Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The surgical treatment of a large prostatic adenoma: the laparoscopic approach--a systematic review.

PURPOSE To present a critical overview of the current literature on the role of laparoscopy for the surgical treatment of patients with large prostatic adenomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS A MedLine search for peer-reviewed studies on laparoscopic simple prostatectomy (LSP) was performed. The clinical studies that reported most of the following information were included: number of patients, prostate volume, operative time, blood loss, hospital stay, and the duration of catheterization, as well as functional outcomes and complications. Articles reporting a mean total prostate volume of <80 mL or a mean prostatic adenoma of <60 mL were excluded. The review was performed according to the PRISMA statement. RESULTS Fourteen articles on LSP were included in this systematic review with a total of 626 patients treated. Both transperitoneal and extraperitoneal approaches, as well as transvesical and transcapsular routes, have been described. Eleven articles were case-series and three were comparative retrospective nonrandomized studies. When compared with open simple prostatectomy (OP), LSP is associated with a less blood loss and a reduced irrigation requirement, a shorter postoperative catheterization period, and a shorter hospital stay, at the expense of an extended operative time. The limited number of patients treated, the selection biases due to the retrospective nature of several published articles on LSP, and the short follow-up periods are evident limits of the literature. I-square test demonstrated a high heterogeneity (93%) and consequently a high variability in the intervention effects in terms of maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax). CONCLUSIONS Even if LSP seems feasible and safe, there is still limited evidence regarding its long-term outcomes compared with OP.
Correlation between Adenomyosis and Endometrial cancer: 6-year experience of a single center

Introduction Adenomyosis often co-exists in the pathological specimens after surgery for endometrial cancer. The aim of this study is to describe the clinicopathological and oncological characteristics of these patients and further investigate the possibility of malignant transformation in the adenomyotic tissue. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients that underwent hysterectomy for endometrial cancer (January 2012 – December 2017). The pathological reports were studied and when adenomyosis was present, the pathological slides were reviewed in order to discover any malignant change in the adenomyotic tissue. The clinicopathological characteristics and oncological results were described. Results Out of 229 cases of endometrial cancer, 64 (28%) patients had concurrently endometrial cancer and adenomyosis. Among these 64 patients, 7 (11%) had malignant transformation of adenomyosis. The mean age of patients suffering from both endometrial cancer and adenomyosis was 63.2 years old and 57 (89%) of these patients, had early endometrial cancer. Concerning the patients with malignant transformation of adenomyosis, their mean age was 65 years old with no premenopausal case. Discussion Adenomyosis has been described in the last decades, but its malignant transformation into endometrial cancer is not fully undercovered. Further investigation is needed in order to clarify the pathologic progression of adenomyotic lesions to endometrial cancer.
Theorizing the Relationship between Welfare State Regimes and Health Using Comparative National-Level Health Measures

Welfare state regime typologies have proven useful in analyzing the impacts of various social policy structures on health. Recently, several welfare state regime typologies have been identified as having relevance for the study of health. However, comparative research examining the relationships between population health and welfare states has relied disproportionately upon child-based health measures – in particular, infant mortality rate, under-5 mortality and low birthweight. Using hierarchical cluster analysis, eta, and ANOVA, this paper demonstrates that these commonly-used child-based health measures are more strongly correlated with welfare state regime typologies than other measures of population health. Adult mortality, life expectancy and disease measures are not strongly correlated with welfare state regime typologies, and greater use of such measures in comparative research may problematize the often-observed correlations between welfare states and health. The paper argues that the disproportionate use of child-based health measures may therefore present an incomplete picture of the connections between welfare state regimes and population health. Implications for theorizing the relationship between welfare states and health are discussed.
The Costs of Industrial Water Pollution to Agriculture in India

