Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Breast Implant–Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in Australia and New Zealand: High-Surface-Area Textured Implants Are Associated with Increased Risk

Background: The association between breast implants and breast implant–associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) has been confirmed. Implant-related risk has been difficult to estimate to date due to incomplete datasets. Methods: All cases in Australia and New Zealand were identified and analyzed. Textured implants reported in this group were subjected to surface area analysis. Sales data from three leading breast implant manufacturers (i.e., Mentor, Allergan, and Silimed) dating back to 1999 were secured to estimate implant-specific risk. Results: Fifty-five cases of breast implant–associated ALCL were diagnosed in Australia and New Zealand between 2007 and 2016. The mean age of patients was 47.1 years and the mean time of implant exposure was 7.46 years. There were four deaths in the series related to mass and/or metastatic presentation. All patients were exposed to textured implants. Surface area analysis confirmed that higher surface area was associated with 64 of the 75 implants used (85.3 percent). Biocell salt loss textured (Allergan, Inamed, and McGhan) implants accounted for 58.7 percent of the implants used in this series. Comparative analysis showed the risk of developing breast implant–associated ALCL to be 14.11 times higher with Biocell textured implants and 10.84 higher with polyurethane (Silimed) textured implants compared with Siltex textured implants. Conclusions: This study has calculated implant-specific risk of breast implant–associated ALCL. Higher-surface-area textured implants have been shown to significantly increase the risk of breast implant–associated ALCL in Australia and New Zealand. The authors present a unifying hypothesis to explain these observations.
Modifiable Risk Factors for Term Large for Gestational Age Births

To determine modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors for term large for gestational age (T-LGA) births in Northern and Central Alberta and their public health importance, a retrospective cohort study (n = 115,198) of singleton live births (1996–2003) was conducted using maternal and newborn data from a provincial perinatal database. After adjusting for potential confounders, predictors of T-LGA births included prepregnancy weight 91 kg or greater, multiparity, and previous LGA birth. The strongest modifiable predictor was prepregnancy weight 91 kg or greater (OR = 2.52; CI 2.39, 2.65). The population-attributable risk percentage for prepregnancy weight 91 kg or greater was 10%.
Does Crime Pay Enough? Diamond Prices, Lootability and Ethnic War

Natural resources are thought to be at the root of many civil conflicts, but no consensus has emerged on the mechanisms at play in the resources-conflict relationship, and some question whether such a relationship exists. This paper compares the state prize variant of the greed theory with the lootability approach. We employ a time-series cross-sectional design to analyze how secondary diamond production, primary diamond production, and diamond price influence the onset of ethnic wars in 48 Sub-Saharan African countries between 1960 and 2010. Our results suggest that purely additive models are unlikely to reveal the relationship between diamonds and ethnic conflict. We find some support for the lootability mechanism, but our findings better support the hypothesis that natural resources increase the value of the state and therefore encourage rebels to try to capture state power. Our findings also point to resources’ potential to bolster government capacity.
Toxicity of chemicals to microalgae in river and in standard waters

The influence of the composition of natural waters on the toxicity of chemicals to microalgae was studied on samples representative of western European rivers. Effects of zinc, pentachlorophenol (PCP), 4‐nonylphenol (4‐NP), phosalone, and 2,4,5‐trichloroaniline (TCA) on algal growth were tested in river waters without adding any nutrients or cosolvents, and in the International Standards Organization (ISO) medium for comparison. The mean values of effective concentrations reducing the algal growth by 50% (EC50s) after 72 h based on measured concentrations did not differ significantly in natural waters and in standard medium for 4‐NP (0.5 mg/L) and phosalone (0.8–0.9 mg/L). These values were two or three times higher in rivers than in ISO medium for PCP (0.25 vs 0.1 mg/L), TCA (1.69 vs 0.73 mg/L), and zinc (0.20 vs 0.056 mg/L). Although the mean values were of the same order of magnitude, the distribution of the EC50 values ranged over 1.5 and 2 log concentrations in surface waters. Therefore, in view of a refined hazard assessment of a chemical on a local scale, it would be advisable to use the actual river water of the concerned aquatic environment in testing. Correlations between toxicity data and the physicochemical characteristics of the waters identified classic parameters such as water hardness or conductivity as factors that significantly influenced the toxicity of the ionizable compounds PCP and zinc. On the other hand, organic materials or suspended solids, but only at high levels, affected the toxicity of 4‐NP, an organic chemical with high adsorption potential. No correlation could be drawn for phosalone and TCA.
Neuronal differentiation and synapse formation in the space‐time with temporal fractal dimension

