Role of successive round as a quality signal in equity crowdfunding: Novel evidence from the perspective of investors' preferences.

Equity crowdfunding provides entrepreneurs and founders the opportunity to raise funds from a large number of potential investors, using quality signals to influence their investment decisions. Drawing from the lens of signaling theory and the elaboration likelihood model, this study explores the role of successive equity crowdfunding rounds as a quality signal in shaping investors' preferences in crowdfunded firms and its influence on their investment decisions. Our findings reveal that successive equity crowdfunding rounds serve as quality signals, modeling investors' preferences and thereby resulting in a high magnitude of success factors. The successive round is a strong quality signal that has a positive and significant impact on investors' investment decisions in subsequent equity crowdfunding rounds. The increasing preferences of investors due to the successive round augments the magnitude of success factors and helps entrepreneurs in successfully achieving large funding targets, high overfunding, and attracting a large number of investors in subsequent equity crowdfunding campaigns, even with a low level of equity offering.

Moderating the effect of globalization on financial development, energy consumption, human capital, and carbon emissions: evidence from G20 countries.

The policy debate on the financial development and dynamic of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is topical. Globalization can affect this relationship by making financial investments in green energy and environment-friendly technology, as environmental sustainability is the primary concern for modern society. This study proposes a newly formulated conceptual framework to explore globalization's moderating role on exoplanetary variables (financial development, energy consumption, human capital, and gross domestic product) and CO2 emission. We employed Fixed Effect Ordinary Least Squares (FE-OLS), Driscoll-Kraay standard error approach (D-K), and Dumitrescu and Hurlin's (2012) panel causality test. Our sample of the study comprised full and subsamples of G20 countries (excluding the European Union) from 1986 to 2018. The results indicated that financial development and human capital decreased carbon emissions, while GDP and energy consumption substantially increased carbon emissions during the study time. Further, globalization moderated the positive impact of financial development and human development on carbon emissions. A sustainable environmental agenda is achieved by a stronger financial system, encouraging green finance, and including technical education that improves production efficiency. However, globalization moderated the negative impact of energy consumption and GDP on carbon emission. Besides, we also reported the bidirectional causal relationship of GDP to energy consumption. Our empirical research provides new insights for policymakers and governments to formulate country-based policies to protect environmental quality while achieving sustainable economic goals.

Incidence and Risk Factors of Sudden Cardiac Death in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Retrospective Study.

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing long-term hemodialysis (HD) are at increased risk of suffering from sudden cardiac death (SCD). ESRD patients on HD are distinctively vulnerable to SCD owing to periodic fluid and electrolyte imbalances, uremic environment, and foregoing cardiovascular injury. The present study was sought to evaluate the magnitude of incidence and risk factors of SCD in ESRD patients on HD in Pakistani population. A retrospective research study was undertaken at Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan from May 2016 to April 2019. The study recruited 202 eligible ESRD patients undergoing long-term HD. Baseline characteristics of the study participants with and without sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) were recorded using self-reported questionnaires. Brief history was documented for comorbid such as diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), and family history of cardiac disease. SCA and SCD events were identified by reviewing medical records and death certificates. The study recruited 261 patients during the study duration; however, on the basis of exclusion criteria, 59 patients were ruled out. Out of 202 patients enrolled in the final analysis, 37 (18.3%) patients suffered from the episode of SCA. Of those 37, 18 (48.6%) of the subjects succumbed to death. ESRD patients who endured SCA were statistically older in comparison with their non-SCA counterparts (58.2 ± 11.4 years vs. 52.3 ± 9.3 years, P <0.001). When compared for comorbidities, HTN (67.6% vs. 64.8%, P = 0.001), DM (62.2% vs. 59.4%, P = 0.004), coronary artery disease (CAD) (45.9% vs. 41.8%, P = 0.001), and congestive heart failure (35.1% vs. 34.5%, P = 0.002) were significantly prevalent in ESRD cohort with SCA in contrast to non-SCA. We also found left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) (62.2% vs. 48.5%, P <0.001), ventricular tachycardia (51.4% vs. 30.9%, P <0.001) and ventricular fibrillation/flutter (56.8% vs. 25.5%, P <0.001) to be statistically higher in ESRD patients on HD with SCA event. Through multivariate logistic regression analysis, we evidenced body mass index [odds ratio (OR) = 1.141, confidence interval [CI] 1.694-2.243, P = 0.004]; hypokalemia (OR = 1.247, CI 1.214-1.278, P <0.001); CAD (OR = 1.886, CI 1.469-2.342, P <0.001); LVH (OR 1.861, CI 1.392-1.953, P <0.001); ventricular tachycardia (OR = 1.253, CI 1.012-1.386, P <0.001); ventricular fibrillation/flutter (OR = 0.547, CI 0.518-0.773, P <0.001), and duration of dialysis (OR = 1.555, CI 1.427-1.852, P <0.001) significantly and independently associated with SCD in ESRD patients on HD. In conclusion, the prevalence of SCD among ESRD patients on HD with SCA episode is very high. CAD, ventricular tachyarrhythmias, and duration of dialysis were statistically significant among ESRD patients on HD with SCA in comparison with non-SCA and were independently associated with the prevalence of inpatient SCD among ESRD patients with SCA on HD.

