Impact of Personal Remittances on Economic Growth of Pakistan: A Multivariate Cointegration Analysis

The study targets the impact of personal remittances on economic growth in case of Pakistan for the time period 1980-2014. For this purpose, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Human Capital are used as control variables. Using Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) and Philips-Peron (PP) unit root tests, all the variables came stationary at order one or I (1). Johansen Cointegration showed a long run relationship between personal remittances, FDI, human capital and economic growth. The results showed a positive long run impact of personal remittances, FDI and human capital on economic growth of Pakistan. Similarly, ECT (-1) term was -0.04 and also significant. Granger causality also showed a unidirectional causality running from personal remittances to economic growth. Moreover, the diagnostic tests showed normality of residuals, no autocorrelation and stationarity of residuals at level. Government should formulate such policies that encourage remittances in Pakistan by formulating reliable and efficient transfer mechanism to cheap transfer cost. Keywords: Personal Remittances, FDI, Economics Growt

Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome after administration of AZD1222 or Ad26.COV2.S vaccine for COVID-19: A systematic review

Background: Cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) have been reported following vaccination with AZD1222 or Ad26.COV2.S. This review aimed to explore the pathophysiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, management, and prognosis of TTS.Methods: A systematic review was conducted to identify evidence on TTS till 4th September 2021. Case reports and series reporting patient-level data were included. Descriptive statistics were reported and compared across patients with different sexes, age groups, vaccines, types of thrombosis, and outcomes.Findings: Sixty-two studies reporting 160 cases were included from 16 countries. Patients were predominantly females with a median age of 42.50 (22) years. AZD1222 was administered to 140 patients (87·5%). TTS onset occurred in a median of 9 (4) days after vaccination. Venous thrombosis was most common (61.0%). Most patients developed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST; 66.3%). CVST was significantly more common in female vs male patients (p = 0·001) and in patients aged \u3c45 years vs ≥45 years (p = 0·004). The mortality rate was 36.2%, and patients with suspected TTS, venous thrombosis, CVST, pulmonary embolism, or intraneural complications, patients not managed with non-heparin anticoagulants or IVIG, patients receiving platelet transfusions, and patients requiring intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, or inpatient neurosurgery were more likely to expire than recover.Interpretation: These findings help to understand the pathophysiology of TTS while also recommending diagnostic and management approaches to improve prognosis in patients.Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors

Markers of mineral metabolism and vascular access complications: The Choices for Healthy Outcomes in Caring for ESRD (CHOICE) study

Introduction: Vascular access dysfunction is a major cause of morbidity in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) on chronic hemodialysis. The effects of abnormalities in mineral metabolism on vascular access are unclear. In this study, we evaluated the association of mineral metabolites, including 25‐hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) and fibroblast growth factor‐23 (FGF‐23), with vascular access complications.Methods: We included participants from the Choices for Healthy Outcomes in Caring for ESRD (CHOICE) Study who were using an arteriovenous fistula (AVF; n = 103) or arteriovenous graft (AVG; n = 116). Serum levels of 25(OH)D, FGF‐23, parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium, phosphorus, C‐reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) were assessed from stored samples. Participants were followed for up to 1 year or until a vascular access intervention or replacement.Findings: A total of 24 participants using an AVF and 43 participants using an AVG experienced access intervention. Those with 25(OH)D level in the lowest tertile (3750 RU/mL) was associated with greater risk of AVF intervention (aHR = 2.56; 95% CI: 1.06, 6.18). Higher PTH was associated with higher risk of AVF intervention (aHR = 1.64 per SD of log(PTH); 95% CI: 1.02, 2.62). These associations were not observed in participants using an AVG. None of the other analytes were significantly associated with AVF or AVG intervention.Discussion: Low levels of 25(OH)D and high levels of FGF‐23 and PTH are associated with increased risk of AVF intervention. Abnormalities in mineral metabolism are risk factors for vascular access dysfunction and potential therapeutic targets to improve outcomes.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153726/1/hdi12798_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153726/2/hdi12798.pd

A genome-wide association study in Europeans and South Asians identifies five new loci for coronary artery disease

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Genome-wide association identifies nine common variants associated with fasting proinsulin levels and provides new insights into the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Proinsulin is a precursor of mature insulin and C-peptide. Higher circulating proinsulin levels are associated with impaired β-cell function, raised glucose levels, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Studies of the insulin processing pathway could provide new insights about T2D pathophysiology. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We have conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association tests of ∼2.5 million genotyped or imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and fasting proinsulin levels in 10,701 nondiabetic adults of European ancestry, with follow-up of 23 loci in up to 16,378 individuals, using additive genetic models adjusted for age, sex, fasting insulin, and study-specific covariates. RESULTS: Nine SNPs at eight loci were associated with proinsulin levels (P < 5 × 10(-8)). Two loci (LARP6 and SGSM2) have not been previously related to metabolic traits, one (MADD) has been associated with fasting glucose, one (PCSK1) has been implicated in obesity, and four (TCF7L2, SLC30A8, VPS13C/C2CD4A/B, and ARAP1, formerly CENTD2) increase T2D risk. The proinsulin-raising allele of ARAP1 was associated with a lower fasting glucose (P = 1.7 × 10(-4)), improved β-cell function (P = 1.1 × 10(-5)), and lower risk of T2D (odds ratio 0.88; P = 7.8 × 10(-6)). Notably, PCSK1 encodes the protein prohormone convertase 1/3, the first enzyme in the insulin processing pathway. A genotype score composed of the nine proinsulin-raising alleles was not associated with coronary disease in two large case-control datasets. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified nine genetic variants associated with fasting proinsulin. Our findings illuminate the biology underlying glucose homeostasis and T2D development in humans and argue against a direct role of proinsulin in coronary artery disease pathogenesis

Saving-Investment or Foreign Exchange Gap: What Hinders Fiscal Stability in Pakistan?

