Testing for family influences on obesity: The role of genetic nurture

A large literature has documented strong positive correlations among siblings in health, including body mass index (BMI) and obesity. This paper tests whether that is explained by a specific type of peer effect in obesity: genetic nurture. Specifically, we test whether an individual’s weight is affected by the genes of their sibling, controlling for the individual’s own genes. Using genetic data in Add Health, we find no credible evidence that an individual’s BMI is affected by the polygenic risk score for BMI of their full sibling when controlling for the individual’s own polygenic risk score for BMI. Thus, we find no evidence that the positive correlations in BMI between siblings are attributable to genetic nurture within families.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149721/1/hec3889.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149721/2/hec3889_am.pd

The Grind for Good Data: Understanding ML Practitioners' Struggles and Aspirations in Making Good Data

We thought data to be simply given, but reality tells otherwise; it is costly, situation-dependent, and muddled with dilemmas, constantly requiring human intervention. The ML community's focus on quality data is increasing in the same vein, as good data is vital for successful ML systems. Nonetheless, few works have investigated the dataset builders and the specifics of what they do and struggle to make good data. In this study, through semi-structured interviews with 19 ML experts, we present what humans actually do and consider in each step of the data construction pipeline. We further organize their struggles under three themes: 1) trade-offs from real-world constraints; 2) harmonizing assorted data workers for consistency; 3) the necessity of human intuition and tacit knowledge for processing data. Finally, we discuss why such struggles are inevitable for good data and what practitioners aspire, toward providing systematic support for data works

Comparison of Alcian Blue, Trypan Blue, and Toluidine Blue for Visualization of the Primo Vascular System Floating in Lymph Ducts

The primo vascular system (PVS), floating in lymph ducts, was too transparent to be observed by using a stereomicroscope. It was only detectable with the aid of staining dyes, for instance, Alcian blue, which was injected into the lymph nodes. Some dyes were absorbed preferentially by the PVS than the lymph wall. It remains a standing problem to know what dyes are absorbed better by the PVS than the lymph walls. Such information would be useful to unravel the biochemical properties of the PVS that are badly in need for obtaining large amount of PVS specimens. In the current work we tried two other familiar dyes which were used in PVS research before. We found that Trypan blue and toluidine blue did not visualize the PVS. Trypan blue was cleared by the natural washing. Toluidine blue did not stain the PVS, but it did leave stained spots in the lymph wall and its surrounding tissues, and it leaked out of the lymph wall to stain surrounding connective tissues. These completely different behaviors of the three dyes were found for the first time in the current work and provide valuable information to elucidate the mechanism through which some special dyes stained the PVS preferentially compared to the lymphatic wall

Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Korean version of the screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders (SCARED)

The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Korean version of Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) on a sample of Korean youths and to examine the cross-cultural differences in adolescents anxiety. Our study included 147 adolescents (ages 12–17, 92 girls), 93 with major depressive disorder and 54 as controls. Participants were evaluated using the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), SCARED, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Disruptive Behavioral Disorder Scale (DBD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale (ADHD-RS). Pearsons r and Cronbachs α values of the SCARED were calculated, and exploratory factor analysis was conducted. The Korean SCARED scores were correlated with the total anxiety scores of K-SADS-PL (r = 0.74) and the CBCL anxious/depressed subscale scores (r = 0.35). Results showed a five-factor structure with good internal consistency, in which some items were loaded on different factors compared to previous studies. The Korean SCARED demonstrated promising psychometric properties, and could be a valid scale for screening anxiety symptoms in primary care. The fact that different items comprised the factors may reflect the cultural difference between United States and Korea in experiencing anxiety.This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (NRF-2015R1A2A2A01004501) and was supported by Promising-Pioneering Research Program through Seoul National University (SNU) in 2015. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Long-term efficacy, safety and immunogenicity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis continuing on an etanercept biosimilar (LBEC0101) or switching from reference etanercept to LBEC0101: an open-label extension of a phase III multicentre, randomised, double-blind, parallel-group study

Background To evaluate the long-term efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of continuing LBEC0101; the etanercept (ETN) biosimilar; or switching from the ETN reference product (RP) to LBEC0101 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods This multicentre, single-arm, open-label extension study enrolled patients who had completed a 52-week randomised, double-blind, parallel phase III trial of LBEC0101 vs ETN-RP. Patients treated with ETN-RP during the randomised controlled trial switched to LBEC0101; those treated with LBEC0101 continued to receive LBEC0101 in this study. LBEC0101 (50 mg) was administered subcutaneously once per week for 48 weeks with a stable dose of methotrexate. Efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of LBEC0101 were assessed up to week 100. Results A total of 148 patients entered this extension study (70 in the maintenance group and 78 in the switch group). The 28-joint disease activity scores (DAS28)-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were maintained in both groups from week 52 to week 100 (from 3.068 to 3.103 in the maintenance group vs. from 3.161 to 3.079 in the switch group). ACR response rates at week 100 for the maintenance vs. switch groups were 79.7% vs. 83.3% for ACR20, 65.2% vs. 66.7% for ACR50 and 44.9% vs. 42.3% for ACR70. The incidence of adverse events and the proportion of patients with newly developed antidrug antibodies were similar in the maintenance and switch groups (70.0% and 70.5%, 1.4% and 1.3%, respectively). Conclusions Administration of LBEC0101 showed sustained efficacy and acceptable safety in patients with RA after continued therapy or after switching from ETN-RP to LBEC0101. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02715908. Registered 22 March 2016.This extension study was funded by LG Chem, Ltd. (formerly, LG Life Sciences, Ltd), Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Korea Health Industry Development Institute

