Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Statistical Prediction of Likely Distress in Nigeria Banking Sector Using a Neural Network Approach

— One of the most significant threats to the economy of a nation is the bankruptcy of its banks. This study evaluates the susceptibility of Nigerian banks to failure with a view to identifying ratios and financial data that are sensitive to solvency of the bank. Further, a predictive model is generated to guide all stakeholders in the industry. Thirty quoted banks that had published Annual Reports for the year preceding the consolidation i.e. year 2004 were selected. They were examined for distress using the Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network Analysis. The model was used to analyze further reforms by the Central Bank of Nigeria using published Annual Reports of twenty quoted banks for the year 2008 and 2011. The model can thus be used for future prediction of failure in the Nigerian banking system.
Association between 9p21 genomic markers and heart disease: a meta-analysis.

CONTEXT Associations between chromosome 9p21 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and heart disease have been reported and replicated. If testing improves risk assessments using traditional factors, it may provide opportunities to improve public health. OBJECTIVES To perform a targeted systematic review of published literature for effect size, heterogeneity, publication bias, and strength of evidence and to consider whether testing might provide clinical utility. DATA SOURCES Electronic search via HuGE Navigator through January 2009 and review of reference lists from included articles. STUDY SELECTION English-language articles that tested for 9p21 SNPs with coronary heart/artery disease or myocardial infarction as primary outcomes. Included articles also provided race, numbers of participants, and data to compute an odds ratio (OR). Articles were excluded if reporting only intermediate outcomes (eg, atherosclerosis) or if all participants had existing disease. Twenty-five articles were initially identified and 16 were included. A follow-up search identified 6 additional articles. DATA EXTRACTION Independent extraction was performed by 2 reviewers and consensus was reached. Credibility of evidence was assessed using published Venice criteria. DATA SYNTHESIS Forty-seven distinct data sets from the 22 articles were analyzed, including 35 872 cases and 95 837 controls. The summary OR for heart disease among individuals with 2 vs 1 at-risk alleles was 1.25 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-1.29), with low to moderate heterogeneity. Age at disease diagnosis was a significant covariate, with ORs of 1.35 (95% CI, 1.30-1.40) for age 55 years or younger and 1.21 (95% CI, 1.16-1.25) for age 75 years or younger. For a 65-year-old man, the 10-year heart disease risk for 2 vs 1 at-risk alleles would be 13.2% vs 11%. For a 40-year-old woman, the 10-year heart disease risk for 2 vs 1 at-risk alleles would be 2.4% vs 2.0%. Nearly identical but inverse results were found when comparing 1 vs 0 at-risk alleles. Three studies showed net reclassification indexes ranging from -0.1% to 4.8%. CONCLUSION We found a statistically significant association between 9p21 SNPs and heart disease that varied by age at disease onset, but the magnitude of the association was small.
Alcohol-related injury among Greek-letter college students: Defining a target population for secondary prevention

Members of Greek-letter societies are the heaviest drinkers on college campuses, and experience more alcohol-related problems than their peers. This study reports the results of a web-based survey administered to stratified random samples of college students from 10 North Carolina universities. Greek-letter status was a significant independent risk factor for increased injury (both experienced and caused to others), even after adjusting for drinking behaviors. Prevention, screening, and intervention strategies are discussed in the context of these results.
ESTUDO DAS FORMAS MOLECULARES DA BUTIRILCOLINESTERASE EM CÃES (Canis familiaris)

