Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact Of Immigrants On The UK Economy

Starting from the recent debates on Brexit, the main aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact of immigrants on the UK economy. In this context, we made a comparison between EU and non-EU immigrants in the period 1991-2015. According to estimations based on vector error correction models, there is not a long-run relationship between number of EU immigrants and employment rate, respectively real economic growth in the UK in the period 1991-2015. On the other hand, the number of non-EU employees is higher and they had a significant impact on the UK labour market. A significant causal relationship from employment rate to number of non-EU immigrants was identified in the period 1991-2015. The Brexit’s argument related to the negative impact of EU immigrants on the UK economy is not supported by the empirical findings.
A wearable artificial kidney for patients with end-stage renal disease.

BACKGROUND Stationary hemodialysis machines hinder mobility and limit activities of daily life during dialysis treatments. New hemodialysis technologies are needed to improve patient autonomy and enhance quality of life. METHODS We conducted a FDA-approved human trial of a wearable artificial kidney, a miniaturized, wearable hemodialysis machine, based on dialysate-regenerating sorbent technology. We aimed to determine the efficacy of the wearable artificial kidney in achieving solute, electrolyte, and volume homeostasis in up to 10 subjects over 24 hours. RESULTS During the study, all subjects remained hemodynamically stable, and there were no serious adverse events. Serum electrolytes and hemoglobin remained stable over the treatment period for all subjects. Fluid removal was consistent with prescribed ultrafiltration rates. Mean blood flow was 42 ± 24 ml/min, and mean dialysate flow was 43 ± 20 ml/min. Mean urea, creatinine, and phosphorus clearances over 24 hours were 17 ± 10, 16 ± 8, and 15 ± 9 ml/min, respectively. Mean β2-microglobulin clearance was 5 ± 4 ml/min. Of 7 enrolled subjects, 5 completed the planned 24 hours of study treatment. The trial was stopped after the seventh subject due to device-related technical problems, including excessive carbon dioxide bubbles in the dialysate circuit and variable blood and dialysate flows. CONCLUSION Treatment with the wearable artificial kidney was well tolerated and resulted in effective uremic solute clearance and maintenance of electrolyte and fluid homeostasis. These results serve as proof of concept that, after redesign to overcome observed technical problems, a wearable artificial kidney can be developed as a viable novel alternative dialysis technology. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02280005. FUNDING The Wearable Artificial Kidney Foundation and Blood Purification Technologies Inc.
In vitro Immunoreactivity towards Lectin-rich or Viscotoxin-rich Mistletoe (Viscum album L.) Extracts Iscador Applied to Healthy Individuals

Summary The aim of the study was to investigate how exposure to mistletoe extracts in vivo may influence cellular immune reactions by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). 47 healthy individuals were exposed for twelve weeks either to Iscador® Quercus special (IQ; rich in mistletoe lectin [ML]) (n = 16), to Iscador Pinus (IP; poor in ML but rich in viscotoxin) (n = 15), or to placebo (physiological saline) (n = 16). PBMC were isolated before exposure, during exposure in week 4, 8 and 12, as well as 13 weeks after last exposure (week 25) and incubated for 7 days with IQ or IP. Proliferative response and cytokine release were determined (type 1 cytokines: interferon [IFN]-y, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-ß, type 2 cytokines: interleukin [IL]-5, IL-13, macrophage/ monocyte-cytokines: IL-1, TNFα). IP- and IQ incubation of PBMC from non-exposed individuals lead to a significant increase of proliferation and production of all cytokines. There was a significant increase of IQ-induced TNFα (but not IL-1) production by PBMC in week 25 in individuals receiving IQ as compared to placebo (p < 0.05). In the IP group the production of the type 2-cytokines IL-5 and IL-13 significantly decreased during the observation period (p < 0.05 compared to placebo in week 8). These data indicate that IP seems to contain an antigen, which decreases type 2 reactivity. Furthermore, a component present preferentially in IQ seems to activate the production of the monocyte/ macrophage-related cytokine TNFα by PBMC. Intriguingly, also in individuals receiving placebo injections immunological alterations were detected during the observation period.
Systemic Application of Growth Hormone for Enhancement of Secondary and Intramembranous Fracture Healing

