Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Denosumab versus zoledronic acid for treatment of bone metastases in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer: A cost-effectiveness analysis

Abstract Objective: Denosumab has been approved in the US for skeletal-related event (SRE) prevention in bone-metastatic prostate cancer on the basis of a phase III clinical trial in which denosumab reduced SREs relative to zoledronic acid. Overall survival, disease progression, and serious adverse events did not differ significantly between groups. This analysis assessed the cost-effectiveness of denosumab vs zoledronic acid in bone-metastatic prostate cancer from a US payer perspective. Methods: A literature-based Markov model, wherein inputs were selected to reproduce clinical trial outcomes, was developed to estimate the survival, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), number and costs of SREs, and drug and administration costs for patients receiving denosumab or zoledronic acid over 27 months. QALYs were estimated by assigning health-state utilities. SRE-related costs and utilities were literature-based. Outcomes were discounted 3% per annum, and model robustness was tested via scenario, univariate, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Results: Denosumab resulted in fewer estimated SREs (−0.241; 1.036 vs 1.277), more QALYs (0.0074; 0.9306 vs 0.9232), and lower SRE-related costs (−$2340; $8824 vs $11,164), but higher drug-related costs ($10,181; $23,144 vs $12,963) and total costs ($7841; $31,968 vs $24,127) vs zoledronic acid. The base case estimated cost per QALY-gained was $1,058,741. Conclusion: This analysis was limited by the restricted availability of clinical data and the need to use projection methods beyond the trial time frame. However, a wide range of scenarios predicted denosumab to have an incremental cost/QALY gained above what may be considered acceptable value for money in the US. This raises important questions regarding the pharmacoeconomic value of denosumab in bone-metastatic prostate cancer.
HIV risk perception among men who have sex with men in two municipalities of China-implications for education and intervention

Abstract Men who have sex with men (MSM) are recognized as being at high risk for HIV infection. While studies have found that the prevalence of risky behaviors routinely remained high among MSM, few have focused on reasons why MSM may perceive they were or were not at risk for HIV infection. The objective of this study was to examine HIV risk perception among MSM in Beijing and Chongqing, China. A qualitative study consisting of eight focus group discussions and 65 in-depth interviews were conducted with MSM in the two cities. Participants felt that most MSM were aware of the high prevalence of HIV infection among MSM. Yet despite this awareness, most participants thought it was unlikely they would become infected with HIV. The reasons raised by participants included: AIDS was a foreign disease, cleaning after sex prevented transmission, being the insertive partner during sex was not risky, their partner(s) could be trusted, and feeling lucky made HIV/AIDS acquisition unlikely. The findings of this study suggest that a multi-pronged and tailored approach is needed to increase risk perception and safe sex behaviors among MSM in China. This may be achieved through HIV/AIDS interventions that use MSM-friendly media targeting misconceptions of HIV risk, stigma, and discrimination rather than simply distributing condoms.
Delayed Diagnosis is Associated with Early and Emergency Need for First Crohn’s Disease-Related Intestinal Surgery

Background Increasing evidence suggests that delayed diagnosis in Crohn’s disease is associated with a complicated disease course. The aim of this study was to explore the association between delayed diagnosis and the timing of the first Crohn’s disease-related intestinal surgery. Material/Methods A retrospective study included 215 Crohn’s disease patients with previous surgical history in the Department of General Surgery of Jinling Hospital, China, between January 2013 and March 2016. Data were collected on demographics, clinical characteristics, medication history, and operation history. Results The time from the first appearance of Crohn’s disease-related symptoms to the first intestinal surgery in the delayed diagnosis group was obviously shorter than in the non-delayed diagnosis group (26.4±28.7 months vs. 42.6±58.4 months, respectively, p=0.032). Patients in the delayed diagnosis group tended to receive more ileal resections (47.8% vs. 26.4%, respectively, p=0.002) and less ileocecal resections (22.4% vs. 37.2%, respectively, p=0.032). More patients in the delayed diagnosis group received the first Crohn’s disease-related intestinal surgery as an emergency one (20.9% vs. 4.7%, respectively, p=0.001). Conclusions Delayed diagnosis is associated with early and emergency need for the first Crohn’s disease-related intestinal surgery.
The Relationship Between Migraine and Atopic Disorders—the Contribution of Pulmonary Function Tests and Immunological Screening

This cross-sectional clinical study was conducted in order to explore the relationship between atopic disorders and migraine. We evaluated 186 consecutive patients with migraine. Patients with a history of atopic disorders were compared with the others during headache-free intervals, for their headache characteristics, pulmonary test (PFT) performances and immunological screenings, through appropriate statistical methods. Of the patients with migraine, 77 (41.4%) reported at least one atopic disorder. PFT screening showed a general decreased pulmonary capacity and an important correlation between a positive history of atopic disorders and both increased eosinophil and IgE levels in headache-free periods. It should be discussed whether screening with PFT or immunological tests helps in early detection of progressive lung disease which might develop in these patients.
Health inequalities among older adults in Sweden 1991-2002.

