Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Young and Elderly Advanced Stage Nonsmall-Cell Lung Carcinoma Cases

Objective: Even though there have been considerable improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, the prognostic factors for elderly patients with advanced nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain insufficient. Therefore, our aim is to compare the prognostic factors for elderly and young cases with advanced stage NSCLC. Methods: The data of 370 advanced stage young (<65 years old) and elderly (≥65 years old) NSCLC patients (Stage IIIB or IV) treated between 1995 and 2008 were retrospectively evaluated for the study at the oncology department. Demographic characteristics, treatment response, comorbidities, pleural effusion, performance status, and overall survival (OS) were correlated with patient clinical features and smoking habits at the time of diagnosis. Results: Of the 370 patients, 284 (76.8%) were in the younger group and 86 (23.2%) were in the older group. The rates of stages (IIIB, IV) were similar in the elderly and younger groups. At the time of diagnosis, poor performance status, comorbidity, weight loss, anemia, and smoking status were more effective prognostic factors for elderly cases than younger ones. The treatment responses were also significantly different between the two age groups when the presenting symptom was weight loss: 18.7% of the younger group had progressive disease compared with 57.1% of the older group (P = 0.017). Conclusion: We concluded that treatment responses of the younger group were less affected by weight loss. These analyses suggest that weight loss at presentation can be useful in predicting disease response in patients with advanced stage elderly NSCLC.
Suicide Behavior in Persons with Intellectual Disability

Suicide is today in the Western world one of the leading causes of death and most people have had suicidal ideation at some time during their life. In the population of persons with intellectual disability some researchers have thought that impaired intellectual capacity could act as a buffer to suicidal behavior, but the fact is that the few studies conducted in that population contest this assumption and showed that the characteristics of suicidality in this population are very similar to persons without intellectual disability. This paper reviews the studies conducted and describe the symptomatology in this population. Professionals working with this population should therefore be aware of and assess for this behavior. Sadness or depression are symptoms that could indicate later suicidal behavior.
Predictive validity of weekly monitoring of wound status using DESIGN‐R score change for pressure ulcer healing: A multicenter prospective cohort study

There are few studies on predictive validity of methods to monitor the healing process of pressure ulcers. We evaluated whether the change of DESIGN‐R (rating) score could predict subsequent healing, and determined the optimal cutoff points. In a multicenter prospective cohort study, patients were followed until wound healing or censoring. Wound severity was evaluated by the DESIGN‐R tool every week, and the score change was calculated over 1–4 weeks (n = 411, 286, 224, and 170, respectively). In the multivariate analyses stratified by depth, a one‐point improvement in DESIGN‐R score over any period was positively associated with healing within the next 30 days independent of initial wound severity (hazard ratios over each 1–4 weeks ranging from 1.16 to 1.33 for superficial ulcers and from 1.21 to 1.27 for deep ulcers; all p < 0.05). The optimal cutoff points over 1–4 weeks were set as negative change for superficial ulcers and as positive change of ≥two points for deep ulcers. Nonhealing rate was higher for ulcers with DESIGN‐R score change below the cutoff points than that aforementioned for both depths. Weekly monitoring by the DESIGN‐R tool will be advantageous for evaluating prognosis of pressure ulcers independent of initial wound severity and depth.
Engagement of citizens and public professionals in the co-production of public services

The idea of citizens and public professionals collaborating to provide public services has widely spread in several countries around the globe. Co-production is often presented as the go-to solution for challenges like a legitimacy crisis of both the government and the market, and financial concerns. Yet, co-production also brings new challenges for the citizens, public professionals and public organizations involved. Why do citizens sometimes become disappointed with coproduction? Why do professionals at times feel constrained when interacting with citizens? Although co-production literature is booming, these issues still remain unsolved. This dissertation contributes to our understanding of why individual citizens and public professionals engage in co-production, and what the role of mutual perceptions of this engagement is. The study is innovative in both its approach (focusing on the individuals involved instead of on the collaborative networks, processes, and organizations) and the research methods applied (proposing a mixed method research design in a research field dominated by single case studies and qualitative research methods). The book presents a variety of studies to empirically unravel citizens’ and professionals’ engagement in the co-production of public services. The cases include client councils in healthcare organizations, neighborhood watch schemes, and representative advisory councils at primary schools.
Interaction of Mycobacterium avium complex with human macrophages: roles of membrane receptors and serum proteins

