Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Association of Primary Hyperparathyroidism With Pancreatitis

The association between primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and acute or chronic pancreatitis is controversial. For this reason, we conducted a review of the literature over the past 30 years to explore the relationship between these 2 disorders. Ten retrospective studies each with >50 patients diagnosed with PHPT were identified. With the notable exception of 2 studies, the rate of pancreatitis among patients with PHPT was higher than that reported in general among hospitalized patients without PHPT. A higher serum calcium level may contribute to pancreatitis in these cases, along with additional genetic or environmental insults. Hypercalcemia may predispose the pancreatic acinar cell to abnormal, sustained calcium levels, lead to premature pancreatic protease activation, and pancreatitis. Although there was only short-term follow-up, most reports cited that definitive treatment of PHPT by parathyroidectomy led to the resolution of pancreatitis attacks. The published cohorts of patients with PHPT and pancreatitis are subject to bias, because serum calcium screening was not universally performed among all control nonpancreatitis patients to evaluate for PHPT. However, the pooled clinical and experimental data suggest an association between PHPT and pancreatitis and implicate hypercalcemia. For clinicians, it is important to recognize pancreatitis in patients with PHPT and, conversely, to consider PHPT by checking serum calcium levels in patients, who present with an unexplained pancreatitis.
Option Implied Risk Aversion under Transaction Costs: An Empirical Study

We empirically estimate the option implied coefficient of risk aversion of the market maker for European S&P 500 index options (SPX), involving asset allocation and option market making problems in the presence of proportional transaction costs in trading the underlying asset. We assume that the market maker has constant relative risk aversion utility and holds a two-asset portfolio consisting of the underlying and the riskless asset for a fixed, finite investment horizon which exceeds the option maturity, and she enters a position in the option market with an optimized portfolio. We follow the discrete time approach of Czerwonko and Perrakis (2016a, 2016b) to derive the market maker’s simple investment policy and value functions, and apply a value matching condition to find option upper and lower bounds. Data on the S&P 500 index and the SPX options is collected over the period 1996–2016, 244 months in total, and the major variable, volatility, is re-estimated under the physical distribution. By matching observed SPX prices with numerically derived reservation prices, we estimate the level of implied risk aversion. Results show that in general, the market maker has lower risk aversion compared to investors who she trades with in order to accomplish a trade. A pattern that high risk aversion precedes rare market events is also exhibited, suggesting that a market maker may adopt a waiting policy if market events can be anticipated due to the information asymmetry.
The Information Environment of the Firm and the Market Valuation of R&D

We examine whether firms’ information environment influences the market valuation of their hard‐to‐value knowledge assets: R&D capital. We find that a better information environment, as measured by greater analyst coverage, lower earnings forecast dispersion, and greater earnings forecasting accuracy, is associated with higher stock market valuation of firms’ R&D capital. We conduct additional analyses to rule out alternative explanations and test for the direction of causality. Our causal evidence suggests that analysts significantly reduce the information uncertainty surrounding firms’ R&D capital.
Contact angle, protein adsorption and osteoblast precursor cell attachment to chitosan coatings bonded to titanium

