Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of subcentimeter nonpositive resection margin on hepatic recurrence in patients undergoing hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases. Evidences from 663 liver resections.

OBJECTIVE To elucidate if a nonpositive <1-cm resection margin has any effect on hepatic recurrence in patients undergoing liver resection for colorectal liver metastases. PATIENTS AND METHODS Six hundred and nine patients underwent 663 liver resections. Patients with positive margin were excluded from the analysis. Two groups were studied: group A, <1-cm resection margin and group B, > or =1-cm resection margin. RESULTS A total of 545 liver resections in 523 patients were carried out with nonpositive resection margins. With a median follow-up of 25 months, the 5-year cumulative hepatic recurrence reached 54% in group A (n = 206) and 41% in group B (n = 339). Factors associated with hepatic recurrence were synchronic metastases (P = 0.0015), bilobar (P < 0.001), two or more metastases (P < 0.001), margin <1 cm (P = 0.0123) and extrahepatic disease (P = 0.0037). A strong correlation between resection margin and number of metastases was confirmed (P < 0.001). At multivariate analysis only two factors were independent predictors of hepatic recurrence: multinodular disease in the liver specimen [> or =4 metastases hazard ratio (HR) = 3.45; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.2-5.38; P < 0.001] and extrahepatic disease at hepatectomy (HR = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.58-3.32). CONCLUSION Subcentimeter nonpositive resection margins do not directly influence hepatic recurrence in patients undergoing hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases.
Modeling Services Liberalization: The Case of Tanzania

Despite economic theory and empirical literature that have shown that wide availability of business services contributes significantly to productivity gains and growth, economic modelers have been slow to meaningfully incorporate services into their models. This paper employs a 52-sector, small, open-economy computable general equilibrium model of the Tanzanian economy to assess the impact of the liberalization of regulatory barriers against foreign and domestic business service providers in Tanzania. The model incorporates foreign direct investment in services, and productivity effects in both goods and services markets endogenously through a Dixit-Stiglitz framework. The paper summarizes and builds on the surveys and policy notes of the regulatory regimes in business services in Tanzania, and estimates the ad valorem equivalent of barriers to foreign direct investment. The paper estimates significant gains to Tanzania from services reforms, especially in banking, maritime and road transportation Decomposition exercises reveal that the largest gains will derive from liberalization of non-discriminatory regulatory barriers.
Complete response to induction therapy in patients with Myc‐positive and double‐hit non‐Hodgkin lymphoma is associated with prolonged progression‐free survival

Myc‐positive B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with or without a B‐cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia/lymphoma 2 (BCL2) rearrangement is associated with inferior progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). In this study, the authors reviewed the outcomes of patients with myc‐positive and double‐hit NHL at The Ohio State University.
Skeletal muscle metabolism, contraction force and glycogen utilization during prolonged electrical stimulation in humans.

Muscle metabolism and contraction force were examined in the quadriceps femoris muscles of seven volunteers during 45 min of electrical stimulation. Intermittent stimulation was used, with tetanic trains at 20 Hz lasting 1.6 s, separated by pauses of 1.6 s. Muscle biopsies were taken at rest and during stimulation (80 s, 15, 30 and 45 min). During the initial 80 s of stimulation contraction force decreased to 72% of initial force. The glycogenolytic rate was 40.9 mmol glucosyl units kg‐1 dry muscle min‐1 and glycolytic intermediate levels increased several fold. Muscle phosphocreatine decreased to 26% of resting concentration and the ATP turnover rate from anaerobic sources was 4.99 mmol kg‐1 dry muscle s‐1. With continued stimulation from 80 s to 15 min, force decreased to 43% of the initial value at 5 min and 31% at 15 min. Glycogenolysis fell to 5.4 mmol kg‐1 dry muscle min‐1 and glycolytic intermediate levels decreased suggesting that anaerobic glycolysis contributed progressively less ATP for force production. The final 30 min of stimulation was characterized by a low rate of glycogenolysis (1.35‐1.67 mmol kg‐1 dry muscle min‐1) and a constant force production (25.5% of initial). The ATP turnover rate, assuming glycogen was metabolized aerobically, was 1.86 mmol kg‐1 dry muscle s‐1. Phosphocreatine, ATP and glycolytic intermediates returned to near resting levels, indicating that anaerobic energy pathways were not reactivated. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Low rate of pneumococci non-susceptible to penicillin in healthy Swedish toddlers

