bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Variants Within STAT Genes Reveal Association with Anticitrullinated Protein Antibody-negative Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2 European Populations
Authors: SEDDIGHZADEH MARIA , GONZALEZ ANTONIO , DING BO , FERREIRO-IGLESIAS AIDA , GOMEZ-REINO JUAN J. ,   Rheumatoid Arthritis Network and Coordinated Project, KLARESKOG LARS , ALFREDSSON LARS , DUNUSSI-JOANNOPOULOS KYRI , CLARK JAMES D. , PADYUKOV LEONID 
Published: July 2012

Objective.STAT3 and 4 are, among other factors, critical for the interleukin 12 (IL-12)-mediated Th1 response, for transfer of IL-23 signals, and for survival and expansion of Th17 cells. We investigated the association of STAT3 and STAT4 polymorphisms with serologically distinct subgroups of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods.A total of 41 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) within STAT3 and STAT1-STAT4 loci were investigated in a Swedish cohort of 2043 RA cases and 1115 controls. Nine of the associated SNP were tested in a Spanish cohort of 1223 RA cases and 1090 controls.Results.Fourteen SNP in the STAT3 and STAT1-STAT4 loci were associated with anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA)-negative RA in the Swedish cohort. Three of the SNP inSTAT4and 2 SNP inSTAT3remained associated with ACPA-negative RA after considering the Spanish results. In addition, rs7574865 and rs10181656, inSTAT4, were associated with ACPA-positive RA in the Swedish study. One of these SNP, rs7574865, showed a similar pattern of the association in serologically distinct subgroups of RA in a metaanalysis of all 7 published studies.Conclusion.Our findings suggest that variants in STAT genes may contribute differentially to susceptibility to RA in seropositive and in seronegative patients.
Noninvasive Measurement of Skin Autofluorescence Is Increased in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis: An Indicator of Increased Advanced Glycation Endproducts?
Authors: MURRAY ANDREA K. , MOORE TONIA L. , MANNING JOANNE B. , GRIFFITHS CHRISTOPHER E.M. , HERRICK ARIANE L. 
Published: July 2012

Objective.Skin autofluorescence noninvasively assesses expression of advanced glycation endproducts and therefore potentially the presence of oxidative stress that is implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). We investigated whether autofluorescence was increased in patients with SSc, primary Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP), and morphea as compared to healthy controls.Methods.Measurements of autofluorescence were made at 5 upper limb sites in 16 healthy controls, 16 patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc), 15 with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc), 15 with primary RP, and 13 with morphea. For patients with morphea, additional measurements were made at the affected and an adjacent unaffected site.Results.Autofluorescence was significantly increased in patients with dcSSc but not lcSSc as compared to controls at the proximal phalanx [dcSSc median 0.15, interquartile range (IQR) 0.10–0.24, vs control 0.10, IQR 0.07–0.13; p = 0.014], dorsum of the hand (dcSSc 0.17, IQR 0.11–0.36, vs control 0.12, IQR 0.09–0.17; p = 0.031), the wrist (dcSSc 0.22, IQR 0.13–0.33, vs control 0.13, IQR 0.09–0.18; p = 0.005), and forearm (dcSSc 0.19, IQR 0.12–0.47, vs control 0.14, IQR 0.10–0.16; p = 0.022). There was a trend for autofluorescence to be increased in patients with lcSSc and at morphea sites, compared to noninvolved skin.Conclusion.Autofluorescence is increased in patients with dcSSc compared to primary RP and to healthy controls. This suggests increased oxidative stress and the potential for autofluorescence as a biomarker.
Etanercept Concentration in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Its Potential Influence on Treatment Decisions: A Pilot Study
Authors: DAÏEN CLAIRE IMMEDIATO , DAÏEN VINCENT , PARUSSINI ERMIS , DUPUY ANNE-MARIE , COMBE BERNARD , MOREL JACQUES 
Published: July 2012

