12 research outputs found

    PARP1 gene variation and microglial activity on [11C]PBR28 PET in older adults at risk for Alzheimer's disease

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    Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation is one pathophysio-logical mechanism in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent studies have identified an association between the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) gene and AD. This gene encodes a protein that is involved in many biological functions, including DNA repair and chromatin remodeling, and is a mediator of inflammation. Therefore, we performed a targeted genetic association analysis to investigate the relationship between the PARP1 polymorphisms and brain micro-glial activity as indexed by [11C]PBR28 positron emission tomography (PET). Participants were 26 non-Hispanic Caucasians in the Indiana Memory and Aging Study (IMAS). PET data were intensity-normalized by injected dose/total body weight. Average PBR standardized uptake values (SUV) from 6 bilateral regions of interest (thalamus, frontal, parietal, temporal, and cingulate cortices, and whole brain gray matter) were used as endophenotypes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with 20% minor allele frequency that were within +/− 20 kb of the PARP1 gene were included in the analyses. Gene-level association analyses were performed using a dominant genetic model with translocator protein (18-kDa) (TSPO) genotype, age at PET scan, and gender as covariates. Analyses were performed with and without APOE Δ4 status as a covariate. Associations with PBR SUVs from thalamus and cingulate were significant at corrected p<0.014 and <0.065, respectively. Subsequent multi-marker analysis with cingulate PBR SUV showed that individuals with the “C” allele at rs6677172 and “A” allele at rs61835377 had higher PBR SUV than individuals without these alleles (corrected P<0.03), and individuals with the “G” allele at rs6677172 and “G” allele at rs61835377 displayed the opposite trend (corrected P<0.065). A previous study with the same cohort showed an inverse relationship between PBR SUV and brain atrophy at a follow-up visit, suggesting possible protective effect of microglial activity against cortical atrophy. Interestingly, all 6 AD and 2 of 3 LMCI participants in the current analysis had one or more copies of the “GG” allele combination, associated with lower cingulate PBR SUV, suggesting that this gene variant warrants further investigation

    Are immigrants’ earnings influenced by the characteristics of their neighbours?

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    Differences in immigrant economic trajectories have been attributed to a wide variety of factors. One of these is the local spatial context where immigrants reside. This spatial context assumes special salience in light of expanding public exposure to and scholarly interest in the potential impacts of spatial concentrations of immigrants. A crucial question is whether immigrants' opportu- nities are influenced by their neighbours. In this paper we contribute statistical evidence relevant to answering this vital question. We develop multiple measures of the spatial context in which immigrants reside and assess their contribution to the average earnings of immigrant individuals in the three large Swedish metropolitan areas, controlling for individual and regional labour-market characteristics. We use unusually rich longitudinal information about Swedish immigrants during the 1995 ^ 2002 period. We find evidence that immigrant men and women paid a substantial penalty during 1999-2002 if in 1999 they resided in areas where a substantial number of their neighbours were members of the same ethnic group. The evidence suggests that own-group concentrations can initially pay dividends for immigrants, but these benefits quickly turn into net disadvantages over time

    Income Increase and Moving to a Better Neighbourhood: Income Increase and Moving to a Better Neighbourhood

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    Concentration to disadvantaged neighbourhoods may hinder immigrants’ opportunities for social integration, so equal chances of translating available economic resources into mobility to less disadvantaged neighbourhoods are important. This paper adds to existing research on exits from poor neighbourhoods by focusing on the effects of income increase on residential mobility. We analyse intra-urban residential mobility from low-incomeneighbourhoods into non-low-income neighbourhoods among immigrants and nativeborn residents in three urban regions in Finland. We use longitudinal register data for the 2004–2014 period for the full Finnish population, allowing a dynamic analysis of changes in income and neighbourhood of residence. Based on multinomial logit modelling of migration outcomes, we found that an increase in income is associated with moving both to low-income and non-low-income areas even when controlling for initial income level. Upward income mobility was connected to exit from low-income areas in a quite similar way among immigrants and native-born Finns. The findings suggest that policiese.g. improving the labour market opportunities of immigrants are effective in reduction of residential segregation. However, we were not able to completely explain the differences between native-born Finns and immigrants in moving patterns. The differences between the cities were opposite for immigrants and native-born Finns, corresponding to differences in immigration history and levels of ethnic segregation. Therefore, the local context matters for spatial integration outcomes.OLD Urban Renewal and Housin
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