Corruption and Power in Democracies

According to Acton: “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. We study the implications of Acton’s dictum in models where citizens vote (for three parties) and governments then form in a series of elections. In each election, parties have fixed tastes for graft, which affect negotiations to form a government if parliament hangs; but incumbency changes tastes across elections. We argue that combinations of Acton’s dictum with various assumptions about citizen sophistication and inter-party commitments generate tight and testable predictions which cover plausible dynamics of government formation in an otherwise stationary environment.Corruption, government dynamics

"The Fed's Real Reaction Function: Monetary Policy, Inflation, Unemployment, Inequality-and Presidential Politics"

Using a VAR model of the American economy from 1984 to 2003, we find that, contrary to official claims, the Federal Reserve does not target inflation or react to "inflation signals." Rather, the Fed reacts to the very "real" signal sent by unemployment, in a way that suggests that a baseless fear of full employment is a principal force behind monetary policy. Tests of variations in the workings of a Taylor Rule, using dummy variable regressions, on data going back to 1969 suggest that after 1983 the Federal Reserve largely ceased reacting to inflation or high unemployment, but continued to react when unemployment fell "too low." Further, we find that monetary policy (measured by the yield curve) has significant causal impact on pay inequality-a domain where the Fed refuses responsibility. Finally, we test whether Federal Reserve policy has exhibited a pattern of partisan bias in presidential election years, with results that suggest the presence of such bias, after controlling for the effects of inflation and unemployment.

The molecular control of tomato fruit quality traits: the trade off between visual attributes, shelf life and nutritional value

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is an established model to study fleshy fruit development and ripening and is an important crop in terms of its economic and nutritional value. Tomato fruit quality is a function of metabolite content which is prone to physiological changes related to fruit development and ripening. It has been described some ripening tomato mutants, delayed fruit deterioration (DFD), non-ripening (NOR) and ripening-inhibitor (RIN) which substantially extend “shelf life” in tomato for up to several months when defined in terms of softening, water loss and resistance to postharvest biotic infection. However, it is not known whether this extension in “shelf life” is in fact a desirable objective from the perspective of nutritional quality of the fruits. The aim of this work was to use a metabolomics approach join to genomic tools to characterize compositional changes (sugars, amino acids, organic acids and carotenoids) of non-softening tomato mutants reported (DFD, NOR and RIN) in comparison with the normally softening fruits (Ailsa Craig and M82) during ripening and postharvest shelf-life. Important results related with ripening gene expression and metabolic evolutions are shown

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between Epstein-Barr virus, multiple sclerosis and other risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is thought to play a central role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). If causal, it represents a target for interventions to reduce MS risk. OBJECTIVE: To examine the evidence for interaction between EBV and other risk factors, and explore mechanisms via which EBV infection may influence MS risk. METHODS: Pubmed was searched using the terms 'multiple sclerosis' AND 'Epstein Barr virus', 'multiple sclerosis' AND EBV, 'clinically isolated syndrome' AND 'Epstein Barr virus' and 'clinically isolated syndrome' AND EBV. All abstracts were reviewed for possible inclusion. RESULTS: A total of 262 full-text papers were reviewed. There was evidence of interaction on the additive scale between anti-EBV antibody titre and HLA genotype (attributable proportion due to interaction (AP) = 0.48, p < 1 × 10-4). Previous infectious mononucleosis (IM) was associated with increased odds ratio (OR) of MS in HLA-DRB1*1501 positive but not HLA-DRB1*1501 negative persons. Smoking was associated with a greater risk of MS in those with high anti-EBV antibodies (OR = 2.76) but not low anti-EBV antibodies (OR = 1.16). No interaction between EBV and risk factors was found on a multiplicative scale. CONCLUSION: EBV appears to interact with at least some established MS risk factors. The mechanism via which EBV influences MS risk remains unknown

PDE4 Inhibitors: Profiling Hits through the Multitude of Structural Classes

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases 4 (PDE4) are a family of enzymes which specifically promote the hydrolysis and degradation of cAMP. The inhibition of PDE4 enzymes has been widely investigated as a possible alternative strategy for the treatment of a variety of respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, as well as psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders. In this context, the identification of new molecules as PDE4 inhibitors continues to be an active field of investigation within drug discovery. This review summarizes the medicinal chemistry journey in the design and development of effective PDE4 inhibitors, analyzed through chemical classes and taking into consideration structural aspects and binding properties, as well as inhibitory efficacy, PDE4 selectivity and the potential as therapeutic agents

Microbial trimethylamine metabolism in marine environments

Trimethylamine (TMA) is common in marine environments. Although the presence of this compound in the oceans has been known for a long time, unlike the mammalian gastrointestinal tract, where TMA metabolism by microorganisms has been studied intensely, many questions remain unanswered about the microbial metabolism of marine TMA. This minireview summarizes what is currently known about the sources and fate of TMA in marine environments and the different pathways and enzymes involved in TMA metabolism in marine bacteria. This review also raises several questions about microbial TMA metabolism in the marine environments and proposes potential directions for future studies

International consensus on quality standards for multiple sclerosis care: results from a modified Delphi process

Background and aims: The importance of prompt intervention in multiple sclerosis (MS) was described in the widely endorsed report, Brain health: time matters in multiple sclerosis.1 The present study aimed to define standards for the timing of key steps in the care pathway. Methods: An international group of 29 MS neurologists was recruited to participate in a Delphi process. Across five rounds, they defined ‘core’, ‘achievable’ and ‘aspirational’ standards (to reflect a minimum, good and high standard of MS care, respectively). A Reviewing Group of 31 MS nurses, experts with MS and allied healthcare professionals reviewed the results and provided feedback. Results: Consensus was reached (≥75% agreement; n=21) on core, achievable and aspirational standards for 21 steps in the MS care pathway, covering symptom onset, referral, diagnosis, treatment decisions, lifestyle, monitoring, and managing new symptoms. For example, the panel agreed that MS teams should complete a diagnostic workup for MS within 2 months of referral to a neurologist as a core standard, and that completion within 4 weeks of referral should be achievable for most MS teams, with completion within 7 days as an aspirational standard. Here, we will present core, achievable and aspirational standards for key steps in the MS care pathway. Conclusion: These standards will inform tools for clinics and people with MS and act as a future benchmark for established and developing MS clinics across the globe aiming to deliver the highest quality care. Reference 1. Giovannoni G et al. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2016;9 Suppl 1:S5–S48