BACKGROUND Current research has shown a decline in health among older adults in Sweden. This study examines health inequalities among older adults in Sweden in 1991-1992 and 2000-2002 and explores the development of these inequalities during this period. METHODS A data set was constructed out of four levels of living surveys, comprising 4085 individuals aged 55 and above. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to assess the association between social class, sex, age and four different domains of self-reported health: global self-rated health, impaired mobility, musculoskeletal pain and psychological distress. Adjustments were made for period of interview. Interaction terms were also used to assess change over time. Levin's attributable risk was used to assess the magnitude of the health inequalities. RESULTS The results indicate an increase in reports of all specific health problems, but not in the global health measure during the period. Significant sex differences and a clear social gradient in health were discernible during both periods. Women were more likely than men to report problems with impaired mobility, pain and psychological distress. Manual workers were significantly more likely than non-manuals to report problems in all four domains of health. However, both the sex differences and the social gradient seemed to remain constant during the period. CONCLUSION Although it seems there are significant differences in health depending on sex and social class among older adults in Sweden, these inequalities appear to be unaffected by the general increase in ill health that has been observed in these groups over the last decade.
Androgen levels and social interactions in breeding males of the peacock blenny

Nest-holder male Salaria pavo have lower circulating concentrations of 11-ketotestosterone (KT) at the beginning of the breeding season than at its peak. At that peak density of nesting males was higher as were the number of visits of sneaker males to nests and of agonistic interactions between nest-holders and sneaker males. There was no difference between the two dates either in the frequency of male–male interactions or in the frequency of courtship episodes. Thus, higher plasma levels in nest-holders might be explained by a more intense sneaking pressure at the peak of the breeding season. At that peak, nest-holders had higher plasma levels of KT and a higher testosterone (T) to KT metabolization index in the gonads than did floater males. Both nest-holders and floaters had higher levels of KT and T in the testicular gland than in the testis. The levels of both androgens in the testicular gland, but not in the testis, were correlated with circulating concentrations of KT. These results suggest that the testicular gland is the major source of circulating KT in blenniids. Nest-holders had higher metabolization indexes than floaters both in the testis and in the testicular gland, which suggests that nest holding status promotes the conversion of T into KT.
Long-term efficacy and safety of polyalkylimide gel for the treatment of HIV-associated lipoatrophy

Abstract The long-term safety and efficacy of products used in the correction of HIV-associated facial lipoatrophy (FLA) are largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to describe the long-term efficacy and safety of polyalkylimide gel (PAIG) in the treatment of HIV-associated FLA. In this open-label, randomized, single-center study, 31 HIV-positive individuals (median age 48 years (interquartile ranges (IQR) 45, 55, 97% male) with FLA were randomized to immediate (week 0 and six) or delayed (week 12 and 18) PAIG injections. Week 96 endpoints included change in FLA severity scores (FLSS) (five-point scale), proportion of patients with adverse events, and changes in quality of life, depression and anxiety using validated surveys. Results at week 96 were available for 28 patients. Adverse events, including swelling, redness, bruising and pain, were mild, and resolved after a median of three days following the injection. At week 96, median changes in physician and patient FLSS scores were −2 (IQR −3, −1; p<0.001 vs. baseline) and −2 (IQR −2, −1; p<0.001 vs. baseline), respectively. Physician and patient FLSS scores were not significantly different between the groups at week 96. Significant improvements in patient's anxiety (p<0.001), depression (p<0.001) and mental health (p=0.01) were observed from baseline to week 96. In conclusion, treatment with PAIG was associated with sustained improvements in both the physical and psychological components of FLA through 96 weeks of follow-up.
An Optimist Gets the Job Done? Financial Advisers’ Sophistication and Stock Return Expectations

We use data from financial advisers' professional exam scores and other variables to build an index of financial sophistication. A one standard deviation reduction in sophistication increases long-term expected returns quoted to clients by 1.1 percentage points, and twice as much for emerging markets. Being optimistic on stocks likely boosts sales. We find no evidence of a conscious strategic response, however. A plausible interpretation is that unconscious overoptimism helps less capable advisers to make it in the profession. We present evidence against alternative explanations, such as extrapolating from past returns, unobserved heterogeneity, and signaling.
3‐D elemental and isotopic composition of presolar silicon carbides

