Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does selective use of computed tomography scan reduce the rate of "white" (negative) appendectomy?

BACKGROUND Appendectomies are the most common operations performed on an emergency basis. The accepted rate of "white" appendectomies is around 20%. In recent years, computed tomography (CT) scanning has been recognized as a valuable tool with high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. The use of CT scans in the management of patients with suspected acute appendicitis is increasing worldwide. OBJECTIVES To assess whether introducing more liberal use of CT in the management of patients presenting to the emergency room with right lower quadrant pain or suspected acute appendicitis would reduce the rate of "white" appendectomies. METHODS We conducted a retrospective study of the pathology reports and CT scans of all patients who underwent appendectomy during a 3 year period. We examined the correlation between the rate of CT scans performed and the rate of "white" appendectomies. RESULTS Overall, we performed 797 appendectomies during the study period. In 2004, we performed 272 appendectomies and CT in 34 patients (12.5%). In 2005, we performed 275 appendectomies and CT in 83 patients (30.2%). In 2006, we performed 250 appendectomies and CT in 88 patients (35.2%). The percentage of "white" appendectomies decreased from 29% in 2004 to 21.1% in 2005 and to 18.8% in 2006. CONCLUSIONS It appears that a more selective use of CT scans in the management of suspected appendicitis could reduce the rate of "white" appendectomies.
Azithromycin Blocks Quorum Sensing and Alginate Polymer Formation and Increases the Sensitivity to Serum and Stationary-Growth-Phase Killing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Attenuates Chronic P. aeruginosa Lung Infection in Cftr−/− Mice

ABSTRACT The consequences of O-acetylated alginate-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms in the lungs of chronically infected cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are tolerance to both antibiotic treatments and effects on the innate and the adaptive defense mechanisms. In clinical trials, azithromycin (AZM) has been shown to improve the lung function of CF patients. The present study was conducted in accordance with previous in vitro studies suggesting that the effect of AZM may be the inhibition of alginate production, blockage of quorum sensing (QS), and increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide and the complement system. Moreover, we show that AZM may affect the polymerization of P. aeruginosa alginate by the incomplete precipitation of polymerized alginate and high levels of readily dialyzable uronic acids. In addition, we find that mucoid bacteria in the stationary growth phase became sensitive to AZM, whereas cells in the exponential phase did not. Interestingly, AZM-treated P. aeruginosa lasI mutants appeared to be particularly resistant to serum, whereas bacteria with a functional QS system did not. We show in a CF mouse model of chronic P. aeruginosa lung infection that AZM treatment results in the suppression of QS-regulated virulence factors, significantly improves the clearance of P. aeruginosa alginate biofilms, and reduces the severity of the lung pathology compared to that in control mice. We conclude that AZM attenuates the virulence of P. aeruginosa, impairs its ability to form fully polymerized alginate biofilms, and increases its sensitivity to complement and stationary-phase killing, which may explain the clinical efficacy of AZM.
The Politics of Scrutiny in Human Rights Monitoring: Evidence from Structural Topic Models of US State Department Human Rights Reports

Human rights monitoring reports play important roles both in the international human rights regime and in productions of human rights data. However, human rights reports are produced by organizations subject to formal and informal pressures that may influence the topics considered salient for attention and scrutiny. We study this potential using structural topic models (STMs), a method used for identifying the latent topical dimensions of texts and assessing the effects of covariates on these dimensions. We apply STMs to a corpus of 6298 State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (1977–2012), identifying a plausible set of topics including killings and disappearances, freedoms of expression and movement, and labor rights, among others. We find that these topics vary markedly both over time and space. We also find that while US domestic politics play no systematic role in shaping topic prevalence, US allies tend to receive more attention to violations of physical integrity rights. These results challenge extant research, and illustrate the usefulness of STM methods for future study of foreign policy documents. Our findings also highlight the importance of topical attention shifts in documents that monitor and evaluate countries.
Longitudinal Study of Umbilical and Portal Venous Blood flow to the Fetal Liver: Low Pregnancy Weight Gain is Associated With Preferential Supply to the Fetal Left Liver Lobe

Recent data suggest that umbilical venous perfusion of the fetal liver has an important influence on fetal growth and postnatal liver function, and that maternal factors in late pregnancy modify this circulation. In a longitudinal study of 160 low-risk pregnancies, we determined how umbilical and portal venous blood flows to the fetal liver changed during gestation, and examined the hypothesis that maternal body mass index and pregnancy weight gain influenced fetal liver blood flows. We measured blood flows in the umbilical and portal veins, left portal branch, and ductus venosus using ultrasound. Normalizing for estimated fetal weight, fetal liver total venous blood flow fell from 84 to 57 mL · min−1 · kg−1 during 21–39 wk of gestation; toward term the portal contribution increased (from 14 to 20%) and the umbilical contribution fell, whereas distribution between the left and right liver lobes was stable, 60%/40%. Greater flow of nutrient-rich umbilical venous blood to the liver was associated with higher birth weight and neonatal ponderal index. Maternal body mass index was not related to fetal liver blood flows, but low pregnancy weight gain strongly influenced flow distribution between the right and left liver lobes, sparing the left lobe and increasing the difference between lobes by 16%.
Option implied beta and option return

