Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Dietary Protein with an Oral, Branched Chain‐Enriched Amino Acid Supplement in Chronic Portal‐Systemic Encephalopathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

A randomized study was conducted in 37 hospitalized patients at six cooperating hospitals in which protein‐intolerant cirrhotic patients were fed increasing amounts of either dietary protein or a branched‐chain enriched amino acid solution (BCAA) until they attained an intake of 80 gm protein per day or equivalent or until they developed stage 2 encephalopathy. All patients initially received 20 gm of dietary protein for 1 week, after which 20 gm of protein or BCAA were added weekly. Nitrogen balance improved from negative to positive in all patients in whom it was measured and increased equally in both groups. Seven of the 20 patients in the protein group and 1 of 17 in the BCAA group developed encephalopathy of stage 2 or greater (p < 0.05). Changes in each component of the portal‐systemic encephalopathy syndrome were compared, and differences were statistically significant for mental status grade (p < 0.01), asterixis (p < 0.05), Portal‐systemic encephalopathy index (p < 0.01), but insignificant for Number Connection Test, EEG or ammonia. Plasma amino acid profiles showed an increase in BCAA in the study group. Thus, oral BCAA supplements appear to induce positive nitrogen balance to approximately the same degree as an equivalent amount of dietary protein without inducing encephalopathy as frequently.
Congenital and inherited neurologic diseases in dogs and cats: Legislation and its effect on purchase in Italy

Many of the congenital neurologic diseases can result in incapacity or death of the animal. Some of them, such as idiopathic epilepsy and hydrocephalus, exhibit breed or familial predisposition and a genetic basis was proved or suggested. Some diseases can be presumptively diagnosed after a detailed signalment (breed predisposition), history (e.g. family history because many of these defects have familial tendencies), and through physical exam; other diagnostic methods (radiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance, electrophysiologic tests, etc.) can provide supportive evidence for the congenital defect and help to confirm the diagnosis. Some cases can lead to civil law-suits when the lesions are congenital, but not easily recognizable, or when the lesions are hereditary but tend to became manifest only after some time (more than 12 months after the date of purchase, e.g., after the vice-free guarantee period has expired). Moreover, quite frequently an early diagnosis is not made because there are delays in consulting the veterinarian or the general practitioner veterinarian does not perceive subtle signs. This study was designed to focus on the medico-legal aspects concerning the buying and selling in Italy of dogs and cats affected by congenital and hereditary neurologic diseases that could constitute vice in these animals. While adequate provisions to regulate in detail the various aspects of pet sale have still to be drawn up by legislators, it may be helpful to involve breeders, by obliging them by contract to extend guarantees in the case of hereditary lesions, including neurologic diseases.
Hedging the Return on Equity and Firm Profit: Evidence from Canadian Oil and Gas Companies

In this thesis, we analyse the relationship between the hedging activities and return on equity, and the relationship between profit on hedging and other factors. We gather the annual reports of Canadian oil and gas companies and get hand-collected data which includes information of seventy five companies. Fully conditional specification is used to impute the missing values. Instrumental variable estimation and finite mixture of regression models are then used to predict the return on equity and hedging gain. We find the instrumental variable estimation is better than the OLS estimation to deal with the hedging data since it eliminates the endogeneity. By finite mixture of regression models, we show that different firms have different hedging strategies, which cause different profits in hedging. We also find the companies with large total assets prefer to hedge.
Dependence of Prolonged Water Absorption by in Vitro Locust Rectum on Ion Transport

SUMMARY 1. An in vitro preparation of the locust rectum, consisting of an everted cannulated sac, is described. After the first hour, the rates of ion and water transport, the electropotential difference and tissue volume do not change significantly over the next 4 h, i.e. a steady-state situation is approximated. 2. The activities and properties of these rectal sacs are reasonably similar to those in vivo; they produce hyposmotic absorbate, exhibit rectification of osmotic flow, and absorb water from pure sucrose solution for 1 h. Inhibition of absorption by KCN + IAA and also ouabain indicates metabolic dependence. 3. Analysis of absorbate shows that tissue ions are secreted to the haemocoel side when water is absorbed over the first hour from pure sucrose solutions. Prolonged transport of water (i.e. from second to fifth hour) requires the presence of ions on the lumen but not the haemocoel side. This is the first direct evidence that water absorption in the insect rectum is coupled to ion transport as previously postulated. The location of the proposed ion recycling suggested by these observations is discussed.
Whose Revolution Is Televised?: Young African Nova Scotian Women Respond To Sexual Politics in Hip Hop Culture & Everyday Life

