Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of gender and socioeconomic background on the decision to perform gallstone surgery: a population-based register study

Abstract Background. In the absence of unequivocal standardized indications for surgery, socioeconomic background and gender may have a major impact on the decision to perform surgery for cholecystolithiasis. The purpose was to assess how decisions to perform surgery in Sweden are influenced by patient-related factors and how this affects the epidemiology of gallstone disease. Materials and methods. This study is based on the Swedish Register for Gallstone Surgery and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (GallRiks), which covers >90% of surgical units, including 98% of all procedures performed. All procedures performed during 2005–2009 were included. Data on socioeconomic background were obtained from Statistics Sweden. The influence of gender and age on decision to perform surgery was tested in multivariate linear regression analysis. Results. Up to the age of 40 years, women were 6 times more likely than men to undergo surgery for biliary colic. On the other hand, there was a relative preponderance of men undergoing cholecystectomy for jaundice, cholecystitis, bile duct stone or pancreatitis in the elderly population (p < 0.001). Socioeconomic background did not have any significant impact on the decision to operate. Conclusion. Presentations of gallstone disease differ between men and women, as does the decision to perform surgery. The higher incidence of surgery for secondary complications in older men could be explained by a higher prevalence of gallstones resulting from a lower incidence of surgery at a younger age. Whether or not wider indications for surgery in young patients reduce the risk for gallstone complications requiring surgery should be explored in future studies.
Urinary oxalate to creatinine ratios in healthy Turkish schoolchildren

Abstract Aim: we aimed to establish reference values for urinary oxalate to creatinine ratios in healthy children aged 6–15 years and to investigate the relationship between their nutritional habits and oxalate excretion. Materials and methods: Random urine specimens from 953 healthy children aged 6–15 years were obtained and analyzed for oxalate and creatinine. Additionally, a 24-h dietary recall form was prepared and given to them. The ingredient composition of the diet was calculated. The children were divided into three groups according to age: Group I (69 years, n = 353), Group II (10–12 years, n = 335), and Group III (13–15 years, n = 265). Results: The 95th percentile of the oxalate to creatinine ratio for subjects aged 6–9, 10–12, and 13–15 years were 0.048, 0.042, and 0.042 mg/mg, respectively. The oxalate to creatinine ratio was significantly higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 and Group 3. Urinary oxalate excretion was positively correlated with increased protein intake and negatively correlated with age. A significant positive correlation was determined between urinary oxalate excretion and the proline, serine, protein, and glycine content of diet. Dietary proline intake showed a positive correlation with the urine oxalate to creatinine ratio and was found to be an independent predictor for urinary oxalate. Conclusions: These data lend support to the idea that every country should have its own normal reference values to determine the underlying metabolic risk factor for kidney stone disease since regional variation in the dietary intake of proteins and other nutrients can affect normal urinary excretion of oxalate.
Resource-poor settings: infrastructure and capacity building: care of the critically ill and injured during pandemics and disasters: CHEST consensus statement.

BACKGROUND Planning for mass critical care (MCC) in resource-poor or constrained settings has been largely ignored, despite their large populations that are prone to suffer disproportionately from natural disasters. Addressing MCC in these settings has the potential to help vast numbers of people and also to inform planning for better-resourced areas. METHODS The Resource-Poor Settings panel developed five key question domains; defining the term resource poor and using the traditional phases of disaster (mitigation/preparedness/response/recovery), literature searches were conducted to identify evidence on which to answer the key questions in these areas. Given a lack of data upon which to develop evidence-based recommendations, expert-opinion suggestions were developed, and consensus was achieved using a modified Delphi process. RESULTS The five key questions were then separated as follows: definition, infrastructure and capacity building, resources, response, and reconstitution/recovery of host nation critical care capabilities and research. Addressing these questions led the panel to offer 33 suggestions. Because of the large number of suggestions, the results have been separated into two sections: part 1, Infrastructure/Capacity in this article, and part 2, Response/Recovery/Research in the accompanying article. CONCLUSIONS Lack of, or presence of, rudimentary ICU resources and limited capacity to enhance services further challenge resource-poor and constrained settings. Hence, capacity building entails preventative strategies and strengthening of primary health services. Assistance from other countries and organizations is needed to mount a surge response. Moreover, planning should include when to disengage and how the host nation can provide capacity beyond the mass casualty care event.
correlation between histologic grade of malignancy and copy number of c‐erbb‐2 gene in breast carcinoma. A retrospective analysis of 176 cases

