Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic diversity of Diplomonadida in fish of the genus Coregonus from Southeastern Siberia

Diplomonadida are primitive flagellate protozoa, among which both commensals and pathogens have been recorded. To date, members of the genera Hexamita and Spironucleus have been reported in the digestive system of fish in the Baikal region. We determined the genetic diversity of Diplomonadida in fish of the genus Coregonus from south-eastern Siberia using molecular-genetic methods. Fish for analysis were caught in Lake Baikal and in the Barguzin, Nepa, Chechuy, and Kirenga rivers from 2010 to 2013. Gall bladders, hindguts and foreguts of 120 specimens of Coregonus migratorius representing three morpho-ecological groups, 25 specimens of Coregonus lavaretus baicalensis, 25 specimens of Coregonus tugun and 30 specimens of Coregonus lavaretus pidschian were analysed via amplification with primers specifically designed for eukaryotes. Amplicons positive for Diplomonadida were sequenced.A phylogenetic analysis revealed that diplomonad flagellates of whitefish from Southeastern Siberia belong to Spironucleus barkhanus. Positive Diplomonadida DNA samples were analysed with primers designed in the present study for the amplification of small subunits of ribosomal DNA fragments of S. barkhanus (about 1,430 bp) and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis revealed inside the clade of S. barkhanus besides the cosmopolitan genotype from European salmon that was detected earlier in Baikalian grayling, a new genotype unique to the fish of the genus Coregonus from Lake Baikal.
Role of non‐surgical therapies in the management of periocular basal cell carcinoma and squamous intra‐epidermal carcinoma: a case series and review of the literature

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous intra‐epidermal carcinoma (IEC) are the most common periocular tumours and can be associated with significant morbidity. Five percent of imiquimod cream and photodynamic therapy (PDT) are popular non‐surgical treatment options but are currently not licensed for periocular use.
Endothelin axis polymorphisms in patients with scleroderma.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the distribution of polymorphisms in the endothelin 1 (EDN1), endothelin receptor A (EDNRA) and endothelin receptor B (EDNRB) genes in systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma) and SSc subsets. METHODS Two hundred five patients with SSc and 255 healthy controls were screened for polymorphisms in EDN1, EDNRA, and EDNRB, using sequence-specific primer-polymerase chain reaction. The polymorphisms studied were at the following positions: for EDN1, -1370 (T-1370G) of the promoter, +138 of exon 1 (+138 A/-), +85 of exon 3 (E106E), and +23 of exon 5 (K198N); for EDNRA, -231 of exon 1 (G-231A), and +69(H323H) and +105 (E335E) of exon 6; for EDNRB, +2841 of exon 2 (EDNRB-3), -2547 of exon 3 (EDNRB-2), and -2446 of exon 3 (EDNRB-1). RESULTS No significant differences between the SSc group as a whole and control subjects were observed for any of the investigated polymorphisms in EDN1, EDNRA, and EDNRB. However, compared with patients with limited cutaneous SSc, patients with diffuse skin involvement had an increased frequency of allele carriage of EDNRB-1A (76.8% versus 54.4%; P = 0.002), EDNRB-2A (79.7% versus 60.2%; P = 0.006), and EDNRB-3G (79.7% versus 56.6%; P = 0.001). Significantly increased carriage frequencies for EDNRA alleles H323H/C and E335E/A were observed in SSc patients with anti-RNA polymerase (anti-RNAP) antibodies, compared with both anti-RNAP-negative SSc patients (P < 0.05) and control subjects (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION The finding of associations between endothelin receptors A and B and distinct clinical and immunologic SSc subsets supports the role of endothelin and its receptors in the pathogenesis of SSc. However, these findings and their functional significance need to be confirmed and investigated in future studies.
Rural women and osteoporosis: awareness and educational needs.