ABSTRACT We study the information content of option-implied betas for future equity option returns, using data on the S&P 500 index options and all of the component stock options. We find a significantly strong relation between option-implied betas and option returns cross-sectional. The paper presents evidence that call (put) option returns increase (decrease) with the option-implied betas of the underlying stock. A trading strategy of buying high (low) implied beta call (put) option portfolio and selling low (high) implied beta call (put) option portfolio generates a statistically and economically significant return. Our results are robustly persistent even after controlling for various cross-sectional effects and are not explained by the risk factors in asset pricing.
Processes of entrepreneurial leadership: Co-acting creativity and direction in the emergence of new SME ventures

This article offers a novel theoretical conception about processes of entrepreneurial leadership in the emergence of a new small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) venture. It draws on shifts in relational connections among venture participants to conceptualize entrepreneurial leadership through processes of creativity and direction. These processes demonstrate that the co-action of venture participants makes up entrepreneurial leadership and drives the new venture forward. This allows to understand the emergence of a new venture from a lived perspective, flowing from relational processes under which the establishment of the organization is (re)constructed relationally and is made eligible to participants in its narrow and broader societal surroundings.
The Impact of Bank Capital Requirements on Bank Risk: An Econometric Puzzle and A Proposed Solution

The relationship between bank risk and bank capital has been frequently discussed in the literature on banking. There is, however, an enigma remaining. Empirical studies have been inconsistent in their measurement of the impact of increased capital requirements on bank risk. Do higher mandatory capital requirements reduce risk in banking or do they actually increase bank risk? The problem stems from the basic endogenous relationship between risk and capital. In order to regress risk on capital we need an instrument for capital, but it is difficult to find an instrument that is related to a bank’s capital that is not also related to the bank’s risk. In this paper, we propose a solution. Using stochastic frontier analysis we develop an exogenous instrument for capital that is closely correlated with capital but not correlated with risk. We argue that this instrument will be a useful contribution to the analysis of this important topic.
Stock Market Efficiency Under the Cost of Carry Model. Evidence from the Spanish Market

This paper studies the conceptual framework of the calculation of the theoretical price of the future based on the cost of carry model and assesses the results of applying this model to the closing prices of the Spanish Market for 2007-2015. Whilst most of the research carried out into market efficiency and the arbitrage opportunities are focused on time series analysis with minute interval, this study analyses the efficiency at the end of the day. This information is particularly relevant to assess the efficacy of the hedging strategy in the daily accounting results of mutual and pension funds, insurance companies and other asset management portfolios. The results obtained suggest that the Spanish Stock Market can be considered efficient, since there are no significant differences between the market and the theoretical price of the future on IBEX 35. The effect of volatility in market efficiency has also been tested, with the result that the most volatile part of the sample presents an absolute percentage error which almost doubles that of the least volatile. Recent negative interest rate period has been separately analysed too in order to assess an eventual source of inefficiency: no significant impact has been observed in that respect.
The Chemical Induction of Seizures in Psychiatric Therapy: Were Flurothyl (Indoklon) and Pentylenetetrazol (Metrazol) Abandoned Prematurely?

Background Camphor-induced and pentylenetetrazol-induced brain seizures were first used to relieve psychiatric illnesses in 1934. Electrical inductions (electroconvulsive therapy, ECT) followed in 1938. These were easier and less expensive to administer and quickly became the main treatment method. In 1957, seizure induction with the inhalant anesthetic flurothyl was tested and found to be clinically effective. For many decades, complaints of memory loss have stigmatized and inhibited ECT use. Many variations of electricity in form, electrode placement, dosing, and stimulation method offered some relief, but complaints still limit its use. Methods The experience with chemical inductions of seizures was reviewed based on searches for reports of each agent in Medline and in the archival files of original studies by the early investigators. Findings Camphor injections were inefficient and were rapidly replaced by pentylenetetrazol. These were effective but difficult to administer. Flurothyl inhalation–induced seizures were as clinically effective as electrical inductions with lesser effects on memory functions. Flurothyl inductions were discarded because of the persistence of the ethereal aroma and the fears induced in the professional staff that they might seize. Conclusions Persistent complaints of memory loss plague electricity induced seizures. Flurothyl induced seizures are clinically as effective without the memory effects associated with electricity. Reexamination of seizure inductions using flurothyl in modern anesthesia facilities is encouraged to relieve medication-resistant patients with mood disorders and catatonia.
Early application of negative work via eccentric ergometry following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a case report.