Greenhouse gas emissions, firm value, and the investor base: Evidence from Korea

This paper examines the association between greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, firm value and foreign ownership for Korean firms. In Korea, firms that emit GHG more than a given threshold have been mandated to disclose the levels of GHG emissions since 2011. We find that firms bound to disclose GHG emissions are likely to be valued less compared to firms without disclosure obligations. In addition, foreign investors' ownership is lower for mandatory-disclosure firms than firms without such requirements. Among mandatory-disclosure firms, GHG intensity is negatively associated with firm value and this association is strengthened after 2015, following the Paris Accords

“Study Natural” without Drugs: An Exploratory Study of Theory-Guided and Tailored Health Campaign Interventions to Prevent Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants in College Students

Nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) among college students continues to rise. While some anti-NMUPS campaigns are available, little is known about the campaign development process and how well college students evaluate these messages. To bridge this gap, we developed theory-guided anti-NMUPS campaign interventions that are tailored to college students’ characteristics and evaluated students’ response towards them. A total of 445 college students (74.4% female; Meanage of 20; 18 to 35 years old) reviewed the campaign interventions and offered their evaluation via an online survey. Findings indicate that students responded to the campaigns positively. Results also indicate that female students are more likely to perceive the campaigns as effective than their male counterparts. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that theory-guided and tailored anti-NMUPS campaigns have great potential in changing students’ attitudes and behavior towards NMUPS. While this study fills critical gaps in the literature, considering the progress needed to strengthen the research field, more research is needed to further identify effective strategies that could prevent college students’ participation in NMUPS activities

Effect of Concentrated Fibroblast-Conditioned Media on In Vitro Maintenance of Rat Primary Hepatocyte.

The effects of concentrated fibroblast-conditioned media were tested to determine whether hepatocyte function can be maintained without direct contact between hepatocytes and fibroblasts. Primary rat hepatocytes cultured with a concentrated conditioned media of NIH-3T3 J2 cell line (final concentration of 55 mg/ml) showed significantly improved survival and functions (albumin and urea) compared to those of control groups. They also showed higher expression levels of mRNA, albumin and tyrosine aminotransferase compared to hepatocyte monoculture. The results suggest that culture with concentrated fibroblast-conditioned media could be an easy method for in vitro maintenance of primary hepatocytes. They also could be contribute to understand and analyze co-culture condition of hepatocyte with stroma cells

High Membranous Expression of Fatty Acid Transport Protein 4 Is Associated with Tumorigenesis and Tumor Progression in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

The increased requirement of fatty acids forces cancer cells to enhance uptake of fatty acids from the extracellular milieu, in addition to de novo lipogenesis. Coexpression of cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) with fatty acid transport protein 4 (FATP4) or long-chain acyl CoA synthetase 1 (ACSL1) synergistically activated fatty acid uptake in experimental models. In this study, we investigated the immunohistochemical expression of CD36, FATP4, and ACSL1 in 180 cases of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in comparison with 80 specimens of the normal kidney. We also examined the clinical implication of these three fatty acid transporters in RCC, which was validated by an open-access The Cancer Genome Atlas data analysis. Both CD36 and FATP4 revealed higher membranous expressions in RCC tumor cells than in normal cells. In contrast, ACSL1 expression was remarkably reduced in RCC tumor cells compared to normal cells. CD36, FATP4, and ACSL1 showed high expressions in 74 (41.1%), 85 (47.2%), and 72 (40.0%) out of 180 RCC cases, respectively. Clinically, high FATP4 in tumor cells was associated with female gender (p=0.05), high TNM stage (p=0.039), tumor necrosis (p=0.009), and tumor recurrence (p=0.037), while high ACSL1 was only related to female gender (p=0.023). CD36 expression revealed no correlation with the clinicopathologic parameters of RCC. Increased FATP4 expression displayed an association with short recurrence-free survival (p=0.003). In conclusion, the high FATP4 expression was clinically associated with poor prognostic factors of RCC. Overexpression of membranous FATP4 and CD36 combined with reduced cytoplasmic expression of ACSL1 might be a tumor-specific feature of RCC, contributing to the tumorigenesis and tumor progression

Prognostic Characteristics of MACC1 Expression in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Recent studies have shown that overexpression of metastasis-associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) is significantly associated with adverse prognoses of patients with different kinds of cancer. However, the exact survival effect of MACC1 on epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients has not yet been established. Thus, the objective of this study was to explore the prognostic role of MACC1 mRNA in EOC by using Kaplan-Meier (KM) plotter and ONCOMINE database. Our results indicated that MACC1 mRNA high expression was significantly associated with unfavorable overall survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.51 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21 – 1.88), P = 0.00025) and progression-free survival (HR = 1.53 (95% CI: 1.24 – 1.89), P = 5.8e-05) in EOC patients. We also found that the expression of MACC1 mRNA in EOC was 2.5 times higher than that in normal surface ovarian epithelium, which was statistically significant (P = 2.86e-7). Our results suggest that MACC1 expression might be a biomarker for poor prognosis in individual EOC patients