Targeted aspect-based emotion analysis to detect opportunities and precaution in financial Twitter messages

Microblogging platforms, of which Twitter is a representative example, are valuable information sources for market screening and financial models. In them, users voluntarily provide relevant information, including educated knowledge on investments, reacting to the state of the stock markets in real-time and, often, influencing this state. We are interested in the user forecasts in financial, social media messages expressing opportunities and precautions about assets. We propose a novel Targeted Aspect-Based Emotion Analysis (tabea) system that can individually discern the financial emotions (positive and negative forecasts) on the different stock market assets in the same tweet (instead of making an overall guess about that whole tweet). It is based on Natural Language Processing (nlp) techniques and Machine Learning streaming algorithms. The system comprises a constituency parsing module for parsing the tweets and splitting them into simpler declarative clauses; an offline data processing module to engineer textual, numerical and categorical features and analyse and select them based on their relevance; and a stream classification module to continuously process tweets on-the-fly. Experimental results on a labelled data set endorse our solution. It achieves over 90% precision for the target emotions, financial opportunity, and precaution on Twitter. To the best of our knowledge, no prior work in the literature has addressed this problem despite its practical interest in decision-making, and we are not aware of any previous nlp nor online Machine Learning approaches to tabea.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481B-2021-118Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481B-2022-093Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISU

Automatic detection of relevant information, predictions and forecasts in financial news through topic modelling with Latent Dirichlet Allocation

Financial news items are unstructured sources of information that can be mined to extract knowledge for market screening applications. They are typically written by market experts who describe stock market events within the context of social, economic and political change. Manual extraction of relevant information from the continuous stream of finance-related news is cumbersome and beyond the skills of many investors, who, at most, can follow a few sources and authors. Accordingly, we focus on the analysis of financial news to identify relevant text and, within that text, forecasts and predictions. We propose a novel Natural Language Processing (NLP) system to assist investors in the detection of relevant financial events in unstructured textual sources by considering both relevance and temporality at the discursive level. Firstly, we segment the text to group together closely related text. Secondly, we apply co-reference resolution to discover internal dependencies within segments. Finally, we perform relevant topic modelling with Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to separate relevant from less relevant text and then analyse the relevant text using a Machine Learning-oriented temporal approach to identify predictions and speculative statements. Our solution outperformed a rule-based baseline system. We created an experimental data set composed of 2,158 financial news items that were manually labelled by NLP researchers to evaluate our solution. Inter-agreement Alpha-reliability and accuracy values, and ROUGE-L results endorse its potential as a valuable tool for busy investors. The ROUGE-L values for the identification of relevant text and predictions/forecasts were 0.662 and 0.982, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first work to jointly consider relevance and temporality at the discursive level. It contributes to the transfer of human associative discourse capabilities to expert systems through the combination of multi-paragraph topic segmentation and co-reference resolution to separate author expression patterns, topic modelling with LDA to detect relevant text, and discursive temporality analysis to identify forecasts and predictions within this text. Our solution may have compelling applications in the financial field, including the possibility of extracting relevant statements on investment strategies to analyse authors’ reputations.Universidade de Vigo/CISUGXunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481B-2021-118Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481B-2022-09

Analysis of corporate social responsibility disclosure on the websites of galician intermediate local governments