Invasive, disease-associated members of the Mycobacterium avium complex are facultative intracellular pathogens of mammalian macrophages. The mechanism(s) by which M. avium is ingested by mononuclear phagocytes is unknown. We examined the role of membrane receptors on macrophages as well as the role of opsonic components of the serum (complement, fibronectin, C-reactive protein and fibrinogen in the attachment and ingestion of M. avium by human monocyte-derived macrophages. Preincubation of serum with antibodies against C3 and fibronectin, in contrast to preincubation of serum with antibodies against complement-reactive protein and fibrinogen, significantly reduced the binding of M. avium to macrophages in concentration-dependent manner (57 to 93% and 35 to 61% inhibition by anti-C3 and anti-fibronectin antibody, respectively, in a concentration range of 25 to 100 micrograms/ml). We also observed that incubation of macrophages with OKM1 anti-complement receptor type 3 (CR3) antibody in the presence of serum decreased the binding of M. avium to macrophages by 86% +/- 6%, while the same antibody inhibited binding by 63% +/- 7% in the absence of serum. In contrast, incubation of macrophages with anti-LFA-1, anti-p 150.95, anti-CR1, or anti-Mac-1 had no effect on the ability of M. avium to bind to the cell. In addition, incubation of macrophages with alpha-methyl-D-mannoside was also associated with decreased attachment of M. avium to macrophages. These results provide evidence for the role of three macrophage receptors (CR3, fibronectin, and mannosyl-fucosyl receptors) in the uptake of M. avium by human macrophages.
c‐Fos expression associated with reinstatement of cocaine‐seeking behavior by response‐contingent conditioned cues

The capability of cocaine cues to generate craving in cocaine‐dependent humans, even after extended abstinence, is modeled in rats using cue reinstatement of extinguished cocaine‐seeking behavior. We investigated neural activity associated with incentive motivational effects of cocaine cues using c‐fos mRNA and Fos protein expression as markers. Unlike preceding studies, we used response‐contingent presentation of discrete cues to elicit cocaine seeking. Rats were first trained to press a lever, resulting in cocaine reinforcement and light and tone cues. Rats then underwent extinction training, during which lever presses decreased. On the test day, rats either received response‐contingent cocaine cues or received no cues. The cues reinstated extinguished cocaine‐seeking behavior on the test day. In general, cue‐elicited c‐fos mRNA and protein expression were similar and both were enhanced in the prefrontal cortex, ventral tegmental area (VTA), dorsal striatum, and nucleus accumbens. Cues elicited more widespread Fos protein expression relative to our previous research in which cues were presented noncontingently without prior extinction training, including increases in the VTA, substantia nigra, ventral subiculum, and lateral entorhinal cortex. We also observed a correlation between cocaine‐seeking behavior and Fos in the agranular insula (AgI) and basolateral amygdala (BLA). The findings suggest that connections between BLA and AgI play a role in cue‐elicited incentive motivation for cocaine and that reinstatement of cocaine seeking by response‐contingent cues activates a similar corticolimbic circuit as that observed with other modes of cue presentation; however, activation of midbrain and ventral hippocampal regions may be unique to reinstatement by response‐contingent cues. Synapse 63:823–835, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in finnish children, 1987–2003

Background: The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been increasing in Western countries. In younger people, Crohn's disease (CD) predominates over ulcerative colitis (UC), but the finding is not universal. The present study aimed to characterize not only the incidence but also the clinical picture of IBD from 1987 to 2003 in a large pediatric population in Finland. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from the patient discharge and medical records at the 2 largest university hospitals in Finland. The study population covered a total of 619,340 children, representing 56% of the children <18 years old in the country. All of the cases diagnosed with IBD from 1987 to 2003 were reviewed. Clinical, endoscopic, and histological data were collected. Incidence rates were estimated based on statistical assumptions. Results: A total of 604 cases with IBD were diagnosed during the 17‐year period. All of the patients had undergone endoscopy. The diagnosis was CD in 203 (34%) cases, UC in 317 (52%) cases, and indeterminate colitis (IC) in 83 (14%) cases. The mean annual incidence rate increased from 3.9/100,000 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.5–5.8) in 1987 to 7.0/100,000 (CI 5.0–9.4) in 2003 (P < 0.001). The majority of cases were 12 to <15 years old (n = 200, 33%). Of the patients, 5.1% were <3 years old and 14% were <6 years old. IC was most common in young children; 29% of all IBD patients <3 years of age had IC. Of the patients, 97% had been followed up until the age 18 in the hospitals after initial diagnosis (median follow‐up 3.1 years). Of the patients, 45.2% were initially treated with steroids, whereas 17.8% received immunosuppressive agents at the end of the follow‐up. Operations had been performed in 21% of the cases before age 18. The median time interval from the diagnosis to the first operation was 1.8 (range 7.8) years. Conclusions: The incidence of pediatric IBD almost doubled in Finland from 1987 to 2003. Surgical intervention was common early in the disease course.
Nephrotic-Like Proteinuria in Experimental Diabetes

