Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Obesity and Its Relationship with Asthma Prevalence and Severity in Adolescents from Southern Brazil

Obesity has been pointed out as a risk factor for higher prevalence of asthma and asthma-related symptoms in adolescents. The objective was to evaluate the relationship between the prevalence of asthma and obesity in adolescents living in Santa Maria and surroundings (state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil), applying the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) protocol. A total of 4,010 of 6,123 schoolchildren, 13 to 14 years of age, enrolled in the ISAAC phase III protocol (asthma core questionnaire) and were nutritionally evaluated: height, weight, and triceps skinfold (TSF) measurements. Prevalence of asthma (wheeze in the last 12 months) and prevalence of severe asthma (two or more affirmative responses to: more than 4 acute attacks of asthma, speech disturbance, sleep disturbance, wheezing with exercise) were evaluated and compared according to their nutritional status: obese and non-obese. Obese adolescents were defined by body mass index (BMI, in kg/m2) ≥85th percentile and TSF ≥85th percentile. Obese and non-obese groups were compared for prevalence of asthma and asthma severity using the Chi-square test and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval. Analyzing all adolescents, we observed a significant positive relationship between the prevalence of obesity and affirmative responses to “wheeze ever” (OR = 1.28; 95% CI 1.08–1.52), “wheezing with exercise” (OR = 1.36; 95% CI 1.11–1.66), “asthma ever” (OR = 1.29; 95% CI 1.03–1.62), and severe asthma (OR = 1.55; 95% CI 1.12–2.14). Among the boys, there was a significant positive association between obesity and “wheeze ever” (OR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.13–1.86). In girls, there was a significant positive relationship with “asthma ever” (OR = 1.38; 95% CI 1.01–1.88) and “wheezing with exercise” (OR = 1.36; 95% CI 1.11–1.66). This cross-sectional study with adolescents living in the southern region of Brazil showed that there is a positive association between obesity and prevalence of asthma symptoms and asthma severity, a finding mainly confined to girls.
Effect of retroviral endostatin gene transfer on subcutaneous and intraperitoneal growth of murine tumors.

BACKGROUND Inhibiting tumor angiogenesis is a promising new strategy for treating cancer. Difficulties with the stability, manufacture, and long-term administration of recombinant antiangiogenic proteins have prompted investigators to use gene therapy to generate these proteins in vivo. We investigated whether transfer of the gene encoding the angiogenesis inhibitor endostatin into the murine liver cell line NMuLi could inhibit tumor growth in vivo. METHODS NMuLi cells were transduced with retroviral vectors containing the murine endostatin gene. The presence and function of endostatin in transduced cell supernatants were confirmed by competitive enzyme immunoassay and endothelial cell proliferation assays. Nude mice were given a subcutaneous or intraperitoneal injection with NMuLi cells, control transduced cells (NEF-null), or endostatin-transduced clones (NEF-Endo1 to 4) and were monitored for tumor growth. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS Supernatants from the clone secreting the lowest amount of endostatin (NEF-Endo4, 28 ng/mL) inhibited endothelial cell proliferation by 6% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0% to 12%), and those from the clone secreting the highest amount (NEF-Endo1, 223 ng/mL) inhibited endothelial cell proliferation by 20% (95% CI = 13% to 27%). Increased levels of endostatin were detected in tumor lysates, but not serum, of mice given a subcutaneous injection of NEF-Endo1 cells. After 63 days, mice given a subcutaneous injection of parental NMuLi or NEF-null cells had tumor volumes of 2400 mm(3) (95% CI = 1478 mm(3) to 3300 mm(3)) and 2700 mm(3) (95% CI = 2241 mm(3) to 3144 mm(3)), respectively, compared with mean tumor volumes of less than 30 mm(3) in mice given an injection of NEF-Endo clones, a statistically significant difference (P<.001). After 123 days, all 16 mice given an intraperitoneal injection of parental NMuLi or NEF-null cells had died, compared with only three (9%) of 32 mice given an injection of NEF-Endo clones. CONCLUSIONS Retroviral endostatin gene transfer leads to secretion of functional endostatin that is sufficiently active to inhibit tumor growth. Further studies of retroviral endostatin gene transfer for the treatment of cancer are warranted.
A Second Mammalian N-Myristoyltransferase*

