Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Paget Sarcoma of the Spine: Scottish Bone Tumor Registry Experience

Study Design. Retrospective case study of 13 cases of Paget sarcoma of the spine accrued from a prospectively collected Tumor Registry database. Objectives. To analyze the clinical, radiologic, and histologic features of Paget sarcoma of the spine and to determine the factors influencing the prognosis. Summary of Background Data. Paget disease of bone is a common disorder with the spine being involved in over 50% of patients. However, sarcomatous degeneration in the vertebral column is an extremely rare complication. There is very little in the literature with regard to clinical presentation and prognosis of patients with Paget sarcoma affecting the vertebral column. Methods. Between January 1944 and December 2003, 89 patients were registered with a diagnosis of Paget sarcoma in the Scottish Bone Tumor Registry. Thirteen patients with Paget sarcoma of the spine were analyzed with regard to their clinical, radiologic, and histopathologic features along with the prognostic predictors. Results. The mean age was 66.9 years (range: 56–79 years). There were 10 males and three females. There were seven cases involving the sacral spine (63.6%), three cases involving lumbar vertebrae, two affecting the dorsal spine, and one with diffuse dorsolumbar involvement (D11–L3). The mode of presentation was progressively increasing low back pain (in all 13), unilateral sciatica (six; left-sided, five; right-sided, one), bilateral sciatica (two), lower limb weakness (eight), and autonomic dysfunction (four). Ten of 13 cases (76.9%) were osteosarcoma. The rest were chondrosarcoma (n = 1), fibrosarcoma (n = 1), and malignant fibrous histiocytoma (n = 1). Decompression laminectomy was performed in three patients with progressive neurologic deficit. Eight patients had received radiotherapy. The mean survival was 4.22 months. Conclusions. This series confirmed that Paget sarcoma of the spine has a very poor prognosis. We found a constellation of symptomatology in patients with sarcomatous Paget spine resulting from radiculomedullary compression, primarily lumbosacral involvement and predominantly osteosarcomatous histology. There was no significant difference observed on the overall prognosis of the patients with Paget sarcoma of the spine in the last 6 decades.
The utility of folate receptor-positive circulating tumor cell in cancer diagnosis in the elderly population

Purpose: Cancer mortality is relatively high in the elderly population. Folate receptor-positive circulating tumor cell (FR+CTC) has proven an effective biomarker for diagnosis of lung cancer and bladder cancer and may be suitable for other cancer types accompanied with a high expression of FR. To date, the diagnostic efficiency of FR+CTC in the elderly population has not been systematically studied. Herein, we sought to investigate the utility of FR+CTC in cancer diagnosis in the elderly population and the influence of comorbidities on FR+CTC levels in such a population. Patients and methods: A total of 35 cancer patients (including 23 lung cancers, 8 colorectal cancers, and 4 other cancers) and 40 noncancer participants, aged between 80 and 110, were recruited in this study. Three milliliters of pretreatment peripheral blood was collected from each participant for FR+CTC analysis. Results: Compared to previous studies, the FR+CTC level was slightly higher in the elderly population (median FR+CTC levels in cancer patients versus noncancer participants were 14.3 versus 9.2 CTC U/3 mL, respectively, P=0.0002). With 10.0 CTC U/3 mL as the cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity of FR+CTC were 85.7% and 65.0%, respectively. In combination with established serum tumor biomarkers, the diagnostic efficiency of FR+CTC further improved (sensitivity=87.9%, specificity=71.8%). Clinical factors including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cerebral infarction, and cardiac, liver, and kidney function were not associated with the FR+CTC level (P>0.05). Conclusion: In this exploratory study, we showed that FR+CTC is an effective biomarker for cancer diagnosis in the elderly population. The presence of comorbidities did not affect the diagnostic efficiency of FR+CTC.
It’s all in how you use it: Managers’ use of meetings to reduce employee intentions to quit.

Meetings are often viewed as unnecessary, wastes of time, and overall negative experiences at work. In this study, we examined the positive side of meetings, specifically, how the relationship a manager fosters with subordinates in meetings affects those employees’ intentions to quit (ITQ). Using an online survey of working adults who regularly attended meetings, we found that the relation between perceived organizational support (POS) and leader–member exchange (LMX) quality in meetings on ITQ depended on an employee’s level of negative affectivity (NA). When POS or LMX in meetings was low or average, high-NA employees held significantly higher ITQ than low-NA employees. However, when POS or LMX in meetings was high, high-NA employees were no more likely to quit than low-NA employees. We provide a series of practical recommendations based on our findings that consulting psychologists can implement in their clients’ meetings to address employee withdrawal cognitions.
Productivity: The Lost Decade

