Association between antibodies to carbamylated proteins and subclinical atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis patients

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients carry a high risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The excess of cardiovascular disease cannot be entirely explained by traditional risk factors and the immune system contributes to the development of atherosclerosis. Moreover, post-translational modifications such as citrullination and carbamylation have been linked to inflammation and atherosclerosis. Anti-carbamylated proteins antibodies (anti-CarP) are a new subset of autoantibodies identified in RA patients. This study aimed to investigate a possible association between anti-CarP and subclinical atherosclerosis in RA patients. METHODS: We enrolled RA patients and normal healthy controls (NHS) without known cardiovascular risk factors or heart disease. Cardiovascular risk was assessed using the Modified Systemic Coronary Risk Evaluation (mSCORE). Anti-CarP were investigated by a solid phase "home-made" ELISA. Anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) and Rheumatoid Factor (RF) were investigated by ELISA assays. Subclinical atherosclerosis was evaluated by brachial artery Flow-Mediated Dilatation (FMD) and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (c-IMT) while arterial stiffness by Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) and Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI). RESULTS: We enrolled 50 RA patients (34 F and 16 M, mean age 58.4 ± 13.1 years, mean disease duration 127 ± 96.7 months) and 30 age and sex matched NHS. According to the mSCORE, 58% of patients had a low risk, 32% a moderate and 8% a high risk for cardiovascular disease. FMD was significantly lower in RA patients than in NHS (5.6 ± 3.2 vs 10.7 ± 8.1%; p < 0.004) and CAVIs significantly higher in a RA patients compared to NHS (left CAVI 8.9 ± 1.7 vs 8.1 ± 1.5; p < 0.04 for and right CAVI 8.8 ± 1.6 vs 8.0 ± 1.4; p < 0.04 for the). ABI and c-IMT did not differ between the two populations. The multivariate regression analysis showed a significant association of anti-CarP antibodies with FMD, left and right CAVI and both c-IMT (r = 1.6 and p = 0.05; r = 1.7 and p = 0.04; r = 2.9 and p = 0.05; r = 1.5 and p = 0.03; r = 1.1 and p = 0.03 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that RA patients, without evidence of cardiovascular disease or traditional risk factors, have an impaired endothelial function. Moreover, we found an association with anti-CarP antibodies suggesting a possible contribution of these autoantibodies to endothelial dysfunction, the earliest stage of atherosclerosis. Besides ultrasound assessment, anti-CarP should be assessed in RA patients and considered an additional cardiovascular risk factor

3d Modularity

We find and propose an explanation for a large variety of modularity-related symmetries in problems of 3-manifold topology and physics of 3d $\mathcal{N}=2$ theories where such structures a priori are not manifest. These modular structures include: mock modular forms, $SL(2,\mathbb{Z})$ Weil representations, quantum modular forms, non-semisimple modular tensor categories, and chiral algebras of logarithmic CFTs.Comment: 119 pages, 10 figures and 20 table

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with and without Anti-dsDNA Antibodies: Analysis from a Large Monocentric Cohort

Objectives. The anti-dsDNA antibodies are a marker for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and 70–98% of patients test positive. We evaluated the demographic, clinical, laboratory, and therapeutical features of a monocentric SLE cohort according to the antidsDNA status. Methods. We identified three groups: anti-dsDNA + (persistent positivity); anti-dsDNA ± (initial positivity and subsequent negativity during disease course); anti-dsDNA − (persistent negativity). Disease activity was assessed by the European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurement (ECLAM). Results. We evaluated 393 patients (anti-dsDNA +: 62.3%; anti-dsDNA ±: 13.3%; anti-dsDNA −: 24.4%). The renal involvement was signifiantly more frequent in anti-dsDNA + (30.2%), compared with antidsDNA ± and anti-dsDNA − (21.1% and 18.7%, resp.; = 0.001). Serositis resulted signifiantly more frequent in anti-dsDNA − (82.3%) compared to anti-dsDNA + and anti-dsDNA ± (20.8% and 13.4%, resp.; < 0.0001). Th reduction of C4 serum levels was identified significantly more frequently in anti-dsDNA + and anti-dsDNA ± (40.0% and 44.2%, resp.) compared with antidsDNA − (21.8%, = 0.005). We did not identify significant differences in the mean ECLAM values before and after modifiation of anti-dsDNA status ( = 0.7). Conclusion. Anti-dsDNA status influences the clinical and immunological features of SLE patients. Nonetheless, it does not appear to affect disease activity