Este trabajo analiza la información sobre las acciones de Responsabilidad Social Corporativa (RSC) que divulgan las diputaciones mediante un análisis de contenido de sus páginas web institucionales. Para ello, a través de un estudio de caso de las cuatro diputaciones gallegas se realiza un chequeo de las acciones de RSC sobre las que informan tomando como referencia los 98 criterios del modelo de gestión pública responsable para los gobiernos locales de la Fundación Internacional y para Iberoamérica de Administración y Políticas Públicas (FIIAPP). Estos criterios han sido desarrollados atendiendo a las particularidades de las administraciones públicas locales, a diferencia de los del Global Reporting Iniciative (GRI), y abarcan los ejes temáticos de: Ética y buen gobierno, Estrategia y gestión, Informativa, Infraestructuras, Empleo, Medio ambiente, Sociedad, Cadena de suministro, Diálogo e Inversión socialmente responsable. Los principales resultados de la investigación permiten observar que estas entidades divulgan información sobre más del 50% de los criterios del modelo de análisis empleado, destacando los ejes de las Infraestructuras, la Cadena de suministro o la Transparencia informativa. Sin embargo, se han detectado también grandes carencias en la publicación de información de RSC en los ejes de Estrategia y Gestión, así como en Ética y Buen Gobierno. Esto evidencia la necesidad de trabajar en un mayor desarrollo de estrategias de RSC integradas en la estrategia global corporativa por parte de estos organismos. This work analyzes the information regarding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions disclosed by provincial governments through a content analysis of their institutional websites. To achieve this, a case study of the four Galician provincial governments is conducted to check the CSR actions they report, using the 98 criteria from the Responsible Public Management Model for local governments of the International Foundation for Ibero-America of Public Administration and Policies (FIIAPP) as a reference. These criteria have been developed with a focus on the specificities of local public administrations, as opposed to those of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and encompass thematic areas such as Ethics and good governance, Strategy and management, Information, Infrastructure, Employment, Environment, Society, Supply chain, Dialogue, and Socially responsible investment. The main findings of the research reveal that these entities disclose information on more than 50% of the criteria in the employed analysis model, with a particular emphasis on the areas of Infrastructure, Supply chain, and Information transparency. However, significant deficiencies have been identified in the publication of CSR information in the Strategy and Management as well as in the Ethics and Good Governance areas. This highlights the need to work towards a more comprehensive development of CSR strategies integrated into the overall corporate strategy of these organization

Falls Predict Acute Hospitalization in Parkinson's Disease

Malaltia de Parkinson; Levodopa; Factors de riscEnfermedad de Parkinson; Levodopa; Factores de riesgoParkinson Disease; Levodopa; Risk FactorsBackground:There is a need for identifying risk factors for hospitalization in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and also interventions to reduce acute hospital admission. Objective:To analyze the frequency, causes, and predictors of acute hospitalization (AH) in PD patients from a Spanish cohort.Methods:PD patients recruited from 35 centers of Spain from the COPPADIS-2015 (COhort of Patients with PArkinson’s DIsease in Spain, 2015) cohort from January 2016 to November 2017, were included in the study. In order to identify predictors of AH, Kaplan-Meier estimates of factors considered as potential predictors were obtained and Cox regression performed on time to hospital encounter 1-year after the baseline visit.Results:Thirty-five out of 605 (5.8%) PD patients (62.5±8.9 years old; 59.8% males) presented an AH during the 1-year follow-up after the baseline visit. Traumatic falls represented the most frequent cause of admission, being 23.7% of all acute hospitalizations. To suffer from motor fluctuations (HR [hazard ratio] 2.461; 95% CI, 1.065–5.678; p = 0.035), a very severe non-motor symptoms burden (HR [hazard ratio] 2.828; 95% CI, 1.319–6.063; p = 0.008), falls (HR 3.966; 95% CI 1.757–8.470; p = 0.001), and dysphagia (HR 2.356; 95% CI 1.124–4.941; p = 0.023) was associated with AH after adjustment to age, gender, disease duration, levodopa equivalent daily dose, total number of non-antiparkinsonian drugs, and UPDRS-IIIOFF. Of the previous variables, only falls (HR 2.998; 95% CI 1.080–8.322; p = 0.035) was an independent predictor of AH. Conclusion:Falls is an independent predictor of AH in PD patient

Are iodophor-impregnated drapes associated with lower intraoperative contamination compared to no adhesive drape?: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis

