Post‐socialist language ideologies in action: Linking interview context and language ideology through stance

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136334/1/josl12225_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136334/2/josl12225.pd

State owned enterprises as bribe payers: the role of institutional environment

Our paper draws attention to a neglected channel of corruption—the bribe payments by state-owned enterprises (SOEs). This is an important phenomenon as bribe payments by SOEs fruitlessly waste national resources, compromising public welfare and national prosperity. Using a large dataset of 30,249 firms from 50 countries, we show that, in general, SOEs are less likely to pay bribes for achieving organizational objectives owing to their political connectivity. However, in deteriorated institutional environments, SOEs may be subjected to potential managerial rent-seeking behaviors, which disproportionately increase SOE bribe propensity relative to privately owned enterprises. Specifically, our findings highlight the importance of fostering democracy and rule of law, reducing prevalence of corruption and shortening power distance in reducing the incidence of SOE bribery

Dermoscopy practice guidelines for use in telemedicine

Abstract Teledermoscopy, or the utilization of dermatoscopic images in telemedicine, can help diagnose dermatologic disease remotely, triage lesions of concern (i.e., determine whether in-person consultation with a dermatologist is necessary, biopsy, or reassure the patient), and monitor dermatologic lesions over time. Handheld dermatoscopes, a magnifying apparatus, have become a commonly utilized tool for providers in many healthcare settings and professions and allows users to view microstructures of the epidermis and dermis. This Dermoscopy Practice Guideline reflects current knowledge in the field of telemedicine to demonstrate the correct capture, usage, and incorporation of dermoscopic images into everyday practice

Raloxifene inhibits pancreatic adenocarcinoma growth by interfering with ERβ and IL-6/gp130/STAT3 signaling

Purpose: Currently, the exact role of estrogen receptor (ER) signaling in pancreatic cancer is unknown. Recently, we showed that expression of phosphorylated ERβ correlates with a poor prognosis in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Here, we hypothesized that raloxifene, a FDA-approved selective ER modulator (SERM), may suppress PDAC tumor growth by interfering with ERβ signaling. To test this hypothesis, we studied the impact of raloxifene on interleukin-6/glycoprotein-130/signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (IL-6/gp130/STAT3) signaling. Methods: Human PDAC cell lines were exposed to raloxifene after which growth inhibition was assessed using a BrdU assay. ER knockdown was performed using siRNAs specific for ERα and ERβ. The effects of raloxifene on IL-6 expression and STAT3 phosphorylation in PDAC cells were assessed by ELISA and Western blotting, respectively. In addition, raloxifene was administered to an orthotopic PDAC tumor xenograft mouse model, after which tumor growth was monitored and immunohistochemistry was performed. Results: Raloxifene inhibited the in vitro growth of PDAC cells, and this effect was reversed by siRNA-mediated knockdown of ERβ, but not of ERα, indicating ER isotype-specific signaling. We also found that treatment with raloxifene inhibited the release of IL-6 and suppressed the phosphorylation of STAT3Y705 in PDAC cells. In vivo, we found that orthotopic PDAC tumor growth, lymph node and liver metastases as well as Ki-67 expression were reduced in mice treated with raloxifene. Conclusions: Inhibition of ERβ and the IL-6/gp130/STAT3 signaling pathway by raloxifene leads to potent reduction of PDAC growth in vitro and in vivo. Our results suggest that ERβ signaling and IL-6/gp130 interaction may serve as promising drug targets for pancreatic cancer and that raloxifene may serve as an attractive therapeutic option for PDAC patients expressing the ERβ isotype

Effect of stent diameter in women undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with early- and new-generation drug-eluting stents: From the WIN-DES collaboration.

BACKGROUND The risk of stent thrombosis (ST) or target lesion revascularization (TLR) is increased with smaller stent diameters (SD). Whether SD has a deleterious effect in women treated with early- vs. new-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) is unknown. METHODS We pooled patient-level data from 26 randomized control trials of DES. Only women treated with DES were included. Subjects were stratified according to SD: small, SD ≤ 2.75 mm; intermediate, 2.75 mm < SD ≤ 3.25 mm; and large, SD ≥ 3.25 mm. Endpoints of interest were 3-year definite ST, TLR, major adverse cardiac events (MACE: the composite of death, myocardial infarction or TLR) and death. RESULTS Of 6413 women, 2274 (35.0%) had a small SD, 2448 (38.0%) had an intermediate SD, and 1691 (26.0%) had a large SD. By multivariable analysis, stent diameter (per 0.25 mm decrease) was associated with an increased risk of TLR and ST, which was uniform in terms of magnitude and direction between early- and new-generation DES. There were no differences in MACE or death across groups. CONCLUSION Small SD in women undergoing PCI is associated with an increased risk of definite ST and TLR, consistently with both early- and new-generation DES