Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A randomised comparison of an everolimus-eluting coronary stent with a paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent:the SPIRIT II trial.

BACKGROUND Everolimus has been successfully tested in humans using both an erodable and a durable polymer in small previous studies. METHODS This single blind multi-centre non-inferiority randomised (3:1) controlled trial evaluated the safety and performance of the XIENCE V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System (XIENCE V EECSS) versus the TAXUS Paclitaxel Eluting Coronary Stent System (TAXUS(R) PECSS) in the treatment of patients with a maximum of two de novo native coronary artery lesions located in two different epicardial vessels. Three hundred patients with evidence of myocardial ischaemia were allocated to stent implantation with an everolimus-eluting stent (n=223) or a paclitaxel-eluting stent (n=77). Suitable lesions had a diameter stenosis of <50-99%, a length of <28 mm, and a reference vessel diameter between 2.5 mm and 4.25 mm. The primary endpoint was in-stent late loss (LL) at 180 days. Percentage in-stent volume obstruction (%VO) was measured by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in a subset of 152 patients. Clinical secondary endpoints included ischaemia driven major adverse cardiac events (ID-MACE) at 180 days. RESULTS At 6 months, the in-stent LL was 0.11+/-0.27 mm in the everolimus-eluting stent arm, as compared to 0.36+/-0.39 mm in the paclitaxel-eluting stent arm (p<0.0001). Percentage VO in the everolimus-eluting stent arm was 2.5+/-4.7% versus 7.4+/-7.0% in the paclitaxel-eluting stent arm (p<0.0001). Hierarchical MACE was 2.7% (6/222) in the everolimus-eluting stent arm vs. 6.5% (5/77) in the paclitaxel-eluting stent arm. CONCLUSION This non-inferiority randomised trial not only met its primary endpoint, but also demonstrated the superiority of the everolimus-eluting stent over the paclitaxel-eluting stent in terms of in-stent late loss.
Socioeconomic factors and breast carcinoma in multicultural women

Breast carcinoma is the most common cancer in women in the U.S. and the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Furthermore, there are racial differences in breast carcinoma incidence, mortality, and survival rates. Social and economic factors within racial/ethnic groups are being examined as risk factors not only for breast carcinoma mortality and survival but also as determinants of the rate of incidence. Social and economic factors have been associated in the literature predominantly with cancer mortality and survival. When socioeconomic status (SES) is considered, certain studies suggest that racial disparities in breast carcinoma are smaller than when social and economic factors are examined alone, but these disparities still persist. Sources of data for this discussion include the National Cancer Institute (NCI) (the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results [SEER] program, a group of population‐based cancer registries that cover up to 14% of the U.S. population. SEER reports cancer incidence, mortality, and survival rates), the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), and numerous articles from the scientific literature. Socioeconomic factors or SES can be considered “cross‐cutting risk factors” (i.e., they can be related to the risk of developing breast carcinoma [rate of incidence] as well as to the risk of dying [mortality] from this disease). They also are the risk factors that “cut across” racial and ethnic populations. Socioeconomic factors are related to breast carcinoma mortality and survival rates in multicultural women. Racial disparities in breast carcinoma mortality and survival rates can be explained partially by stage distribution at the time of diagnosis, which may be related to SES. For example, African‐American women present with more advanced stage distributions for breast carcinoma than white women. Similarly, women of lower SES present with higher stage disease than women of upper SES who present with more localized breast carcinoma. The lack of data regarding the SES of cancer patients limits our understanding of the contributions of SES to cancer incidence and mortality rates. SES appears to be related to breast carcinoma incidence, mortality, and survival rates. Breast carcinoma mortality is higher in women of lower SES. Additional research on SES, race, culture, and the relation of these factors to cancer incidence rate is needed. Cancer 2000;88:1256–64. © 2000 American Cancer Society.
Distinguishing between Equilibrium and Integration in Markets Analysis