Background:Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most frightening complications after surgery. Adhesive drapes (AD) are widely used as an infection prevention tool. They can be non-impregnated or iodophor-impregnated, although non-impregnated are less used as they might be related to higher number of infections. One of the most common ways to study their efficacy is by analyzing the intraoperative contamination, which is a useful primary endpoint as it does not need follow-up and it has been strongly associated with infections. Therefore, we believe a systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis is needed to determine which is the literature available about this topic and to explore their results. Methods:All randomized controlled trials (RCT) published since 1984 through to January 15, 2023 will be included. Non-human and experimental studies will be excluded. We will only include studies written in English. We will conduct searches in the following electronic databases: MEDLINE (via PubMed), SCOPUS and Web Of Science. The protocol of the SR was registered in PROSPERO under the number CRD42023391651 and was written according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocol guidelines. Discussion:The evidence regarding the benefits of using iodophor-impregnated adhesive drapes (IIAD) is scarce. Therefore, this SR and meta-analysis is required to determine if they are related with a lower intraoperative contamination incidence, compared to no AD

Endocarditis por fiebre Q en una válvula aórtica bicúspide: a propósito de un caso.

Despite being a rare pathology, infective endocarditis continues to be a public health problem, with high morbidi-ty and mortality rates worldwide. Approximately 10% of cases suppose a real diagnostic challenge given that they are produced by atypical microorganisms that do not grow in conventional culture methods, do not present typical imaging findings and because they usually present in a more advanced and complicated form. We introduced a case report that reflexes how infective endocarditis due to Coxiella burnetii, an atypical microorganism, can develop.Pese a ser una patología infrecuente, la endocarditis infecciosa sigue siendo un problema importante de salud pública, con una alta morbimortalidad mundial. Aproximadamente un 10% de los casos son un autén-tico reto diagnóstico porque son producidas por microorganismos atípicos que no crecen en los métodos convencionales de cultivo, no presentan los hallazgos típicos en pruebas de imagen y porque se suelen presentar en una forma más avanzada y complicada de la enfermedad. A continuación, presentamos un caso clínico que muestra como puede presentarse una endocarditis infecciosa por Coxiella burnetii, un microorganismo atípico

Defining Optimal Conditions for Tumor Extracellular Vesicle DNA Extraction for Mutation Profiling

(1) Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as crucial players in the communication between cells in both physiological and pathological scenarios. The functions of EVs are strongly determined by their molecular content, which includes all bioactive molecules, such as proteins, lipids, RNA, and, as more recently described, double-stranded DNA. It has been shown that in oncological settings DNA associated with EVs (EV-DNA) is representative of the genome of parental cells and that it reflects the mutational status of the tumor, gaining much attention as a promising source of biomarker mutant DNA. However, one of the challenges in studies of EV-DNA is the lack of standardization of protocols for the DNA extraction from EVs, as well as ways to assess quality control, which hinders its future implementation in clinics. (2) Methods: We performed a comprehensive comparison of commonly used approaches for EV-DNA extraction by assessing DNA quantity, quality, and suitability for downstream analyses. (3) Results: We here established strategic points to consider for EV-DNA preparation for mutational analyses, including qPCR and NGS. (4) Conclusions: We put in place a workflow that can be applied for the detection of clinically relevant mutations in the EV-DNA of cancer patients

