Determinants of Labor Productivity in Emerging Markets: Evidence from Pre- and Post-Financial Crisis Mexico

Although the global financial crisis of 2008 had tremendous effects on global businesses, its impact on firm performance in emerging markets is unknown. To develop this knowledge, this study explores the factors that influenced labor productivity in emerging markets before and after the crisis. Using a sample of 2,061 Mexican firms that were collected by the World Bank in 2006 and 2010, this study investigates the relationships of bribery, informality, and corporate governance to labor productivity. The results show that, before the crisis, informality and foreign ownership were positively associated with labor productivity. On the other hand, after the crisis, bribery and informality are negatively related to labor productivity, while foreign ownership and external auditing make positive impacts on labor productivity. The findings imply that businesses need to improve the quality of their corporate governance and decrease bribery. Governments of emerging markets need to reduce the levels of informality

Labor Productivity In Emerging Markets: Evidence From Brazil, China, India, And Russia (BRIC)

Despite the great amount of attention to emerging markets, much still remains unknown about firm performance in emerging economies. To fill this gap, this study aims to investigate factors that influence labor productivity of firms in Brazil, China, India, and Russia (BRIC countries). This study focuses on features of business environments of emerging markets such as informality, corruption, foreign ownership, and external audit. Using a cross-national sample of 8,885 firms from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys dataset, we find that informality is negatively associated with labor productivity, while corruption and external audit are positively related to labor productivity. Implications will be discussed

The Effects of Heat and Massage Application on Autonomic Nervous System

∙ The authors have no financial conflicts of interest. © Copyright: Yonsei University College of Medicine 2011 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licens

17β-estradiol reduces inflammation and modulates antioxidant enzymes in colonic epithelial cells

Background/Aims: Estrogen is known to have protective effect in colorectal cancer development. The aims of this study are to investigate whether estradiol treatment reduces inflammation in CCD841CoN, a female human colonic epithelial cell line and to uncover underlying mechanisms of estradiol effects. Methods: 17 beta-Estradiol (E2) effect was measured by Western blot after inducing inflammation of CCD841CoN by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Expression levels of estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) and beta (ER beta), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO-1) were also evaluated. Results: E2 treatment induced expression of ERO but did not increase that of ER alpha. E2 treatment for 48 hours significantly elevated the expression of anti-oxidant enzymes, HO-1 and NQO-1. TNF-alpha treatment significantly increased the level of activated NF-kappa B (p < 0.05), and this increase was significantly suppressed by treatment of to nM of E2 (p < 0.05). E2 treatment ameliorated TNF-alpha-induced COX-2 expression and decrease of HO-1 expression. 4-(2-phenyl-5,7-bis(trifluoromethyl) pyrazolo(1,5-a)pyrimidin-3-yl)phenol (PHTPP), antagonist of ER beta, removed the inhibitory effect of E2 in the TNF-alpha-induced COX-2 expression (p = 0.05). Conclusions: Estrogen seems to inhibit inflammation in female human colonic epithelial cell lines, through down-regulation of NF-kappa B and COX-2 expression and induction of anti-oxidant enzymes such as HO-1 and NQO-1.

17β-Estradiol supplementation changes gut microbiota diversity in intact and colorectal cancer-induced ICR male mice

The composition of the gut microbiota is influenced by sex hormones and colorectal cancer (CRC). Previously, we reported that 17 beta -estradiol (E2) inhibits azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS)-induced tumorigenesis in male mice. Here, we investigated whether the composition of the gut microbiota is different between male and female, and is regulated by estrogen as a secondary outcome of previous studies. We established four groups of mice based on the sex and estrogen status [ovariectomized (OVX) female and E2-treated male]. Additionally, three groups of males were established by treating them with AOM/DSS, and E2, after subjecting them to AOM/DSS treatment. The mice were sacrificed at 21 weeks old. The composition of the gut microbiota was analyzed using 16S rRNA metagenomics sequencing. We observed a significant increase in the microbial diversity (Chao1 index) in females, males supplemented with E2, and males treated with AOM/DSS/E2 compared with normal males. In normal physiological condition, sex difference and E2 treatment did not affect the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B). However, in AOM/DSS-treated male mice, E2 supplementation showed significantly lower level of the F/B ratio. The ratio of commensal bacteria to opportunistic pathogens was higher in females and E2-treated males compared to normal males and females subjected to OVX. Unexpectedly, this ratio was higher in the AOM/DSS group than that determined in other males and the AOM/DSS/E2 group. Our findings suggest that estrogen alters the gut microbiota in ICR (CrljOri:CD1) mice, particularly AOM/DSS-treated males, by decreasing the F/B ratio and changing Shannon and Simpson index by supply of estrogen. This highlights another possibility that estrogen could cause changes in the gut microbiota, thereby reducing the risk of developing CRC.

Induction of meibocyte differentiation by three-dimensional, matrigel culture of immortalized human meibomian gland epithelial cells to form acinar organoids.

