Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mitochondrial impairment in patients with Parkinson disease with the G2019S mutation in LRRK2

Objective: The LRRK2G2019S mutation is the most common identifiable cause for Parkinson disease (PD), but the underlying mechanisms leading to neuronal cell death remain largely unclear. Impaired mitochondrial function and morphology have been described in different in vivo and in vitro model systems of early-onset PD (EOPD) as well as in EOPD patient tissue. The aim of our study was to assess mitochondrial function and morphology in LRRK2G2019S mutant patient tissue to determine whether impaired mitochondrial function and morphology are shared features in early-onset and late-onset PD. Methods: Skin biopsies were taken from 5 patients with PD with the LRRK2G2019S mutation. Assessment of mitochondrial membrane potential and intracellular ATP levels as well as substrate-linked mitochondrial ATP production assays were all carried out on 3 independent cell preparations per patient. Results were compared to 5 age-matched controls. Mitochondrial elongation and interconnectivity was assessed using previously published methods. Results: Both mitochondrial membrane potential and total intracellular ATP levels were decreased in the G2019S mutation carriers. Subsequently undertaken mitochondrial ATP production assays suggested that the observed reduction is at least partially due to impaired mitochondrial function. Mitochondrial elongation and interconnectivity were increased in the LRRK2G2019S patient cohort. Conclusion: Our results provide evidence for impaired mitochondrial function and morphology in LRRK2G2019S mutant patient tissue. Further studies are required to determine whether the impaired mitochondrial function is due to increased LRRK2 kinase activity or other mechanisms such as LRRK2 haploinsufficiency.
Mode-dependent quantised H∞ filtering for Markovian jump singular system

This paper considers the H∞ filtering problem for Markovian jump singular systems. In addition, when taking into account the effect of the quantisation, the designed filter not only guarantee admissibility but also satisfy a prescribed H∞ filtering performance for the filter error system. By using Lyapunov method, a new bounded real lemma is proposed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) to ensure that the filtering error system has the mentioned properties. Furthermore, a sufficient condition for the existence of filter is obtained in terms of LMIs. Finally, a numerical example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Increasing Residual Wage Inequality: Composition Effects, Noisy Data, or Rising Demand for Skill?

Using data from the May and Outgoing Rotation Group (ORG) supplements of the CPS, this paper shows that a large fraction of the growth in residual wage inequality between 1973 and 2003 is due to spurious composition effects. These composition effects are linked to the secular increase in the level of experience and education of the workforce, two factors associated with higher within-group wage dispersion. I also show that both the level and growth in residual wage inequality are overstated in March CPS data that have been used in most previous studies. Measured wages are noisier in the March than in the May/ORG CPS because the March CPS does not measure directly the hourly wages of workers paid by the hour. The extent of measurement error in CPS wages also increases over time. Once these factors are corrected for, I find that residual wage inequality only accounts for a small share of the overall growth in wage inequality. Furthermore, all of the growth in residual wage inequality occurs during the 1980s. This closely mirrors the pattern of change in “between-group” wage differentials like the college-high school wage premium. Overall, the magnitude and timing of the growth in residual wage inequality provides little evidence of a pervasive increase in the demand for skill due, for instance, to skill-biased technological change.
Strategic Planning Practices for Improved Organizational Performance: A Case of MP Shah * Hospital, Nairobi

Strategic planning practices allow improvement of organizations performance by establishing guidelines in form of clear vision, mission statements and performance expectations including performance indicators. The study focused on the leadership and governance pillar of health system building block. The objective of the study was how communication, staff participation and capacity building influence implementation of strategic planning practices in MP Shah Hospital. A descriptive case study was employed limited to MP Shah Hospital with target population being key professional employees; target population of 349 key professionals. Both qualitative and quantitative was collected using structured questionnaires for key professional employees and key informant interview guide for the unit managers. The study found out that 110 (91.3%) were aware of strategic planning practices in MP Shah Hospital, while 62(51.4% ) agreed it was highly useful in determining performance only 75(62%) are involved in the implementation process. This was majorly affected by communication whereby majority felt communication was not timely 78(64%)), support supervision was lacking since majority 84(69.6%) did not know if it exists and majority 66(54.8%) did not attend timely induction program. It was also found out that MP Shah was performing above average in clinical performance, and customer retention, however, it was noted that they needed to improve on developing effective strategies and establishing priorities in order to improve its performance. Regression analysis indicated r = 0.736 that changes in the organizational performance were influenced by changes in communication, staff participation and capacity building by 73.6%, while other factors not investigated in the study contributed to 26.4% of organizational performance. The study therefore concluded strategic planning practices be emphasized in terms of communication, involvement of staffs and capacity building in order to improve performance of health facilities.
Improving the Bacteriological Diagnosis of Tuberculous Meningitis

ABSTRACT We made a bacteriological diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis in 107 of 132 (81%) adults with clinical tuberculous meningitis: acid-fast bacilli were seen in 77 of 132 (58%) and cultured from 94 of 132 (71%). Volume of cerebrospinal fluid, duration of symptoms, cerebrospinal fluid neutrophils, lactate, and glucose were all independently associated with bacteriological confirmation.
Cost-effectiveness of HIV monitoring strategies in resource-limited settings: a southern African analysis.

