Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chemotherapy-induced ovarian failure as a prototype for acute vascular toxicity.

BACKGROUND Chemotherapy-related amenorrhea is a frequent side effect observed in young breast cancer patients. Studies in mice revealed that chemotherapy-induced gonadal toxicity may result from vascular damage. We prospectively evaluated ovarian blood flow and function in young breast cancer patients following chemotherapy. METHODS Young female patients with localized breast cancer undergoing adjuvant or neoadjuvant anthracycline- or taxane-based chemotherapy were evaluated using transvaginal ultrasound prior to initiation of and immediately after cessation of chemotherapy. Doppler-flow velocity indices of the ovarian vasculature-resistance index (RI), pulsatility index (PI)-and size measurements were visualized. Hormonal profiles, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels, and menopausal symptoms were assessed at the same time points. RESULTS Twenty breast cancer patients were enrolled in the study. The median age was 34 ± 5.24 years. Ovarian blood flow was significantly reduced shortly following chemotherapy: RI decreased by 52.5% and PI decreased by 24.2%. The mean ovarian size declined by 19.08%. Patients who were treated with sequential chemotherapy experienced further reductions in ovarian blood flow and ovarian size after the second sequence. AMH levels dropped dramatically in all patients following treatment. Hormonal profiles after treatment depicted a postmenopausal profile for most patients, accompanied by related symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Our results may imply a mechanism of chemotherapy-induced ovarian toxicity manifested by decreased ovarian blood flow accompanied by a reduction in ovarian size and diminished post-treatment AMH levels. Based upon our former preclinical studies, we assume that this may derive from an acute insult to the ovarian vasculature and may represent an initial event triggering a generalized phenomenon of end-organ toxicity.
Long-term vs short-term perspectives: adaptation, stability and the roles of the constitutional courts in the management of the Eurozone crisis in Germany and Italy

ABSTRACT The article sheds light on the different approaches used by Germany and Italy in adopting and implementing the instruments created to tackle the Eurozone crisis, with special reference to the European Stability Mechanism, the Fiscal Compact, and the monetary policy instruments adopted by the European Central Bank (ECB). The responses of the two countries are argued to derive from the influence of mainstream economic thinking – Germany promotes a culture of stability and a longer term perspective while Italy favours liquidity and short-term solutions – on the case law of the constitutional courts of the two countries. The German Court has insisted on the principle of constitutional identity and budgetary autonomy of the Bundestag to resist the expansionary monetary policy of the ECB and the growing competences of the EU. In addition, it has recognised the primacy of the principle of long-term stability as a constitutional principle. The Italian Court, on the other hand, has managed to balance the imperative of debt reduction with the need to avoid damaging the welfare state. Case law shows that both Courts have played an increasingly political role.
Pancreas After Living Donor Kidney Versus Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney Transplant: An Analysis of the Organ Procurement Transplant Network/United Network of Organ Sharing Database

Background. One of the alternative options to simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT) for type I diabetics with renal failure is sequential transplant of a living donor kidney followed by a deceased donor pancreas transplant (pancreas after living donor kidney transplant [PALK]). We retrospectively compared the outcomes of SPKT versus PALK. Methods. Adults (age 18–59 years) with type I diabetes who were waitlisted for kidney-pancreas and received a SPKT or PALK between 2000 and 2007 were studied. We compared patient, kidney graft, and pancreas graft survival. Multivariate analysis was performed, and the results were expressed as hazard ratios (HRs) of graft loss and death of PALK, with SPKT as a reference. Results. Of 11,966 patients who received a kidney transplant, 807 received a PALK and 5580 received a SPKT. Median time to pancreas from kidney transplant was 336 (25%–75%: 185–602 days) days. Average hospital stay for SPKT recipients was 13.2±15 days, whereas for PALK recipients was 5.7±4 days and 9.5±8 days for kidney and pancreas transplants, respectively. After controlling for confounding factors, patients receiving PALK had better patient survival (HR 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.39–0.70) and kidney survival (HR 0.48; 95% CI 0.39–0.60) but worse pancreas survival (HR 1.37; 95% CI 1.16–1.62) compared with SPKT. Conclusion. Among those who were waitlisted for a kidney-pancreas transplant, 53% received a kidney-pancreas transplant. Of those who received a kidney-pancreas transplant, 87% patients underwent SPKT and 13% underwent PALK. PALK was associated with better kidney graft and patient survival compared with SPKT. We found an inferior pancreas graft survival and longer total transplant hospitalization in PALK.
Size-Differentiated Chemical Characteristics of Asian Paleo Dust: Records from Aeolian Deposition on Chinese Loess Plateau