A butirilcolinesterase e a acetilcolinesterase, BChE e AChE, sao enzimas do grupo das colinesterases que realizam hidrolise de diversos esteres de colina. A BChE e uma enzima multifuncional distribuida por diversas partes do corpo e que apresenta isoformas, sendo associada a outras substâncias, como a albumina e, no caso da banda C 5 ,a uma substância nao identificada. Muitos estudos sugerem sua ligacao com diversas doencas do metabolismo, do sistema cardiovascular e nervoso, sendo a maioria deles em humanos. O presente trabalho visou observar a presenca da BChE em caes, para verificar sua atividade, isoformas e presenca do fenotipo C 5 + . Para determinacao das isoformas e da presenca do fenotipo C 5 + foram utilizados geis de poliacralimida com dois gradientes de concentracao (5 e 7%) e agar acido, respectivamente, e a leitura da atividade enzimatica foi feita em duplicata em espectrofotometro em comprimento de onda de 410 nm. O fenotipo C 5 + foi encontrado em 99 (97,05%) de um total de 102 amostras, e a media das atividades enzimaticas foi de 2,27 KU/L. Visto que a presenca da banda C 5 + em humanos e de ate 10% em euro-descedentes, conclui-se que em caes a prevalencia e muito maior, atingindo quase 100%. Ja a atividade enzimatica encontra-se com uma variacao menor do que a encontrada em seres humanos, que e de 4,62 KU/L. As formas moleculares foram comparadas entre os caes, nao sendo observada diferenca significativa entre as bandas.
Polycystic ovary syndrome and the postmenopausal woman

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common syndrome among young women. It is associated with fertility problems, clinical manifestations of hyperandrogenism and metabolic disturbance, particularly insulin resistance. The long-term consequences of PCOS have not been fully determined, but there is an increased risk of progression to diabetes and an increase in cardiovascular risk factors. The extent to which PCOS is present in postmenopausal women and the degree to which it increases various risk factors in addition to the known risk of the postmenopausal period are not yet known. This paper reviews the pathophysiology of PCOS and its long-term consequences and considers the evidence to date that is applicable to the postmenopausal woman.
The Enteric Glia: Identity and Functions

Enteric glial cells were first described at the end of the 19th century, but they attracted more interest from researchers only in the last decades of the 20th. Although, they have a different embryological origin, the enteric GLIA share many characteristics with astrocytes, the main glial cell type of the central nervous system (CNS), such as in their expression of the same markers and in their functions. Here we review the construction of the enteric nervous system (ENS), with a focus on enteric glia, and also the main studies that have revealed the action of enteric glia in different aspects of gastrointestinal tract homeostasis, such as in the intestinal barrier, in communications with neurons, and in their action as progenitor cells. We also discuss recent discoveries about the roles of enteric glia in different disorders that affect the ENS, such as degenerative pathologies including Parkinson's and prion diseases, and in cases of intestinal diseases and injury. GLIA 2015;63:921–935
Discussion of prior-based Bayesian information criterion (PBIC) by M.J. Bayarria, James O. Berger, Woncheol Jang, Surajit Ray, Luis R. Pericchi, and Ingmar Visser

We congratulate the authors on their innovative and illuminating contribution. Their paper should not only lead to more refined and defensible applications of the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) through their proposed variants, but should also facilitate a deeper understanding of BIC and its theoretical underpinnings. The development of the prior-based BIC variants, PBIC and PBIC*, results from a reconsideration of the Laplace approximation employed in the large-sample justification for BIC. The authors’ more nuanced application of the Laplace approximation leads to the inclusion of terms based on (1) the log of the determinant of the observed information for those parameters that are common to all of the candidate models, (2) standardised estimates of the transformed parameters for those parameters that vary among the candidate models, and (3) an ‘effective sample size’ for each transformed parameter. The terms based on (2) and (3) replace the conventional penalty term of BIC. An additional refinement to BIC could be incorporated based on terms governed by the prior probabilities assigned to each of the candidate models. To introduce such a correction, we consider the initial stages of the development that leads to BIC. Assume that the observed x is to be described using a model Mk selected from a set of candidates M1,M2, . ,ML. Suppose that each Mk is uniquely parameterised by a vector θk (k ∈ {1, 2, . . . , L}). Let l(θk | x) denote the likelihood for x based onMk. Let p(Mk) denote a discrete prior over the models M1,M2, . ,ML, specified so that p(Mk) > 0 for all k ∈ {1, 2, . , L}, and ∑Lk=1 p(Mk) = 1. Let π(θk |Mk) denote a prior on θk given the modelMk. Through the application of Bayes’ Theorem, for the joint posterior ofMk and θk, we have h((Mk, θk) | x) ∝ p(Mk)π(θk |Mk)l(θk | x). Here, the constant of proportionality, sayK(x), depends on the data x, yet not on the constructs for modelMk. A Bayesianmodel selection rulemight aim to choose the modelMk which is a posteriorimost probable. For the posterior probability forMk, we then have
Decreased Nephrin and GLEPP-1, But Increased VEGF, Flt-1, and Nitrotyrosine, Expressions in Kidney Tissue Sections From Women With Preeclampsia

