Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Individual clearance and therapeutic drug monitoring of quetiapine in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE Quetiapine is one of the most frequent prescribed antipsychotics. Based on the consensus guidelines of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in clinical practice, TDM of Quetiapine is "useful". In this pilot study, using a natural sample, we investigated the influence of co-medication, age and gender on the serum concentrations and clearance of Quetiapine. Also we compared the individual clearance in our sample with the expected clearance for healthy subjects, obtained in controlled studies. METHODS 150 blood samples were collected anonymously under clinical conditions, Quetiapine trough serum levels were determined using HPLC. Additional information about gender, age, co-medication and dosage was obtained. RESULTS There was a significant, positive, but weak correlation between daily dose and serum levels of Quetiapine (r=0.44; p=0.01). When Carbamazepine was co-administered, the clearance was significantly higher (p=0.01). 83% of the serum levels were outside the therapeutic range, only 28% were within the expected clearance. CONCLUSIONS In addition to the therapeutic range the individual clearance related to the expected clearance may help to optimize individual pharmacotherapy, especially for combination therapy or in case of incompliance or abnormal metabolism.
Rhodnius prolixus: From classical physiology to modern developmental biology

The hemiptera Rhodnius prolixus is a blood‐feeding insect and a primary vector of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of the Chagas disease. Over the past century, Rhodnius has been the subject of intense investigations, which have contributed to unveil important aspects of metabolism and physiology in insects. Recent technological innovations are helping dissect the genetic and molecular underpinnings of Rhodnius embryogenesis and organogenesis, thus fostering the use of this important species in the fields of developmental and evolutionary biology. Rhodnius represents also an excellent system to study development under stressful conditions, since the embryo must develop in the presence of a large amount of blood‐derived reactive oxygen species. With a recently sequenced genome, small among other Hemiptera, and the identification of basic elements for all classical development pathways, functional studies in this species are revealing novel aspects of insect development and evolution. Here we review early studies on this model insect and how this paved the way for recent functional studies using the kissing bug.
How Can We Fully Use Noiseless Feedback to Enhance the Security of the Broadcast Channel with Confidential Messages

The model for a broadcast channel with confidential messages (BC-CM) plays an important role in the physical layer security of modern communication systems. In recent years, it has been shown that a noiseless feedback channel from the legitimate receiver to the transmitter increases the secrecy capacity region of the BC-CM. However, at present, the feedback coding scheme for the BC-CM only focuses on producing secret keys via noiseless feedback, and other usages of the feedback need to be further explored. In this paper, we propose a new feedback coding scheme for the BC-CM. The noiseless feedback in this new scheme is not only used to produce secret keys for the legitimate receiver and the transmitter but is also used to generate update information that allows both receivers (the legitimate receiver and the wiretapper) to improve their channel outputs. From a binary example, we show that this full utilization of noiseless feedback helps to increase the secrecy level of the previous feedback scheme for the BC-CM.
Clinical profile and mutation analysis of xeroderma pigmentosum in Indian patients.

BACKGROUND Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by cutaneous and ocular photosensitivity and an increased risk of developing cutaneous neoplasms. Progressive neurological abnormalities develop in a quarter of XP patients. AIM To study the clinical profile and perform a mutation analysis in Indian patients with xeroderma pigmentosum. METHODS Ten families with 13 patients with XP were referred to our clinic over 2 years. The genes XPA, XPB and XPC were sequentially analyzed till a pathogenic mutation was identified. RESULTS Homozygous mutations in the XPA gene were seen in patients with moderate to severe mental retardation (6/10 families) but not in those without neurological features. Two unrelated families with a common family name and belonging to the same community from Maharashtra were found to have an identical mutation in the XPA gene, namely c. 335_338delTTATinsCATAAGAAA (p.F112SfsX2). Testing of the XPC gene in two families with four affected children led to the identification of the novel mutations c.1243C>T or p.R415X and c.1677C>A or p.Y559X. In two families, mutations could not be identified in XPA, XPB and XPC genes. LIMITATION The sample size is small. CONCLUSION Indian patients who have neurological abnormalities associated with XP should be screened for mutations in the XPA gene.
Out On a Limb: a Qualitative Study of Patient Advocacy in Institutional Nursing