ABSTRACT The Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) receives and potentially contributes to Asian dust storms that affect particulate matter (PM) concentrations, visibility, and climate. Loess on the CLP has experienced little weathering effect and is regarded as an ideal record to represent geochemical characteristics of Asian paleo dust. Samples were taken from 2-, 9-, and 15-m depths (representing deposition periods from ∼12,000 to ∼200,000 yr ago) in the Xi Feng loess profile on the CLP. The samples were resuspended and then sampled through total suspended particulates (TSP), PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 (PM with aerodynamic diameters < ∼30, 10, 2.5, and 1 μm, respectively) inlets onto filters for mass, elemental, ionic, and carbon analyses using a Desert Research Institute resuspension chamber. The elements Si, Ca, Al, Fe, K, Mg, water-soluble Ca (Ca2+), organic carbon, and carbonate carbon are the major constituents (>1%) in loess among the four PM fractions (i.e., TSP, PM10, PM2.5, and PM1). Much of Ca is water soluble and corresponds with measures of carbonate, indicating that most of the calcium is in the form of calcium carbonate rather than other calcium minerals. Most of the K is insoluble, indicating that loess can be separated from biomass burning contributions when K+ is measured. The loess has elemental abundances similar to those of the upper continental crust (UCC) for Mg, Fe, Ti, Mn, V, Cr, and Ni, but substantially different ratios for other elements such as Ca, Co, Cu, As, and Pb. These suggest that the use of UCC as a reference to represent pure or paleo Asian dust needs to be further evaluated. The aerosol samples from the source regions have similar ratios to loess for crustal elements, but substantially different ratios for species from anthropogenic sources (e.g., K, P, V, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, and Pb), indicating that the aerosol samples from the geological-source-dominated environment are not a “pure” soil product as compared with loess. IMPLICATIONS Precise and representative chemical properties of dust are necessary to quantitatively evaluate the impact of mineral dust on the environment and climate. Efforts to obtain chemical characteristics for Asian paleo dust are valuable for reducing uncertainty in evaluation of the role of Asian dust in climate and environmental change of geologic times as well as during the modern period.
What Determines the Health Care Expenditure of High Income Countries? A Dynamic Estimation

Constraining the rise in costs continues to be a major focus of health care policy in high income countries. It is important for governments to understand what is driving the rise in health care expenditure and what the impact will be over the coming years. This paper aims to provide an alternative econometric model to ascertain the determinants of health expenditure. Data from the OECD and IMS data bases for 18 OECD countries between 1988 and 2012 is collected. The analysis is at the year and country level. This study applies three methods: (1) panel data models with country fixed effects; (2) a first difference model; (3) a Vector Error Correction Model to account for the long run and short run effects as well as the endogeneity of the explanatory variables. The empirical results suggest that the use of different econometric specifications has a significant impact on both establishing the determinants of health expenditure and their magnitudes. Based on results from the Vector Error Correction Model, the GDP is considered as the only driver for country level health care expenditure growth. A 1% increase in the GDP is associated with a 1.1% increase in the health care expenditure.
Recent Developments in the Theory of Corporate Finance

