Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Carotid Angioplasty and Stent Placement: A Prospective Analysis of Perioperative Complications and Impact of Intravenously Administered Abciximab

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency of perioperative complications since the introduction of abciximab, we prospectively evaluated our experience in a consecutive series of patients undergoing carotid angioplasty and stent placement (CAS). CAS has been introduced recently for treatment of carotid artery stenosis. A major limitation to this modality is the risk of perioperative thromboembolic and ischemic events. To reduce the risk of ischemic complications, abciximab, a platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor, has been introduced as adjunctive treatment for high-risk patients. METHODS Each patient was evaluated by a neurologist before, immediately after, and 24 hours after CAS for identification and classification of new neurological deficits. Bleeding events or other complications during hospitalization were recorded. Bleeding complications were classified as major (hemoglobin decrease, >5 g/dl), minor (hemoglobin decrease, 3–5 g/dl), or insignificant. Abciximab was administered intravenously as a single bolus (0.25 mg/kg) and then via infusion (10 &mgr;g/min) for 12 hours as an adjunct to CAS in patients considered to be at high risk for thromboembolic events owing to recent ischemic symptoms and/or complex lesion morphology. RESULTS Intravenously administered abciximab was used in 37 patients (mean age, 70 yr; 21 patients were men) as an adjunct to high-risk CAS. Thirty-three other patients underwent CAS performed with standard intraprocedural heparinization (mean age, 69 yr; 17 patients were men). Minor ischemic strokes were observed in 1 of 37 abciximab-treated patients and in 4 of 33 heparin-treated patients. No major ischemic strokes were observed in either group. Transient neurological deficits were observed in nine patients in the abciximab-treated group and in one patient in the heparin-treated group. Transient neurological deficits in abciximab-treated patients were mainly related to hemodynamic factors (associated with balloon inflation in two patients and with hypotension in another two patients) or occurred after completion of infusion (in three patients). Minor bleeding complications were observed in three patients who received abciximab and in four patients who received standard heparinization. Major bleeding complications were observed in four patients from each group. Two patients who received abciximab developed intracerebral hemorrhages; one hemorrhage was fatal. CONCLUSION The frequency of ischemic stroke in high-risk patients (3%) with the use of intravenously administered abciximab was lower, but not significantly so, than rates observed in lower-risk patients (12%), although the benefit was lost because of the high rate of intracranial hemorrhages (5%). Further efforts are required to determine appropriate selection criteria for use of intravenously administered abciximab and the effect of other strategies that involve distal protection devices.
IRON ABSORPTION BY THE PREMATURE INFANT The Effect of Transfusion and Iron Supplements on the Serum Ferritin Levels

Shaw, J. C. L. (Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, University College London and the Rayne Institute, University Street, London WC1E 6JJ, U.K.). Iron absorption by the premature infant. The effect of transfusion and iron supplements on the serum ferritin levels. Acta Paed Scand, Suppl. 299:83, 1982. —The amount of iron in a 1.0 kg preterm infant at birth is sufficient to synthesise only about 18.0 grams of haemoglobin. Since breast milk contains only 40 μgFe/100 ml, anaemia will develop in a premature baby fed breast milk unless supplementary iron is given. Preterm infants fed on breast milk are in negative iron balance averaging ‐0.24 mg/kg day for at least thirty days after birth, and it can be estimated that they require an intake of about 0.6 mg/kgday to compensate for obligatory intestinal iron losses. Insensible skin losses, estimated from measurements in adults, are small—of the order of 0.02 μg/kgday, but losses due to venesection may be considerable since each gram of haemoglobin contains 3.4 mg of iron. Absorption of supplementary iron by preterm infants is a linear function of intake, which suggests immature control of iron absorption. Giving blood transfusions seem to diminish iron absorption but may not prevent it altogether. Giving repeated blood transfusions results in high serum ferritin levels similar to those seen in iron overload—however these levels decline spontaneously with age. Preterm infants who are given repeated transfusions do not require iron supplements until the transfusions cease.
Noise or News? Learning about the Content of Test-Based School Achievement Measures