Abstract Background: Infection caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of mortality in children worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine if a noted increase in non-susceptibility to penicillin among pneumococcal clinical isolates from young children reflected a similar increase in healthy children. Methods: During 2004–2005, before the conjugate pneumococcal vaccine was introduced in Sweden, 663 healthy children (13–24 months of age) attending 17 child health centres in Gothenburg, Sweden, were cultured for bacteria in the nasopharynx. Social factors were identified through a parental questionnaire. Pneumococcal serotypes and antibiotic resistance rates were determined. Antibiotic resistance was also monitored in 162 simultaneously obtained nasopharyngeal pneumococci isolated from clinical samples. Results: The healthy children frequently carried pneumococci (45%), Moraxella catarrhalis (54%), and Haemophilus influenzae (22%). The carriage rates for all these pathogens were higher in children attending day care centres compared to children staying at home (p < 0.001). The dominating pneumococcal serotypes were 6B, 19F, 23F, and 6A. Non-susceptibility to penicillin was low (4.0%) and only exceeded by that to trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (9.8%). Both rates were higher in the clinical isolates (9.3% and 16.7%, respectively; p < 0.05). No relationships to geographic area, day care attendance, recent antibiotic use, or travel abroad were shown for any specific serotype or for the presence of penicillin-non-susceptible pneumococci in the healthy children. Conclusions: Pneumococcal resistance rates in the healthy child population were low and did not reflect the higher rates noted at the laboratory in clinical samples obtained before and during the study.
The Epstein-Barr Virus Thymidine Kinase Does Not Phosphorylate Ganciclovir or Acyclovir and Demonstrates a Narrow Substrate Specificity Compared to the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Thymidine Kinase

ABSTRACT The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) thymidine kinase (TK) was expressed in mammalian 143B TK− cells to investigate its substrate specificity. The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) TK was similarly expressed for comparison. Both viral TKs conferred a TK+ phenotype on 143B TK− cells. The nucleoside analog ganciclovir (GCV) did not affect the growth of 143B EBV TK or 143B TK− cells but effectively killed 143B HSV-1 TK cells. Furthermore, lysates of 143B EBV TK cells could not phosphorylate GCV, which was confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography. EBV TK, HSV-1 TK, and EBV TK N−, a truncated EBV TK missing 243 N-terminal amino acids, were purified as fusion proteins expressed in bacteria, and all had TK activity. In addition, EBV TK was observed to have a thymidylate kinase activity but could not phosphorylate GCV, acyclovir, or 2′-deoxycytidine. In competition assays, only nucleoside analogs of thymidine significantly inhibited thymidine phosphorylation by EBV TK, with the following rank order: 5-bromodeoxyuridine > zidovudine > stavudine > sorivudine. These results demonstrate that EBV TK substrate specificity is narrower than those of alphaherpesvirus TKs and that thymidine analogs may be the most suitable nucleoside antivirals to target the enzyme. Clinical implications for gammaherpesviruses are discussed.
On the assessment of voltage ride-through needs of the power transmission Grid

This paper discusses methods and criteria for the assessment of the low voltage ride-through (LVRT) needs of the power grid. Simulation techniques are used to investigate both how voltage dips caused by short-circuits spread over the grid and what impact do they cause in the operation performance of power systems with wind generation. The analysis is performed for wind turbines (WT) with different LVRT characteristics. It is shown that, depending on system's topology characteristics and the voltage level of WT's point of connection, ride-through needs may be different throughout power systems, especially those of continental countries as Brazil. As a conclusion, it is possible to have less severe LVRT requirements without risking system operation security.
Retroperitoneoscopic nephron-sparing surgery of renal tumor using a microwave tissue coagulator without renal ischemia: comparison with open procedure.