Geographical Distribution of Unemployment: An Analysis of Provincial Differences in Italy

Unemployment rates appear to vary widely at a subregional (e.g., local or provincial) level. Using spatial econometric models for spatial autocorrelation, this paper focuses attention on the spatial structure of regional unemployment disparities of Italian provinces. On the basis of findings from the economic literature and of the available socio-economic data, various model specifications including different explanatory variables are tested to investigate the geographical distribution of unemployment in the 103 provinces of Italy for the years 1998 and 2003. The results suggest that there is a clear explanation of unemployment differentials in terms of spatial equilibrium and disequilibrium factors and a significant degree of spatial dependence among labour markets at the provincial level in Italy. Provinces marked by high unemployment, as well as those characterized by low unemployment, tend to be spatially clustered, demonstrating the presence of unemployment 'persistency' in space and time regimes

Life Cycle Consumption and the Great Recession

Using Italian Household Budget Survey data for the period 1997-2013, this paper estimates the life cycle profiles of consumption and cross-sectional variance in the Great Recession. The study examines age profiles for total and durable expenditure, and four subcomponents of non-durable expenditure. We document significant heterogeneity in the way the recession affects consumption and the variance within-cohorts. The crisis has entailed a fall in expenditure for the youngest cohorts, and a notable reduction of inequalities for the middle and oldest cohorts with some differences between high and low income elastic expenditure. We also found that socio-demographic factors account for a substantial heterogeneity in consumption behaviour during the recession across households and expenditure subcomponents

Ethanol chemisorption on core-shell Pt-nanoparticles: an ab-initio study

By means of ab-initio calculations, we have investigated the chemisorption paroperties of ethanol onto segregating binary nanoalloys. We select nanostructures with icosahedral shape of 55 atoms with a Pt outermost layer over a M core with M=Ag,Pd,Ni. With respect to nanofilms with equivalent composition, there is an increse of the ethanol binding energy. This is not merely due to observed shortening of the Pt-O distance but depends on the nanoparticle distortion after ethanol adsorption. This geometrical distortion within the nanoparticle can be interpreted as a radial breathing, which is sensitive to the adsortion site, identified by the O-anchor point and the relative positions of the ethyl group. More interestingly, being core-dependent -larger in Pd@Pt and smaller in Ni@Pt-, it relates to an effective electron transfer from ethanol and the M-core towards the Pt-shell. On the view of this new analysis, Pd@Pt nanoalloys show the most promissing features for ethanol oxidation

Molecules and mechanisms involved in the generation and migration of cortical interneurons

The GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid)-containing interneurons of the neocortex are largely derived from the ganglionic eminences in the subpallium. Numerous studies have previously defined the migratory paths travelled by these neurons from their origins to their destinations in the cortex. We review here results of studies that have identified many of the genes expressed in the subpallium that are involved in the specification of the subtypes of cortical interneurons, and the numerous transcription factors, motogenic factors and guidance molecules that are involved in their migration

Propuesta de manual de procedimientos para la gestión de la Dirección del Centro Académico de San José

Proyecto de graduación (Bachillerato en Administración de Empresas) Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Escuela de Administración de Empresas, 2018.This document describes the research done for the Directorate of the Centro Académico de San José; which is a dependency of the Tecnológico de Costa Rica, for which its prime objective lies in developing a proposal of a procedures manual to improve the efficiency of the management of the Directorate and ensure the effectiveness of its internal control. This investigation consisted on identifying the procedures daily done in the Directorate of the Centro Académico de San José, so they could be analyzed by using the 5W1H technique and studying their elements (like their forms), which were analyzed with a Checklist for the analysis of forms. To carry out the fieldwork, it was done by using a qualitative research approach, a descriptive scope of investigation and an investigation-action research design. It is important to point out that the statistical universe of this investigation features all the procedures that at the present are executed by the Directorate, so there was not made use of a statistical sample or population. Moreover, the analysis results obtained from the procedures were that most of them lacked logical order, their narrative was too hard to understand, they were missing important steps that assured the control of what was to be done in the procedure and the procedures needed to be digitized to avoid too much paperwork. It’s important to notice that the procedure “Seguimiento, control y evaluación de los servicios contratados” could not be analyzed, even though it was part of the original proposal, because it was studied in another graduation project. Finally, many of the procedures showed that there was function surcharge and in other cases, a bad assignment of responsibility in positions that do not count with the required level of authority to make the decisions displayed in the procedure.Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica. Escuela de Administración de Empresas