Objective.For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), recommendations are inconclusive about whether tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-blocker therapy should be evaluated at 3 or 6 months. Biomarkers are needed to predict at 3 months which patients would benefit from further treatment because of nonoptimal response. Our objective was to investigate whether serum etanercept (ETN) concentrations and anti-ETN antibodies at 3 months are predictors of clinical response to ETN at 6 months in patients with RA in terms of European League Against Rheumatism criteria and Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28).Methods.Between 2009 and 2010, we included 19 women with active RA who were candidates for ETN therapy. Response criteria were evaluated at 3 and 6 months. Serum concentrations of ETN and anti-ETN antibodies were measured by ELISA at baseline and at 3 and 6 months.Results.Eighteen patients completed followup. Three-month ETN concentrations were lower for 6-month nonresponders than responders (p = 0.03). Three-month ETN levels correlated significantly with change in DAS28 between baseline and 6 months (r = −0.62, p = 0.006). The best predictor of response at 6 months was observed with an ETN threshold of 3.1 μg/ml at 3 months. No anti-ETN antibodies were found.Conclusion.ETN concentrations at 3 months predict response to ETN therapy at 6 months. Low ETN concentrations could explain the absence of response to ETN, suggesting that patients with low ETN levels could benefit from increased ETN dose or earlier interruption of treatment.
The Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis Burden and Its Relation to Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Black and White Africans with Established Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: SOLOMON AHMED , WOODIWISS ANGELA J. , ABDOOL-CARRIM ABU T. , STEVENS BELINDA A. , NORTON GAVIN R. , DESSEIN PATRICK H. 
Published: July 2012

Objective.Black Africans currently experience a distinctly low frequency of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Whether this protection persists in those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is unknown. We compared the carotid atherosclerosis burden and its relationships with cardiovascular (CV) risk factors between Africans with RA from a developing black and developed CV population.Methods.We performed high resolution B-mode ultrasonography and assessed CV risk factors in 243 patients with established RA, of whom 121 were black and 122 white. Data were analyzed in age, sex, and healthcare center-adjusted regression models.Results.The mean ± SD common carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) was 0.694 ± 0.097 mm in black and 0.712 ± 0.136 mm in white patients (adjusted p = 0.8). Plaque prevalence was also similar in black compared to white cases (35.5% and 44.3%, respectively; adjusted OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.32–2.20, p = 0.7). Interactions between population grouping and several CV risk factors were independently associated with cIMT and plaque. In stratified analysis, that is, in each population group separately, risk factors associated with cIMT or/and plaque comprised the systolic blood pressure (p = 0.02), serum cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (p = 0.004), C-reactive protein concentrations (p = 0.01), and the presence of extraarticular manifestations (p = 0.01) in whites but, contrastingly, the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales tension score (p = 0.04) and use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agent (p = 0.03) in black patients. The Framingham score was significantly associated with atherosclerosis only in whites (p < 0.0001).Conclusion.The carotid atherosclerosis burden is similar in black compared to white Africans with RA, but relationships between modifiable CV risk factors and atherosclerosis vary substantially among Africans with RA.
Differential Gene Expression Profiles May Differentiate Responder and Nonresponder Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis for Methotrexate (MTX) Monotherapy and MTX plus Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor Combined Therapy
Authors: OLIVEIRA RENÊ DONIZETI RIBEIRO , FONTANA VANESSA , JUNTA CRISTINA MORAES , MARQUES MÁRCIA MARIA CHIQUITELLI , MACEDO CLÁUDIA , RASSI DIANE MEYRE , PASSOS GERALDO ALEIXO , DONADI EDUARDO ANTONIO , LOUZADA-JUNIOR PAULO 
Published: July 2012

