Human capital and growth Sunde, Uwe; Vischer, Thomas
Economica (London),
April 2015, Letnik:
82, Številka:
326
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This paper suggests that the weak empirical effect of human capital on growth in existing cross-country studies is partly the result of an inappropriate specification that does not account for the ...different channels through which human capital affects growth. A systematic replication of earlier results from the literature shows that both initial levels and changes in human capital have positive growth effects, while in isolation each channel often appears insignificant. The results suggest that the effect of human capital is likely to be underestimated in empirical specifications that do not account for both channels.
Income and Democracy: Comment Cervellati, Matteo; Jung, Florian; Sunde, Uwe ...
The American economic review,
02/2014, Letnik:
104, Številka:
2
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Acemoglu et al. (2008) document that the correlation between income per capita and democracy disappears when including time and country fixed effects, While their results are robust for the full ...sample, we find evidence for significant but heterogeneous effects of income on democracy: negative for former colonies, but positive for non-colonies. Within the sample of colonies we detect heterogeneous effects related to colonial history and early institutions. The zero mean effect estimated by Acemoglu et al. (2008) is consistent with effects of opposite signs in the different subsamples. Our findings are robust to the use of alternative data and estimation techniques.
Abstract This study presents results of the validation of an ultra-short survey measure of patience included in the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). Survey responses predict intertemporal choice ...behavior in incentive-compatible decisions in a representative sample of the German adult population.
Objectives: To examine the long term prognosis in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Methods: Forty five of 70 patients who had participated in a three week trial six years earlier completed again the ...same questionnaires used previously. Results: Most symptoms had remained stable. Pain had increased, but some aspects of quality of life had improved over time. Conclusion: Symptoms of FM persisted over the six years, but patients appeared better able to cope with them.
To investigate the difference in acute phase protein responses between patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and spondyloarthropathies (SpA).
Circulating levels ...of cytokines inducing the production of acute phase proteins such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1 beta, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and of cytokine inhibitors such as TNF soluble receptors (TNF-sR55 and TNF-sR75) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), were measured in 2 cohorts of patients. The first cohort included 52 patients with SLE and 22 with RA, and the second included 21 with SLE, 20 with RA, and 18 with SpA. An examination at the time of blood collection and the Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM) index were used to assess disease activity in patients with SLE. Serum levels of IL-6 were measured using a biological assay, and concentrations of IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, TNF-sR55, TNF-sR75, and IL-1ra were assessed by immunoassays.
Although C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly lower in SLE than in RA or SpA, the concentrations of circulating IL-6 or TNF-alpha were higher in SLE. The most striking observation was that TNF-sR levels were significantly higher in SLE than in RA or SpA. The TNF-alpha: TNF-sR ratio was also significantly lower in SLE than in RA. TNF-sR55 and TNF-sR75 levels correlated with disease activity in SLE.
The weak acute phase protein response in SLE may be explained by a decreased ratio between inducing cytokines and their inhibitors. In addition, TNF-sR may prove a useful biological marker for the followup of SLE, where acute phase protein response is generally low during disease exacerbations.
OBJECTIVE--To determine the efficacy of electroacupuncture in patients with fibromyalgia, a syndrome of unknown origin causing diffuse musculoskeletal pain. DESIGN--Three weeks' randomised study with ...blinded patients and evaluating physician. SETTING--University divisions of physical medicine and rehabilitation and rheumatology, Geneva. PATIENTS--70 patients (54 women) referred to the division for fibromyalgia as defined by the American College of Rheumatology. INTERVENTIONS--Patients were randomised to electroacupuncture (n = 36) or a sham procedure (n = 34) by means of an electronic numbers generator. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Pain threshold, number of analgesic tablets used, regional pain score, pain recorded on visual analogue scale, sleep quality, morning stiffness, and patient's and evaluating physician's appreciation. RESULTS--Seven of the eight outcome parameters showed a significant improvement in the active treatment group whereas none were improved in the sham treatment group. Differences between the groups were significant for five of the eight outcome measures after treatment. CONCLUSIONS--Electroacupuncture is effective in relieving symptoms of fibromyalgia. Its potential in long term management should now be studied.
EULAR (European League against Rheumatism), the umbrella organisation of the European professional societies dealing with rheumatic diseases has undergone many changes in the past years.
To determine levels of soluble interleukin 6 receptor-alpha (sIL-6R alpha) in synovial fluid (SF) and serum from patients with different rheumatic diseases, and to analyze its cellular origin ...compared to IL-6.
IL-6 and sIL-6R alpha concentrations were measured in sera, SF, and culture supernatants of different cells types using specific sandwich ELISA.
IL-6 levels were significantly higher (30 to 1000-fold) in SF than in sera, and higher in inflammatory arthropathies such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), chondrocalcinosis, and gout than in osteoarthritis (OA). sIL-6R alpha levels in SF from patients with RA, gout, and chondrocalcinosis were also higher (24.7 +/- 7.5, 23.2 +/- 9.1, and 19.5 +/- 7.4 ng/ml, respectively) than in patients with OA (10.1 +/- 5 ng/ml), although the difference was distinctly smaller. In contrast, sIL-6R alpha concentrations did not differ significantly between the sera of healthy donors and patients. sIL-6R alpha levels were similar in SF and sera from inflammatory arthropathies, but lower in all osteoarthritic SF, compared to their corresponding serum. In contrast to IL-6, sIL-6R alpha was produced in high amounts by hepatocytes but not by structural cells of the joint (chondrocytes, synoviocytes, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells). Polymorphonuclear cells and mononuclear cells released intermediate levels. A significant correlation between sIL-6R alpha concentration and total number of leukocytes was observed in SF.
Elevated levels of sIL-6R alpha were found in serum, likely to result from a marked release by hepatocytes in vitro. That levels are higher in inflammatory SF may be due in part to release by inflammatory cells in situ.
Abstract
BALB/c spleen cells (5 × 106) were cultured in 1 ml of serum-free RPMI 1640 medium for 3 days. Stimulation was assessed after addition of 3H-thymidine for the last 16 hr. Addition of trypsin ...to the cultures resulted in a stimulation comparable to that induced by endotoxin (LPS). Optimal amounts for stimulation were around 2.5 µg. Trypsin had to be active during at least 24 hr of cultures for stimulation as determined by addition of soybean trypsin inhibitor. Thymus cells from normal or hydrocortisone-treated mice could not be stimulated whereas spleen and lymph node cells from homozygous, athymic, nude mice responded well. Similarly, over 80% of the transformed cells after stimulation of BALB/c spleen cells by trypsin had immunoglobulin surface receptors and are B cells. Removal of adherent cells from the cultures did not diminish the response to trypsin or LPS. It is concluded that trypsin is a potent stimulator of B lymphocytes.
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