Abstract Test-based measures of school performance are increasingly used to inform both education policy and families’ school choice decisions. There are, however, concerns about the reliability of these measures. This paper assesses the extent to which cross-sectional differences in schools’ average achievement on standardized tests reflect transitory factors, using data from a 1999–2006 panel of public and private schools in British Columbia, Canada. Sampling variation and one-time mean reverting shocks are shown to be significant sources of cross-sectional variation in schools’ mean test scores. The results therefore suggest that public dissemination of information about schools’ average achievement on standardized tests could potentially mislead or confuse parents. These results should also encourage caution in the design of policies that attach monetary or nonmonetary rewards or sanctions to schools on the basis of test-based achievement and suggest a need for more sophisticated measures of school performance.
Heterogeneous copper concentrations in cancerous human prostate tissues

Therapeutics that target copper for the treatment of prostate cancer are being evaluated in human clinical trials. Elevated intracellular copper is considered to sensitize prostate cancer cells to certain copper‐coordination compounds, especially those with ionophoric properties. While there is compelling in vitro evidence that prostate cancer cells accumulate intracellular copper, a corresponding status for copper in patient tissues has not been corroborated. We therefore established whether copper concentrations increase in cancerous prostate tissues, and in sera, in patients throughout disease progression.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms of RecQ1, RAD54L, and ATM genes are associated with reduced survival of pancreatic cancer.

PURPOSE Our goal was to determine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DNA repair genes influence the clinical outcome of pancreatic cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS We evaluated 13 SNPs of eight DNA damage response and repair genes in 92 patients with potentially resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. All patients were treated with neoadjuvant concurrent gemcitabine and radiotherapy with or without a component of induction gemcitabine/cisplatin at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) from February 1999 to August 2004 and observed through August 2005. Response to the pretreatment was assessed by evaluating time to tumor progression and overall survival. Kaplan-Meier plot, log-rank test, and Cox regression were used to compare survival of patients according to genotype. RESULTS The RecQ1 A159C, RAD54L C157T, XRCC1 R194W, and ATM T77C genotypes had a significant effect on the overall survival with log-rank P values of . 001, . 004, . 001, and . 02, respectively. A strong combined effect of the four genotypes was observed. Patients with none of the adverse genotypes had a mean survival time of 62.1 months, and those with one, two, or three or more at-risk alleles had median survival times of 27.5, 14.4, and 9.9 months, respectively (log-rank P < .001). There is a significant interaction between the RecQ1 gene and other genotypes. All four genes except XRCC1 remained as independent predictors of survival in multivariate Cox regression models adjusted for other clinical predictors. CONCLUSION These observations support the hypothesis that polymorphic variants of DNA repair genes affect clinical prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer.
A Preliminary Examination of the Relationship Between Social Networking Interactions, Internet Use, and Thwarted Belongingness.

BACKGROUND Joiner's (2005) interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide hypothesizes that suicidal desire develops in response to the joint presence of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness. AIMS To consider the potential influence of online interactions and behaviors on these outcomes. METHOD To address this, we administered an online protocol assessing suicidal desire and online interactions in a sample of 305 undergraduates (83.6% female). We hypothesized negative interactions on social networking sites and a preference for online social interactions would be associated with thwarted belongingness. We also conducted an exploratory analysis examining the associations between Internet usage and perceived burdensomeness. RESULTS Higher levels of negative interactions on social networking sites, but no other variables, significantly predicted thwarted belongingness. Our exploratory analysis showed that none of our predictors were associated with perceived burdensomeness after accounting for demographics, depression, and thwarted belongingness. CONCLUSION Our findings indicate that a general tendency to have negative interactions on social networking sites could possibly impact suicidal desire and that these effects are significant above and beyond depression symptoms. Furthermore, no other aspect of problematic Internet use significantly predicted our outcomes in multivariate analyses, indicating that social networking in particular may have a robust effect on thwarted belongingness.
A Modified PPM Algorithm for Online Sequence Prediction Using Short Data Records

