Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of endoscopic hemostasis with metallic hemoclips for bleeding gastric ulcer: comparison with endoscopic injection of absolute ethanol in a prospective, randomized study

OBJECTIVE:Although metallic hemoclips have been used for hemostasis of bleeding ulcer, there have been few prospective trials to evaluate their efficacy. In this study, a prospective, randomized trial was performed to evaluate endoscopic hemoclipping for bleeding gastric ulcer in comparison with endoscopic injection of absolute ethanol.METHODS:During the period 1995–1998, 126 gastric ulcer patients with bleeding or nonbleeding visible vessel were considered for entry. They were randomly assigned to one of three groups: endoscopic hemostasis performed with injection of absolute ethanol (group I, n = 42), hemoclipping (group II, n = 42), and a combination of the two methods (group III, n = 42). RESULTS:The permanent hemostatic rate was 85.7% in group I, 90.5% in group II, and 92.9% in group III. The mean volume of blood transfusion was 313 ± 77 ml in group I, 274 ± 54 ml in group II, and 163 ± 42 ml in group III, which was significantly less than in groups I or II (p < 0.05). No patients required emergency surgery. Five patients died within a month after initial hemostasis as a result of unrelated conditions.CONCLUSIONS:Endoscopic hemostasis with hemoclips for bleeding gastric ulcer was as effective and safe as that with injection of absolute ethanol, and a combination of ethanol injection and hemoclips did not result in a great advantage over the two individual procedures.
Oxalate Quantification in Hemodialysate to Assess Dialysis Adequacy for Primary Hyperoxaluria

Background: Patients with primary hyperoxaluria (PH) overproduce oxalate which is eliminated via the kidneys. If end-stage kidney disease develops they are at high risk for systemic oxalosis, unless adequate oxalate is removed during hemodialysis (HD) to equal or exceed ongoing oxalate production. The purpose of this study was to validate a method to measure oxalate removal in this unique group of dialysis patients. Methods: Fourteen stable patients with a confirmed diagnosis of PH on HD were included in the study. Oxalate was measured serially in hemodialysate and plasma samples in order to calculate rates of oxalate removal. HD regimens were adjusted according to a given patient's historical oxalate production, amount of oxalate removal at dialysis, residual renal clearance of oxalate, and plasma oxalate levels. Results: After a typical session of HD, plasma oxalate was reduced by 78.4 ± 7.7%. Eight patients performed HD 6 times/week, 2 patients 5 times/week, and 3 patients 3 times/week. Combined oxalate removal by HD and the kidneys was sufficient to match or exceed endogenous oxalate production. After a median period of 9 months, pre-dialysis plasma oxalate was significantly lower than initially (75.1 ± 33.4 vs. 54.8 ± 46.6 mmol/l, p = 0.02). Conclusion: This methodology can be used to individualize the dialysis prescription of PH patients to prevent oxalosis during the time they are maintained on HD and to reduce risk of oxalate injury to a transplanted kidney.
‘They shouldn't be coming to the ED, should they?’ A qualitative study of why patients with palliative care needs present to the emergency department

Introduction Across the developed world, there are concerns about ‘inappropriate’ use of the emergency department (ED). Patients with palliative care needs frequently attend the ED. Previous studies define the ‘reason’ for presentation as the ‘presenting symptom’, which ignores the perspectives of service users. This paper addresses an acknowledged gap in the literature, which fails to examine the decision-making process that brings patients to the ED. Methods In-depth narrative interviews were conducted with 7 patients (known to a specialist palliative care service and presenting to the ED during a 10-week period) and 2 informal caregivers. Analysis drew on ‘Burden of Treatment Theory’ to examine the meaning attributed by participants to their experience of serious acute illness, their capacity for action and the work required to access emergency care. Results 5 themes were identified about how and why emergency services were accessed: capacity for action, making sense of local services, making decisions to access emergency services, experience of emergency care and coping with change. All narratives captured concerns surrounding the complexity of services. Participants struggled to piece together the jigsaw of services, and were subsequently more likely to attend the ED. Differences between the ways that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer accessed the ED were prominent. Conclusions Further work is needed to understand and respond to decisions leading patients with palliative care needs to the ED, particularly in the context of locally fragmented services, poor signposting and confusion about available healthcare. The perspectives of service users are essential in shaping emergency care.
Survival of the Embedded: Expelling and Embedding Forces on Members of the Corporate Elite

