Commodity house prices

This paper studies how commodity price movements have affected the local house prices in commodity-dependent economies, Australia and New Zealand. We build a geographically hierarchical empirical model and find the commodity prices influence local house prices directly and also indirectly through macroeconomic variables. The impacts of commodity price changes are analogous to “income shocks” rather than “cost shocks”. Regional heterogeneity is also observed in terms of differential dynamic responses of local house prices to energy versus non-energy commodity price movements. The results are robust to alternative approaches. Directions for future research are also discussed

Commodity house prices

This paper studies how commodity price movements have affected the local house prices in commodity-dependent economies, Australia and New Zealand. We build a geographically hierarchical empirical model and find the commodity prices influence local house prices directly and also indirectly through macroeconomic variables. The impacts of commodity price changes are analogous to “income shocks” rather than “cost shocks”. Regional heterogeneity is also observed in terms of differential dynamic responses of local house prices to energy versus non-energy commodity price movements. The results are robust to alternative approaches. Directions for future research are also discussed

Pequenas e médias empresas e disclosure obrigatório : efeitos da adoção do IFRS, auditoria e endividamento

Este estudo tem como objetivo verificar os efeitos da adoção do IFRS, da auditoria externa e do endividamento no nível do disclosure contábil das pequenas e médias empresas. Para tanto foram analisadas PMEs que publicaram suas demonstrações contábeis em Diário Oficial do Distrito Federal, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso e São Paulo no período de 2012 a 2015. Para avaliar o nível do disclosure contábil obrigatório foram analisadas a quantidade de notas explicativas divulgadas pelas PMEs, a quantidade de demonstrações contábeis publicadas e a quantidade de contas em seus balanços patrimoniais. Por esse motivo este trabalho utilizou o método de Regressão Linear para Dados de Contagem. Os resultados encontrados indicam que PMEs que informaram em notas explicativas seguir como o padrão contábil o CPC (Completo ou para PMEs), que contrataram serviços de auditoria externa, especialmente de firmas Big Four e que apresentaram endividamento elevado, possuem uma tendência a publicar um maior número de notas explicativas. Além disso, PMEs que declararam seguir o CPC para PMEs e foram auditadas por Big Four indicaram tendência a reduzir o número de contas em seus balanços patrimoniais, o que não significa que o nível de disclosure contábil nessas empresas esteja comprometido, uma vez que essas PMEs também tendem a divulgar mais notas explicativas, sendo, portanto, mais transparentes dessa forma, reduzindo o número de contas patrimoniais e ampliando as informações nelas contidas.This study aims to verify the effects of the IFRS adoption, external auditing and leverage on the accounting disclosure level of small and medium-sized enterprises. In order to evaluate the level of the mandatory accounting disclosure, this study analyzes the quantity of information disclosed by SMEs on their financial statements reported in “Diário Oficial” of five Brazilian states: Distrito Federal, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso and São Paulo. To evaluate the level of mandatory accounting disclosure, this study considers the number of notes, the number of published financial statements and the number of accounts in their balance sheets. For this reason, this research uses the Regression method with Count Data. The results indicate that SMEs that reported in their notes that they apply as accounting standard the IFRS (Full or for SMEs), that contracted external audit services, especially of Big Four firms and that had high leverage, have a tendency to disclose a larger number of notes. In addition, SMEs that have stated that they are applying the IFRS for SMEs and were audited by Big Four have indicated a tendency to reduce the number of accounts in their balance sheets, which does not mean that the level of accounting disclosure in these companies is compromised, they also tend to disclose more notes and are therefore more transparent in this way, reducing the number of equity accounts and expanding the information contained therein.CAPE

Antitumor agents 294. Novel E-ring-modified camptothecin–4β-anilino-4′-O-demethyl-epipodophyllotoxin conjugates as DNA topoisomerase I inhibitors and cytotoxic agents

Two conjugates (1 and 2) of camptothecin (CPT) and 4β-anilino-4′-O-demethylepipodophyllotoxin were previously shown to exert antitumor activity through inhibition of topoisomerase I (topo I). In this current study, two novel conjugates (1E and 2E) with an open E-ring in the CPT moiety were first synthesized and evaluated for biological activity in comparison with their intact E-ring congeners. This novel class of CPT derivatives exhibits its antitumor effect against CPT-sensitive and -resistant cells, in part, by inhibiting topo I-linked DNA (TLD) religation. An intact E-ring was not essential for the inhibition of TLD religation, although conjugates with an open E-ring were less potent than the closed ring analogs. This lower religation potency resulted in decreased formation of protein-linked DNA breaks (PLDBs), and hence, less cell growth inhibition. In addition to their impact on topo I, conjugates 1E, 2, and 2E exhibited a minor inhibitory effect on topo II-induced DNA cleavage. The novel structures of 1E and 2E may present scaffolds for further development of dual function topo I and II inhibitors with improved pharmacological profiles and physicochemical properties

