Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A New Full-Endoscopic Technique for Cervical Posterior Foraminotomy in the Treatment of Lateral Disc Herniations Using 6.9-mm Endoscopes: Prospective 2-Year Results of 87 Patients

Anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) is the standard procedure for operation of cervical disc herniations with radicular arm pain. Mobility-preserving posterior foraminotomy is the most common alternative in the case of a lateral localization of the pathology. Despite good clinical results, problems may arise due to traumatization of the access. Endoscopic techniques are considered standard in many areas, since they may offer advantages in surgical technique and rehabilitation. These days, all disc herniations of the lumbar spine can be operated in a full-endoscopic technique. The objective of this prospective study was to examine the technical possibilities of full-endoscopic posterior foraminotomy in the treatment of cervical lateral disc herniations. 87 patients were followed for 2 years. The results show that 87.4% no longer have arm pain and 9.2% have only occasional pain. The decompression results were equal to those of conventional procedures. The operation-related traumatization was reduced. The recurrence rate was 3.4%. No serious surgical complications occurred. The recorded results show that the full-endoscopic posterior foraminotomy is a sufficient and safe supplement and alternative to conventional procedures when the indication criteria are fulfilled. At the same time, it offers the advantages of a minimally invasive intervention.
Comparing Cost-Mitigation Techniques

This article compares the efficacy of three common transaction-cost-mitigation techniques: limiting a strategy to cheap-to-trade securities, rebalancing a strategy less frequently, and “banding,” which imposes a higher hurdle for actively trading into a position than for maintaining an established position. All three strategies significantly reduce transaction costs, but the techniques that reduce turnover have a less negative impact on strategy gross performance than limiting trade to low-cost securities has. Banding is more effective than simply reducing rebalancing frequencies, because banding yields similar trading-cost reductions while maintaining a better exposure to the underlying signal used to select stocks. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond or the Federal Reserve System. We thank Barbara Petitt, CFA, Stephen Brown, and Milena Novy-Marx for discussions and comments. Robert Novy-Marx provides consulting services to Dimensional Fund Advisors, an investment firm headquartered in Austin, Texas, with strong ties to the academic community. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors alone, and no other person or institution has any control over its content. Editor’s Note Submitted 28 June 2018 Accepted 27 September 2018 by Stephen J. Brown
Actuarial day-by-day survival rates of preterm infants admitted to neonatal intensive care in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory

Objective To characterise the actuarial day-by-day survival of premature infants in a geographically defined population. Setting 10 Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) in New South Wales (NSW) and Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia. Design Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data as part of NICUs' data collection in NSW and ACT. Subjects Premature infants born at 22+0 to 31+6 weeks' gestation between January 1997 and December 2006 and admitted to one of the 10 NICUs in NSW and ACT. Outcome Actuarial day-by-day survival to discharge from NICU. Results Survival to discharge after initiation of neonatal intensive care ranges from 30.0% at 23 weeks' gestation to 98.8% at 31 weeks. Actuarial day-by-day survival increased across all gestations. This improvement was most notable among the babies who were born <26 weeks gestation. Conclusion Preterm infants who survive the first few postnatal days have considerable chances of long-term survival. It is important to revise the information stored regarding chances of survival so it covers chances at regular intervals, especially after the first few days of life.
Maternal fluoride exposure during gestation and lactation decreased learning and memory ability, and glutamate receptor mRNA expressions of mouse pups

Previous investigations demonstrated that high fluoride (F) exposure may adversely affect the neurodevelopment and learning and memory ability. However, whether maternal F exposure during gestation and lactation can influence the learning, memory ability, and glutamate receptor expressions of offspring has not yet been elucidated. Hence, in the present study, maternal mice were exposed to F (25, 50, or 100 mg/L sodium fluoride (NaF) in drinking water) during gestation and lactation. Results showed that exposure to 100 mg/L NaF significantly enhanced the number of total arm entries and working memory errors of offspring in the radial arm maze test compared to the control group. However, no difference was observed in open-field behaviors. For the subtypes of glutamate receptors in hippocampus, expression of GluR2 mRNA was significantly reduced by 25, 50, and 100 mg/L NaF. Besides, F exposure also suppressed the expression of NR2A, NR2B, and mGluR2 mRNA levels in a dose-dependent manner, where NR2A was significantly suppressed by 50 mg/L NaF and NR2B and mGluR2 by 100 mg/L NaF. However, no significant changes were observed in GluR1 and mGluR5 mRNA expression levels. Collectively, these findings suggested that F can pass through the cord blood and breast milk and may have deleterious impact on learning and memory of the mouse pups, which was mediated by reduced mRNA expression of glutamate receptor subunits.
Musculoskeletal shoulder models: A technical review and proposals for research foci

