Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Associations between Apolipoprotein E Gene Polymorphism and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 and Atherogenic Lipid Profile in Dialysis Patients

Background. Apolipoprotein-E (ApoE) gene polymorphism has an important role in lipoprotein metabolism and could participate in the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is also regarded as a risk factor for CVD. The aim of the present study is to further investigate the possible link(s) between ApoE gene polymorphism and plasma PAI-1 antigen and serum lipid profile in peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD) patients. Material and Methods. We studied 72 PD patients (38 female, mean age 49.9 ± 16.1 years), 72 HD patients (22 female, mean age 57.4 ± 14.6 years), and 42 healthy subjects (21 female, mean age 50.1 ± 18.6 years). Serum lipid parameters, plasma PAI-1 levels, and ApoE genotypes were determined in all subjects. Results. The distribution of ApoE genotypes and alleles frequencies was similar in dialysis patients and healthy controls. In PD patients, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-C, and ApoB levels were significantly higher than that of HD patients. HD patients with E3/4 genotype had elevated TC, LDL-C and ApoB levels compared with E3/3 genotype. TC and triglyceride levels were also higher in E3/4 genotype than that of E2/3 genotype. PD and HD patients showed a significantly increased PAI-1 levels compared with controls, whereas PAI-1 levels were highest in HD patients. There was no significant relation between ApoE genotypes and PAI-1 levels. Conclusions. The present study suggests that ApoE polymorphism significantly affects serum lipid profile in HD patients and ε4 allele carriers are more susceptible to have atherogenic lipid profile.
Mediating Role of Entrepreneurship in Explaining the Association Between Income Inequality and Regional Economic Performance

This research aims to examine whether income inequality affects economic performance at the regional level, which is mediated by entrepreneurship. By considering hierarchical preferences in consumption, it assumes that income inequality has a negative influence on regional economic growth because it lowers the incentive to innovate. Using a structural equation model, the effect of income inequality on regional economic performance, as well as the mediating effect of entrepreneurship, is tested. The results show that income inequality negatively affects both entrepreneurship and economic growth. This result suggests that insufficient demand for new products/services hampers entrepreneurial activities as well as regional economic performance. The findings contribute to the field, highlighting that entrepreneurship mediates between income inequality and economic performance based on demands.
Safety of infliximab for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease: current understanding of the potential for serious adverse events

Introduction: Infliximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody directed towards TNF-α, has revolutionized the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Since this therapy suppresses the immune system by neutralizing the immunological activity of TNF, concerns exist regarding the potential for infection, malignancy and immune disorders. Areas covered: Comprehensive data from randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses and cohort studies have defined the risk of infection and malignancy with infliximab. Additional data regarding associations with immune disorders, such as drug-induced lupus, demyelinating syndromes and psoriaform skin disease have emerged, primarily from case reports. We report evidence from the most robust data sources that have examined these adverse events. Expert opinion: A modest increase in the incidence of serious infection with infliximab and TNF-antagonists has been observed in methodologically rigorous studies. Combination therapy with an immunosuppressant does not confer a higher risk of serious infection than infliximab monotherapy. TNF-antagonist therapy alone with an immunosuppressant is not associated with higher rates of malignancy. Additional data are required to define causality, the magnitude and determinants of risk for other immune-related complications. Available data suggest the therapeutic index of infliximab is favorable for treatment of moderate-to-severe IBD.
Physician‐Assisted Suicide Attitudes of Older Mexican‐American and Non‐Hispanic White Adults: Does Ethnicity Make a Difference?

Little is known about attitudes toward physician‐assisted suicide (PAS) in various ethnic groups. This study compares attitudes held by older Mexican Americans and non‐Hispanic whites and examines subject characteristics that may influence their responses. A convenience sample of 100 older Mexican Americans and 108 non‐Hispanic whites (n=208) aged 60 to 89 were recruited from four primary care community‐based practice sites in San Antonio, Texas. Interview items measured attitudes toward PAS, cognitive status, functional status, and religiosity.
Phase I and pharmacokinetic study of the oral fluoropyrimidine capecitabine in combination with paclitaxel in patients with advanced solid malignancies.

