Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Allogeneic cell therapy for a murine mammary carcinoma.

The effect of allogeneic cell therapy on tumor growth was studied in a murine model of mammary carcinoma (4T1) as an experimental model of solid tumors in humans. i.v. inoculation of 4T1 (H-2d) cells into syngeneic mice [BALB/c or (BALB/cXC57BL/6)F1] (F1) carrying the H-2d histocompatible antigens results in tumor colonies in the lungs that finally cause the death of all of the mice. Sublethally irradiated F1 mice were inoculated with 4T1 cells to simulate minimal residual disease and with immunocompetent splenocytes derived from naive donors of F1 (syngeneic), BALB/c (syngeneic to the tumor but semiallogeneic to the host), or C57BL/6 (allogeneic to the tumor and semiallogeneic to the host) mice. The survival of F1 tumor-bearing mice that were treated with allogeneic C57BL/6 splenocytes was significantly prolonged (P < 0.02) compared with hosts given F1 or BALB/c-derived splenocytes that are syngeneic to 4T1 tumor cells. Adoptive transfer of lung cells that were isolated from F1 primary mice inoculated with 4T1 cells and syngeneic BALB/c or F1 splenocytes led to local tumor growth and death in secondary recipients. In contrast, only 1 of 22 secondary recipients developed tumors when inoculated with lung cells derived from F1 mice given allogeneic C57BL/6 splenocytes. All of the 21 secondary hosts survived disease-free for a follow-up time of >200 days. These results indicate that immunocompetent cells allogeneic to the mammary carcinoma cells were able to inhibit tumor development in the primary hosts and to prevent tumor growth in the adoptive recipients, which suggests that allogeneic cell therapy may be an efficient antitumor tool to eradicate minimal residual disease in human solid tumors.
Effect of degree of methoxylation and particle size on compression properties and compactibility of pectin powders

This study examines the effect of the degree of methoxylation (DM) and particle size on compression properties and compactibility of pectin powders. A powder classification system based on sequential handling of compression parameters was applied. A single size fraction (90–125 μm) of pectin powders with DM values ranging from 5–72% was studied. For DM 25%, the effect of different particle size fractions (180–250, 125–180, 90–125, 63–90, 45–63, <45 μm) were investigated. Compression parameters were derived based on time-resolved force-displacement data using Heckel, Kawakita and Shapiro equations. Volume-specific surface area was estimated for powders and tablets. Tablet tensile strength was determined. It was found that all pectin powders displayed low degrees of particle rearrangement and relatively low degrees of fragmentation (class IIA materials). Pectin particles were found to be relatively soft, with a tendency towards softer particles for pectins of higher DM. The overall variation in fragmentation and deformation behavior was limited. Both DM and initial particle size affected the tensile strength of pectin tablets. The difference in surface hydrophobicity caused by the DM was suggested as being responsible for the variation in the mechanical strengths. The study shows that pectin grades with DM ≤ 40% are potential direct compression excipients.
[The functional status in patients with discopathy of the lumbar spine receiving only conservative therapy or operative therapy].