Musculoskeletal shoulder models allow non-invasive prediction of parameters that cannot be measured, particularly the loading applied to morphological structures and neurological control. This insight improves treatment and avoidance of pathology and performance evaluation and optimisation. A lack of appropriate validation and knowledge of model parameters’ accuracy may cause reduced clinical success for these models. Instrumented implants have recently been used to validate musculoskeletal models, adding important information to the literature. This development along with increasing prevalence of shoulder models necessitates a fresh review of available models and their utility. The practical uses of models are described. Accuracy of model inputs, modelling techniques and model sensitivity is the main technical review undertaken. Collection and comparison of these parameters are vital to understanding disagreement between model outputs. Trends in shoulder modelling are highlighted: validation through instrumented prostheses, increasing openness and strictly constrained, optimised, measured kinematics. Future directions are recommended: validation through focus on model sub-sections, increased subject specificity with imaging techniques determining muscle and body segment parameters and through different scaling and kinematics optimisation approaches.
Effect of chronic oral domperidone therapy on gastrointestinal symptoms and gastric emptying in patients with parkinson's disease

This study investigated whether domperidone could improve gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease who were receiving levodopa therapy. A total of 11 patients were studied. Following a baseline gastric emptying test, patients were treated with a starting dose of domperidone 20 mg p.o. q.i. d. A follow‐up gastric emptying test was repeated at least 4 months after starting domperidone therapy. At the beginning and at each 3‐month follow‐up visit, symptoms of nausea, vomiting, anorexia, abdominal bloating, heartburn, regurgitation, dysphagia, and constipation were evaluated and scored on a scale of 0–3. The overall mean follow‐up period was 3 years. Compared with their baseline evaluation, patients experienced a significant improvement in all symptoms (p < 0.05) except dysphagia and constipation. Gastric emptying of an isotope‐labeled solid meal was significantly faster, with a baseline result of 60.2 ± 6.4% retention of isotope 2 h after the meal compared with 37.0 ± 2.2% retention during domperidone therapy (p < 0.05). Patients' global assessment of Parkinson's disease remained stable or improved. Serum prolactin was elevated in all patients after domperidone therapy (p < 0.05). Domperidone therapy significantly reduces upper gastrointestinal symptoms and accelerates gastric emptying of a solid meal, but does not interfere with response to antiparkinsonism treatment.
Changes in Breast Cancer Incidence Rates in the United States by Histologic Subtype and Race/Ethnicity, 1995 to 2004

Breast cancer incidence rates rose throughout the 1980s and 1990s in the United States but have recently declined through 2004. Studies reporting this decline primarily attribute it to the sharp decline in menopausal hormone use following publication of the Women's Health Initiative trial results. However, they have not stratified rates by either histologic type or race/ethnicity, which could further inform contributors to these trends. Using data from 13 cancer registries that participate in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program, we evaluated annual percent changes (APC) in breast cancer incidence rates from 1995 to 2004 by histologic type and race/ethnicity for intervals identified using joinpoint regression. Invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma incidence rates fell steadily from 1998 to 2004 [APC, −3.07% (95% confidence interval, −4.10 to −2.02) and APC, −3.18% (95% confidence interval, −5.18 to −1.03), respectively]. Declines in rates of breast cancer overall and invasive ductal carcinoma were primarily limited to women ≥50 years of age and to non-Hispanic whites and Asian/Pacific Islanders, and declines in rates of invasive lobular carcinoma were primarily limited to non-Hispanic whites. The majority of these declines began around 1998 and all began before 2002 when the Women's Health Initiative trial results were published; thus, the abrupt decline in hormone therapy use starting in 2002 is unlikely to be primarily responsible for the recent decline in breast cancer rates. The declines observed thus far are likely attributable to saturation of screening, although further declines related to the widespread cessation of hormone use may follow. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(12):2773–80)
Exon/intron structure of the human AF‐4 gene, a member of the AF‐4/LAF‐4/FMR‐2 gene family coding for a nuclear protein with structural alterations in acute leukaemia

