Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of Programmed Death 1 Ligands by Murine T Cells and APC1

Programmed death 1 (PD-1) is a new member of the CD28/CTLA-4 family, which has been implicated in the maintenance of peripheral tolerance. Two ligands for PD-1, namely, B7-H1 (PD-L1) and B7-DC (PD-L2), have recently been identified as new members of the B7 family but their expression at the protein level remains largely unknown. To characterize the expression of B7-H1 and B7-DC, we newly generated an anti-mouse B7-H1 mAb (MIH6) and an anti-mouse B7-DC mAb (TY25). MIH6 and TY25 immunoprecipitated a single molecule of 43 and 42 kDa from the lysate of B7-H1 and B7-DC transfectants, respectively. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that B7-H1 was broadly expressed on the surface of mouse tumor cell lines while the expression of B7-DC was rather restricted. PD-1 was expressed on anti-CD3-stimulated T cells and anti-IgM plus anti-CD40-stimulated B cells at high levels but was undetectable on activated macrophages or DCs. B7-H1 was constitutively expressed on freshly isolated splenic T cells, B cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells (DCs), and up-regulated on T cells by anti-CD3 stimulation on macrophages by LPS, IFN-γ, GM-CSF, or IL-4, and on DCs by IFN-γ, GM-CSF, or IL-4. In contrast, B7-DC expression was only inducible on macrophages and DCs upon stimulation with IFN-γ, GM-CSF, or IL-4. The inducible expression of PD-1 ligands on both T cells and APCs may suggest new paradigms of PD-1-mediated immune regulation.
Sticky Costs Behavior and Earnings Management

This study aims to analyze the relationship between cost asymmetry (Sticky Costs) behavior and earnings management practices of Brazilian companies. The methodology refers to descriptive, documentary and quantitative research. The sample comprised 160 Brazilian companies listed on BM&FBovespa between 2008 and 2017. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the data. We observed that accounting profit is affected by sticky costs behavior and by earnings management practices. Total accruals and part of earnings management are explained by costs asymmetric behavior. This paper contributes to the current research on the discussion that part of earnings management can be due to sticky costs. In addition, the results show that the Dechow, Sloan and Sweeney (1995) model could consider the asymmetry of costs as an interference variable on total accruals, in order to better estimate the discretionary accruals.
Virus with a Multipartite Superhelical DNA Genome from the Ichneumonid Parasitoid Campoletis sonorensis

Virus was isolated from the lumen of the calyx region of ovaries in the parasitoid wasp Campoletis sonorensis (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), and the nature of the viral DNA was analyzed. DNA purified from a homogeneous band of virus contained double-stranded superhelical molecules which were polydisperse in molecular weight. At least 25 different covalently closed circles were present, ranging in molecular weight from 4.0 × 106 to 13.6 × 106. The virus DNA was analyzed with restriction enzymes, and the nature of the genetic complexity was evaluated by Southern blot hybridization of native superhelical and relaxed circular virus DNA and of SalI- and HindIII-digested DNA. The data suggest that most of the variously sized covalently closed DNAs were composed primarily of nonhomologous sequences. The different size classes of covalently closed viral DNAs did not appear to exist in equimolar concentrations. However, there was no evidence from observation of virus particles in the electron microscope or from virus fractionation experiments that a mixture of viruses was present in the calyx fluid. The results from this study suggest' that the virus isolated from C. sonorensis, like those isolated from other endoparasitic hymenoptera, may belong to a new class of DNA viruses in which the genome is multipartite, with each DNA existing as a superhelical molecule.
DID IRVING FISHER REALLY DISCOVER THE PHILLIPS CURVE?

Economic lore has it that, with his 1926 article, “A Statistical Relation between Unemployment and Price Changes,” Irving Fisher “discovered the Phillips curve. ” Did he? This paper argues he did not, for two reasons. One: the statistical relationship between inflation and unemployment that Fisher described in his 1926 article was contemporaneously described by Alvin Hansen, Henri Fuss, John Rotherford Bellerby, and Arthur Pigou in their own studies. Two: the statistical relationship that Fisher, Hansen, Fuss, Bellerby, and Pigou described is substantially different from the statistical relationship that Alban William Phillips described in his famous 1958 paper, as well as the many variations of the Phillips curve in the literature, including today’s conventional expectations-augmented Phillips curve. To correct the economic lore, the work of Fisher, Hansen, Fuss, Bellerby, and Pigou on the statistical relationship between inflation and unemployment and Phillips’s 1958 paper should be viewed as separate contributions.
A comparison of toxicant-induced succession for five antifouling compounds on marine periphyton in SWIFT microcosms