This paper introduces a new market analysis methodology based on maximum likelihood estimation of a mixture distribution model incorporating price, transfer cost, and trade flow data. Not only does this method obviate statistical problems associated with conventional price analysis methods, it also permits differentiation between market integration and competitive market equilibrium. The model generates estimates of the frequency of alternative regimes, combinations of which provide useful, intuitive measures of intermarket tradability, competitive market equilibrium, perfect integration, segmented equilibrium, and segmented disequilibrium. An application to trade in soybean meal among Pacific Rim economies demonstrates the usefulness of the method.
Some features of the distribution of birthweight of human infants

This paper is concerned with the distribution of birthweight of some 18,700 singleton live and still births taking place in Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, and Exeter in 1965. Information collected as part of the statutory birth registration process was linked to the corresponding information about the birth recorded by the local authority health department. The birthweights were originally recorded in ounces, but the irregularities in the pattern of results suggest that the observations are subject to substantial observer error and are accurate at best to the nearest quarter pound. The general form of the birthweight distribution is examined and it is shown that the overall distribution can be effectively summarized by a mixture of two normal components. Because of the inaccuracies of the basic data concerning birthweight, it is not possible to obtain reliable estimates of all the five parameters necessary to describe a mixture of two normal components. However, the distribution (which we convert to the metric scale) can be described adequately in terms of the mean and standard deviation of the primary or major component and the proportion of births weighing less than 2,000 g, the corresponding figures for all single births being 3,380 g, 500 g, and 2·0% respectively. The population of single births was subdivided in turn on the basis of sex, social class, parity, and maternal age. The mean of the primary component was about 120 g higher in males than in females, about 130 g higher in parity 1 births than in parity 0 births, about 110 g higher in births to mothers of 30-34 years of age than in births to mothers of less than 20 years, and about 150 g higher in social classes 1 and 2 than in social class 5. When two or more attributes are considered in combination, the social class gradient is present in most of the various subpopulations formed by subdivision of the population in terms of the other attributes. However, there seem to be complex interactions in terms of sex, parity, and maternal age. For example, the estimates of the mean of the primary component for males of parity 0 increase with increasing maternal age, whereas the corresponding estimates for females of parity 0 decrease. The variability of the primary distribution is greater for males than for females and increases with decreasing social class, increasing parity, and increasing maternal age. The proportion of births weighing less than 2,000 g was similar in males and females but decreased with increasing social class. In terms of parity, the proportion was higher for parity 0 than for parity 1 but subsequently increased with increasing parity. A similar pattern exists for maternal age in male infants, the proportion decreasing with age to reach a minimum in the 25-29 years age group and subsequently increasing as maternal age increases further. Female infants, on the other hand, show a totally different pattern in the lowest maternal age groups.
Noninvasive assessment of transstenotic pressure gradients in porcine renal artery stenoses by using vastly undersampled phase-contrast MR angiography.

PURPOSE To compare noninvasive transstenotic pressure gradient (TSPG) measurements derived from high-spatial- and temporal-resolution four-dimensional magnetic resonance (MR) flow measurements with invasive measurements obtained from endovascular pressure wires with digital subtraction angiographic guidance. MATERIALS AND METHODS After Animal Care and Use Committee approval, bilateral renal artery stenosis (RAS) was created surgically in 12 swine. Respiratory-gated phase-contrast vastly undersampled isotropic projection (VIPR) MR angiography of the renal arteries was performed with a 1.5-T clinical MR system (repetition time, 11.4 msec; echo time [first echo], 3.7 msec; 18,000 projection angles; imaging volume, 260 × 260 × 200 mm; acquired isotropic spatial resolution, 1.0 × 1.0 × 1.0 mm; velocity encoding, 150 cm/sec). Velocities measured with phase-contrast VIPR were used to calculate TSPGs by using Navier-Stokes equations. These were compared with endovascular pressure measurements (mean and peak) performed by using fluoroscopic guidance with regression analysis. RESULTS In 19 renal arteries with an average stenosis of 62% (range, 0%-87%), there was excellent correlation between the noninvasive TSPG measurement with phase-contrast VIPR and invasive TSPG measurement for mean TSPG (R² = 95.4%) and strong correlation between noninvasive TSPG and invasive TSPG for the peak TSPG measures (R² = 82.6%). The phase-contrast VIPR-derived TSPG measures were slightly lower than the endovascular measurements. In four arteries with severe stenoses and one occlusion (mean, 86%; range, 75%-100%), the residual lumen within the stenosis was too small to determine TSPG with phase-contrast VIPR. CONCLUSION The unenhanced MR angiographic technique with phase-contrast VIPR allows for accurate noninvasive assessment of hemodynamic significance in a porcine model of RAS with highly accurate TSPG measurements.
Aspects of the Sustainability of Estonian Currency Board Arrangement

