Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
hprt mutant frequencies, nonpulmonary malignancies, and domestic radon exposure: “Postmortem” analysis of an interesting hypothesis

The hypothesis that exposure to domestic radon raises the risk for leukemia and other nonpulmonary cancers has been proposed and tested in a number of epidemiologic studies over the past decade. During this period, interest in this hypothesis was heightened by evidence of increased frequencies of mutations at the hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (hprt) gene in persons exposed to domestic radon (Bridges BA et al. [1991]: Lancet 337:1187–1189). An extension of this study (Cole J et al. [lsqb[1996]: Radiat Res 145:61–69) and two independent studies (Albering HJ et al. [1992[: Lancet 340:739; Albering HJ et al. [1994[: Lancet 344:750–751) found that hprt mutant frequency was not correlated with domestic radon exposure, and two well‐designed epidemiologic studies showed no evidence of a relation between radon exposure and leukemia in children or adults. In this report, we present additional data from a study of Colorado high school students showing no correlation between domestic radon exposure and hprt mutant frequency. We use reanalyses of previous studies of radon and hprt mutant frequency to identify problems with this assay as a biomarker for domestic radon exposure and to illustrate difficulties in interpreting the statistical data. We also show with analyses of combined data sets that there is no support for the hypothesis that domestic radon exposure elevates hprt mutant frequency. Taken together, the scientific evidence provides a useful example of the problems associated with analyzing and interpreting data that link environmental exposures, biomarkers, and diseases in epidemiologic studies. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 37:7–16, 2001 © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor in ocular fluids of patients with uveitis

AIMS To investigate the levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in intraocular fluids of uveitis patients, the capacity of intraocular infiltrating lymphocytes to produce MIF, and the correlation between MIF levels in the eye and intraocular inflammatory activity. METHODS MIF levels were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using (1) aqueous humour (AH) of 12 uveitis patients and eight control patients with cataract, (2) vitreous fluid of 15 uveitis patients and eight control patients with idiopathic macular hole, and (3) culture supernatants of T cell clones (TCCs) established from intraocular fluids of uveitis patients. MIF expression on infiltrating cells was determined by a double staining immunofluorescence technique using a flow cytometry. RESULTS Significant levels of MIF were detected from intraocular fluids of uveitis patients (4.0 (SD 3.0) ng/ml in AH and 16.5 (24.7) ng/ml in vitreous), whereas MIF levels in control groups were below the detectable levels. There was a significant correlation between MIF levels and vitreous inflammation (29.7 (30.0) ng/ml in active uveitisv 3.3 (2.6) ng/ml in inactive uveitis, p< 0.05). Significant levels of MIF were detected in culture supernatants of TCCs from ocular fluids of uveitis patients. MIF was expressed on infiltrating CD4+ lymphocytes from vitreous of uveitis patients. CONCLUSION Significant levels of MIF are present in intraocular fluids of patients with uveitis. Lymphocytes infiltrating in the eye are capable of producing MIF. MIF levels in vitreous fluid are correlated with vitreous inflammation activity. These data thus indicate that MIF in the eye has a significant role in the pathophysiology of ocular inflammation.
Relationship between intellectual capital and corporate performance of top Pakistani companies: an empirical evidence

The aim of this study is to empirically ascertain the intellectual capital (IC) performance of top 100 companies on the Karachi stock exchange of Pakistan and to examine the effect of different IC elements on corporate performance. This study uses PLS-SEM to develop a path model between IC and corporate performance. The results of this study conclude that the human capital efficiency plays an important role in forming IC in relationship with corporate performance. Structural capital efficiency is a very poor contributor in making IC as its impact is non-significant. However, the capital employed efficiency is contributing significantly towards IC. The relationship between IC and corporate performance is significantly positive which shows that IC performance in top companies of Pakistan is promisingly contributing towards corporate performance. The study offers empirical evidence that a company with better IC resources produces more return on investment, return on equity and productivity.
Karachi Inter-Bank Offered Rate (KIBOR) Forecasting: Box-Jenkins (ARIMA) Testing Approach

