Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
INTRAVENOUS IMMUNOGLOBULIN FOR TREATMENT OF SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM INFECTIONS IN PRETERM NEONATES

Preterm neonates are for more susceptible than term neonates to severe infections. We planned to determine the role of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) administration in the preterm neonates with Salmonella typhimurium infections. 47 preterm neonates between 33-37 weeks of gestational age and 1170 to 2100 grams in weight were included in this study. All neonates had Salmonella typhimurium infection progressing with intestinal or extraintestinal involvement. The neonates divided into two groups at randomly. Both groups were treated with Cefoperuzone. Neonates in group I (n=22) did not receive IVIG. Neonates in group II(n=25) received IVIG at a dose of 500 mg/kg on the 1st,2nd,3rd and 8th day of infection. Blood samples were obtained before and after treatment for monitoring serum IgG.Bacteremia occurred in 7/22 (31.0 %) neonates who had not given IVIG and 2/25 (8%) neonates given IVIG, resulting in a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). Complications developed in 10/22 (81.8%) Group I and 4/25 (16%) Group II, the difference between two groups was significant (p<0.01). The mortality rate was 40.9 percent in Group I and 12.0 percent in group II; the difference was also significant (p<0.05). The durations of antimicrobial therapy and recovery were reduced in group II. The differences between group I and II were significant (p<0.01 and p<0.01). The eradication of Solmonela from intestine was evaluated, it was not different between the two groups within 3 months (p>0.05). We conclude that IVIG treatment in combination with antibiotics in preterm neonates with S.typhimurium infections reduces the complications, mortality rate and the duration of therapy.
Drilling and Debt

This paper documents a previously unrecognized debt‐related investment distortion. Using detailed project‐level data for 69 firms in the oil and gas industry, we find that highly levered firms pull forward investment, completing projects early at the expense of long‐run project returns and project value. This behavior is particularly pronounced prior to debt renegotiations. We test several channels that could explain this behavior and find evidence consistent with equity holders sacrificing long‐run project returns to enhance collateral values and, by extension, mitigate lending frictions at debt renegotiations.
The Firm as a Specialist Contracting Intermediary : Application to Accounting and Auditing By Ray Ball

Valuable comments on earlier drafts from Andrew Christie, Jeremy Davis, Linda De Angelo, Joel Demski, Nicholas Dopuch, Clifford Holderness, Michael Jensen, Robert Kaplan, S.P. Kothari, Richard Leftwich, and especially Ross Watts and Jerold Zimmerman, are gratefully acknowledged. The paper also benefited from the comments of numerous workshop participants. Many of the ideas presented in this paper overlap the ideas of others, in ways that are not always clear, so my indebtedness exceeds that explicit acknowledged.
Hearing preservation in patients with vestibular schwannoma treated with Gamma Knife surgery.

