Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can test either positive or negative for circulating anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) and are thereby categorized as ACPA-positive (ACPA+) or ...ACPA-negative (ACPA-), respectively. In this study, we aimed to elucidate a broader range of serological autoantibodies that could further explain immunological differences between patients with ACPA+ RA and ACPA- RA. On serum collected from adult patients with ACPA+ RA (n = 32), ACPA- RA (n = 30), and matched healthy controls (n = 30), we used a highly multiplex autoantibody profiling assay to screen for over 1600 IgG autoantibodies that target full-length, correctly folded, native human proteins. We identified differences in serum autoantibodies between patients with ACPA+ RA and ACPA- RA compared with healthy controls. Specifically, we found 22 and 19 autoantibodies with significantly higher abundances in ACPA+ RA patients and ACPA- RA patients, respectively. Among these two sets of autoantibodies, only one autoantibody (anti-GTF2A2) was common in both comparisons; this provides further evidence of immunological differences between these two RA subgroups despite sharing similar symptoms. On the other hand, we identified 30 and 25 autoantibodies with lower abundances in ACPA+ RA and ACPA- RA, respectively, of which 8 autoantibodies were common in both comparisons; we report for the first time that the depletion of certain autoantibodies may be linked to this autoimmune disease. Functional enrichment analysis of the protein antigens targeted by these autoantibodies showed an over-representation of a range of essential biological processes, including programmed cell death, metabolism, and signal transduction. Lastly, we found that autoantibodies correlate with Clinical Disease Activity Index, but associate differently depending on patients' ACPA status. In all, we present candidate autoantibody biomarker signatures associated with ACPA status and disease activity in RA, providing a promising avenue for patient stratification and diagnostics.
Measuring treatment fidelity is an essential step in research designed to increase the use of evidence-based practices. For parent-implemented communication interventions, measuring the ...implementation of the teaching and coaching provided to the parents is as critical as measuring the parents’ delivery of the intervention to the child. Both levels of measurement are important in translating research into effective practice. In a single-case multiple-baseline design, the effectiveness of the teach-model-coach-review model for teaching Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT) Words and Signs to parents of young children with Down syndrome was evaluated. Implementation of parent training was completed with high fidelity. In addition, there was a functional relation between the implementation of the parent training and parents’ use of the specific EMT intervention strategies. The findings of this study replicate and extend previous studies suggesting systematic teaching and coaching can be effective in improving parent use of naturalistic communication strategies.
To assess trends in the incidence of heart failure (HF) in patients with incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from 1980 to 2009 and to compare different HF definitions in RA.
The study population ...comprised Olmsted County, Minnesota residents with incident RA (age ≥ 18 yrs, 1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria met in 1980-2009). All subjects were followed until death, migration, or April 30, 2019. Incident HF events were defined as follows: (1) meeting the Framingham criteria for HF, (2) diagnosis of HF (outpatient or inpatient) by a physician, or (3) International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision (ICD-9), or ICD, 10th revision (ICD-10), codes for HF. Patients with HF prior to the RA incidence/index date were excluded. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare incident HF events by decade, adjusting for age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors. HF definitions 2 and 3 were compared to the Framingham criteria.
The study included 905 patients with RA (mean age 55.9 years; 68.6% female; median follow-up 13.4 years). The 10-year cumulative incidence of HF events by any chart-reviewed method in the RA cohort in the 1980s was 11.66% (95% CI 7.86-17.29), in the 1990s it was 12.64% (95% CI 9.31-17.17), and in the 2000s it was 7.67% (95% CI 5.36-10.97). The incidence of HF did not change across the decades of RA incidence using any of the HF definitions. Physician diagnosis of HF and ICD-9/10 code-based definitions of HF performed well compared to the Framingham criteria, showing moderate to high sensitivity and specificity.
The incidence of HF in patients with incident RA in the 2000s vs the 1980s was not statistically significantly different. Physician diagnosis of HF and ICD-9/10 codes for HF performed well against the Framingham criteria.
We aimed to cluster patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) based on comorbidities and then examine the association between these clusters and RA disease activity and mortality.
In this ...population-based study, residents of an eight-county region with prevalent RA on 1 January 2015 were identified. Patients were followed for vital status until death, last contact or 31 December 2021. Diagnostic codes for 5 years before the prevalence date were used to define 55 comorbidities. Latent class analysis was used to cluster patients based on comorbidity patterns. Standardised mortality ratios were used to assess mortality.
A total of 1643 patients with prevalent RA (72% female; 94% white; median age 64 years, median RA duration 7 years) were studied. Four clusters were identified. Cluster 1 (n=686) included patients with few comorbidities, and cluster 4 (n=134) included older patients with 10 or more comorbidities. Cluster 2 (n=200) included patients with five or more comorbidities and high prevalences of depression and obesity, while cluster 3 (n=623) included the remainder. RA disease activity and survival differed across the clusters, with cluster 1 demonstrating more remission and mortality comparable to the general population.
More than 40% of patients with prevalent RA did not experience worse mortality than their peers without RA. The cluster with the worst prognosis (<10% of patients with prevalent RA) was older, had more comorbidities and had less disease-modifying antirheumatic drug and biological use compared with the other clusters. Comorbidity patterns may hold the key to moving beyond a one-size-fits-all perspective of RA prognosis.
In this study, the authors evaluated the effects of Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT; Hancock & Kaiser, 2006) blended with Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, and Emotional Regulation (JASPER; Kasari, ...Freeman, & Paparella, 2006) to teach spoken words and manual signs (Words + Signs) to young children with Down syndrome (DS).