PURPOSE It is ideal to use not a transperitoneal but a retroperitoneal approach for both open and endoscopic partial nephrectomy. We compared the results of retroperitoneoscopic nephron-sparing surgery for small renal tumors using a microwave tissue coagulator without renal pedicle clamping with those of a retroperitoneal open procedure. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between 1996 and 2002, eight patients with small renal tumors underwent retroperitoneoscopic partial nephrectomy without renal ischemia, and nine patients with small renal tumors underwent open partial nephrectomy via a retroperitoneal approach. Both groups were operated on using a microwave tissue coagulator. RESULTS Retroperitoneoscopic partial nephrectomy without renal ischemia was performed without any major or minor complications in any patient. The mean operation time for retroperitoneoscopic surgery was significantly longer than that for open partial nephrectomy (221.9 minutes v 145.9 minutes; P = 0.0004). However, the mean estimated blood loss for retroperitoneoscopic surgery was less than that for open partial nephrectomy (137.5 mL v 334.8 mL; P = 0.012). In addition, the retroperitoneoscopic group seemed to recover more rapidly than the open surgery group. CONCLUSIONS Retroperitoneoscopic nephron-sparing surgery of small renal tumors using a microwave tissue coagulator without renal ischemia is feasible as minimally invasive procedure. It results in saving renal function, minimal blood loss, and rapid recovery.
Histoplasma capsulatum Cell Wall β-Glucan Induces Lipid Body Formation through CD18, TLR2, and Dectin-1 Receptors: Correlation with Leukotriene B4 Generation and Role in HIV-1 Infection1

Histoplasma capsulatum (Hc) is a facultative, intracellular parasite of worldwide significance. Infection with Hc produces a broad spectrum of diseases and may progress to a life-threatening systemic disease, particularly in individuals with HIV infection. Resolution of histoplasmosis is associated with the activation of cell-mediated immunity, and leukotriene B4 plays an important role in this event. Lipid bodies (LBs) are increasingly being recognized as multifunctional organelles with roles in inflammation and infection. In this study, we investigated LB formation in histoplasmosis and its putative function in innate immunity. LB formation in leukocytes harvested from Hc-infected C57BL/6 mice peaks on day 2 postinfection and correlates with enhanced generation of lipid mediators, including leukotriene B4 and PGE2. Pretreatment of leukocytes with platelet-activating factor and BLT1 receptor antagonists showed that both lipid mediators are involved in cell signaling for LB formation. Alveolar leukocytes cultured with live or dead Hc also presented an increase in LB numbers. The yeast alkali-insoluble fraction 1, which contains mainly β-glucan isolated from the Hc cell wall, induced a dose- and time-dependent increase in LB numbers, indicating that β-glucan plays a signaling role in LB formation. In agreement with this hypothesis, β-glucan-elicited LB formation was inhibited in leukocytes from 5-LO−/−, CD18low and TLR2−/− mice, as well as in leukocytes pretreated with anti-Dectin-1 Ab. Interestingly, human monocytes from HIV-1-infected patients failed to produce LBs after β-glucan stimulation. These results demonstrate that Hc induces LB formation, an event correlated with eicosanoid production, and suggest a role for these lipid-enriched organelles in host defense during fungal infection.
Staphylococcus aureus Elaborates Leukocidin AB To Mediate Escape from within Human Neutrophils