The AF‐4 gene on human chromosome 4q21 is involved in reciprocal translocations to the ALL‐1 gene on chromosome 11q23, which are associated with acute lymphoblastic leukaemias. A set of recombinant phage carrying genomic fragments for the coding region and flanking sequences of the AF‐4 gene were isolated. Phage inserts were assembled into four contigs with 21 exons, and an intron phase map was produced enabling the interpretation of translocation‐generated fusion proteins. The gene contains two alternative first exons, 1a and 1b, both including a translation initiation codon. The translocation breakpoint cluster region is flanked by exons 3 and 6 and two different polyadenylation signals were identified. Polyclonal antisera directed against three different portions of the AF‐4 protein were produced and used to detect a 116 kD protein in cellular extracts of human B‐lymphoblastoid and proB cell lines. In mitogen‐stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells the AF‐4 antigen was predominantly located in the nucleus. The AF‐4 gene is a member of the AF‐4, LAF‐4 and FMR‐2 gene family. The members of this family encode serine‐proline‐rich proteins with properties of nuclear transcription factors. Comparison of AF‐4 protein coding sequences with the LAF‐4 and FMR‐2 sequences revealed five highly conserved domains of potential functional relevance.
Empirical Analyses on the Economics of Production: Employment, Productivity and Risk Management

In the last couple of decades, agriculture has faced a number of critical challenges. To cope with these challenges, agriculture and the food sector have gone through continuous social, structural and livelihood transitions. Understanding the economics of agricultural production with the dynamic natural, social and policy environment is an important topic for discussion and key concern for development policy. This dissertation presents empirical investigations on the economics of production in agriculture by giving particular emphasis to employment and labor conditions, climate change and risk management, productivity and welfare of farms.
Striatal biopterin and tyrosine hydroxylase protein reduction in dopa-responsive dystonia

Objective: To determine the mechanism leading to striatal dopamine (DA) loss in dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD). Background: Although mutations in the gene GCH1, coding for the tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) biosynthetic enzyme guanosine triphosphate–cyclohydrolase I, have been identified in some patients with DRD, the actual status of brain BH4 (the cofactor for tyrosine hydroxylase [TH]) is unknown. Methods: The authors sequenced GCH1 and measured levels of total biopterin (BP) and total neopterin (NP), TH, and dopa decarboxylase (DDC) proteins, and the DA and vesicular monoamine transporters (DAT, VMAT2) in autopsied brain of two patients with typical DRD. Results: Patient 1 had two GCH1 mutations but Patient 2 had no mutation in the coding region of this gene. Striatal BP levels were markedly reduced (<20% of control subjects) in both patients and were also low in two conditions characterized by degeneration of nigrostriatal DA neurons (PD and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine treated primate), whereas brain NP concentrations were selectively decreased (<45%) in the DRD patients. In the putamen, both DRD patients had severely reduced (<3%) TH protein levels but had normal concentrations of DDC protein, DAT, and VMAT2. Conclusions: The data suggest that 1) brain BH4 is decreased substantially in dopa-responsive dystonia, 2) dopa-responsive dystonia can be distinguished from degenerative nigrostriatal dopamine deficiency disorders by the presence of reduced brain neopterin, and 3) the striatal dopamine reduction in dopa-responsive dystonia is caused by decreased TH activity due to low cofactor concentration and to actual loss of TH protein. This reduction of TH protein, which might be explained by reduced enzyme stability/expression consequent to congenital BH4 deficiency, can be expected to limit the efficacy of acute BH4 administration on dopamine biosynthesis in dopa-responsive dystonia.
Three essays in corporate finance