‘Productivity’ is, at its simplest, a measure of how effectively or efficiently a workplace, a business or government agency, a region or a nation as a whole uses the resources at its disposal to produce goods and services which are in turn valued, in some way, by those who consume or use them. At the level of individual workplaces or firms, productivity measures are often expressed in terms of output per unit of a single factor of production, such as land or livestock (in agriculture), some measure of ore extracted (in mining), or, in manufacturing and services businesses, some measure of labour input such as person-hours. At more aggregated or economy-wide levels, productivity is usually expressed as a measure of value added (such as gross product) either per unit of labour input (labour productivity) or per unit of labour and capital services inputs (multifactor productivity). While, conceivably, other factors of production could be included in measures of multifactor productivity, including environmental factors such as water or energy, to date these have been extremely rare, but they may become more widely used as the policy focus on the use of finite natural resources (and their price) increases.
A review of civilian gunshot wounds to the head in northeast Slovenia: 1992 to 2002.

BACKGROUND Surgical management of gunshot wounds to the head has remained a controversial issue. There are considerable regional differences in the causes of civilian gunshot wounds (GSW) to the head and various devices are used in different countries. The aim of our study was to review the demographic factors, treatment and outcome of patients with GSW to the head over the past 10 years at Maribor Teaching Hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty-seven patients with GSW to the head (35 male and 2 female; mean age 43.3 +/- 15.5 years) were included in the study. Clinical and radiological findings are described. Statistical analysis was used to find the effects of all independent variables on mortality and prognostic factors. RESULTS The great majority (86.5%) of our patients suffered self-inflicted wounds. The weapon used was a stunning device in 54% of cases and a handgun in 46%. Alcohol consumption was documented in 40% patients. Nearly half (48.9%) of our patients were either industrial workers or farmers. Postresuscitation Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores of 3-8 were recorded in 54%. The pupils were fixed and dilated in 32.4% of our patients; hypotension was documented in 8.1% and apnea in 27%. These parameters were significantly correlated with poor outcome. A bihemispheric lesion was found in 37.8%, a transventricular lesion in 54% and a multilobar lesion in 70.3% of patients. Those factors were also associated with poor outcome. The majority of patients (56.8%) underwent operation immediately, in 13.5% the operation was delayed and 29.7% of patients had no surgery. The overall mortality was 51.4%, a poor outcome was noted in 24.3% and a good one was achieved in 24.3%. CONCLUSION The results of our study support previous ones stating that patients with GSW to the head can benefit from aggressive treatment and still make satisfactory recoveries. Clearly, there are ethical dilemmas involved in withholding operative treatment from any individual. Guidelines dictating when to surgically intervene must be made.
Tyrosine Phosphorylation of the Proto-Oncoprotein Raf-1 Is Regulated by Raf-1 Itself and the Phosphatase Cdc25A

ABSTRACT There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that Raf-1 is phosphorylated on tyrosines upon stimulation of a variety of receptors. Although detection of Raf-1 tyrosine phosphorylation has remained elusive, genetic analyses have demonstrated it to be important for Raf-1 activation. Here we report new findings which indicate that Raf-1 tyrosine phosphorylation is regulated in vivo. In both a mammalian and baculovirus expression system, a kinase-inactive allele of Raf-1 was found to be tyrosine phosphorylated at levels much greater than that of wild-type Raf-1. The level of tyrosine phosphate on Raf-1 was markedly increased upon treatment with phosphatase inhibitors either before or after cell lysis. Cdc25A was found to dephosphorylate Raf-1 on tyrosines that resulted in a significant decrease in Raf-1 kinase activity. In NIH 3T3 cells, coexpression of wild-type Raf-1 and phosphatase-inactive Cdc25A led to a marked increase in Raf-1 tyrosine phosphorylation in response to platelet-derived growth factor. These data suggest that the tyrosine phosphorylation of Raf-1 is regulated not only by itself but also by Cdc25A.
Mosquito-borne infections in Fiji: III. Filariasis in northern Fiji: epidemiological evidence regarding the mechanisms of pathogenesis

SUMMARY During a filariasis survey conducted in northern Fiji in 1968–9 examinations were made for microfilaraemia, enlarged lymph nodes and elephantiasis. Analysis of the microfilarial densities at different ages and the number of anatomical sites showing lymph gland enlargement or elephantiasis have been used to provide evidence on the clustering of infections and pathogenesis. Although there is no evidence of clustering of risk of infection, there is evidence favouring the clustering of adult filariae in individuals. Nevertheless the number of sites of lymph node enlargement do not correspond with this finding and statistical evidence suggests that lymph-node enlargement is not necessarily associated with the near presence in the body of adult filariae, whether dead or alive. Males of Indian ethnic origin showed a higher prevalence of elephantiasis than males of Fijian ethnic origin, but women of either ethnic race showed prevalences lower than those of men. The onset of elephantiasis at a site does not directly reflect the number of infections sustained in the local area, but it appears that filariasis first induces for a limited period a proneness to elephantiasis. During this period a random and discrete event may induce the onset of elephantiasis. The nature of the event is unknown, but it probably is not trauma.
Do Work Beliefs Moderate the Relationship Between Work Interruptions, Wellbeing and Psychosomatic Symptoms?

