. Government ownership is mostly distributed in banks, infrastructure and public utility companies, and strategic manufacturing companies. While there are various theoretical arguments on the size and industry distribution of government ownership, this study provides first-ever empirical evidence. In sum, this paper contributes significantly and originally to our understanding on government ownership, and lay out further directions for future research on the complicated corporate governance issues of government ownership.
The Anatomy of Sustainable Growth Rate of Indian Manufacturing Firms

An important parameter to gauge the reasons behind success (failure) of a firm in the form of sustainable growth rate provides useful insights to managers and investors. This research analyzes the variations in calculations and suitability of method of calculating this growth rate using two different formulas. It also intends to examine the extent to which these variations in sustainable growth rate are explained by some of its important determinants. Using panel data regression by decomposing return on equity into net profit margin, asset turnover and financial leverage, results suggest that four key ratios are robust in capturing the variations in sustainable growth rate even after introducing industry-specific factors like industrial growth and inflation in the regression equations. Sustainable growth rate calculated only on the basis of percentage change in book value of equity provides an aggregate view depicting that any changes in sustainable growth rate across industries are random. Further analysis provides evidence that net profit margin drives the sustainable growth of firms in the Indian manufacturing sector.
Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in systemic lupus erythematosus. Are they specific tools for the diagnosis of aPL syndrome?

Objective - Antiphospholipid antibody (aPL)specificity foraPL-related events wasevaluated insystemic lupuserythematosus(SLE). Methods-Astudywascarried outon105 patients affected withSLEcomparing the prevalence oflupusanticoagulant (LA) andIgGandIgM anticardiolipin antibodies(aCL)betweenpatients withand without features ofantiphospholipid syndrome(APS). Antiphospholipid antibody profile wassubsequently evaluated inthe aPL positive patients withandwithout aPL-related events, thusexcluding the patients withcomplications of APS possibly duetofactors otherthanaPL. Results-LA showedastrong association withthrombosis andlivedo reticularis, and IgG aCL withthrombosis and neurological disorders, whilenoclinical features wereassociated withIgMaCL.A considerable number of aPL positive patients withno aPL-related manifestations wasalsoobserved, suggesting thelow specificity ofaPL assays(54.4%). When studying the60aPLpositive patients, LA wasspecific (91/3%) forthediagnosis of aPL-related thrombosis, whereasaCL werenotspecific, although IgGaCLmean levels werehigher inpatients witharterial thrombosis thaninthosewithoutAPS features. Conclusions-LA butnotaCLpositivity is a specific toolforthediagnosis of thrombotic complications duetoaPLin SLE. (Ann RheumDis1994; 54:140-142)
Stroke recurrence among South Asians with diabetes in Ontario, Canada

Background South Asians have more vascular risk factors, earlier cardiovascular disease onset, and higher stroke mortality than non-South Asians. However, ethnic differences in long-term outcomes post-stroke in diabetics are unclear. Aims We compared cardiovascular outcome risk after first ischemic stroke between South Asian and non-South Asian diabetics. Methods Using population-based health care databases in Ontario, Canada, we selected all patients with diabetes hospitalized with first ischemic stroke between 1 April 2002 and 31 March 2012, and assigned South Asian versus non-South Asian ethnicity using a validated surname algorithm. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis estimated survival functions, and competing risk models estimated hazards of death, stroke, and myocardial infarction. The primary predictor was ethnicity, and models were adjusted for demographics and vascular risk factors. Sensitivity analysis including adjustment for medication use was performed in those aged ≥65 years. Results There were 25,495 diabetics with first ischemic stroke; 840 were South Asian. South Asians were younger, more often male, had lower income, and had shorter Ontario residency compared to non-South Asians. South Asians had higher incidence and cumulative risk of recurrent stroke. In fully adjusted competing risk models, recurrent stroke rate was increased among South Asians compared to non-South Asians (HR 1.17 [95% CI 1.00–1.38]) in the whole cohort and in those aged ≥65 years, both with adjustment for medication use (HR 1.23 [1.01–1.50]) and without (1.27 [1.04–1.54]). Conclusions In this large population-based study, South Asian diabetic stroke patients had higher recurrent stroke rates compared to non-South Asians, despite a younger age profile. Further research is needed to reduce stroke burden in South Asians.
Passport to Parenthood: Reproductive Pathways In and Out of Denmark

Abstract Denmark has become a destination for single women, lesbians, and heterosexual couples wanting donated sperm. At the moment, women from Sweden, Norway, Germany, Italy, and the UK travel to Denmark. Simultaneously, waiting lists for donated eggs and age restrictions are prime motivations for infertile Danish women and heterosexual couples to leave Denmark and travel to Spain, the Czech Republic, the Ukraine, and Greece for egg donation. Informed by Donna Haraway’s notion of “the apparatus of bodily production”, Marcia Inhorn’s development of “reproductive flows”, and the use of Adele Clarke’s “situational analysis”, this paper explores the question: How do global reproductive pathways in and out of Denmark emerge when fertility travellers narrate, negotiate, and cross national borders to go through fertility treatment? Methodologically, we use a multi-sited and multi-modal approach centring on interviews with fertility travellers moving to and from Denmark in combination with ethnographic observations carried out in Danish and Spanish fertility clinics and an analysis of legal regulations. The paper concludes by discussing how the concept of reproductive pathways helps to theorize transnational movements of bodies and contributes to feminist scholarship on transnational reproductive travel.
Preparation of a monoclonal antibody to citrullinated epitopes: Its characterization and some applications to immunohistochemistry in human brain

Using hybridoma technology, an IgM monoclonal antibody (mAb), designated as F95, was developed against a deca‐citrullinated peptide (DCP) consisting of 10 citrulline residues and a carboxyl Gly‐Gly‐Cys through which DCP was covalently linked to an activated carrier protein, keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). Clones were selected on the basis of not reacting with human unmodified and noncitrullinated myelin basic protein (MBP), MBP‐C1, but reacting well with human citrullinated MBP (MBP‐C8). When tested by ELISA, this mAb demonstrated minimal reactivity with human MBP‐C1, varying reactivity with the C2–C5 isomers of human MBP, moderate binding with guinea pig MBP‐C8, and strong reactivity with human MBP‐C8. By ELISA, mAb F95 was directed predominantly against citrulline, not MBP, as revealed by its binding to DCP linked with activated KLH, bovine serum albumin (BSA), or ovalbumin (OA), but not with KLH, BSA, or OA alone. Immunohistochemistry of normal human brain demonstrated that F95 stained central nervous system myelin and a subset of astrocytes. Given the citrulline‐directed features of mAb F95, this immunohistochemical pattern suggests that certain astroglial filaments expressing glial fibrillary acidic protein also contain citrulline‐bearing components. These potentially implicate citrullinated proteins, notably in astroglial filaments, in a variety of normal and pathological neurobiological processes. GLIA 37:328–336, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Roads and the Geography of Economic Activities in Mexico

This paper estimates the impacts of road improvements on local employment and specialization in Mexico for 1986-2014, through changes in access to domestic markets and travel costs to ports and the U.S. border. Instrumenting for road placement endogeneity and addressing the recursion problem in regressions that involve access to markets, the analysis finds significant and positive causal effects of improved domestic accessibility on employment and specialization. It also finds that employment is stimulated by lower transport costs to the U.S. border, but harmed by lower transport costs to ports. Heterogeneous effects are found across sectors and regions.