STUDY DESIGN Case report. OBJECTIVES To present a progressively increasing negative-work exercise program via eccentric ergometry early after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R) and to suggest the potential of negative work to amplify the return of quadriceps size and strength. CASE DESCRIPTION The patient was a 26-year-old highly active recreational athlete who sustained an ACL tear while skiing in January 2004 and then again while skiing in February 2005. This individual underwent an arthroscopically assisted ACL-R with a double-loop semitendinosusgracilis autograft initially, then a patellar tendon autograft following his ACL graft rupture. Beginning within 3 weeks after surgery, a progressive negative-work exercise program was initiated using an eccentric ergometer. The patient completed 31 training sessions of 5 to 30 minutes in duration over a 12-week period following the ACL-R and 33 training sessions of the same frequency and duration following the ACL revision. OUTCOMES Following ACL-R, quadriceps volume increased 28% (involved lower extremity) and 14% (uninvolved lower extremity) during the 12-week training program. Following revision, quadriceps volume returned to similar levels at the same postoperative period as those achieved after the initial surgery (2% less on the involved side and 2% greater on the uninvolved side). Quadriceps strength, 15 weeks after ACL-R, exceeded preoperative measures by an average of 20% (involved) and 14% (uninvolved). Quadriceps strength after ACL revision exceeded all previous measures. DISCUSSION This case report suggests that if gradually and progressively applied, negative work via eccentric ergometry can be both safe and efficacious early after ACL-R. Eccentric exercise may mitigate the prevalent muscle size and strength deficits commonly observed after ACL-R. The results of this case suggest a need for continued research with early negative work interventions following ACL-R.
Radiation Tolerance of Functioning Pituitary Tissue in Gamma Knife Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas

OBJECTIVEThis study is intended to contribute to a determination of the sensitivity of preserved hypophyseal function to focal radiation in pituitary adenomas. METHODSWe compared two subgroups of patients followed up for a median of 5 years after gamma knife surgery (GKS). Subgroup 1 (n = 30) showed postirradiation hypopituitarism. Subgroup 2 (n = 33) was continually eupituitary. These subgroups were taken from a previously published study relating to a larger group of 163 patients with pituitary adenomas treated by GKS and evaluated after a median follow-up period of 2 years. A relatively high treatment dose was used in this larger group (median, 20 Gy to the tumor margin for growth control in nonfunctioning adenomas; median, 35 Gy for hypersecreting adenomas). Early results approached those of microsurgery, and there were only a few side effects. In the present study, we compared 16 different variables in the same two subgroups to discover the relationships that caused a delayed appearance of postirradiation hypopituitarism. The main pretreatment and treatment parameters were measured on reconstructed treatment plans. This database was used for statistical evaluation. RESULTSThe relationship between the mean dose and the volume of functioning hypophysis was stronger in terms of worsening of pituitary function than that of the spot dose to different intrasellar structures. We found that for our group of patients, the safe mean dose of radiation to the hypophysis was 15 Gy for gonadotropic and thyrotropic functions and 18 Gy for adrenocorticotropic function. The worsening of pituitary function was also significantly dependent on the dose to different anatomic levels of the infundibulum, but we did not succeed in fully characterizing this relationship. In addition, we discovered significant levels of dependency of postirradiation pituitary damage to different pretreatment and treatment variables. CONCLUSIONKnowledge of the radiation tolerance of functioning pituitary structures subjected to GKS can ensure better preservation of pituitary function after irradiation. This is valid for the group of patients we studied. Our study’s findings can be used as a guideline for GKS treatment of new patients with pituitary adenomas, and it can serve for comparison with the experience of other gamma knife centers.
Genetic Polymorphisms in Nitric Oxide Synthase 3 Gene and Implications for Kidney Disease: A Meta-Analysis