Chitosan, a derivative of the bio-polysaccharide chitin, has shown promise as a bioactive material for implant, tissue engineering and drug-delivery applications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contact angle, protein adsorption and osteoblast precursor cell attachment to chitosan coatings bonded to titanium. Rough ground titanium (Ti) coupons were solution cast and bonded to 91.2% de-acetylated chitosan (1 wt% chitosan in 0.2% acetic acid) coatings via silane reactions. Non-coated Ti was used as controls. Samples were sterilized by ethylene oxide gas prior to experiments. Contact angles on all surfaces were measured using water. 5 × 104 cells/ml of ATCC CRL 1486 human embryonic palatal mesenchyme (HEPM) cells, an osteoblast precursor cell line, were used for the cell attachment study. SEM evaluations were performed on cells attached to all surfaces. Contact angles and cell attachment on all surfaces were statistically analyzed using ANOVA. The chitosan-coated surfaces (76.4 ± 5.1°) exhibited a significantly greater contact angle compared to control Ti surfaces (32.2±6.1°). Similarly, chitosan-coated surfaces exhibited significantly greater (P < 0.001) albumin adsorption, fibronectin adsorption and cell attachment, as compared to the control Ti surfaces. Coating chitosan on Ti surfaces decreased the wettability of the Ti, but increased protein adsorption and cell attachment. Increased protein absorption and cell attachment on the chitosan-coated Ti may be of benefit in enhancing osseointegration of implant devices.
Clozapine for treatment-refractory schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and psychotic bipolar disorder: a 24-month naturalistic study.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the 24-month response to clozapine in patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or psychotic bipolar disorder. METHOD Ninety-one psychotic patients with a principal DSM-III-R diagnosis of schizophrenia (N = 31), schizoaffective disorder (N = 26), or bipolar disorder with psychotic features (N = 34) were treated naturalistically with clozapine at flexible dosages over a 24-month period. Improvement was assessed by the 18-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness scale. RESULTS All patients showed significant improvement 24 months from intake (p < .001). Such an improvement was significantly greater among patients with schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder than in patients with schizophrenia (p < .05). The presence of suicidal ideation at intake predicted greater improvement at endpoint. CONCLUSION Clozapine appears to be effective and relatively well tolerated in acute and long-term treatment of patients with psychotic bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder who have not responded to conventional pharmacotherapies.
Molecular characterization of capsular polysaccharides and surface protein genes in relation to genetic similarity of group B streptococci isolated from Polish pregnant women

SUMMARY Serotyping, subtyping and genotyping are important tools for epidemiological studies of group B streptococci (GBS). We investigated the genotype distribution of 353 GBS isolates originating from vaginal or rectal carriage to identify capsular serotypes and subtypes based on the surface protein genes of the alpha-like protein (Alp) family. GBS were recovered from 30% of 1176 pregnant women during the period 2007–2009, with a predominance of capsular genotypes III (35%), Ia (20%), V (17%), II (15%), Ib (8%) and IV (5%). The most common Alp gene was epsilon (26%), followed by rib (22%), alp2 (21%), bca (17%) and alp3 (14%). Several protein genes were significantly associated (G2=249·635, P<0·0001) with particular serotypes: epsilon with Ia, Ib, IV; bca with Ib, II; rib with II, III; alp3 with V; alp2 with III. High genetic diversity within GBS strains was observed using DNA macrorestriction. Serotypes Ib, II and III demonstrated the greatest genetic heterogeneity and serotype V the lowest heterogeneity (relative frequency coefficient ⩾0·03 vs. −0·46, respectively). Macrolide-resistant strains with serotype V and alp3 gene, showed higher uniformity in genetic profile. The distribution of serotypes and surface proteins of GBS strains are necessary data to inform the design and formulation of new GBS vaccines for use in Poland and other countries.
Pharmacoepidemiology education in US colleges and schools of pharmacy.

OBJECTIVE To examine the type and extent of pharmacoepidemiology education offered by US colleges and schools of pharmacy. METHODS An electronic Web-survey was sent to all 89 US colleges and schools of pharmacy between October 2005 and January 2006 to examine the type and extent of pharmacoepidemiology education offered to professional (PharmD) and graduate (MS/PhD) students. RESULTS The response rate was 100%. Of the 89 schools surveyed, 69 (78%) provided pharmacoepidemiology education to their professional students. A mean of 119 (+/-60) PharmD students per college/school per year received some pharmacoepidemiology education (range 1-60 classroom hours; median 10 hours). Thirty-five schools (39%) provided education to a mean of 6 (+/-5) graduate students (range 2-135 classroom hours; median 15 hours). CONCLUSIONS A majority of US colleges and schools of pharmacy offer some pharmacoepidemiology education in their curriculum. However, the topics offered by each school and number of classroom hours varied at both the professional and graduate level.
Building Community Capacity Around Chronic Disease Services through a Collaborative Interorganizational Network