Industrial water pollution is high in many developing countries, but researchers and regulators have paid it less attention than air and domestic water pollution. I estimate the costs of industrial water pollution to agriculture in India, focusing on 63 industrial sites identified by the central government as “severely polluted. ” I exploit the spatial discontinuity in pollution concentrations that these sites generate along a river. First, I show that these sites do in fact coincide with a large, discontinuous rise in pollutant concentrations in the nearest river. Then, I estimate that agricultural revenues are nine percent lower in districts immediately downstream of polluting sites, relative to districts immediately upstream of the same site in the same year, although confidence intervals exclude zero only when controlling for baseline characteristics. This effect appears to be driven by reduced yields per cropped land area and not factor reallocation. These results suggest that damages to agriculture could represent a major cost of water pollution and warrant further study. ∗Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I thank Ben Olken and Esther Duflo for advice, as well as Simon Jäger, Abhijit Banerjee, Anant Sudarshan, Peter Hull, and Alex Oberg for helpful comments and discussions. I am grateful for financial support from the MIT Tata Center for Technology & Design.
A benefit segmentation analysis of tourists visiting Mpumalanga Ms

In South Africa, as in many other African countries, tourism is the most viable and economic development option. To promote tourism, further knowledgement is required to understand what benefits tourists’ seek so that promoters can engage with distinct tourism market segments. In this study, survey data was collected from 400 respondents in Mpumalanga province using a selfadministered questionnaire. The questionnaire was constructed to identify the key benefits tourists sought so that the significant market segments could be categorised. This study identified two segments of tourists in Mpumalanga: cultured–naturist and nature–escapist. The researchers conclude by developing a benefit segmentation framework as a tool for marketing planning.
The Effect of Recognition versus Disclosure on Investment Efficiency *

We investigate the implication of recognition versus disclosure on investment efficiency. Extant theories suggest that recognized amounts are more reliably measured than disclosed amounts and that inattentive investors process recognized and disclosed information differently. Both explanations imply that recognition is associated with higher investment efficiency than is disclosure. We test these two implications using the adoption of SFAS No. 123R, which requires recognition of previously disclosed employee stock option (ESO) expense. We find that investment efficiency improves in the post SFAS No. 123R period and, as expected, mainly for heavy ESO users. We also document evidence on why recognition and disclosure have different effect on investment efficiency that is consistent with the two explanations. JEL classification: G14; G18; J33; K20; M41
Tachyphylaxis to Topical Steroid Measured by Histamine‐induced Wheal Suppression

Ten healthy volunteers were studied to find out whether tachyphylaxis occurs on repeated application of topical steroids. The Singh and Singh modification of the Reddy and Singh (1976) technique was used. Fluocinolone acetonide cream (0.1%) under occlusion was applied daily for 14 days on the flexor aspect of the forearms. The wheal was induced by pricking with histamine acid phosphate solution and the volume of the wheal produced was calculated. The test was repeated on the same sites on alternate days for 14 days. The maximum wheal suppression, which gradually diminished, was observed on the 8th day. By the 14th day, there was practically total tolerance to topical steroid, which showed minimal suppression of histamine wheal formation. This confirms the occurrence of the phenomenon of tachyphylaxis by different experimental techniques.
Thymidine 5′-Monophosphate-Requiring Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Are Deficient in Thymidylate Synthetase