N-terminal myristoylation is a cotranslational lipid modification common to many signaling proteins that often serves an integral role in the targeting and/or function of these proteins. Myristoylation is catalyzed by an enzyme activity, N-myristoyltransferase (NMT), which transfers myristic acid from myristoyl coenzyme A to the amino group of a protein’s N-terminal glycine residue. While a single human NMT cDNA has been isolated and characterized (hNMT-1), biochemical evidence has indicated the presence of several distinct NMTs in vivo, often varying in either apparent molecular weight and/or subcellular distribution. We now report the cloning and characterization of a second, genetically distinct human NMT (hNMT-2), as well as the isolation of the respective mouse NMT homologue for each human enzyme. The mouse and human versions of each NMT are highly homologous, displaying greater than 95% amino acid sequence identity. Comparisons between the NMT-1 and NMT-2 proteins revealed reduced levels of sequence identity (76–77%), indicating that NMT-1 and NMT-2 comprise two distinct families ofN-myristoyltransferases. Transient transfection of either the hNMT-1 or hNMT-2 cDNA into COS-7 cells resulted in the expression of high levels of NMT enzyme activity. Both hNMT-1 and hNMT-2 were found to myristoylate several commonly studied peptide substrates with similar, but distinguishable, relative selectivities. Western analysis revealed that while hNMT-2 appeared as a single 65-kDa protein in transfected COS-7 cells, hNMT-1 was processed to provide four distinct protein isoforms ranging from 49 to 68 kDa in size. Collectively, these studies demonstrate a heretofore unappreciated level of genetic complexity underlying the enzymology of N-terminal myristoylation and suggest that the specific inhibition or regulation of either NMT in vivo may in turn allow for the selective control of particular myristoylation-dependent cellular functions.
Cost of care in a paediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary-care university hospital of Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE To assess the cost of treatment for families of children hospitalised in paediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital. METHODS The retrospective cohort study was conducted in Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised record of all children admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit from January 1 to June 30, 2013. Demographic data, diagnosis at the time of admission, co-morbidity, length of stay in intensive care and outcome were recorded. The record of all hospital charges for each day the patient was cared for were also recorded. The finance department itemised the cost into major categories like pharmacy, radiology, laboratory, etc. SPSS 19 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS Record of 148 patients represented the study sample. Of them, 98(66%) were males. Overall median age was 2.7 yrs (interquartile range: 1 month to 16 years) and 93(62.8%) were below 5 years of age. Median length of stay was 3.5 days (range: 2-5 days) and total patient days in intensive care were 622. The median cost per admission was PKR 217,238 (range: (114,550-368,808) and mean cost per day was PKR 57,535 (43,911-85,527). The major cost distributions were bed charges PKR 8,092,080 (18.02%), physician charges PKR 6,398653(14.25%), medical-surgical supplies PKR 8,000772(17.8%), laboratory charges PKR 8,403,615(18.9%) and pharmacy charges PKR 5,852.226(13.03%). CONCLUSIONS The cost of paediatric intensive care unit was expensive. Cost distribution was almost evenly distributed. Hence, a better admission policy is needed for resource utilisation and cost-effectiveness.
Design Bandpass Frequency Selective Surface Absorber Using LC Resonators

A novel method of designing a frequency selective surface absorber (FSSA) with bandpass characteristic between two neighboring absorption bands is proposed in this letter. This method is implemented by loading lumped resistors and LC resonators in the FSSA structure. An equivalent circuit model together with an analytical design method is developed for further illustration. The performance of the FSSA structure is tested using a free-space measurement system. Experiments show a bandpass response at the center frequency of 6.74 GHz with a fractional bandwidth of 5% and two absorption bands over 3.33–6.26 and 7.09–10.36 GHz with an absorption rate of more than 80%, which indicates a good agreement with the simulation results.
The Behavior of Individual Investors

