Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association study of interleukin-19 rs2243188 polymorphism with systemic lupus erythematosus in a Chinese population

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs2243188 of interleukin-19 (IL-19), show significant evidence for association with SLE in a Chinese population. A total of 545 SLE patients and 613 healthy controls were collected in the present study. The genotyping of IL-19 rs2243188 polymorphism was detected by TaqMan allele discrimination assay on the 7300 real time polymorphism chain reaction system. The minor C allele of rs2243188, relative to the major A allele, appeared to have a significantly lower frequency in SLE patients (31.0%) as compared with controls (35.5%) (χ2 = 5.19, p = 0.023). We also discovered a statistical significance in the dominant model (CC + CA versus AA: OR = 0.755, 95% CI = 0.598–0.953, p = 0.018). However, no significant difference in genotype distribution was found between SLE patients and controls (p = 0.056). Furthermore, an increased frequency of CC genotype were also detected in lupus nephritis (LN) groups as compared with non-LN groups (p = 0.024). Besides, the individuals with CC genotype had a 2.201-fold higher risk for the susceptibility to LN than those A allele carriers (AA + CA) (p = 0.006). Unfortunately, the analyses on the relationship of IL-19 rs2243188 with several clinical manifestations of SLE failed to find any significant results. In conclusion, our observations suggested the minor C allele of SNP rs2243188 might be a protective factor for SLE in a Chinese Han population. Moreover, the subgroup analysis highlighted that IL-19 rs2243188 SNP was associated with the susceptibility to LN patients.
Second neoplasms after Wilms' tumor in childhood.

The frequency of second neoplasms was examined among 487 Wilms' tumor patients treated at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital of Boston, 1927-81. Thirty study patients (6%) developed second primary tumors: 11 cancers, 16 benign tumors, and 3 borderline neoplasms. Cumulative probability of a second cancer was 18% (standard error, 6%) in 34 years after diagnosis of Wilms' tumor. The subgroup of 412 patients who had received radiotherapy for Wilms' tumor developed all 11 second cancers, which included 1 skin carcinoma, 1 acute leukemia, and 9 solid internal cancers (expected, 0.7 cancers other than skin carcinoma; P less than .001). After exclusion of the secondary leukemia, all but 1 second cancer arose within the radiotherapy field. Concurrent therapy with dactinomycin did not reduce the risk of a radiation-associated cancer. Second cancer was the cause of death in 7 patients.
The Credit‐Channel Transmission Mechanism and the Nonlinear Growth and Welfare Effects of Inflation and Taxes

With the credit‐channel effect driven by the central bank's open market operations, this paper's model easily gives rise to the nonlinear inflation‐growth nexus, which is evidenced by a number of cross‐country empirical studies. The threshold level of the inflation rate is found to be lower when tax rates are higher. The presence of the credit‐channel effect also provides the rationale for setting positive (and smaller than 1) tax rates on consumption, labor income, and capital income. The optimal tax rates rise as the inflation target declines. Under a fiscal policy rule where labor and capital income taxes move proportionally to each other, the optimal capital income tax rate could be higher than the optimal labor income tax rate. Under a sufficiently large central bank balance sheet, the credit‐channel effect will be so weak that inflation and all kinds of taxes are growth and welfare repressing. This provides a rationale for central banks that have implemented quantitative easing policies to shrink their balance sheets. (JEL E58, E62, O42)
Mucosal HIV-1 Pox Virus Prime-Boost Immunization Induces High-Avidity CD8+ T Cells with Regime-Dependent Cytokine/Granzyme B Profiles1