The field of corporate finance is a vast one: in order to keep this paper manageable I shall focus on two well-known puzzles of corporate finance. The first has been described by Black (1976) as the dividend puzzle and the second by Myers (1984) as the capital structure puzzle. Underlying these two puzzles are similar considerations. Both originate in the application of competitive equilibrium analysis to corporate financial behaviour in two classic papers by Modigliani and Miller (Modigliani and Miller 1958, Miller and Modigliani 1961). Modigliani and Miller showed that if firms and investors enjoy the same financial opportunities then under conditions of perfectly competitive capital markets, no asymmetries of information between different agents, and no variations in the tax treatment of different forms of finance corporate financial policy is irrelevant. The value of a firm is determined entirely by its real decisions and is completely unaffected by the ratio of debt to equity finance in its capital structure or by the amount of dividends it pays out (for a given investment plan). The stark contrast between Modigliani and Miller's theoretical analysis and empirical observations of the importance attached to capital structure and dividend decisions by both firms and investors is part of the capital structure and dividend puzzles. But it is not all. For it remains true that nearly thirty years after the original Modigliani-Miller paper was first published, despite enormous efforts on the part of many researchers, a proper understanding of what determines companies' borrowing and dividend decisions is still elusive.
A Mathematical Model of Communication between Groups of Circadian Neurons in Drosophila melanogaster

In the fruit fly, circadian behavior is controlled by a small number of specialized neurons, whose molecular clocks are relatively well known. However, much less is known about how these neurons communicate among themselves. In particular, only 1 circadian neuropeptide, pigment-dispersing factor (PDF), has been identified, and most aspects of its interaction with the molecular clock remain to be elucidated. Furthermore, it is speculated that many other peptides should contribute to circadian communication. We have developed a relatively detailed model of the 2 main groups of circadian pacemaker neurons (sLNvs and LNds) to investigate these issues. We have proposed many possible mechanisms for the interaction between the synchronization factors and the molecular clock, and we have compared the outputs with the experimental results reported in the literature both for the wild-type and PDF-null mutant. We have studied how different the properties of each neuron should be to account for the observations reported for the sLNvs in the mutant. We have found that only a few mechanisms, mostly related to the slowing down of nuclear entry of a circadian protein, can synchronize neurons that present these differences. Detailed immunofluorescent recordings have suggested that, whereas in the mutant, LNd neurons are synchronized, in the wild-type, a subset of the LNds oscillate faster than the rest. With our model, we find that a more likely explanation for the same observations is that this subset is being driven outside its synchronization range and displays therefore a complex pattern of oscillation.
High resolution three‐dimensional cardiac perfusion imaging using compartment‐based k‐t principal component analysis

Three‐dimensional myocardial perfusion imaging requires significant acceleration of data acquisition to achieve whole‐heart coverage with adequate spatial and temporal resolution. The present article introduces a compartment‐based k‐t principal component analysis reconstruction approach, which permits three‐dimensional perfusion imaging at 10‐fold nominal acceleration. Using numerical simulations, it is shown that the compartment‐based method results in accurate representations of dynamic signal intensity changes with significant improvements of temporal fidelity in comparison to conventional k‐t principal component analysis reconstructions. Comparison of the two methods based on rest and stress three‐dimensional perfusion data acquired with 2.3 × 2.3 × 10 mm3 during a 225 msec acquisition window in patients confirms the findings and demonstrates the potential of compartment‐based k‐t principal component analysis for highly accelerated three‐dimensional perfusion imaging. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Undocumented, Unafraid, and Unapologetic: Exploring the Role of Activism in DACAmented Latinas/os/xs’ Thwarted Transition into Adulthood

