Wavering Interactions between Commodity Futures Prices and USD Exchange Rates

This paper examines the intricate impact of commodity futures prices on US dollar exchange rates. The daily data on returns on futures and on USD are tested with Bayesian VAR, multiple breakpoint regression and two-state Markov switching. The tested commodity futures include West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude oil, as well as copper and gold. The tests imply that changes in commodity returns inversely affect USD exchange rates. This relationship is not uniform across the tested commodity futures and is affected by market risk. The relationships between crude oil futures prices and USD exchange rates are normally negative but they become positive at stressful market conditions. The relationships between copper prices and USD exchange rates are inverse at normal market periods; they turn positive at times of financial distress. The relationships between returns on gold futures and on USD are very unstable

Wavering Interactions between Commodity Futures Prices and US Dollar Exchange Rates

This paper examines the intricate impact of commodity futures settlement prices on USD exchange rates. The daily data on changes in logs of futures prices and changes in logs of US dollar in euro and USD trade weighted exchange rate are tested with Bayesian VAR, multiple breakpoint regression and two-state Markov switching. Commodities include West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude oil, as well as copper and gold. The tests imply prevalence of an inverse relationship between changes in commodity futures prices and USD exchange rates, but their interactions become positive at stressful market conditions. Strengths, statistical significance and causal interactions between commodity futures prices and USD exchange rate depend on the type of commodities and market risk conditions. The relationship between WTI and USD exchange rates has been strengthening over time. Interactions between changes in gold prices and the exchange rate are very unstable

Characteristics of contralateral carcinomas in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer larger than 1 cm

Purpose: Traditionally, total thyroidectomy has been advocated for patients with tumors larger than 1 cm. However, according to the ATA and NCCN guidelines (2015, USA), patients with tumors up to 4 cm are now eligible for lobectomy. A rationale for adhering to total thyroidectomy might be the presence of contralateral carcinomas. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of contralateral carcinomas in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) larger than 1 cm. Methods: A retrospective study was performed including patients from 17 centers in 5 countries. Adults diagnosed with DTC stage T1b-T3 N0-1a M0 who all underwent a total thyroidectomy were included. The primary endpoint was the presence of a contralateral carcinoma. Results: A total of 1

The impact of cosmetic breast implants on breastfeeding: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Cosmetic breast augmentation (breast implants) is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures worldwide and uptake in high income countries has increased in the last two decades. Women need information about all associated outcomes in order to make an informed decision regarding whether to undergo cosmetic breast surgery. We conducted a systematic review to assess breastfeeding outcomes among women with breast implants compared to women without. Methods: A systematic literature search of Medline, Pubmed, CINAHL and Embase databases was conducted using the earliest inclusive dates through December 2013. Eligible studies included comparative studies that reported breastfeeding outcomes (any breastfeeding, and among women who breastfed, exclusive breastfeeding) for women with and without breast implants. Pairs of reviewers extracted descriptive data, study quality, and outcomes. Rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled across studies using the random-effects model. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) was used to critically appraise study quality, and the National Health and Medical Research Council Level of Evidence Scale to rank the level of the evidence. Results: Three small, observational studies met the inclusion criteria. The quality of the studies was fair (NOS 4-6) and the level of evidence was low (III-2 - III-3). There was no significant difference in attempted breastfeeding (one study, RR 0.94, 95%CI 0.76, 1.17). However, among women who breastfed, all three studies reported a reduced likelihood of exclusive breastfeeding amongst women with breast implants with a pooled rate ratio of 0.60 (95%CI 0.40, 0.90). Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that women with breast implants who breastfeed were less likely to exclusively feed their infants with breast milk compared to women without breast implants.NHMRC, Dr Albert McKern Research Scholarshi