This qualitative research study explores young African Nova Scotian women’s responses to images of Black female bodies depicted in three popular hip hop music videos. Taking a Black socio-feminist theoretical perspective, the project elicits the views of five young women in their first or second year of university, using an open-ended and semi-structured individual interview format. Research findings indicate that the participants are media literate and that they critically consume depictions of the Black female body in popular culture. Factors such as academic achievement, the importance of divinity, and degree of communal affiliation act as bases for counter-hegemonic viewing of the images. Whereas popular cultural depicts the Black female body as sexually promiscuous, the young women interviewed define Black female beauty as a quality mostly emanating from the inside-out. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Transport across 1,9-decadiene precisely mimics the chemical selectivity of the barrier domain in egg lecithin bilayers.

The barrier domain solubility-diffusion theory of lipid bilayer permeability relates the permeability coefficient (P(m)) to the solute's partition coefficient (PC(barrier/w)) and diffusion coefficient (D(barrier)) in the ordered chain region of the bilayer that serves as the barrier region for polar permeants. To select the best solvent to mimic the barrier domain, permeability coefficients across a layer of 1,9-decadiene were compared with permeability coefficients from bilayer transport. Rate constants for transport, k, of alpha-methyl substituted analogues of p-toluic and p-methylhippuric acid were measured across a layer of 1,9-decadiene embedded in a PTFE filter membrane placed between two aqueous solutions in side-by-side diffusion cells. Permeability coefficients (P(1,9-decadiene)) were normalized to that obtained for p-toluic acid, which was included in donor solutions. The correlation of log(P(bilayer)) versus log(P(1,9-decadiene)) was linear with a slope of 0.99 +/- 0.02 SD, indicating that 1,9-decadiene precisely mimics the egg lecithin bilayer barrier domain in its chemical selectivity. Using the decadiene membrane transport method to indirectly estimate partition coefficients for similarly sized permeants extended the range of measurable values beyond those readily attainable by the traditional shake-flask method, allowing measurement of 1,9-decadiene/water PCs as low as 3 x 10(-7).
Severity of Mutant Phenotype in a Series of Chlorophyll-Deficient Wheat Mutants Depends on Light Intensity and the Severity of the Block in Chlorophyll Synthesis

Analyses of a series of allelic chlorina mutants of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), which have partial blocks in chlorophyll (Chl) synthesis and, therefore, a limited Chl supply, reinforce the principle that Chl is required for the stable accumulation of Chl-binding proteins and that only reaction centers accumulate when the supply of Chl is severely limited. Depending on the rate of Chl accumulation (determined by the severity of the mutation) and on the rate of turnover of Chl and its precursors (determined by the environment in which the plant is grown), the mutants each reach an equilibrium of Chl synthesis and degradation. Together these mutants generate a spectrum of phenotypes. Under the harshest conditions (high illumination), plants with moderate blocks in Chl synthesis have membranes with very little Chl and Chl-proteins and membrane stacks resembling the thylakoids of the lethal xantha mutants of barley grown at low to medium light intensities (which have more severe blocks). In contrast, when grown under low-light conditions the same plants with moderate blocks have thylakoids resembling those of the wild type. The wide range of phenotypes of Chl b-deficient mutants has historically produced more confusion than enlightenment, but incomparable growth conditions can now explain the discrepancies reported in the literature.
The risk for anemia with targeted therapies for solid tumors.

BACKGROUND Anemia is a common manifestation in patients with cancer. Little is known about the frequency of and risk for anemia with targeted therapies used to treat solid tumors. METHODS We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of solid tumors by comparing targeted therapy (alone or in combination) with standard therapy alone to calculate the incidence and relative risk (RR) for anemia events associated with these agents. Overall, 24,310 patients were included in the analysis. RESULTS The addition of targeted therapies to standard treatment (chemotherapy or placebo/best supportive care) increased the risk for all grades of anemia by 7%. The RR for all grades (incidence, 44%) and grades 1-2 (incidence, 38.9%) of anemia was higher with biological therapies alone but not when combined with chemotherapy. The risk was significant for erlotinib, trastuzumab, and sunitinib. Bevacizumab was associated with a lower risk for anemia. Anti-epidermal growth factor receptor, anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors predicted RRs of 1.24, 1.20, 0.82, and 1.33, respectively, and all of these values were significant. CONCLUSION Grade 1-2 anemia is frequently associated with biological agents. The risk is particularly associated with small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (gefitinib and erlotinib), breast cancer, and lung cancer. Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents are not labeled for use with targeted therapies (without chemotherapy) and the treatment is supportive only.
Accountability Practices in Public Child Welfare Services