Five antifouling biocides, chlorothalonile, dichlofluanide, medetomidine, tolylfluanide, and zinc pyrithione, were evaluated regarding their effect on the composition of the periphyton community and the subsequent toxicant-induced succession (TIS). The periphyton communities were exposed in a semi-static setting for 96 h using a SWIFT microcosm. As a measure of community composition, pigment profiles from the exposed communities were used as effect indicators and compared with unexposed parts of the same community using the Bray–Curtis dissimilarity index. Chlorothalonile caused changes in the community starting at 85 μg l−1 while dichlofluanide had no effect even at the highest concentrations used, 810 μg l−1. The related substance tolylfluanide only affected the community composition at 2700 μg l−1. Medetomidine had a different response curve with a small effect on the community composition at 0.8 μg l−1 which then disappeared only to reappear at 240 μg l−1. Zinc pyrithione had the largest effect on the periphyton community with changes starting at 10 μg l−1 and no detectable pigments at 100 μg l−1. The changes in the community composition for the five substances were also compared using multidimensional scaling. When all substances were analyzed and plotted together, chlorothalonile, dichlofluanide, medetomidine, and tolylfluanide showed surprisingly similar effects compared to zinc pyrithione that gave very different TIS. However, when only chlorothalonile, dichlofluanide, and tolylfluanide were plotted together, clear differences in TIS between the three toxicants were revealed. Dichlofluanide only induced small effects, while concentration-dependent TIS trajectories for chlorothalonile and tolylfluanide took off in opposite directions indicating very different responses of the periphyton communities. This study demonstrates that substances with a similar chemical structure and mechanisms of action can have different effects on the community composition. With the exception of zinc pyrithione, none of the recorded effect levels were at concentrations reported from marine environments so far.
Parathyroid hormone for the prevention of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency.

BACKGROUND Analogues of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) are often given to induce hypogonadism in women who have estrogen-dependent disorders such as endometriosis and uterine leiomyomas. Because estrogen deficiency causes bone loss, concern about premature osteoporosis has prevented long-term therapy with GnRH analogues. We conducted a study to determine whether parathyroid hormone could prevent bone loss in women receiving therapy with GnRH analogues. METHODS We administered human parathyroid hormone (40 micrograms subcutaneously daily) to 20 of 40 women with endometriosis who were being treated with nafarelin (200 micrograms intranasally twice daily) for six months; the remaining 20 women received only nafarelin. Cortical and trabecular bone density and biochemical markers of bone turnover were measured every three months during the six-month study period. RESULTS Serum estradiol concentrations fell to postmenopausal values in 36 of the 40 women. In the women who received nafarelin alone, the mean (+/- SE) bone density in the lumbar spine decreased by 2.8 +/- 0.5 percent (P < 0.001) when measured in the anteroposterior projection and by 3.5 +/- 0.8 percent (P < 0.001) when measured in the lateral projection. In contrast, bone density in the lumbar spine did not change when measured in the anteroposterior projection and increased by 3.4 +/- 1.2 percent when measured in the lateral projection (P = 0.01) in the women who also received parathyroid hormone. Bone density at the femoral neck decreased slightly and similarly in both groups. Radial bone density did not change in either group. Serum alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin concentrations and urinary hydroxyproline and pyridinoline excretion increased (P < 0.001) in the women who received nafarelin plus parathyroid hormone. CONCLUSIONS Parathyroid hormone can prevent bone loss in the lumbar spine in young women with estrogen deficiency caused by treatment with GnRH analogues.
Self-Reported Symptoms in Patients With Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Objective This study evaluated self-reported symptoms in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). Study Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Multicenter clinical investigation in 9 university hospitals. Patients In total, 140 patients with ISSHL and 24 patients with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (USHL; control) were included. Main Outcome Measures A questionnaire on symptoms of ISSHL was distributed and the Short-Form Health Survey (Version 2) was used for assessing the quality of life. Results In response to questions on hearing difficulty, many of patients in both groups experienced symptoms. In response to questions on hearing-related discomfort, a significantly higher number of patients with ISSHL experienced symptoms compared with those with USHL. Compared with a high incidence of tinnitus in patients with ISSHL, very low incidence of tinnitus was observed in those with USHL. In the multiple linear regression analysis, hearing-related discomfort was the sole significant factor on the Mental Component Summary scores of the Short-Form Health Survey (Version 2). Conclusion Many patients with ISSHL experience several symptoms such as hearing difficulty, hearing-related discomfort, tinnitus, and anxiety. Hearing-related discomfort strongly affected the quality of life in patients with ISSHL.
Acute kidney injury in tropical acute febrile illness in a tertiary care centre--RIFLE criteria validation.