Discrete sequence prediction using source encoding techniques, generally involves two steps - (a) building frequency trees and (b) computing distributions using frequency trees to perform prediction. The second step is usually performed by a technique called Prediction by Partial Match (PPM) and its variants. The implicit assumption in PPM is that using frequency trees of greater depth results in better prediction. In this paper, we question that assumption especially when one has access only to small sequence lengths, since extracting information from longer contexts typically involves estimating a higher number of parameters. We propose a modified PPM algorithm, where, the different context based predictors are weighed according to their prediction accuracy and prediction is performed based on a combined model. We finally apply the algorithms on a well-known location prediction data-set and prove the efficacy of the algorithm proposed by us and its utility in location prediction.
Regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle

Purpose of reviewThe aim of this review is to highlight advances in the field of skeletal muscle regeneration that have been made in the last year. Recent findingsStudies have increased our understanding of the activation of satellite cells within their niche on the muscle fibre, the contribution of satellite cell-derived muscle precursor cells to skeletal muscle regeneration and the reduction of satellite cell function in old muscle. Although other stem cells, either bone marrow derived or present within skeletal muscle or other tissues, do contribute to muscle regeneration, recent studies have highlighted that this is at best minimal compared with the ability of satellite cells to regenerate skeletal muscle. The effect of the host muscle environment has been shown to have a profound effect on skeletal muscle regeneration. Age and denervation have a detrimental effect and certain types of muscle injury a positive effect. Work continues on the effect of growth factors on muscle cell lines in vitro and muscle regeneration in vivo. SummaryRecent work has focused on the contribution of satellite-cell derived muscle precursor cells and other stem cells to skeletal muscle regeneration. The muscle environment has a profound effect on the regenerative capacity of resident and implanted cells. Muscle regeneration may be optimized by using the best stem cell population and by modifying the host muscle environment.
Microtubule assembly after treatment of pig oocytes with taxol: Correlation with chromosomes, γ‐tubulin, and MAP kinase *

In this study, taxol was used as a tool to study the correlation of microtubule assembly with chromosomes, γ‐tubulin and phosphorylated mitogen‐activated protein (MAP) kinase in pig oocytes at different maturational stages. Taxol treatment did not affect meiotic resumption and chromosome condensation but inhibited/disrupted chromosome alignment at the metaphase plate and bipolar spindle formation and thus meiotic progression. Microtubules were co‐localized with chromosomes and were found to emanate from the chromosomes in taxol‐treated oocytes, suggesting that chromosomes may serve as a source of microtubule organization. In addition, the concentric emanation of microtubules within the chromosome‐surrounded area in taxol‐treated oocytes suggests that microtubule emanation from the chromosomes may be directed by other microtubule‐organizing material. The formation of one large spindle or ≥2 spindles in oocytes after taxol removal shows that minus end microtubule‐organizing material can be normally located on both sides of chromosomes only when the chromosomes are aligned on the metaphase plate. The co‐localization of γ‐tubulin and phosphorylated MAP kinase with microtubule assembly in both control and taxol‐treated oocytes suggests that these two proteins are associated microtubule‐nucleating material in pig oocytes. However, Western blot analysis showed that neither cytoplasmic microtubule aster formation nor extensive microtubule assembly in the chromosome region induced by taxol was caused by super‐activation of MAP kinase. Taxol also induced microtubule assembly depending on chromosome distribution in the first polar body. The results suggest that chromosomes are always co‐localized with microtubules and that emanation of microtubules from the chromosomes may be regulated/directed by microtubule‐organizing material including γ‐tubulin and phosphorylated MAP kinase in pig oocytes. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 60: 481–490, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Vertebral Artery Anatomy: A Review of Two Hundred Fifty Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scans