CONTEXT Little is known about rural women's knowledge about osteoporosis. PURPOSE To explore what women from high-prevalence rural communities know about osteoporosis and to assess their learning preferences. METHODS We surveyed 437 women in rural Washington and Oregon. FINDINGS The response rate was 93% (N = 406). The mean age of respondents was 63 years (range 16-95) and 74% (n = 301) of women were postmenopausal. While 27% over age 40 (n = 111) reported having a fracture as an adult, less than half of this group (42%, n = 47) considered themselves at risk for osteoporosis. Of the 42% (n = 171) who rated their knowledge of osteoporosis good or excellent, only 18% (n = 30) answered calcium and vitamin D questions correctly. About half (53%; n = 214) exercised 3 or more times per week. Reported sources of osteoporosis information included television, magazines, health care providers, and personal contacts. Over half of the women in this study wanted more information about osteoporosis, most wanted it before age 50, and health care providers were a preferred source. Less than half of participants reported having Internet access. CONCLUSIONS While many participants underestimated their osteoporosis risk, most women wanted to learn more about osteoporosis and health care providers remain a preferred source of information.
Long-Term Audiometric Follow-up of Click-Evoked Auditory Brainstem Response in Hearing-Impaired Infants: Seguimiento audiométrico a largo plazo de los potenciales evocados auditivos del tallo cerebral (PEA) en niños hipoacüAsicos

Conventional pure-tone thresholds were collected as determined at ages between 4 and 8 years from a group of 163 infants, tested by auditory brainstem response (ABR) in the age range between 1 and 3 years old for objective hearing assessment. The subjects suffered from a variety of degrees and types of sensorineural hearing impairment. The prognostic value of the ABR peak V thresholds in response to 0.1 ms clicks with respect to the behavioural thresholds at octave frequencies from 125 to 8,000 Hz obtained later is evaluated. Correlation between ABR and behavioural thresholds is largest in the 1,000- to 8,000-Hz frequency range. Predicted pure-tone audiograms (mean and SD) were determined for each 10-dB class of ABR thresholds. SDs are in the order of 15 to 18 dB in the 500- to 4,000-Hz range and slightly higher at adjacent frequencies (i.e., somewhat larger than in comparable adult studies). Mean pure-tone thresholds in the 1,000- to 8,000-Hz frequency range are up to 20 dB worse than ABR thresholds, which is opposite to findings in normally-hearing subjects. Thus, with an increasing degree of sensorineural hearing impairment, pure-tone thresholds increase at a significantly higher rate than ABR thresholds. The observation is explained in terms of reduced temporal integration in cochlear hearing loss. ABR thresholds worse than 80 dB nHL are demonstrated to have very limited predictive value with respect to the amount of residual hearing, not only in the low- but also in the high-frequency range. The presence of otitis media during ABR testing is shown to make estimation errors increase to more than 25 dB (SD).
Voting in the aftermath of a pension reform: the role of financial literacy

Abstract This study documents that the electoral cost of major pension reforms is lower in countries where the level of financial literacy is higher. The evidence from data on legislative elections held between 1990 and 2010 in 21 advanced countries is robust when we control for macroeconomic, demographic, and political conditions. Interestingly, these findings are not robust when we use less specific indicators of human capital as general schooling, supporting the view that knowledge of basic economic and financial concepts has distinctive features that may help reduce the electoral cost of reforms having a relevant impact on the life cycle of individuals.
Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium-Induced Placental Inflammation and Not Bacterial Burden Correlates with Pathology and Fatal Maternal Disease

ABSTRACT Food-borne infections caused by Salmonella enterica species are increasing globally, and pregnancy poses a high risk. Pregnant mice rapidly succumb to S. enterica serovar Typhimurium infection. To determine the mechanisms involved, we addressed the role of inflammation and bacterial burden in causing placental and systemic disease. In vitro, choriocarcinoma cells were a highly conducive niche for intracellular S. Typhimurium proliferation. While infection of mice with S. Typhimurium wild-type (WT) and mutant (ΔaroA and ΔinvA) strains led to profound pathogen proliferation and massive burden within placental cells, only the virulent WT S. Typhimurium infection evoked total fetal loss and adverse host outcome. This correlated with substantial placental expression of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and increased serum inflammatory cytokines/chemokines, such as G-CSF, IL-6, CCL1, and KC, evoked by WT S. Typhimurium infection. In contrast, infection with high doses of S. Typhimurium ΔaroA, despite causing massive placental infection, resulted in reduced inflammatory cellular and cytokine response. While S. Typhimurium WT bacteria were dispersed in large numbers across all regions of the placenta, including the deeper labyrinth trophoblast, S. Typhimurium ΔaroA bacteria localized primarily to the decidua. This correlated with the widespread placental necrosis accompanied by neutrophil infiltration evoked by the S. Typhimurium WT bacteria. Thus, the ability of Salmonella to localize to deeper layers of the placenta and the nature of inflammation triggered by the pathogen, rather than bacterial burden, profoundly influenced placental integrity and host survival.
Essays on unemployment, job search behavior and policy interventions