The purpose of this study was to explore the moderating effects of work beliefs in the relationship between work interruptions and general health, wellbeing and reports of psychosomatic symptoms. Self-report data were gathered from 310 employees from different occupational sectors. Results revealed that beliefs in hard work and morality ethic moderated the positive appraisal of work interruptions and acted as protective factors on impaired general health and wellbeing. The relationship was stronger among employees who endorsed strong beliefs in hard work and did not have regard for morality/ethics as a value. Likewise, beliefs in delay of gratification and morality/ethics moderated positive appraisal of work interruptions and reduced psychosomatic complaints. More specifically, the relationship was stronger among employees who had strong belief in the values of delayed gratification and weaker morality/ethics. These findings indicate that organisations should adopt work ideology or practices focused on work values particularly of hard work, delay of gratification and conformity to morality as protective factors that reduce the impact of work interruptions on employees’ general health and wellbeing.
Taxes in an open shop trade union model

In a social custom model of union membership with wage bargaining, higher levels of company taxes lower wages while having uncertain employment effects. A higher marginal income tax rate increases employment. Changes solely in the level of income taxation, retaining marginal rates, have ambiguous wage and employment consequences. Endogenising union membership therefore does not alter the effects of tax changes in comparison to a right-to-manage model with exogenously fixed level of density.
Synchronous vs sequential laparoscopic cholecystectomy for cholecystocholedocholithiasis.

AIM To compare synchronous laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) combined with endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) and sequential LC combined with EST for treating cholecystocholedocholithiasis. METHODS A total of 150 patients were included and retrospectively studied. Among these, 70 were selected for the synchronous operation, in which the scheme was endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography combined with EST during LC. The other 80 patients were selected for the sequential operation, in which the scheme involved first cutting the papillary muscle under endoscopy and then performing LC. The indexes in the two groups, including the operation time, the success rate, the incidence of complications, and the length of the hospital stay, were observed. RESULTS There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of the numbers of patients, sex distribution, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, serum bilirubin, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, mean diameter of common bile duct stones, and previous medical and surgical history (P = 0.54, P = 0.18, P = 0.52, P = 0.22, P = 0.32, P = 0.42, P = 0.68, P = 0.70, P = 0.47 and P = 0.57). There was no significant difference in the surgical operation time between the two groups (112.1 ± 30.8 min vs 104.9 ± 18.2 min). Compared with the sequential operation group, the incidence of pancreatitis was lower (1.4% vs 6.3%), the incidence of hyperamylasemia (1.4% vs 10.0%, P < 0.05) was significantly reduced, and the length of the hospital stay was significantly shortened in the synchronous operation group (3 d vs 4.5 d, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION For treatment of cholecystocholedocholithiasis, synchronous LC combined with EST reduces incidence of complications, decreases length of hospital stay, simplifies the surgical procedure, and reduces operation time.
Spectrum of movement disorders associated with glutaric aciduria type 1: A study of 16 patients

Glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA1) is an autosomal recessive neurometabolic disorder due to glutaryl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency. Comprehensive descriptions of GA1‐associated movement disorders are rare. In order to refine the description of the motor phenotype, we prospectively studied 16 consecutive pediatric and adult GA1 patients, focusing on the movement disorders and their time course. In most patients, generalized dystonia, superimposed on baseline axial hypotonia, remained the predominant feature throughout the disease course. With aging, it tended to evolve from mobile to fixed dystonia and to be associated with akinetic‐rigid parkinsonism. Prominent orofacial involvement was a consistent feature in GA1 patients with movement disorders, resulting in speech disorders with features of combined hyperkinetic dysarthria and speech apraxia. The types and outcome of movement disorders in this setting should be taken into consideration during rehabilitation and for patient selection and evaluation in therapeutic trials. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society
Older People in Poverty in Ireland: An Analysis of EU-SILC 2004

The purpose of this study is to update existing data on the issue of older people in poverty in Ireland using the most up-to-date information available, namely the 2004 round of EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU–SILC). The results show that older people have higher rates of income poverty than younger age groups but that they have lower levels of deprivation on most items. The exception, however, is in relation to housing standards, which show older people are more likely to live in accommodation with problems such as damp walls. The results suggest that health status is related to living conditions and consistent poverty. The policy implications of these findings are examined.
A Phase 2 Cancer Chemoprevention Biomarker Trial of Isoflavone G-2535 (Genistein) in Presurgical Bladder Cancer Patients