The quality of virus-specific CD8+ CTL immune responses generated by mucosal and systemic poxvirus prime-boost vaccines were evaluated in terms of T cell avidity and single-cell analysis of effector gene expression. Intranasal (I.N.) immunization regimes generated higher avidity CTL responses specific for HIV KdGag197–205 (amino acid sequence AMQMLKETI; H-2Kd binding) compared with i.m. immunization regime. Single-cell RT-PCR of KdGag197–205-specific mucosal and systemic CTL revealed that the cytokine and granzyme B expression profiles were dependent on both the route and time after immunization. The I.N. /i.m. -immunized group elicited elevated number of CTL-expressing granzyme B mRNA from the genitomucosal sites compared with the i.m. /i.m. regime. Interestingly, CTL generated after both I.N. or i.m. immunization demonstrated expression of Th2 cytokine IL-4 mRNA that was constitutively expressed over time, although lower numbers were observed after I.N. /I.N. immunization. Results suggest that after immunization, Ag-specific CTL expression of IL-4 may be an inherent property of the highly evolved poxvirus vectors. Current observations indicate that the quality of CTL immunity generated after immunization can be influenced by the inherent property of vaccine vectors and route of vaccine delivery. A greater understanding of these factors will be crucial for the development of effective vaccines in the future.
Evaluation of Choroidal Thickness in Amblyopia Using Enhanced Depth Imaging Optical Coherence Tomography

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the choroidal thickness (CT) in hyperopic anisometropic amblyopic eyes, fellow non-amblyopic eyes, and age-matched normal eyes, using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Materials and methods: In total 53 subjects (17.8 ± 11.0 years, mean ± SD) with hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia (AE) and 53 age-matched controls (17.7 ± 11.0 years) were included in this prospective study. Each subject underwent a dilated eye examination, cycloplegic refraction and axial length (AL) measurement using Nidek AL-Scan optical biometer (Nidek CO, Aichi, Japan). The CT of subfoveal area and at a radius of 1 and 3 mm around the fovea was determined using the enhanced depth imaging program of a SD-OCT (Cirrus HD OCT, Carl-Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA). CT, AL and spherical equivalent refraction (SER) of the amblyopic eyes were compared to that of the fellow and control eyes. Results: The mean subfoveal CT was 305.6 ± 26.0 µm in the amblyopic eyes, 282.6 ± 30.7 µm in the fellow eyes and 280.1 ± 8.8 in the control eyes. The subfoveal choroid in amblyopic eyes was significantly thicker than that of the fellow eyes and control eyes (p < 0.001). There was a significant negative correlation between the subfoveal CT and the AL in amblyopic (r = −0.298, p=0.03) eyes but not in the control and fellow eyes. Conclusions: The subfoveal choroid of eyes with hyperopic AE is significantly thicker than that of the fellow eye and the age-matched controls. Hence, CT seems to be effected in AE.
Elevated Levels of Interferon-γ Are Associated with High Levels of Epstein-Barr Virus Reactivation in Patients with the Intestinal Type of Gastric Cancer

Background The inflammatory response directed against Helicobacter pylori (HP) is believed to be one of the main triggers of the appearance of gastric lesions and their progression to gastric cancer (GC). Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been found responsible for about 10% of all GCs, but the inflammatory response has not been studied in GC patients with evidence of high levels of EBV reactivation. Objective To determine the relationship between inflammation and antibodies against EBV reactivation antigens, HP, and the bacterium virulence factor CagA in patients with GC. Methods 127 GC patients, 46 gastritis patients, and 197 healthy subjects were studied. IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, TGF-β, MCP-1, and IFN-γ levels were measured in serum or plasma and compared against the antibody titers of VCA-IgG, HP, and the HP virulence factor CagA. Statistical associations were estimated. Results Significant ORs and positive trends were found between VCA-IgG and IFN-γ, specifically for patients with GC of intestinal type (OR: 6.4, 95% C.I. 1.2–35.4) (p < 0.044). Conclusions We confirmed a positive association between a marker of EBV reactivation and intestinal gastric cancer and present evidence of a correlation with elevated serum levels of IFN-γ, but not with the other cytokines.
Circadian Modulation in the Intestinal Absorption of P-Glycoprotein Substrates in Monkeys

