Unresolved issues in monetary policy

Solomon held the office of president during a period of notably successful anti-inflationary monetary policy as well as rapid financial innovation and deregulation. In this speech, he discusses monetary strategy — in particular the targeting of monetary aggregates, interest rates, and nominal GNP — in light of trends in inflation and the uncertainties introduced by changing financial markets.Monetary policy ; Money supply ; Federal Reserve System - History ; Gross national product

Multilevel Analysis of Trachomatous Trichiasis and Corneal Opacity in Nigeria : The Role of Environmental and Climatic Risk Factors on the Distribution of Disease.

Funding: Jennifer L Smith was supported by the International Trachoma Initiative through a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Anthony Solomon is a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellow (098521). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Genomic profiling of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma reveals recurrent alterations in epigenetic regulatory genes BAP1, SETD2, and DDX3X.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer that arises from the mesothelial cells that line the pleural cavity and less commonly from the peritoneal lining of the abdomen and pelvis. Most pleural mesotheliomas arise in patients with a history of asbestos exposure, whereas the association of peritoneal mesotheliomas with exposure to asbestos and other potential carcinogens is less clear, suggesting that the genetic alterations that drive malignant peritoneal mesothelioma may be unique from those in pleural mesothelioma. Treatment options for all malignant mesotheliomas are currently limited, with no known targeted therapies available. To better understand the molecular pathogenesis of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, we sequenced 510 cancer-related genes in 13 patients with malignant mesothelioma arising in the peritoneal cavity. The most frequent genetic alteration was biallelic inactivation of the BAP1 gene, which occurred in 9/13 cases, with an additional two cases demonstrating monoallelic loss of BAP1. All 11 of these cases demonstrated loss of BAP1 nuclear staining by immunohistochemistry, whereas two tumors without BAP1 alteration and all 42 cases of histologic mimics in peritoneum (8 multilocular peritoneal inclusion cyst, 6 well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma of the peritoneum, 16 adenomatoid tumor, and 12 low-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary) demonstrated intact BAP1 nuclear staining. Additional recurrently mutated genes in this cohort of malignant peritoneal mesotheliomas included NF2 (3/13), SETD2 (2/13), and DDX3X (2/13). While these genes are known to be recurrently mutated in pleural mesotheliomas, the frequencies are distinct in peritoneal mesotheliomas, with nearly 85% of peritoneal tumors harboring BAP1 alterations versus only 20-30% of pleural tumors. Together, these findings demonstrate the importance of epigenetic modifiers including BAP1, SETD2, and DDX3X in mesothelial tumorigenesis and suggest opportunities for targeted therapies

Histopathological and Biochemical effects of aqueous leaf extract of Cadaba farinosa on the liver of adult Wistar Rats

Background: Plants are important source of chemical substances with therapeutic effects. Although, the promising potentials for good number of medicinal plants are being established, there exists in developing countries where people resort to herbal plants without proper awareness of the associated risks particularly in event of excessive or chronic use. Hence, the need to evaluate the histological and biochemical effects of aqueous leaf extract of Cadaba farinosa used traditionally for treatments of gastrointestinal parasites, cancer and diabetes in North-Eastern Nigeria. To evaluate the histological and biochemical effects of aqueous leaf extract of Cadaba farinosa on liver of adult Wistar rats.Methods: Twelve adult Wistar rats of both sexes were used and divided into four groups of three rats each. Group 1 served as control. Aqueous leaf extract were orally administered for 28 days at doses of 100, 200 and 300mg/kg respectively. Biochemical and histological analysis were performed.Results: This study showed significantly elevated levels of aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and alanine transaminase in animals treated with Cadaba farinosa (especially the highest dose 300mg/kg) compared to negative control. Elevated liver enzymes were corroborated by histopathological changes of liver exhibiting ballooning degenerations and steatohepatitis.Conclusions: Cadaba farinosa causes hepatic injury. Hence, further work needs to be done to ascertain whether reducing the dose of Cadaba farinosa would ameliorate this effect. Authors speculate that injury to multiple organelles including fat droplets and endoplasmic reticulum contribute to this characteristic finding

Trachoma then and now: update on mapping and control

In the last 30 years, there has been rapid progress towards ending the suffering and blindness caused by trachoma, with five countries being validated as having achieved elimination. However, many challenges remain

Assessment of Trachoma in Cambodia: Trachoma Is Not a Public Health Problem.

PURPOSE: To determine whether trachoma is a public health problem requiring intervention in Cambodia. METHODS: Based on historical evidence and reports, 14 evaluation units (EUs) in Cambodia, judged to be most likely to harbor trachoma, were selected. The Global Trachoma Mapping Project methodology was used to carry out rigorous surveys to determine the prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) and trichiasis in each EU. RESULTS: The EU-level prevalence of TF among 25,801 1-9-year-old children examined ranged from 0% to 0.2%. Among the 24,502 adults aged 15+ years examined, trichiasis was found in 59 people. Age- and sex-adjusted prevalences of trichiasis in all ages in the EUs studied ranged from 0% to 0.14%; five EUs had a prevalence of trichiasis ≥0.1%. CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be no need nor justification at this time for implementing public health measures to control trachoma in Cambodia