Renal injury is a common pathophysiological feature in women with preeclampsia as evidenced by increased protein leakage (proteinuria) and glomerular injury (glomerular endotheliosis). Recently, podocyturia was found in preeclampsia, suggesting podocyte shedding occurs in this pregnancy disorder. However, podocyte function in preeclampsia is poorly understood. In this study, the authors have examined podocyte-specific protein expressions for nephrin, glomerular epithelial protein 1 (GLEPP-1), and ezrin in kidney biopsy tissue sections from women with preeclampsia. Expressions for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor Flt-1 and oxidative stress marker nitrotyrosine and antioxidant CuZn-superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD) were also examined. Kidney tissue sections from nonhypertensive and chronic hypertensive participants were stained as controls. The findings were (1) nephrin and GLEPP-1 were mainly expressed in glomerular podocytes; (2) ezrin was expressed in both glomerular podocytes and tubular epithelial cells; (3) compared to tissue sections from nonhypertensive and chronic hypertensive participants, nephrin and GLEPP-1 expressions were much reduced in tissue sections from preeclampsia and ezrin expression was reduced in podocytes; (4) enhanced VEGF, Flt-1, and nitrotyrosine, but reduced CuZn-SOD, expressions were observed in both glomerular podocytes and endothelial cells in tissue sections from preeclampsia; and (5) the expression pattern for nephrin, GLEPP-1, ezrin, VEGF, Flt-1, and CuZn-SOD were similar between tissue sections from nonhypertensive and chronic hypertensive participants. Although the authors could not conclude from this biopsy study whether the podocyte injury is the cause or effect of the preeclampsia phenotype, the data provide compelling evidence that podocyte injury accompanied by altered angiogenesis process and increased oxidative stress occurs in kidney of patients with preeclampsia.
Epigenetic regulation: a new research area for melatonin?

Abstract: Epigenetic, modifications of DNA and histones, i.e. heritable alterations in gene expression that do not involve changes in DNA sequences, are known to be involved in disease. Two important epigenetic changes that contribute to disease are abnormal methylation patterns of DNA and modifications of histones in chromatin. Epimutations, such as the hypermethylation and epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes, have revealed a new area for cancer treatment. Studies using DNA methyltransferase inhibitors such as procaine, hydralazine, and RG108 have had promising outcomes against cancer therapy. Melatonin, one of the most versatile molecules in nature, may hypothetically be involved in epigenetic regulation. In this review, the potential role of melatonin in inhibiting DNA methyltransferase and epigenetic regulation is discussed.
Interpretation de l'analyse statique en theorie des types

Une maniere courante de faire de l'analyse statique de programmes fonctionnels types consiste a modifier le systeme de typage en ajoutant des annotations aux types. Les annotations decrivent diverses proprietes intentionnelles ou extensionnelles de la semantique du programme. Les types servent de squelettes sur lesquels on pose les annotations. Il existe dans la litterature un grand nombre de systemes utilisant les types pour l'analyse. Leur diversite tient a la fois au fait que les systemes de types sous-jacents sont differents, et au fait qu'il existe de nombreux types d'analyses. Bien que tous ces systemes partagent des points communs, il n'existe pas de formalisme permettant d'en donner une vision unifiee. Ce manque de comprehension sur les interactions entre typage et analyse induit des limitations sur la finesse des analyses produites, car le typage engendre des contraintes qui vont a l'encontre de la precision des analyses. De plus, dans la majorite des cas seuls des langages simplements types sont etudies, ce qui limite le champ d'application de ce type de technique. Cette these est une etude theorique des relations qui existent entre le typage et l'analyse d'un programme. Nous y montrons comment modeliser les dependances internes d'un programme dans la theorie des types. Nous y proposons un systeme de type generique qui peut s'instancier en differentes analyses precedemment etudies. Le systeme de type obtenu se revele a la fois plus expressif (il contient le systeme f), et plus precis (certains analyses impossibles a effectuer auparavant sont possibles). Enfin, au travers des systemes de types purs (pure type systems), une formalisation canonique des techniques employees permet de delimiter precisement le champ du possible pour les analyses basees sur le typage.
What Older Adults Find Useful for Maintaining Healthy Eating and Exercise Habits

