Characterisation of anergic B cells in a new mouse model with altered B cell receptor signalling

While the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) membrane IgM (mIgM) transmits signals via Igα/β, the cytoplasmic tail of mIgG is able to transmit signals directly. We have generated mice where the IgG1 cytoplasmic signalling tail was added to the C-terminus of IgM (IgMg1 mouse). During B cell development, IgMg1 B cells experience stronger negative selection resulting in tonic BCR signal transduction being repressed and reduced mIgM expression. BCR stimulation of immature and mature IgMg1 B cells results in reduced signalling. This shows that IgMg1 B cells leave the bone marrow as anergic cells. IgMg1 B cells respond less efficiently to thymus-independent antigens. They do, however, respond well to the thymus-dependent antigen. The anergic pattern of IgMg1 B cells is maintained throughout the GC response and even after they become IgG switched memory B cells (MBCs). These effects may contribute to a delay in the shift of antigen-specificity of GC B cells. These results are in line with recent studies showing that anergic B cells are licensed to participate in Germinal Centre (GC) reactions, where they can undergo clonal redemption. We conclude that IgMg1 mice are a new model to study anergy in B cells with a complete repertoire of BCR-specificities

Interview with Dr. Jiangnan (John) Cai, China Europe International Business School

简介：蔡江南教授是中欧国际工商学院卫生管理与政策中心主任、经济学兼职教授。他在中国和美国的大学、咨询公司、和政府部门从事了二十多年的卫生经济和卫生政策的教学、研究和咨询工作，发表了大量有影响的研究成果。他参与了美国第一个（麻省）全民医疗保障制度改革方案的设计、实施和评价，以及中国新医改方案的研究工作。蔡教授曾是华东理工大学经济发展研究所（所长）和商学院的主要创始人之一(1987-1990)，曾担任复旦大学经济学院公共经济系第一任系主任(2006-2009)。蔡教授曾获1990年孙冶方经济科学论文奖（我国经济学最高奖）、2002年美国卫生研究学会最杰出文摘奖、2009年上海市社会科学界年会优秀论文奖、2013年《中国卫生》杂志十大医改新闻人物提名。他于1997年获得美国布兰戴斯大学社会政策博士、1984年获得复旦大学经济学硕士、1982年获得华东师范大学经济学学士。 Bio: Dr. John Cai is Director of CEIBS Centre for Health Care Management and Policy and Adjunct Professor of Economics at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). He has been involved in teaching, research and consulting work at university, consulting company and government in the field of health economics and health policy over twenty years. He has published extensively in the areas of health economics and health policy, social security, labor and employment, and public finance in various academic journals. He has participated in the design, implement and evaluation of the first comprehensive health care reform plan (Massachusetts) in the U.S. and has also actively involved in the design of recent national health care reform plan in China. Professor Cai was cofounders and the Director of the Institute of Economic Development at East China University of Science and Technology (Shanghai) (1987-1990) and the first Chair at Department of Public Economics at Fudan University (2006-2009). Professor Cai has received many awards for both research and teaching, for example, 1990 Sun Yie-fang National Economic Science Prizes-Best Paper Award, 2002 Most Outstanding Abstract Award by Academy for Health Services research and Health Policy Annual Research Meeting in Washington D.C., and 2009 Excellent Paper Award from Shanghai Social Science Annual Conference. Professor Cai received his Ph.D. in Public Policy from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University in 1997, MA in Economics at Fudan University in 1984 and BA in Economics at East China Normal University in 1982