Study Design. The aim of this study is to characterize the anatomy of vertebral arteries using magnetic resonance imaging scans of 250 consecutive patients. Objectives. To document the prevalence of midline vertebral artery (VA) migration in a subgroup of patients presenting with neck pain, radiculopathy, or myelopathy and to identify the course of the VA through the TFs. Summary of Background Data. Knowledge of VA anomalies and their respective prevalence may help surgeons decrease the incidence of iatrogenic injury to this artery. Methods. In this retrospective review of 281 consecutive patients, who had an magnetic resonance imaging for axial neck pain, radiculopathy, or myelopathy, anatomic measurements were obtained from C2 to C7. Results. The observed VA anomalies can be classified into following 3 main groups: (1) intraforaminal anomalies-midline migration, (2) extraforaminal anomalies, and (3) arterial anomalies. Midline migration of the VA was identified in 7.6% (19/250) of patients. The etiology can be degenerative or traumatic. It is important to note that the pattern of medial migration was clockwise rotation from caudal to cephalad and was present in all of our patients with anomalous arteries. Additionally, at C6, only 92% (460/500) of VAs were located within their respective transverse foramens and hypoplastic VAs were identified in 10% (25/250) of patients. Conclusion. Anomalies that must be considered before surgery include interforamenal anomalies, extraforamenal anomalies, and arterial anomalies. The intraforaminal anomalies involve midline migration, which places the VA at direct risk during corpectomy. Extraforaminal anomalies are related to VAs entering the transverse foramen at a level other than C6, which can increase the risk of injury during the anterior approach to the cervical spine. Arterial anomalies can be fenestrated, hypoplastic, or absent. These raise concern with the ability to maintain cerebral perfusion in the setting of damage to one of the VAs with the presence of contralateral arterial abnormality.
Teaching psychiatric diagnostics to general practitioners: Educational methods and their perceived efficacy

Introduction: Psychiatric disorders are hard to detect in a primary care setting. The vocational training for general practitioners (GPs) of the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands, intends to create a new comprehensive programme on diagnosing psychiatric disorders. Aim: We consulted the literature to obtain an answer to the question: is evidence available for the effectiviness of specific educational methods to teach GP trainees psychiatric diagnostic skills? Methodology: We searched in four databases for studies on a variety of search terms (39) referring to primary care, psychiatry, diagnosis, education and quality. As selection criterium for outcome measure we took change in diagnostic competence. Results: From a number of 769 articles 27 methodologically sound studies remained. This article presents several of their research characteristics. No conclusive evidence has been found for the effectivity of an isolated educational method. The combination of methods seems promising. However, no specific mix of methods is a guarantee for success. Conclusions: We made some recommendations for training psychiatric diagnostic competency. The literature endorses our own idea that education in this field should include reflection on attitude and barriers.
Can Oil-Rich Countries Encourage Entrepreneurship? ‘Yes’, ‘No’ but not ‘Perhaps’

This study provides the first empirical investigation to test one of transmission channels of resource curse, i.e., marginalized entrepreneurship activities. Our panel data analysis of 65 countries from 2004 to 2011 shows a negative and statistically significant association between oil rents dependency and entrepreneurship indicator. This finding is robust to control of other major drivers of entrepreneurship, unobservable country and time fixed effects and a different measurement of oil rents dependency. Additionally our main results show that government effectiveness among other dimensions of good governance has a statistically significant moderating effect in entrepreneurship-oil rents nexus.
Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Risperidone Plus Amantadine in Children With Autism: A 10-Week Randomized Study