PURPOSE To evaluate the feasibility of administering the oral fluoropyrimidine capecitabine in combination with paclitaxel, to characterize the principal toxicities of the combination, to recommend doses for subsequent disease-directed studies, and to determine whether significant pharmacokinetic interactions occur between these agents when combined. PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty-six courses of capecitabine and paclitaxel were administered to 17 patients in a two-stage dose-escalation study. Paclitaxel was administered as a 3-hour intravenous (IV) infusion every 3 weeks, and capecitabine was administered continuously as two divided daily doses. During stage I, capecitabine was escalated to a target dose of 1,657 mg/m(2)/d, whereas the paclitaxel dose was fixed at 135 mg/m(2). In stage II, paclitaxel was increased to a target dose of 175 mg/m(2), and the capecitabine dose was the maximum established in stage I. Pharmacokinetics were characterized for each drug when given alone and concurrently. RESULTS Myelosuppression, predominately neutropenia, was the principal dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). Other toxicities included hand-foot syndrome, diarrhea, hyperbilirubinemia, skin rash, myalgia, and arthralgia. Two patients treated with capecitabine 1,657 mg/m(2)/d and paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) developed DLTs, whereas none of six patients treated with capecitabine 1,331 mg/m(2)/d and paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) developed DLTs during course 1. Pharmacokinetic studies indicated that capecitabine and paclitaxel did not affect the pharmacokinetic behavior of each other. No major antitumor responses were noted. CONCLUSION Recommended combination doses of continuous capecitabine and paclitaxel are capecitabine 1,331 mg/m(2)/d and paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2)/d IV every 3 weeks. Favorable preclinical mechanistic interactions between capecitabine and paclitaxel, as well as an acceptable toxicity profile without clinically relevant pharmacokinetic interactions, support the performance of disease-directed evaluations of this combination.
The geography of openness to foreign trade in Poland: The role of special economic zones and foreign-owned entities

Abstract The aim of this paper is to present the spatial distribution of openness to foreign trade assessed at the local level (LAU 1, poviats) in Poland, between 2005 and 2012, with particular reference to its two determinants: activity of foreign-owned enterprises (FOEs) and functioning of special economic zones (SEZs). With the use of data from different sources, including the foreign trade statistics for the Polish regions, constituting a set of indicators on openness to foreign trade, we deliberate on the determinants and the character of regional openness, as well as the quality of the proxies used in order to assess their spatial distribution. Our results indicate high regional dissimilarities in terms of export activity, correlated with the broader picture of regional inequalities. The role of FOEs has been crucial in determining the spatial distribution of exports. As regards the SEZs, their sole contribution increased significantly during the time span. In the times of the world financial crisis, the export performance diversity of poviats increased temporarily but diminished afterwards.
Structure of a hydroxymycolic acid potentially involved in the synthesis of oxygenated mycolic acids of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

Mycolic acids are believed to play a crucial role in the architecture of the mycobacterial envelope. However, very few steps of their biosynthetic pathway have yet been elucidated. We previously isolated [Dubnau, E. , Lanéelle, M. A. , Soares, S. , Bénichou, A. , Vaz, T. , Promé, D. , Promé, J. C. , Daffé, M. & Quémard, A. (1997) Mycobacterium bovis BCG genes involved in the biosynthesis of cyclopropyl keto- and hydroxy-mycolic acids, Mol. Microbiol. 23, 313-322] a gene cluster from Mycobacterium bovis BCG, cmaA-D, which confers upon M. smegmatis the ability to synthesize cyclopropanated ketomycolic acid, and a new type of mycolic acid which is hydroxylated. A meticulous analysis of all the mycolic-like fatty acids of M. bovis BCG and M. tuberculosis showed that these organisms produce small amounts of the hydroxymycolic acid. The structure of this molecule, determined by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and stereochemical studies, strongly suggests that there is a direct biosynthetic relationship between the keto- and the hydroxy-mycolic acids.
The Differential Impact of Minimum Wage on Employment across the EU Regions

Several studies have shown that prices differ across regions and affect standards of living substantially. This thesis investigates whether they cause the differential impact of minimum wage on employment and hours of work across the European Union NUTS 2 regions. Based on the existing regional price estimates of 7 European Union countries and publicly available aggregate regional data, estimates of regional price levels for another 11 European Union countries with minimum wage are obtained. The method that was used for this purpose (multiple imputation) enables to use the resulting estimates as an explanatory variable in another regression as it takes into consideration using imputed instead of observed values by correcting the variances of parameter coefficients. The impacts of minimum wage are investigated for 3 groups of people who are at risk of being affected by its increase young adults (15-19 years), low-educated individuals and low-skilled individuals. The results indicate that the minimum wage has a negative impact on employment that is higher in regions with higher price levels. The negative effect of minimum wage on hours of work was not confirmed. JEL Classification E24, E31, J23, J30, R10, R15
Role for KAP1 Serine 824 Phosphorylation and Sumoylation/Desumoylation Switch in Regulating KAP1-mediated Transcriptional Repression*