The main aim of the paper is to examine different aspects of the sustainability of Estonian CBA. For this purpose the paper gives an overview of CBA in general, describes the rationale for the choice of the CBA in Estonia and uses model simulations to assess its sustainability. It also analyses whether the preconditions for the successful performance of the CBA are in place in Estonia and discusses the compatibility of Estonian CBA to the EMU and ERM 2. The analysis in the paper shows that CBA is a suitable exchange rate regime for Estonia. It is argued that the preconditions for a well-functioning CBA - resilient financial sector, flexible wage and employment system and prudent fiscal policy - are in place. The sustainability of the CBA is also supported by model simulations, which show that shocks hitting Estonian economy do not cause convergence of the Estonian economy from the long-run path. Based on the above-mentioned results, the paper concludes that the currency board arrangement is the best exchange rate regime for Estonia before the full participation in the third stage of the EMU.
Coaggregation-Mediated Interactions of Streptococci and Actinomyces Detected in Initial Human Dental Plaque

ABSTRACT Streptococci and actinomyces that initiate colonization of the tooth surface frequently coaggregate with each other as well as with other oral bacteria. These observations have led to the hypothesis that interbacterial adhesion influences spatiotemporal development of plaque. To assess the role of such interactions in oral biofilm formation in vivo, antibodies directed against bacterial surface components that mediate coaggregation interactions were used as direct immunofluorescent probes in conjunction with laser confocal microscopy to determine the distribution and spatial arrangement of bacteria within intact human plaque formed on retrievable enamel chips. In intrageneric coaggregation, streptococci such as Streptococcus gordonii DL1 recognize receptor polysaccharides (RPS) borne on other streptococci such as Streptococcus oralis 34. To define potentially interactive subsets of streptococci in the developing plaque, an antibody against RPS (anti-RPS) was used together with an antibody against S. gordonii DL1 (anti-DL1). These antibodies reacted primarily with single cells in 4-h-old plaque and with mixed-species microcolonies in 8-h-old plaque. Anti-RPS-reactive bacteria frequently formed microcolonies with anti-DL1-reactive bacteria and with other bacteria distinguished by general nucleic acid stains. In intergeneric coaggregation between streptococci and actinomyces, type 2 fimbriae of actinomyces recognize RPS on the streptococci. Cells reactive with antibody against type 2 fimbriae of Actinomyces naeslundii T14V (anti-type-2) were much less frequent than either subset of streptococci. However, bacteria reactive with anti-type-2 were seen in intimate association with anti-RPS-reactive cells. These results are the first direct demonstration of coaggregation-mediated interactions during initial plaque accumulation in vivo. Further, these results demonstrate the spatiotemporal development and prevalence of mixed-species communities in early dental plaque.
The zinc fingers of the SR-like protein ZRANB2 are single-stranded RNA-binding domains that recognize 5′ splice site-like sequences