PURPOSE: Recent studies have shown that two-dimensional (2D) culture of primary rabbit and immortalized human meibomian gland epithelial cells (iHMGEC) do not recapitulate normal meibocyte differentiation and fail to express critical enzymes necessary for synthesis of meibum lipids. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that 3D-spheroid culture of iHMGEC can facilitate meibocyte differentiation and induce the expression of acyl-CoA wax-alcohol acyltransferase 2 (AWAT2), shown to be required for synthesis of meibum wax esters. METHODS: iHMGEC were suspended in matrigel/basement membrane matrix and grown in proliferation media to form distinct cell clusters or spheroids. Cells were then treated with serum-free, differentiation media (advanced DMEM/F12) with and without FGF10 and synthetic agonists for the nuclear lipid receptor, peroxisome proliferator activator receptor gamma (PPARγ). Cells were then evaluated for differentiation markers using western blotting, immunocytochemistry (ICC) and real-time PCR. Control cells were grown in standard 2D culture systems. RESULTS: Under proliferative conditions, 3D culture induced the formation of KRT5+ spheroids that contained a Ki67+/P63+ undifferentiated, basal cell population. When spheroids were switched to differentiation media containing PPARγ agonists, two different organoid populations were detected, a KRT6low population that was AWAT2+/PPARγ+ and a KRT6high population that was AWAT2-/PPARγ-, suggesting that iHMGEC exhibit a dual differentiation potential toward either a ductal or meibocyte organoid phenotype. CONCLUSION: The 3D culturing of iHMGEC can induce the formation of both meibocyte and ductal organoids and may thus serve as a better in vitro model system for studying the regulatory mechanisms controlling meibomian gland function

17β-Estradiol strongly inhibits azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium-induced colorectal cancer development in Nrf2 knockout male mice

© 2020 The Author(s)Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) has dual effects on inflammation and cancer progression depending on the microenvironment. Estrogens have a protective effect on colorectal cancer (CRC) development. The aim of this study was to investigate CRC development in Nrf2 knockout (KO) mice. Azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-treated wild-type (WT) and Nrf2 KO male mice were sacrificed at weeks 2 and 16 after AOM injection with/without 17β-estradiol (E2) treatment during week 1. Disease activity index and colon tissue damage at week 2 showed strong attenuation following E2 administration in WT mice but to a lesser extent in Nrf2 KO male mice. At week 16, E2 significantly diminished AOM/DSS-induced adenoma/cancer incidence at distal colon in the Nrf2 KO group, but not in the WT. Furthermore, mRNA or protein levels of NF-κB-related mediators (i.e., iNOS, TNF-α, and IL-1β) and Nrf2-related antioxidants (i.e., NQO1 and HO-1) were significantly lower in the Nrf2 KO group regardless of E2 treatment compared to the WT. The expression of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) was higher in the Nrf2 KO group than in the WT. In conclusion, estrogen further inhibits CRC by upregulating ERβ-related alternate pathways in the absence of Nrf2.

The long-term evaluation of the prognosis of implants with acid-etched surfaces sandblasted with alumina: a retrospective clinical study

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term clinical stability of implants with acid-etched surfaces sandblasted with alumina using retrospective analyses of the survival rate, success rate, primary and secondary stability, complications, and marginal bone loss of the implants. Methods Patients who had implants placed (TS III SA, SS II SA, SS III SA, and U III SA) with SA surfaces from Osstem (Osstem Implant Co., Busan, Korea) at the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, from January 2008 to December 2010 were selected for the study. Patients medical records and radiographs (panorama, periapical view) were retrospectively analyzed to investigate sex, age, location of implantation, diameter, and length of the implants, initial and secondary stability, presence of bone grafting, types of bone grafting and membranes, early and delayed complications, marginal bone loss, and implant survival rate. Results Ninety-six implants were placed in 45 patients. Five implants were removed during the follow-up period for a total survival rate of 94.8%. There were 14 cases of complications, including 6 cases of early complications and 8 cases of delayed complications. All five implants that failed to survive were included in the early complications. The survival of implants was significantly associated with the occurrence of complications and the absorption of bone greater than 1 mm within 1 year after prosthetic completion. In addition, the absorption of bone greater than 1 mm within 1 year after prosthetic completion was significantly associated with the occurrence of complications, primary stability, and implant placement method. Five cases that failed to survive were all included in the early complications criteria such as infection, failure of initial osseointegration, and early exposure of the fixture. Conclusions Of the 96 cases, 5 implants failed resulting in a 94.8% survival rate. The failed implants were all cases of early complications such as infection, failure of initial osseointegration, and early exposure of the fixtures. Peri-implantitis was mostly addressed through conservative and/or surgical treatment and resulted in very low prosthetic complications. Therefore, if preventive measures are taken to minimize initial complications, the results can be very stable

Changes in frequency of benign convulsions with mild gastroenteritis and their viral causes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-center study

Background Benign convulsions with mild gastroenteritis (CwG) are prevalent in young children during the winter. Early in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, viral gastroenteritis occurrence decreased and seasonal variation was lost, which can change CwG. Purpose Here we investigated changes in frequency, seasonal variation, and causative viruses of CwG during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We screened 1134 patients (3–36 months) with “other and unspecified convulsions” treated at Chonnam National University Hospital between March 2017 and February 2023; of them, we enrolled 41 (3.6%) with CwG. We compared their medical records from period I (March 2017 to February 2020) to those from period II (March 2020 to February 2023). Publicly available viral gastroenteritis surveillance data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) were reviewed as reference. Results Of the 41 patients with CwG, 18 (2.9% of 613) were affected in period I versus 23 (4.4% of 512) in period II (P=0.184). In period I, CwG mainly occurred in winter and spring (55.6% and 22.2%, respectively). In period II, there were fewer CwG cases (39.1%) in winter and more cases in summer and autumn (26.1% and 17.4%, respectively): the cases of norovirus genogroup II (GII)-associated CwG increased significantly in the summer (38.5% vs. 0%, P= 0.046). Norovirus GII was the most common virus (56.1% of isolates). Enteric adenovirus was the second most common (19.5%), with one case in period I and 7 cases in period II (P=0.059). The clinical characteristics of enteric adenovirus-associated CwG were similar to those of norovirus. Seasonal changes in and viral causes of CwG were consistent with those observed in the KDCA stool surveillance data. Conclusion During the COVID-19 pandemic, CwG frequency did not change, seasonal variation was unapparent, and enteric adenovirus-associated CwG frequency increased