BACKGROUND Although the number of infected persons receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in low- and middle-income countries has increased dramatically, optimal disease management is not well defined. METHODS We developed a model to compare the costs and benefits of 3 types of human immunodeficiency virus monitoring strategies: symptom-based strategies, CD4-based strategies, and CD4 counts plus viral load strategies for starting, switching, and stopping HAART. We used clinical and cost data from southern Africa and performed a cost-effectiveness analysis. All assumptions were tested in sensitivity analyses. RESULTS Compared with the symptom-based approaches, monitoring CD4 counts every 6 months and starting treatment at a threshold of 200/muL was associated with a gain in life expectancy of 6.5 months (61.9 months vs 68.4 months) and a discounted lifetime cost savings of US $464 per person (US $4069 vs US $3605, discounted 2007 dollars). The CD4-based strategies in which treatment was started at the higher threshold of 350/microL provided an additional gain in life expectancy of 5.3 months at a cost-effectiveness of US $107 per life-year gained compared with a threshold of 200/microL. Monitoring viral load with CD4 was more expensive than monitoring CD4 counts alone, added 2.0 months of life, and had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of US $5414 per life-year gained relative to monitoring of CD4 counts. In sensitivity analyses, the cost savings from CD4 count monitoring compared with the symptom-based approaches was sensitive to cost of inpatient care, and the cost-effectiveness of viral load monitoring was influenced by the per test costs and rates of virologic failure. CONCLUSIONS Use of CD4 monitoring and early initiation of HAART in southern Africa provides large health benefits relative to symptom-based approaches for HAART management. In southern African countries with relatively high costs of hospitalization, CD4 monitoring would likely reduce total health care expenditures. The cost-effectiveness of viral load monitoring depends on test prices and rates of virologic failure.
Characteristics of congestive heart failure accompanied by atrial fibrillation with special reference to tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND Sustained tachycardia causes left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction leading to heart failure (HF), which is widely known as "tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy (TIC)", but its prevalence and prognosis in Japanese remain unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS Of 213 consecutive patients with HF associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) requiring hospitalization (n=213) between January 1999 and December 2004, and 104 (83 males, 67+/-12.6 years) were identified as not having any structural heart disease. Of them 41 (39%) had a normal LV ejection fraction (LVEF) at the initial admission, and the remaining patients fell into 2 groups: those with rapid (<6 months) normalization of the LVEF after AF management (presumed TIC, 30 patients, 29%) and those with persistent LV systolic dysfunction (dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), 33 patients, 32%). Although the B-type natriuretic peptide value and LVEF did not differ between the 2 groups, the LV size on admission was significantly smaller in the TIC group (LV end-diastolic dimension (LVDd) 57.6+/-7.2, LV end-systolic dimension (LVDs) 49.4+/-8.0) than in the DCM group (LVDd 63.4 +/-8.8, LVDs 55.3+/-9.6, p<0.05). During a follow-up period of 42.1+/-21.2 months, cardiac death and recurrent HF hospitalization were significantly less frequent in the TIC group than in the DCM group. CONCLUSIONS In AF-associated HF requiring hospitalization, TIC is the presumed cause in approximately one-third of patients without any previously known structural heart disease. That particular group is characterized by a relatively smaller LV and better prognosis under medical treatment.
THE VALUE RELEVANCE OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION IN TROUBLED WATERS. THE EVIDENCE OF ITALIAN CONTEXT

Stemming from value relevance research, this study investigates the ability of accounting and financial data to provide useful information about the economic value of the firm in trouble waters. Because the firm is at the center of a network of interests of many stakeholders, that put some expectations on it, the investors requires useful financial statements information in order to take rational investment decisions about financial instruments, such as equity and corporate debts. Academic literature define value relevant the accounting information able to change the expectations but also to induce a change in the behavior of the decision makers. To ensure that the accounting information reported in the financial statements are value relevant they need to be related to the company current value. The aim of this research is to study the usefulness of accounting information perceived by investors and to understand the process of allocation of resources in the capital market in trouble waters.
A large pedigree with early-onset Alzheimer's disease