Abstract— Thirteen presolar silicon carbide grains—three of supernova (SN) origin and ten of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star origin—were examined with time‐of‐flight‐secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS). The grains had been extracted from two different meteorites—Murchison and Tieschitz—using different acid residue methods. At high lateral resolution of ∼300 nm, isotopic and elemental heterogeneities within the micrometer‐sized grains were detected. The trace elemental abundances, when displayed in two‐element correlation plots, of Li, Mg, K, and Ca show a clear distinction between the two different meteoritic sources. The different concentrations might be attributed to differences of the host meteorites and/or of extraction methods whereas the stellar source seems to be less decisive. In one SN grain with 26Mg‐enrichment from extinct 26Al, the acid treatment, as part of the grain separation procedure, affected the Mg/Al ratio in the outer rim and therefore the inferred initial 26Al/27Al ratio. A second SN grain exhibits a lateral heterogeneity in 26Al/27Al, which either is due to residual Al‐rich contamination on the grain surface or to the condensation chemistry in the SN ejecta.
Cognitive Network Neuroscience

Network science provides theoretical, computational, and empirical tools that can be used to understand the structure and function of the human brain in novel ways using simple concepts and mathematical representations. Network neuroscience is a rapidly growing field that is providing considerable insight into human structural connectivity, functional connectivity while at rest, changes in functional networks over time (dynamics), and how these properties differ in clinical populations. In addition, a number of studies have begun to quantify network characteristics in a variety of cognitive processes and provide a context for understanding cognition from a network perspective. In this review, we outline the contributions of network science to cognitive neuroscience. We describe the methodology of network science as applied to the particular case of neuroimaging data and review its uses in investigating a range of cognitive functions including sensory processing, language, emotion, attention, cognitive control, learning, and memory. In conclusion, we discuss current frontiers and the specific challenges that must be overcome to integrate these complementary disciplines of network science and cognitive neuroscience. Increased communication between cognitive neuroscientists and network scientists could lead to significant discoveries under an emerging scientific intersection known as cognitive network neuroscience.
Accuracy of three-dimensional measurements using cone-beam CT.

OBJECTIVES Lesions causing intraosseous defects in the head and neck region are difficult to diagnose using two-dimensional radiography, and three-dimensional (3D) data provided by CT is useful but often difficult to obtain. Recently, cone-beam CT (CBCT) was made available, with the potential to become a practical tool in dentistry. However, there is limited evidence to prove that defect volume can be determined accurately. Therefore, this in vitro validation study aimed at establishing whether linear and 3D CBCT, using volumetric measurements, is accurate for determining osseous defect sizes. METHODS Depth and diameter of simulated bone defects in (i) an acrylic block and (ii) a human mandible were blindly measured electronically by five examiners using CBCT. Linear measurements were compared with predetermined machined dimensions. Using software, volume extraction was performed by another examiner on the acrylic phantom and compared with known dimensions. Data were analysed using paired t-tests. RESULTS Using the acrylic block, mean width accuracy was -0.01 mm (+/- 0.02 SE) and mean height difference was -0.03 mm (+/- 0.01 SE; P > 0.05). For the human mandible, mean width accuracy was -0.07 mm (+/- 0.02 SE) and mean height accuracy was -0.27 mm (+/- 0.02 SE; P < 0.01). Volume accuracy was -6.9 mm3 (+/- 4 SE) for automated calculations and -2.3 mm3 (+/- 2.6 SE) for the manual measurements (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS CBCT has the potential to be an accurate, non-invasive, practical method to reliably determine osseous lesion size and volume. Further clinical validation will lead to a vast array of applications in oral and maxillofacial diagnosis.
Mediation analysis of environmental training: Perceived stakeholder pressure and environmental supply chain management practices

The purpose of this research is to examine the mediation role of environmental training in the relationship between perceived stakeholder pressure and implementation of the environmental supply chain management practices. A survey was administered to manufacturing firms and hypothesis was tested using structural equation modeling analysis. This research suggests that environmental training is mediates the relationship between stakeholder pressure and implementation of environmental supply chain management practices. The results suggest that managers perceive that stakeholder pressure and environmental training are important to themselves. In this study overall, market stakeholders had a stronger relationship with the implementation of the environmental supply chain practices than the regulatory stakeholders. The findings also indicate that stakeholder pressure is an essential driver for implementation of environmental supply chain management practices. This study is one of the first to investigate the relationship between the stakeholders’ pressure and environmental supply chain management practices in manufacturing firms. The study also offers important implications for managers and partitions. Future research direction and limitation are also discussed.
Hindsight policy gradients