This dissertation explores through which channels unemployment leads to exclusion from society and how policy interventions and technological innovations affect individual job search behavior and are able to bring unemployed persons back into the labor market. All four chapters contained in this dissertation are based on large individual-level data sets from Germany and aim at identifying causal relationships by employing different empirical methods. This thesis starts in the first chapter with an analysis of how job loss impacts different dimensions of social exclusion and shows that unemployment has detrimental economic and social effects. In the second chapter, which is co-authored by Annette Bergemann and Arne Uhlendorff, we study employment effects of participation in job creation schemes in the years after German reunification. We find that participation in job creation programs is beneficial for high skilled women in times of economic instability. In the third chapter, my co-authors Maximilian Blomer, Nicole Gurtzgen, Holger Stichnoth, Gerard van den Berg and I estimate an equilibrium job search model and simulate the introduction of different minimum wage levels. The results indicate that minimum wage effects on unemployment are non-linear and highly dependent on the labor market structure. In the last chapter, which is co-authored by Nicole Gurtzgen, Andre Nolte and Gerard van den Berg, we find that high-speed internet leads to higher reemployment probabilities with a certain time delay. This effect is particularly pronounced for unemployed males.
Psychometric Properties and Normative Data of the Zuckerman–Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire in a Psychiatric Outpatient Sample

ABSTRACT The Zuckerman–Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ; Zuckerman, Kuhlman, Joireman, Teta, & Kraft, 1993) was designed for the assessment of personality. The goal of this work was to determine the psychometric properties of the ZKPQ, as well as to establish normative data by gender and age in an outpatient sample attending primary mental health care services. We administered the questionnaire to 314 participants (34.7% males) 18 to 81 years old. The most prevalent primary diagnoses were mood (37.9%) and adjustment disorders (35.0%). Concerning the psychometric properties of the ZKPQ, the pattern of internal consistencies was similar to that previously found among general population, student, or clinical samples. Regarding gender differences, a general pattern was found, with women scoring higher on neuroticism and sociability, and lower on aggression-hostility. As for age, in general, scores declined with age. Norm-based decision making has the potential for significant and long-lasting consequences, and the quality of decisions based on score comparisons can be improved when scores are compared to norms fitted to the group of reference. The availability of the ZKPQ norms by gender and age in mental health care will benefit the accuracy of assessment and therapeutic decision making, providing more effective treatment planning overall.
Colon Perforation After Kidney Transplantation

Between 1962 and 1977 approximately 2% of Denver kidney transplant patients developed colon perforation. The single commonest cause was diverticulitis of the left colon (6/13 cases). In spite of drastic reduction or discontinuation of immunosup-pression, only 5/13 patients survived for more than 90 days after operation. Analysis of this experience suggests that the high mortality rate associated with this complication can be reduced by early operation which removes the perforation from the peritoneal cavity (either exteriorization or resection) without primary intestinal reanastomosis. We believe that candidates for kidney transplantation with a history of previously symptomatic diverticulosis coli should have elective colon resection prior to transplantation. Any kidney transplant patient with lower abdominal signs should be investigated and treated aggressively.
Salamander Abundance along Road Edges and within Abandoned Logging Roads in Appalachian Forests

