Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors related to 24-hour perioperative cardiac arrest in geriatric patients in a Thai university hospital.

BACKGROUND As a site of the Thai Anesthesia Incidents Study (THAI Study) of anesthetic adverse outcome, the authors continued the institutional data collection to determine the incidence and factors related to 24-hour perioperative cardiac arrest in geriatric patients (aged 65 years and over) representing a Thai university hospital. MATERIAL AND METHOD Between July 1, 2003 and March 31, 2007, an anesthesia registry was conducted at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. Anesthesiologists and anesthesia residents were requested to record perioperative variables and adverse outcomes including 24-hour perioperative cardiac arrest on a structural data record form. Univariable analysis was used to identify factors related to 24-hour perioperative cardiac arrest. A multivariable generalized linear regression for risk ratio was used to investigate independent factors with significant association to 24-hour perioperative cardiac arrest. A forward stepwise algorithm was chosen. A p-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS Among 54,419 cases in the registry, 8,905 geriatric patients underwent a non-cardiac surgery under anesthesia. Thirty-six patients experienced cardiac arrest. The incidence of intra-operative cardiac arrest, within 24 hours postoperative cardiac arrest, and overall 24-hours perioperative cardiac arrest were 18:10000 (mortality rate of 62.5%), 22.5:10000 (mortality rate of 90%), and 40.4:10000 (mortality rate of 77.8%), respectively. By multivariable analysis, age of 76-85 [RR 2.6 (95% CI: 1.2,5.4)], age > or = 86 [RR 4.4 (95% CI: 1.7, 11.8)], recent respiratory failure [RR 6.6 (95% CI: 1.9, 22.3)], ASA physical status 3-5 [RR 19.9 (95% CI: 4.6, 86)], emergency surgery [RR 2.8 (95% CI: 1.4, 5.6)], intrathoracic surgery [RR 3.7 (95% CI: 1.4, 9.9)], upper abdominal surgery [RR 2.8 (95% CI: 1.3, 5.7)], and administration of ketamine [RR 5.4 (95%CI: 1.8, 15.9)] were factors related to 24-hour perioperative cardiac arrest. CONCLUSION The incidence of 24-hourperioperative cardiac arrest of geriatric patients in a Thai university in the present study was 40.4:10000 anesthetics, which was comparable to others with high mortality rate. Risk factors for 24-hour perioperative cardiac arrest were older age, ASA physical status 3-5, emergency surgery, intrathoracic surgery, upper abdominal surgery, recent respiratory failure, and administration of ketamine. Pre-anesthetic evaluation is important for finding the risks and optimal preparation for preventing perioperative cardiac arrest in these aging patients.
Radiographic, computed tomographic and arthroscopic findings in 23 dogs with osteochondrosis of the tarsocrural joint

Twenty-three dogs with osteochondrosis of the tarsocrural joint were evaluated by radiography, computed tomography (Cr) and arthroscopy. The radiographic examination included an extended and flexed mediolateral, a plantarodorsal, a flexed dorsoplantar skyline view, and a plantaromedial-dorsolateral and a plantarolateral-dorsomedial view (two oblique views). The cT examination was carried out in ventral recumbency and 1 mm slices were taken with a bone window setting; 31 lesions were identified in the 46 joints examined. The arthroscopic exploration used either a plantar or a dorsal puncture, depending on the site of the lesion. In six cases the lateral, and in 17 cases the medial trochlear ridge was involved. Although the survey radiographs were sufficient to make a diagnosis, the cT examination helped to determine the exact site, and the number and size of the fragments of bone. A four-stage classification system comparable to the one used in man was established. Arthroscopy provided information about synovial inflammation and damage to the joint cartilage, and made it possible to remove fragments of bone from one-third of the cases.
Measuring Physicians’ Performance in Clinical Practice: Reliability, Classification Accuracy, and Validity