This article presents the findings of a study examining the evolution of a network of health and human service organizations operating in a rural community on the Southwest border. The aim of the networkwas to build the capacity of the community to provide chronic disease education, prevention, and treatment services by developing collaborative relationships among a broad range of organizations. The impetus for the effort was based on receipt of a Turning Point grant. The findings, based on two waves of data collected 1 year apart, demonstrate how network structure and attitudes toward collaboration evolve as a community attempts to build capacity to address its health needs.
Correlates of late-life major depression: a comparison of urban and rural primary care patients.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine whether factors associated with depression differ between elderly residents of rural and urban areas. METHODS The research design was cross-sectional and observational. The study subjects consisted of 926 Medicare primary care patients (650 urban and 276 rural) who were age 65+ and cognitively intact and had enrolled in a randomized, controlled Medicare demonstration. Major depression was identified by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. A logistic regression model was estimated that included a rural-urban indicator variable, additional independent variables, and interaction terms between the rural-urban indicator and independent variables that were significant at p <0.10. RESULTS A total of 8.3% of the rural and 14.8% of the urban patients were identified as having major depression. Reporting 0-1 close friends (odds ratio [OR]: 6.86; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.18-21.58), 2+ emergency room visits during the past 6 months (OR: 4.00; 95% CI: 1.19-13.43), and more financial strain (OR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.01-2.23) were associated with significantly higher likelihood of major depression among rural as compared with urban patients. The SF-36 Physical Component Summary score had a curvilinear relationship with major depression and was higher for urban patients. The predicted probability for major depression is lower for the rural patients when financial strain is low, about the same for rural and urban patients when strain is intermediate, and higher for rural patients when strain is high. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians in rural areas should be vigilant for major depression among patients with very few close friends, several recent emergency department visits, and financial strain.
Nepantleros and Nepantleras: How Latinx Adolescents Participate in Social Change in Engineering

Previous studies have suggested that Latinx are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The number of Latinx students in the K-12 population is constantly growing but Latinx are disproportionately not pursuing careers in engineering. At the foundation of this problem lies a deficit of critical sociocultural knowledge about these students. Although Latinx adolescents bring a wealth of knowledge, skills, and practices into the classroom, they are often unacknowledged. In this study, we focused on engineering because it has been a field characterized by particularly ethnocentric knowledge and procedures. We propose that Latinx adolescents are both creators and holders of knowledge, and that this knowledge impacts their engineering practices. We analyzed how Latinx adolescents are in constant space of Nepantla that allows for a deeper examination of their families, communities, and forms of oppression. As a result, Latinx adolescents bring forth unique ways of knowing, doing and being that provide them with unique ways of framing, approaching, and solving engineering problems.
Craniosynostosis‐Associated Gene Nell‐1 Is Regulated by Runx2

We studied the transcriptional regulation of NELL‐1, a craniosynostosis‐related gene. We identitifed three OSE2 elements in the NELL‐1 promoter that are directly bound and transactivated by Runx2. Forced expression of Runx2 induces NELL‐1 expression in rat calvarial cells.
Oxidative metabolism of the mycotoxins alternariol and alternariol-9-methyl ether in precision-cut rat liver slices in vitro.

SCOPE Monohydroxylation of alternariol (AOH) and alternariol-9-methyl ether (AME) has previously been reported as a prominent metabolic route under cell-free conditions. This pathway gives rise to several catechol metabolites and may therefore be of toxicological relevance. METHODS AND RESULTS To clarify whether hydroxylation of AOH and AME occurs under in vivo-like conditions in the presence of conjugation reactions, the metabolism of the Alternaria toxins has now been studied in precision-cut rat liver slices. Four catechol metabolites of AOH and two of AME, together with several of their O-methylation products, as catalyzed by catechol-O-methyl transferase, were clearly identified after incubation of the liver slices with AOH and AME. These metabolites were predominantly present as conjugates with glucuronic acid and/or sulfate. In preliminary studies with bile duct-cannulated male rats dosed with AOH by gavage, the four monohydroxylated metabolites of AOH could also be demonstrated in the bile either as catechols or as O-methyl ethers. CONCLUSION These experiments clearly show that AOH and AME undergo catechol formation in vivo and warrant closer examination of the toxicological significance of this metabolic pathway.
The Economic Consequences of Political Donation Limits