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the effect of adding amantadine to risperidone for treatment of autism. MethodsForty outpatients aged 4 to12 years, who were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision criteria, wereassigned to this double-blind clinical trial. The subjects were divided randomly into 2 groups. One group received risperidone plus amantadine, and the other group received risperidone plus placebo. The dose of risperidone was titrated between 1 and 2.0 mg/d, and the dose of amantadine was 100 or 150 mg/d for patients less than 30 kg or more than 30 kg, respectively. The patients were assessed using the Aberrant Behavioral Checklist-Community (ABC-C) and adverse effects checklist as well as clinical global impression-improvement (CGI-I) at2 checkpoints of 5-week intervals after the baseline. Informed consentwas obtained from the parents of each participant. ResultsAmong ABC-C subscales, Hyperactivity and Irritability showed significantly greater reduction in the amantadine group than the placebo group. There was no significant difference in adverse effects between the 2 groups. The CGI-I scores show significant improvement in the amantadine group compared to the placebo group. ConclusionsThe present study suggests that amantadine may be a potential adjunctive treatment strategy for autism and it was generally well tolerated.
Integration of eQTL and Parkinson’s disease GWAS data implicates 11 disease genes

Substantial genome-wide association study (GWAS) work in Parkinson’s disease (PD) has led to an increasing number of loci shown reliably and robustly to be associated with the increased risk of the disease. Prioritising causative genes and pathways from these studies has proven problematic. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of PD GWAS data with expression and methylation quantitative trait loci (eQTL/mQTL) using Colocalisation analysis (Coloc) and transcriptome-wide association analysis (TWAS) to uncover putative gene expression and splicing mechanisms driving PD GWAS signals. Candidate genes were further characterised by determining cell-type specificity, weighted gene co-expression (WGNCA) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. Gene-level analysis of expression revealed 5 genes (WDR6, CD38, GPNMB, RAB29, TMEM163) that replicated using both Coloc and TWAS analyses in both GTEx and Braineac expression datasets. A further 6 genes (ZRANB3, PCGF3, NEK1, NUPL2, GALC, CTSB) showed evidence of disease-associated splicing effects. Cell-type specificity analysis revealed that gene expression was overall more prevalent in glial cell-types compared to neurons. The WGNCA analysis showed that NUPL2 is a key gene in 3 modules implicated in catabolic processes related with protein ubiquitination (protein ubiquitination (p=7.47e-10) and ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolic process (p = 2.57e-17) in nucleus accumbens, caudate and putamen, while TMEM163 and ZRANB3 were both important in modules indicating regulation of signalling (p=1.33e-65] and cell communication (p=7.55e-35) in the frontal cortex and caudate respectively. PPI analysis and simulations using random networks demonstrated that the candidate genes interact significantly more with known Mendelian PD and parkinsonism proteins than would be expected by chance. The proteins core proteins this network were enriched for regulation of the ERBB receptor tyrosine protein kinase signalling pathways. Together, these results point to a number of candidate genes and pathways that are driving the associations observed in PD GWAS studies.
World Health Organization grade 'a' motility and zona-binding test accurately predict IVF outcome for mild male factor and unexplained infertilities.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to determine the pronostic value of a sperm-zona pellucida (ZP) binding assay, combined with World Health Organization (WHO) grade 'a' sperm motility on the day of the IVF attempt, to predict sperm fertilizing ability in unexplained and moderate male factor infertilities. METHODS In total, 84 couples (64 unexplained infertility; 20 male factor) underwent both a sperm-ZP binding assay and an IVF attempt, irrespective of the test's result. The test was negative when grade 'a' motility was #5% and/or the ZP binding index was <0.7. Fertilization and pregnancy rates were related to the test's results. RESULTS Thirty-one patients had a negative test (group N) and 53 a positive test (group P). A difference was observed concerning the fertilization rate [median (range): 0 (0-75%) versus 50 (0-100%); P = 0.0001] and the number of cycles with fertilization rate <20% (65 versus 23%; P = 0.0002) between groups N and P respectively. In the group of unexplained and male factor infertilities, the test showed a sensitivity of 83 and 60%, specificity of 50 and 90%, positive predictive value of 76 and 86%, and negative predictive value of 61 and 69% respectively. CONCLUSION Sperm-ZP binding test, combined with WHO grade 'a' motility assessment, is relevant to prevent IVF fertilization failures in unexplained infertility and, most particularly, in moderate male factor infertility.