UNLABELLED Discopathy of lumbar spine inevitably leads to decreased quality of life in patients. Decrease of the backbone dysfunction at the degree which makes leading a life close to the normal style of family, social and professional life impossible, is the key therapeutic task. Evaluation of the functional disability can be the objective method of evaluation of the treatment efficacy. The purpose of this study was to analyze of the functional state in patients with lumbar discopathy receiving either conservative therapy only or surgical treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS 665 patients aged between 16 and 76 years with discopathy at L4-L5, L5-S1 levels have been enrolled into the study. In analyzed group 348 patients received only a conservative therapy whereas 317 patients underwent an operative procedure. Analysis has been performed based on four rating scores for evaluation of the functional status: Low Back Pain Rating Scale, Functional-Economic Outcome Rating Scale of Prolo, Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire, Low-Back Outcome Score. RESULTS In preliminary examination approx. 40% decrease in parameters of evaluation of the functional status has been found in the group of patients receiving conservative therapy. Functional status of the patients within more than 10-year period of treatment was sufficiently stable and tended to progression in distant study. Ability to perform daily life activities was the strongest determined by backbone and limb pains as well as by the level of neurological deficits. In preliminary examination approx. 45% decrease in parameters of evaluation of the functional status has been found in the group of operated patients. Functional status significantly improved within immediate period post surgery. CONCLUSIONS 1. Functional status in patients with discopathy of the lumbar spine in basic degree is determined by neurological status and intensification of the pain afflictions. 2. The operative intervention brings essential improvement of the patients' functional status. 3. Functional status deteriorates within subsequent years of the treatment; it is determined in greater degree by the age of patients than by treatment method.
Generalizing What Is Known About Temporal Aggregation and Advertising Carryover

This paper provides a theoretical explanation for the inconsistent findings from previous econometric analyses of aggregated data concerning the duration of advertising carryover. Using this theoretical explanation and the knowledge of a data interval bias, the paper reviews and summarizes the empirical work in the area of sales response modeling, and then after adjusting for aggregation bias, presents support for an empirical generalization that the average advertising duration interval is of brief duration—typically between six and nine months.
Open Source Software Development and Lotka's Law: Bibliometric Patterns in Programming

This research applies Lotka's Law to metadata on open source software development. Lotka's Law predicts the proportion of authors at different levels of productivity. Open source software development harnesses the creativity of thousands of programmers worldwide, is important to the progress of the Internet and many other computing environments, and yet has not been widely researched. We examine metadata from the Linux Software Map (LSM), which documents many open source projects, and Sourceforge, one of the largest resources for open source developers. Authoring patterns found are comparable to prior studies of Lotka's Law for scientific and scholarly publishing. Lotka's Law was found to be effective in understanding software development productivity patterns, and offer promise in predicting aggregate behavior of open source developers.
Randomized clinical trial of adjuvant radiotherapy and 5‐fluorouracil infusion in colorectal cancer (AXIS)

Postoperative portal vein infusion (PVI) of 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) is a well tolerated and widely applicable treatment for colorectal cancer that might have an enormous public health impact, even if it produced survival benefits of just a few per cent. Very large trials are required to detect such differences, and the Adjuvant X‐ray and 5‐FU Infusion Study (AXIS) is the largest such trial yet reported.
Free fatty acid uptake in the myocardium and skeletal muscle using fluorine-18-fluoro-6-thia-heptadecanoic acid.

UNLABELLED 14(R,S)-[18F]fluoro-6-thia-heptadecanoic acid (FTHA) has been recently introduced as a new tracer for fatty acid metabolism. Myocardial [18F]FTHA uptake is believed to reflect mainly beta-oxidation of the circulating free fatty acids (FFAs), since it is trapped in the mitochondria because subsequent steps of beta-oxidation are inhibited by sulfur heteroatom. We investigated [18F]FTHA kinetics in myocardial and skeletal muscle in vivo. METHODS Two dynamic PET studies were performed in seven patients with stable coronary artery disease, once in the fasting state and once during euglycemic hyperinsulinemia (serum insulin approximately 60 mU/liter). The fractional [18F] FTHA uptake rates (Ki) were multiplied with serum FFA concentrations and were considered to represent FFA uptake. RESULTS Serum FFA concentration decreased by 80% during insulin clamp. After tracer injection, rapid myocardial uptake was identified both in the fasting state and during insulin stimulation. The cardiac image quality was excellent in both occasions. In addition, femoral muscles were clearly visualized in both studies. The fractional myocardial [18F]FTHA uptake rates (Ki) in the normal myocardial regions were similar in the fasting state (0.11 +/- 0.04 ml/g/min (mean +/- s.d.) and during insulin clamp (0.12 +/- 0.03 ml/g/min; ns). The calculated myocardial FFA uptake was four times higher in the fasting state than during insulin clamp (5.8 +/- 1.7 versus 1.4 +/- 0.5 micromol/100 g/min, p < 0.005). The femoral muscle fractional [18F]FTHA uptake rates (Ki) were lower (0.0071 +/- 0.0014 ml/g/min) in the fasting state than during insulin clamp (0.0127 +/- 0.0036 ml/g/min; p = 0.03), but the estimated femoral muscle FFA uptake was three times higher in the fasting state (0.38 +/- 0.09 micromol/100 g/min) as compared to that during insulin clamp (0.12 +/- 0.05 micromol/100 g/min, p < 0.005). CONCLUSION Fluorine-18-FTHA PET appears to be a feasible method to estimate fatty acid kinetics in myocardial and skeletal muscle. Physiologically reasonable rates of FFA uptake in myocardium and skeletal muscle were obtained. Furthermore, the uptake rates were suppressed in response to insulin both in the myocardial and femoral muscle as expected.
Key determinant factors for retail bank switching in Ghana