ABSTRACT The literature on child welfare caseworkers’ accountability practices is fairly scant. This article observes and unravels accountability in child welfare practices using interview data. Findings show that child welfare caseworkers (frontline workers) face multiple and conflicting goals and mandates imposed upon them by their organizations, systemic rules, procedures, their clients, and their own professional norms. There were conflicts among accountability sources and caseworkers manage accountability with multiple strategies. Most of the interviewees showed that they acknowledged the significance of accountability management. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Between coproduction and commons: understanding initiatives to reclaim urban energy provision in Berlin and Hamburg

This article explores new geographies of coproduction emerging in urban energy politics. It analyses processes of remunicipalisation of urban utilities, involving the re-establishment of public ownership with a strong democratic and ecological agenda for governing energy infrastructures, with case studies of the German cities of Berlin and Hamburg. Seeking ways of understanding these developments which transcend conventional binaries, such as public vs. private ownership or consumer vs. producer, we interpret them in relation to debates first about coproduction and then about urban commons. This latter concept, we argue, provides deeper analytical purchase on new grassroots energy initiatives and the politics that unfold in remunicipalisation conflicts, offering a new avenue for enriching research on the coproduction of energy.
Analysis of the genetic diversity of genome sequences of variants of apple hammerhead viroid

Abstract A dataset of approximately 85 apple hammerhead viroid (AHVd) genome sequences was analysed to determine genetic diversity. Sequences analysed included 18 new AHVd variants detected in a 2017/2018 survey, as well as suitable sequences deposited in GenBank. Two phylogenetically distinct clades were observed. A range of indel events was identified with most AHVd sequences ranging in size from 433 to 435 nt. None of these events appear to affect the predicted secondary structure of AHVd, which was well supported by a prevalence of unambiguous covariation events and or substitutions resulting in the conversion of canonical to wobble sequences, or vice versa. All AHVd variants analysed possess the 13 nt that are conserved in most hammerheads of viroids and viroid-like satellite RNA, except at positions 146 and 149. No significant recombination event was identified.
Identification of a Novel Genomic Island Conferring Resistance to Multiple Aminoglycoside Antibiotics in Campylobacter coli

ABSTRACT Historically, the incidence of gentamicin resistance in Campylobacter has been very low, but recent studies reported a high prevalence of gentamicin-resistant Campylobacter isolated from food-producing animals in China. The reason for the high prevalence was unknown and was addressed in this study. PCR screening identified aminoglycoside resistance genes aphA-3 and aphA-7 and the aadE–sat4–aphA-3 cluster among 41 Campylobacter isolates from broiler chickens. Importantly, a novel genomic island carrying multiple aminoglycoside resistance genes was identified in 26 aminoglycoside resistant Campylobacter coli strains. Sequence analysis revealed that the genomic island was inserted between cadF and COO1582 on the C. coli chromosome and consists of 14 open reading frames (ORFs), including 6 genes (the aadE–sat4–aphA-3 cluster, aacA-aphD, aac, and aadE) encoding aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes. Analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing indicated that the C. coli isolates carrying this unique genomic island were clonal, and the clone of PFGE subtype III and sequence type (ST) 1625 was particularly predominant among the C. coli isolates examined, suggesting that clonal expansion may be involved in dissemination of this resistance island. Additionally, we were able to transfer this genomic island from C. coli to a Campylobacter jejuni strain using natural transformation under laboratory conditions, and the transfer resulted in a drastic increase in aminoglycoside resistance in the recipient strain. These findings identify a previously undescribed genomic island that confers resistance to multiple aminoglycoside antibiotics. Since aminoglycoside antibiotics are used for treating occasional systemic infections caused by Campylobacter, the emergence and spread of this antibiotic resistance genomic island represent a potential concern for public health.
The Nature of Party Governance: Connecting Conceptualization and Measurement

Research on the policy consequences of partisan turnover in policy-making institutions in the U.S. states generally has found that parties have, at most, conditional effects. Yet many of these analyses have constructed the partisanship variable as if parties in state government were fully unified. This paper explores the results stemming from various measurement choices, namely measures implying complete unity and those derived from a conceptualization of parties as undisciplined. The analysis demonstrates that a strong relationship between the partisanship of state legislatures and policy outcomes emerges only when the indicators are based upon our substantive knowledge of parties in state government.
Predicting survival with good neurological recovery at hospital admission after successful resuscitation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: the OHCA score.