Recent studies in laboratory rodents have revealed that circadian oscillation in the physiologic functions affecting drug disposition underlies the dosing time-dependent change in pharmacokinetics. However, it is difficult to predict the circadian change in the drug pharmacokinetics in a diurnal human by using the data collected from nocturnal rodents. In this study, we used cynomolgus monkeys, diurnal active animals, to evaluate the relevance of intestinal expression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) to the dosing time dependency of the pharmacokinetics of its substrates. The rhythmic phases of circadian gene expression in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (the mammalian circadian pacemaker) of cynomolgus monkeys were similar to those reported in nocturnal rodents. On the other hand, the expression of circadian clock genes in the intestinal epithelial cells of monkeys oscillated at opposite phases in rodents. The intestinal expression of P-gp in the small intestine of monkeys was also oscillated in a circadian time-dependent manner. Furthermore, the intestinal absorption of P-gp substrates (quinidine and etoposide) was substantially suppressed by administering the drugs at the times of day when P-gp levels were abundant. By contrast, there was no significant dosing time-dependent difference in the absorption of the non–P-gp substrate (acetaminophen). The oscillation in the intestinal expression of P-gp appears to affect the pharmacokinetics of its substrates. Identification of circadian factors affecting the drug disposition in laboratory monkeys may improve the predictive accuracy of pharmacokinetics in humans.
Predictors of admission to hospital of patients triaged as nonurgent using the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale.

OBJECTIVES To identify factors known prior to triage that might have predicted hospital admission for patients triaged by the Canadian Triage Acuity Scale (CTAS) as level 5 (CTAS 5, nonurgent) and to determine whether inappropriate triage occurred in the admitted CTAS 5 patients. METHODS We reviewed the triage records of patients triaged as CTAS 5 at the emergency departments (EDs) of three tertiary care hospitals between April 2002 and September 2009. Two triage nurses unaware of the study objective independently assigned the CTAS level in 20% of randomly selected CTAS 5 patients who were admitted. We used the kappa statistic (κ) to measure the agreement among the raters in CTAS level between the assessment of the research nurses and the original triage assessment and regression analysis to identify independent predictors of admission to hospital. RESULTS Of the 37,416 CTAS 5 patients included in this study, 587 (1.6%) were admitted. Agreement on CTAS assignment in CTAS 5 patients who were admitted was κ -0.9, (95% confidence interval [CI] -0.96 to -0.84). Age over 65 (odds ratio [OR] 5.46, 95% CI 4.57 to 6.53) and arrival by ambulance (OR 7.42, 95% CI 6.15 to 8.96) predicted hospital admission in CTAS 5 patients. CONCLUSIONS Most of the CTAS 5 patients who were subsequently admitted to hospital may have qualified for a higher triage category. Two potential modifiers, age over 65 and arrival by ambulance, may have improved the prediction of admission in CTAS 5 patients. However, the consistent application of existing CTAS criteria may also be important to prevent incorrect triage.
Correlation between Optical and Psychophysical Parameters as a Function of Defocus

Purpose. To evaluate how ocular optical image quality and psychophysical estimates of visual performance compare to each other as a function of defocus. Methods. We measured the optical modulation transfer function using a double-pass apparatus and psychophysical estimates of visual performance: contrast sensitivity function (CSF) and visual acuity. Both sets of data were obtained under the same optical conditions. Results. We measured optical and psychophysical parameters as a function of defocus. We studied the correlation between optical parameters (Strehl ratio and the logarithm of the volume in the double-pass image [log_Vol D-P]) and psychophysical parameters (the area under the fitted CSF represented in a logarithmic scale with the spatial frequency in linear scale [Area CSF-log_lin] and visual acuity) for different values of defocus. Conclusions. Strehl ratio is well correlated with the psychophysical estimates of the visual performance for moderate amount of defocus (within 1 D), whereas the other parameter (log_Vol D-P) is well correlated for larger ranges of defocus (within 2 D) and for different pupil diameters. These results suggest that optical measurements could be used for clinical testing of ophthalmic optics.
Credit Crunch and Downward Nominal Wage Rigidities