Successful desensitization and kidney transplantation in the presence of donor-specific anti-human leukocyte antigen antibodies in kidney transplant recipients.

Kidney transplantation has indisputably revamped renal medicine and restored hope among patients coming across fatal end-stage renal disease. However, sensitization of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) triggers extensive immunological fences to successful kidney transplantation and henceforth, transplant candidates are frequently demoted to the ever-growing waiting list owing to preformed donor specific antibodies (DSAs). Over the past few years, the advent of desensitization protocols has significantly overpowered the immunological barriers and enhanced the outcomes of kidney transplant recipients with DSAs against HLA. Those desensitization protocols include combination of plasmapheresis, high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), low-dose IVIG, rituximab, and/or bortezomib. These immunomodulatory treatments either eliminate DSAs or prevent their production. Lately, our transplant center developed and used a desensitization protocol (Two sessions of plasmapheresis on day 1 and 2 → injection rituximab on day 2 after plasmapheresis →no plasmapheresis on day 3 → eight sessions of plasmapheresis after day 3 and IVIG 100 mg/Kg/dose after each session of plasmapheresis → repeat HLA antibody detection test to confirm if DSAs are present against HLA with median fluorescence intensity (MFI)values <1000 and complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) crossmatch is negative for both T and B lymphocytes; if NO then continue plasmapheresis sessions with IVIG 100 mg/kg/dose till MFI values are <1000 and CDC crossmatch is negative for both T and B lymphocytes or if YES then proceed for transplantation → repeat dose of rituximab post-transplantation) to evaluate its effectiveness in improving kidney function in patients post-desensitization and kidney transplantation.

Effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids on diphenyl hydantoin-induced genetic damage in vitro and in vivo.

Phenytoin sodium/diphenyl hydantoin (DPH) is used by a major segment of epileptics and neuro surgery patients with head injury to prevent seizures. DPH is a known mutagen, carcinogen, and teratogen. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are critical for various tissues and were reported to act as anti-mutagenic agents. In the present study we assessed the effect of five EFAs on DPH-induced genetic damage both in vitro and in vivo. DPH induced significant genetic damage. Of all the EFAs (linoleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, gamma-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid) studied, all except eicosapentaenoic acid showed significant decrease in DPH induced genetic damage as assessed by micronucleus (MN) test. However, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) was found to be the most effective in reducing the number of MN containing lymphocytes both in vitro and in vivo to control values. EFAs when tested alone produced insignificant increase in the amount of genetic damage but when tested in combination with DPH the number of micronuclei containing lymphocytes was reduced; but the DNA ladder pattern, an indication of DNA damage, was increased. This apparently paradoxical action of EFAs, especially of GLA, suggests that, in all probability, fatty acids induce apoptosis of cells that harbor significant DNA damage. Based on these results we suggest that GLA functions as a unique endogenous molecule that protects cells from accumulating genetic damage.