As a multifunctional protein, KRAB domain-associated protein 1 (KAP1) is reportedly subjected to multiple protein posttranslational modifications, including phosphorylation and sumoylation. However, gaps exist in our knowledge of how KAP1 phosphorylation cross-talks with KAP1 sumoylation and what the biological consequence is. Here, we show that doxorubicin (Dox) treatment induces KAP1 phosphorylation at Ser-824 via an ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)-dependent manner, correlating with the transcriptional de-repression of p21WAF1/CIP1 and Gadd45α. A S824A substitution of KAP1, which ablates the ATM-induced phosphorylation, results in an increase of KAP1 sumoylation and repression of p21 transcription in Dox-treated cells. By contrast, a S824D mutation of KAP1, which mimics constitutive phosphorylation of KAP1, leads to a decrease of KAP1 sumoylation and stimulation of p21 transcription before the exposure of Dox. We further provide evidence that SENP1 deSUMOylase is involved in activating basal, but not Dox-induced, KAP1 Ser-824 phosphorylation, rendering a stimulation of p21 and Gadd45α transcription. Moreover, KAP1 and differential sumoylation of KAP1 were also demonstrated to fine-tune the transcription of three additional KAP1-targeted genes, including Bax, Puma, and Noxa. Taken together, our results suggest a novel role for ATM that selectively stimulates KAP1 Ser-824 phosphorylation to repress its sumoylation, leading to the de-repression of expression of a subset of genes involved in promoting cell cycle control and apoptosis in response to genotoxic stresses.
Like Father Like Son? Revisiting the Role of Parental Education in Estimating Returns to Education in China

Parental education has been used as an instrument in the earnings equation to deal with the endogeneity problem of education. Recently, however, many have found that parental education can be a proxy for unobservable networking, which directly affects wages. This article revisits the role of parental education in estimating returns to education by introducing the “geographical isolation” theory. For migrant workers who receive an education and move around to work, parental education affects their education but otherwise is unrelated to their wages, which makes parental education a good instrument in the instrumental variable approach. For local residents who stay in the same place during childhood and adulthood, parental education can directly affect their wages, and is better introduced as a proxy variable using the control variable method. This article identifies the heterogeneous effect of parental education on wages for different Chinese cohorts and contributes to the debate between the control variable and instrumental variable methods in returns to education studies. Moreover, the idea of geographic isolation can help in the search for good instrumental variables for migrant workers, which is valuable when studying the large migrant population in developing countries such as Mexico, China, India, Vietnam, and many African countries.
Survival of resectable pancreatic cancer patients with diabetes.

4098 Background: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States. Determining modifiable prognostic factors may be a key step in improving outcomes of these patients with overall poor survival. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is often associated with diabetes. Our aim is to determine whether diabetes worsens disease specific mortality in resectable pancreatic cancer patients. METHODS In this study, we reviewed 298 patients with resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma in our surgical database at MD Anderson Cancer Center between August 1992 and July 2003. Patients were classified into diabetics (N = 87) (defined as those carrying the diagnosis of diabetes (DM) at time of presentation or on long term therapy for DM) and nondiabetics (N = 211). Univariate (log-rank) and Multivariate (Cox Regression) analyses were performed. RESULTS Compared to nondiabetics, patients with DM had a poorer overall survival with a median survival of 19.8 vs 29.2 months (p = 0.01). On multivariate analysis, correcting for known poor prognosticators in resectable patients: staging, histologic tumor differentiation and retroperitoneal margin status, diabetes was a significant independent risk factor for increased overall mortality (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.15-2.07, p = 0.004). Disease-specific mortality was also higher in diabetics vs. non-diabetics with a median survival of 29.87 vs. 21.47 months (OR 1.37 95% CI 1.00-1.89 p = 0.048). Stage specific mortality was also higher among diabetics. Potential etiologies will be discussed. CONCLUSIONS Diabetes worsens disease specific and overall mortality in patients with pancreatic cancer. Diabetes may be a modifiable risk factor and should be considered while prognosticating patients with resectable pancreatic cancer. Further studies are needed to determine whether treatment of diabetes improves outcomes. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
An innovative strategy for promoting research and publication activity among academics

After an analysis of the views and attitudes of 600 pupils, 538 parents and twentyone schoolteachers in Zimbabwe, the study revealed that although most professionals are against the use of corporal punishment there are still a significant number of parents and teachers who feel that the use of corporal punishment in schools should continue. However, almost all the pupils surveyed would like to see corporal punishment abolished. Recommendations for alternatives to corporal punishment are put forward.
Parenting, autonomy and self-care of adolescents with Type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND During adolescence diabetes creates a juncture of very complex disease management demands with developmental needs, including the striving of adolescents for greater autonomy. Parents' concerns and fears about the teen's diabetes self-management abilities during this time can heighten parental attachment behaviour and affect the parents' ability to support autonomy development necessary for effective self-care. Maternal parenting processes may be especially important for those adolescents who have Type 1 diabetes because mothers are the primary caregivers. PURPOSE Based on attachment theory, the aim was to test a model of the influence of mother-adolescent developmental conflict, maternal separation anxiety and maternal inhibition of autonomy and relatedness on cognitive autonomy and self-care of adolescents with Type 1 diabetes. METHOD A total of 131 families with an adolescent, aged 11-15 years, contributed data annually across three waves. Mothers and adolescents completed paper-and-pencil measures and two interaction scenarios that were coded by trained staff from audio-tapes. The adolescent also completed a structured interview and questionnaire to assess self-care. RESULTS Maternal separation anxiety when adolescents were 11-15 years of age directly predicted cognitive autonomy at 1-year follow-up, and that cognitive autonomy was directly related to self-care 1 year later, but did not mediate between separation anxiety and self-care. CONCLUSIONS Future investigation of the influence of separation anxiety of parents on adolescent autonomy development is warranted, as well as the contribution of autonomy development to diabetes self-management behaviours of adolescents.
Fluid Replacement Attenuates Physiological Strain Resulting From Mild Hypohydration Without Impacting Cognitive Performance.