Aims/Hypothesis: Streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic rats are characterized by the development of albuminuria. It is not known, however, whether the excess excretion of protein is primarily due to intact protein or protein fragments or whether it is specific for albumin or occurs for all high-molecular-weight plasma proteins. To test this we have measured the excretion rates and fractional clearances of [14C]albumin, [3H]immunoglobulin G and [3H]transferrin in diabetic rats. Methods: The radiolabeled proteins were delivered to the circulation of conscious diabetic (STZ induced for 6 weeks) and control rats by ALZET osmotic pumps. The plasma level of the radiolabeled proteins reached steady-state levels by day 7. Urine and plasma samples from day 7 were used to determine the excretion rates of the proteins by radioactivity and radioimmunoassay. Results: When excretion rates were determined by radioactivity it was apparent that only the albumin excretion rate increased significantly with STZ diabetes to a value of 354 ± 166 µg/min which agrees with proteinuria determined by Biuret assay of 299.9 ± 52.4 µg/min. The major proportion of protein being excreted was in the form of protein fragments which are not detected by conventional immmunochemical assays. Conclusion: The previously unrecognized nephrotic-like levels of proteinuria in experimental diabetes appears to be associated with an albumin-specific mechanism responsible for the increase in albumin peptides in urine. There was significant lowering of plasma albumin concentration but plasma concentrations of transferrin and immunoglobulin G remained unchanged. There was also no significant appearance of intact protein in urine that is normally found in nephrotic states.
Stratification of risk in children with familial hypercholesterolemia with focus on psychosocial issues.

AIM This paper discusses the clinical implications of making a diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) in children and data on psychosocial issues. DATA SUMMARY The case for treating FH in children is based on pathophysiological considerations. Some authors claim that treatment may be harmful, partly because the psychosocial risks have not been assessed. The available data indicate that psychological distress does not seem to be a problem in testing and treating most children for FH, although a few may develop social and emotional problems, experience family conflicts, or have problems with the diet or bile acid binding resins. CONCLUSIONS Parental preferences and the psychosocial function of the child should be considered and a complete assessment should be made of the potential risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) on the basis of established CHD risk factors. Boys and girls with total cholesterol concentrations of > 7.0 mmol/L and a family history of early CHD (first or second degree relatives with CHD, in males before the age of 40 and in females before the age of 50 years), and boys with cholesterol concentrations of > 10.0 mmol/L regardless of family history, should be considered at high risk and start dietary treatment as early as possible (preferable before the age of ten years). Girls at high risk may start statins by the age of 18 years, whereas starting statins should be considered in boys between the ages of 10 and 18 years. Children with FH at low to moderate risk of CHD may wait until adulthood or start treatment depending on an individualized evaluation.
Foreign currency borrowing of housholds in new EU member states

The post-Lehman phase of the financial crisis has exposed a number of weaknesses in the banking sectors of the European Union’s New Member States (NMSs). One of these is the prevalence of lending in foreign currency. While banks themselves in these countries have not taken on sizeable currency risk directly, they passed it on to households and the corporate sector. With large depreciations taking place or looming in the region, the currency risk at households and corporates without a natural hedge is now being transformed into credit risk for the banking sector. This is creating a serious problem in maintaining financial stability and cripples monetary policy in countries where it operates primarily through the exchange rate channel. The patterns of foreign currency lending to households in NMSs vary widely both across countries and time periods. For example, FX lending to households is virtually non-existent in the Czech Republic while in some Baltic countries its share is close to 100 per cent of total household lending. The main goal of the paper is (1) to present the stylised facts of pre-crisis FX lending in NMSs systematically and (2) to try to explain these differing patterns in an econometric model. In order to do so, a panel database of household FX borrowing is compiled, covering 10 NMSs in the period 1999-2008. Our estimation results suggest that the degree of household FX borrowing depends on the interest rate differential, the institutional features of mortgage financing and the monetary regime. Household FX borrowing tends to be less prevalent if the interest rate differential is small, fixed interest rate mortgage financing is available and the monetary authority’s “fear of floating” is low.
Restoration of visual cortical plasticity by local microperfusion of norepinephrine