OBJECT Hearing loss after Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) in patients with vestibular schwannoma has been associated with radiation dose to the cochlea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate serviceable hearing preservation in patients with VS who were treated with GKS and to determine if serviceable hearing loss can be correlated with the dose to the cochlea. METHODS Forty patients with vestibular schwannoma with serviceable hearing were treated using GKS with a median marginal dose of 12.5 Gy (range 12.5-13 Gy) to the 50% isodose volume. Audiometry was performed prospectively before and after GKS at 1, 3, and 6 months, and then every 6 months thereafter. Hearing preservation was based on pure tone average (PTA) and speech discrimination (SD). Serviceable hearing was defined as PTA less than 50 dB and SD greater than 50%. RESULTS The median cochlear maximum and mean doses were 6.9 Gy (range 1.6-16 Gy) and 2.7 Gy (range 0.7-5.0 Gy), respectively. With a median audiological follow-up of 35 months (range 6-58 months), the 1-, 2-, and 3-year actuarial rates of maintaining serviceable hearing were 93%, 77%, and 74%, respectively. No patient who received a mean cochlear dose less than 2 Gy experienced serviceable hearing loss (p = 0.035). Patients who received a mean cochlear dose less than 3 Gy had a 2-year hearing preservation rate of 91% compared with 59% in those who received a mean cochlear dose of 3 Gy or greater (p = 0.029). Those who had more than 25% of their cochlea receiving 3 Gy or greater had a higher rate of hearing loss (p = 0.030). There was no statistically significant correlation between serviceable hearing loss and age, tumor size, pre-GKS PTA, pre-GKS SD, pre-GKS Gardner-Robertson class, maximum cochlear dose, or the percentage of cochlear volume receiving 5 Gy. On multivariate analysis there was a trend toward significance for serviceable hearing loss with a mean cochlear dose of 3 Gy or greater (p = 0.074). Local control was 100% at 24 months. No patient developed facial or trigeminal nerve dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS With a median mean cochlear dose of 2.7 Gy, the majority of patients with serviceable hearing retained serviceable hearing 3 years after GKS. A mean cochlear dose less than 3 Gy was associated with higher serviceable hearing preservation.
Exercise interventions for smoking cessation.

BACKGROUND Taking regular exercise may help people give up smoking by moderating nicotine withdrawal and cravings, and by helping to manage weight gain. OBJECTIVES To determine whether exercise-based interventions alone or combined with a smoking cessation programme are more effective than a smoking cessation intervention alone. SEARCH STRATEGY In July 2008, we searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group Specialized Register for studies including the terms 'exercise' or 'physical activity'. We also searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Dissertation Abstracts and CINAHL. SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomized trials which compared an exercise programme alone, or an exercise programme as an adjunct to a cessation programme, with a cessation programme, recruiting smokers or recent quitters, and with a follow up of six months or more. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We extracted data on study characteristics and smoking outcomes. Because of differences in studies we summarized the results narratively, making no attempt at meta-analysis. MAIN RESULTS We identified 13 trials, six of which had fewer than 25 people in each treatment arm. They varied in the timing and intensity of the smoking cessation and exercise programmes. Three studies showed significantly higher abstinence rates in a physically active group versus a control group at end of treatment. One of these studies also showed a significant benefit for exercise versus control on abstinence at the three-month follow up and a benefit for exercise of borderline significance (P = 0.05) at the 12-month follow up. One study showed significantly higher abstinence rates for the exercise group versus a control group at the three-month follow up but not at the end of treatment or 12-month follow up. The other studies showed no significant effect for exercise on abstinence. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Only one of the 13 trials offered evidence for exercise aiding smoking cessation at a 12-month follow up. All the other trials were too small to exclude reliably an effect of intervention, or included an exercise intervention which was insufficiently intense to achieve the desired level of exercise. Trials are needed with larger sample sizes, sufficiently intense interventions, equal contact control conditions, measures of exercise adherence and change in physical activity in both exercise and comparison groups.
Transcriptome Profiling and Genetic Study Reveal Amplified Carboxylesterase Genes Implicated in Temephos Resistance, in the Asian Tiger Mosquito Aedes albopictus

