2,740 research outputs found
'Targeting care: tailoring non-surgical management according to clinical presentation'
International evidence-based guidelines recommend a multitude of nonsurgical treatment options for the management of osteoarthritis. This article summarizes the evidence available for patient characteristics that have been analyzed as potential predictors of response to nonsurgical interventions for patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis. The specific variables targeted for this review include body mass index, psychological factors, muscle strength, tibiofemoral alignment, radiographic changes, and signs of inflammation. Several studies provide moderate to good evidence of potential predictors of response to nonsurgical treatments, and areas for future research are illuminated. Copyright 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
'Targeting care: tailoring non-surgical management according to clinical presentation'
International evidence-based guidelines recommend a multitude of nonsurgical treatment options for the management of osteoarthritis. This article summarizes the evidence available for patient characteristics that have been analyzed as potential predictors of response to nonsurgical interventions for patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis. The specific variables targeted for this review include body mass index, psychological factors, muscle strength, tibiofemoral alignment, radiographic changes, and signs of inflammation. Several studies provide moderate to good evidence of potential predictors of response to nonsurgical treatments, and areas for future research are illuminated. Copyright 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
The Quantity Theory of Money is Valid. The New Keynesians are Wrong!
We test the quantity theory of money (QTM) using a novel approach and a large new sample. We do not follow the usual approach of first differentiating the logarithm of the Cambridge equation to obtain an equation relating the growth rate of real GDP, the growth rate of money and inflation. These variables must then again be âintegratedâ by averaging in order to obtain stable relationships. Instead we suggest a much simpler procedure for testing directly the stability of the coefficient of the Cambridge equation. For 125 countries and post-war data we find the coefficient to be surprisingly stable. We do not select for high inflation episodes as was done in most empirical studies; inflation rates do not even appear in our data set.
Much work supporting the QTM has been done by economic historians and at the University of Chicago by Milton Friedman and his associates. The QTM was a foundation stone of the monetarist revolution. Subsequently belief in it waned. The currently dominant New Keynesian School, implicitly or explicitly denies the validity of the QTM. We survey this history and argue that the QTM is valid and New Keynesians are wrong
Clinical and functional outcomes after 2 years in the early detection and intervention for the prevention of psychosis multisite effectiveness trial
OBJECTIVE: To test effectiveness of the Early Detection, Intervention, and Prevention of Psychosis Program in preventing the onset of severe psychosis and improving functioning in a national sample of at-risk youth. METHODS: In a risk-based allocation study design, 337 youth (age 12-25) at risk of psychosis were assigned to treatment groups based on severity of positive symptoms. Those at clinically higher risk (CHR) or having an early first episode of psychosis (EFEP) were assigned to receive Family-aided Assertive Community Treatment (FACT); those at clinically lower risk (CLR) were assigned to receive community care. Between-groups differences on outcome variables were adjusted statistically according to regression-discontinuity procedures and evaluated using the Global Test Procedure that combined all symptom and functional measures. RESULTS: A total of 337 young people (mean age: 16.6) were assigned to the treatment group (CHR + EFEP, n = 250) or comparison group (CLR, n = 87). On the primary variable, positive symptoms, after 2 years FACT, were superior to community care (2 df, p \u3c .0001) for both CHR (p = .0034) and EFEP (p \u3c .0001) subgroups. Rates of conversion (6.3% CHR vs 2.3% CLR) and first negative event (25% CHR vs 22% CLR) were low but did not differ. FACT was superior in the Global Test (p = .0007; p = .024 for CHR and p = .0002 for EFEP, vs CLR) and in improvement in participation in work and school (p = .025). CONCLUSION: FACT is effective in improving positive, negative, disorganized and general symptoms, Global Assessment of Functioning, work and school participation and global outcome in youth at risk for, or experiencing very early, psychosis
UBVRI Light Curves of 44 Type Ia Supernovae
We present UBVRI photometry of 44 type-Ia supernovae (SN Ia) observed from
1997 to 2001 as part of a continuing monitoring campaign at the Fred Lawrence
Whipple Observatory of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The
data set comprises 2190 observations and is the largest homogeneously observed
and reduced sample of SN Ia to date, nearly doubling the number of
well-observed, nearby SN Ia with published multicolor CCD light curves. The
large sample of U-band photometry is a unique addition, with important
connections to SN Ia observed at high redshift. The decline rate of SN Ia
U-band light curves correlates well with the decline rate in other bands, as
does the U-B color at maximum light. However, the U-band peak magnitudes show
an increased dispersion relative to other bands even after accounting for
extinction and decline rate, amounting to an additional ~40% intrinsic scatter
compared to B-band.Comment: 84 authors, 71 pages, 51 tables, 10 figures. Accepted for publication