A role for Oncostatin M in the impairment of glucose homeostasis in obesity

CONTEXT: Oncostatin M (OSM) plays a key role in inflammation, but its regulation and function during obesity is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of OSM with the inflammatory state that leads to impaired glucose homeostasis in obesity. We also assessed whether OSM immunoneutralization could revert metabolic disturbances caused by a high-fat diet (HFD) in mice. DESIGN: 28 patients with severe obesity were included and stratified into two groups: (1) glucose levels 100 mg/dL. White adipose tissue was obtained to examine OSM gene expression. Human adipocytes were used to evaluate the effect of OSM in the inflammatory response, and HFD-fed C57BL/6J mice were injected with anti-OSM antibody to evaluate its effects. RESULTS: OSM expression was elevated in subcutaneous and visceral fat from patients with obesity and hyperglycemia, and correlated with Glut4 mRNA levels, serum insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, and inflammatory markers. OSM inhibited adipogenesis and induced inflammation in human adipocytes. Finally, OSM receptor knockout mice had increased Glut4 mRNA levels in adipose tissue, and OSM immunoneutralization resulted in a reduction of glucose levels and Ccl2 expression in adipose tissue from HFD-fed mice. CONCLUSIONS: OSM contributes to the inflammatory state during obesity and may be involved in the development of insulin resistance

Staging Parkinson’s disease according to the MNCD classification correlates with caregiver burden

Malaltia de Parkinson; Cuidador; Símptomes no motorsParkinson's disease; Caregiver; Non-motor symptomsEnfermedad de Parkinson; Cuidador; Síntomas no motoresBackground and objective: Recently, we demonstrated that staging Parkinson's disease (PD) with a novel simple classification called MNCD, based on four axes (motor, non-motor, cognition, and dependency) and five stages, correlated with disease severity and patients’ quality of life. Here, we analyzed the correlation of MNCD staging with PD caregiver's status. Patients and methods: Data from the baseline visit of PD patients and their principal caregiver recruited from 35 centers in Spain from the COPPADIS cohort from January 2016 to November 2017 were used to apply the MNCD total score (from 0 to 12) and MNCD stages (from 1 to 5) in this cross-sectional analysis. Caregivers completed the Zarit Caregiver Burden Inventory (ZCBI), Caregiver Strain Index (CSI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), PQ-10, and EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index (EUROHIS-QOL8). Results: Two hundred and twenty-four PD patients (63 ± 9.6 years old; 61.2% males) and their caregivers (58.5 ± 12.1 years old; 67.9% females) were included. The frequency of MNCD stages was 1, 7.6%; 2, 58.9%; 3, 31.3%; and 4–5, 2.2%. A more advanced MNCD stage was associated with a higher score on the ZCBI (p < .0001) and CSI (p < .0001), and a lower score on the PQ-10 (p = .001), but no significant differences were observed in the BDI-II (p = .310) and EUROHIS-QOL8 (p = .133). Moderate correlations were observed between the MNCD total score and the ZCBI (r = .496; p < .0001), CSI (r = .433; p < .0001), and BDI-II (r = .306; p < .0001) in caregivers.Conclusion: Staging PD according to the MNCD classification is correlated with caregivers’ strain and burden.Fundación Española de Ayuda a la Investigación en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y/o de Origen Genético; Alpha Bioresearch; Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Grant/Award Number: PI16/0157

Primary care randomized clinical trial: manual therapy effectiveness in comparison with TENS in patients with neck pain

This study investigated effectiveness of manual therapy (MT) with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to reduce pain intensity in patients with mechanical neck disorder (MND). A randomized multi-centered controlled clinical trial was performed in 12 Primary Care Physiotherapy Units in Madrid Region. Ninety patients were included with diagnoses of subacute or chronic MND without neurological damage, 47 patients received MT and 43 TENS. The primary outcome was pain intensity measured in millimeters using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Also disability, quality of life, adverse effects and sociodemographic and prognosis variables were measured. Three evaluations were performed (before, when the procedure ?nished and six months after). Seventy-one patients (79%) completed the follow-up measurement at six months. In more than half of the treated patients the procedure had a clinically relevant ?short term? result after having ended the intervention, when either MT or TENS was used. The success rate decreased to one-third of the patients 6 months after the intervention. No differences can be found in the reduction of pain, in the decrease of disability nor in the quality of life between both therapies. Both analyzed physiotherapy techniques produce a short-term pain reduction that is clinically relevant.Ministerio de SanidadInstituto de Salud Carlos II