BACKGROUND Acute febrile illnesses are a common cause of tropical acute kidney injury (AKI). The incidence and severity of AKI in tropical febrile illnesses and validity of RIFLE classification are unclear. METHODS Consecutive adult inpatients of a tertiary hospital in southern India with tropical acute febrile illness between January 2007 and January 2008 were prospectively studied for the incidence and severity of AKI based on RIFLE classification and its association with mortality and dialysis requirement. RESULTS The 367 patients (mean age 39.7±16.9 years; 60% males) with tropical acute febrile illness due to scrub typhus (51.2%), falciparum malaria (10.4%), enteric fever (8.7%), dengue (7.6%), mixed malaria (6.5%), leptospirosis (3.3%), undifferentiated acute febrile illness (8.4%) and others (3.8%) (spotted fever, vivax malaria and Hantaan virus infection) had an overall mortality rate of 12.3%. The incidence of AKI was 41.1%; of which, 17.4%, 9.3% and 14.4% were in the Risk, Injury and Failure classes, respectively. Of the patients, 7.9% required dialysis. Among the Risk, Injury and Failure groups, there was an incremental risk of mortality (OR 6.9, 20.2 and 25.6; P<0.001) and dialysis requirement (OR 3.4, 28.8 and 178.8; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The incidence of AKI in the common tropical acute febrile illnesses in our study such as scrub typhus, falciparum malaria, enteric fever, dengue and leptospirosis is 41.1%. RIFLE classification is valid and applicable in AKI related to tropical acute febrile illnesses, with an incremental risk of mortality and dialysis requirement.
Biomarker changes after strenuous exercise can mimic pulmonary embolism and cardiac injury--a metaanalysis of 45 studies.

BACKGROUND Biomarkers are well established for diagnosis of myocardial infarction [cardiac troponins, high-sensitivity cardiac troponins (hs-cTn)], exclusion of acute and chronic heart failure [B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP)] and venous thromboembolism (d-dimers). Several studies have demonstrated acute increases in cardiac biomarkers and altered cardiac function after strenuous sports that can pretend a cardiovascular emergency and interfere with state-of-the-art clinical assessment. METHODS We performed a systematic review and metaanalysis of biomarker and cardiovascular imaging changes after endurance exercise. We searched for observational studies published in the English language from 1997 to 2014 that assessed these biomarkers or cardiac function and morphology directly after endurance exercise. Of 1787 identified abstracts, 45 studies were included. RESULTS Across all studies cardiac troponin T (cTnT) exceeded the cutoff value (0.01 ng/mL) in 51% (95% CI, 37%-64%) of participants. The measured pooled changes from baseline for high-sensitivity cTnT (hs-cTnT) were +26 ng/L (95% CI, 5.2-46.0), for cTnI +40 ng/L (95% CI, 21.4; 58.0), for BNP +10 ng/L (95% CI, 4.3; 16.6), for NT-proBNP +67 ng/L (95% CI, 49.9; 84.7), and for d-dimer +262 ng/mL (95% CI, 165.9; 358.7). Right ventricular end diastolic diameter increased and right ventricular ejection fraction as well as the ratio of the early to late transmitral flow velocities decreased after exercise, while no significant changes were observed in left ventricular ejection fraction. CONCLUSIONS Current cardiovascular biomarkers (cTnT, hs-cTnT, BNP, NT-proBNP, and d-dimer) that are used in clinical diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, acute coronary syndrome, and heart failure are prone to alterations due to strenuous exercise. Hence, it is necessary to take previous physical exercise into account when a cardiac emergency is suspected.
Donor-Site Morbidity of the Inferior Gluteal Musculocutaneous Flap for Breast Reconstruction in Teenagers