Thymidylate synthetase activity was measured in crude extracts of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by a sensitive radiochemical assay. Spontaneous non-conditional mutants auxotrophic for thymidine 5′-monophosphate (tmp1) lacked detectable thymidylate synthetase activity in cell-free extracts. In contrast, the parent strains (tup1, -2, or -4), which were permeable to thymidine 5′-monophosphate, contained levels of activity similar to those found in wild-type cells. Specific activity of thymidylate synthetase in crude extracts of normal cells or of cells carrying tup mutations was essentially unaffected by the ploidy or mating type of the cells, by the medium used for growth, by the respiratory capacity of the cells, by concentrations of exogenous thymidine 5′-monophosphate as high as 50 μg/ml, or by subsequent removal of thymidine 5′-monophosphate from the medium. Extracts of a strain bearing the temperature-sensitive cell division cycle mutation cdc21 lacked detectable thymidylate synthetase activity under all conditions tested. Its parent and another mutant (cdc8), which arrests with the same terminal phenotype under restrictive conditions, had normal levels of the enzyme. Cells of a temperature-sensitive thymidine 5′-monophosphate auxotroph arrested with a morphology identical to the cdc21 strain at the nonpermissive temperature and contained demonstrably thermolabile thymidylate synthetase activity. Tetrad analysis and the properties of revertants showed that the thymidylate synthetase defects were a consequence of the same mutation causing, in the auxotrophs, a requirement for thymidine 5′-monophosphate and, in the conditional mutants, temperature sensitivity. Complementation tests indicated that tmp1 and cdc21 are the same locus. These results identify tmp1 as the structural gene for yeast thymidylate synthetase.
Bacteriological status and proximate composition of croaker ( Pseudotolithus elongatus ) from retail outlets in Makoko environs in Lagos State , Nigeria

Fish is a food with excellent nutritional value due to its high protein content but it could also be responsible for ill health. The microorganisms present in fish could be from the natural micro flora or those introduced through fecal contamination or during processing, storage and distribution. This study assessed the bacteriological status and the proximate composition of croaker bought from retail outlets in Makoko environs in Lagos state. Fresh and smoked croaker were collected and analyzed for bacterial pathogens using standard microbiological procedures. The bacterial load ranged between 4.37 and 5.00 (Log10 cfu/g). The mean proximate composition of fresh croaker was 21.43% crude protein, 75.52% moisture, 1.28% ash and 0.25% lipid while smoked croaker contains 39.22% crude protein, 51.89% moisture, 1.28% ash and 1.48% lipid. All pathogens tested for were present in fresh croaker. However, Salmonella spp. was not isolated from smoked croaker. It can be inferred from this study that there is a need to improve on the hygiene and sanitary conditions in this market to ensure that fish sold is safe for human con-
Light and Transmission Electron Microscopy of the Intact Interfaces Between Non-submerged Titanium-coated Epoxy Resin Implants and Bone or Gingiva

This experiment was aimed at studying the intact tissue/implant interface of non-submerged dental implants with a titanium surface. Epoxy-resin replicas were fabricated from 3.05 x 8 mm cylindrical titanium implants with a plasma-sprayed apical portion and a smooth coronal collar. The replicas were coated with a 90-120-nm-thick layer of pure titanium and autoclaved. The coated replicas were inserted as non-submerged endosseous implants in the edentulous premolar region of dog mandibles and allowed to heal for three months. Jaw sections containing the implants were processed for light and electron microscopic study of the intact tissue/implant interface with and without prior demineralization. Gingival connective tissue fibers were closely adapted to the titanium layer, in an orientation more or less parallel to the implant surface. There was no evidence of any fiber insertions into the surface irregularities of the smooth or rough titanium surface. Undemineralized bone was intimately adapted to the titanium surface without any intervening space. In demineralized sections, the collagen fibers of the bone matrix tended to be somewhat thinner and occasionally less densely packed in the vicinity of the implant surface. However, they extended all the way to the titanium surface, without any intervening fibril-free layer.
Favorable Outcome of Cochlear Implant in VIIIth Nerve Deficiency