Following the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002), directorships are demanding an increasing amount of directors' time and directors without full-time executive positions elsewhere can actually devote more energy to board activities. An unintended consequence of this legislation is a potential decrease in the number of directors who hold several board seats simultaneously. This may reduce the efficiency of information flow across organizations and slow the diffusion of innovation.The case of outside directors who have lost their executive positions in their home organizations provides an excellent opportunity to examine two competing theoretical perspectives: the inter-corporate and intra-class perspectives on corporate elites.We identify the conditions under which a director will be able to retain his/her board seat even after he or she loses the executive position that provided initial entry onto the board.Prior research on corporate elites has focused on how interlocking directorships serve to create inter-organizational linkages and on what happens when board members lose their seats and those linkages are broken. Rather than focusing on the ties in corporate networks, here we focus on the nodes of these networks, the individual members of boards of directors.
Changes in the innervation of the mouse internal anal sphincter during aging

The innervation of the mouse internal anal sphincter (IAS) has been little studied, and how it changes during aging has not previously been investigated. The aim of this study was therefore to characterize the distribution and density of subtypes of nerve fibers in the IAS and underlying mucosa in 3‐, 12‐ to 13‐, 18‐ and 24‐ to 25‐month‐old male C57BL/6 mice.
Paying Customers to Switch

This paper studies the business practice of offering discounts to new customers in markets with switching costs. In a two-period homogeneous-good duopoly model, it is shown that the equilibrium amount of discounts increases continuously in the expected switching costs of a typical consumer. In equilibrium, firms offer the same prices and discounts in a mature market even if they have different market shares, and the demands faced by these firms in a new market become more elastic. Firms are worse off engaging in the discriminatory pricing, while consumers need not necessarily benefit from it. There is costly equilibrium switching of consumers, which creates a dead-weight loss to the society. Copyright (c) 1997 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Economic Role, Property Rights, Labour Skills and Technology in the Portuguese Wine Co-Operatives

Agricultural markets are characterised by thinner margins, greater price and income volatility. Despite these changes, agricultural raw material markets are increasingly characterised by the vertical co-ordination of farmers and processors. The organisational form of a marketing co-operative is a common means adopted by farmers to achieve this end. In a world increasingly concerned with the importance of the separation of ownership and user, the survival and growth of agricultural co-operatives (in which the primary users of the services are also the main owners) is linked to their economic role, to how members exercise their property rights, and how inputs are used by the co-operative. This paper provides a function that summarises the economic role of agricultural co-operatives and goes on to analyse the contribution to the economic performance of Portuguese wine co-operatives (PWCs) made by the use of property rights, and the skills of the human resources and technology employed. The results of a multinomial logit model show that PWCs would indeed be able to improve their economic performance through the application of integrated management strategies to solve common property and horizon problems, as well as increasing their recruitment of skilled professionals in the areas of management, wine production and marketing, and by the adoption of new technologies of production and packaging.
The difficult transition to national health insurance in Bulgaria

