BACKGROUND Cumulative genetic profiles can help identify individuals at high-risk for developing RA. We examined the impact of 39 validated genetic risk alleles on the risk of RA phenotypes characterized by serologic and erosive status. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We evaluated single nucleotide polymorphisms at 31 validated RA risk loci and 8 Human Leukocyte Antigen alleles among 542 Caucasian...

Liability dollarization of the domestic banking system represents a source of vulnerability for emerging market countries. The root cause is a lack of faith in the domestic currency, which ultimately stems from the belief that the government will not follow policies that promote longrun currency stability. This paper presents a model in which government myopia determines the unofficial dollariz...

OBJECTIVE To determine the antibiogram of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in patients with diabetes. METHODS The study was carried out in the Microbiology Department of Clinical and Research Laboratory, Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE) from January 2012 to December 2012. All samples received in the laboratory were processed ...

Genomic DNA from 32 unrelated families with male-limited precocious puberty was examined for the previously described Asp-578-->Gly, Met-571-->Ile, and Thr-577-->Ile mutations in transmembrane helix 6 of the human luteinizing hormone receptor (hLHR). Twenty-eight families had the inherited form of the disorder, and of these, 24 were found to have the Asp-578-->Gly mutation. Four additional muta...

A rise in the oxygen content of the atmosphere and oceans is one of the most popular explanations for the relatively late and abrupt appearance of animal life on Earth. In this scenario, Earth's surface environment failed to meet the high oxygen requirements of animals up until the middle to late Neoproterozoic Era (850-542 million years ago), when oxygen concentrations sufficiently rose to per...

Obesity is often associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies suggest that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antagonism may be effective for the treatment of angiotensin II-induced cardiac hypertrophy and diabetic cardiomyopathy. This study was performed to demonstrate if EGFR plays a role in the pathogenesis of hyperlipidemia/obesity-related cardiac injurie...

OBJECTIVE To describe the prevalence of depression in children with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and investigate the relationship between depression in CFS/ME and clinical symptoms such as fatigue, disability, pain and school attendance. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey data using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) collected at assessment. SETTING...