The purpose of this study is to objectively evaluate donor-site morbidity of the inferior gluteal musculocutaneous flap in teenagers. All cases of breast reconstruction performed between 1996 and 2005 using an inferior gluteal flap were reviewed. Flap size, weight, and pedicle origin were noted. Donor-site morbidity was assessed for scarring, contour deformity, muscle function, and sensation. The charts of 15 patients were reviewed, and 6 patients were available for further investigation. The average flap size and weight were 17 cm × 7 cm and 430 g, respectively. All patients had a well-concealed scar with minimal buttock asymmetry. Sensory assessment showed some degree of hypoesthesia in the territory of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve in all patients. There was no functional loss. Donor-site morbidity of the inferior gluteal musculocutaneous flap is largely related to posterior thigh hypoesthesia despite preservation of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve.
China’s double body: infrastructure routes and the mapping of China’s nation-state and civilization-state

ABSTRACT In contemporary China, there are two cartographies that underlie geographical imaginations of China’s political, economic, and cultural nature. The first is the geobody, a bordered notion of the state that stresses national territorial integrity and draws attention to historical territorial transgressions. The second is the civilization-state, a cartography that stresses extensive civilizational connection over national borders and which draws from China’s ancient cosmopolitan heritage and projected developmental future. This article analyzes the cartographies and attendant discourses of the geobody and civilization-state as iconic representations that speak to different ontologies of China. Analyzing China’s double body reveals two drastically different expectations about borders and infrastructure connectivity. Today and in the early years of the Chinese nation, maps of China’s internal railway network have supported nationalist calls for territorial security and promoted the idea of the Chinese geobody. Contemporary maps of the civilization-state, however, stress an unbounded China looking to enrich its neighbors through cultural exchange, road and railway expansion, and Belt and Road Initiative infrastructural connection. This article argues that these cartographies are not reducible to one another and that geographers should take seriously the affective work of maps beyond that of the geobody in critical geopolitical analysis. Abbreviation: BRI: Belt and Road Initiative
Persistence of Masked Hypertension in Chinese Patients.

BACKGROUND Masked hypertension (MH) has 10-15% prevalence and carries risk similar to that of sustained hypertension, but its short-term persistence remains uncertain. METHODS Forty-five patients with MH (mean age 52.2 years; 37.8% women) were enrolled in the placebo arm of a randomized clinical trial of Chinese medicine (NCT02156024) and followed up for 4 weeks. MH was office normotension (<140/90mm Hg) and daytime (8:00-18:00) hypertension (≥135/85mm Hg). RESULTS At enrolment, office and daytime systolic/diastolic blood pressure (BP) averaged 129.0/80.6mm Hg and 132.9/88.9mm Hg, respectively. Daytime BP thresholds for MH were met in 5 patients (11.1%) for systolic BP, in 25 (55.6%) for diastolic BP and in 15 (33.3%) for both. At follow-up, systolic and diastolic BP had not changed compared with baseline (P ≥ 0.12), except for a 2.1mm Hg decrease in office systolic BP (P = 0.049). MH remained present in 28 patients (62.2%; 95% CI, 48.1-76.3%), whereas 13 (28.9%; 15.7-42.1%) and 4 (8.9%; 0.6-17.2%) converted to normotension (daytime BP <135/85mm Hg) or sustained hypertension (office BP ≥140/90mm Hg), respectively. Substituting daytime by 24-hour BP, using 130/80mm Hg as threshold, produced consistent results. Systolic office BP at baseline independently predicted persistence of MH or progression to sustained hypertension at 4 weeks (odds ratio per 1 - SD increase, 3.49; 95% CI, 1.06-11.2; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS The information that MH persists over 4 weeks in over two-thirds of this sample of patients should inform future clinical trials and guidelines.
Impact of initial antibiotic choice on clinical outcomes in community-acquired pneumonia: analysis of a hospital claims-made database.