Health sector reform in Bulgaria aims to enhance sector efficiency, increase resources allocated to the health sector and target public resources to the most cost-effective interventions. The health system is however currently being changed in two directions-social and commercial. Transition processes in health include the simultaneous creation of market-based behaviour of all participants in the health market, and the establishment of a national social insurance system that should prevent some aspects of the market from emerging. By definition and in practice, those two processes are working quite separately and they are not necessarily compatible, although features of one process can traced within the other. The Bulgarian model of health care retains an emphasis on a dominant public sector. This model requires significant as well as sustainable financing from the government side. However in practice the model is being undermined by financial difficulties in financing the national social health insurance that arise in good part from the commercialised elements of the system. These in turn generate very substantial inequalities in access to care, through inability of part of the population to pay official and unofficial charges. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
New onset hyperglycemia and diabetes are associated with increased cardiovascular risk after kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND Post-transplant diabetes (PTDM) is a common and serious complication of kidney transplantation. The implications of developing hyperglycemia of lesser severity are not well understood. METHODS In this study we used American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria to assess the incidence of abnormal glycemia post-transplant, the variables that relate to this complication, and the relationship between hyperglycemia and cardiovascular (CV) disease. Included in the study were 490 kidney recipients, transplanted from 1998 to 2003, without a history of diabetes, and with a pretransplant fasting glucose <126 mg/dL. RESULTS Within one week post-transplant, 45% of recipients had impaired fasting glycemia (IFG, glucose 100-125 mg/dL), and 21% PTDM (glucose > or =126). One year post-transplant, 33% of patients had IFG, and 13% PTDM. Risk factors for hyperglycemia at one year included: older recipient, male gender, higher BMI, higher pretransplant glucose, and higher glucose one week post-transplant (all P < 0.002 by multivariable analyses). During a follow-up period of 40 +/- 14 months, 12% of recipients had CV events (cardiac, CVA, and/or peripheral). Increasing fasting glucose levels at one, four, and/or 12 months post-transplant were significantly related to CV events. Furthermore, these relationships were independent of other CV risk factors, including: older age, CV events pretransplant, male gender, dyslipidemia, and transplant year. Fasting glucose levels >100 mg/dL were associated with higher incidence of post-transplant cardiac (P= 0.001) and peripheral vascular disease events (P= 0.003). CONCLUSION The incidence of post-transplant hyperglycemia and its CV impact have been underestimated. Pretransplant characteristics and, particularly, the glycemia during the first month post-transplant identified patients at risk of PTDM. Increasing glucose levels greater than 100 mg/dL, any time after the first month post-transplant, are associated with increasing CV risk. We postulate that aggressive detection and treatment of post-transplant hyperglycemia may significantly reduce CV morbidity and mortality after kidney transplantation.
Altered renal homeostasis with acute sepsis. Clinical significance.

Effects of sepsis on renal function were evaluated in 65 patients acutely ill with peritonitis from different causes. The indexes measured included glomerular filtration rate, effective renal plasma flow, true renal plasma flow, osmolar clearance, sodium clearance, and serum osmolar differences. Average glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow were slightly depressed. Extraction of para-aminohippurate through the kidney was markedly decreased so that true renal blood flow was elevated in direct proportion to cardiac output. Urine volumes were usually high and many patients exhibited a syndrome of inappropriate polyuria at the expense of effective circulating plasma volume, leading to relative hypovolemia. Although average serum osmolality and osmolar difference were markedly elevated, the average osmolar clearance was within normal range. These data suggest that sepsis causes renal vasodilation. The therapeutic implications of these findings are discussed.
Cointegration in Recursive Systems

This paper studies the cointegration properties of vector autoregressive models having a block triangular structure, where unit roots may appear in either the marginal or conditional subsystems, or both. In the former case, the conventional stability analysis of dynamic systems is extended to deal with integrated exogenous variables. The concept of target relations incorporates economic equilibrium relationships into the model, with observed cointegrating vectors being interpreted as linear combinations of these. Unstable models may be classified as containing insufficient or inconsistent targets, according to a rank condition on the sum of the lag coefficient matrices. Copyright 1991 by Royal Economic Society.
Various colour gradations as a dermatoscopic feature of cutaneous angiosarcoma of the scalp

Cutaneous angiosarcoma is an aggressive malignant vascular tumour that is subdivided into (i) classic angiosarcoma of the scalp, face and neck of the elderly; (ii) angiosarcoma arising as secondary to chronic lymphoedema (Stewart– Treves syndrome); and (iii) angiosarcoma arising in irradiated skin areas. de Giorgi and colleagues reported dermoscopic features in two cases of angiosarcoma arising in irradiated skin areas. We estimated that the significant feature was the various gradations of colour– pink-purplish stream-like areas with a white or skin-coloured central area, and a strengthening of the purple colour at the periphery of the lesions. We herein show dermoscopic figures in an elderly Japanese man with classic angiosarcoma of the scalp.
Pathogen profile Beet poleroviruses : close friends or distant relatives ?