Abstract Four focus groups were conducted with a total of 29 adults 60 years of age and older enrolled in the SENIOR Project, a health promotion intervention study designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and exercise among communitydwelling older adults. The focus groups explored the motivations of older adults to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables and/or exercise and the strategies used to adopt or maintain these behaviors. Participants stated that maintaining health, remaining independent, and fearing illness provided the motivation needed to adhere to these behaviors. The strategies or the behavioral processes used to adopt or maintain these behaviors included counterconditioning, helping relationships, stimulus control, and selfliberation.
Physician asthma management practices in Canada.

OBJECTIVES To establish national baseline information on asthma management practices of physicians, to compare the reported practices with the Canadian Consensus recommendations and to identify results potentially useful for interventions that improve physician asthma management practices. DESIGN National, stratified cross-sectional survey. SETTINGS The 10 provinces and two territories of Canada, from 1996 to 1997. PARTICIPANTS Questionnaires were sent to 4489 physicians stratified by province/territory and specialty group (family/general practice, respirology, internal medicine, pediatrics and allergy/immunology); 2605 responses were received. OUTCOME MEASURES Methods for the diagnosis, treatment, education and follow-up of patients with asthma ('asthma management practices'). RESULTS Significant variations existed among the five specialty groups in asthma management practices. A low use of objective measures of airflow limitation to assist with diagnosis was found among some respondents (mostly family physicians). Up to 40% of physicians regarded the daily fixed dosing (three or four times a day) of inhaled, short acting beta2-agonist as 'first-line therapy' for moderate to severe asthma. A minority of physicians reported using written action plans for patients or referring them to other health professionals for asthma education. Insufficient time during appointments and a perceived lack of appropriate educational materials were frequently cited as reasons for not providing asthma education. The perceived knowledge of the Canadian Consensus recommendations varied among physicians but was lowest among nonspecialists. CONCLUSIONS The survey showed variations in certain aspects of the management of asthma by physicians. The findings will help to target specific areas for future physician education programs and other behavioural change strategies.
Prevention and Treatment of Virulent Bacterial Biofilms with an Enzymatic Nitric Oxide-Releasing Dressing

ABSTRACT The use of percutaneous medical devices often results in nosocomial infections. Attachment of microorganisms to the surfaces of these medical devices triggers biofilm formation, which presents significant complications to the health of a patient and may lead to septicemia, thromboembolism, or endocarditis if not correctly treated. Although several antimicrobials are commonly used for prevention of biofilm formation, they have limited efficacy against formed biofilms. In this study, we report the use of an enzymatic, gaseous nitric oxide (gNO)-releasing dressing for the prevention and treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Results show that the bactericidal activity against biofilms of the test strains was dependent on time and rate of gNO release from the dressing. Following 6 h of treatment, gNO-releasing dressings significantly inhibited the growth of test strains relative to vehicle control dressings, demonstrating eradication of bacterial concentrations of up to 105 CFU/cm2. Complete cell death was observed for both prevention of biofilm formation and treatment of 24-h-grown biofilms after 6 h of treatment with the gNO-releasing dressings. Further, gNO-releasing dressings were more efficient against formed biofilms than other antimicrobial agents currently used. These results demonstrate that the gNO-releasing dressing can produce sufficient levels of gNO over a therapeutically relevant duration for maximal bactericidal effects against virulent bacterial strains known to cause nosocomial infections.
Purified chaperonin 60 (groEL) interacts with the nonnative states of a multitude of Escherichia coli proteins