AIMS Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is common and carries a bleak prognosis. Early prediction of unfavourable outcomes is difficult but crucial to improve resource allocation. The aim of this study was to develop a simple tool for predicting survival with good neurological function in the overall population of patients with successfully resuscitated cardiac arrest. METHODS AND RESULTS We used logistic regression analysis to identify clinical and laboratory variables that were both readily available at admission and predictive of poor outcomes (death or severe neurological impairment) in a development cohort of 130 consecutive OHCA patients admitted to a French intensive care unit (ICU) between 1999 and 2003. To test the prediction score built from these variables, we used a validation cohort of 210 patients recruited in four French ICUs between 2003 and 2005. Initial rhythm, estimated no-flow and low-flow intervals, blood lactate, and creatinine levels determined using whole blood analyzers were independently associated with poor outcomes and were used to build a continuous severity score. Goodness-of-fit tests indicated good performance (P=0.79 in the development cohort and P=0.13 in the validation cohort). The area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve was 0.82 in the development cohort and 0.88 in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION The outcome can be accurately predicted after OHCA using variables that are readily available at ICU admission.
Duration of Labor Induction in Nulliparous Women at Term: How Long Is Long Enough?

We evaluated the relationship between duration of labor induction and successful vaginal delivery (VD) in nulliparous women at term. Nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies > or = 37 weeks who underwent labor induction at a single institution were studied. Exclusion criteria were nonvertex presentation, stillbirth, fetal chromosomal/structural abnormalities, spontaneous labor, and spontaneous rupture of membranes. VD rates and maternal/neonatal outcomes were evaluated and compared with respect to the duration from induction to delivery. Over the 1-year study period, 340 women met all criteria. Seventy-five percent achieved VD (n = 255), 40.6% of whom had rate of cervical dilation in active labor < 1.0 cm/hour. Women requiring cesarean delivery were more likely to have fetal acidemia, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, chorioamnionitis, and endometritis. There was no association with prolonged induction to delivery intervals and adverse maternal/neonatal outcomes. In our population, only 5.7% of nulliparous women undergoing labor induction at term remain undelivered at 48 hours. Of women achieving VD, > 40% had rate of cervical dilation in active labor < 1.0 cm/hour.
Comparison of chemoradiotherapy with radiotherapy alone for early-stage extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type in elderly patients

Abstract It remains controversial whether concurrent or subsequent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) provides additional survival benefits when compared to radiotherapy (RT) alone in localized extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL), nasal type We identified 248 patients from the US National Cancer Data Base who were diagnosed with localized ENKTL from 2004–2014; 68.9% received CRT and 31.1% received RT alone. Over time, the use of CRT increased, while the use of RT alone decreased (p < .001). On multivariate analysis, CRT was associated with longer OS than RT alone (HR: 0.504; 95% CI: 0.338–0.751; p < .001), while uninsured status and African–American race were associated with shorter OS. The survival advantages of CRT over RT alone persisted on propensity score matching for the entire cohort (p = .0014) and in a subgroup analysis of elderly patients (p < .001). In conclusion, patients who received CRT had significantly longer OS than those who received RT alone. These results also apply to elderly patients.
Strategies for the characterization of disorders in cortisol sensitivity.

CONTEXT The clinical presentation of abnormalities in glucocorticoid (GC) sensitivity is diverse, and therefore it is difficult to diagnose this condition. OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN The objective of the study was to develop strategies for the characterization of GC sensitivity disorders. SETTING The study was conducted in an outpatient clinic. PATIENTS Nine patients with GC sensitivity disorders participated. INTERVENTIONS Sequence analysis of the GC receptor (GR), determination of GR number per cell, GR ligand-binding affinity, and GR splice regulation were performed in freshly prepared peripheral blood mononuclear lymphocytes and Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoblasts. Cellular GC sensitivity was determined ex vivo by measuring the effect of dexamethasone on GC-induced leucine-zipper and IL-2 mRNA levels and on cell proliferation. RESULTS Differences in GR number per cell, GR affinity, GR splice variants, and effects on transactivation or transrepression of GC-sensitive genes were observed between patients and controls. Epstein-Barr virus transformation of lymphoblasts had no influence on GR affinity but increased the GR number 5-fold in healthy controls. In patients diagnosed as cortisol resistant, however, GR number after transformation was increased significantly less than 5-fold, whereas a higher GR number was observed in a patient suspected of cortisol hypersensitivity. CONCLUSION This study illustrates several strategies to define abnormalities in GC sensitivity by describing nine patients with affected GC sensitivity, all with a unique clinical course and background.