An improvement of the Waliszewski and Konarski approach ([2002] Synapse 43:252–258) to determine the temporal fractal dimension bt and scaling factor at for the process of neuronal differentiation and synapse formation in the fractal space‐time is presented. In particular the analytical formulae describing the time‐dependence of bt(t) and at(t), which satisfy the appropriate boundary conditions for t→0 and t→∞, are derived. They have been used to determine the temporal fractal dimension and scaling factor from the two‐parametric Gompertz function fitted to experimental data obtained by Jones‐Villeneuve et al. ([1982] J Cell Biol 94:253–262) for embryonal carcinoma P19 cells treated by retinoic acid. The results of the calculations differ from those obtained previously by making use of the three‐ and four‐parametric Gompertz function as well as other S‐shape functions (Chapman, Hill, Logistic, Sigmoid) evaluated by the fitting of the experimental curve. The temporal fractal dimension can be used as a numerical measure of the neuronal complexity emerging in the process of differentiation, which can be related to the morphofunctional cell organization. A hypothesis is formulated that neuronal differentiation and synapse formation have a lot in common with the process of tumorigenesis. They are qualitatively described by the same Gompertz function of growth and take place in the fractal space‐time whose mean temporal fractal dimension is lost during progression. Synapse 60:567–572, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Co‐administration of piperine and docetaxel results in improved anti‐tumor efficacy via inhibition of CYP3A4 activity

Docetaxel is the mainline treatment approved by the FDA for castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) yet its administration only increases median survival by 2–4 months. Docetaxel is metabolized in the liver by hepatic CYP3A4 activity. Piperine, a major plant alkaloid/amide, has been shown to inhibit the CYP3A4 enzymatic activity in a cell‐free system. Thus, we investigated whether the co‐administration of piperine and docetaxel could increase docetaxel's pharmacokinetic activity in vitro and in vivo.
The neural basis of relational memory deficits in schizophrenia.

CONTEXT Memory deficits are common in schizophrenia. Recent studies have demonstrated that relational memory is particularly impaired. OBJECTIVE To study the neural correlates of relational memory in schizophrenia using functional magnetic resonance imaging. DESIGN Cross-sectional case-control study. SETTING Academic medical center. Subjects Twenty patients with schizophrenia and 17 control subjects. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Behavioral performance and brain activity were assessed during the discrimination of previously seen and novel pairs of visual stimuli, which varied in the degree of relational memory load. We performed whole-brain and region-of-interest (hippocampus) analyses. RESULTS Schizophrenic subjects displayed normal activation of the presupplementary motor area and ventral prefrontal cortex, but significantly decreased recruitment of the right parietal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex when discriminating novel pairs derived from a sequence of stimuli. Discrimination accuracy was decreased in schizophrenia only when the flexible representation of a sequence was required. This selective deficit was associated with decreased activation of the right parietal cortex and left hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS Schizophrenia is characterized by a specific deficit of relational memory, which is associated with impaired function of the parietal cortex and hippocampus. Abnormal relational memory may be at the core of 2 prominent features of schizophrenia, ie, cognitive deficits and psychosis.
MRI of enthesitis of the appendicular skeleton in spondyloarthritis

Entheses are sites where tendons, ligaments, joint capsules or fascia attach to bone. Inflammation of the entheses (enthesitis) is a well-known hallmark of spondyloarthritis (SpA). As entheses are associated with adjacent, functionally related structures, the concepts of an enthesis organ and functional entheses have been proposed. This is important in interpreting imaging findings in entheseal-related diseases. Conventional radiographs and CT are able to depict the chronic changes associated with enthesitis but are of very limited use in early disease. In contrast, MRI is sensitive for detecting early signs of enthesitis and can evaluate both soft-tissue changes and intraosseous abnormalities of active enthesitis. It is therefore useful for the early diagnosis of enthesitis-related arthropathies and monitoring therapy. Current knowledge and typical MRI features of the most commonly involved entheses of the appendicular skeleton in patients with SpA are reviewed. The MRI appearances of inflammatory and degenerative enthesopathy are described. New options for imaging enthesitis, including whole-body MRI and high-resolution microscopy MRI, are briefly discussed.
DRD2 allele frequencies and linkage disequilibria, including the -141CIns/Del promoter polymorphism, in European-American, African-American, and Japanese subjects.