The aim of this paper is to find out the forecasting model that is the one, which gives the best output of forecasting. So that policy makers can be benefited from this research. Thus, this research will also evaluate the performance of ARMA, and Box-Jenkins (ARIMA) forecasting models for KIBOR in case of Pakistan. Karachi Inter Bank Offer Rates (KIBOR) is the average interest rate at which banks want to lend money to other banks. KIBOR as a benchmark, to encourage transparency, to promote consistency in market based pricing and to improve management of the market risk undertaken by banks. Researchers have used 6-month rates of KIBOR; data is of 4 years from 2012 to 2015. Therefore, keeping in view of the importance of KIBOR, the objective of this research is to forecast, Karachi Inter Bank Offer Rates (KIBOR) using time series autoregressive moving average (ARMA), Box-Jenkins (ARIMA) model. The study is significant at 1%, the forecasting of rates shows that the rates are very close to the actual one and it further concluded that the applied model Box-Jenkins (ARIMA) is perfect for the forecasting. The results of AIC revealed that there is no evidence of autocorrelation and there is no sample error and the model is useful and robust. It is finally concluded that the forecasting of KIBOR rates by ARIMA (Box-Jenkins) model is very helpful for policy makers. The results extracted from this model are reliable for making any forecasting and also beneficial for government functionaries, financial experts and policy makers of financial institutions in order to device their future strategies.
Tweeting birds: online mentions predict future citations in ornithology

The rapid growth of online tools to communicate scientific research raises the important question of whether online attention is associated with citations in the scholarly literature. The Altmetric Attention Score (AAS) quantifies the attention received by a scientific publication on various online platforms including news, blogs and social media. It has been advanced as a rapid way of gauging the impact of a piece of research, both in terms of potential future scholarly citations and wider online engagement. Here, we explore variation in the AAS of 2677 research articles published in 10 ornithological journals between 2012 and 2016. On average, AAS increased sevenfold in just five years, primarily due to increased activity on Twitter which contributed 75% of the total score. For a subset of 878 articles published in 2014, including an additional 323 ornithology articles from non-specialist journals, an increase in AAS from 1 to 20 resulted in a predicted 112% increase in citation count from 2.6 to 5.5 citations per article. This effect interacted with journal impact factor, with weaker effects of AAS in higher impact factor journals. Our results suggest that altmetrics (or the online activity they measure), as well as complementing traditional measures of scholarly impact in ornithology such as citations, may also anticipate or even drive them.
Physician career satisfaction across specialties.

BACKGROUND The career satisfaction and dissatisfaction physicians experience likely influence the quality of medical care. OBJECTIVE To compare career satisfaction across specialties among US physicians. METHODS We analyzed data from the Community Tracking Study of 12 474 physicians (response rate, 65%) for the late 1990s. Data are cross-sectional. Two satisfaction variables were created: very satisfied and dissatisfied. Thirty-three specialty categories were analyzed. RESULTS After adjusting for control variables, the following specialties are significantly more likely than family medicine to be very satisfying: geriatric internal medicine (odds ratio [OR], 2.04); neonatal-perinatal medicine (OR, 1.89); dermatology (OR, 1.48); and pediatrics (OR, 1.36). The following are significantly more likely than family medicine to be dissatisfying: otolaryngology (OR, 1.78); obstetrics-gynecology (OR, 1.61); ophthalmology (OR, 1.51); orthopedics (OR, 1.36); and internal medicine (OR, 1.22). Among the control variables, we also found nonlinear relations between age and satisfaction; high satisfaction among physicians in the west north Central and New England states and high dissatisfaction in the south Atlantic, west south Central, Mountain, and Pacific states; positive associations between income and satisfaction; and no differences between women and men. CONCLUSIONS Career satisfaction and dissatisfaction vary across specialty as well as age, income, and region. These variations are likely to be of interest to residency directors, managed care administrators, students selecting a specialty, and physicians in the groups with high satisfaction and dissatisfaction.
Chemotherapy‐ and Radiotherapy‐Induced Oral Mucositis: Review of Preventive Strategies and Treatment