The alternative splicing of mRNA is a critical process in higher eukaryotes that generates substantial proteomic diversity. Many of the proteins that are essential to this process contain arginine/serine-rich (RS) domains. ZRANB2 is a widely-expressed and highly-conserved RS-domain protein that can regulate alternative splicing but lacks canonical RNA-binding domains. Instead, it contains 2 RanBP2-type zinc finger (ZnF) domains. We demonstrate that these ZnFs recognize ssRNA with high affinity and specificity. Each ZnF binds to a single AGGUAA motif and the 2 domains combine to recognize AGGUAA(Nx)AGGUAA double sites, suggesting that ZRANB2 regulates alternative splicing via a direct interaction with pre-mRNA at sites that resemble the consensus 5′ splice site. We show using X-ray crystallography that recognition of an AGGUAA motif by a single ZnF is dominated by side-chain hydrogen bonds to the bases and formation of a guanine-tryptophan-guanine “ladder. ” A number of other human proteins that function in RNA processing also contain RanBP2 ZnFs in which the RNA-binding residues of ZRANB2 are conserved. The ZnFs of ZRANB2 therefore define another class of RNA-binding domain, advancing our understanding of RNA recognition and emphasizing the versatility of ZnF domains in molecular recognition.
Usage d'internet : les jeunes, acteurs de leur santé ?

Globalement en 2010, 45 % des 15-30 ans, et surtout les femmes, ont utilise Internet pour des questions de sante, contre un tiers de l’ensemble de la population. 15 % declarent un changement dans leur facon de s’occuper de leur sante du fait de l’usage d’Internet et 5 % un impact sur la frequence des consultations, proportions superieures a celles des 15-75 ans. Pres de 80 % des jeunes qui y ont eu recours jugent les informations recueillies sur Internet le plus souvent credibles. Ceux qui n’y ont pas eu recours expliquent qu’ils se sentent suffisamment informes autrement (75 %), qu’il vaut mieux voir un medecin (74 %) et qu’ils se mefient des informations sur Internet concernant la sante (67 %).
Survival analysis of patients with stage I and II hepatocellular carcinoma after a liver transplantation or liver resection.

INTRODUCTION Liver transplantation (LT) is a treatment option in select patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the present study was to compare survival in Stage I or II HCC patients undergoing either liver transplant (LT) or a liver resection (LR). METHOD The study is a retrospective analysis of the National Cancer Data Base (1998-2011). In total, 148,882 patients with liver cancer were identified, of which 5-year survival data (1998-2006) were available for 64,227 patients. Patients were stratified by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) clinical stage I and II. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS 3340 HCC patients met analysis criteria. Among stage I HCC, 860 had LT and 871 had LR. Among stage II HCC, 833 had LT and 776 LR. In stage I patients the median survival for LT and LR were 127.9 and 56.7 months, respectively, (P < 0.0001) and in stage II patients the median survival was 110.8 and 42.8 months (P < 0.0001). Unlike LT patients, LR patients with Stage I HCC had a longer median survival compared with Stage II patients (P = 0.0002). CONCLUSION Liver transplantation offers a survival advantage compared with a liver resection among patients with Stage I and II HCC. LT is the best surgical treatment for early stage (I/II) HCC in patients with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis, whereas LR provides equivalent outcomes to LT in patients without advanced fibrosis and should be considered as the first surgical option.
The Impact of Unemployment Insurance on Job Search

WHETHER OR NOT a long-run tradeoff exists between unemployment and inflation, there seems to be little politically acceptable opportunity, except in the short run, to buy employment at the cost of inflation. Exponents of the Phillips curve find that it is steep, and accelerationists find that the natural unemployment rate is high. Hall recently estimated that a 5.5 percent aggregate unemployment rate is necessary merely to keep inflation from accelerating. ' These findings point to a high floor for unemployment, which is resistant to a one-dimensional stabilization policy depending on manipulation of aggregate demand. This realization has led to a search for structural factors that make the economy particularly prone to unemployment and inflation, a search that has uncovered the disturbing charge that the government itself promotes unemployment through the unemployment insurance system. The system is by far the most important support for unemployed workers in America. It
What Effects is Emu Having on the Euro Area and its Member Countries? An Overview