A system of histologic grade of malignancy in human breast carcinoma was devised by significantly modifying the way of evaluating number of mitoses and architectural atypia in the histologic grading of Bloom and Richardson. The modified grading system was applicable to all histologic subtypes of adenocarcinoma and showed a good association with prognosis of breast carcinoma patients in retrospective analysis of 176 consecutive surgical cases (P < 0.0001). Of the three components of histologic grade, architectural atypia and number of mitotic figures independently had a significant effect on the prognosis. The copy number of c‐erbB‐2, a prognostic factor independent of tumor size and nodal status, was strongly correlated with the histologic grade, number of mitotic figures, and degree of nuclear atypia (P < 0.001, each). Cox's regression model analysis showed that nodal status and histologic grade were two determinants of prognosis, and the independent effect of c‐erbB‐2 amplification was absorbed within that of the histologic grade. Although the importance of c‐erbB‐2 gene copy number seemed to be inferior to that of the histologic grade, both were shown to be strongly associated with the aggressiveness of the tumor itself rather than the extent of tumor spread.
HLA Markers DQ8 and DR53 Are Associated With Lymphocytic Hypophysitis and May Aid in Differential Diagnosis.

IMPORTANCE Lymphocytic hypophysitis (LH) is a poorly understood autoimmune disorder of the pituitary gland. Symptoms include headache, pituitary dysfunction, visual disturbances, and neurological deficits. The diagnosis can be made based on clinical and biochemical findings, but for atypical presentations, no circulatory diagnostic biomarkers exist, and a pituitary biopsy is necessary for diagnosis. OBJECTIVES We used high-resolution human leukocyte antigen (HLA) screening assays to investigate a relationship between specific HLA markers and LH. DESIGN This was a retrospective analysis. SETTING The study was conducted at a tertiary referral center. SUBJECTS Fifteen patients with sporadic LH, 4 patients with melanoma who developed hypophysitis after administration of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) antibodies, and 1 patient with sarcoid-associated hypophysitis were evaluated. INTERVENTION Clinical data, including endocrine function, were assessed, and HLA typing was performed in all 20 patients with hypophysitis, 50 control patients with other sellar abnormalities, and 4 CTLA4 antibody-treated patients without hypophysitis. RESULTS Two major histocompatibility class II HLA markers, DQ8 and DR53, were found in 13 of 15 (87%) and 12 of 15 (80.0%) patients with sporadic LH, respectively. In contrast, none of the 4 patients who developed hypophysitis after administration of the CTLA4 antibodies exhibited the HLA-DQ8 marker and only 1 of 4 (25%) exhibited the HLA-DR53 marker. In a parallel group of 50 control subjects with sellar masses and 4 CTLA4 antibody-treated patients who did not develop evidence of pituitary failure, the candidate HLA subtypes were found in ∼20% for DQ8 and ∼48% for DR53, respectively. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE The HLA markers, DQ8 and DR53, were found to be commonly present in patients with LH. The odds ratio of a patient with LH expressing the HLA-DQ8 marker is 23.1-fold higher than that of a patient with another sellar mass. HLA-DQ8 testing may assist in diagnosis and avoid unnecessary biopsies in patients with atypical LH.
Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia in Pregnancy: Report of a Case Treated with Leukapheresis