PROF. YUANLI LIU, FOUNDING DIRECTOR, HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH CHINA INITIATIVE

Dr. Yuanli Liu, serving on the faculty of the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard School of Public Health, is founding director of the Harvard School of Public Health China Initiative since 2005. The China Initiative aims at helping advance health and social development in China by carrying out series of applied research studies targeting China’s major unresolved public health and health system issues, regular policy dialogues to help drawing road maps for China’s social sector reforms and development, and senior health executive education programs to help produce a critical mass of open-minded and well informed health sector leaders. He is also Adjunct Professor of Health Policy and Management at Tsinghua University and director of the Health and Development Institute at Tsinghua School of Public Policy and Management in Beijing.  Professor Liu has been teaching and conducting research in the areas of health policy and health system analysis since 1994 at Harvard, and has carried out extensive research and policy consultation work in many African and Asian countries. In particular, he has been closely involved in helping inform China’s policy making process for series of reforms and strategic developments in its health sector since 1993, including a 8-year survey and intervention study (1993-2001) on improving access to healthcare in China’s poor rural areas and the most recent work on Healthy Beijing 2020 – developing China’s first 10-year strategic plan for effectively combating diseases and improving population health. He serves on the Expert Committee of Health Policy and Management and the Expert Committee on Healthy China 2020, both of which are established by the Chinese Ministry of Health to help develop strategies for China to deal with major infectious as well as non-communicable diseases. Dr. Liu also served on the United Nations Millennium Development Taskforce on HIV/AIDS, Malaria, TB, and Access to Basic Medicines.  He consulted for many international agencies including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNDP, UNICEF, WHO as well as global corporations.   Dr. Liu received his MD and MPH from Tongji Medical University in 1987, MS in health policy and management from Harvard University in 1988, and PhD in health services research, policy and administration from University of Minnesota in 1995. 刘远立教授简介： 哈佛大学公共卫生学院中国项目部主任，博士生导师，清华大学公共管理学院卫生与发展研究中心主任。刘远立于1987年获得同济医科大学医学硕士学位，1988年获得哈佛大学科学硕士学位，1995年获得明尼苏达大学哲学博士学位。1994年起任职于美国哈佛大学公共卫生学院，从事国际卫生政策与管理的科研和教学工作长达16年，是“卫生体系学”创始人之一，并从2000年至今在哈佛大学担任该学科的博士生导师。2005年被任命为哈佛大学公共卫生学院中国项目部主任，负责领导哈佛大学与中国在医疗卫生领域的学术交流与合作，其中包括：1.与中国卫生部合作举办“中国卫生发展与改革高级国际研修班”（300多名毕业生分别来自中央和各省、市负责卫生与社会发展的厅局长和大型医院院长）， 2. 开展重大卫生政策与管理问题的应用性研究，3.与中央党校合作举办“中国社会发展论坛”。2006年又被清华大学公共管理学院聘为卫生与发展研究中心主任，负责领导中心围绕健康发展和卫生政策领域开展学术研究、政策咨询和教育培训等活动

INTERVIEW WITH DR. REN MINGHUI, MINISTRY OF HEALTH, CHINA

Dr. REN is the Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Health (MOH) of the People’s Republic of China. Throughout his career, Dr. REN has been involved in numerous health policy research projects including the “Health care systems research in rural China” (MOH), “Financing and organization of health care services in poverty areas of China” (World Bank), “The pilot study of health insurance reform in urban China” (Chinese State Council) and the “Experiment in community health protection-policy exploration, training and demonstration program” (UNDP). In recent years, as a senior representative of the Chinese government, he served as a leading board member in a number of international organizations including WHO, UNAIDS, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. He is also the point of contact for many Chinese bilateral cooperation mechanisms in health. Dr. REN received his MD, MPH and PHD from Xi’an Medical University in 1987, Harvard School of Public Health in 1993 and Peking University in 2008, respectively.  Dr. Lingling Zhang initiated this interview when she met with Dr. REN at the Harvard America-China Health Summit organized by the Harvard School of Public Health China Initiative. Dr. REN was one of the invited guests of honor at the Summit. Dr. REN responded to Dr. Zhang’s questions in writing after he returned to China

CHPAMS’S PARTICIPATION AT THE WESTLAKE FORUM III

The Westlake Forum III “Healthcare Reform in China and the U.S.:  Similarities, Differences and Challenges” was held on April 10-12, 2011, at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a resounding success resulting from joint efforts of Emory Global Health Institute, Zhejiang University Medical School, and the China Medical Board (CMB). More than 250 scholars and practitioners from leading academic and governmental institutions in China and the United States gathered to compare healthcare reform in the two countries and its impact on cost, quality and access to care

Medical hierarchy in professional ranking and its implications in China

Medical hierarchy is a system where health professionals are ranked according to certain criteria. While hierarchy helps identify the seniority and mentorship to which junior practitioners can refer, it can also become a barrier in medical practice and sometimes lead to undesirable perceptions and consequences for both medical professionals and patients. Physicians in Denmark perceived the hierarchical position as a major determinant of influence on technical and ethical decisions.1 German physicians complained about the monarchy-like system in clinical positions that led to a negative working atmosphere and reduced health-related quality of life among young physicians.2 Srivastava3, drawing from the author’s own medical practice in the US, showed that blind adherence to hierarchy defined by medical specialties could lead to disastrous outcomes

Factors Affecting Illegal Hacking Behavior

The damage caused by illegal hacking has become one of the serious problems facing society. Based on general deterrence theory, social bond theory and social learning theory, the paper proposes a model which examines the factors affecting the likelihood an individual will engage in illegal hacking behavior. Data was gathered from a survey of 127 individuals who attended a hacker’s conference. The results indicate that the severity of punishment has a significant positive relationship with the hacking execution while the certainty of punishment has a significant negative relationship with the hacking execution. The results also suggest that the greater an individual’s commitment to conventional activities and the stronger the individual’s belief in following the norms and rules of society, the less likely he or she will engage in illegal hacking behavior. Finally, interaction with other computer hackers significantly impacts illegal hacking behavior