This dissertation is comprised of three stand-alone essays in the field of corporate finance. Chapter 1 provides an introduction and overview of the three essays (Chapter 2-4). Chapter 2 explores the driving force behind the observed declining pattern of investment-cash flow sensitivity, which has puzzled empirical researchers for a decade. It investigates the variation of capital adjustment costs in explaining the investment-cash flow sensitivity and shows that the decreasing trend of the investment-cash flow sensitivity can be explained by the gradually increasing costs of capital adjustment. Chapter 3 studies the behavior of the firms in the aftermath of the 2007-09 financial crisis. A negative shock to the collateral value, which results in tightening the borrowing capacity, leads to a protracted recession of the firms’ activities with the real business conditions unaffected. However, the effect of the collateral shock subsides when it coincides with a slowdown in the productivity. The reduction of labor adjustment costs causes investment and employment growth to decline more (less) aggressively with the negative productivity shock (collateral shock) and the trimming of labor adjustment costs fares better for the small firms. A flexible wage contract can significantly alleviate the negative impact of the collateral shock. While the equity issuance falls (rises) with the adverse productivity (collateral) shock, the cyclical behavior of equity financing is less pronounced for the more financially constrained firms. Chapter 4 is motivated by the endogeneity problem in standard regression methodologies, which may overlook the coefficient biases induced by the measurement error in the variables. The measurement error in Tobin’s q, which operates via the covariance between q and cash flow, plays an important part in explaining the time-series and cross-sectional pattern of investment-cash flow sensitivity. Moreover, even a high-order moment-based GMM estimator cannot address the bias if the measurement error is not independent of q (a non-classical error). Chapter 5 summarizes the main findings and concludes the thesis.
Analysis of antibody response (IgM, IgG, IgG3) to Chikungunya virus using panel of peptides derived from envelope protein for serodiagnosis

Abstract Background: Many epidemic outbreaks of Chikungunya fever (CHIKF) have been reported throughout the world including India after its reemergence in 2005. The immuno protective role of envelope proteins during Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection has been reported. With the aim of identifying the immunodominant epitopes within the envelope protein we investigated the detailed analysis of fine specificity of antibody response in different individuals during CHIKV infection. Methods: The peptides corresponding to the full length of E1, E2 and E3 proteins of S27 strain of CHIKV were synthesized and their seroreactivity with CHIKV positive patients’ sera collected from different epidemic regions of India was determined using indirect ELISA. Results: The data analysis reveals many potent epitopes throughout the length of envelope E2 protein thus displaying it as the most promising antigen for diagnostic purpose. We found that the main IgG isotype response to envelope protein was predominantly of subclass IgG3. Interestingly, most of the epitopes were found to be conserved for detecting IgM, IgG and IgG3 antibody response. Conclusions: Peptides E2P3, E2P7, E2P16 and E2P17 were revealed as the most immunodominant peptides that together can form the basis for designing an accurate, economical and easy to synthesize a peptide-based immunodiagnostic for CHIKV. This study provides new and important insight into the humoral response generated by CHIKV S27 strain during the early phase of infection.
A Role of STAT3 in Rho GTPase-regulated Cell Migration and Proliferation*