ABSTRACT Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains of the pulsed-field type USA300 are primarily responsible for the current community-associated epidemic of MRSA infections in the United States. The success of USA300 is partly attributed to the ability of the pathogen to avoid destruction by human neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes [PMNs]), which are crucial to the host immune response to S. aureus infection. In this work, we investigated the contribution of bicomponent pore-forming toxins to the ability of USA300 to withstand attack from primary human PMNs. We demonstrate that in vitro growth conditions influence the expression, production, and availability of leukotoxins by USA300, which in turn impact the cytotoxic potential of this clone toward PMNs. Interestingly, we also found that upon exposure to PMNs, USA300 preferentially activates the promoter of the lukAB operon, which encodes the recently identified leukocidin AB (LukAB). LukAB elaborated by extracellular S. aureus forms pores in the plasma membrane of PMNs, leading to PMN lysis, highlighting a contribution of LukAB to USA300 virulence. We now show that LukAB also facilitates the escape of bacteria engulfed within PMNs, in turn enabling the replication and outgrowth of S. aureus. Together, these results suggest that upon encountering PMNs S. aureus induces the production of LukAB, which serves as an extra- and intracellular weapon to protect the bacterium from destruction by human PMNs.
Search more deeply or search more broadly? An empirical study of external knowledge search strategy in manufacturing SMEs

Will small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies search more deeply or search more broadly for product innovation at high levels of environmental turbulence? In answering this question, unlike prior studies that treat search depth and search breadth as separate variables to measure firms’ external knowledge search strategy, this study introduces a new concept, external search towards depth-dominance, to capture the trade-off between search depth and search breadth for SMEs in a resource-constrained context. Using data on 491 Chinese manufacturing SMEs, we find that SMEs search more deeply at high levels of technological and market turbulence. Moreover, the positive relationship between perceived technological turbulence (or perceived market turbulence) and external search towards depth-dominance is stronger when the differentiation propensity of a firm's competitive strategy is lower. The findings contribute to the understanding of innovation search in a resource-constrained context and the context specificity of innovation search.
Regulatory Issue Networks in a Federal System

Regulatory politics are said to vary systematically across issue areas, depending on the salience and complexity of issues. In this article, Professor Gormley identifies four patterns that appear to be especially common. These are board room politics, hearing room politics, street-level politics, and operating room politics. Each involves a distinctive configuration of participants, criteria for choice, and pathologies.
A Test of the AICPA Differentiation between Stock Dividends and Stock Splits

In 1968, a record number of 276 companies listed on the New York and American Stock Exchanges split their shares or made a stock distribution of at least 20%. The previous all-time high was 193 in 1966 (compared to only 151 in 1967). The recent decline in economic activity and corporate profits has also motivated some managements to omit their cash dividends and make stock distributions instead. The trend toward greater stock distributions calls attention to the importance of the accounting treatment for such transactions. In chapter 7B of its Accounting Research Bulletin No. 43,1 the AICPA distinguishes common stock distributions which should be considered stock dividends from those which should be considered stock splits. The AICPA guideline is that distributions below 20% to 25% should ordinarily be recorded as dividends, while those above this range should ordinarily be recorded as splits.2 This division supposedly meets the different purposes of stock dividends and stock splits and is based on observations of market price action related to stock dividends and stock splits. The purpose of this paper is to report on one type of statistical test which might be used to verify the 20-25% guideline.
The Rwandan Experience of Fostering Separated Children

This is a condensed version of a case study produced by the Government of Rwanda, Unicef and Save the Children Alliance and published by UNICEF under the title of “Umwana Wanjye ni Uwawe ni Uwacu – My Child is Yours and Ours – The Rwandan Experience of Foster Care for Separated Children”
Weather Shocks, Agricultural Production and Migration: Evidence from Tanzania

Abstract We analyse whether Tanzanian rural households engage in internal migration as a response to weather-related shocks. We hypothesise that, when exposed to such shocks and a consecutive crop yield reduction, rural households use migration as a risk management strategy. Our findings confirm that for an average household, a 1 per cent reduction in agricultural income induced by weather shock increases the probability of migration by 13 percentage points on average within the following year. However, this effect is significant only for households in the middle of wealth distribution, suggesting that the choice of migration as an adaptation strategy depends on initial endowment. What is more, the proposed mechanism applies to households whose income is highly dependent on agriculture, but is not important for diversified livelihoods.
Use of statistical methods in dental research: comparison of four dental journals during a 10-year period