We provide an overview of research on the stock trading behavior of individual investors. This research documents that individual investors (1) underperform standard benchmarks (e.g. a low-cost index fund), (2) sell winning investments while holding losing investments (the â€œdisposition effectâ€ ), (3) are heavily influenced by limited attention and past return performance in their purchase decisions, (4) engage in naA¯ve reinforcement learning by repeating past behaviors that coincided with pleasure while avoiding past behaviors that generated pain, and (5) tend to hold undiversified stock portfolios. These behaviors deleteriously affect the financial well being of individual investors.
Role of in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the diagnosis and management of brain abscesses.

OBJECTIVE In vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed for 24 patients with pyogenic brain abscesses, to examine the consistency of the spectral patterns and to observe the changes in metabolites with treatment. METHODS Localized proton spectra were obtained from 4- to 8-ml volumes in the abscesses, using stimulated echo acquisition mode and spin echo sequences. Twenty-two patients were treated with combined surgical and medical therapy, and two patients were treated conservatively. High-resolution magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed for 15 samples of abscesses obtained from these patients, to confirm the assignments of resonances seen in vivo. Postaspiration studies were performed for 12 patients treated with combined medical and surgical therapy and 2 patients treated medically. RESULTS Lactate and amino acids were seen in spectra for all patients, irrespective of the time of spectroscopy after the onset of combined medical and surgical therapy. Acetate and pyruvate disappeared after 1 week of combined treatment. CONCLUSION It was concluded that spectral patterns for brain abscesses are consistent and specific and can assist in the noninvasive diagnosis of abscesses. Responses to combined treatment could be monitored by showing the changes in metabolite patterns in serial spectroscopic studies.
Stool Calprotectin Monitoring After Small Intestine Transplantation

Background. Small intestine transplantation is the only life-saving therapy available for patients with intestinal failure and life-threatening complications of parenteral nutrition, but it is still plagued by high levels of early acute rejection. The ability to diagnose rejection noninvasively, ideally before pathologic manifestations, would be a major advance in the care of intestinal transplant patients. Methods. We measured calprotectin levels in 732 stool samples collected, analyzed over from 72 patients having undergone 74 total transplants, and correlated them with clinical indications, ostomy output, and pathologic findings. Results. We found that overall patients with rejection have higher mean levels of stool calprotectin than those without, but because of significant interpatient variability, defining an effective general “cutoff” for the test is difficult. Each patient, in effect, has to act as their own control. Patients experiencing rejection episodes have greater fluctuations in calprotectin levels than those without, suggesting increased “reactivity” within the graft. Our most frequent clinical indicator for biopsy, an increase in ostomy output, had no real relationship to the discovery of rejection. Conclusion. Although more frequent prospective sampling could perhaps demonstrate an advantage in early indication of rejection, based on these data, routine stool calprotectin monitoring is not strongly supported.
A complex of RAG-1 and RAG-2 proteins persists on DNA after single-strand cleavage at V(D)J recombination signal sequences.