Objective.We aimed to evaluate whether the differential gene expression profiles of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) could distinguish responders from nonresponders to methotrexate (MTX) and, in the case of MTX nonresponders, responsiveness to MTX plus anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (anti-TNF) combined therapy.Methods.We evaluated 25 patients with RA taking MTX 15–20 mg/week as a monotherapy (8 responders and 17 nonresponders). All MTX nonresponders received infliximab and were reassessed after 20 weeks to evaluate their anti-TNF responsiveness using the European League Against Rheumatism response criteria. A differential gene expression analysis from peripheral blood mononuclear cells was performed in terms of hierarchical gene clustering, and an evaluation of differentially expressed genes was performed using the significance analysis of microarrays program.Results.Hierarchical gene expression clustering discriminated MTX responders from nonresponders, and MTX plus anti-TNF responders from nonresponders. The evaluation of only highly modulated genes (fold change > 1.3 or < 0.7) yielded 5 induced (4 antiapoptotic and CCL4) and 4 repressed (4 proapoptotic) genes in MTX nonresponders compared to responders. In MTX plus anti-TNF non-responders, the CCL4, CD83, and BCL2A1 genes were induced in relation to responders.Conclusion.Study of the gene expression profiles of RA peripheral blood cells permitted differentiation of responders from nonresponders to MTX and anti-TNF. Several candidate genes in MTX non-responders (CCL4, HTRA2, PRKCD, BCL2A1, CAV1, TNIP1, CASP8AP2, MXD1, and BTG2) and 3 genes in MTX plus anti-TNF nonresponders (CCL4, CD83, and BCL2A1) were identified for further study.
Pulmonary Hemorrhage in Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome
Authors: SCHEIMAN ELAZARY ANAT , COHEN MATAN J. , AAMAR SUHAIL , DRANITZKI ZVI , TAYER-SHIFMAN OSHRAT , MEVORACH DROR , BEN-CHETRIT ELDAD , NAPARSTEK YAAKOV 
Published: July 2012

Objective.To characterize the clinical manifestations of patients with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) and pulmonary hemorrhage (PH).Methods.We performed a retrospective, single-center analysis of patients with APS who were followed up from 1980 to 2011. Of these patients, only those who fulfilled the Sydney criteria for APS were included. Patients with APS that manifested with PH were called the PHAPS group. The rest of the patients with APS served as controls. Clinical manifestations were compared between the PHAPS group and controls.Results.Sixty-three patients fulfilled the criteria for APS. Thirteen experienced PH and were included in the PHAPS group. Seventy-five percent of the patients with PHAPS and 22% of the controls had mitral valve disease (p = 0.001). Central nervous system (CNS) involvement (cerebrovascular accident, seizures) was present in 61% and 16% of the patients with PHAPS and controls, respectively (p = 0.001). Skin involvement (livedo reticularis, chronic leg ulcers) was present in 54% and 8% of the patients with PHAPS and controls (p = 0.001). Pregnancy morbidity occurred in 87.5% and 32.5% of the patients with PHAPS and controls (p = 0.005). Ninety-two percent and 83% of the patients with PHAPS had high-titer immunoglobulin γ (IgG) anticardiolipin and β2-glycoprotein I IgG antibodies compared to 43% and 30% of the controls (p = 0.002, p < 0.001, respectively).Conclusion.Patients with PHAPS were more likely than controls to have mitral valve disease, skin disease, CNS involvement, and pregnancy morbidity as well as high-titer APS. PHAPS seems to be a unique subgroup of all patients with APS.
RANK-RANKL-OPG in Hemophilic Arthropathy: From Clinical and Imaging Diagnosis to Histopathology
Authors: MELCHIORRE DANIELA , MILIA ANNA FRANCA , LINARI SILVIA , ROMANO ELOISA , BENELLI GEMMA , MANETTI MIRKO , GUIDUCCI SERENA , CECCARELLI CLAUDIA , INNOCENTI MASSIMO , CARULLI CHRISTIAN , CIVININI ROBERTO , MORFINI MASSIMO , MATUCCI-CERINIC MARCO , IBBA-MANNESCHI LIDIA 
Published: July 2012