This study explored the nature of patient advocacy among 40 institutionally employed registered nurses, nurse managers, clinical nurse specialists and nursing administrators. Participants were asked to define patient advocacy, to discuss their experiences with advocacy in institutions and their perceptions of risk associated with advocacy in institutional settings, and to identify one concept central to patient advocacy. The results delineated conceptual definitions of advocacy and numerous factors that influence nurses' decisions about acting as patient advocates in institutions. Additionally, they showed striking similarities between conceptual terms used to define advocacy and terms used to define caring. Cet article est basé sur une enquête auprés de quarante infirmiers/ères, directeurs/ directrices, infirmiers/ères spécialisé(e)s et administrateurs employés dans des institu tions. On a demandé aux participants de définir la défense des malades, de discuter de leurs expériences concernant cette activité dans les institutions, de leurs perceptions des risques courus au cours de la défense et d'identifier un principe central à la défense des malades. Les résultats de l'enquête présentaient des définitions conceptuels de la défense ainsi que de nombreux éléments qui influencent les décisions prises par les infirmiers/ères qui assument la défence des malades dans les institutions. En plus, les résultats montraient de grandes ressemblances entre les expressions conceptuelles utilisées pour définir cette défense et les expressions utilisées pour définir les soins. In dieser Studie wird untersucht, was vierzig in Insitutionen angestellte Pflegende, Man ager, und andere Pflegeexperten unter Fürsprache verstehen, wie sie sie definieren, und was ihre Erfahrung mit Fürsprache am Arbeitsort ist. Die Beteiligten wurden gefragt, wie sie die Risiken der Fürsprache in Institutionen einschätzen, und sie wurden aufgefordert, ein allgemein gültiges Konzept für Patientenfürsprache zu identifizieren. Das Resultat zeigt begriffliche Definitionen der Fürsprache sowei verschiedene Faktoren, die die Entscheidungen des Pflegepersonals beeinflussen, wenn sie als Fürsprecher der Patienten handeln. Zugleich zeigte diese Studie auch grosse Aehnlichkeiten zwischen Begriffen der Fürsprache und der Pflege.
Prevalence of caftle infected with bovine viral diarrhoea virus in Switzerland

A cross-sectional study was made in a major cattle-breeding area of Switzerland to investigate the prevalence and local distribution of animals antibody positive to bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) virus and of persistently infected animals. The sample size and statistical analysis took into account the possible clustering of persistently infected animals on individual farms. Of 3440 animals tested on 121 farms, 1982 were found to have antibodies to BVD virus (95 per cent confidence interval for the population prevalence: 57.6±4.5 per cent) and 22 were persistently infected (estimate for the population prevalence: 0.64±0.34 per cent). The detection of persistent infection in animals less than seven months old was improved either by retesting one year later, by using an antigen-capture ELISA or, in selected cases, by the analysis of original serum samples by reverse-transcription PCR. The results showed that the prevalence of persistent infection may be underestimated by as much as one-third when antigen detection alone is used. None of the 121 farms investigated was free of antibody-positive animals and one in eight herds had at least one animal that was persistently infected. The prevalence of antibodies was lowest in seven- to 12-month-old animals (22.9 per cent) and highest in animals aged five years or over (84.9 per cent).
Immune profiling of tumors may better stage early cancers.

When immune cells infiltrate tumors in large numbers, patients do better. Now researchers aim to harness this immune response to predict outcomes. The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) in Milwaukee is coordinating an international effort to validate Immunoscore, an assay that quantifies this immune response. If added to the current tumor–node–metastasis (TNM) cancer staging system, it may help clinicians decide when to use additional therapy to treat early-stage cancer. Such immune profiling may also help hone immunotherapy by identifying patients more likely to respond. “Immunoscore will be used if it can be validated,” said Bernard Fox, Ph.D., head of the tumor immunology focus group at Oregon Health and Science University Cancer Institute in Portland and former SITC president. Researchers led by Jerome Galon, Ph.D., research director in the cancer immunology laboratory at Paris’s French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, proposed that profiling immune cells in and around tumors might help stage cancers after their own studies suggested that it could predict survival. Seventy-three percent of colorectal cancer patients with high densities of immune cells in and around their tumors survived for 5 years, compared with only 30% for patients with low densities (Science 2006;313: 1960–4). Further research showed that quantifying densities of two lymphocyte populations—cytotoxic CD8 T cells and memory T cells expressing CD45RO antigen, CD3 and CD8 T cells, or CD3 and memory CD45RO T cells—both in the tumor core and in the invasive margin of tumors could predict survival of early-stage colorectal cancer patients (J. Clin. Oncol. 2009;27:5944–51 and 2011;29:610–8). “This [immune profile] was an even stronger predictor of survival than TNM classification,” Galon said. Multiple studies of several other cancers, including breast, ovarian, and rectal cancer, found similar associations. Evidence that the immune system is an important ally in attacking cancer dates back 50 years, Fox said. But the methods used in existing studies have been wildly inconsistent.
Earnings management and the performance of UK rights issuers