The economic consequences of limits on political donations depend on the degree of political competition. Donors, who are ideologically aligned with candidates, decide how much to contribute to their own candidate. They may benefit from rentâ€ seeking by their own candidate but dislike rentâ€ seeking by the opposition. Increased rentâ€ seeking by politicians thus generates campaign contributions for themselves but also mobilizes donations to the opposing candidate, potentially to a greater extent. This latter effect acts as a deterrent to rentâ€ seeking when contributions finance electoral campaigns and positively affect election chances. When political competition is low, incumbent donors outnumber opposition donors, and limits reduce rentâ€ seeking. When political competition is high, donors are equalized and laissezâ€ faire reduces rentâ€ seeking. Consistent with these hypotheses, data from the USA suggest that limits are associated with better policies and stronger growth performance at low levels of political competition, while laissezâ€ faire is preferred when political competition is high.
Posttraumatic stress disorder in combat casualties with burns sustaining primary blast and concussive injuries.

BACKGROUND There is a heightened focus on postexplosion functional outcomes in combat casualties. Previously, we reported a high prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (32%) and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) (41%) in patients with explosion-related burns. We hypothesized that the prevalence of PTSD in patients with burn was associated with primary blast injuries (PBIs) and mTBI. METHODS We reviewed the records of 333 patients admitted consecutively to the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research burn center for explosion-related injuries between March 2003 and March 2006. By using the Posttraumatic Checklist, Military Version (PCL-M), patients were evaluated for PTSD symptoms (PCL-M score >or=44). Loss of consciousness defined mTBI. Patient data were analyzed in groups based on PTSD (yes or no), mechanism of injury (improvised explosive device [IED] vs. other explosive), PBI (yes or no), and mTBI (yes or no). RESULTS Of 333 patients, 119 had PTSD assessments. Overall, PTSD was 22% (26 of 119). The prevalence of PTSD differed between mechanism of injury groups (p = 0.03). In the IED group (n = 105), 25% had PTSD symptoms and 18% had mTBI; patients injured by other explosive devices (n = 14) had no PTSD symptoms and one had mTBI (p = 0.04; p = 0.69, respectively). Also in the IED group, in patients with PBI, PTSD was 45% (9 of 20) compared with 20% (17 of 85) without PBI (odds ratio=3.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-9.16). More patients with PBI and mTBI (4 of 6; 67%) had PTSD symptoms compared with other patients (22 of 99; 22%) (odds ratio, 7.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-40.78). No other associations were found between PBI and mTBI. CONCLUSION IED-wounded burn patients with PBI and mTBI have a greater prevalence of PTSD. Patients who did not have IED-related injuries did not have PTSD and only one had mTBI.
Headache, Cerebral Aneurysms, and the Use of Triptans and Ergot Derivatives

Uncertainty exists regarding the correlation between unruptured cerebral aneurysms and their role in headache etiology. It is also unclear whether surgical endovascular treatment may improve or worsen the headache, and if there are predictable factors for headache outcome such as pre‐existing headache features, aneurysm characteristics, or other medical history. There is debate regarding safe treatment of migraine in patients with aneurysms, both before and after endovascular treatments. Particularly, there is hesitancy to use the triptans and ergot derivatives such as dihydroergotamine because of their vasoconstrictive effects and concern for adverse events related to the aneurysm such as aneurysmal instability and rupture.
An evolutionary approach to mania studying Sardinian immigrants to Argentina