Objective: To report on the outcomes of cochlear implantation (CI) in a child with cochleovestibular nerves (CVN) hypoplasia. Study Design: Retrospective case review. Setting: Tertiary referral center, University hospital. Patients: An 18-month-old child with profound bilateral congenital hearing loss and bilateral hypoplasia of the CVN at imaging. Intervention: Left CI at age 29 months with a Nucleus Contour device (Cochlear Ltd., Lane Cove, New South Wales, Australia) after unsatisfactory results of hearing aid use for 10 months. Main Outcome Measures: Speech perception tests, behavioral observation, electrophysiologic tests, and cognitive evaluation. Results: Although the child scores poorly in every perceptive category with the CI alone, the device greatly enhances his speech understanding with the hearing aid in the opposite ear. In the bimodal condition, his words and sentences identification, recognition, and comprehension far exceed the monaural figures. The Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS) tests reaches a score of 26/40, and the MacArthur's questionnaires confirm the improvement of language production and comprehension. These results became noticeable after 5 to 6 months and continued to improve up to the 10th month. The child's cognitive scores and overall performance competences greatly benefit from the CI, with the mental age overcoming the chronological age. Conclusion: We can confirm the chance of achieving satisfactory results by CI even when the imaging of CVN is doubtful and the electrophysiological tests are disappointing. In our experience, a CI in Type IIb dysplasia of the CVN is a feasible option, provided that the candidate shows some responses at aided audiogram and at least minimal signs of language development. Adequate counseling is necessary for these children because the expected outcome is somewhat lower than that of their deaf peers with normal appearance of the nerves.
Appendix : Replication of A Spatio-temporal Model of House Prices in the USA

I narrowly replicate Holly, Pesaran, and Yamagata (2010)’s analysis of the housing market in the US, using the open source R software instead of the original ad-hoc GAUSS routines. When available, results are double-checked against Stata procedures. The main findings of the original paper are confirmed and most results are matched exactly. Attention is given to providing a self-contained and fully reproducible analysis, exclusively using user-level features available in the public domain.
Paleoenvironmental dynamics in the southern Pannonian Basin during initial Middle Miocene marine f looding

Paleoenvironmental analysis based on foraminiferal distribution has been carried out on 44 sediment bulk samples from the locality Bogutovo selo near Ugljevik (NE Bosnia and Herzegovina). During the Middle Miocene the region was positioned on the southern margin of the Pannonian Basin and the Central Paratethys Sea. The studied section comprises 70-m-thick sedimentary succession dominated by marine marls and intercalated in its middle part by a single 14-m-thick limestone package. Marine succession superposes by angle discordance Oligocene coal-bearing deposits. The marker species allow correlation of the lower part of the section with the Early Badenian Upper Lagenidae Zone, whereas for the middle and upper part, the Middle Badenian Spirorutilus Zone was inferred. Integrating data from calcareous nannoplankton, the stratigraphic range has been limited to the time interval of 14.36—13.65 Ma (late NN5, late Langhian). The statistical agglomerative techniques applied to benthic foraminiferal distribution suggest the presence of six assemblages showing gradual transition from one to another. Their paleoenvironmental significance points to initial upward deepening of the depositional environment as a result of the Badenian transgression. This trend is interrupted by major sealevel-fall and switch to carbonate platform conditions in the middle part of the section. Subsequent sea-level-rise and increased primary production resulted in progressive reduction of oxygen content at the sea bottom in the upper part of the section. The stratigraphic position in the topmost NN5 Zone implies the correlation of the major sea-level-fall with the glacio-eustatic isotopic event Mi-3b astronomically dated to 13.82 Ma and coinciding with the base of the Serravallian.
SERIES Government Size , Unemployment , and Inflation Nexus in Eight Large Emerging Market Economies

Using a panel of eight large emerging market economies from 1980 to 2015, this paper seeks to assess the causal linkages between government size, unemployment, and inflation. Overall, our results suggest that the government size is positively associated with both unemployment and inflation. The Granger causality runs from the government size to unemployment and to inflation. From our analysis, two aspects stand out. First, the effects of government size on unemployment and inflation depend essentially on how the government size is measured. As long as government consumption spending is considered as the proxy measure of the government size, the government size is significantly and positively correlated with unemployment, and with inflation. Second, indirect taxes, like government consumption spending, have a positive as well as statistically significant association with unemployment. However, the direct taxes solely exert a strong effect on inflation in the countries considered.
System Design and Throughput Analysis for Multihop Relaying in Cellular Systems