The soy compound genistein has been observed preclinically to inhibit bladder cancer growth with one potential mechanism being the inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor phosphorylation (p-EGFR). A phase 2 randomized, placebo-controlled trial investigated whether daily, oral genistein (300 or 600 mg/d as the purified soy extract G-2535) for 14 to 21 days before surgery alters molecular pathways in bladder epithelial tissue in 59 subjects diagnosed with urothelial bladder cancer (median age, 71 years). G-2535 treatment was well tolerated; observed toxicities were primarily mild to moderate gastrointestinal or metabolic and usually not attributed to study drug. Genistein was detected in plasma and urine of subjects receiving G-2535 at concentrations greater than placebo subjects' but were not dose-dependent. Reduction in bladder cancer tissue p-EGFR staining between the placebo arm and the combined genistein arms was significant at the protocol-specified significance level of 0.10 (P = 0.07). This difference was most prominent when comparing the 300-mg group with placebo (P = 0.015), but there was no significant reduction in p-EGFR staining between the 600-mg group and placebo. No difference in normal bladder epithelium p-EGFR staining was observed between treatment groups. No significant differences in tumor tissue staining between treatment groups were observed for COX-2, Ki-67, activated caspase-3, Akt, p-Akt, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), or p-MAPK. No significant differences in urinary survivin or BLCA-4 levels between treatment groups were observed. Genistein displayed a possible bimodal effect (more effective at the lower dose) on bladder cancer tissue EGFR phosphorylation that should be evaluated further, possibly in combination with other agents. Cancer Prev Res; 5(4); 621–30. ©2012 AACR.
Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor protects rat intestine from ischemia/reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND We have shown previously that heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is cytoprotective for intestinal epithelial cells exposed to hypoxia in vitro. We now examine the effects of HB-EGF on the recovery of small intestine from ischemic injury in vivo. METHODS Segmental intestinal ischemia of 60-min duration was produced in adult rats by occlusion of a first-order branch of the superior mesenteric artery. Recombinant HB-EGF (100 microg) was injected intraluminally into the proximal small bowel after 45 min of ischemia in experimental animals, and buffered saline was injected in control animals. Animals were sacrificed after 48 h, and the affected bowel was resected, processed, and examined microscopically, with histologic grading of the ischemic injury. Additional animals were allowed to recover for up to 1 month to evaluate mortality differences. RESULTS Intraluminal administration of HB-EGF resulted in significantly decreased extent and severity of ischemia/reperfusion injury, with significantly decreased grade of injury in the HB-EGF-treated compared with nontreated animals (average injury grade 0.66 compared with 2.44, respectively). Moreover, the mortality rate was significantly lower in the HB-EGF-treated animals compared with nontreated animals (0% vs 25%, respectively). HB-EGF-treated animals had increased weight gain in the postischemia recovery period. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that HB-EGF, given intraluminally, reduces both the amount and the severity of ischemia/reperfusion injury in the small bowel, reduces the mortality associated with intestinal ischemia, and may enhance intestinal recovery. The in vitro and in vivo cytoprotective effects of this growth factor suggest that it may, in the future, be clinically useful in treating patients with intestinal ischemia.
Effectiveness of a risk reduction intervention among African American women who use crack cocaine.

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an HIV intervention for African American women who use crack cocaine. Two hundred sixty-five women (aged 18-59 years) were randomly assigned to one of two enhanced intervention conditions or to the National Institute on Drug Abuse standard condition. A substantial proportion of women reported no past 30-day crack use at 6-month follow-up (100%-61%, p < .001). Significant (P < .05) decreases in the frequency of crack use; the number of paying partners; the number of times vaginal, oral, or anal sex was had with a paying partner; and sexual risks, such as trading sex for drugs, were reported over time. Significant (p < .05) increases in male condom use with sex partners were observed, as well as decreases in casual partners' refusal of condoms. Findings suggest that combined components of our culturally appropriate, gender-tailored intervention may be most effective at enhancing preventive behavior among similar populations.
Risk Premia in Carbon and Energy Futures Markets

We propose an approach to estimate and explain the risk premium in carbon and energy futures markets. First, we develop a parsimonious and robust state space model that allows for a time-varying risk premium and apply it to CO2, oil, and gas futures prices. We find that the risk premia are significantly different from zero, strongly time-varying, and that they differ considerably across markets. The CO2 risk premium is mostly positive whereas the oil and natural gas risk premia tend to fluctuate from positive to negative. Next, we extend the existing literature by explaining the risk premia with several macro-financial variables. We show that interest rate, implied volatility, credit risk, and liquidity are important determinants. Moreover, we provide evidence that announcements regarding the EU emissions trading scheme lower the CO2 risk premium and thereby contribute to more transparency.