CML was diagnosed by chance in a 24-year-old woman at the 15th week of pregnancy which, on being informed of her disease she decided to continue. No treatment was given until the 24th week, when WBC reached 140,000/mm3 and it was believed necessary to begin treatment. A program of leukapheresis was started, with the sole aim of reducing the expanding leukemic pool. With 8 leukapheresis, performed at intervals of 2–8 days, WBC were reduced and kept at about 100,000/mm3; after the 8th procedure there was a progressive reduction of WBC to 40,000/mm3, which level was maintained without further treatment for about 4 weeks. Pregnancy and fetal development continued normally. Labor was induced at the 37th week of gestation, and a normal male infant was delivered whose development to date (20 months of age) is normal.
Hope in Iranian cancer patients

BACKGROUND: Hope is an important factor in the recovery of cancer patients. Few Iranian studies investigated the level of hope in cancer patients. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the level of hope in Iranian cancer patients and the related factors. METHODS: In a descriptive correlational study, 150 cancer patients were selected by a consecutive sampling method. Hope in patients was measured by the Herth Hope Index. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: Results indicated that 61.1% of the patients had high levels of hope, 35.4% had moderate levels of hope, and 3.5% had low levels of hope. Hope has a statistically significant relationship with family support, but it is not statistically associated with other patient characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Many cancer patients had a high level of hope. However, further studies are recommended to investigate the relation between hope and patient characteristics.
The metal–insulator transition in the half-filled extended Hubbard model on a triangular lattice

In this paper, we have investigated the metal–insulator transition (MIT) in a two-dimensional half-filled extended Hubbard model on an isotropic triangular lattice with a real space block renormalization group technique. It has been found that the MIT can be driven nontrivially by either the on-site interaction U or the nearest-neighbor one V, but with different critical exponents. Depending upon the values of V, the system could have one, two or three MIT critical points. Moreover, for the metallic regime, we have also studied the competition effect from the spin density wave and charge density wave phases by using a mean-field theory based upon Hartree–Fock approximations. Finally, the single-site entanglement is also calculated and its first derivative with respect to U shows a jump along the critical line of the MIT.
A 40-nm CMOS V-band single-pole quadruple-throw absorptive switch for phased-array applications

This paper proposes a single-pole quadruple-throw absorptive-type switch using 40-nm CMOS for 60-GHz phased-array applications. Based on the conventional series-shunt architecture, resonant technique is adapted for the series switch to improve the isolation. In addition, a high-impedance transmission line is placed between the series and the shunt switches to compensate the parasitic capacitors for on-state switch and increase the input impedance of the off-state switch. The proposed switch demonstrates a measured insertion loss of better than 4.3 dB, and the measured isolation is better than 18.2 dB from 57 to 66 GHz. The chip size is only 0.62 mm×0.44 mm including all test pads.
Effect of heat stress on blood parameter, carcass and meat quality of Black Bengal goat

The research was conducted to study the effect of heat stress on blood parameter, carcass characteristics and meat quality of the Black Bengal goat. Nine goats were randomly and equally divided into three groups having almost same age and weight. Three groups were divided as zero hour (T 0 ), four hours (T 4 ) and eight hours (T 8 ) of heat exposure. The T 0 group were not exposed to heat stress, the T 4 and T 8 group were exposed to heat by keeping them at outside for 4 (four) hours and 8 (eight) hours from 9.00 AM to 1.00 PM and from 9.00 AM to 5.00 PM, respectively. Temperature–humidity index (THI) was calculated as 26.88 indicating all the experimental animals were in extreme severe heat stress. The blood parameter such as RBC, PCV%, Hb%, WBC was significantly (p<0.01) higher in T 8 group than those of T 4 and T 0 groups. There was also significant (p<0.05) effect of heat stress on pH of the meat from different groups of the Black Bengal goats. By-products e.g., blood, pluck, spleen and kidney, and cooking loss were significantly (p<0.01) increased with the increase of the heat, but no significant differences were observed for pre-slaughter parameters, carcass weight, drip loss, dressing percentage, and proximate composition of the goat meat for DM, CP and Ash, while the EE significantly (p<0.05) differed among the heat treated groups. Heat stress significantly affected the blood parameter, cooking loss, pH, by-product of goats rather than non heat stressed group. It indicates that heat stress limits the qualitative and quantitative production characteristics of goat meat. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/bjas.v42i1. 15783 Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2013. 42 (1): 57-61
Summation of excitatory postsynaptic potentials in hippocampal pyramidal cells.