Background/Aims: The NOS3 gene is a biological and positional candidate for diabetic nephropathy. However, the relationship between NOS3 polymorphisms and renal disease is inconclusive. This study aimed to clarify the association of NOS3 variants with nephropathy in individuals with type 1 diabetes. Methods:We conducted a case-control study examining all common SNPs in the NOS3 gene by a tag SNP approach. Individuals with type 1 diabetes and persistent proteinuria (cases, n = 718) were compared with individuals with type 1 diabetes but no evidence of renal disease (controls, n = 749). Our replication collection comprised 1,105 individuals with type 1 diabetes recruited to a nephropathy case group and 862 control individuals with normal urinary albumin excretion rates. Meta-analysis was conducted for SNPs where more than three genotype datasets were available. Results: A novel association was identified in the discovery collection (rs1800783, pgenotype = 0.006, pallele = 0.002, OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.08–1.47) and supported by independent replication using a tag SNP (rs4496877, pairwise r2 = 0.96 with rs1800783) in the replication collection (pgenotype = 0.002, pallele = 0.0006, OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.10–1.45). Conclusion: The A allele of rs1800783 is a significant risk factor for nephropathy in individuals with type 1 diabetes, and further comprehensive studies are warranted to confirm the definitive functional variant in the NOS3 gene.
Childhood obesity treatment: double blinded trial on dietary fibres (glucomannan) versus placebo.

Dietary fibres are frequently used for the treatment of paediatric obesity. The aim of this clinical trial is to evaluate the efficacy of glucomannan in the child obesity management. This experimental design was double blinded with a block randomisation, alpha = 0.05, beta = 0.2 and delta = 50%. The study involved 60 children under 15 years of age (mean age 11.2 years, mean overweight 46%), 30 of them under glucomannan treatment (1 g twice a day for two months) and 30 under placebo and the same schedule. The drug and the placebo were indistinguishable both for the family and the physician. During the two months study period the children followed a normocaloric diet evaluated every two weeks by a dietetic record book. At the beginning of the study the drug and the placebo groups were comparable in regards to anthropometric data. At the end, the mean overweight of the drug group was decreased from 49.5% to 41% and that of the placebo group from 43.9% to 41.7%. Both decreases were significant (p < 0.01), but no significant difference was observed between the drug and the placebo groups. The only significant difference concerned the lipid metabolism. The children under glucomannan treatment manifested a significant decrease of alpha-lipoprotein and an increase of pre-beta-lipoprotein and triglycerides; the children under placebo manifested only a decrease of triglycerides and apo beta-lipoprotein. We suggest that this metabolic alteration may derive from a primary decrease of alpha-lipoprotein, most likely because of an inadequate water intake. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Interleukin 32: a novel player in the control of infectious diseases

Interleukin 32 (IL‐32) is a proinflammatory cytokine, expressed as 9 distinct isoforms. The most active isoform is the predominantly intracellular‐functioning IL‐32γ. Involvement of IL‐32 in infectious diseases is increasingly being appreciated. Production of IL‐32 promotes pathways that serve to control bacterial infection, especially those caused by mycobacteria. A similar role for this cytokine is observed in the cellular response to viral infections. In addition to its protective effects against microorganisms, IL‐32 is involved in immunopathogenesis of some infectious diseases. In parasitic diseases, it has been demonstrated that this cytokine is induced by Leishmania infection. In this review, we summarize the present data on the role of IL‐32 in infectious diseases, highlighting this cytokine as new target for control of infections.
From college to the NBA: what determines a player’s success and what characteristics are NBA franchises overlooking?

ABSTRACT Considering NBA players who were drafted between 2006 and 2013, the author analyses the determinants of draft position, playing time and player productivity. By comparing these factors simultaneously, one is able to consider if there are some factors that correlate with players’ draft positions, but fail to correlate with on-court performance. For example, the results reveal that a player’s college turnover rate does not predict his draft position or his playing time in the NBA despite evidence that turnover-prone college players are less effective in the NBA. These results can be used to improve draft-day decisions for NBA executives.
Predictors of poor sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness in peritoneal dialysis patients

Abstract To explore the possible impact factors on daytime sleepiness among peritoneal patients from a single center in China. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 98 prevalent peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients using both the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire of sleep quality and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) questionnaire of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Biochemical differences between daytime sleepiness and non-daytime sleepiness population were evaluated, following univariate and multivariable analysis to find the risk factors on sleep disturbance. The prevalence of “poor sleep quality” (PSQI > 5) was 74.49%, while daytime sleepiness (ESS ≥ 9) occurred in 22.45%. Mean PSQI was 9.06 ± 4.60 and EES was 6.31 ± 4.98. Compared to non-EDS cases, patients with ESS ≥ 9 had worse residual renal function (RRF), higher serum creatinine, higher serum magnesium and elevated serum ferritin. In univariate analysis, ESS correlated with serum albumin (r = 0.346, p = 0.015), phosphate (r = 0.313, p = 0.029), magnesium (r = 0.376, p = 0.008) and urinary Kt/V (r = −0.341, p = 0.029). Finally, multivariable linear regression indicated that urinary Kt/V, PSQI and magnesium were independent predictors of ESS score. EDS does exist in PD patients and is associated both with poor nighttime sleep quality and lower RRF. Hypermagnesemia may be a treatable risk factor to improve daytime tiredness.