Article abstract-We present clinical, neuropsychological, and neuropathologic data on a large pedigree including 34 subjects with early-onset progressive dementia. The mean (+\- SD) age at onset was 46 +\- 3.5 years and the mean age at death 52.6 +\- 5.7 years. Twelve patients were clinically diagnosed as having probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) according to the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. Neuropsychological evaluation, performed at a moderate stage of the disease, was available in six subjects and showed a classic pattern of cognitive deficit. Myoclonus and extrapyramidal signs were common, and seizures were present in all affected subjects. There were neuropathologic changes typical of AD in two brains. A significant lod score of 5.48 was observed at a recombination fraction of theta = 0.0 with the genetic marker D14S43, thereby establishing that the responsible gene was located on chromosome 14q24.3. These results suggest that epilepsy could represent a particular feature in AD families linked to chromosome 14q. NEUROLOGY 1995;45: 80-85
The Importance of Drug Interactions in Epilepsy Therapy

Summary: Long‐term antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy is the reality for the majority of patients diagnosed with epilepsy. One AED will usually be sufficient to control seizures effectively, but a significant proportion of patients will need to receive a multiple AED regimen. Furthermore, polytherapy may be necessary for the treatment of concomitant disease. The fact that over‐the‐counter drugs and nutritional supplements are increasingly being self‐administered by patients also must be considered. Therefore the probability of patients with epilepsy experiencing drug interactions is high, particularly with the traditional AEDs, which are highly prone to drug interactions. Physicians prescribing AEDs to patients with epilepsy must, therefore, be aware of the potential for drug interactions and the effects (pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic) that can occur both during combination therapy and on drug discontinuation. Although pharmacokinetic interactions are numerous and well described, pharmacodynamic interactions are few and usually concluded by default. Perhaps the most clinically significant pharmacodynamic interaction is that of lamotrigine (LTG) and valproic acid (VPA); these drugs exhibit synergistic efficacy when coadministered in patients with refractory partial and generalised seizures. Hepatic metabolism is often the target for pharmacokinetic drug interactions, and enzyme‐inducing drugs such as phenytoin (PHT), phenobarbitone (PB), and carbamazepine (CBZ) will readily enhance the metabolism of other AEDs [e.g., LTG, topiramate (TPM), and tiagabine (TGB)]. The enzyme‐inducing AEDs also enhance the metabolism of many other drugs (e.g., oral contraceptives, antidepressants, and warfarin) so that therapeutic efficacy of coadministered drugs is lost unless the dosage is increased. VPA inhibits the metabolism of PB and LTG, resulting in an elevation in the plasma concentrations of the inhibited drugs and consequently an increased risk of toxicity. The inhibition of the metabolism of CBZ by VPA results in an elevation of the metabolite CBZ‐epoxide, which also increases the risk of toxicity. Other examples include the inhibition of PHT and CBZ metabolism by cimetidine and CBZ metabolism by erythromycin. In recent years, a more rational approach has been taken with regard to metabolic drug interactions because of our enhanced understanding of the cytochrome P450 system that is responsible for the metabolism of many drugs, including AEDs. The review briefly discusses the mechanisms of drug interactions and then proceeds to highlight some of the more clinically relevant drug interactions between AEDs and between AEDs and non‐AEDs. Understanding the fundamental principles that contribute to a drug interaction may help the physician to better anticipate a drug interaction and allow a graded and planned therapeutic response and, therefore, help to enhance the management of patients with epilepsy who may require treatment with polytherapy regimens.
Green Marketing: A Marketing Framework of 'STP' Towards Eco-Advantage

The evolution of marketing' philosophy has undergone many changes in the field of marketing strategies with addressing different issues related to 'environmental or sustainability marketing seeking to achieve business competitiveness over a period of time (Ottman, J.A. 1998, Ginsberg and Bloom's 2004, Orsato, R. J. 2006, Ottman, J.A. et al, 2006). As abases for formulating & implementing Green/Sustainability Marketing Strategy, It is clear that marketing strategy comprises of its key elements such as 'STP' i.e. segmentation, Targeting and positioning applied for formulating marketing strategies) and marketing mix (for implementing the marketing strategies) which enables firms to achieve competitive position as ecoadvantage in their target business environment( Rex, E., & Baumann, H. 2007, Kotler et al., 2009, Kotler & Armstrong 2010, Ramaswamy & Namakumary, 2013). Herein, first we are going to discuss about what are the key ingredients of formulation and implementation of green marketing strategies as STP' i.e. segmentation, Targeting and positioning and further, we will focus on how firms enabled to achieve eco- advantage by churning of the classical concept of marketing i.e. STP.
Accuracy of NHANES Periodontal Examination Protocols