The impact of cosmetic breast implants on breastfeeding: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Cosmetic breast augmentation (breast implants) is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures worldwide and uptake in high income countries has increased in the last two decades. Women need information about all associated outcomes in order to make an informed decision regarding whether to undergo cosmetic breast surgery. We conducted a systematic review to assess breastfeeding outcomes among women with breast implants compared to women without. Methods: A systematic literature search of Medline, Pubmed, CINAHL and Embase databases was conducted using the earliest inclusive dates through December 2013. Eligible studies included comparative studies that reported breastfeeding outcomes (any breastfeeding, and among women who breastfed, exclusive breastfeeding) for women with and without breast implants. Pairs of reviewers extracted descriptive data, study quality, and outcomes. Rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled across studies using the random-effects model. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) was used to critically appraise study quality, and the National Health and Medical Research Council Level of Evidence Scale to rank the level of the evidence. Results: Three small, observational studies met the inclusion criteria. The quality of the studies was fair (NOS 4-6) and the level of evidence was low (III-2 - III-3). There was no significant difference in attempted breastfeeding (one study, RR 0.94, 95%CI 0.76, 1.17). However, among women who breastfed, all three studies reported a reduced likelihood of exclusive breastfeeding amongst women with breast implants with a pooled rate ratio of 0.60 (95%CI 0.40, 0.90). Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that women with breast implants who breastfeed were less likely to exclusively feed their infants with breast milk compared to women without breast implants.NHMRC, Dr Albert McKern Research Scholarshi

Transparency of the Federal Reserve, a Force of Stability or Volatility in Financial Markets Post 2008 and Prior to COVID-19?

The purpose of this article is to analyze how the Central Bank of the United States, the Federal Reserve’s decision to provide greater transparency after the Financial Crisis of 2008 impacted the volatility in financial markets. This study uses five Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Indices as a proxy for overall market volatility and attempts to capture their deviances from expected returns. The event dates identified are when the United States Federal Reserve met and released their “summary of economic predictions”. The methodology deployed uses an event study framework on daily financial market data from the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting days, to determine how an increased availability of information impacted financial markets in the period of January 2008 – January 2020. The results of the empirical analysis do not reveal abnormal returns pre or post the event dates. This finding suggests that the FOMC announcements did not lead to significant abnormal returns of the analyzed assets

Parathyroidectomy for patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism in a changing landscape for the management of end-stage renal disease

Background: The landscape of patients with end-stage renal disease is changing with the increasing availability of kidney transplantation. In the near future, a less aggressive approach to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism might be beneficial. We report outcomes of parathyroidectomy for end-stage renal disease-related hyperparathyroidism comparing the outcomes of limited, subtotal, and total parathyroidectomy. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. Patients were divided into 3 parathyroidectomy subgroups: limited ( Results: In total, 195 patients were included for analysis of whom 13.8% underwent limited parathyroidectomy, 46.7% subtotal parathyroidectomy, and 39.5% total parathyroidectomy. Preoperative parathyroid hormone levels (pg/mL) were 471 (210-868), 1,087 (627-1,795), and 1,070 (475-1,632) for the limited, subtotal, and total parathyroidectomy groups, respectively (P < .001). A decrease in serum parathyroid hormone was seen in all groups; however, postoperative levels remained greater in the limited parathyroidectomy group compared to the subtotal and total parathyroidectomy groups (P < .001). Serum calcium, phosphate, and alkaline phosphatase levels decreased in all groups to within the reference range. In the limited parathyroidectomy group, persistent disease and recurrence occurred more frequently (P = .02 and P = .07, respectively). Conclusion: Subtotal parathyroidectomy is the optimal strategy in an era with an increasing availability of kidney transplantation and improved regimens of dialysis. In this changing practice, the approach to parathyroid surgery, however, might shift to a less aggressive and patient-tailored approach. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Surgery alone for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma is less costly and more effective than long term active surveillance

Background: Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma is a subtype of thyroid cancer that may be managed with active surveillance rather than immediate surgery. Active surveillance decreases complication rates and may decrease health care costs. This study aims to analyze complication rates of thyroid surgery, papillary thyroid microcarcinoma recurrence, and survival rates. Additionally, the costs of surgery versus hypothetic active surveillance for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma are compared in an Australian cohort. Methods: Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma patients were included from a prospectively collected surgical cohort of patients treated for papillary thyroid cancer between 1985 and 2017. The primary outcomes were the complications of thyroid surgery, recurrence-free survival, overall survival, and cost of surgical treatment and active surveillance. Results: In a total of 349 patients with papillary microcarcinoma with a median age of 48 years (range, 18–90 years), the permanent operative complications rate was 3.7%. Postoperative radioactive iodine did not decrease recurrence-free survival (P = .3). The total cost of surgical treatment was $10,226 Australian dollars, whereas hypothetic active surveillance was at a yearly cost of$756 Australian dollars. Estimated cost of surgical papillary thyroid microcarcinoma treatment was equivalent to the cost of 16.2 years of active surveillance. Conclusion: Surgery may have a long-term economic advantage for younger Australian patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma who are likely to require more than 16.2 years of follow-up in an active surveillance scheme