Macroeconomic stability is a major objective to be achieved for sustainable economic growth. However, fiscal stability has been prone to instability in dual-gaps in a developing country like Pakistan. This study examines the impact of the saving-investment gap (SI), foreign exchange gap (XM), and the mediating impact of output on fiscal deficit using the time-series data from 1973 to 2018 in Pakistan using Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL). The results show that an increase in the saving-investment gap and output lower the fiscal deficit. However, an increase in the foreign exchange gap increases the fiscal deficit. While considering the interaction effect, SI and output negatively but XM and output interaction positively affect the fiscal deficit. Since SI and output stabilize the fiscal position while the XM destabilizes the latter, the government should strategize to increase savings, investment, exports, and national output and reduce unnecessary imports

Globalization and Energy Consumption: Empirical Implications for Income Inequality in Developing Countries

The objective of this study is to envisage the impact of globalization and energy consumption on income inequality in developing countries. The specific objectives are to discover the impact of economic, social, political, and overall globalization along with energy consumption on income inequality. To attain the empirical outcomes, this study employed the System-GMM on a panel dataset from 1996 to 2018 in a sample of sixty-nine developing countries as per the classification of World Bank. To further validate the empirical outcomes different interaction terms between overall globalization and energy use, political globalization and energy consumption, social globalization and energy consumption are all regressed on income inequality. The main finding of this study is that income inequality is positively affected by globalization and is statistically significant. This research also discovered a negative correlation between energy consumption and income inequality. The study suggests that developing nations should adopt policies to open their markets to the entire world, make effective use of globalization, and promote policies that reduce income inequality

A Moderating Role of Hierarchy of Institutional Hypothesis in Debt-Poverty Relationship: Empirical Evidence from OIC Member Countries

A plethora of studies deciphered the moderating role of institutional performance in debt-growth and growth-poverty relationship but moderating role of hierarchy of institutional hypothesis in debt-poverty link has not been explored yet. This study is an endeavor to bridge this gap by exploring whether hierarchy of institutional hypothesis moderates the debt-poverty link in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries or not during 1996 to 2018. The findings of system GMM estimator disclose that public debt negatively associates with poverty alleviation in OIC member countries. The empirical results backing the notion that the performance of political and economic institutions augment the poverty alleviation. The outcomes also bolster the hypothesis that political institutions are the ones that really modify the course of events. Economic institutions undoubtedly contribute to reducing poverty, but this is only possible in the presence of political institutions. Our study reveals that an average level of political and economic&nbsp;institutional performance lessens the detrimental effects of public debt on poverty alleviation. According to the study's conclusions, the very first Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs), the reduction of poverty by 2030, seems implausible to be achieved given the current tendency of public debt in OIC member countries. In order to reduce the prevalence of poverty in OIC member nations, it is therefore suggested that institutional performance appraisal be linked with a decrease in public debt accumulation. &nbsp

Dynamics of Public Debt, Political Institutions, and Economic Growth: A Quantile Analysis in Developing Economies (1996-2021)

This study investigates the interconnected impacts of public debt, political institutional performance, and economic growth in developing nations from 1996 to 2021. By employing the robust quantile via moments methodology, this study effectively addresses the complexities of endogeneity, heterogeneity, and nonlinearity within variables. The outcomes yield significant insights, revealing a consistent negative relationship between public debt and growth in alignment with the "debt overhang" theory. Furthermore, this study identifies a positive link between institutional political performance and political growth. Particularly noteworthy is the finding that the interaction between debt and institutional strength can mitigate the adverse consequences of debt, underscoring the pivotal role of strong institutions. These discoveries underscore the paramount importance of strategic fiscal management and resilient political institutions in nurturing sustainable economic growth. As such, this study holds the potential to guide policy frameworks that amplify the trajectory of developing economies towards enduring economic progress

The Impact of Urban Population and Inequality on Environment Degradation: Empirical Evidence from Panel Data Analysis

This study aims to empirically analyze population, inequality, and environmental degradation in developing countries. A panel data is used for D-8 countries for the period from 1990-2015. Unit root test is applied for stationary, Levin, Lin, and Chu test concluded that all variables are integrated at first difference. Panel Granger causality is applied to check the causality among variables. The results of Granger causality concluded that there is bidirectional causality between GDP and CO2 and also bidirectional causality between the GINI coefficient and CO2. And found unidirectional causality of urban population and trade openness with CO2. GMM estimation technique is used and estimates the common-effect model, fixed-effect model, and random-effect model. Hausman's test concludes that the random-effect is more appropriate. Real GDP, Rural population, and Trade openness are positively influencing the emission of carbon dioxide. While the GINI coefficient (a proxy of inequality) is negatively influencing carbon dioxide in seven developing countries