REENERGIZING THE U.S. AND PHILIPPINES RELATIONSHIP: THE “PHILIPPINES BELT AND ROAD” PROPOSAL

The purpose of this thesis is to examine why the United States should care about its future relationship with the Philippines through the overarching lens of Pankaj Ghemawat’s Cultural, Administrative, Geographic, and Economic (CAGE) Distance Framework. In addition, we will delve deeper to investigate a more direct approach using Michael E. Porter’s classic diamond model found in The Competitive Advantage of Nations. Using qualitative and exploratory research methods, we explore three questions. First, why should the United States care from a national security and alliance perspective about an economically stronger Philippines? Second, what does an economically stronger Philippines mean strategically for the United States’ influence in the Southeast Asian region? Finally, what can be done to strengthen the United States and the Philippines relationship? In conclusion, our recommendations provide tangible solutions to current gaps between the Philippines and the United States whether they be cultural, political, or military to facilitate a prosperous relationship while simultaneously thwarting the actions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sweeping through Southeast Asia.Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

CANCER RISK IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS TAKING CLADRIBINE

J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2014;85(10):A1–A5

Hospital admissions for vitamin D related conditions and subsequent immune-mediated disease: record-linkage studies

PMCID: PMC3729414The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/11/171. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Heterogeneity in Multiple Sclerosis: Scratching the Surface of a Complex Disease

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Although the etiology and the pathogenesis of MS has been extensively investigated, no single pathway, reliable biomarker, diagnostic test, or specific treatment have yet been identified for all MS patients. One of the reasons behind this failure is likely to be the wide heterogeneity observed within the MS population. The clinical course of MS is highly variable and includes several subcategories and variants. Moreover, apart from the well-established association with the HLA-class II DRB1*15:01 allele, other genetic variants have been shown to vary significantly across different populations and individuals. Finally both pathological and immunological studies suggest that different pathways may be active in different MS patients. We conclude that these “MS subtypes” should still be considered as part of the same disease but hypothesize that spatiotemporal effects of genetic and environmental agents differentially influence MS course. These considerations are extremely relevant, as outcome prediction and personalised medicine represent the central aim of modern research

Expert Panel Recommendations on Lower Urinary Tract Health of Women Across Their Life Span

Urologic and kidney problems are common in women across their life span and affect their daily life, including physical activity, sexual relations, social life, and future health. Urological health in women is still understudied and the underlying mechanisms of female urological dysfunctions are not fully understood. The Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR?) recognized the need to have a roundtable discussion where researchers and clinicians would define the current state of knowledge, gaps, and recommendations for future research directions to transform women's urological health. This report summarizes the discussions, which focused on epidemiology, clinical presentation, basic science, prevention strategies, and efficacy of current therapies. Experts around the table agreed on a set of research, education, and policy recommendations that have the potential to dramatically increase awareness and improve women's urological health at all stages of life.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140146/1/jwh.2016.5895.pd

Vitamin D receptor ChIP-seq in primary CD4+ cells: relationship to serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and autoimmune disease

PMCID: PMC3710212This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Subset- and tissue-defined STAT5 thresholds control homeostasis and function of innate lymphoid cells

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) patrol environmental interfaces to defend against infection and protect barrier integrity. Using a genetic tuning model, we demonstrate that the signal-dependent transcription factor (TF) STAT5 is critical for accumulation of all known ILC subsets in mice and reveal a hierarchy of STAT5 dependency for populating lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues. We apply transcriptome and genomic distribution analyses to define a STAT5 gene signature in natural killer (NK) cells, the prototypical ILC subset, and provide a systems-based molecular rationale for its key functions downstream of IL-15. We also uncover surprising features of STAT5 behavior, most notably the wholesale redistribution that occurs when NK cells shift from tonic signaling to acute cytokine-driven signaling, and genome-wide coordination with T-bet, another key TF in ILC biology. Collectively, our data position STAT5 as a central node in the TF network that instructs ILC development, homeostasis, and function and provide mechanistic insights on how it works at cellular and molecular levels

Exploring the effect of vitamin D₃ supplementation on the anti-EBV antibody response in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and vitamin D insufficiency are potentially interacting risk factors for multiple sclerosis (MS). To investigate the effect of high-dose vitamin D <sub>3</sub> supplements on antibody levels against the EBV nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and to explore any underlying mechanism affecting anti-EBNA-1 antibody levels. This study utilized blood samples from a randomized controlled trial in RRMS patients receiving either vitamin D <sub>3</sub> (14,000 IU/day; n = 30) or placebo ( n = 23) over 48 weeks. Circulating levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin-D, and anti-EBNA-1, anti-EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA), and anti-cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibodies were measured. EBV load in leukocytes, EBV-specific cytotoxic T-cell responses, and anti-EBNA-1 antibody production in vitro were also explored. The median antibody levels against EBNA-1, but not VCA and CMV, significantly reduced in the vitamin D <sub>3</sub> group (526 (368-1683) to 455 (380-1148) U/mL) compared to the placebo group (432 (351-1280) to 429 (297-1290) U/mL; p = 0.023). EBV load and cytotoxic T-cell responses were unaffected. Anti-EBNA-1 antibody levels remained below detection limits in B-cell cultures. High-dose vitamin D <sub>3</sub> supplementation selectively reduces anti-EBNA-1 antibody levels in RRMS patients. Our exploratory studies do not implicate a promoted immune response against EBV as the underlying mechanism

Microneedle-array patches loaded with hypoxia-sensitive vesicles provide fast glucose-responsive insulin delivery

The past year demonstrated how developing pharmacological solutions for better ways of insulin substitution and making those drugs commercially available for patients with all forms of diabetes are becoming more and more complex issues worldwide in the light of increasing patient numbers and rising health-care costs. Meanwhile, the two first rapid-acting analogs are celebrating their 20th (insulin lispro) and 15th (insulin aspart) anniversaries of commercial approval. The discussion on the long-term safety concerns of insulin analogs has quieted down considerably and only further reassuring data regarding mitogenicity have become available lately. In 2013 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had requested additional cardiovascular data from a dedicated cardiovascular outcomes trial before the review of the New Drug Application for the long-acting insulin degludec could be completed. Degludec had received marketing authorization valid throughout the European Union (EU) and other countries already early 2013. In September 2015, the FDA approved Tresiba (insulin degludec injection) and Ryzodeg 70/30 (insulin degludec/insulin aspart injection) after reassuring data from the DEVOTE trial

Genetic Background Can Result in a Marked or Minimal Effect of Gene Knockout (GPR55 and CB2 Receptor) in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Models of Multiple Sclerosis

PMCID: PMC379391