Taxonomy: There are three members of the genus Polerovirus (family Luteoviridae ) that induce yellowing of sugar beet: Beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV), Beet chlorosis virus (BChV) and Beet western yellows virus -USA (BWYV-USA, Fig. 1). Non-beetinfecting isolates of BWYV found particularly within Europe have now been re-named Turnip yellows virus (TuYV). Species-specific antibodies are unavailable, but the viruses can be distinguished by RT-PCR using primers specifically designed to the 5 ′ end of their respective genomes. Physical properties: The isometric virus particles are approximately 26 nm in diameter and the genome consists of a single strand of positive sense RNA that utilizes almost all known plant virus gene expression strategies (initiation bypass, translational frameshifting and readthrough, synthesis of subgenomic RNA and proteolytic processing). Host range: Many members of the Chenopodiaceae are susceptible, including commercial crops of sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris ), red beet and spinach. Experimental hosts include Montia perfoliata , Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana . Symptoms: Sugar beet infected with beet poleroviruses show patches of chlorosis on the older leaves 4–6 weeks post-infection; these areas expand until the whole leaf becomes yellow and older leaves then tend to thicken and become brittle. Transmission: Beet poleroviruses are transmitted in a persistent (circulative, non-propagative) manner by several different aphid species, Myzus persicae being the most important vector.
A note on the use of the Clawson method for the evaluation of recreation site benefits

Common M. S. (1973) A note on the use of the Clawson method for the evaluation of recreation site benefits, Reg. Studies 7, 401–406. This paper is concerned with problems which arise in the use of travel costs to estimate recreation site benefits. Earlier U.K. work in this field has used either the A.A. estimates of motor vehicle operating costs or the costs perceived by motorists (as stated in questionnaire responses). This paper argues that it is neither necessary nor desirable to use these costs, and that the appropriate costs are those revealed in recreationalists' behaviour. It is shown that these costs can be estimated from the basic data, and that using such costs considerably reduces the estimated surplus in an earlier U.K. study. The results here are shown to be consistent with a negative valuation of time spent travelling to the site. Estimated surpluses are found to be insensitive to specification changes if an external cost figure is used, but sensitive if cost is estimated from the data.
Dsl1p, Tip20p, and the novel Dsl3(Sec39) protein are required for the stability of the Q/t-SNARE complex at the endoplasmic reticulum in yeast.

The "Dsl1p complex" in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, consisting of Dsl1p and Tip20p, is involved in Golgi-ER retrograde transport and it is functionally conserved from yeast to mammalian cells. To further characterize this complex, we analyzed the function of Dsl3p, a protein that interacts with Dsl1p in yeast two hybrids screens. DSL3, recently identified in a genome wide analysis of essential genes as SEC39, encodes a cytosolic protein of 82 kDa that is peripherally associated with membranes derived from the ER. There is strong genetic interaction between DSL3 and other factors required for Golgi-ER retrograde transport. Size exclusion chromatography and affinity purification approaches confirmed that Dsl3p is associated with subunits of the "Dsl1p complex. " The complex also includes the Q/t-SNARE proteins, Use1p, Sec20p, and Ufe1p, integral membrane proteins that constitute the trimeric acceptor for R/v-SNAREs on Golgi-derived vesicles at the ER. Using mutants, we performed a detailed analysis of interactions between subunits of the Dsl1p complex and the ER-localized SNARE proteins. This analysis showed that both Dsl1p and Dsl3p are required for the stable interaction of the SNARE Use1p with a central subcomplex consisting of Tip20p and the SNARE proteins Ufe1p and Sec20p.
Hedging under Transaction Costs in Currency Markets: a Continuous‐Time Model