Oral mucositis is a frequently encountered and potentially severe complication associated with administration of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Although many pharmacologic interventions have been used for the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis, there is not one universally accepted strategy for its management. Most preventive and treatment strategies are based on limited, often anecdotal, clinical data. Basic oral hygiene and comprehensive patient education are important components of care for any patient with cancer at risk for development of oral mucositis. Nonpharmacologic approaches for the prevention of oral mucositis include oral cryotherapy for patients receiving chemotherapy with bolus 5‐fluorouracil, and low‐level laser therapy for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Chlorhexidine, amifostine, hematologic growth factors, pentoxifylline, glutamine, and several other agents have all been investigated for prevention of oral mucositis. Results have been conflicting, inconclusive, or of limited benefit. Treatment of established mucositis remains a challenge and focuses on a palliative management approach. Topical anesthetics, mixtures (also called cocktails), and mucosal coating agents have been used despite the lack of experimental evidence supporting their efficacy. Investigational agents are targeting the specific mechanisms of mucosal injury; among the most promising of these is recombinant human keratinocyte growth factor.
Prostate Carcinoma With Squamous Differentiation: An Analysis of 33 Cases

Background:Only sporadic cases of prostate carcinomas with squamous differentiation have been reported. Design:The files of two institutions were reviewed for prostate cancers with squamous differentiation. Results:A total of 33 cases were studied. The average age at diagnosis was 68 years (range 49–86 years). The most common presenting symptoms included bladder outlet obstruction and dysuria. Thirteen men had a positive digital rectal examination. Diagnosis was made by needle biopsy (n = 23); transurethral resection of the prostate (n = 5); needle and transurethral resection of the prostate (n = 1); transurethral resection of the bladder (n = 1); or biopsy of metastases (n = 3). In 21 of 33 cases, there was a prior diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the prostate; 8 patients were treated with hormones, 4 were treated with radiation, and 1 received both radiation and hormone therapy. Of the 12 men without a prior diagnosis of adenocarcinoma, 2 patients had received hormonal therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Eight of 33 cases were pure squamous carcinomas. The remaining cases were adenosquamous carcinoma (n = 16), adenosquamous and urothelial carcinoma (n = 3), and adenosquamous carcinoma and sarcoma (n = 6). The squamous carcinoma component of these mixed cases averaged 40% of the tumor volume (range 5%–95%) and had a range of cytologic atypia (mild [n = 6], moderate [n = 17], severe [n = 10]). In the 25 cases with adenocarcinoma, the glandular component tended to be high-grade (Gleason grade >6 in 19 cases). Immunohistochemistry for prostate specific acid phosphatase and prostate specific antigen was positive in a large percentage of the adenocarcinomas (85% and 75%, respectively) and only very focally positive in 12% of the squamous carcinomas. 34βE12 was diffusely positive in >95% of the squamous carcinomas and only focally positive in <10% of the adenocarcinomas. Cytokeratins 7 and 20 did not differentiate the squamous and adenocarcinoma components. Follow-up was available on 25 of 33 cases, with the average survival being 24 months (range 0–63 months). Conclusion:Squamous differentiation in prostate cancer is uncommon, often but not necessarily arising in the setting of prior hormone or radiation therapy, and is associated with a poor prognosis. In addition to pure squamous cell carcinoma and adenosquamous cancer, other patterns may be seen. Whereas the adenocarcinoma component is typically high grade, the squamous component has a wide range of differentiation.
Adherence to Endoscopy Biopsy Guidelines for Celiac Disease