Rho family GTPases and STAT3 act as mediators of cytokine and growth factor signaling in a variety of cellular functions involved in inflammation, tumorigenesis, and development. In the course of searching for their functional connections, we found by using STAT3 knock-out mouse embryonic fibroblasts that RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 could cause nonspecific activation of STAT3 promoter-driven luciferase reporter in the absence of STAT3, raising concerns to a body of literature where STAT3 was associated with Rho GTPases based on the reporter system. We also found that although active RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 could all mediate Ser-727 and Tyr-705 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of STAT3, the Rho GTPases were able to induce STAT3 activation independently of the interleukin-6 autocrine pathway, and active RhoA, Rac1, or Cdc42 could not form a stable complex with STAT3 as previously suggested, indicating an unappreciated mechanism of STAT3 activation by the Rho GTPases. The RhoA-induced STAT3 activation partly depended on Rho-associated kinase (ROK) and involved multiple effector signals as revealed by the examination of effector domain mutants of RhoA. Genetic deletion of STAT3 led to a loss of response to RhoA in myosin light chain phosphorylation and actin stress fiber induction but sensitized the cells to RhoA or ROK-stimulated cell migration. STAT3 was required for the RhoA-induced NF-κB and cyclin D1 transcription and was involved in NF-κB nuclear translocation. Furthermore, loss of STAT3 expression inhibited RhoA-promoted cell proliferation and blocked RhoA or ROK induced anchorage-independent growth. These phenotypic changes in STAT3–/– cells could be rescued by reconstituting STAT3 gene. Our studies carried out in STAT3 null cells demonstrate unambiguously that STAT3 represents an essential effector pathway of Rho GTPases in regulating multiple cellular functions including actin cytoskeleton reorganization, cell migration, gene activation, and proliferation.
Sequential healing events of osseointegration at UnicCa(®) and SLActive(®) implant surfaces: an experimental study in the dog.

AIM To study the sequential events in osseointegration at implants with highly hydrophilic surfaces. MATERIAL AND METHODS All premolars and the first molars were bilaterally extracted in 12 Beagle dogs. After 3 months, full-thickness flaps were elevated and two different implants systems with various surfaces were randomly installed in the edentulous premolar region in one side of the mandible. One surface was acid etched and further modified with calcium ions (UnicCa(®)), while the other was sandblasted with large grits and acid etched (SLActive(®)). The flaps were sutured to allow a fully submerged healing. The surgery on the other side of the mandible and the sacrifices were planned in such a way to obtain biopsies representing the healing after 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks (n = 6 per period). RESULTS After one week of healing, new bone apposition was found at both surfaces with percentages of 6.9 ± 3.3% and 6.1 ± 4.6% at UnicCa(®) and SLActive(®), respectively. After 2 weeks, the percentages had increased to 29.1 ± 11.9% and 21.6 ± 14.3%, respectively. After 4 and 8 weeks of healing, mean values of 46.3 ± 7.3% and 58.7 ± 15.1% at UnicCa(®) and 51.2 ± 16.1% and 68.9 ± 15.4% at SLActive(®) surfaces were found, respectively. None of the differences in percentages were statistically significant. Concomitantly, the old bone was resorbed at both surfaces from about 21-22% after 1 week to about 4-6% after 8 weeks of healing. CONCLUSIONS The osseointegration process onto moderately rough titanium implant surfaces of high hydrophilicity was very similar for two implant systems that were both nanotechnologically modified.
Absence of tolerance in duodenal ulcer patients treated for 28 days with a bedtime dose of roxatidine or ranitidine

Summary— There is much experimental work on the occurrence of tolerance to the antisecretory effect of H2‐receptor antagonists in healthy subjects, while data on its development in patients with duodenal ulcer are poor and conflicting. Moreover, this phenomenon has not been studied previously with 24 h gastric pH‐metry in patients with active duodenal ulcer. For these reasons, we carried out a prospective pharmacodynamic investigation in 48 patients with endoscopically proven duodenal ulcer using the well‐established once daily dosing schedule of H2 blockers. They were studied by means of 24 h continuous endoluminal pH‐metry which was performed before, on d1 and d28 after receiving an oral bedtime dose (2200 hours) of either roxatidine 150 mg or ranitidine 300 mg, given in randomized and single‐blind fashion. Eight patients did not complete the study for various reasons and 82% of ulcers healed after 4 weeks of therapy. Gastric pH was higher (P < 0.001) on d1 and d28 than basal values during all time periods, but the evening, with both H2 blockers. There was no significant difference between pH values of d1 and d28 in any time interval with both roxatidine and ranitidine. There was also no difference in pharmacodynamic data between the two active treatments. We conclude that tolerance does not develop after 1 month's treatment with a bedtime dose of H2 antagonist in patients with active duodenal ulcer and therefore data gathered on this phenomenon in healthy subjects are not applicable to ulcer patients.