The recombination activating gene (RAG) 1 and 2 proteins are required for initiation of V(D)J recombination in vivo and have been shown to be sufficient to introduce DNA double-strand breaks at recombination signal sequences (RSSs) in a cell-free assay in vitro. RSSs consist of a highly conserved palindromic heptamer that is separated from a slightly less conserved A/T-rich nonamer by either a 12 or 23 bp spacer of random sequence. Despite the high sequence specificity of RAG-mediated cleavage at RSSs, direct binding of the RAG proteins to these sequences has been difficult to demonstrate by standard methods. Even when this can be demonstrated, questions about the order of events for an individual RAG-RSS complex will require methods that monitor aspects of the complex during transitions from one step of the reaction to the next. Here we have used template-independent DNA polymerase terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) in order to assess occupancy of the reaction intermediates by the RAG complex during the reaction. In addition, this approach allows analysis of the accessibility of end products of a RAG-catalyzed cleavage reaction for N nucleotide addition. The results indicate that RAG proteins form a long-lived complex with the RSS once the initial nick is generated, because the 3'-OH group at the nick remains obstructed for TdT-catalyzed N nucleotide addition. In contrast, the 3'-OH group generated at the signal end after completion of the cleavage reaction can be efficiently tailed by TdT, suggesting that the RAG proteins disassemble from the signal end after DNA double-strand cleavage has been completed. Therefore, a single RAG complex maintains occupancy from the first step (nick formation) to the second step (cleavage). In addition, the results suggest that N region diversity at V(D)J junctions within rearranged immunoglobulin and T cell receptor gene loci can only be introduced after the generation of RAG-catalyzed DNA double-strand breaks, i.e. during the DNA end joining phase of the V(D)J recombination reaction.
You Needn't Be the First Investor There: First-Mover Disadvantages in Emerging Private Equity Markets

Early movers into emerging private equity markets may capitalize on growth opportunities and build-up networks. However, the deal-making conditions might not (yet) be favorable for the pioneers and they could lack local experience. I support this latter conjecture by analyzing a unique hand-collected dataset on emerging private equity market transactions. From 1,157 deals in 86 host countries between 1973 and 2009 I find that “waiting and learning pays”. Controlling for opportunity cost of capital, cross currency rate fluctuations, GDP growth over the holding periods, for liquidity of the exit markets, and for socio-economic factors, such as a country’s innovation capacity, its legal quality, its human capital and labor market frictions, the analyses reveal that early transactions underperform the later ones. I interpret this as a result from learning benefits and from improvements of the deal-making environment over time. The learning benefits are stronger if investors are located in the country of the investee firm.
Inhaled nitric oxide with early surgery improves the outcome of antenatally diagnosed congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE The outcome of antenatally diagnosed congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) has remained poor despite aggressive therapeutic strategies. Since 1996, the authors have used a new approach including early surgery and inhaled nitric oxide (iNO). The aim of this study is to determine whether early surgery in combination with iNO improves the clinical outcome of antenatally diagnosed CDH. METHODS From 1988, 40 consecutive neonates with antenatally diagnosed CDH were admitted to the authors' hospital. Ten cases of fatal chromosomal anomalies or major cardiac anomalies were excluded from this study. From 1988 through 1995 (period 1: n = 13), delayed surgery was used in high-risk CDH. From 1996 through 2000 (period 2: n = 17), early surgery in combination with iNO was used. The severity of lung hypoplasia was evaluated using the fetal lung/thorax transverse area ratio (L/T). High-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) was used routinely during the study periods, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was used on basis of conventional entry criteria. The authors compared the clinical outcome, use of ECMO, and the L/T between the 2 periods retrospectively. RESULTS Patients in the 2 periods were comparable in terms of birth weight, gestational age, and the L/T. The mean age at surgery was 3.1 +/- 4.9 days in period 1, and 0.8 +/- 1.1 days in period 2. Fewer infants in period 2 compared with period 1 were treated with ECMO (period 1, 62% v period 2, 6%; P <.01). There was significant difference in the survival rate between the 2 periods (period 1, 38% v period 2, 94%; P <.01). CONCLUSION Our data suggest that early surgery and iNO improves the outcome and reduces the requirement of ECMO in the treatment of antenatally diagnosed CDH.
Portable and Reconfigurable Wrist Robot Improves Hand Function for Post-Stroke Subjects