Association between serum uric acid and prostate cancer mortality in androgen deprivation therapy: A population‐based cohort study

Objective: This population‐based study examined the association between baseline uric acid (UA) and prostate cancer (PCa)‐related mortality amongst PCa patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Methods: Adults with PCa who received ADT in Hong Kong between December 1999 and March 2021 were identified. Patients with missing baseline UA were excluded. Patients were followed up until September 2021. The outcome was PCa‐related mortality. Results: Altogether, 4126 patients (median follow‐up 3.1[interquartile range 1.4–6.0] years) were included. A J‐shaped association was observed between baseline UA level and PCa‐related mortality risk, with a direct association in those with mean(0.401 mmol/L) or above‐mean baseline UA levels (hazard ratio (HR) per standard deviation‐increase 1.35 [95% confidence interval 1.21,1.51], p < 0.001), and an inverse association in those with below‐mean baseline UA levels (HR 0.78[0.67,0.92], p = 0.003). The former remained significant on competing risk regression, but not the latter. Conclusions: A J‐shaped relationship between baseline UA level and PCa‐related mortality risk was identified. This study was mainly limited by potential unmeasured and residual confounders. Further validation studies are warranted

Major adverse cardiovascular events of enzalutamide versus abiraterone in prostate cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

While the cardiovascular risks of androgen receptor pathway inhibitors have been studied, they were seldom compared directly. This study compares the risks of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) between enzalutamide and abiraterone among prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Adult PCa patients receiving either enzalutamide or abiraterone in addition to androgen deprivation therapy in Hong Kong between 1 December 1999 and 31 March 2021 were identified in this retrospective cohort study. Patients who switched between enzalutamide and abiraterone, initiated abiraterone used without steroids, or experienced prior cardiac events were excluded. Patients were followed-up until 30 September 2021. The primary outcomes were MACE, a composite of stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), Heart failure (HF), or all-cause mortality and a composite of adverse cardiovascular events (CACE) not including all-cause mortality. The secondary outcomes were individual components of MACE. Inverse probability treatment weighting was used to balance covariates between treatment groups. In total, 1015 patients were analyzed (456 enzalutamide users and 559 abiraterone users; mean age 70.6 ± 8.8 years old) over a median follow-up duration of 11.3 (IQR: 5.3-21.3) months. Enzalutamide users had significantly lower risks of 4P-MACE (weighted hazard ratio (wHR) 0.71 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59-0.86], p < 0.001) and CACE (wHR 0.63 [95% CI: 0.42-0.96], p = 0.031), which remained consistent in multivariable analysis. Such an association may be stronger in patients aged ≥65 years or without diabetes mellitus and was independent of bilateral orchidectomy. Enzalutamide users also had significantly lower risks of MI (wHR 0.57 [95% CI: 0.33-0.97], p = 0.040) and all-cause mortality (wHR 0.71 [95% CI: 0.59-0.85], p < 0.001). Enzalutamide was associated with lower cardiovascular risks than abiraterone in PCa patients. [Abstract copyright: © 2023. The Author(s).

Hsa-miRNA-765 as a key mediator for inhibiting growth, migration and invasion in fulvestrant-treated prostate cancer

Fulvestrant (ICI-182,780) has recently been shown to effectively suppress prostate cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. But it is unclear whether microRNAs play a role in regulating oncogene expression in fulvestrant-treated prostate cancer. Here, this study reports hsa-miR-765 as the first fulvestrant-driven, ERβ-regulated miRNA exhibiting significant tumor suppressor activities like fulvestrant, against prostate cancer cell growth via blockage of cell-cycle progression at the G2/M transition, and cell migration and invasion possibly via reduction of filopodia/intense stress-fiber formation. Fulvestrant was shown to upregulate hsa-miR-765 expression through recruitment of ERβ to the 5′-regulatory-region of hsa-miR-765. HMGA1, an oncogenic protein in prostate cancer, was identified as a downstream target of hsa-miR-765 and fulvestrant in cell-based experiments and a clinical study. Both the antiestrogen and the hsa-miR-765 mimic suppressed HMGA1 protein expression. In a neo-adjuvant study, levels of hsa-miR-765 were increased and HMGA1 expression was almost completely lost in prostate cancer specimens from patients treated with a single dose (250 mg) of fulvestrant 28 days before prostatectomy. These findings reveal a novel fulvestrant signaling cascade involving ERβ-mediated transcriptional upregulation of hsa-miR-765 that suppresses HMGA1 protein expression as part of the mechanism underlying the tumor suppressor action of fulvestrant in prostate cancer. © 2014 Leung et al