This paper addresses the effects of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) since the introduction of the euro -- on economic and financial structures, institutions and performance. What type of changes is the euro fostering? What forces is it setting in motion that were not there before? Six years after the launch of the euro, was an appropriate time to start taking stock of these effects. For this purpose, in June 2005, the ECB held a workshop on “What effects is EMU having on the euro area and its member countries? ” The workshop was organised in five areas: 1. trade integration, 2. business cycles synchronisation, economic specialisation and risk sharing, 3. financial integration, 4. structural reforms in product and labour markets, and 5. inflation persistence. This paper sets the workshop in the context of the current debate on the effects of EMU and brings together several of the issues raised by the leading presentations: i.e., this paper serves as an overview. Overall, the effects of the euro observed are beneficial. However, progress has been uneven in the above areas. Many potential concerns preceding the launch of the euro have been dispelled. Moreover, it will take more time for the full effects of the euro to unravel. JEL Classification: E42, F13, F33, F42
Study on noise trading in Chinese stock market based on BAPM model

Excessive noise trading, especially those subject to administrative penalties listed noise traders in China's securities market are very common. Selecting listed company Regulatory Commission administrative penalties, from January 2009 to June 2012 the yield of samples for analysis at the same time whichever is the corresponding line of the same industry matched firm to conduct empirical studies have concluded that noise traders Risk (NTR) and stock excess returns are significantly negatively correlated, significantly higher, then the investors to invest in such stocks are the greater the likelihood of loss.
Economic scenarios for the real estate market: Incorporating uncertainty and risk in real estate appraisals

Real estate appraisal is usually regarded as both a science and an art: “science” because the appraiser uses mathematical calculations and other objective elements, “art” because he also uses his experience and other subjective elements. This dual character requires—among others—that new insights from other disciplines and current trends are taken into account. The central proposition of the article is that this requirement is not met. The author provides evidence that real estate risk management has made tremendous progress since the mid-1990s which has not found its way into appraisal practice, thereby creating a situation where appraisals by risk analysts differ greatly from appraisals by real estate appraisers. According to the author the gap between real estate appraisal and risk analysis should be closed from both sides. The article begins with an overview of the most important trends which will impact real estate values in the future. From these trends, an exemplary economic scenario for European real estate markets is derived in order to demonstrate that scenario writing is a powerful tool for risk management. After that the author discusses some other methods of risk management and their potential benefits for real estate appraisal.
AVAILABILITY OF MEDICAL STAFF IN POLAND IN COMPARISON TO OTHER EU COUNTRIES

Access to medical staff differs across Europe. In 2011, the country that had the smallest number of physicians in all European Union was Poland. During last ten years, the number of doctors per capita increased in all European countries except Poland and Estonia. The aim of the study is to analyse the availability of medical staff in Poland and selected EU countries in the years 2003-2011. Particular attention is paid to the number of health personnel operating in each analysed EU country, such as: professionally active physicians, practising nurses and midwives. The analyses for physicians are conducted according to various criteria, such as: gender, age, medical speciality. The problem of availability of medical services in analysed countries is shown on the background of the average for the EU.
Financing communities: the role of community banks and credit unions in re-establishing branches in Australia

Following large-scale closure of bank branches by the major retail banks in the 1990s credit unions and community banks have been active in re-establishing branches in communities across Australia. Credit unions and community banks promote themselves as offering a very different kind of financial service: one much more focused on meeting the needs of local communities. On the face of it, their service to these communities appears to be motivated by very similar objectives. However, examining their current practices against the backdrop of their different histories reveals important differences in their approach to helping communities help themselves.