Rehabilitation robots have become increasingly popular for stroke rehabilitation. However, the high cost of robots hampers their implementation on a large scale. This paper implements the concept of a modular and reconfigurable robot, reducing its cost and size by adopting different therapeutic end effectors for different training movements using a single robot. The challenge is to increase the robot’s portability and identify appropriate kinds of modular tools and configurations. Because literature on the effectiveness of this kind of rehabilitation robot is still scarce, this paper presents the design of a portable and reconfigurable rehabilitation robot and describes its use with a group of post-stroke patients for wrist and forearm training. Seven stroke subjects received training using a reconfigurable robot for 30 sessions, lasting 30 min per session. Post-training, statistical analysis showed significant improvement of 3.29 points (16.20%, p = 0.027) on the Fugl-Meyer assessment scale for forearm and wrist components. Significant improvement of active range of motion was detected in both pronation-supination (75.59%, p = 0.018) and wrist flexion-extension (56.12%, p = 0.018) after the training. These preliminary results demonstrate that the developed reconfigurable robot could improve subjects’ wrist and forearm movement.
Limits of Arbitrage under the Microscope: Evidence from Detailed Hedge Fund Transaction Data

We exploit detailed transaction and position data for a sample of long-short equity hedge funds to document new facts about the trading activity of sophisticated investors. We find that the initiation of both long and short positions is associated with significant abnormal returns, suggesting that the hedge funds in our sample possess investment skill. In contrast, the closing of long and short positions is followed by return continuation, implying that hedge funds close their positions too early and “leave money on the table. ” As we demonstrate with a simple model, this behaviour can be explained by hedge funds being (risk) capital constrained and facing position monitoring costs. Consistent with our model, we document that the return continuation following closing orders is more pronounced when these constraints become more binding (e.g., after negative fund returns or increases in volatility).
Stage distribution at first and repeat examinations in breast cancer screening

Objectives To investigate observed stage distributions at first and repeat screenings. To compare the observed outcomes with expected values based on simulation modelling, varying the assumptions about the natural history of the disease. Methods An overview is made of observed data on stage distribution at first and repeat screenings and the difference between those distributions is summarised in a Gini coefficient. Four possible explanations for the observations are considered, two of these are worked out as Miscan simulation models, and the outcomes are compared with observations. Results Often the reported stage distributions at repeat screenings are not or only slightly more favourable than at first screenings and, in the ones that are more favourable, the difference is relatively small. If, in the Miscan model, it is assumed that there is no correlation between the duration of preclinical breast cancer in consecutive tumour size categories and that there is a strong influence of latent cancers, it is not possible to reproduce the observed outcomes. Conclusions The two modelled explanations are not sufficient. Decreasing sensitivity seems an unlikely explanation for the discrepancy in many screening programmes. The possibility that the observations may be explained because false reassurance has been given should be seriously considered and investigated.
Pediatric Central Nervous System Tumors: A Single-center Experience From 1989 to 2009

The objective of this study was to determine the epidemiology of primary tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) in pediatric patients from a Brazilian oncology institute. We retrospectively analyzed 741 charts (415 males and 326 females) of patients under 21 years of age who were diagnosed with a CNS tumor. The analysis included patients from 1989 to 2009 and was performed using the World Health Organization criteria. We evaluated the distribution of age, sex, topography, clinical symptoms, symptom intervals, and classification of the tumors. Patients with clinical/radiologic diagnoses were included. Seven hundred forty-one patients with tumors in the CNS were reviewed, and 83% of the patients presented a histologic diagnosis. Males (56%) were more prevalent than females. In children under the age of 1 year, the supratentorial compartment was the predominant region involved (62.0%). Astrocytoma was the most frequent tumor type (37.0%), followed by medulloblastoma (13.6%), craniopharyngioma (10.5%), and ependymoma (6.8%). Headaches were the most common symptom, and the symptom intervals varied from 1 to 5010 days. Approximately 4% of the patients had associated genetic syndromes. Although it was not a population study and selection bias may have occurred, this study supplies important epidemiologic data from an emerging country in which population studies are rare.