Through the lens of a dynamic general equilibrium model that features financial frictions and downward nominal wage rigidities (DNWR), I simulate a credit crunch similar to the one experienced by the US during the 2007-09 recession. Since the constraint on nominal wage inflation binds, this induces important cutbacks in hours worked. For a 2% inflation-target regime, the maximal deviation of hours worked is 2.15 greater with DNWR than with flexible wages. Total losses in hours worked are also 27% lower when the inflation target is elevated from 2% to 4%. Moreover, the model can account for a large part of the upward shift in the labor wedge that occurred during the recession. This result arises because the marginal rate of substitution of consumption for leisure significantly deviates from real wages with DNWR.
Can the Book-to-Market Ratio Signal Banks’ Earnings and Default Risk? Evidence Around the Great Recession

We examine the association between the book-to-market (B/M) ratio and the subsequent earnings and default risk of US banks in the period around the Great Recession. We find that banks with higher B/M ratios have consistently lower future earnings and greater earnings volatility. In addition, these banks have higher loan delinquency, more charge-offs, and lower Z-scores. We show that the B/M ratio signals information about a bank’s earnings and default risk about four to nine quarters before actual poor performance. Thus, the results show that the B/M ratio can provide advance signals for market monitoring of banks.
Validity, feasibility and acceptability of time trade-off and standard gamble assessments in health valuation studies: a study in a multiethnic Asian population in Singapore.

OBJECTIVES To assess the validity, feasibility and acceptability of standard gamble (SG) and time trade-off (TTO) assessments in a multiethnic Asian population. METHODS Through in-depth interviews performed among Chinese, Malay, and Indian Singaporeans (education >or= 6 years), we assessed validity of SG/TTO methods for eliciting health preferences by hypothesizing that 1) SG/TTO scores for three hypothetical health states (HS) would exhibit ranked order (decreasing scores with worse HS); and 2) more subjects would rate the most severe HS as worse than dead. Subjects also evaluated feasibility and acceptability of SG/TTO using a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS) and open-ended questions. Ratings were compared using Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests or tests of proportions. RESULTS VALIDITY In 62 subjects (90% response rate), as hypothesized, SG and TTO scores exhibited ranked order with increasing HS severity (SG: 0.85, 0.08, -19.00; TTO: 0.85, 0.00, -0.18). More subjects rated the most severe HS as worse than dead (SG: 8%, 39%, 59%; TTO: 8%, 45% and 62%). FEASIBILITY Subjects felt SG and TTO were easy to understand (median VAS scores: 8.0 vs. 8.0, P = 0.87) and to complete (8.0 vs. 8.0, P = 0.84). Acceptability: SG and TTO were well accepted, with TTO less so than SG (median [interquartile range] offensiveness: 2.0 [0, 4.0] vs. 2.0 [0, 3.0], P = 0.045). Overall, subjects did not have a clear preference for SG/TTO (50% vs. 45%, P = 0.70). CONCLUSIONS This study suggests the validity, feasibility and acceptability of SG and TTO for population-based HS valuation studies in a multiethnic Asian population.
Corticosteroid Compared with Hyaluronic Acid Injections for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Prospective, Randomized Trial

Background: Although both corticosteroid and hyaluronic acid injections are widely used to palliate the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis, little research involving a comparison of the two interventions has been done. We tested the hypothesis that there are no significant differences between Hylan G-F 20 (Synvisc) and the corticosteroid betamethasone sodium phosphate-betamethasone acetate (Celestone Soluspan) in terms of pain relief or improvement in function, as determined by validated scoring instruments. Methods: One hundred patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomized to receive intra-articular injection of either Hylan G-F 20 or the corticosteroid, and they were followed for six months. The patients treated with Hylan G-F 20 received one course of three weekly injections. The patients treated with the corticosteroid received one injection at the time of enrollment in the study, and they could request one more injection any time during the study. An independent, blinded evaluator assessed the patients with the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), a modification of the Knee Society rating system, and the visual analog pain scale. Results: Both the group treated with the corticosteroid and the group treated with Hylan G-F 20 demonstrated improvements from baseline WOMAC scores (a median decrease from 55 to 40 points and from 54 to 44 points, respectively; p < 0.01 for both). The scores according to the Knee Society system did not significantly improve for the patients who received the corticosteroid (median, 58 to 70 points; p = 0.06) or for those who received Hylan G-F 20 (median, 58 to 68 points; p = 0.15). The scores on the visual analog scale improved for patients receiving Hylan G-F 20 (median, 70 to 52 mm; p < 0.01) but not for the patients who received the corticosteroid (median, 64 to 52 mm; p = 0.28). However, no significant differences between the two treatment groups were found with respect to the WOMAC, Knee Society system, or visual analog scale results. Women demonstrated a significant improvement in only one of the six possible outcome-treatment combinations (the WOMAC scale), whereas men demonstrated significant improvements in five of the six outcomes (all measures except the Knee Society rating system). Conclusions: No differences were detected between patients treated with intra-articular injections of Hylan G-F 20 and those treated with the corticosteroid with respect to pain relief or function at six months of follow-up. Women demonstrated significantly less response to treatment than men did for both treatments on all three outcome scales. Such significant gender-related differences warrant further investigation. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic study, Level I-1b (randomized controlled trial [no significant difference but narrow confidence intervals]). See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Language management and devolved governance in Kenya