Hormones are known to influence bone metabolism and cellular mechanisms of fracture healing. Recent technologies in molecular biology offer recombinant production of hormones, which makes them applicable for pharmacological use. To investigate the effect of systemic growth hormone (GH) application experiments were performed in micropig animal models. Systemic daily subcutaneous injection of species-specific recombinant GH was investigated in Yucatan micropigs to evaluate the effect on secondary fracture healing in a standardized gap model (1 cm) and on intramembranous bone formation in distraction osteogenesis (DO). Quantitative computed tomography (qCT), biomechanical testing, measurement of systemic insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels as well as histomorphometric analyses were performed to investigate differences in regenerate formation. Systemic GH administration significantly increased the torsional stability of the regenerate in comparison to the contralateral side in both experiments. qCT showed accelerated fracture bridging in the GH-treated animals in bone defect healing, while in DO histomorphometry elicited larger callus areas in the case of GH application. Systemic IGF-1 levels were significantly increased in both GH-treated groups. These experiments show that the systemic administration of recombinant GH accelerates fracture healing in standardized animal models. Clinical studies have now been initiated in order to prove the safety and the effectiveness of this therapeutical option.
Resistance of Escherichia coli to osmotically introduced complement component C9

Investigation into the action of osmotically introduced C9 in Escherichia coli (in the absence of any other complement components) revealed that C9 could inhibit inner membrane respiration and cause a decrease in the viability of cells that were normally complement sensitive. This effect is analogous to the loss of inner membrane function and viability due to the assembly of the C5b-9 complex on these cells. Complement-resistant cells showed no such inhibition of respiration or loss of viability when subjected to the osmotic introduction of C9. The reason for this failure of C9 to affect complement-resistant cells was explored to determine whether this resistance to C9 was due to an inability of proteins in general to be osmotically introduced into the complement-resistant cells. The protein toxins melittin and colicin E1 were showed to be able to kill these complement-resistant cells (as well as complement-sensitive cells) when osmotically introduced into the periplasm. Therefore, cellular resistance to osmotically introduced C9 is not due to an inability of proteins to be introduced into the cells and may be related to a mechanism of cellular resistance to the C5b-9 complex.
An in vivo Model for the Assessment of Acute Fibrinolytic Capacity of the Endothelium

Summary The effects on blood flow and plasma fibrinolytic and coagulation parameters of intraarterial substance P, an endothelium dependent vasodilator, and sodium nitroprusside, a control endothelium independent vasodilator, were studied in the human forearm circulation. At subsystemic locally active doses, both substance P (2-8 pmol/min) and sodium nitroprusside (2-8 μg/min) caused dose-dependent vasodilatation (p <0.001 for both) without affecting plasma concentrations of PAI-1, von Willebrand factor antigen or factor VIII:C activity. Substance P caused local increases in t-PA antigen and activity (p <0.001) in the infused arm while sodium nitroprusside did not. At higher doses, substance P increased blood flow and t-PA concentrations in the noninfused arm. We conclude that brief, locally active and subsystemic infusions of intraarterial substance P cause a rapid and substantial local release of t-PA which appear to act via a flow and nitric oxide independent mechanism. This model should provide a useful and selective method of assessing the in vivo capacity of the forearm endothelium to release t-PA acutely.
Prediction of treatment-related toxicity and outcome with geriatric assessment in elderly patients with solid malignancies treated with chemotherapy: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION The number of older patients with cancer is increasing. Standard clinical evaluation of these patients may not be sufficient to determine individual treatment strategies and therefore Geriatric Assessment (GA) may be of clinical value. In this review, we summarize current literature that is available on GA in elderly patients with solid malignancies who receive chemotherapy. We focus on prediction of treatment toxicity, mortality and the role of GA in the decision-making process. DESIGN We conducted a systematic search in PubMed. Studied populations needed to fulfill the following criteria: 65 years or older, diagnosis of solid malignancy, treatment with chemotherapy, submission to GA, either designed to study prediction of treatment toxicity or mortality or to evaluate the role of GA in the decision-making process. RESULTS Our search provided 411 publications. Thirteen met the predefined criteria. These studies revealed: (i) up to 64% of elderly patients suffer from severe toxicity caused by polychemotherapy, (ii) Nutritional status, functionality and comorbidity are often associated with worse outcome, (iii) GA reveals (unknown) geriatric problems in more than 50% of elderly patients with cancer and (iv) 21%-53% of chemotherapy regimens are being modified based on GA. CONCLUSIONS In geriatric oncology, an accurate predictive test to guide anticancer treatment in order to prevent serious toxicity is needed. The value of GA in predicting toxicity and mortality in older patients with cancer undergoing treatment with chemotherapy has not been proven. It may be valuable in revealing geriatric problems but current evidence for its usefulness to guide treatment decisions in this setting is limited. However, we are convinced that GAs should be carried out to optimize treatment strategies in elderly patients with cancer to improve treatment efficacy and minimize toxicity.
A comparative study of speech in the call center: natural language call routing vs. touch-tone menus