Abstract: Roads may be one of the most common disturbances in otherwise continuous forested habitat in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Despite their obvious presence on the landscape, there is limited data on the ecological effects along a road edge or the size of the “road‐effect zone. ” We sampled salamanders at current and abandoned road sites within the Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina (U.S.A.) to determine the road‐effect zone for an assemblage of woodland salamanders. Salamander abundance near the road was reduced significantly, and salamanders along the edges were predominantly large individuals. These results indicate that the road‐effect zone for these salamanders extended 35 m on either side of the relatively narrow, low‐use forest roads along which we sampled. Furthermore, salamander abundance was significantly lower on old, abandoned logging roads compared with the adjacent upslope sites. These results indicate that forest roads and abandoned logging roads have negative effects on forest‐dependent species such as plethodontid salamanders. Our results may apply to other protected forests in the southern Appalachians and may exemplify a problem created by current and past land use activities in all forested regions, especially those related to road building for natural‐resource extraction. Our results show that the effect of roads reached well beyond their boundary and that abandonment or the decommissioning of roads did not reverse detrimental ecological effects; rather, our results indicate that management decisions have significant repercussions for generations to come. Furthermore, the quantity of suitable forested habitat in the protected areas we studied was significantly reduced: between 28.6% and 36.9% of the area was affected by roads. Management and policy decisions must use current and historical data on land use to understand cumulative impacts on forest‐dependent species and to fully protect biodiversity on national lands
Predicting Distant Failure in Nasopharyngeal Cancer

In a prospective study of 78 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer, we examined the prognostic significance of T stage, histology, parapharyngeal involvement, and lymph node dimensions, size, and level concerning distant metastasis. All patients were treated with radical radiotherapy alone and completed 3 to 7 years of follow‐up. In univariate analysis of time to metastasis, there was a significant difference stratifying for T stage (T1 and 2 versus T3 and 4), node dimensions (less than 6 versus more than or equal to 6 cm), neck level (above versus below the thyroid notch), and parapharyngeal involvement, but not for bilaterality of lymphadenopathy. Histology was an important prognostic factor related to distant metastasis since none of the 24 World Health Organization class I cases showed distant metastasis versus 14 (26%) of 54 patients with World Health Organization class II/III carcinoma. A multivariate duration model of time to metastasis within the later histologic group suggested that lymph node dimensions, node level, and T stage were the most important factors related to distant metastases, with the hazard ratios being 3.98, 3.23, and 1.76, respectively. Multivariate analysis within the T3‐ to T4‐stage group showed that node dimension was the only significant variable, with an associated hazard ratio of 4.09. Cases with upper‐neck lymphadenopathy and node dimensions of less than 6 cm had a distant metastasis rate of <5%. We conclude that adjuvant chemotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer is justified in T3‐ and T4‐staged cases with nonkeratinizing or undifferentiated histology and with lymph nodes larger than 6 cm and/or located below the thyroid notch.
In Vivo, Ex Vivo, and In Vitro One‐ and Two‐Dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of an Intracerebral Glioma in Rat Brain: Assignment of Resonances

Abstract: An in vivo study of intracerebral rat glioma using proton‐localized NMR spectroscopy showed important modifications of the spectra in the tumor as compared with the contralateral brain. To carry out the assignment of the resonances of the glioma spectra, tumoral and normal rat brain tissues were studied in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro by one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional proton spectroscopy. N‐Acetylaspartate was found at an extremely low level in the glioma. The change of peak ratio total creatine/3.2 ppm peak was found to be due to a simultaneous decrease of the total creatine content and an increase of the 3.2 ppm peak. The 3.2 ppm resonance in the glioma spectra has been shown to originate from choline, phosphocholine, glycerophosphocholine, taurine, inositol, and phosphoethanolamine. The increase of the 3.2 ppm peak in the glioma was found to result from the increase of taurine and phosphoethanolamine contents. The peak in the 1.3 ppm region of the glioma spectra was due to both lactate and mobile fatty acids. Moreover, two‐dimensional spectroscopy of excised tissues and extracts showed the presence of hypotaurine only in the tumor.
INVESTOR SENTIMENT CONNECTEDNESS: EVIDENCE FROM LINEAR AND NONLINEAR CAUSALITY APPROACHES