This study tests the ‘earnings management hypothesis’ in a market that differs significantly from the US market in that UK seasoned equity issuers rely mostly on rights issues to existing shareholders rather than public offerings to new investors as in the US. The study examines a sample of 424 rights issues by UK industrial companies during the period 1991–95. The results indicate that the operating performance of rights issuers, relative to industry median and performance-matched non-issuing firms, improves significantly before the issue but deteriorates thereafter. This increase in net earnings prior to the issue is not mirrored in cash flows. Decomposing total accruals into four categories, we find that firms actively use discretionary current accruals to manipulate earnings. Pre-issue stock return performance, using various returns measures, suggests that rights issuers significantly outperform the market in the year before the issue, but significantly underperform in the four years after the issue. Comparing the four-year post-issue market adjusted returns of conservative and aggressive earnings management issuers suggests that aggressive issuers underperform their conservative counterparts by more than 20%. The results from a regression analysis suggest that discretionary current accruals in the pre-issue year help to predict the return underperformance in the two years after the issue year. The fact that these results are found for rights issues where new equity is offered pro rata to existing shareholders suggests that managerial motives drive the incentive to manage earnings.
Electroretinogram in withdrawn cocaine-dependent subjects

Background We have previously reported that people who are cocaine-dependent have reduced blue cone b-wave electroretinogram (ERG) responses. In this preliminary study, we examined the relationship between blue cone ERG amplitudes and craving response to cocaine cues. Method A new series of 14 recently withdrawn subjects who were cocaine-dependent completed a cocaine craving questionnaire at baseline, and again following exposure to laboratory cues; an ERG was also performed. Results Cocaine-dependent subjects with a blunted ERG blue cone response (<0.5 μV) showed significantly greater increases in craving following cue-exposure than subjects without the blunted ERG blue cone response. Conclusions Subjects with a blunted ERG response may represent a subgroup more vulnerable to cocaine craving and relapse.
Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors are expressed in the chicken retina and by cultured retinal amacrine cells

Glutamate is well established as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate retina. Its role as a modulator of retinal function, however, is poorly understood. We used immunocytochemistry and calcium imaging techniques to investigate whether metabotropic glutamate receptors are expressed in the chicken retina and by identified GABAergic amacrine cells in culture. Antibody labeling for both metabotropic glutamate receptors 1 and 5 in the retina was consistent with their expression by amacrine cells as well as by other retinal cell types. In double‐labeling experiments, most metabotropic glutamate receptor 1‐positive cell bodies in the inner nuclear layer also label with anti‐GABA antibodies. GABAergic amacrine cells in culture were also labeled by metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 and 5 antibodies. Metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists elicited Ca2+ elevations in cultured amacrine cells, indicating that these receptors were functionally expressed. Cytosolic Ca2+ elevations were enhanced by metabotropic glutamate receptor 1‐selective antagonists, suggesting that metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 activity might normally inhibit the Ca2+ signaling activity of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5. These results demonstrate expression of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors in the avian retina and suggest that glutamate released from bipolar cells onto amacrine cells might act to modulate the function of these cells.
Mapping the Epidemiology of Kaposi Sarcoma and Non‐Hodgkin Lymphoma Among Children in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A Review

Children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have an increased risk of developing Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) and non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) compared to HIV‐negative children. We compiled currently published epidemiologic data on KS and NHL among children in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). Among countries with available data, the median incidence of KS was 2.05/100,000 in the general pediatric population and 67.35/100,000 among HIV‐infected children. The median incidence of NHL was 1.98/100,000 among the general pediatric population, while data on NHL incidence among HIV‐infected children were lacking. Larger regional studies are needed to better address the dearth of epidemiologic information on pediatric KS and NHL in SSA.
Are Earnings Predictable? Evidence from Equity Issues and Buyback Announcements

If managers use non-public information or misvaluation to time a firm’s corporate actions, it is likely that equity issues will precede bad earnings while buyback announcements will precede good earnings. Consistent with this expectation, we find evidence of earnings predictability: the market reaction to earnings following buyback announcements is higher by 4.56% than the reaction to earnings following equity issuance over a 25-trading day window (-10, 15). The difference in market reactions to earnings is smaller at 1.85% when a 5-day window (0, 5) is considered. Short-term stock returns reported in this paper are more meaningful and sidestep the sensitivity of long-term returns to benchmarking concerns documented in the literature (Fama, 1998; Cochrane, 2011).
MORPHOMETRIC EVALUATION OF THE FORAMEN MAGNUM AND VARIATION IN ITS SHAPE AND SIZE: A STUDY ON HUMAN DRIED SKULL