Objective: Histologic changes in celiac disease (CD) may be patchy or confined to the bulb. Present guidelines recommend obtaining multiple biopsies from the bulb and distal duodenum when evaluating for CD. Adherence to these recommendations among adult gastroenterologists is low. There are no such data for pediatric gastroenterologists. This study compared endoscopic biopsy practices among pediatric gastroenterologists in histologically confirmed patients with CD to those without histologically confirmed CD. Methods: Retrospective review of esophagogastroduodenoscopies (EGDs) during a 13-month period was performed. Children with histologically confirmed CD and a random sample of age-matched children without CD were identified. Endoscopy and histology reports were reviewed. The site and number of biopsy samples obtained was recorded. The groups were compared for number of biopsies. Results: A total of 98 children with CD were compared with 103 controls without CD. The number of biopsies obtained in the group with CD was higher than the group without CD (5.9 ± 1.6 vs 3.6 ± 1.2) (P < 0.0001). In children with CD, 80.5% had ≥5 biopsies compared with 11.7% in the group without CD (P < 0.0001). Only 10% of the children in the group with CD had bulb biopsies documented compared with none in the group without CD. Conclusions: Pediatric gastroenterologists at our center generally obtain the recommended number of biopsies in children with histologically confirmed CD but seldom document biopsies from the bulb. In those without histologic evidence of CD, fewer biopsies are obtained with none documented from the bulb. Failure to take the recommended number of biopsies could result in some missed cases of CD.
Suppression of murine collagen‐induced arthritis by nasal administration of collagen

DBA/1 mice were administered type II collagen (CII) or collagen peptides intranasally before systemic immunization to determine whether tolerance could be induced and autoimmune arthritis suppressed. Although prior experiments have demonstrated that collagen given intravenously or orally is effective, the respiratory mucosal route offers several theoretical advantages for dosing peptides, in addition to ease of use. Intact CII, CB11 and a synthetic peptide containing the immunodominant T‐cell epitope recognized by H‐2q mice were all effective in reducing the incidence and severity of arthritis and the immune response to CII. Since previous studies have demonstrated the importance of IgG2 antibody subclasses to the induction of collagen‐induced arthritis, total immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgG1, and IgG2a and IgG2b were measured. IgG2 antibody subclasses were significantly downregulated by the treatment regimen, whereas a slight decrease in IgG1 antibodies was noted that was not significant. In an effort to determine the mechanism by which arthritis was attenuated, cervical lymph node and spleen cells from treated mice were cultured separately with CII and supernatants tested for the presence of T‐cell lymphokines. The cells provided a T‐helper 2 (Th2)‐like response to CII, with T cells from lymph nodes secreting interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) and splenocytes secreting both IL‐4 and IL‐10, whereas a Th1‐like response was detected in immunized mice not tolerized with CII. These findings indicate that the downregulation of arthritis that occurs with intranasal administration of CII is associated with Th2‐type lymphokine profile and a decrease in complement‐fixing antibody subclass.
Swallowing and Sensation: Evaluation of Deglutition in the Anesthetized Larynx

To better characterize the role of laryngeal sensory systems in swallowing, we assessed 5 healthy adult volunteers via functional endoscopic evaluation of swallowing before and after bilateral superior laryngeal nerve block. The volunteers were tested multiple times with both liquid and puree consistencies. Laryngeal anesthesia resulted in a significantly higher (p < .05) incidence of premature spillage, pharyngeal residual, and laryngeal penetration with all consistencies, and a higher incidence of tracheal aspiration with liquid. Aspiration of puree was increased, but the difference did not achieve significance. These results contrast with those achieved by others with topical anesthesia, which caused little impairment. Other afferent modalities besides light touch, interrupted by superior laryngeal nerve block but not by topical anesthesia, may account for the difference. It is likely that this study underestimates the severity of clinical disability from afferent deficits, because of the short duration of the experimental deficit and the lack of associated comorbidities in the subjects. These findings have implications for clinical sensory testing and sensate flap reconstruction of pharyngeal defects.
Characterization and Serologic Analysis of the Treponema pallidum Proteome