This paper provides a novel perspective in determining the Granger causality of sentiment across the US, Latin America, Eurozone, Japan and Asia (excluding Japan), based on monthly data covering the period of January 2003–November 2017. Using a survey-based sentiment index of “sentix”, our results suggest strong evidence of nonlinearity and structural breaks making the use of linear causality models unreliable. Using a kernel-based multivariate nonlinear causality test, we find that causality runs from Eurozone to the US, Asia and Japan, with Japan also causing the Eurozone sentiment, and Latin America causing the Japanese sentiment. Interestingly, when we apply rolling estimations to detect time-varying causality for the cases of Eurozone and the US, Eurozone and Asia, Eurozone and Japan and Latin America and Japan, the results suggest evidence of bidirectional spillovers during certain months of the recent global financial crisis, and thereafter. Overall, our findings indicate that the sentiments of Japan, Asia and the US are related quite strongly with that of the Eurozone, as well as the sentiments of Japan and Latin America.
Midwives' perspectives on the practice, impact and challenges of delivering respectful maternity care in Malawi

In low-income countries, lack of respectful maternity care (RMC) is a key deterrent in women’s access to, and satisfaction with, facility-based birth, undermining global efforts to tackle maternal mortality. Much of what we know about RMC and disrespect in the labour ward has been informed by women’s perspectives. Midwives’ voices are largely missing from the discourse. This thesis poses two overarching questions: How do Malawian midwives conceptualise, practice and value RMC? What constraints and enablers do they face in providing RMC? I used a qualitative, critical realist approach to foreground midwives’ voices. Narrative (n=21) and critical incident technique (n=23) interviews with midwives were supplemented by 26 key informant interviews. The theoretical frame of postcolonialism provided the key anchor point for interpreting the data. Many midwives aspire to RMC but face significant challenges. A clash between traditional values and democracy manifests in poor attitudes to the public sector, inadequate leadership and lack of accountability, while student recruitment processes allow entry of ‘just a job’ midwives - both factors allow poor behaviour and attitudes to become normalised. Midwifery’s low status and professional invisibility under a dual-qualification nurse-midwife model, plus lack of a united vision for the future of midwifery, leave midwives feeling unvalued and demotivated. Unconducive work environments, low staff numbers, lack of support and horizontal violence block professionalism and good practice at facility level. Policies to strengthen health systems and strategic consideration of the midwifery profession’s future are needed, as well as explicit attention to fostering teamwork and positive organisational cultures. Malawi’s labour ward dynamics are contingent upon the historical, cultural and health systems factors prevailing in this postcolonial context. An inter-disciplinary perspective to research in this area has been lacking but is crucial to frame and devise more appropriate interventions to improve the intrapartum experience for both women and midwives.
Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells with Silenced PD-1 Ligands and Transpresenting Interleukin-15 Stimulate Strong Tumor-Reactive T-cell Expansion

A modified DC vaccine that comprised DCs expressing IL15 and a subunit of the IL15 receptor in combination with silenced PD-1 ligand expression resulted in superior activation of antigen-specific T cells compared with either of these modifications alone. Although allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) can elicit graft-versus-tumor (GVT) immunity, patients often relapse due to residual tumor cells. As essential orchestrators of the immune system, vaccination with dendritic cells (DC) is an appealing strategy to boost the GVT response. Nevertheless, durable clinical responses after DC vaccination are still limited, stressing the need to improve current DC vaccines. Aiming to empower DC potency, we engineered monocyte-derived DCs to deprive them of ligands for the immune checkpoint regulated by programmed death 1 (PD-1). We also equipped them with interleukin (IL)-15 “transpresentation” skills. Transfection with short interfering (si)RNA targeting the PD-1 ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2, in combination with IL15 and IL15Rα mRNA, preserved their mature DC profile and rendered the DCs superior in inducing T-cell proliferation and IFNγ and TNFα production. Translated into an ex vivo hematological disease setting, DCs deprived of PD-1 ligands (PD-L), equipped with IL15/IL15Rα expression, or most effectively, both, induced superior expansion of minor histocompatibility antigen–specific CD8+ T cells from transplanted cancer patients. These data support the combinatorial approach of in situ suppression of the PD-L inhibitory checkpoints with DC-mediated IL15 transpresentation to promote antigen-specific T-cell responses and, ultimately, contribute to GVT immunity. Cancer Immunol Res; 5(8); 710–5. ©2017 AACR.