Objective. To investigate development of the use of statistical methods in dental journals in 1996, 2001, and 2006 hypothesizing that methods are becoming more sophisticated. Material and methods. All original research articles in four dental journals in 1996, 2001, and 2006 were reviewed: Journal of Dental Research (JDR), Caries Research (CR), Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology (CDOE) and Acta Odontologica Scandinavica (AOS). Evaluation covered 928 articles reporting original research findings based on systematic collection and statistical analysis of research data. Aspects measured were: research design, statistical methodology, description of procedures, and presentation of results. Percentage frequencies of reported statistical procedures were compared between journals and between years. Results. The main findings of the study are: 1) that use of multivariate or specific methods did not increase from 1996 to 2006, 2) that traditional statistical significance testing is still widely used in dental journals and that use of confidence intervals increased in the period 1996 to 2006, 3) that statistical procedures are usually extensively described, and 4) that dental journals have different profiles in their statistical content. Conclusions. The authors of articles in dental journals might apply these results when designing their dental research, i.e. to use statistical methods and to present results in line with the policy and presentation of the leading dental journals.
Isolation of rickettsia helvetica from ticks in Slovakia.

UNLABELLED To date, only three rickettsial species have been found in ticks in Slovakia by serological and/or molecular-biological techniques, namely Rickettsia slovaca, Candidatus rickettsia IRS, and Rickettsia raoultii. Recently, we succeeded in isolation of the forth species, Rickettsia helvetica from Ixodes ricinus, the most frequent tick in Slovakia. The isolation, positive for 10% of tested ticks, was performed on XTC cells by the shell-vial technique, Gimenez staining and light microscopy. The infected cell cultures contained rod-shaped particles morphologically identical to rickettsiae. The isolation was confirmed by direct detection of a fragment of the R. helvetica gene for citrate synthase in the positive ticks by PCR and its subsequent cloning, sequencing and comparison with the database. KEYWORDS Rickettsia helvetica; isolation; Ixodes ricinus; Slovakia.
In-Work Poverty and Self-Rated Health in a Cohort of Working Germans: A Hybrid Approach for Decomposing Within-Person and Between-Persons Estimates of In-Work Poverty Status

In this study, we investigated whether self-rated health (SRH) can be predicted by in-work poverty and how between-persons and within-person differences in the poverty status of people who are working contribute to this relationship. We used a logistic random-effects model designed to test within-person and between-persons differences with data from a nationally representative German sample with 19 waves of data collection (1995-2013) to estimate effects of between-persons and within-person differences in working poverty status on poor SRH. Interactions by age and sex were tested, and models controlled for sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and work-related characteristics. We found significant differences in SRH between individuals with different working poverty status but no evidence that within-person differences in working poverty status are associated with poor SRH. The association between in-work poverty and SRH was significantly stronger for women but did not differ significantly by age. All findings were robust when including sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and working characteristics. In this sample of German adults, we found a polarization of poor SRH between the working nonpoor and the working poor but no causal association of within-person differences in working poverty status with SRH.
Does Asymmetric Information Drive Capital Structure Decisions

Using a novel information asymmetry index based on measures of adverse selection developed by the market microstructure literature, we test whether information asymmetry is an important determinant of capital structure decisions, as suggested by the pecking order theory. Our index relies exclusively on measures of the market's assessment of adverse selection risk rather than on ex ante firm characteristics. We find that information asymmetry does affect the capital structure decisions of U.S. firms over the sample period 1973--2002. Our findings are robust to controlling for conventional leverage factors (size, tangibility, Q ratio, profitability), the sources of firms' financing needs, and such firm attributes as stock return volatility, stock turnover, and intensity of insider trading. For example, we estimate that on average, for every dollar of financing deficit to cover, firms in the highest adverse selection decile issue 30 cents of debt more than firms in the lowest decile. Overall, this evidence explains why the pecking order theory is only partially successful in explaining all of firms' capital structure decisions. It also suggests that the theory finds support when its basic assumptions hold in the data, as should reasonably be expected of any theory. The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for Financial Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org, Oxford University Press.