Search results for "ECS"
showing 10 items of 2721 documents
Differential expression of specific microRNA and their targets in acute myeloid leukemia
2010
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) the most common acute leukemia in adults is characterized by various cytogenetic and molecular abnormalities. However, the genetic etiology of the disease is not yet fully understood. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small noncoding RNAs which regulate the expression of target mRNAs both at transcriptional and translational level. In recent years, miRNAs have been identified as a novel mechanism in gene regulation, which show variable expression during myeloid differentiation. We studied miRNA expression of leukemic blasts of 29 cases of newly diagnosed and genetically defined AML using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for 365 human miR…
Increased visual cortical excitability in ecstasy users: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study
2003
To test the presence of abnormalities of visual cortical excitability in people using ecstasy as a recreational drug.Ecstasy users and control subjects underwent single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the occipital cortex. The phosphene threshold was analysed and compared in the two groups.Phosphene thresholds were significantly lower in ecstasy users compared with control subjects, and were correlated negatively with frequency of ecstasy use. Frequency of use was positively correlated with the presence of visual hallucinations. The phosphene threshold of subjects with hallucinations was significantly lower than that of subjects without hallucinations.The use of ecstasy as …
A fatal paramethoxymethamphetamine intoxication.
2003
During the last years in Germany a marked increase in the use of amphetamines such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) has been observed. The use of these recreational drugs is especially common among young people participating in rave parties. Occasionally ring-methoxylated phenethylamine derivatives like paramethoxymethamphetamine (PMMA) or paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA) are found in street drugs offered as ecstasy. These compounds exhibit a higher toxicity than the methylenedioxyamphetamine derivatives. We report on the death of a 22-year-old man after the ingestion of ecstasy pills containing PMMA and PMA. The PMMA concentration in femoral blood was 0.85 mg/l. Besides PMA…
Predictive factors of overall functioning improvement in patients with chronic schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder treated with paliperidone p…
2018
BACKGROUND Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics can improve medication adherence and reduce hospitalisation rates compared with oral treatments. Paliperidone palmitate (PAL) and aripiprazole monohydrate (ARI) LAI treatments were associated with improvements in global functioning in patients with schizophrenia. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess the predictive factors of better overall functioning in patients with chronic schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder treated with PAL and ARI. METHOD Enrolled were 143 (97 males, 46 females, mean age 38.24 years, SD = 12.65) patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, whom we allocated in two gr…
[A composite indicator for maternity hospital classification].
2018
OBJECTIVES: to propose a composite indicator for maternity hospital classification. DESIGN: descriptive analysis of maternity hospitals through a composite indicator and analysis of its association with infant readmissions within 30 days from the childbirth. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 56 maternity units in Sicily, accounting for 44.436 newborns in 2014. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: infant readmission rates within 30 days from the childbirth. RESULTS: low-level hospitals show higher infant readmission rates (odds ratio: 1.3) which may be seen as a signal of inappropriateness of maternity care. CONCLUSIONS: the proposed indicator allows for a classification of maternity hospitals taking into account…
Evidence of bias in randomized clinical trials of hepatitis C interferon therapies
2017
Introduction: Bias may occur in randomized clinical trials in favor of the new experimental treatment because of unblinded assessment of subjective endpoints or wish bias. Using results from published trials, we analyzed and compared the treatment effect of hepatitis C antiviral interferon therapies experimental or control. Methods: Meta-regression of trials enrolling naïve hepatitis C virus patients that underwent four therapies including interferon alone or plus ribavirin during past years. The outcome measure was the sustained response evaluated by transaminases and/or hepatitis C virus-RNA serum load. Data on the outcome across therapies were collected according to the assigned arm (exp…
Unveiling the Antecedents of International Diversification: An Agency Theory Approach
2014
While various studies have developed hypotheses about the antecedents of international diversification drawing mainly on the resource-based view, the behavioral theory of the firm, and the transaction costs literature, we advance our understanding by investigating the explanatory power of agency costs of free cash flow arguments. Using a sample panel of 167 Italian firms longitudinally evaluated during the 1980-2010 period, this study tests whether the firm’s choice to spread operations in multiple foreign countries is conditioned by excess of free cash flow and debt, especially in firm-contexts where agency problems are exacerbated by managers or large shareholders’ opportunism. We find th…
Unveiling the Antecedents of International Diversification: An Agency Theory Approach
2014
While various studies have developed hypotheses about the antecedents of international diversification drawing mainly on the resource-based view, the behavioral theory of the firm, and the transaction costs literature, we advance our understanding by investigating the explanatory power of agency costs of free cash flow arguments. Using a sample panel of 167 Italian firms longitudinally evaluated during the 1980-2010 period, this study tests whether the firm’s choice to spread operations in multiple foreign countries is conditioned by excess of free cash flow and debt, especially in firm-contexts where agency problems are exacerbated by managers or large shareholders’ opportunism. We find th…
New Challenges for Sustainable Organizations in Light of Agenda 2030 for Sustainability
2021
Sustainability is one of humanity’s most daunting issues at present. Increasing popula- tion, escalation of anthropogenic activities, industrialization, modern agricultural practices that pollute water, air, and soil around the world, and ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions mean that sustainability is now in doubt [1]. In response to these critical concerns, the world has come up with several initiatives including Agenda 2030. Agenda 2030 is a commitment to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development worldwide, ensuring that no one is left behind by 2030. Its adoption was a landmark achievement, providing a shared vision towards sustainable development for all. Its 17 Sustain…
Contagion and Bank Runs in a Multi-Agent Financial System
2012
In this work we explore contagion from one institution to another that can stem from the existence of a network of financial contracts. In fact, in modern financial systems, an intricate web of claims and obligations links the balance sheets of a wide variety of intermediaries (banks, for instance) into a network structure of interdependencies that have created an environment for feedback elements to generate amplified responses to shocks to the financial system. Small shocks, which initially affect only a few institutions, can indeed spread by contagion to the rest of the financial sector and cause a crisis in the connected intermediaries. Whether the financial crisis does spread depends c…