The article explores interfaces between language management and devolved governance in Kenya against the backdrop of language management theory and the roles and responsibilities of devolved governance as defined by traditional fiscal federalism, new public management (NPM), public choice, new institutional economics (NIE), and network forms of local governance. This discussion establishes theoretically sound intersections between language and devolved governance, underpinned by the centrality of language in information and knowledge access, sharing and utilisation in governance processes and structures. The article applies this proposition to the language and devolved governance interface in Kenya and identifies engendering active citizenship, accountability and transparency, and mainstreaming indigenous knowledge into governance and development discourses as some of the interfaces between language management and devolved governance in Kenya. The article argues that language management is integral to the optimisation of devolved governance that is responsive, responsible and accountable in Kenya, and possibly elsewhere.
Increased sympathetic outflow in cirrhosis and ascites: direct evidence from intraneural recordings.

OBJECTIVE To determine if central sympathetic outflow is increased in patients with cirrhosis and ascites. PATIENTS Eleven patients with cirrhosis and ascites, 8 patients with cirrhosis but without ascites, and 7 age-matched and 8 young healthy volunteers. METHODS With subjects supine, direct microneurographic recordings of efferent post-ganglionic muscle sympathetic nerve activity were obtained from the peroneal nerve, and sympathetic burst frequency was compared with subjects' blood pressure, heart rate, sodium excretion, catecholamines, and plasma renin activity. All patients with cirrhosis were studied at least 5 days after withdrawal from all medications and after 7 days of a 20 mmol/d sodium, 1-L fluid-restricted diet. Age-matched volunteers were studied after 7 days of 20 mmol/d sodium intake and young healthy volunteers after 7 days of 150 mmol/d sodium intake. RESULTS Sympathetic nerve activity in ascitic patients (65 +/- 15 bursts/min; mean +/- SD) was markedly increased, whether compared with patients with cirrhosis but without ascites (34 +/- 16 bursts/min; P less than 0.001), age-matched healthy volunteers on similar sodium intake (27 +/- 22 bursts/min; P less than 0.001), or young healthy subjects (21 +/- 10 bursts/min; P less than 0.001). The frequency of muscle sympathetic nerve discharge was directly related to plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine concentrations, plasma renin activity, and heart rate, all of which were increased in those patients with cirrhosis and ascites, and inversely related to 24-hour urinary sodium excretion, the fractional excretion of sodium, and subjects' pulse pressures. Sympathetic nerve activity fell from 78 to 6 bursts/min in one patient after liver transplantation. CONCLUSIONS This study provides the first direct evidence that elevated plasma norepinephrine concentrations in patients with cirrhosis and ascites are due to increased central sympathetic outflow. Sympathetic nerve activity is not increased in patients with cirrhosis but without ascites. Because there were direct positive correlations of sympathetic nerve activity with plasma norepinephrine concentrations, plasma epinephrine concentrations, plasma renin activity, and heart rate, the increase in central sympathetic outflow in patients with cirrhosis and ascites appears generalized and not restricted to muscle nerves. The anti-natriuretic effects of parallel increases in renal and muscle sympathetic nerve activity could account for the inverse correlation between muscle sympathetic nerve activity and sodium excretion.