Background The control of Aedes albopictus, a major vector for viral diseases, such as dengue fever and chikungunya, has been largely reliant on the use of the larvicide temephos for many decades. This insecticide remains a primary control tool for several countries and it is a potential reliable reserve, for emergency epidemics or new invasion cases, in regions such as Europe which have banned its use. Resistance to temephos has been detected in some regions, but the mechanism responsible for the trait has not been investigated. Principal findings Temephos resistance was identified in an Aedes albopictus population isolated from Greece, and subsequently selected in the laboratory for a few generations. Biochemical assays suggested the association of elevated carboxylesterases (CCE), but not target site resistance (altered AChE), with this phenotype. Illumina transcriptomic analysis revealed the up-regulation of three transcripts encoding CCE genes in the temephos resistant strain. CCEae3a and CCEae6a showed the most striking up-regulation (27- and 12-folds respectively, compared to the reference susceptible strain); these genes have been previously shown to be involved in temephos resistance also in Ae. aegypti. Gene amplification was associated with elevated transcription levels of both CCEae6a and CCEae3a genes. Genetic crosses confirmed the genetic link between CCEae6a and CCEae3a amplification and temephos resistance, by demonstrating a strong association between survival to temephos exposure and gene copy numbers in the F2 generation. Other transcripts, encoding cytochrome P450s, UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs), cuticle and lipid biosynthesis proteins, were upregulated in resistant mosquitoes, indicating that the co-evolution of multiple mechanisms might contribute to resistance. Significance The identification of specific genes associated with insecticide resistance in Ae. albopictus for the first time is an important pre-requirement for insecticide resistance management. The genomic resources that were produced will be useful to the community, to study relevant aspects of Ae. albopictus biology.
Bioaccessibility of lead in sand intended for playground sandboxes in Slovenia: a preliminary study / Biološka dostopnost svinca v mivki, ki je namenjen otroškim peskovnikom v Sloveniji

Slovene press has recently expressed concern for the health of children who ingest playground sand contaminated with lead. However, current assessments may be overestimating the health risk, as they assume that human body absorbs the whole amount of a contaminant. The aim of our study was to see how much lead in sand intended for playground sandboxes in Slovenia really is absorbed and what health risk it may present. To do that, we ran bioaccessibility tests to simulate metabolism and see how digestion affects lead levels. Our results show low bioaccessibility of lead from sand (0.01- 36.84 %). Taking into account lead bioaccessibility, we ran several scenarios of sand ingestion in children and established that in general the risk is negligible, except for pica behaviour with extremely high (20 g) ingestion of sand with highly mobilised lead (2.69 μg g-1). Further research should assess real-life exposure to lead from playground sand in children and perhaps update these preliminary bioaccessibility data. V zadnjem obdobju so se v Sloveniji pojavili številni pomisleki o varnosti mivke, ki je namenjena za otroške peskovnike. Ocena tveganja otrok, ki so izpostavljeni svincu temelji na predpostavki, da je celotna količina toksične kovine biološko dostopna. Zato je bil namen raziskave analizirati biološko dostopnost svinca v mivki, ki je namenjen za peskovnike otroških igrišč. Z simulacijo prebavnega trakta smo analizirali vpliv prebavnih sokov za izplavljanje svinca iz mivke. Rezultati kažejo na majhno biodostopnost svinca v mivki (0,01-36,84 %) slovenskih proizvajalcev. Na podlagi biološke dostopnosti smo simulirali različne scenarije vnosa in ugotovili, da je tveganje zanemarljivo, razen v primeru pica sindroma (zaužitje 20 g mivke) ter ob predpostavki največje dokazane biološke dostopnosti (2,69 μg g-1). Raziskave v prihodnosti bodo vključevale realno izpostavljenost otrok svincu iz peskovnikov in bodo morda nadgradile preliminarno raziskavo.
Laser; best practice techniques and evidence

Laser ablation involves the delivery of laser light through a glass fibre placed into the lumen of a refluxing vein. This energy is converted into heat inducing a permanent, non-thrombotic occlusion. This highly effective and safe approach has significant advantages over traditional surgical treatment and has driven the endovenous revolution in the management of varicose veins. This chapter will explore the mechanism of action, present the evidence of laser' clinical and cost effectiveness, and analyse specific and generic aspects of laser ablation technique.
Bioactive Low Molecular Weight Compounds in Two Traditional Spanish Products