Much research has been devoted to addressing challenges in achieving reliable assessments of physicians’ clinical performance but less work has focused on whether valid and accurate classification decisions are feasible. This study used 957 physicians certified in internal medicine (IM) or a subspecialty, who completed the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Diabetes Practice Improvement Module (PIM). Ten clinical and two patient-experience measures were aggregated into a composite measure. The composite measure score was highly reliable (r = .91) and classification accuracy was high across the entire score scale (>0.90), which indicated that it is possible to differentiate high-performing and low-performing physicians. Physicians certified in endocrinology and those who scored higher on their IM certification examination had higher composite scores, providing some validity evidence. In summary, it is feasible to create a psychometrically robust composite measure of physicians’ clinical performance, specifically for the quality of care they provide to patients with diabetes.
Comparison of the 2‐step tuberculin skin test and the quantiFERON‐TB gold in‐tube test for the screening of tuberculosis infection before liver transplantation

The ability of interferon‐γ release assays (IGRAs) to detect latent tuberculosis (TB) infection before liver transplantation (LT) is not well established. The aims of this study were (1) to compare the ability of the tuberculin skin test (TST) and the QuantiFERON‐TB Gold In‐Tube (QFT‐IT) test (a whole‐blood IGRA) to diagnose latent TB infections in patients awaiting LT and (2) to correlate the results with the severity of liver disease. We conducted a prospective, cross‐sectional study of patients who were evaluated for LT between July 2008 and July 2010. The 95 patients who were included underwent the 2‐step TST and the QFT‐IT test. The mean Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score was 13.8. Forty‐four patients (46.3%) had positive TST results, 42 (44.2%) had positive QFT‐IT results, and 2 (2.1%) had indeterminate QFT‐IT results. Simultaneous TST and QFT‐IT testing yielded a positivity rate of 55.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 45.3‐65.9] with either test, and the 2‐step TST yielded a positivity rate of 46.3% (95% CI = 36.1‐56.8); the difference was 9.5% (P = 0.004). In an adjusted analysis, the rates for positive TST results were lower in patients with MELD scores ≥18 [odds ratio (OR) = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.04‐0.7], lower in Child‐Pugh‐Turcotte (CPT) class C patients versus CPT class A patients (OR = 0.1, 95% CI = 0.02‐0.6), and higher in males (OR = 6.4, 95% CI = 1.9‐22.0). In contrast, only being male (OR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.1‐11.0) was associated with positive QFT‐IT results; no association was found with the MELD score (OR = 0.8, 95% CI = 0.2‐2.8) or the CPT class (OR = 0.3; 0.05‐1.4). In conclusion, the QFT‐IT test is better than the TST for detecting latent TB infection in patients with more advanced liver disease. Our results support the regular use of the QFT‐IT test for screening patients with end‐stage liver disease for latent TB infection before LT. Liver Transpl 17:1205–1211, 2011. © 2011 AASLD.
The Federal Budget Outlook: No News Is Bad News

We present new estimates of the budget outlook, incorporating the latest projections by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Although the official budget figures have improved relative to a year ago (primarily as a result of last summer’s debt-limit deal and lower interest rate projections), realistic budget projections show that the medium-term outlook remains troublesome and the long-term outlook remains unsustainable. Even with the economy recovering fully by 2018, as projected by CBO, a path following current policy with respect to taxes and spending (for example, by making the Bush tax cuts permanent and indexing the alternative minimum tax for inflation) will result in deficits close to $10 trillion (5 percent of GDP) over the next decade, with the debt-to-GDP ratio nearing 90 percent by 2022 and continuing to rise thereafter. CBO estimates that the Administration’s budget proposal would place the debt-to-GDP ratio at about 76 percent by the end of the ten-year budget window. The long-term budget outlook is sensitive to assumptions about how health care spending will respond to recent legislation. Assuming that current policy holds for the next decade, the long-term fiscal gap ranges between 6.0 percent and 10.4 percent of GDP, depending on the assumed growth rate of health care outlays. Policymakers and the public will eventually be forced to address these issues. Although a still-weak economy limits the scope for large adjustments in the very short term, addressing this long-term imbalance sooner rather than later will allow for more reasonable and gradual adjustments.
Leptin as a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer prevention and treatment