This paper presents a field study that compares natural language call routing with standard touch-tone menus. Call routing is the task of getting callers to the right place in the call center, which could be the appropriate live agent or automated service. Natural language call routing lets callers describe the reason for their call in their own words, instead of presenting them with a list of menu options to select from using the telephone touch-tone keypad. The field study was conducted in a call center of a large telecommunication service provider. Results show that with natural language call routing, more callers respond to the main routing prompt, more callers are routed to a specific destination (instead of defaulting to a general operator who may have to transfer them), and more callers are routed to the correct agent. Our survey data show that callers overwhelmingly prefer natural language call routing over standard touch-tone menus. Furthermore, natural language call routing can also deliver significant cost savings to call centers
The Changing Structure of Government Consumption Spending

Este articulo documenta un aumento secular en la proporcion de compras del sector privado en el gasto de consumo del gobierno: con el tiempo, el gobierno compra relativamente mas bienes del sector privado y depende menos de su propia produccion de valor agregado. Construimos un modelo de equilibrio general en el que el cambio tecnologico especifico de la inversion explica la variacion en la estructura del gasto publico. El modelo predice que este proceso secular altera la transmision de los shocks de gasto publico, al aumentar la respuesta del valor anadido privado, mientras que la respuesta de las horas trabajadas se reduce. Validamos estos resultados con evidencia empirica novedosa sobre los efectos del gasto publico.
Transgenic Rice Plants Expressing a Fused Protein of Cry1Ab/Vip3H Has Resistance to Rice Stem Borers Under Laboratory and Field Conditions

ABSTRACT Six transgenic rice, Oryza sativa L. lines (G6H1, G6H2, G6H3, G6H4, G6H5, and G6H6) expressing a fused Cry1Ab/Vip3H protein, were evaluated for resistance against the Asiatic rice borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), and the stem borer Sesamia inferens (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the laboratory and field. The bioassay results indicated that the mortality of Asiatic rice borer and S. inferens neonate larvae on six transgenic lines from seedling to filling stage was up to 100% at168 h after infestation. The cumulative feeding area by Asiatic rice borer neonate larvae on all transgenic lines was significantly reduced compared with the untransformed parental ‘Xiushui 110’ rice. A 2-yr field evaluation showed that damage during the vegetative stage (deadheart) or during the reproductive stage (whitehead) caused by Asiatic rice borer and S. inferens for transgenic lines was much lower than the control. For three lines (G6H1, G6H2, and G6H6), no damage was found during the entire growing period. Estimation of fused Cry1Ab/Vip3H protein concentrations using PathoScreen kit for Bt-Cry1Ab/1Ac protein indicated that the expression levels of Cry1Ab protein both in main stems (within the average range of 0.006–0.073% of total soluble protein) and their flag leaves (within the average range of 0.001–0.038% of total soluble protein) were significantly different among six transgenic lines at different developmental stages. Both laboratory and field researches suggested that the transgenic rice lines have considerable potential for protecting rice from attack by both stem borers.
Prevalence of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Among Stroke Survivors in the United States

Abstract Background: The risk of stroke is greatest among adults who have experienced a previous stroke, transient ischemic attack, or myocardial infarction. Physical activity may reduce the secondary risk of stroke through mediating effects on blood pressure, vasoconstriction, and circulating lipid concentrations; however, little is known about the prevalence of physical activity and sedentary behavior among stroke survivors in the United States. Methods: Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we describe self-reported and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior among adults with a self-reported history of stroke. We also contrast physical activity among stroke survivors with that of adults without stroke (unexposed) to illustrate expected behavior in the absence of disease. Results: Fewer participants with stroke met weekly physical activity guidelines as outlined in the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans when compared with unexposed participants (17.9% vs 25.0%) according to self-reported data. In addition, participants with stroke reported less moderate (46.1% vs 54.7%) and vigorous (9.1% vs 19.6%) leisure activity compared with unexposed participants. As measured by accelerometer, time since diagnosis was inversely associated with physical activity engagement, and participants with stroke recorded more daily hours of sedentary behavior compared with unexposed participants (10.1 hours vs 8.9 hours). Conclusion: Findings from this study provide a basis for future work seeking to measure the impact of physical activity on the secondary prevention of stroke by characterizing the prevalence of physical activity and sedentary behavior among stroke survivors in the United States.
Dystonia: Genetics and Treatment Update

Background:Dystonia refers to a syndrome of sustained muscle contractions, frequently causing twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. Although age at onset, anatomic distribution, and family history are essential elements in the evaluation of dystonia, new classification increasingly relies on etiologic and genetic data. In recent years, much progress has been made on the genetics of various forms of dystonia and its pathophysiology underlying the clinical signs. The treatment of dystonia has continued to evolve to include newer medications, different forms of botulinum toxin, and various surgical procedures. Review Summary:In this article, the author reviewed and summarized the history of dystonia, its evolving classification, and recent genetic data, as well as its clinical investigation and treatment. Conclusions:Recent advances in molecular biology have led to the discovery of novel dystonia genes and loci, updating classification schemes, and better understanding of underlying pathophysiology. Treatment strategies for dystonia have significantly been updated with the introduction of different forms of botulinum toxin therapy, new pharmacologic agents, and most recently pallidal deep brain stimulation. A systematic approach to the diagnosis and treatment evaluation of dystonic patients provides optimal care for long-term management.
Neural signals of vicarious extinction learning.