Undocumented, Unafraid, and Unapologetic: Exploring the Role of Activism in DACAmented Latinas/os/xs’ Thwarted Transition into Adulthood Elizabeth Hernandez Given the growing population of undocumented Latina/o/x immigrants who came to the United States as children, there is a need for research that explores the risk and protective factors of their experiences growing up in the United States. As they transition through adolescence, they emerge as adults in a very different world. No longer protected from deportation, they must take more serious risks with employment. Without access to federal financial aid, they face the reality that they may never be able to utilize their college education in the United States. Against these odds, and with the temporary protection of DACA, an increasing number of undocumented childhood arrivals are civically engaged in the immigrant rights movement. Employing a qualitative method based on constructivist and feminist frameworks called Consensual Qualitative Research, this study sought to explore the impact of activism in Latina/o/x DACAmented immigrants’ thwarted transition to adulthood, highlighting the ways in which Latina/o/x cultural values mitigate the impact of activism. The sample consisted of 12 Latina/o/x DACAmented activists, eight women and four men, ages 18-32, from Mexico (n = 10), Guatemala (n = 1), and Dominican Republic (n = 1). The findings in this study not only suggested that protective migration factors, DACA-related privileges, and strong coping skills contributed to Latina/o/x DACAmented immigrants’ decision to become activists, but they also noted that activism has been a protective factor in and of itself. The results also showed the ways in which Latina/o/x cultural values helped them make sense of their unique experiences and were consistent with the values within their activist communities. Existing clinical recommendations, resources, and research methods were highlighted as ways in which mental health providers can apply these findings in their clinical, training, and research practice.
Peptidoglycan Synthesis in Cocci and Rods of a pH-Dependent, Morphologically Conditional Mutant of Klebsiella pneumoniae

Mir M7 is a spontaneous morphologically conditional mutant of Klebsiella pneumoniae which grows as round cells (cocci) at pH 7 and as normal rods at pH 5.8. We studied the rates of peptidoglycan synthesis of cocci and rods growing at pH values of 7 and 5.8, respectively. It was found that exponentially growing cocci produced a reduced amount of peptidoglycan per cell, compared with rods. Moreover, a shift of cocci to the permissive pH (5.8) caused an increase in the rate of peptidoglycan synthesis, whereas the reverse shift of rods to pH 7 determined a twofold reduction in the rate of [3H]diaminopimelic acid incorporation. During synchronous growth at pH 7, the rate of peptidoglycan synthesis after cell division decreased with time and rose before and during the first division. The susceptibilities of rods and cocci to β-lactam antibiotics were also studied. It was found that cocci were more sensitive both to penicillin G and to cephalexin than were rods, but they showed a high level of resistance to mecillinam. The peculiar behavior of this mutant was interpreted as supporting the existence in bacterial rods of two different sites for peptidoglycan synthesis: one responsible for lateral wall elongation and one responsible for septum formation. In Mir M7, shape damage is described as dependent on the specific inhibition, at the nonpermissive pH, of the site for lateral wall extension.
The rat caudal nerves: a model for experimental neuropathies

This study provides a detailed investigation of the anatomy of the rat caudal nerve along its entire length, as well as correlated nerve conduction measures in both large and small diameter axons. It determines that rodent caudal nerves provide a simple, sensitive experimental model for evaluation of the pathophysiology of degeneration, recovery, and prevention of length‐dependent distal axonopathy. After first defining the normal anatomy and electrophysiology of the rat caudal nerves, acrylamide monomer, a reliable axonal toxin, was administered at different doses for escalating time periods. Serial electrophysiological recordings were obtained, during intoxication, from multiple sites along caudal and distal sciatic nerves. Multiple sections of the caudal and sciatic nerves were examined with light and electron microscopy. The normal distribution of conduction velocities was determined and acrylamide‐induced time‐ and dose‐related slowing of velocities at the vulnerable ultraterminal region was documented. Degenerative morphological changes in the distal regions of the caudal nerves appeared well before changes in the distal sciatic nerves. Our study has shown that (1) rat caudal nerves have a complex neural structure that varies along a distal‐to‐proximal gradient and (2) correlative assessment of both morphology and electrophysiology of rat caudal nerves is easily achieved and provides a highly sensitive index of the onset and progression of the length‐dependent distal axonopathy.
Capacity Enhancement Using an Interference Limited Area for Device-to-Device Uplink Underlaying Cellular Networks