Four toddlers (ages 23-29 months) with DS were enrolled in a study with a multiple-baseline, across-participants design. Following baseline, 20 play-based treatment sessions (20-30 min each) occurred twice weekly. Spoken words and manual signs were modeled and prompted by a therapist who used EMT/JASPER teaching strategies. The authors assessed generalization to interactions with parents at home.
There was a functional relation between the therapist's implementation of EMT/JASPER Words + Signs and all 4 children's use of signs during the intervention. Gradual increases in children's use of spoken words occurred, but there was not a clear functional relation. All children generalized their use of signs to their parents at home.
The infusion of manual signs with verbal models within a framework of play, joint attention, and naturalistic language teaching appears to facilitate development of expressive sign and word communication in young children with DS.
The re-vegetation of mining wastes with native plants is a comparatively low-cost solution for mine reclamation. However, re-vegetation fails when extreme pH values, low organic matter, or high ...concentrations of phytotoxic elements inhibit plant establishment and growth. Our aim was to determine whether the combined addition of municipal waste compost and diazotrophic endophytes (i.e., microorganisms that fix atmospheric N
2
and live within plants) could improve plant growth, organic matter accumulation, and phytostabilization of trace element contaminants in two types of hard rock mine waste. We grew a widespread native perennial grass, Bouteloua curtipendula, for one month in alkaline waste rock (porphyry copper mine) and tailings (Ag-Pb-Au mine, amended with dolomite) sourced from southeastern Arizona, United States. B. curtipendula tolerated elevated concentrations of multiple phytotoxic trace elements in the tailings (Mn, Pb, Zn), stabilizing them in roots without foliar translocation. Adding compost and endophyte seed coats improved plant growth, microbial biomass, and organic matter accumulation despite stark differences in the geochemical and physical characteristics of the mining wastes. The widespread grass B. curtipendula is a potential candidate for re-vegetating mine wastes when seeded with soil additives to increase pH and with microbial and organic amendments to increase plant growth.
This study quantifies improvements to plant growth, soil fertility, and trace element stabilization with a municipal waste compost topdressing and diazotrophic endophyte seed coating in two common hard rock mining wastes of the western United States. It establishes that a widespread perennial grass, Bouteloua curtipendula, can grow despite high concentrations of phytotoxic trace elements and minimal soil nutrients, and stabilizes trace elements on or in its roots, making it a suitable option for re-vegetation or phytostabilization of hard rock mining wastes.
Diabetes is the most common cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD). For patients with diabetes and CKD, the underlying cause of their kidney disease is often assumed to be a consequence of their ...diabetes. Without histopathological confirmation, however, the underlying cause of their disease is unclear. Recent studies have shown that next-generation sequencing (NGS) provides a promising avenue toward uncovering and establishing precise genetic diagnoses in various forms of kidney disease.
Here, we set out to investigate the genetic basis of disease in nondiabetic kidney disease (NDKD) and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) patients by performing targeted NGS using a custom panel comprising 345 kidney disease-related genes.
Our analysis identified rare diagnostic variants based on ACMG-AMP guidelines that were consistent with the clinical diagnosis of 19% of the NDKD patients included in this study. Similarly, 22% of DKD patients were found to carry rare pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in kidney disease-related genes included on our panel. Genetic variants suggestive of NDKD were detected in 3% of the diabetic patients included in this study.
Our findings suggest that rare variants in kidney disease-related genes in a diabetic background may play a role in the pathogenesis of DKD and NDKD in patients with diabetes.
Predicting Patriarchy Crittenden, Courtney A.; Wright, Emily M.
Journal of interpersonal violence,
04/2013, Letnik:
28, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
In much feminist literature, patriarchy has often been studied as a predictive variable for attitudes toward or acts of violence against women. However, rarely has patriarchy been examined as an ...outcome across studies. The current study works toward filling this gap by examining several individual-and neighborhood-level factors that might influence patriarchy. Specifically, this research seeks to determine if neighborhood-level attributes related to socioeconomic status, family composition, and demographic information affect patriarchal views after individual-level correlates of patriarchy were controlled. Findings suggest that factors at both the individual- and neighborhood levels, particularly familial characteristics and dynamics, do influence the endorsement of patriarchal views.
Abstract
Understanding the within- and among-population distribution of trait variation within seed collections may provide a means to approximate standing genetic variation and inform plant ...conservation. This study aimed to estimate population- and family-level seed trait variability for existing seed collections of Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana), and to use these data to guide sampling of future collections. We quantified variation in 14 seed morphological traits and seedling emergence within and among Torrey pine populations. Using a simulation-based approach, we used estimates of within-population variance to assess the number of maternal families required to capture 95 % of trait variation within each existing seed collection. Substantial structure was observed both within and among Torrey pine populations, with island and mainland seeds varying in seed size and seed coat thickness. Despite morphological differences, seedling emergence was similar across populations. Simulations revealed that 83 % and 71 % of all maternal families within island and mainland seed collections respectively needed to be resampled to capture 95 % of seed trait variation within existing collections. From a conservation perspective, our results indicate that to optimize genetic diversity captured in Torrey pine seed collections, maximizing the number of maternal families sampled within each population will be necessary.
In conifers, seed morphology is primarily genetically controlled. When contemporary seed collections exist, morphological variation assessed within those collections may be leveraged to estimate within- and between-population genetic variation, providing a unique approach to inform sampling for future seed collections. Using morphological variation quantified from contemporary seed collections combined with simulations of expected morphological diversity captured, we show that seed trait variation may aid in establishment of population-specific guidelines to optimize genetic diversity preserved in ex situ collections of Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana), and possibly across any plant species with largely heritable seed morphological variation.
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