Importance of the field: Obesity is considered to be an important risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer. Elevated estrogen levels are thought to be a growth factor associated with this relationship. However, there is increasing evidence that factors produced directly in adipose tissue, adipokines, can also affect breast cancer development. Leptin is one of the adipokines that is measured in serum/plasma in increasing amounts as body weight/body fat increases. Areas covered in this review: We highlight important aspects of leptin in relationship to mammary/breast tumor development. This includes findings from human, in vitro and animal studies. Information on leptin-related compounds which may have therapeutic use is presented. Additionally strategies to alter serum leptin levels by dietary and pharmacological interventions are discussed. What the reader will gain: The reader will gain insights into the relationship of an adipose tissue protein and its potential role in breast cancer development as well as ways to intervene in leptin's actions. Take home message: Continued research will determine if interfering with the action of leptin has preventive or therapeutic applications in breast cancer.
Good neighbours matter: economic geography and the diffusion of human rights

ABSTRACT Using multi-country panel data, this paper investigates the geopolitical and economic aspects of human rights performance. Human rights performance depends on the relative levels of economic development and spatial proximity to ‘good’ and ‘bad’ neighbours. The paper tests for basic effects of income, and applies spatial weighting models, to analyse the neighbours’ impact on human rights levels, treating this impact as partly endogenous. It takes into account size and distance when comparing each country’s human rights performance with what would be predicted from a weighted average of its neighbours’ performance. There are (1) geographical clusters and (2) size and proximity effects for human rights performance.
The pattern electroretinogram

We report a 2-year prospective study of the electroretinographic response to reversal of checkerboard patterns (P-ERG) obtained in 63 eyes with acute optic nerve lesions. The aim of the study was to document the value of P-ERG regarding diagnosis and prognosis of four types of optic neuropathy: optic neuritis, compressive or hereditary optic atrophy, and traumatic optic neuropathy. We documented visual loss by neuro-ophthalmologic examination and recorded pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (P-VEP). The initial P-ERG was normal to large- and medium-sized checks in 89% and the P-VEP abnormal in 94% of eyes with acute optic nerve lesions. Forty-six eyes were followed for up to 2 years. Two groups emerged. Group A (n = 17) gradually and permanently had significant reduction of the P-ERG to three separate check sizes. All 17 had no improvement in acuity better than 20/100, retained centrocecal scotomas, and developed optic atrophy. In group B (n = 29) the P-ERG remained within normal limits to one or more check sizes. Twenty-two of these eyes recovered acuity to 20/25 or better and had resolution of the field defect. The data showed that P-VEP was superior to P-ERG in diagnosis of acute and chronic optic nerve lesions. However, significant reduction of the b-wave of the P-ERG to three separate check sizes correlated closely with failure of visual recovery and the eventual development of severe optic atrophy, suggesting a prognostic value for P-ERG in optic neuropathy.
Discrimination, symptoms of depression, and self-rated health among african american women in detroit: results from a longitudinal analysis.

OBJECTIVES Our understanding of the relationships between perceived discrimination and health was limited by the cross-sectional design of most previous studies. We examined the longitudinal association of self-reported everyday discrimination with depressive symptoms and self-rated general health. METHODS Data came from 2 waves (1996 and 2001) of the Eastside Village Health Worker Partnership survey, a community-based participatory survey of African American women living on Detroit's east side (n=343). We use longitudinal models to test the hypothesis that a change in everyday discrimination over time is associated with a change in self-reported symptoms of depression (positive) and on self-reported general health status (negative). RESULTS We found that a change over time in discrimination was significantly associated with a change over time in depressive symptoms (positive) (b=0.125; P<.001) and self-rated general health (negative) (b=-0.163; P<.05) independent of age, education, or income. CONCLUSIONS The results reported here are consistent with the hypothesis that everyday encounters with discrimination are causally associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes. In this sample of African American women, this association holds above and beyond the effects of income and education.
Comparison of Cell Cycle Arrest, Transactivation, and Apoptosis Induced by the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus SIVagm and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 vpr Genes