in the Astronomical Journal. Version with high-res figures and electronic
data at http://astron.berkeley.edu/~saurabh/cfa2snIa
Roles of non-coding RNA in sugarcane-microbe interaction
Studies have highlighted the importance of non-coding RNA regulation in plant-microbe
interaction. However, the roles of sugarcane microRNAs (miRNAs) in the regulation of disease
responses have not been investigated. Firstly, we screened the sRNA transcriptome of sugarcane
infected with Acidovorax avenae. Conserved and novel miRNAs were identified. Additionally,
small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were aligned to differentially expressed sequences from the
sugarcane transcriptome. Interestingly, many siRNAs aligned to a transcript encoding a coppertransporter
gene whose expression was induced in the presence of A. avenae, while the siRNAs were
repressed in the presence of A. avenae. Moreover, a long intergenic non-coding RNA was identified
as a potential target or decoy of miR408. To extend the bioinformatics analysis, we carried out
independent inoculations and the expression patterns of six miRNAs were validated by quantitative
reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR). Among these miRNAs, miR408âa copper- microRNAâwas
downregulated. The cleavage of a putative miR408 target, a laccase, was confirmed by a modified
50RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) assay. MiR408 was also downregulated in samples
infected with other pathogens, but it was upregulated in the presence of a beneficial diazotrophic
bacteria. Our results suggest that regulation by miR408 is important in sugarcane sensing whether
microorganisms are either pathogenic or beneficial, triggering specific miRNA-mediated regulatory
mechanisms accordingly
Serum microRNA screening and functional studies reveal miR-483-5p as a potential driver of fibrosis in systemic sclerosis
Abstract Objective MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are regulatory molecules, which have been addressed as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in rheumatic diseases. Here, we investigated the miRNA signature in the serum of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients and we further assessed their expression in early stages of the disease. Methods The levels of 758 miRNAs were evaluated in the serum of 26 SSc patients as compared to 9 healthy controls by using an Openarray platform. Three miRNAs were examined in an additional cohort of 107 SSc patients and 24 healthy donors by single qPCR. MiR-483-5p expression was further analysed in the serum of patients with localized scleroderma (LoS) (nâŻ=âŻ22), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (nâŻ=âŻ33) and primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) (nâŻ=âŻ23). The function of miR-483-5p was examined by transfecting miR-483-5p into primary human dermal fibroblasts and pulmonary endothelial cells. Results 30 miRNAs were significantly increased in patients with SSc. Of these, miR-483-5p showed reproducibly higher levels in an independent SSc cohort and was also elevated in patients with preclinical-SSc symptoms (early SSc). Notably, miR-483-5p was not differentially expressed in patients with SLE or pSS, whereas it was up-regulated in LoS, indicating that this miRNA could be involved in the development of skin fibrosis. Consistently, miR-483-5p overexpression in fibroblasts and endothelial cells modulated the expression of fibrosis-related genes. Conclusions Our findings showed that miR-483-5p is up-regulated in the serum of SSc patients, from the early stages of the disease onwards, and indicated its potential function as a fine regulator of fibrosis in SSc
Measuring Behavior in the Home Cage : Study Design, Applications, Challenges, and Perspectives
FUNDING This research was supported by NIH grants R00AG056662, P20GM125528, AG057424 to WS and SLPeer reviewedPublisher PD
The Type III Effectors NleE and NleB from Enteropathogenic E. coli and OspZ from Shigella Block Nuclear Translocation of NF-ÎșB p65
Many bacterial pathogens utilize a type III secretion system to deliver multiple effector proteins into host cells. Here we found that the type III effectors, NleE from enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and OspZ from Shigella, blocked translocation of the p65 subunit of the transcription factor, NF-ÎșB, to the host cell nucleus. NF-ÎșB inhibition by NleE was associated with decreased IL-8 expression in EPEC-infected intestinal epithelial cells. Ectopically expressed NleE also blocked nuclear translocation of p65 and c-Rel, but not p50 or STAT1/2. NleE homologues from other attaching and effacing pathogens as well OspZ from Shigella flexneri 6 and Shigella boydii, also inhibited NF-ÎșB activation and p65 nuclear import; however, a truncated form of OspZ from S. flexneri 2a that carries a 36 amino acid deletion at the C-terminus had no inhibitory activity. We determined that the C-termini of NleE and full length OspZ were functionally interchangeable and identified a six amino acid motif, IDSY(M/I)K, that was important for both NleE- and OspZ-mediated inhibition of NF-ÎșB activity. We also established that NleB, encoded directly upstream from NleE, suppressed NF-ÎșB activation. Whereas NleE inhibited both TNFα and IL-1ÎČ stimulated p65 nuclear translocation and IÎșB degradation, NleB inhibited the TNFα pathway only. Neither NleE nor NleB inhibited AP-1 activation, suggesting that the modulatory activity of the effectors was specific for NF-ÎșB signaling. Overall our data show that EPEC and Shigella have evolved similar T3SS-dependent means to manipulate host inflammatory pathways by interfering with the activation of selected host transcriptional regulators
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