Social transmission of both threat and safety is ubiquitous, but little is known about the neural circuitry underlying vicarious safety learning. This is surprising given that these processes are critical to flexibly adapt to a changeable environment. To address how the expression of previously learned fears can be modified by the transmission of social information, two conditioned stimuli (CS + s) were paired with shock and the third was not. During extinction, we held constant the amount of direct, non-reinforced, exposure to the CSs (i.e. direct extinction), and critically varied whether another individual-acting as a demonstrator-experienced safety (CS + vic safety) or aversive reinforcement (CS + vic reinf). During extinction, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) responses to the CS + vic reinf increased but decreased to the CS + vic safety This pattern of vmPFC activity was reversed during a subsequent fear reinstatement test, suggesting a temporal shift in the involvement of the vmPFC. Moreover, only the CS + vic reinf association recovered. Our data suggest that vicarious extinction prevents the return of conditioned fear responses, and that this efficacy is reflected by diminished vmPFC involvement during extinction learning. The present findings may have important implications for understanding how social information influences the persistence of fear memories in individuals suffering from emotional disorders.
Fitting Square Pegs into Round Holes: The Challenge of Coping with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

This study aimed to further our understanding of young people's perspectives on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with particular reference to social context and coping. Twelve young people (aged 10 years 11 months to 17 years 4 months) took part in semi-structured interviews. These were transcribed verbatim and analysed using grounded theory to extract themes and link these into an over-arching model. The model suggested a reciprocal relationship between young people and their social context, with the challenges of ADHD formulated as a mismatch between the two; young people were like square pegs trying to fit into rigid round holes. This `vicious cycle' led young people to feel out of control and have low self-esteem. ADHD was experienced as less challenging when the environment was adaptable and flexible, and when young people experienced the support and acceptance of others. Such environments may motivate young people to make their own changes, and fostered a sense of agency and positive sense of self. The understanding of others and the willingness to adapt the environment to meet individual needs may ultimately benefit these young people's senses of agency and self-esteem.
Monitoring of chimerism following allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT): Technical recommendations for the use of Short Tandem Repeat (STR) based techniques, on behalf of the United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Service for Leucocyte Immunophenotyping Chimerism Wo

Analysis of short tandem repeats (STR) is the predominant method for post‐transplant monitoring of donor engraftment. It can enable early detection of disease relapse, level of engraftment and provide useful information on the graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD)/graft‐versus‐tumour (GVT) effect, facilitating therapeutic intervention. Harmonization and standardization of techniques and result interpretation is essential to reduce the impact of laboratory variability on both clinical management and the results of multi‐centre clinical trials. However, the United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Service for Leucocyte Immunophenotyping (UK NEQAS LI) has highlighted significant issues inherent in STR testing that impact upon inter‐ and intra‐ laboratory variation. We present here consensus best practice guidelines and recommendations for STR chimerism testing, data interpretation and reporting that have been drawn up and agreed by a consortium of 11 UK and Eire clinical laboratories. This document uses data obtained from the UK NEQAS LI Post‐Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) Chimerism Monitoring Programme.
Breast-feeding and postpartum weight retention: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Objective Weight gained during pregnancy and postpartum weight retention might contribute to obesity in women of childbearing age. Whether breast-feeding (BF) may decrease postpartum weight retention (PPWR) is still controversial. The purpose of our systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the relationship between BF and PPWR. Design Three databases were systematically reviewed and the reference lists of relevant articles were checked. Meta-analysis was performed to quantify the pooled standardized mean differences (SMD) of BF on PPWR by using a random-effect model. Heterogeneity was tested using the χ 2 test and I 2 statistics. Publication bias was estimated from Egger’s test (linear regression method) or Begg’s test (rank correlation method). Results Among 349 search hits, eleven studies met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. Seven studies were conducted in the USA, one in Brazil, one in France, one in Georgia and one in Croatia. Compared with formula-feeding, BF for 3 to ≤6 months seemed to have a negative influence on PPWR and if BF continued for >6 months had little or no influence on PPWR. In a subgroup meta-analysis, the results did not change substantially after the analysis had been classified by available confounding factors. There was no indication of a publication bias from the result of either Egger’s test or Begg’s test. Conclusions Although the available evidence held belief that BF decreases PPWR, more robust studies are needed to reliably assess the impact of patterns and duration of BF on PPWR.