ABSTRACT All primate lentiviruses known to date contain one or two open reading frames with homology to the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vpr gene. HIV-1 vpr encodes a 96-amino-acid protein with multiple functions in the viral life cycle. These functions include modulation of the viral replication kinetics, transactivation of the long terminal repeat, participation in the nuclear import of preintegration complexes, induction of G2arrest, and induction of apoptosis. The simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) that infects African green monkeys (SIVagm) contains avpr homologue, which encodes a 118-amino-acid protein. SIVagm vpr is structurally and functionally related to HIV-1 vpr. The present study focuses on how three specific functions (transactivation, induction of G2 arrest, and induction of apoptosis) are related to one another at a functional level, for HIV-1 and SIVagm vpr. While our study supports previous reports demonstrating a causal relationship between induction of G2 arrest and transactivation for HIV-1 vpr, we demonstrate that the same is not true for SIVagm vpr. Transactivation by SIVagm vpr is independent of cell cycle perturbation. In addition, we show that induction of G2arrest is necessary for the induction of apoptosis by HIV-1vpr but that the induction of apoptosis by SIVagmvpr is cell cycle independent. Finally, while SIVagmvpr retains its transactivation function in human cells, it is unable to induce G2 arrest or apoptosis in such cells, suggesting that the cytopathic effects of SIVagm vpr are species specific. Taken together, our results suggest that while the multiple functions of vpr are conserved between HIV-1 and SIVagm, the mechanisms leading to the execution of such functions are divergent.
Hypoglycemic Symptoms and Frequency of Severe Hypoglycemia in Patients Treated With Human and Animal Insulin Preparations

Objectives To compare hypoglycemic warning symptoms (main objective) and incidence of severe hypoglycemia (secondary objective) between patients treated with animal and human insulin preparations. Research Design And Methods Two hundred forty-seven patients on treatment with animal insulin preparations and 276 patients on human insulins, matched for duration of diabetes (16 ± 11 vs. 15 ± 10 yr), were recruited for the study. Patients were interviewed with a standardized questionnaire. Results When asked which symptom usually occurs first during hypoglycemia, 19% of the animal insulin group and 22% of the human insulin group answered “sweating,” 19 and 17%, respectively, answered “trembling,” and 15 and 11%, respectively, answered “unrest. ” According to the patients' perception, in both groups, their most reliable hypoglycemic warning symptoms were “trembling” (26 and 22%) and “sweating” (15 and 18%). Six and eight percent of patients, respectively, reported hypoglycemia unawareness and 17 and 18%, respectively, impaired awareness of hypoglycemia. The incidence of severe hypoglycemia was 0.45 cases/patient-yr in patients treated with animal insulins and 0.46 cases/patient-yr in patients treated with human insulin preparations. The differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions This study shows that hypoglycemic warning symptoms and the incidence of severe hypoglycemia are comparable between patients on treatment with human and animal insulin preparations.
Spontaneous Extensive Necrosis in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Prevalence and Clinical Significance

Purpose We studied the prevalence of spontaneous extensive necrosis in the nodes of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphomas and assessed the clinical significance of this finding. Method CT and MRI performed before initiation of radiation or chemotherapy were reviewed in 60 consecutive patients with non-Hodgkin lymphomas to evaluate the presence or absence of spontaneous extensive necrosis in the lymphomatous nodes. The results were correlated with histopathologic grading, stages of lymphomas, maximal axial diameters of the lesions, International Prognostic Index (IPI), age, and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. We then performed Kaplan-Meier analysis of disease-free survival using each factor. Results Extensive necrotic nodes that appeared as rim-enhanced masses on enhanced CT or MR images were found in 15 patients (25%), of whom 10 patients had pathologic verification. The patients with necrosis had significantly higher stages (Stage II or higher), greater IPI (IPI of ≥2), and higher serum LDH levels than those without necrosis (p = 0.001, p = 0.005, and p = 0.005, respectively). With the Kaplan-Meier method, a statistically significant difference was noted for serum LDH levels (p = 0.015) and IPI (p = 0.021) but not for extensive necrosis (p = 0.600). Conclusion Spontaneous extensive necrosis in lymphomatous nodes is not a rare event. This finding may have a prognostic significance for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
Multi-Domain Aspect Extraction Using Support Vector Machines

