Losing Ground: Foreclosures in the Subprime Market and Their Cost to Homeowners

The "Losing Ground" study is the first comprehensive, nationwide review of millions of subprime mortgages originated from 1998 through the third quarter of 2006. CRL finds that despite low interest rates and a favorable economic environment during the past several years, the subprime market has experienced high foreclosure rates, and we project that one out of five (19.4%) subprime loans issued during 2005-2006 will fail.The report discusses a number of factors that drive subprime foreclosures-these include adjustable rate mortgages with steep built-in rate and payment increases, prepayment penalties, limited income documentation, and no escrow for taxes and insurance. We also determine that these features cause a higher risk of default regardless of the borrower's credit score.Our study also finds that recent high appreciation in many areas has masked problems in the subprime market, and that the cooling housing market will cause failure rates to rise sharply in many major markets. California, Arizona, Nevada, and greater Washington DC will be especially hard hit. Also in this report, we project lifetime foreclosure rates for 2006-originated subprime loans in each MSA in the United States

The Effect of Race/Ethnicity on the Age of Colon Cancer Diagnosis

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. Notably, racial/ethnic disparities exist in both incidence and mortality. PURPOSE: The aim of this case study was to investigate the impact of race/ethnicity on age at diagnosis of colorectal cancer in a defined population in Suffolk County, NY. METHODS: Data were retrospectively collected on race/ethnicity, health insurance status, age at diagnosis, stage at diagnosis, gender, smoking status, alcohol intake, tumor location, and body mass index for colorectal cancer patients with medical records in the Stony Brook University Medical Center database (2005-2011). Population-based data on Hispanic and non-Hispanic Whites were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry of New York State for an overlapping time period. Permutation-based ANCOVA and logistic regression with stepwise variable selection were conducted to identify covariates and first-order interactions associated with younger age at diagnosis and cancer stage as a dependent categorical variable. RESULTS: Of 328 colorectal cancer patients, Hispanics were diagnosed at a median younger age of 57y vs. 67y than non-Hispanic Whites (FDR = 0.001). Twenty-six percent of Hispanics were diagnosed with colorectal cancer prior to the recommended age (50y) for colorectal cancer surveillance compared to 11% of non-Hispanic Whites (FDR =0.007). Analysis of New York State registry data corroborated our findings that Hispanic colorectal cancer patients were diagnosed at a median younger age than non-Hispanic Whites. Permutation-based ANCOVA identified race/ethnicity and health insurance as significantly associated with age of diagnosis (P=0.001). Logistic regression selected (younger) age at diagnosis as being significantly associated with stage IV disease. The limitations of the case study reside in the use of self-reporting of race and ethnicity and in the small sample sizes. CONCLUSIONS: Hispanics may be at higher risk for colorectal cancer (y) and younger age at diagnosis is associated with advanced disease

Fabry Disease – Current Treatment and New Drug Development

Fabry disease is a rare inherited lysosomal storage disorder caused by a partial or complete deficiency of α-galactosidase A (GLA), resulting in the storage of excess cellular glycosphingolipids. Enzyme replacement therapy is available for the treatment of Fabry disease, but it is a costly, intravenous treatment. Alternative therapeutic approaches, including small molecule chaperone therapy, are currently being explored. High throughput screening (HTS) technologies can be utilized to discover other small molecule compounds, including non-inhibitory chaperones, enzyme activators, molecules that reduce GLA substrate, and molecules that activate GLA gene promoters. This review outlines the current therapeutic approaches, emerging treatment strategies, and the process of drug discovery and development for Fabry disease

Synchronous deposition of volcanic ash and sulfate aerosols over Greenland in 1783 from the Laki eruption (Iceland)

Sulfate aerosols from the 1783–1784 A.D. Laki eruption are widely used as a reference horizon for constraining Greenland ice core time scales, yet the timing of the arrival of the sulfate remains under discussion. Two ice cores from western Greenland, analyzed with high temporal resolution, confirm that sulfate aerosols arrived over Greenland late in 1783, concomitant with the tephra, elevated concentrations of Cd, Bi, and Tl, all indicators of volcanic emissions, and with a short‐lived Rare Earth Elements anomaly. Thereafter sulfate deposition declined rapidly. Very modest concentrations of sulfate in 1784 snowfall, evident in six Greenland cores, suggest a relatively short (less than 1 year) atmospheric residence time and an injection height limited to the lower stratosphere. An improved estimate of the associated stratospheric sulfate burden is calculated and provides an important input for models assessing climatic impacts of this volcanic eruption