Goal-conditional policies allow reinforcement learning agents to pursue specific goals during different episodes. In addition to their potential to generalize desired behavior to unseen goals, such policies may also help in defining options for arbitrary subgoals, enabling higher-level planning. While trying to achieve a specific goal, an agent may also be able to exploit information about the degree to which it has achieved alternative goals. Reinforcement learning agents have only recently been endowed with such capacity for hindsight, which is highly valuable in environments with sparse rewards. In this paper, we show how hindsight can be introduced to likelihood-ratio policy gradient methods, generalizing this capacity to an entire class of highly successful algorithms. Our preliminary experiments suggest that hindsight may increase the sample efficiency of policy gradient methods.
Board of Director Characteristics and Audit Report Lag: Australian Evidence

This study examines whether board of director’s independence, financial expertise, gender, corporate governance experience and diligence impact the audit report lag exhibited by Australian publicly listed firms. Using a pooled sample of 500 firm-year observations obtained from the Australian Securities Exchange for the period 2004 to 2008, this study finds evidence that board member independence, board member financial expertise and, to a lesser extent, board member corporate governance experience are the most significant predictors associated with shorter/reduced audit report lag. Main findings are robust to alternative measures of audit report lag, board characteristics and control variables. Findings from this study clearly imply that boards play a substantial role in reducing audit report lag. Results imply that legislative and regulatory requirements, both in Australian and overseas, stipulating board member independence and financial expertise requirements are effective in improving the integrity of financial reporting, a key component of which is timeliness of financial reporting (encapsulated by audit report lag). In addition, an additional board characteristic that regulators should consider promoting among firms is board member corporate governance experience. Results from this study, therefore, have clear implications not only for regulators but also for key stakeholders such shareholders and management.
QuantitativeERandPgRAssessmentasPredictorsofBene fi t from Lapatinib in Postmenopausal Women with Hormone Receptor – Positive , HER 2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer

Purpose: Lapatinib, a dual epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and HER2 inhibitor, remains unproven in non–HER2-amplified metastatic breast cancer (MBC). EGF30008, a phase III trial of letrozole and lapatinib versus letrozole and placebo, demonstrated that lapatinib significantly improves outcome for postmenopausal women with HER2-amplified, but not HER2-negative, MBC. The hypothesis that low hormone receptor status is associated with benefit in this HER2-negative cohort was tested. Experimental Design: A blinded retrospective biomarker evaluation used immunohistochemistry (IHC) to semiquantify estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) expression (n 1⁄4 821/952). HER2 status was determined by IHC and confirmed by FISH (n 1⁄4 326). Effects of these biomarkers on progression-free survival (PFS) were examined in patients with available tissue. Results: In HER2-negative, ER-positive MBC, median PFS was analyzed by ER and PgR expression (H-score) by quartile (Q). There was significant improvement in patients with low ER expression (Q1, H-score <160) with lapatinib and letrozole (13.6 vs. 6.7 months; P1⁄4 0.01). No benefit was associated with stronger ER expression (Q2/3, H-score 160 and <250; 13.6 vs. 14.2 months; Q4, H-score 250; 11.2 vs. 14.2 months). There was no association between PgR H-score and benefit from lapatinib. Conclusion: In postmenopausal patients with advanced hormone receptor–positive disease, weak ER expression is associated with worse outcome with letrozole treatment compared with the combination. The addition of lapatinib significantly improved PFS for this patient subgroup and augments data supporting interaction between steroid hormone and peptide hormone signaling. A prospective study validating this hypothesis is required. Clin Cancer Res; 20(3); 736–43. 2013 AACR.
Well-Being and Human-Animal Interactions in Schools: The Case of "Dog Daycare Co-Op".

This paper draws on Martha Nussbaum’s account of the nature of human well-being to explore the role of animals in formal education settings. Nussbaum equates well-being with human flourishing, and argues that people live well when engaged in essential functions that are particular capabilities, each a necessary but insufficient contributor to well-being. One of these capabilities is the ability to “to have concern for and live with other animals, plants and the environment. ” Yet, this condition of well-being remains largely unexplored among in education. In recent years, the benefits of human-animal interaction in education settings has been researched and discussed in the social sciences, particularly the use of dogs to aid reluctant readers in literacy development, and the use of therapy dogs in universities during final examination blocks. This paper presents findings of one particular research project of the effects of a unique, Canadian school-based cooperative education program, “Under One Woof,” in which students work with animals. Based on interviews, students’ own stories of the impact of animal interaction – particularly in light of other challenges they faced academically and socially – appear to support other empirical accounts of positive effects of animals in education settings, and offer insight into the nature and effects of human-animal interaction as an element of well-being.