The foramen magnum is an important landmark located in the posterior part of the cranial base formed by the occipital bone. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the measurements of the foramen magnum in human dried skull and to note the variations in the shape and size of the foramen magnum. Additionally area and index of the foramen magnum were also calculated. Fifty human dried skulls of unknown age and sex were obtained from the department of CMCH Bhopal and FHMC Tundla. Foramen magnum were examined macroscopically for their different shapes. Anteroposterior and transverse diameters, foramen magnum area & foramen magnum index were measured. The foramen magnum shapes were determined as round shaped in 22%, oval shaped in 16%,egg shaped in16%, and irregular in18%,tetragonal in 12% penta and hexagonal 8% each. The mean A-P and transverse diameters of the foramen magnum was determined 38.75mm and 33.44mm respectively. In 4%of skull, the occipital condyle was observed to protrude in to the foramen magnum. The mean foramen index and foramen magnum area were 87.68 & 970. 57mm². The data obtained may be useful to the neurosurgeon in analysing the morphological anatomy of craniovertebral junction in trans condylar approach for brain stem lesion.
A Global Perspective on Green Sustainability, Corporate Reputation, and Technological Strength for Firm Performance Across Countries

This study is an attempt to explore the nature and characteristics of strategic impact of green strategy by environmental capital, corporate reputation, and technology strengths on the firm’s performance across countries. The main question addressed in this paper relates to how corporate sustainability, corporate reputation, technology strength, and capabilities influence the firm’s economic performance with respect to diverse dimensions of performance measures including sustained growth through the leading firms across countries in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia-Pacific countries. Particularly, this study attempts to empirically explore the directions and magnitudes of the operational links between new emerging strategic core competencies (e.g., sustainability green strategy by environmental focus for more sustainable path, corporate reputation by corporate social responsibility and image enhancement, and technology strengths to develop a new product and market) and the firm’s economic performance with respect to diverse dimensions of performance such as accounting (ROE and EOA) and market-based performance (Market value and Tobin’s q). Considering all possible limitations that might exist with regard to selected samples and methods, this study demonstrates that environmental sustainability, corporate reputation, technological capabilities and competencies through R&D intensity and patent are most likely to be significantly associated with most market-based performance measures, but the strategic significance of other variables such as capital intensity, leverage, and administrative cost efficiency on performance tends to be different depending on which performance measure is used across different countries with diverse economic and business contexts.
Linking social media to customer relationship management (CRM): a qualitative study on SMEs

Australian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) owner-managers were interviewed to understand the underpinning factors of social customer relationship management (social CRM), customer engagement behaviors, and social CRM as dynamic capability. Findings show that SMEs’ customers use social media to generate content, influence other customers through positive reviews, and mobilize others’ actions toward the brands or products. However, SMEs tend not to use social media for making important strategic decisions or calculating CRM indicators. Key issues are around a lack of resources, data management, and privacy and control. Resource constraints force SMEs to manage their social media on a reactive and ad hoc basis. This study confirms that social CRM can be characterized as a dynamic capability in SMEs, and recommends that automated and sustained ways of collecting and integrating social data with CRM can help SMEs realize the true benefits of social CRM, and thus outweigh their resource constraints in the long term.
Assessing Inter-Rater Reliability (IRR) of Tanner Staging and Orchidometer Use with Boys: A Study from PROS

BACKGROUND Few studies have systematically assessed the reliability of pubertal markers; most are flawed by limited numbers of markers and ages studied. AIM To conduct a comprehensive examination of inter-rater reliability in the assessment of boys' sexual maturity. SUBJECTS Eight pairs of practitioners independently rated 79 consecutive boys aged 8-14 years. METHODS Two raters in each of eight practices independently rated boys aged 8-14 years, presenting for physical examinations, on key pubertal markers: pubic hair and genitalia (both on 5-point Tanner scales), testicular size (via palpation and comparison with a four-bead Prader orchidometer), and axillary hair (via a three-point scale). RESULTS Intraclass correlations assessing degree of inter-rater reliability for pubertal markers ranged from 0.61 to 0.94 (all significant at p < 0.001). Rater Kappas for signs of pubertal initiation ranged from 0.49 to 0.79. CONCLUSIONS Practitioners are able to reliably stage key markers of male puberty and identify signs of pubertal initiation.
The role of transformational leadership, entrepreneurial competence and technical competence on enterprise success of owner-managed SMEs

As small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are regarded as the engine of job creation and economic growth, their development is still a primary focus for governments concerned with sustainable development. Although there is a plethora of literature on transformational leadership and competencies, the conceptualisation of transformational leadership, entrepreneurial competence, and technical competence for owner-managed SMEs remains elusive and under-researched. The possible impact of the combined effect of those factors on SMEs is also given little attention. This study hypothesises that three factors are crucial to the success of SMEs. Self-reported questionnaires were deployed to gather data from Malaysia SMEs using purposive sampling. Both the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation (SmartPLS) were used for data analysis and hypothesis testing. The findings revealed that the transformational leadership, entrepreneurial competence, and technical competence of owner-managers have a positive, significant and substantial impact on the success of SMEs. The theoretical and managerial implications are highlighted and discussed.