In vitro experiments employing the soluble proteins from Escherichia coli reveal that about half of them, in their unfolded or partially folded states, but not in their native states, can form stable binary complexes with chaperonin 60 (groEL). These complexes can be isolated by gel filtration chromatography and are efficiently discharged upon the addition of Mg · ATP. Binary complex formation is substantially reduced if chaperonin 60 is presaturated with Rubisco‐I, the folding intermediate of Rubisco, but not with native Rubisco. Binary complex formation is also reduced if the transient species that interact with chaperonin 60 are permitted to progress to more stable states. This implies that the structural elements or motifs that are recognized by chaperonin 60 and that are responsible for binary complex formation are only present or accessible in the unfolded states of proteins or in certain intermediates along their respective folding pathways. Given the high‐affinity binding that we have observed in the present study and the normal cellular abundance of chaperonin 60, we suspect that the folding of most proteins in E. coli does not occur in free solution spontaneously, but instead takes place while they are associated with molecular chaperones.
TOLERANCE TO SYMPATHOMIMETIC BRONCHODILATORS IN GUINEA‐PIG ISOLATED LUNGS FOLLOWING CHRONIC ADMINISTRATION in vivo

1 Pretreatment of the guinea‐pig subcutaneously three times daily with either 5 μg/kg isoprenaline or adrenaline reduced the response of the isolated perfused histamine‐constricted lung when challenged with either the same or a different sympathomimetic bronchodilator. The longer the animals were pretreated and the higher the dose of bronchodilator the greater was the degree of tolerance developed. 2 Tolerance was developed to aminophylline in the same preparation when the guinea‐pig had been pretreated with aminophylline or isoprenaline. Cross‐tolerance also developed to adrenaline when the guinea‐pig had been pretreated with aminophylline. 3 Tolerance was still persistent in guinea‐pigs one and two weeks after pretreatment three times daily with either isoprenaline or adrenaline (5 μg/kg s.c.) for seven days in the same preparation. Only after three weeks was the tolerance diminished. 4 These results suggest that asthmatic patients who use bronchodilators excessively may become refractory to the bronchodilator effect of these drugs. They also support the hypothesis that induced cross‐resistance to endogenous sympathetic stimulation could lead to a deterioration of the asthmatic state in patients using the sympathomimetic bronchodilators and that this may explain the increase in asthma mortality rate. 5 A mechanism of tolerance to sympathomimetic bronchodilators is postulated.
Expression of insulin-like growth factor-II, matrix metalloproteinases, and their tissue inhibitors as predictive markers in the peripheral blood of HCC patients

Background/aim: Elevated relative expression of insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) was observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) liver tissues with a role in neovascularization and associated with poor prognosis. IGF-II is influenced by the proteolytic cleavage of IGF-binding protein 3 and by matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), which are further regulated by their tissue inhibitors tissue inhibitor of metalloprotienase-1 (TIMP-1). Our aim is to study new molecular markers for HCC. Patients/methods: RNA was extracted from the peripheral blood for evaluating the relative expression of IGF-II, MMP-9, and TIMP-1 in correlation with clinical staging of 39 HCC patients and 15 healthy controls using TaqMan real-time PCR. Results: The relative expression of IGF-II and MMP-9 mRNA were significantly elevated in HCC patients compared with healthy controls; P-value <0.0001 for both. There was a significant correlation between MMP-9 and different HCC stages. On the other hand, TIMP-1 was significantly down-regulated in HCC patients; P = 0.0003 with the elevation of the IGF-II/TIMP-1 ratio. Significant correlation between TIMP-1 and HCC Stage III and Stage IV was found; P-value = 0.0138. Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of profiling the expression of IGF-II, MMP-9, and TIMP-1 in the peripheral blood as prognostic molecular biomarkers in HCC.