The summation of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) generated in separate parts of the dendritic tree of hippocampal pyramidal cells has been investigated using the in vitro slice preparation. Two separate inputs with known synaptic location were used. The EPSP produced by simultaneous activation of the two inputs (observed sum) was compared to the algebraic sum of the individual EPSPs. Small-amplitude EPSPs (0.5-1.5 mV) added linearly. The shortest distance between the two synaptic groups was 75 micron. With larger amplitudes (greater than 2.5 mV), the EPSP summated nonlinearly. The nonlinear summation was reduced by moderate hyperpolarizations (2-10 mV) of the soma membrane. Also, large EPSPs (greater than 2.5 mV) summated linearly when the peak of the summed EPSP was brought close to the equilibrium potential for the inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) (EIPSP). When the EPSP peak was made more negative than the EIPSP, summation was again nonlinear but the algebraic sum was now smaller than the observed EPSP sum, i.e., the direction of the nonlinearity was reversed. EPSP summation was linear after the IPSP had been blocked by benzyl penicillin application. We conclude that separate EPSPs in hippocampal pyramids (minimal separation, 75 micron) add linearly but that the addition of an IPSP may complicate this picture. No evidence was found for interaction between the different populations of excitatory synapses.
Ultrastructural Studies on the Sporulation of Oocysts of Toxoplasma Gondii

The ultrastructural changes observed during sporocyst formation and the structure of the sporocyst wall was examined in oocysts which had been allowed to sporulate for between 12 and 48 hours at 27°C. As the spherical sporoblast developed into the sporocyst the cytoplasmic mass became ellipsoidal in shape although no change was noted in the organelle compliment, which consisted of two nuclei plus a number of polysaccharide granules, lipid globules, mitochondria, Golgi bodies, and some rough endoplasmic reticulum. The sporocyst wall consisted of a thin outer layer (15–20 nm) which was formed from two limiting membranes of the sporoblast and an inner layer (40–50 nm) which was comprised of four curved plates. This inner layer was formed under the outer layer and although no specific cytoplasmic organelle disappeared with its formation, some unit membranes were observed close to the plasmalemma during its formation. Each curved plate has a marginal swelling and an interposing strip of material is present between the margins of adjacent plates. The plates are joined to the interposing strip by a thin band of osmiophilic material. In oblique and tangential sections through the plates two types of cross banding were observed which differed in periodicity.
Lyapunov Conditions for Differentiability of Markov Chain Expectations

We consider a family of Markov chains whose transition dynamics are affected by model parameters. Understanding the parametric dependence of (complex) performance measures of such Markov chains is often of significant interest. The derivatives and their continuity of the performance measures w.r. t. the parameters play important roles, for example, in numerical optimization of the performance measures, and quantification of the uncertainties in the performance measures when there are uncertainties in the parameters from the statistical estimation procedures. In this paper, we establish conditions that guarantee the smoothness of various types of intractable performance measures—such as the stationary and random horizon discounted performance measures—of general state space Markov chains and provide probabilistic representations for the derivatives. Funding: C. -H. Rhee is supported by the National Science Foundation [Grant CMMI-2146530].
Cornoid lamellation: A histologic reaction pattern

Cornoid lamellation is a constant histologic marker of porokeratosis in its many variants. This histologic appearance, heretofore thought to be pathognomonic of and restricted to porokeratosis alone, has also been found by us in a variety of other conditions. Cornoid lamellation is, therfore, analogous to the histologic findings of focal acantholytic dyskeratosis, epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, and follicular mucinosis as a distinctive histologic reaction pattern that reflects disordered progression of epidermal cells to cornification.
Nuclear Overexpression of NADH:Cytochromeb 5 Reductase Activity Increases the Cytotoxicity of Mitomycin C (MC) and the Total Number of MC-DNA Adducts in Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells*