Objective: To ascertain lifetime prevalence of positivity to a screening questionnaire for bipolar disorders (BD) in Sardinian immigrants to Argentina and residents of Sardinia and assess whether such positivity affects quality of life (QoL) in either group. Our hypothesis is that screen positivity for BD may be more frequent in immigrants. Methods: Observational study. Subjects were randomly selected from the membership lists of associations of Sardinian immigrants in Argentina. A study carried out in Sardinia using the same methodology was used for comparison. The Mood Disorder Questionnaire was used to screen for mania/hypomania and the Short-Form Health Survey-12 to measure QoL. Results: A higher prevalence of manic/hypomanic episodes was found in Sardinian immigrants to Argentina (p < 0.0001; odds ratio = 3.0, 95% confidence interval 1.87-4.77). Positivity at screening was associated with a lower QoL both in Sardinian immigrants to Argentina and in residents of Sardinia. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show a higher lifetime prevalence of manic/hypomanic episodes in a general-population sample of individuals who migrated to a foreign country. Our results are in agreement with the hypothesis that hyperactive/novelty-seeking features may represent an adaptive substrate in certain conditions of social change.
Uncertainty, Adaptation, and Alliance Performance

We conceptualize alliance adaptation as a bundle of governance-based change practices in ongoing alliances, including contractual alterations, ownership change, board change, monitoring mechanism change, and key personnel turnover. Leveraging a transaction cost perspective, we investigate how changing environmental conditions (i.e., demand uncertainty and technological uncertainty) and unpredictable partner actions (i.e., behavioral uncertainty) trigger ex post governance adaptations in alliances, and how these adaptations in turn affect alliance performance. Using data collected from 178 partner firms in China, we find that the partner firms will undertake more extensive alliance adaptations as demand uncertainty and behavioral uncertainty increase. However, while the extent of alliance adaptations increases as technological uncertainty increases, there is a threshold level of technological uncertainty beyond which the extent of alliance adaptations decreases. The results also suggest that although alliance adaptations enhance alliance performance, this positive impact may diminish after alliance adaptations reach a certain threshold level. Overall, we contribute to the alliance evolution literature by focusing on why partner firms undertake alliance adaptations and how they benefit from these ex post governance adaptations.
Navigating the Great Recession: what role for monetary policy?

Papers in this volume were prepared for a meeting of senior officials from central banks held at the Bank for International Settlements in June 2013. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the BIS or the central banks represented at the meeting. Individual papers (or excerpts thereof) may be reproduced or translated with the authorisation of the authors concerned. This publication is available on the BIS website (www.bis.org). BIS Papers 74 iii Foreword The 12th BIS Annual Conference took place in Lucerne, Switzerland on 20–21 June 2013. The event brought together a distinguished group of central bank governors, leading academics and former public officials to exchange views on the conference theme of " Navigating the Great Recession: what role for monetary policy? ". This volume contains the opening address by Stephen Cecchetti (former Economic Adviser, BIS), a keynote address The papers presented at the conference and the discussants' comments are released as BIS Working Papers 434 to 437.
Work safety climate, musculoskeletal discomfort, working while injured, and depression among migrant farmworkers in North Carolina.

OBJECTIVES This analysis described Latino migrant farmworkers' work safety climate and its association with musculoskeletal discomfort, working while injured or ill, and depressive symptoms. METHODS Data were from a cross-sectional survey of 300 farmworkers conducted in North Carolina in 2009. Generalized estimating equations models were used to investigate the association of work safety climate with health and safety outcomes. RESULTS Farmworkers perceived their work safety climate to be poor. About 40% had elevated musculoskeletal discomfort, 5.0% had worked at least 1 day while injured or ill, and 27.9% had elevated depressive symptoms. The odds of elevated musculoskeletal discomfort were 12% lower and the odds of working while injured or ill were 15% lower with each 1-unit increase in the work safety climate. Work safety climate was not associated with depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Work safety climate was important for agricultural workers. Poor work safety climate was associated with health outcomes (musculoskeletal discomfort) and safety (working while injured or ill). Interventions to improve work safety climate in agriculture are needed, with these interventions being directed to employers and workers.