PURPOSE The impact of mild hypohydration on physiological responses and cognitive performance following exercise-heat stress (EHS) were examined compared with conditions when fluids were ingested ad libitum (AL) or replaced to match sweat losses (FR). METHODS Twelve unacclimatized, recreationally-active men (22.2 ± 2.4 y) completed 50 min cycling (60%VO2peak) in the heat (32°C; 65% RH) under three conditions: no fluid (NF), AL, and FR. Before and after EHS, a cognitive battery was completed: Trail making, perceptual vigilance, pattern comparison, match-to-sample, and letter-digit recognition tests. RESULTS Hypohydration during NF was greater compared with AL and FR (NF: -1.5 ± 0.6; AL: -0.3 ± 0.8; FR: -0.1 ± 0.3% body mass loss) resulting in higher core temperature (by 0.4, 0.5 °C), heart rate (by 13 and 15 b·min-1), and physiological strain (by 1.3, 1.5) at the end of EHS compared with AL and FR, respectively. Cognitive performance (response time and accuracy) was not altered by fluid condition; however, mean response time improved (p < .05) for letter-digit recognition (by 56.7 ± 85.8 ms or 3.8%; p < .05) and pattern comparison (by 80.6 ± 57.4 ms or 7.1%; p < .001), but mean accuracy decreased in trail making (by 1.2 ± 1.4%; p = .01) after EHS (across all conditions). CONCLUSIONS For recreational athletes, fluid intake effectively mitigated physiological strain induced by mild hypohydration; however, mild hypohydration resulting from EHS elicited no adverse changes in cognitive performance.
FSHB ‐211G>T stratification for follicle‐stimulating hormone treatment of male infertility patients: making the case for a pharmacogenetic approach in genetic functional secondary hypogonadism

Male infertility contributes to a substantial share to couple infertility. Despite scientific efforts, most cases of male infertility remain ‘idiopathic’ and male‐specific therapeutic options are sparse. Given the crucial role of the follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) for spermatogenesis, FSH is used empirically to improve semen parameters. Furthermore, a recently updated Cochrane review points to a beneficial effect of FSH treatment in idiopathic infertile men on spontaneous pregnancy rates. However, since response to FSH varies strongly even in selected patients and given the lack of powerful evidence of FSH treatment regimens, intra‐cytoplasmic spermatozoa injection (ICSI) is widely used in idiopathic male infertility, though the treatment burden is high for the couple and it entails considerable costs and some risks. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within FSH ligand/receptor genes (FSHB/FSHR), significantly influencing reproductive parameters in men, represent promising candidates to serve as pharmacogenetic markers to improve prediction of response to FSH. However, there is an evident lack of information which patients should be treated and how many patients in an andrological outpatient clinic would be eligible for such a treatment, a crucial decision criterion for clinicians and also pharmaceutical industry to start such a pharmacogenetic intervention therapy. After screening our andrological patient cohort, we present a realistic scenario and a basis for further prospective studies using FSH in idiopathic infertile men.
WILLINGNESS TO ADOPT TECHNOLOGIES OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE: A CASE STUDY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

The idea of precision agriculture is to optimize production inputs (fertilizers, irrigation water, etc.) when trying to achieve desired harvest. More targeted use of inputs is expected to benefit for the environment, including quality of underground water. It can be said to contribute to reconciling a situation frequently occurring in watershed, where the need to sustain high quality of water resources has to be balanced with other interests related to land-use. Technologies are available. Nevertheless, availability of technologies is a precondition necessary, but not sufficient. As in other cases, their practical implementation is influenced by many socio-economic and cultural factors, making any application site-specific. This paper builds on results of a sociological questionnaire survey conducted in selected rural areas of the Czech Republic. It tries to respond to the question to which extent factors such as tradition, overall economic situation, economic power of a farm and personality of a farmer can be considered predictors for willingness of a farmer to adopt precision agriculture technologies.