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the factors that influence retail bank switching in the Ghanaian banking sector. Design/methodology/approach – A detailed review of the extant literature and focus group discussions was used to identify 31 variables which were used to survey 419 customers of 18 retail banks in Ghana. Descriptive statistics and factor analysis were used to identify the main retail bank switching factors. Findings – The result of the study indicates that service encounter failures, pricing failures, electronic banking failures, service recovery failures and core service failures accounted for retail bank customer's decision to switch banks in Ghana. Research limitations/implications – The focus of the study on Ghana limits the generaliseability of the findings. Moreover, the five factor structure identified in the study could be replicated in other countries, thereby setting the stage for cross-country studies on retail bank switching. Originality/value – The study conclud.
Explaining declining industries in developing countries: The case of textiles and apparel in Ghana

Although declining industries have garnered a plethora of scholarly attention, there is still a theoretical deficit in our understanding of factors that precipitate them in developing countries. This paper examines the causes of declining industries in developing countries. The paper develops an integrated framework to shed light on the subject. Using insights from the textile and apparel industries in Ghana, the study uncovered factors such as global competition, the growth of second-hand clothing and smuggling, and obsolete technologies used by firms have interacted to precipitate the incremental decline of the industries. The study outlines the important implications for theory and practice.
The Reliability of Perception-Based Annual Report Disclosure Studies

Abstract A number of annual report disclosure-based studies have gathered perceptions from users and preparers about the relative importance of information items for an investment or bank loan decision. The paper investigates the presence of non-trivial consistency in perceptions on 63 information items across 11 studies over a period of 16 years in six countries, and across six user-preparer groups. A meta-theory paradigm is used to cumulate findings across this broad spectrum of time and culture. Five hypotheses are tested and perception data are examined by item, time dimension, and user-preparer groups. Perception consensus is present on approximately 30% of the items-in-common, and between user-preparer groups on most items.
Assessing the Relationship between Human Capital and Firm Performance: Evidence from Technology–Based New Ventures

We assess the role of human capital in the growth and development of new technology–based ventures, based on longitudinal data from 198 high–tech ventures. Our empirical results imply that there is a strong relationship between team experience and strategy. Although there is a weak direct link between team experience and venture performance, the findings strongly suggest that the fit between strategy and team experience is a key determinant of the long–term performance of high–tech entrepreneurial ventures. For small, technology–based new ventures, the team's technological experience appears to be the most important determinant of the success of a differentiation strategy.
Can socialism in internal capital markets occur in the absence of managerial rent seeking?