Using a newly developed technique of continuous microperfusion, we obtained further evidence in support of our hypothesis that the neocortical catecholamines (CAs), particularly norepinephrine (NE), are responsible for a high level of cortical plasticity. We used the visual cortical changes in ocular dominance which follow a brief monocular deprivation as a simple and reliable index of cortical plasticity. Local perfusion of kitten visual cortex with 1 mg/ml (4.0 mM) 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) prevented the effects of monocular deprivation in kittens, thus replicating the results we had obtained using intraventricular injections (Kasamatsu and Pettigrew, '76b, '79). Locally perfused NE at a concentration of 10−2 mg/ml (48.6 μM) restored visual cortical plasticity in animals which were no longer susceptible to brief monocular lid‐suture. These numbers refer to the concentration of solutions in the cannula/minipump system. The effective concentrations at the site of recording (about 2 mm away) are probably much lower than these. This effect of NE perfusion was seen both in kittens which had received prior 6‐OHDA treatment as well as in older animals which had outgrown the susceptible period. In the kittens we obtained a nearly complete shift in ocular dominance toward the open eye and in the older animals a decrease in binocularity was obtained. The changes were found only in the local region of visual cortex perfused with either NE or 6‐OHDA, while nearby cortical regions in the same animals were unaffected. There were no obvious changes in receptive field properties of individual neurons other than ocularity, and externally perfused NE did not itself reduce binocularity in normal animals: the effects of NE described above only occurred when the animal's visual experience was simultaneously altered. These results support the view that NE plays an important role in cortical plasticity.
The Role of Bitcoin in Well Diversified Portfolios: A Comparative Global Study

Abstract This research explores the effects of adding bitcoin to an optimal portfolio (naive, long-only, semi-constrained with and without bitcoin shorting) by relying on the mean-CVaR approach. We explore bitcoin's role in portfolios of U.S., European and Chinese assets. We back-test to compare the performance of portfolios with and without bitcoin for each scenario. The results show that by adding bitcoin, the portfolio performance improves; but this is due more to the increase in returns than in the reduction of volatility. In addition, the improvement is linked to bitcoin's performance in 2013. We conclude that bitcoin may have a role in portfolio diversification even though our analysis confirms bitcoin speculative characteristics.
Impulsiveness, serotonin genes and repetition of deliberate self-harm (DSH)

Background. Few studies have investigated independent associations of psychological, biological and social variables with repeated deliberate self-harm (DSH). Serotonin function has been linked to impulsive and suicidal behaviour and genetic polymorphisms have been identified within the serotonin system that could account for this link. This study tested hypotheses linking impulsiveness, genetic polymorphisms of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) and the 5-HT2c receptor and repeated DSH. Methods. Individuals presenting after DSH were interviewed, completed personality questionnaires and gave venous blood samples. Genotypes were determined for TPH intron7 and 5-HT2c (cys-ser) polymorphisms. Follow-up to identify repetition of DSH was for 1 year. Results. Males with the 5-HT2c serine variant were more impulsive than those with the cysteine variant (0·39 standardized units, P = 0·041, 95% CI 0·017 to 0·076). There was no association between impulsiveness and the TPH intron7 polymorphism overall but a weak association with the L allele in men (0·41 standardized units, P = 0·05, 95% CI 0·001 to 0·82). Impulsiveness, although high in the group as a whole, did not distinguish those who repeated DSH. Conclusions. The personality trait of impulsiveness may in part be related to genotypes of the 5-HT2c receptor and TPH gene in men. Impulsiveness does not differ between those who do and do not repeat DSH.
Is Proprietary Trading Detrimental to Retail Investors?: Is Proprietary Trading Detrimental to Retail Investors?

We study a conflict of interest faced by universal banks that conduct proprietary trading alongside their retail banking services. Our dataset contains the stock holdings of each and every German bank and of their corresponding retail clients. We investigate (i) whether banks deliberately push stocks from their proprietary portfolios into their retail customer portfolios, (ii) whether those stocks subsequently underperform, and (iii) whether retail customers of banks with proprietary trading earn lower long-term portfolio returns than their peers. We present affirmative evidence on all three questions and conclude that proprietary trading can, in fact, be very detrimental to retail investors.
Control of diarrhoeal diseases: WHO's programme takes shape.

In 1975 about 500 million episodes of diarrhea in children below age 5 were estimated in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The diarrhea episodes resulted in 5 to 18 million deaths, which is comparable to the situation in the industrialized countries at the end of the 19th century. Over 1/3 of the beds in children's hospitals or wards in developing countries are occupied by cases of diarrhea receiving expensive antibiotics and intravenous fluid. Despite widespread awareness of this problem, a definite commitment for dealing with it has been lacking. The World Health Organization (WHO) has undertaken to expand its multidisciplinary program for the control of acute diarrheal diseases. This program complements and supports other WHO efforts in primary health care and overall health development. The Advisory Group which met in Geneva during May 1978 reviewed the various strategies that might be included in WHO's program for diarrheal diseases control. The Group recommended that the program should focus on the management of acute diarrheas, nutrition of the child and mother, water supply, sanitation and food hygiene, epidemiological surveillance, and health education. 1 of the main conclusions of the Group was that oral rehydration therapy was a strategy that could be put into effect now with the available means and have an immediate and far-reaching impact. The mechanisms envisaged for program implementation is for WHO to work with national authorities as partners in all stages of their program development.