A new interference management strategy is proposed to enhance the overall capacity of cellular networks (CNs) and device-to-device (D2D) systems. We consider M out of K cellular user equipments (CUEs) and one D2D pair exploiting the same resources in the uplink (UL) period under the assumption of M multiple antennas at the base station (BS). First, we use the conventional mechanism which limits the maximum transmit power of the D2D transmitter so as not to generate harmful interference from D2D systems to CNs. Second, we propose a δD-interference limited area (ILA) control scheme to manage interference from CNs to D2D systems. The method does not allow the coexistence (i.e., use of the same resources) of CUEs and a D2D pair if the CUEs are located in the δD-ILA defined as the area in which the interference to signal ratio (ISR) at the D2D receiver is greater than the predetermined threshold, δD. Next, we analyze the coverage of the δD-ILA and derive the lower bound of the ergodic capacity as a closed form. Numerical results show that the δD-ILA based D2D gain is much greater than the conventional D2D gain, whereas the capacity loss to the CNs caused by using the δD-ILA is negligibly small.
Activity of Ceftolozane-Tazobactam and Ceftazidime-Avibactam against Beta-Lactam-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates

ABSTRACT Ceftolozane-tazobactam (C/T) and ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) MICs were evaluated for a collection of 309 beta-lactam-resistant isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa recovered from three institutions in the area of Los Angeles, CA. Overall, 12.0% of isolates were susceptible to imipenem, 15.9% were susceptible to meropenem, 20.7% were susceptible to piperacillin-tazobactam, 24.6% were susceptible to ceftazidime, 25.9% were susceptible to cefepime, 72.5% were susceptible to C/T, and 61.8% were susceptible to CZA. Among C/T-resistant isolates, 9.1% were CZA susceptible, whereas 36.4% of CZA-resistant isolates were susceptible to C/T.
Stapes Surgery in Osteogenesis Imperfecta in Finland

We present the surgical findings and audiometric results of ear surgery performed between 1961 and 2002 on 33 Finnish patients (43 operations) with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). The mean age at the time of the first operation was 30.1 years. The typical surgical findings were a thick, fixed, or obliterated footplate, thick and vascular mucosa with an excessive tendency to bleed, and elastic, fractured, or atrophic stapes crura. As compared with previous studies, the hearing gain was poorer and the remaining postoperative gap was greater for the 43 operations analyzed. The results of this nationwide study, however, may not be directly comparable with operative results of non-population studies. On the other hand, the hearing gain in our study was better in university hospitals than in central hospitals and, furthermore, was comparable with that of previous studies after surgery performed by a single surgeon in a university hospital. Conductive hearing loss related to OI may be successfully treated with surgery in most patients. The rarity of the disease, leading to small annual numbers of operations, the variable surgical findings, and the profuse bleeding tendency of the middle ear, as well as the audiometric results in this study, support centralization of ear surgery in OI patients.
[Regional difference of antibiotic resistance of helicobacter pylori strains in Korea].

BACKGROUND/AIMS This study was performed to compare the prevalence rates of primary antibiotic resistance in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) isolates among different regions of Korea. METHODS H. pylori were isolated from gastric mucosal biopsy specimens of 99 Koreans who lived in Gyeonggi (n=40), Kangwon province (n=40) and Busan (n=19) from April to August in 2008. All the patients had no history of H. pylori eradication therapy. The susceptibilities of the H. pylori isolates to amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole, tetracycline, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin were tested according to the agar dilution method. RESULTS There was a difference in resistance to clarithromycin in three institutes located among Gyeonggi (32.5%), Kangwon province (12.5%) and Busan (42.1%) by One way ANOVA test (p=0.027) and nonparametric Kruskal Wallis test (p=0.027). However, by post-hoc analysis, there was no statistically significant difference among three regions. Similarly, the other 7 antibiotics (amoxicillin, metronidazole, tetracycline, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin) did not show any significant difference. CONCLUSIONS There was no significant regional difference of the primary antibiotic resistance of H. pylori. However, the included patient number might not be enough for this conclusion demanding further evaluations.