Socialism in internal capital markets (SICM) is the phenomenon whereby multi-division firms underinvest in high-profit segments and overinvest in low-profit segments. This article modifies and extends the Scharfstein and Stein (2000) model that explains SICM. The major modification is to abstract from rent-seeking behaviour – a central ingredient that is used by most SICM models and has the side effect of overturning SICM when the underlying rent-seeking game is slightly perturbed. It is shown that when division managers’ private benefits are not exactly propotional to their division's production profit, as assumed by Scharfstein and Stein (2000), SICM arises due to the CEO's incentive to extract gain from the trade of capital between his division managers by equalizing their marginal private benefits, instead of accommodating rent-seeking. Furthermore, we show that ‘diversification discounts’ exist, increase in diversity and decrease in CEO ownership. The results are robust to endogenizing the investors’ choice of the total capital provided to the firm, which allows the conditions for aggergate underinvestment or overinvestment to be determined.
Changes in Institutional Ownership and Stock Returns: Assessment and Methodology

Although the relation between quarterly changes in institutional investor ownership and contemporaneous stock returns is well documented, the source of the relation remains unclear because institutional ownership data are unavailable at higher frequencies. In this study, we develop a method to generate estimates of higher frequency covariances when one variable is observed at lower frequencies (e.g., quarterly changes in institutional ownership and monthly stock returns). Our method provides evidence that institutional trading has both temporary and permanent price effects and that the latter is associated with information effects.
Disposition Kinetics of Propranolol Isomers in the Perfused Rat Liver

The aim of this study was to define the determinants of the linear hepatic disposition kinetics of propranolol optical isomers using a perfused rat liver. Monensin was used to abolish the lysosomal proton gradient to allow an estimation of propranolol ion trapping by hepatic acidic vesicles. In vitro studies were used for independent estimates of microsomal binding and intrinsic clearance. Hepatic extraction and mean transit time were determined from outflow-concentration profiles using a nonparametric method. Kinetic parameters were derived from a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model. Modeling showed an approximate 34-fold decrease in ion trapping following monensin treatment. The observed model-derived ion trapping was similar to estimated theoretical values. No differences in ion-trapping values was found between R(+)- and S(-)-propranolol. Hepatic propranolol extraction was sensitive to changes in liver perfusate flow, permeability-surface area product, and intrinsic clearance. Ion trapping, microsomal and nonspecific binding, and distribution of unbound propranolol accounted for 47.4, 47.1, and 5.5% of the sequestration of propranolol in the liver, respectively. It is concluded that the physiologically more active S()-propranolol differs from the R(+)-isomer in higher permeability-surface area product, intrinsic clearance, and intracellular binding site values.
Modulation of Anthracycline-Induced Myofibrillar Disarray in Rat Ventricular Myocytes by Neuregulin-1&bgr; and Anti-erbB2: Potential Mechanism for Trastuzumab-Induced Cardiotoxicity