NADH:cytochrome b 5reductase (FpD) is an enzyme capable of converting the prodrug mitomycin C (MC) into a DNA alkylating agent via reduction of its quininone moiety. In this study, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were transfected with a cDNA encoding rat FpD. Despite the demonstrated ability of this enzyme to reduce MC in vitro, a modest 5-fold level of overexpression of FpD activity in CHO cells did not increase the cytotoxicity of the drug over that seen with the parental cell line under either aerobic or hypoxic conditions. When the enzyme, which is predominantly localized in the mitochondria, was instead directed to the nucleus of cells by the fusion of the SV40 large T antigen nuclear localization signal sequence to the amino terminus of an FpD gene that lacked the membrane anchor domain, drug sensitivity was significantly enhanced at all concentrations of MC examined (2–10 μm) under both aerobic and hypoxic conditions, with greater cell kill occurring under hypoxia. The marked increase in drug sensitivity under hypoxia at 10 μm MC corresponded to a measurable increase in total MC-DNA adducts at the same concentration. The results indicate that the cytotoxicity of MC is modulated by the subcellular location of FpD, with greater cell kill occurring when bioactivation occurs in the proximity of its target, nuclear DNA.
Input Vector Control efficiency in sub-micron CMOS technologies

The efficiency of the Input Vector Control (IVC) method in sub-micron technologies is examined. The IVC is a well known method for leakage current reduction during standby mode in digital circuits. Using the IVC method, a unique combination of input signal values, also referred to as a Minimum Leakage Vector (MLV), can be found for every circuit to minimize its standby leakage currents. While the IVC method was thoroughly examined for old process nodes, its efficiency in sub-micron technologies has not been investigated. Increases in gate and sub-threshold leakages, as well as the introduction of Deep Sub-Micron (DSM) effects that accompany technology scaling, significantly affect the MLV of a digital gate. In this paper, the efficiency of IVC for basic CMOS gates was examined in 90nm, 65nm and 40nm standard CMOS technologies. The impact of gate sizing on the MLV was studied at different process corners. Simulation results show that while the IVC method is still efficient for advanced technologies, a gate's MLV is less stable with respect to the gate size and process variations.
Coronectomy (Intentional Partial Odontectomy) in Lower Third Molar as anAlternative Treatment: Report of Two Cases

The principle of coronectomy or intentional partial odontectomy is the removal of the tooth crown, leaving the root in situ. This technique aims to prevent damage to inferior alveolar nerve while applying to removal a third molar or posterior tooth impacted in mandible. In this study, we report two clinical cases with the impacted lower third molar presented roots in close proximity to the mandibular canal and by intentional partial odontectomy. Neurosensory deficits, postoperative infection, periods off follow up and surgical outcomes were emphasized in this study. We concluded that the intentional partial odontectomy is a foreseeable technique and easy to perform in an outpatient setting. It is an alternative procedure in the extraction of impacted lower third molar that has a close relationship with mandibular canal.
Contracting officer workload, incomplete contracting, and contractual terms

type="main"> This article estimates the causal effect of retirement-induced workload spikes on the selection of procurement terms. In a sample of 150,000 contracts from 85 procurement offices over 11 years, increases in workload decrease reliance on competitive acquisition procedures, decrease reliance on firm-fixed-price contracts, increase risk of renegotiation, and increase costs. These estimates are consistent with a model of endogenously incomplete contracting. The US federal government has experienced exceptional growth in acquisitions contracting over the past decade but limited growth in acquisitions manpower. This article provides some of the facts necessary to evaluate the consequences of these shifts.
Voluntary Disclosures and Corporate Control

We examine the valuation and capital allocation roles of voluntary disclosure when managers have private information regarding the firm’s investment opportunities, but an efficient market for corporate control influences their investment decisions. For managers with long-term stakes in the firm, the equilibrium disclosure region is two-tailed: only extreme good news and extreme bad news is disclosed in equilibrium. Moreover, the market’s stock price and investment responses to bad news disclosures are stronger than the responses to good news disclosures, which is consistent with the empirical evidence. We also find that myopic managers are more likely to withhold bad news in good economic times when markets can independently assess expected investment returns.