ABSTRACT Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum is the causative agent of syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease characterized by widespread tissue dissemination and chronic infection. In this study, we analyzed the proteome of T. pallidum by the isoelectric focusing (IEF) and nonequilibrating pH gel electrophoresis (NEPHGE) forms of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DGE), coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) analysis. We determined the identity of 148 T. pallidum protein spots, representing 88 T. pallidum polypeptides; 63 of these polypeptides had not been identified previously at the protein level. To examine which of these proteins are important in the antibody response to syphilis, we performed immunoblot analysis using infected rabbit sera or human sera from patients at different stages of syphilis infection. Twenty-nine previously described antigens (predominantly lipoproteins) were detected, as were a number of previously unidentified antigens. The reactivity patterns obtained with sera from infected rabbits and humans were similar; these patterns included a subset of antigens reactive with all serum samples tested, including CfpA, MglB-2, TmpA, TmpB, flagellins, and the 47-kDa, 17-kDa, and 15-kDa lipoproteins. A unique group of antigens specifically reactive with infected human serum was also identified and included the previously described antigen TpF1 and the hypothetical proteins TP0584, TP0608, and TP0965. This combined proteomic and serologic analysis further delineates the antigens potentially useful as vaccine candidates or diagnostic markers and may provide insight into the host-pathogen interactions that occur during T. pallidum infection.
Response: Arguments contradict the “foreign protein-zidovudine” hypothesis

In 1991 Duesberg challenged researchers to provide either data on “controlled epidemiologic studies comparing matched hemophiliacs, with and without HIV, or epidemiological evidence that the mortality of hemophiliacs is increased by HIV. ”1 We and Darby et al have provided that evidence.2 3 Duesberg's commentary4 requires further comment. It is incorrect to conclude that HIV is not sufficient to cause AIDS simply because some of the infected patients in our study had not developed AIDS by 10 years after seroconversion. Only longer term follow up studies will finally establish whether all HIV positive patients would, given enough time, ultimately develop AIDS. In the United States around 3800 haemophilic patients have reportedly developed AIDS out of 9000 who have been infected5 (World Federation of Hemophilia, personal communication, 1995), a far higher proportion than that quoted by Duesberg in arguments against the HIV hypothesis. Duesberg's foreign protein-zidovudine hypothesis predicts that haemophilic patients will not develop non-immunodeficiency diseases such as dementia. Given …
Time-Varying Information Rigidities and Fluctuations in Professional Forecasters' Disagreement

Using survey data of US professional forecasters, this paper assesses how forecasters' inattentiveness evolves over time and the implications for fluctuations in dispersion among forecasts. To this end, I employ a time-varying structural VAR model consisting of dispersion among forecasters and the absolute value of their mean forecast revision. The results show that the level of information inattentiveness about inflation increases monotonically from the early 1980s, while a procyclical information stickiness is identified for GDP growth forecasts. I find, however, that countercyclicality in the professional forecasters' forecast revisions, rather than information stickiness, is the main driver of countercyclical fluctuations in disagreement.
Evaluation of the ReSSQ Assay in Relation to the COBAS AMPLICOR CMV MONITOR Test and an In-House Nested PCR Method for Detection of Cytomegalovirus DNA

ABSTRACT The ReSSQ CMV assay is a novel commercially available kit for quantification of cytomegalovirus (CMV), based on real-time PCR with a peptide nucleic acid probe coupled with a single dye. In combination with the LightCycler, the ReSSQ CMV assay was evaluated with respect to specificity, PCR inhibition, linearity, reproducibility, and sensitivity. All nontested CMV materials were negative, and the assay was not inhibited by the use of different anticoagulants or other factors that may influence blood samples. The dynamic range was between 10 and 5 × 108 copies/PCR, and intra- and interassay variabilities were below 0.10 and 0.12 log10 standard deviations, respectively. Assay sensitivity was validated by analysis of 24 samples from a proficiency panel and by comparison to a nested in-house CMV PCR and the COBAS AMPLICOR CMV MONITOR test, using 159 clinical samples. Results from the proficiency panel were well in accordance with input values over the entire range of viral concentrations tested (50 to 31,250 copies/ml). The association between the ReSSQ CMV assay and the in-house PCR was in agreement in 90% of the clinical samples, and discordant results were found for all types of sample materials analyzed. The ReSSQ CMV and COBAS AMPLICOR assays showed no significant differences for samples containing >1,000 CMV copies/ml, but results differed to a greater extent at lower viral concentrations. The results demonstrate that the ReSSQ CMV assay is a CMV-specific, robust, and reproducible method and hence is well suited for routine use in clinical virology laboratories.