Although many studies have addressed the possible association of D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) alleles-particularly in the TaqI "A" system (with the DRD2*A1 allele)-with positive results for a range of behavioral phenotypes in populations of European origin, the interpretation of those results remains controversial; they could reflect physiological relationships between gene and phenotype, population stratification, or random variation. Since mutational analysis studies of the DRD2 gene have thus far failed to reveal a mutation that could provide a physiological basis for these results, functional meaning for them depends on linkage disequilibrium with a functional variant. A recently described functional variant in the DRD2 promoter (-141CIns/Del), which is about 250 kb 5' to the variants studied in psychiatric illness, could conceivably provide an explanation for the positive findings, if it were in linkage disequilibrium with DRD2*A1 in populations similar to those for which an association has been reported. We studied linkage disequilibrium (LD) and frequencies of haplotypes containing the DRD2*A, DRD2*D, and -141CIns/Del systems in European-Americans, African-Americans, and Japanese subjects. Although we found evidence for LD across the 250-kb first intron in both American populations, we did not find significant LD between the DRD2*A system and the -141CIns/Del system in the European-Americans. This newly described functional variant therefore does not provide a straightforward physiological explanation for previously reported genetic associations with DRD2*A1 in European-American subjects.
Social support and invalidation by others contribute uniquely to the understanding of physical and mental health of patients with rheumatic diseases

This study examined whether social support and invalidation (lack of understanding and discounting by others) are differently associated with physical and mental health. Participants were 1455 patients with fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, osteorarthritis, or another rheumatic disease. Participants completed online questionnaires. Social support correlated negatively with discounting responses of others (moderately) and lack of understanding (strongly). Both invalidation and social support were additively associated with patients’ mental health, but only discounting was significantly associated with patients’ physical health. This suggests that improving health of patients with rheumatic diseases requires the consideration of both social support and invalidation.
The Influence of Government Ideology on Monetary Policy: New Cross‐Country Evidence Based on Dynamic Heterogeneous Panels

Using data of 23 OECD countries over the 1980–2005 period, we examine whether government ideology affects monetary policy, conditional on central bank independence. Unlike previous studies in this line of literature, we estimate central bank behavior using forward‐looking and real‐time data in Taylor rule models and use estimators that allow for heterogeneity across countries. Our models with heterogeneous slope coefficients for the full sample do not suggest partisan effects. We also do not find evidence that central bank behavior is conditioned by the interaction of the ideology of the incumbent government and the electoral calendar.
Citizen Participation in Public Administration: Investigating Open Government for Social Innovation

In recent years, public sector organizations have increasingly focused on citizen contribution by adopting instruments known from open innovation. By collaborating with the periphery and leveraging external knowledge, government institutions initiate social innovation and stimulate a positive change for society. This article examines the involvement of citizens in an ideation platform initiated by a local government and investigates the motivations affecting participation intensity. Drawing on self&#8208;determination theory, we analyze what motivates citizens to participate in an open government platform and how these motivations influence participation quantity. Based on a survey among platform users and the analysis of usage data from the platform operator, we find that motivations of citizen participation in public administration greatly vary across forms of participation. Whereas, intrinsic motivation is positively associated with producing and consuming platform content, external and introjected regulation negatively relate to individuals&#8217; active contribution. At the same time, external regulation is positively associated with evaluation behavior.
The potential of contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for predicting left ventricular remodeling

To determine whether the myocardial injury size on day 2 measured after gadolinium (Gd)‐mesoporphyrin and Gd‐diethylenetriamine‐pentaacetic acid (DTPA) administration can be used for predicting left ventricular (LV) remodeling 8 weeks later, and to monitor the structural and functional changes in the infarct, peri‐infarct rim, and remote myocardium in reperfused infarction using contrast‐enhanced and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Sporadic phaeochromocytomas are rarely associated with germline mutations in the von Hippel‐Lindau and RET genes

von Hippel‐Lindau (VHL) disease and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) are autosomal dominant cancer syndromes. In both conditions, phaeochromocytoma is a prominent feature. It has recently been suggested that phaeochromocytoma can be the presenting and sole clinical manifestation of these multi–organ syndromes. The aim of this study was to ascertain the incidence of VHL and MEN2 among patients with sporadic phaeochromocytoma by mutational analysis.
Hourly Demand for Electricity in Sweden: Implications for Load, Welfare and Emissions

In this study, using sub-hourly appliance-level data from a representative sample of Swedish households on standard tariffs, we investigate the welfare and emission implications of moving to a mandatory dynamic pricing scheme. We treat demand during different hours of a day to affect utility differently, and account for the derived nature of electricity demand by explicitly considering the services (end-use demands) that drive hourly electricity demand. We use the flexible EASI demand system, which accommodates both observed and unobserved heterogeneity in preferences, to understand changes in load consequent to moving to dynamic pricing schemes. We find changes in load patterns across hours to be relatively small (with at most a three percent reduction during the morning peak, and a two percent increase in the off-peak times), and welfare and emissions to decrease slightly (a maximum of 0.2 percent and 0.25 percent, respectively). Overall, in the context of a decentralized electricity retail setting such as in Sweden, our results call into question both the desirability (from a short-run welfare perspective) or the feasibility (from a consumer perspective) of the emphasis on ensuring that the retail price of electricity be aligned to the hourly marginal cost.
The Development of Education in Israel and its Contribution to Long-Term Growth