This study evaluates the accuracy of periodontitis prevalence determined by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) partial-mouth periodontal examination protocols. True periodontitis prevalence was determined in a new convenience sample of 454 adults ≥ 35 years old, by a full-mouth “gold standard” periodontal examination. This actual prevalence was compared with prevalence resulting from analysis of the data according to the protocols of NHANES III and NHANES 2001-2004, respectively. Both NHANES protocols substantially underestimated the prevalence of periodontitis by 50% or more, depending on the periodontitis case definition used, and thus performed below threshold levels for moderate-to-high levels of validity for surveillance. Adding measurements from lingual or interproximal sites to the NHANES 2001-2004 protocol did not improve the accuracy sufficiently to reach acceptable sensitivity thresholds. These findings suggest that NHANES protocols produce high levels of misclassification of periodontitis cases and thus have low validity for surveillance and research.
Virtual Worlds and the Implication for Accountants: The Case of Second Life

While real world economies may be shaky, economies in virtual worlds keep growing as sites such as Second Life become more and more mainstream. Research firm Gartner Media estimates that by 2011, 80% of Internet users worldwide will be using Second Life (Gartner, 2007). This growing popularity has real world financial implications. On a typical day, Second Life members spend close to $1.5 million on virtual items and virtual real estate transactions (Alter, 2008), and some residents generate six-figure incomes in real world dollars (Hemp, 2006). Second Life is still in an early stage of development, and there are many financial and legal regulatory issues to be resolved. But with these challenges come opportunities; Second Life may be the impetus for a new accounting platform that may bring different practices together and provide new growth opportunities that financial communities have been looking for in the virtual world.
A Randomized Clinical Trial of Ciprofloxacin and Metronidazole to Treat Acute Pouchitis

Metronidazole is effective for the treatment of acute pouchitis after ileal pouch–anal anastomosis, but it has not been directly compared with other antibiotics. This randomized clinical trial was designed to compare the effectiveness and side effects of ciprofloxacin and metronidazole for treating acute pouchitis. Acute pouchitis was defined as a score of 7 or higher on the 18-point Pouchitis Disease Activity Index (PDAI) and symptom duration of 4 weeks or less. Sixteen patients were randomized to a 2-week course of ciprofloxacin 1,000 mg/d (n = 7) or metronidazole 20 mg/kg/d (n = 9). Clinical symptoms, endoscopic findings, and histologic features were assessed before and after therapy. Both ciprofloxacin and metronidazole produced a significant reduction in the total PDAI score as well as in the symptom, endoscopy, and histology subscores. Ciprofloxacin lowered the PDAI score from 10.1 ± 2.3 to 3.3 ± 1.7 (p = 0.0001), whereas metronidazole reduced the PDAI score from 9.7 ± 2.3 to 5.8 ± 1.7 (p = 0.0002). There was a significantly greater reduction in the ciprofloxacin group than in the metronidazole group in terms of the total PDAI (6.9 ± 1.2 versus 3.8 ± 1.7; p = 0.002), symptom score (2.4 ± 0.9 versus 1.3 ± 0.9; p = 0.03), and endoscopic score (3.6 ± 1.3 versus 1.9 ± 1.5; p = 0.03). None of patients in the ciprofloxacin group experienced adverse effects, whereas three patients in the metronidazole group (33%) developed vomiting, dysgeusia, or transient peripheral neuropathy. Both ciprofloxacin and metronidazole are effective in treating acute pouchitis with significant reduction of the PDAI scores. Ciprofloxacin produces a greater reduction in the PDAI and a greater improvement in symptom and endoscopy scores, and is better tolerated than metronidazole. Ciprofloxacin should be considered as one of the first-line therapies for acute pouchitis.
Roles of glycerol and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NAD+) in acquired osmotolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In a cell culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae exponentially growing in basal medium, only 0.02% of the cells were osmotolerant, i.e., survived transfer to medium containing 1.4 M NaCl. Short-time conditioning in 0.7 M NaCl medium transformed the whole population into an osmotolerance phenotype. During this conditioning, the rate of formation of glycerol, the main compatible solute in S. cerevisiae, increased threefold and the specific activity of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NAD+) (GPDH) (EC 1.1.1.8) was enhanced sixfold. The apparent flux control coefficient for GPDH in the formation of glycerol was estimated to be 0.6. Glycerol production was also favored by regulated activities of alcohol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.1) and aldehyde dehydrogenase [NAD(P)]+ (EC 1.2.1.5). About 50% of the total glycerol produced during conditioning in 0.7 M NaCl was retained intracellularly, and the increased glycerol accumulation was shown to be not merely a result of enhanced production rate but also of increased retention of glycerol. Washing the cells with solutions of lower salinities resulted in loss of glycerol, with retained levels proportional to the concentration of NaCl in the washing solution. Cycloheximide addition inhibited the development of acquired osmotolerance and conditioned cells washed free of glycerol retained a high degree of osmotolerance, which indicate that protein synthesis was required to establish the osmotolerance state.