Atmospheric chemistry of CH\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3eCHO: the hydrolysis of CH\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3eCHO catalyzed by H\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eSO\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e

Elucidating atmospheric oxidation mechanisms and the reaction kinetics of atmospheric compounds is of great importance and necessary for atmospheric modeling and the understanding of the formation of atmospheric organic aerosols. While the hydrolysis of aldehydes has been detected in the presence of sulfuric acid, the reaction mechanism and kinetics remain unclear. Herein, we use electronic structure methods with CCSD(T)/CBS accuracy and canonical variational transition state theory combined with small-curvature tunneling to study the reaction mechanism and kinetics of the hydrolysis of CH3CHO. The calculated results show that the hydrolysis of CH3CHO needs to overcome an energy barrier of 37.21 kcal mol−1, while the energy barrier is decreased to −9.79 kcal mol−1 with a sulfuric acid catalyst. In addition, the calculated kinetic results show that the H2SO4⋯H2O + CH3CHO reaction is faster than H2SO4 + CH3CHO⋯H2O. Additionally, the H2SO4⋯H2O + CH3CHO reaction can play an important role in the sink of CH3CHO below 260 K occurring during the night period when OH, H2SO4, and H2O concentrations are 104, 108, and 1017 molecules cm−3, respectively, because it can compete well with the CH3CHO + OH reaction. There are wide implications in atmospheric chemistry from these findings because of the potential importance of the catalytic effect of H2SO4 on the hydrolysis of CH3CHO in the atmosphere and in the formation of secondary organic aerosols

Dynamic Repositioning of CD4 and CD8 Genes during T Cell Development

Although stable repression of CD4 and CD8 genes is a central feature of T cell lineage commitment, we lack detailed information about the timing and mechanism of this repression. Stable gene repression has been linked to the position of genes within the nucleus. Therefore, information about the nuclear position of CD4 and CD8 genes during T cell development could provide insights into both the mechanism of regulation of CD4 and CD8 genes, and the process of lineage commitment. Here, we report that lineage-specific repression of CD4 and CD8 genes is associated with the repositioning of alleles close to heterochromatin. We also provide evidence that the relocalization of CD4 and CD8 genes to heterochromatin can occur as an early response to positive selection signals. We discuss our results in terms of our current knowledge of CD4 and CD8 gene regulation and CD4 versus CD8 lineage commitment

Influence of Crohn’s disease related polymorphisms in innate immune function on ileal microbiome

We have previously identified NOD2 genotype and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) phenotype, as associated with shifts in the ileal microbiome (“dysbiosis”) in a patient cohort. Here we report an integrative analysis of an expanded number of Crohn's disease (CD) related genetic defects in innate immune function (NOD2, ATG16L1, IRGM, CARD9, XBP1, ORMDL3) and composition of the ileal microbiome by combining the initial patient cohort (Batch 1, 2005–2010, n = 165) with a second consecutive patient cohort (Batch 2, 2010–2012, n = 118). These combined patient cohorts were composed of three non-overlapping phenotypes: 1.) 106 ileal CD subjects undergoing initial ileocolic resection for diseased ileum, 2.) 88 IBD colitis subjects without ileal disease (predominantly ulcerative colitis but also Crohn’s colitis and indeterminate colitis, and 3.) 89 non-IBD subjects. Significant differences (FDR C. difficile infection, and NOD2 genotype on ileal dysbiosis in the expanded analysis. The relative abundance of the Proteobacteria phylum was positively associated with ileal CD and colitis phenotypes, but negatively associated with NOD2R genotype. Additional associations with ORMDL3 and XBP1 were detected at the phylum/subphylum level. IBD medications, such as immunomodulators and anti-TNFα agents, may have a beneficial effect on reversing dysbiosis associated with the IBD phenotype. Exploratory analysis comparing microbial composition of the disease unaffected region of the resected ileum between 27 ileal CD patients who subsequently developed endoscopic recurrence within 6–12 months versus 34 patients who did not, suggested that microbial biomarkers in the resected specimen helped stratify patients with respect to risk of post-surgical recurrence.</div