The aim of this work focuses on the study of low molecular weight (LMW) compounds with antioxidant and antihy-pertensive effect in Iberian ham and La Serena cheese, two traditional products in Spain, in comparison to cured ham and matured Ewe’s milk cheese. Proteolysis parameters were studied, LMW compounds were isolated and their antioxidant and antihypertensive activity was analyzed. Results showed that a more intense proteolysis, expressed as peptidic nitrogen (PN), in Iberian ham (p < 0.001), can cause higher antioxidant activity in this product for both DPPH radical scavenging (p < 0.001) and metal chelating effect (p < 0.001). However, a more intense proteolysis in La Serena cheese, expressed as non protein nitrogen (NPN) (p < 0.001) and PN (p < 0.001), did not promote higher antioxidant activity in this cheese. On the other hand, no differences were found for antihypertensive activity, expressed as angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity, in both type of hams or cheese.
Candida Colonization and Subsequent Infections in Critically III Surgical Patients

ObjectiveThe authors determined the role of Candida colonization in the development of subsequent infection in critically ill patients.DesignA 6-month prospective cohort study was given to patients admitted to the surgical and neonatal intensive care units in a 1600-bed university medical center. MethodsPatients having predetermined criteria for significant Candida colonization revealed by routine microbiologic surveillance cultures at different body sites were eligible for the study. Risk factors for Candida infection were recorded. A Candida colonization index was determined daily as the ratio of the number of distinct body sites (dbs) colonized with identical strains over the total number of dbs tested; a mean of 5.3 dbs per patient was obtained. All isolates (n = 322) sequentially recovered were characterized by genotyping using contour-clamped homogeneous electrical field gel electrophoresis that allowed strain delineation among Candida species. ResultsTwenty-nine patients met the criteria for inclusion; all were at high risk for Candida infection; 11 patients (38%) developed severe infections (8 candidemia); the remaining 18 patients were heavily colonized, but never required intravenous antifungal therapy. Among the potential risk factors for candidal infection, three discriminated the colonized from the infected patients—i.e., length of previous antibiotic therapy (p < 0.02), severity of illness assessed by APACHE II score (p < 0.01), and the intensity of Candida spp colonization (p < 0.01). By logistic regression analysis, the latter two were the independent factors that predicted subsequent candidal infection. Candida colonization always preceded infection with genotypically identical Candida spp strain. The proposed colonization indexes reached threshold values a mean of 6 days before Candida infection and demonstrated high positive predictive values (66 to 100%). ConclusionsThe intensity of Candida colonization assessed by systematic screening helps predicting subsequent infections with identical strains in critically ill patients. Accurately identifying high-risk patients with Candida colonization offers opportunity for intervention strategies.
A DYNAMIC DISCRETE CHOICE MODEL OF REVERSE MORTGAGE BORROWER BEHAVIOR

Using unique data on reverse mortgage borrowers in the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program, we semiparametrically estimate a dynamic discrete choice model of borrower behavior. Our estimator is based on a new identification result we develop for models with multiple terminating actions. We show that the per-period utility functions and discount factor are identified without restrictive, ad hoc identifying restrictions that lead to incorrect counterfactual implications. Our estimates provide insights about factors that influence HECM refinance, default, and termination decisions and allow us to quantify the trade-offs involved for proposed program modifications, such as income and credit requirements.
Ascorbate-Deficient Mutants of Arabidopsis Grow in High Light Despite Chronic Photooxidative Stress1

Acclimation to changing environments, such as increases in light intensity, is necessary, especially for the survival of sedentary organisms like plants. To learn more about the importance of ascorbate in the acclimation of plants to high light (HL), vtc2, an ascorbate-deficient mutant of Arabidopsis, and the double mutants vtc2npq4 and vtc2npq1 were tested for growth in low light and HL and compared with the wild type. The vtc2 mutant has only 10% to 30% of wild-type levels of ascorbate, vtc2npq4 has lower ascorbate levels and lacks non-photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence (NPQ) because of the absence of the photosystem II protein PsbS, and vtc2npq1 is NPQ deficient and also lacks zeaxanthin in HL but has PsbS. All three genotypes were able to grow in HL and had wild-type levels of Lhcb1, cytochrome f, PsaF, and 2-cysteine peroxiredoxin. However, the mutants had lower electron transport and oxygen evolution rates and lower quantum efficiency of PSII compared with the wild type, implying that they experienced chronic photooxidative stress. The mutants lacking NPQ in addition to ascorbate were only slightly more affected than vtc2. All three mutants had higher glutathione levels than the wild type in HL, suggesting a possible compensation for the lower ascorbate content. These results demonstrate the importance of ascorbate for the long-term acclimation of plants to HL.
ANTI-TRYPTIC ACTIVITY OF SYNOVIAL FLUID IN PATIENTS WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF ARTHRITIS.