This study discusses the contribution of human capital to Israel’s economic output and long-term growth. For this we built historical time series for Israel’s average years of schooling, while correcting individual data in order to account only for effective years of schooling, i.e. those that contribute to labor productivity. We find that in 2011 the average years of schooling among the prime working age (25–64) population was 13.5 years—in the center of the OECD distribution. Combining these data with estimates for the macroeconomic return on schooling allowed us to use Growth Accounting methods in order to estimate how increases in schooling contributed to growth. We found that the increase in schooling since the mid-1970’s contributed 0.6 to 0.8 percentage points to the average annual growth rate, which is equivalent to 33-45 percent of the total per capita growth rate during the period. However, the contribution of schooling to growth began to abate in the last decade, and it is expected to continue fading out: We conducted forecasts for the average years of schooling in the next 50 years, which point to the contribution to growth further declining, to 0.1 to 0.3 percentage points. The range partly reflects uncertainty regarding the ultra-Orthodox population’s degree of integration in the effective education systems. When examining additional aspects of human capital beyond that of the quantity of schooling, we find that Israel is behind the OECD countries in the quality of education, mainly at the secondary level. However, it is not out of line in the quality of universities or in the inequality in the distribution of years of schooling
Effect of rifampin and bacitracin on nasal carriers of Staphylococcus aureus

Anterior nares cultures from 664 hospital personnel identified 165 (24.8%) as carriers of Staphylococcus aureus. Persistent carriers (17.8%) were identified and randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: rifampin (600 mg once a day for 5 days), bacitracin ointment (topically applied three times a day for 10 days), combined rifampin and bacitracin, and control (no treatment). Bacitracin ointment was ineffective in eliminating S. aureus from the anterior nares and had a postreatment carrier rate equal to the control rate. Rifampin therapy caused a highly significant reduction (79%) in carriage; however, combined therapy was not as effective as treatment with rifampin alone. Of 132 strains of staphylococci isolated before and after treatment, all were susceptible to less than 0.016 micrograms of rifampin per ml. This study demonstrates that rifampin may be an effective antistaphylococcal antibiotic and could be used to control the carrier state in high-risk situations.
Prism use in adult diplopia

Purpose of review Prismatic correction to restore binocularity in adult diplopia can be challenging. This review summarizes the results of prismatic correction in adults based on the cause of diplopia. Recent findings Satisfaction with prismatic correction is achieved in approximately 80% of all adult patients with diplopia when combining the causes. Of patients with vertical diplopia, skew deviation and fourth nerve palsy have the highest satisfaction rates, 100 and 92%, respectively. Patients with thyroid eye disease and orbital blowout fractures associated with diplopia had the lowest satisfaction rates, 55 and 8%, respectively. With regard to horizontal deviations, patients with decompensated childhood strabismus with a combination of horizontal and vertical deviations and patients with convergence insufficiency had the lowest satisfaction rates, 71 and 50%, respectively. Summary Careful selection of patients for prismatic correction, management of patient's expectations, and continued follow-up to monitor the symptoms are critical to the successful use of prisms.
Essential Motifs in the 3′ Untranslated Region Required for Retrotransposition and the Precise Start of Reverse Transcription in Non-Long-Terminal-Repeat Retrotransposon SART1

ABSTRACT Non-long-terminal-repeat (non-LTR) retrotransposons amplify their copies by reverse transcribing mRNA from the 3′ end, but the initial processes of reverse transcription are still unclear. We have shown that a telomere-specific non-LTR retrotransposon of the silkworm, SART1, requires the 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR) for retrotransposition. With an in vivo retrotransposition assay, we identified several novel motifs within the 3′ UTR involved in precise and efficient reverse transcription. Of 461 nucleotides (nt) of the 3′ UTR, the central region, from nt 163 to nt 295, was essential for SART1 retrotransposition. Of five putative stem-loops formed in RNA for the SART1 3′ UTR, the second stem-loop (nt 159 to 221) is included in this region. Loss of the 3′ region (nt 296 to 461) in the 3′ UTR and the poly(A) tract resulted in decreased and inaccurate reverse transcription, which starts mostly from several telomeric repeat-like GGUU sequences just downstream of the second stem-loop. These results suggest that short telomeric repeat-like sequences in the 3′ UTR anneal to the bottom strand of (TTAGG) n repeats. We also demonstrated that the mRNA for green fluorescent protein (GFP) could be retrotransposed into telomeric repeats when the GFP coding region is fused with the SART1 3′ UTR and SART1 open reading frame proteins are supplied in trans.