Auditor Change Disclosures as Signals of Earnings Management and Risk

Auditor resignations are considered more negative signals than auditor dismissals, but firms’ self-reported distinction between the two may not offer a complete or reliable representation of the nature of the auditor change. 8-K regulations require the disclosure of the adjournment of an audit engagement even if a successor auditor has not yet been named. In compliance with this requirement, some firms file two 8-k’s related to the same auditor change. Exploiting these dual 8-K filings, we create a new measure of the nature of auditor changes and show that 1) both self-reported auditor resignations and dual 8-K filings are related to measures of earnings management and risk; and 2) auditor changes identified as both self-reported resignations and dual 8-K filings are associated with the most negative economic implications (as reflected by the likelihood of financial statement manipulation and bankruptcy risk). We suggest that dual 8-K filings and self-reported resignations are complementary negative signals each capturing unique dimensions of the underlying economic factors

Cytotoxic T-cell precursor frequencies to HER-2 (369 – 377) in patients with HER-2/neu-positive epithelial tumours

HER-2/neu oncoprotein contains several major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted epitopes, which are recognised by cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) on autologous tumours and therefore can be used in immune-based cancer therapies. Of these, the most extensively studied is HER-2(9(369)). In the present report, we used dendritic cells pulsed with HER-2(9(369)) to stimulate, in the presence of IL-7 and IL-12, the production of IFN-gamma by patients' CTL detected by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot-assay. Frequencies of peptide-specific precursors were estimated in HLA-A2, HLA-A3 and HLA-A26 patients with HER-2/neu-positive (+) breast, ovarian, lung, colorectal and prostate cancers and healthy individuals. We found increased percentages of such precursors in HLA-A2 (25%) and HLA-A26 (30%) patients, which were significantly higher (60%) in HLA-A3 patients. Our results demonstrate for the first time that pre-existing immunity to HER-2(9(369)) occurs in patients with colorectal, lung and prostate cancer. They also suggest that HER-2(9(369)) can be recognised by CTL, besides HLA-A2, also in the context of HLA-A3 and HLA-A26, thus increasing the applicability of HER-2(9(369))-based vaccinations in a considerably broader patients' population.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Neuropsychological predictors of conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease: a feature selection ensemble combining stability and predictability

Background Predicting progression from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is an utmost open issue in AD-related research. Neuropsychological assessment has proven to be useful in identifying MCI patients who are likely to convert to dementia. However, the large battery of neuropsychological tests (NPTs) performed in clinical practice and the limited number of training examples are challenge to machine learning when learning prognostic models. In this context, it is paramount to pursue approaches that effectively seek for reduced sets of relevant features. Subsets of NPTs from which prognostic models can be learnt should not only be good predictors, but also stable, promoting generalizable and explainable models. Methods We propose a feature selection (FS) ensemble combining stability and predictability to choose the most relevant NPTs for prognostic prediction in AD. First, we combine the outcome of multiple (filter and embedded) FS methods. Then, we use a wrapper-based approach optimizing both stability and predictability to compute the number of selected features. We use two large prospective studies (ADNI and the Portuguese Cognitive Complaints Cohort, CCC) to evaluate the approach and assess the predictive value of a large number of NPTs. Results The best subsets of features include approximately 30 and 20 (from the original 79 and 40) features, for ADNI and CCC data, respectively, yielding stability above 0.89 and 0.95, and AUC above 0.87 and 0.82. Most NPTs learnt using the proposed feature selection ensemble have been identified in the literature as strong predictors of conversion from MCI to AD. Conclusions The FS ensemble approach was able to 1) identify subsets of stable and relevant predictors from a consensus of multiple FS methods using baseline NPTs and 2) learn reliable prognostic models of conversion from MCI to AD using these subsets of features. The machine learning models learnt from these features outperformed the models trained without FS and achieved competitive results when compared to commonly used FS algorithms. Furthermore, the selected features are derived from a consensus of methods thus being more robust, while releasing users from choosing the most appropriate FS method to be used in their classification task.PTDC/EEI-SII/1937/2014; SFRH/BD/95846/2013; SFRH/BD/118872/2016info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cause of Death and Predictors of All-Cause Mortality in Anticoagulated Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation : Data From ROCKET AF

M. Kaste on työryhmän ROCKET AF Steering Comm jäsen.Background-Atrial fibrillation is associated with higher mortality. Identification of causes of death and contemporary risk factors for all-cause mortality may guide interventions. Methods and Results-In the Rivaroxaban Once Daily Oral Direct Factor Xa Inhibition Compared with Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation (ROCKET AF) study, patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation were randomized to rivaroxaban or dose-adjusted warfarin. Cox proportional hazards regression with backward elimination identified factors at randomization that were independently associated with all-cause mortality in the 14 171 participants in the intention-to-treat population. The median age was 73 years, and the mean CHADS(2) score was 3.5. Over 1.9 years of median follow-up, 1214 (8.6%) patients died. Kaplan-Meier mortality rates were 4.2% at 1 year and 8.9% at 2 years. The majority of classified deaths (1081) were cardiovascular (72%), whereas only 6% were nonhemorrhagic stroke or systemic embolism. No significant difference in all-cause mortality was observed between the rivaroxaban and warfarin arms (P=0.15). Heart failure (hazard ratio 1.51, 95% CI 1.33-1.70, P= 75 years (hazard ratio 1.69, 95% CI 1.51-1.90, P Conclusions-In a large population of patients anticoagulated for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, approximate to 7 in 10 deaths were cardiovascular, whereasPeer reviewe

Aplicabilidade do indice adiposidade corporal na estimativa do percentual de gordura de jovens mulheres brasileiras

INTRODUÇÃO: A estimativa da composição corporal é um campo de estudo importante no prognóstico e diagnóstico de enfermidades degenerativas. OBJETIVO: Analisar a aplicabilidade do Índice de adiposidade corporal (IAC) e o método de dobras cutâneas. MÉTODOS: A amostra foi constituída por 19 adultas jovens com média de idade 24,53 ± 2,65 anos, submetidas à avaliação antropométrica (circunferências e dobras cutâneas) e absorsiometria por dupla emissão de raio X (DXA). Os valores estimados foram comparados ao valor de referência por meio do teste t pareado e pela análise do nível de associação entre os métodos pela correlação de Pearson; o nível de significância foi p 0,05) com nível de associação forte (r = 0,879). CONCLUSÃO: Embora o IAC não apresente diferença para os valores estimados, fica evidente a necessidade de mais estudos sobre a aplicabilidade do método na população brasileira

How safe is twistdrill craniostomy?

The incidence of haemorrhagic complications of intracranial pressure monitoring (ICPM) has previously been reported. However, in these studies, the techniques employed to access the inside of the cranium varied. While 3-mm essentially blind 'twistdrill' craniostomies have been used, their role has been limited for fear of haemorrhagic sequelae. This has also restricted their use in clinical applications other than ICPM. We conducted a prospective observational study looking at haemorrhagic complications of the twistdrill in order to determine its safety and whether it has a role in other clinical settings. Over the period January 1994-February 2001, 941 patients had 1032 twistdrill procedures. There were 550 (58.4%) male patients and 391 (41.6%) female. The age range was 3 months to 93 years (median age 35 years). Only four procedures (0.38%) caused clinically significant bleeds attributable to the twistdrill --all of which were managed conservatively without requiring surgical evacuation. We conclude that twistdrill craniostomies are safe and that their use could be extended to other neurosurgical procedures and potentially to ICPM in non-neurosurgical centres