For many years it has been known that blood plasma is capable of inhibiting the action of proteolytic ferments, and especially trypsin. The presence of this property of blood plasma probably plays a part in limiting the damage to tissue by inflammatory exudates containing large numbers of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. In view of the fact that blood plasma possesses anti-tryptic properties, it was of interest to us to determine whether or not similar properties could be detected in synovial fluid from patients with various types of arthritis. Further, we were interested in knowing whether these qualities of the synovial fluid fluctuated in various cases. In all, we studied sixty-five samples of synovial fluid from fortyfive cases of arthritis, including thirty cases of gonococcal arthritis, five cases of rheumatic fever, six cases of rheumatoid arthritis and four cases in which there was an accumulation of synovial fluid into a joint following injury. Inasmuch as the procedures differed with various experiments, the methods will be described with the individual experiments.
Age, gender and voided volume dependent nomograms

Third, the title of the study mentioning “Indian population” is inappropriate and misleading for the readers. India being a socioculturally and ethnically diverse country, the data and these results cannot be extrapolated for the Indian population as such, further they cannot defi nitely be representative of the population. If the study would had been a well-designed multicenter “community”-based study with a statistically signifi cant and appropriate sample size across a cross-section of the population such a nomenclature would have been appropriate.
Interventions to Achieve Tonic Exposure to Levodopa: Delaying or Preventing the Onset of Motor Complications

Variations in levodopa delivery and subsequent dopamine exposure may lead to motor fluctuations and dyskinesias in patients with Parkinson's disease, as the therapeutic window for levodopa narrows with disease progression. Long‐term exposure to the oscillations in levodopa‐derived dopamine also is suggested to cause postsynaptic changes within the dopaminergic system, leading to further reductions in the drug's efficacy. The need to extend the actions of levodopa led to the development of the catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors, which are the newest agents introduced to manage the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Entacapone and tolcapone are two potent, selective, and reversible COMT inhibitors that effectively augment levodopa's pharmacokinetics by increasing area under the plasma concentration versus time curve and plasma elimination half‐life without significantly affecting peak levodopa concentrations. This enhanced pharmacokinetic effect results in marked improvements in patients' clinical response. In patients experiencing end‐of‐dose wearing‐off, the addition of either entacapone or tolcapone led to improvements in “on” time, “off” time, and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scoring system, even though many patients already were receiving optimum dosages of various other antiparkinsonian drugs. In patients with stable responses to long‐term levodopa, addition of tolcapone significantly reduced the onset of motor fluctuations. These data, combined with the potential for delaying the onset of motor fluctuations, suggest that COMT inhibition may enhance levodopa's short‐ and long‐term efficacy.
Asthma and respiratory syncytial virus infection in infancy: is there a link?

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the commonest respiratory pathogen in children. Moreover, at least 50% of infants who have acute viral bronchiolitis due to RSV have subsequent episodes of audible wheezing which are almost certainly asthma [1]. Most recently, it is reported that RSV infection results in airway hyperresponsiveness and enhanced airway sensitization to allergen in animal studies [2]. What, if any, is the relationship between RSV infection in infancy and asthma in later childhood and adulthood? If there is a relationship, effective prevention of asthma may require intervention in infants with RSV infection.