We consider a general semimartingale model of a currency market with transaction costs. Assuming that the price process is continuous and the solvency cone is proper we prove a hedging theorem describing the set of initial endowments that allows the investor to hedge a contingent claim in various currencies by a self‐financing portfolio.
An attribute is worth more than a category: Testing different semantic memory organisation hy potheses in relation to the living/nonliving things dissociation

The present paper contrasted categorical and featural hypotheses of semantic memory organisation in relation to the living/nonliving things dissociation phenomenon. In the three experiments reported, normal subjects decided if word pairs representing living, nonliving, or both (mixed pairs) shared a particular perceptual (i.e., four legs, size, and hardness) or functional attribute (i.e., dangerousness, speed, and usefulness). The overall pattern of results is more in accordance with a general featural perspective and also emphasises the role of functional attributes. Both a categorical perspective and an attribute-category connection hypothesis have more difficulties in explaining the observed data. Implications for the study of semantic memory organisation and for the explanation of living/nonliving things dissociation cases are also considered.
Bronchoalveolar lavage in children with cystic fibrosis: how many lobes should be sampled?

Background The European Respiratory Society guidance on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in children was published in 2000. It recommended taking one BAL specimen from the most affected lobe or from the right middle lobe in diffuse disease. In 2007, the European Respiratory Society modified the recommendations for children with cystic fibrosis (CF), suggesting two BAL specimens (right middle lobe and the lingula or the most affected lobe). Objective To determine if BAL samples from one or two lobes give the full picture of lower airway infection in children with CF. Design, setting and patients A retrospective review of all paediatric patients with CF who underwent flexible bronchoscopy between May 2007 and May 2009 was undertaken. Main outcome measures As BAL specimens from all six lobes were collected, the BAL results were reviewed to identify if positive cultures would have been missed if only one lobe (right middle or most affected) or two lobes (right middle plus the lingula or most affected) had been sampled. Results The results of 39 bronchoscopic procedures in 31 children were reviewed. The BAL samples were taken from 6 lobes in all 39 procedures. Had only one lobe been used, 26 positive cultures (14 organisms) would have been missed in 11 patients. Had two lobes been used, 12 positive cultures (8 organisms) would have been missed in 7 patients. Conclusion A single-lobe BAL is insufficient in assessing patients with CF for lower airway infection. Even when BAL specimens are taken from two lobes, a number of infections may be missed.
Time-Dependent Effects of Chlorhexidine Soaks on Grossly Contaminated Bone

Objective: The purpose of this study was to quantify the reduction in the bacterial burden of grossly contaminated bone segments using different chlorhexidine (CHL) solutions. We hypothesized that 4% CHL would be the most efficient decontaminate. Methods: Fifty-four bone segments were harvested from fresh-frozen porcine legs. Each specimen was dropped onto a Mueller–Hinton medium that was inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus (lux). These genetically engineered bacteria emit photons in proportion to their number, allowing for quantification. The segments were retrieved after 5 seconds of exposure. Baseline imaging provided the initial bacterial load. An equal number of specimens were soaked in normal saline (NS), 2%CHL, or 4%CHL. Specimen reimaging was completed at the 5-, 10-, 20-, 30-, and 60-minute marks. Results: The average bacterial count on the bone segments were 2.18 × 107 for NS, 2.31 × 107 for 2%CHL, and 2.00 × 107 for 4%CHL. The percent reduction in bacterial counts at the 5-, 10-, 20-, 30-, and 60-minute marks were NS: 0%, 0%, 0%, 29.84%, 72.23%; 2%CHL: 93.09%, 98.16%, 99.21%, 99.63%, 99.81%; 4%CHL: 94.32%, 97.60%, 99.25%, 99.63%, 99.82%. At all time intervals, there was a significant difference between the 2%CHL and 4%CHL groups compared with the NS group (P < 0.0001) and no difference between the 2%CHL and 4%CHL groups. Conclusions: This study provides new data supporting the use of CHL to decontaminate grossly soiled bone segments. To maximize efficiency and decrease potential untoward effects, the authors recommend 20-minute soaks using 2% CHL for contaminated bone segments.