Background—There is an increased incidence of heart failure in patients treated concurrently with anthracyclines and the chemotherapeutic anti-erbB2 agent trastuzumab (Herceptin). On the basis of our previous studies with recombinant neuregulin-1&bgr; (NRG-1&bgr;), a ligand for the erbB2 receptor tyrosine kinase, we hypothesized that activation of erbB2 by anti-erbB2 versus NRG-1 would cause differential effects on myocyte intracellular signaling as well as anthracycline-induced myofibrillar injury and might potentially account for the clinical toxicity of trastuzumab in the setting of concurrent anthracycline therapy. Methods and Results—We tested this hypothesis using adult rat ventricular myocytes (ARVMs) in culture, assessing myofibrillar structure by immunostaining for myomesin and filamentous actin. Activation of erbB2, extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 (Erk1/2), and Akt was assessed by use of antibodies to phosphorylated activated receptor or kinase detected by immunoblot. ARVMs treated with doxorubicin (0.1 to 0.5 &mgr;mol/L) showed a concentration-dependent increase in myofilament disarray. NRG-1&bgr; (10 ng/mL) activated erbB2, Erk1/2, and Akt in ARVMs and significantly reduced anthracycline-induced disarray. In contrast to NRG-1&bgr;, anti-erbB2 (1 &mgr;g/mL) caused rapid phosphorylation of erbB2 but not Erk1/2 or Akt, with downregulation of erbB2 by 24 hours. Concomitant treatment of myocytes with anti-erbB2 and doxorubicin caused a significant increase in myofibrillar disarray versus doxorubicin alone. Conclusions—NRG-1&bgr;/erbB signaling regulates anthracycline-induced myofilament injury. The increased susceptibility of myofilaments to doxorubicin in the presence of antibody to erbB2 may explain the contractile dysfunction seen in patients receiving concurrent trastuzumab and anthracyclines.
A hepatocellular carcinoma 5-gene score associated with survival of patients after liver resection.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Due to the phenotypic and molecular diversity of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), it is a challenge to determine a patient's prognosis. We aimed to identify new prognostic markers of patients with HCC treated by liver resection. METHODS We collected 314 HCC samples from patients at Bordeaux (1998-2007) and Créteil (2003-2007) hospitals in France. We analyzed the gene expression patterns of the tumors and compared expression patterns with patient survival times. Using the coefficient and regression formula of the multivariate Cox model, we identified a "5-gene score" associated with survival times. This molecular score was then validated in 2 groups of patients from Europe and the United States (n = 213) and China (n = 221). RESULTS The 5-gene score, based on combined expression level of HN1, RAN, RAMP3, KRT19, and TAF9, was associated with disease-specific survival times of 189 patients with resected HCC in Bordeaux (hazard ratio = 3.5; 95% confidence interval: 1.9-6.6; P < .0001). The association between the 5-gene score and disease-specific survival was validated in an independent cohort of 125 patients in Créteil (hazard ratio = 2.3; 95% confidence interval: 1.1-4.9; P < .0001). The 5-gene score more accurately predicted patient outcomes than gene expression signatures reported previously. In multivariate analyses, the 5-gene score was associated with disease-specific survival, independent of other clinical and pathology feature of HCC. Disease-specific survival was also predicted by combining data on microvascular invasion, the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer classification system, and the 5-gene score in a nomogram. The prognostic accuracy of the 5-gene score was further validated in European and US patients with hepatitis C, cirrhosis, and HCC (overall survival P = .002) and in Asian patients with HCC with hepatitis B (overall survival, P = .02). Combining the 5-gene score with the expression pattern of 186 genes in corresponding cirrhotic tissues increased its prognostic accuracy. CONCLUSIONS The molecular 5-gene score is associated with outcomes of patients with HCC treated by resection in different clinical settings worldwide. This new biomarker should be tested in clinical trials to stratify patients in therapeutic decisions.
Cancer incidence in a trial of an antiapoptotic agent for Parkinson's disease

We performed a placebo‐controlled trial of CEP‐1347, an inhibitor of neuronal apoptotic cell death, in patients with early Parkinson's disease (PD) to determine whether long‐term therapy would slow disability progression. This also provided an opportunity to monitor cancer incidence in a large cohort of PD patients followed prospectively including periods before and after patients developed disability requiring dopaminergic therapy. This was a multicenter study of 806 patients with early PD, without disability requiring dopaminergic therapy, assigned randomly to placebo or one of three doses of CEP‐1347. Patients were monitored for an average of 1.8 years (1,467 patient‐years) with routine cancer screening evaluations and annual skin examinations by a dermatologist. There was no significant excess of cancers among patients taking CEP‐1347 compared with placebo for any cancer type (all P > 0.1). Nonmelanoma skin cancers were the most common cancer type observed. The incidence of melanomas was 20.9 times that predicted in the general population. Most melanomas occurred in patients who had never taken dopaminergic therapy. We found no evidence that CEP‐1347 affected cancer incidence within 2 years of follow‐up. Melanoma occurrence in our PD patients was greater than predicted compared with the general population and was unrelated to dopaminergic therapy. Clinical surveillance of PD patients for melanoma may be warranted. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society