BACKGROUND Much controversy exists regarding the initial choice of antibiotics and selected outcomes for patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). METHODS The investigators analyzed a hospital claims-made database to assess the impact of initial antibiotic choice on 30-day mortality, total hospital costs, and hospital length of stay (LOS). Fine risk groups allowed for stratification for variations in the severity of illness. Patients were divided into five monotherapy groups (ie, ceftriaxone, "other" cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, macrolides, or penicillins) and four groups that received dual therapy (ie, the agents listed above, except macrolides) plus macrolides. Patients also were stratified by age (ie, > 65 years of age and < 65 years of age). Severely ill patients were excluded. RESULTS Overall, 44,814 persons met the criteria for inclusion. Among monotherapy patients, those who received macrolides had the least mortality but were the least ill. Patients who received dual therapy generally had shorter LOSs, lower total hospital charges, and decreased mortality compared with those who received monotherapy. Differences among dual-therapy regimens regarding outcomes studies were noted. Patients who were < 65 years of age had lower mortality rates, shorter LOSs, and lower hospital charges than did the more elderly patients. Within this group, those who received dual therapy had better outcomes than those who received monotherapy. CONCLUSIONS We confirmed the value of dual therapy employing macrolides as a second agent in decreasing mortality from CAP, and we provided similar data regarding shorter LOSs and lower hospital charges. This appears to hold for a younger population. Differences among dual-therapy regimens (all employing macrolides) appear to exist and may be clinically relevant.
In vivo 3-T MR spectroscopy in the distinction of recurrent glioma versus radiation effects: initial experience.

PURPOSE To determine if 3-T magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy allows accurate distinction of recurrent tumor from radiation effects in patients with gliomas of grade II or higher. MATERIALS AND METHODS This blinded prospective study included 14 patients who underwent in vivo 3-T MR spectroscopy prior to stereotactic biopsy. All patients received a previous diagnosis of glioma (grade II or higher) and high-dose radiation therapy (>54 Gy). Prior to MR spectroscopy, conventional MR imaging was performed at 1.5 T to identify a gadolinium-enhanced region within the irradiated volume. Diagnosis was assigned by means of histopathologic analysis of the biopsy samples. RESULTS Sixteen of 17 biopsy locations could be classified as predominantly tumor or predominantly radiation effect on the basis of the ratio of choline at the biopsy site to normal creatine level by using a value greater than 1.3 as the criterion for tumor. The remaining case, classified as recurrent tumor on the basis of MR spectroscopy results, was diagnosed as predominantly radiation effect on the basis of histopathologic findings. Disease in this patient progressed to biopsy-proven recurrence within 3 months. Overall, the ratio of choline at the biopsy site to normal creatine level was significantly elevated (unpaired two-tailed Student t test, P <.002) in those biopsy samples composed predominantly of tumor (n = 9) compared with those containing predominantly radiation effects (n = 8). The ratio was not significantly different between the two histopathologic groups. CONCLUSION In vivo 3-T MR spectroscopy has sufficient spatial resolution and chemical specificity to allow distinction of recurrent tumor from radiation effects in patients with treated gliomas.
Endogenous Secretory Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products and Chronic Kidney Disease in the Elderly Population

Background/Aims: The relationship of circulating endogenous secretory receptor for advanced glycation end products (esRAGE) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) has not been well characterized. The aim of the study was to determine whether plasma esRAGE is associated with CKD and is predictive of developing CKD in older adults. Methods: The relationship between plasma esRAGE and CKD (more than stage 3 of the National Kidney Foundation classification; estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/1.73 m2) and CKD over 6 years of follow-up was examined in a cross-sectional and prospective study design in 1,016 men and women, ≧65 years, in the InCHIANTI study, a population-based cohort study of aging in Tuscany, Italy. Results: At enrollment, 158 (15.5%) had CKD. Mean (SD) plasma esRAGE was 0.45 (0.24) ng/ml. Plasma esRAGE (ng/ml) was associated with CKD (odds ratio per 1 SD = 1.30; 95% CI 1.1–1.6; p < 0.005) in a multivariable logistic regression model, adjusting for potential confounders. Plasma esRAGE was an independent predictor of incident CKD over 6 years of follow-up (hazard ratio per 1 SD = 1.37; 95% CI 1.1–1.7; p < 0.008) in a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model, adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusions: Elevated plasma esRAGE is independently associated with CKD and is an independent predictor of incident CKD in older community-dwelling adults.