Wireless multihop relaying can provide a great improvement in systemwide throughput and coverage in a cellular system. However, since additional resources (time or frequency slots) and overhead are required to perform relaying, the addition of relays into a cellular system must be carefully designed for the system's specific geometry, topology, and propagation environment. Maximizing the benefit of multihop relaying requires that the medium access control (MAC) layer scheduler be aware of physical (PHY) layer conditions. Multihop relaying increases networkwide throughput by enabling spatial reuse within a cell and by significantly reducing the path loss on each hop. The most significant gain results from adding enough relays to create line-of-sight (LOS) paths on all relay hops. To assist with system design, we present a methodology of analyzing network throughput and area-averaged spectral efficiency for multihop relay-enhanced cellular systems, including cross-layer considerations. In addition, we describe a technique that may be used to determine spatial reuse schedules. In this paper, we use a realistic model and typical cellular scenarios to show how relaying can be used to improve coverage and throughput in a real-world system.
ABO-blood-group types and protection against severe, Plasmodium falciparum malaria

Abstract Although the ABO blood group of the human host has been reported to influence malarial infection, there have been few clinical observations on this effect. A hospital-based, comparative study was therefore performed to investigate the relationship between blood-group type and severe disease inPlasmodium falciparum malaria. Overall, 243 cases of malaria (163 uncomplicated and 80 severe) and 65 patients with severe, non-malarial infections were studied. In terms of ABO-blood-group composition, the patients with severe malaria were significantly different from the patients with the uncomplicated disease (P<0.001) and also from a population control described previously (P<0.0001). The patients with uncomplicated malaria or severe but non-malarial disease were, however, similar to the population control. The cases of severe malaria were significantly less likely to be of blood group O (P=0.0003), and significantly more likely to be of group AB (P<0.0001), than the patients with nonsevere malaria. It appears that individuals who are of blood-group O are relatively resistant to the severe disease caused by P. falciparum infection.
A Combination of Oxo-M and 4-PPBP as a potential regenerative therapeutics for tendon injury

Tendons injuries frequently result in scar-like tissue with poor biochemical structure and mechanical properties. We have recently reported that CD146+ perivascular originated tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSCs), playing critical roles in tendon healing. Here, we identified highly efficient small molecules that selectively activate endogenous TSCs for tendon regeneration. Methods: From a pool of ERK1/2 and FAK agonists, Oxo-M and 4-PPBP were identified, and their roles in tenogenic differentiation of TSCs and in vivo tendon healing were investigated. Controlled delivery of Oxo-M and 4-PPBP was applied via PLGA µS. Signaling studies were conducted to determine the mechanism for specificity of Oxo-M and 4-PPBP to CD146+ TSCs. Results: A combination of Oxo-M and 4-PPBP synergistically increased the expressions of tendon-related gene markers in TSCs. In vivo, delivery of Oxo-M and 4-PPBP significantly enhanced healing of fully transected rat patellar tendons (PT), with functional restoration and reorganization of collagen fibrous structure. Our signaling study suggested that Oxo-M and 4-PPBP specifically targets CD146+ TSCs via non-neuronal muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (AChR) and σ1 receptor (σ1) signaling. Principal conclusions: Our findings demonstrate a significant potential of Oxo-M and 4-PPBP as a regenerative therapeutics for tendon injuries.
Deafness in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease and is considered the most debilitating neurological disorder among young adults. Sudden deafness has been reported in MS patients. This article describes cases of sudden deafness related to acute bouts in MS patients. A survey was conducted using 405 records of MS patients attended to at a reference center in the city of Rio de Janeiro between 2011 and 2012 to identify cases of sudden deafness. Seven patients were identified, 6 with a relapsing-remitting course and 1 with progressive disease at onset. Five patients had unilateral deafness and 2 bilateral. The recovery was complete in 4 and partial in 1, and there was no recovery in 2 patients. It was not possible to establish a topographical correlation between deafness and brainstem lesions. Audiometric examinations revealed severe hearing loss during the bout and recovery of hearing in 5 cases after remission.