This paper describes a system to extract aspect categories for the task of aspect based sentiment analysis. This system can extract both implicit and explicit aspects. We propose a one-vs-rest Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier preceded by a state of the art preprocessing pipeline. We present the use of mean embeddings as a feature along with two other new features to significantly improve the accuracy of the SVM classifier. This solution is extensible to customer reviews in different domains. Our results outperform the best recorded F1 score in the SemEval-2016 Task 5 dataset consisting of customer reviews from restaurant and laptop domains.
Does Endogeneity in Causal Relationships Matter: A Case of Board Independence and Firm’s Market Valuation

Abstract The credibility and rectitude of monitoring effectiveness of non-executive (outside) directors has been highly discussed in the past academia. In this light, the present research involves the testing of endogeneity in the relationship between board independence and firm performance as proxied by firm market valuation. It has utilized the multimethodological approach on the data set of top corporates listed in Indian context. Notably, the application of pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) (static as well as dynamic), fixed effects regression, and system generalized method of moments (GMM) approach under dynamic modeling methodologies has demonstrated varying effects, which in turn, too provide manifestation of the predilection for dynamic system GMM, dynamic pooled OLS, and fixed effects over static pooled OLS. Findings of the research have ultimately concluded insignificant relationship between board independence and firm value. This effect remained robust even after controlling for the effect of board size. The implications of the insignificant board independence–firm value relationship have also been discussed and, thereby, offer useful directions to the regulators and policymakers.
Antibodies Against the Current Influenza A(H1N1) Vaccine Strain Do Not Protect Some Individuals From Infection With Contemporary Circulating Influenza A(H1N1) Virus Strains

Abstract During the 2013–2014 influenza season, nearly all circulating 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus (A[H1N1]pdm09) strains possessed an antigenically important mutation in hemagglutinin (K166Q). Here, we performed hemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) assays, using sera collected from 382 individuals prior to the 2013–2014 season, and we determined whether HAI titers were associated with protection from A(H1N1)pdm09 infection. Protection was associated with HAI titers against an A(H1N1)pdm09 strain possessing the K166Q mutation but not with HAI titers against the current A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccine strain, which lacks this mutation. These data indicate that contemporary A(H1N1)pdm09 strains are antigenically distinct from the current A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccine strain.
Homologous Recombination Deficiency and Platinum-Based Therapy Outcomes in Advanced Breast Cancer

Purpose: Recent studies have identified mutation signatures of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) in over 20% of breast cancers, as well as pancreatic, ovarian, and gastric cancers. There is an urgent need to understand the clinical implications of HRD signatures. Whereas BRCA1/2 mutations confer sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapies, it is not yet clear whether mutation signatures can independently predict platinum response. Experimental Design: In this observational study, we sequenced tumor whole genomes (100× depth) and matched normals (60×) of 93 advanced-stage breast cancers (33 platinum-treated). We computed a published metric called HRDetect, independently trained to predict BRCA1/2 status, and assessed its capacity to predict outcomes on platinum-based chemotherapies. Clinical endpoints were overall survival (OS), total duration on platinum-based therapy (TDT), and radiographic evidence of clinical improvement (CI). Results: HRDetect predicted BRCA1/2 status with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.94 and optimal threshold of 0.7. Elevated HRDetect was also significantly associated with CI on platinum-based therapy (AUC = 0.89; P = 0.006) with the same optimal threshold, even after adjusting for BRCA1/2 mutation status and treatment timing. HRDetect scores over 0.7 were associated with a 3-month extended median TDT (P = 0.0003) and 1.3-year extended median OS (P = 0.04). Conclusions: Our findings not only independently validate HRDetect, but also provide the first evidence of its association with platinum response in advanced breast cancer. We demonstrate that HRD mutation signatures may offer clinically relevant information independently of BRCA1/2 mutation status and hope this work will guide the development of clinical trials. Clin Cancer Res; 23(24); 7521–30. ©2017 AACR.