Objective.Hemarthrosis triggers hemophilic arthropathy, involving the target joints. The histopathogenesis of blood-induced joint damage remains unclear. The triad of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK), RANK ligand (RANKL), and osteoprotegerin (OPG; RANK-RANKL-OPG) controls bone turnover. Our aim was to evaluate RANK-RANKL-OPG expression in the synovium of hemophilic patients with severe arthropathy.Methods.Synovial biopsies were obtained from 18 patients with hemophilic arthropathy and 16 with osteoarthritis (OA) who were undergoing total knee replacement and synovectomy. The severity of hemophilic arthropathy was evaluated according to ultrasonography score, the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) orthopedic joint scale, and the radiographic Pettersson score. RANK-RANKL-OPG expression was examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Serum levels of soluble RANKL (sRANKL) and OPG from an extended group of 67 patients with hemophilic arthropathy and 30 healthy controls were measured by ELISA.Results.The mean ultrasonography, WFH orthopedic joint scale, and Pettersson scores in patients with hemophilic arthropathy indicated severe arthropathy. A decreased expression of OPG was found in hemophilic arthropathy synovium compared with patients with OA. RANK and RANKL immunopositivity was strong in the lining and sublining layers in hemophilic arthropathy synovial tissue. Western blotting confirmed the immunohistological findings. Serum levels of sRANKL and OPG in patients with hemophilia were lower than in healthy controls.Conclusion.In hemophilic arthropathy, the synovium highly expressed RANK and RANKL, whereas OPG immunopositivity decreased, suggesting an osteoclastic activation. Low tissue expression of OPG paralleled the serum levels of this protein and the severity of hemophilic arthropathy assessed by ultrasonography, Pettersson, and WFH orthopedic joint scale scores.
HLA-B27 Prevalence in Arab Populations and Among Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: Table 1.
Authors: MUSTAFA KHADER N. , HAMMOUDEH MOHAMMED , KHAN MUHAMMAD ASIM 
Published: July 2012

Objective.To investigate prevalence of HLA-B27 among general Arab populations and among patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and to review published data.Methods.The prevalence of HLA-B27 was studied among 2579 unrelated healthy Jordanians, almost equally divided among Palestinian refugees and natives of Jordan, reflecting the general population of Jordan. The prevalence of HLA-B27 was also studied among 129 patients with AS, 70 from Jordan, and the remaining 59 from Qatar. HLA typing was performed by standard 2-stage micro-lymphocytotoxicity method. We also reviewed published English language studies of HLA-B27 in Arab patients with AS and general populations retrieved through Medline and cross-reference search.Results.We observed that the general prevalence of HLA-B27 among Jordanians is 2.4%; while the reported prevalence ranges between 2% and 5% among major Arab populations. The prevalence of HLA-B27 among patients with AS is 71% in Jordan and 73% in Qatar, while the reported prevalence from pooled published data from various Arab populations is 64%.Conclusion.From these data one can conclude that HLA-B27 is present in about 2% to 5% among major Arab populations and that its prevalence in Arab patients with AS is closer to 70%.
Effect of Albumin on Diuretic Response to Furosemide in Patients With Hypoalbuminemia
Authors: Doungngern Thitima , Huckleberry Yvonne , Bloom John W. , Erstad Brian 
Published: July 2012

BackgroundAlbumin is broadly prescribed for critically ill patients although it does not have a mortality benefit over crystalloids. One common use of albumin is to promote diuresis.ObjectivesTo compare urine output in patients treated with furosemide with and without albumin and to assess other variables possibly associated with enhanced diuresis.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted on patients in a medical intensive care unit who received furosemide therapy as a continuous infusion with and without 25% albumin for more than 6 hours. Primary end points were urine output and net fluid loss.ResultsA total of 31 patients were included in the final analysis. Mean urine output in patients treated with furosemide alone did not differ significantly from output in patients treated with furo-semide plus albumin at 6, 24, and 48 hours: mean output, 1119 (SD, 597) mL vs 1201 (SD, 612) mL, P = .56; 4323 (SD, 1717) mL vs 4615 (SD, 1741) mL, P = .42; and 7563 mL (SD, 2766) vs 7432 (SD, 2324) mL, P = .94, respectively. Additionally, net fluid loss did not differ significantly between the 2 groups at 6, 24, and 48 hours. Higher concentrations of serum albumin did not improve urine output. The only independent variable significantly associated with enhanced urine output at 24 and 48 hours was increased fluid intake.ConclusionAddition of albumin to a furosemide infusion did not enhance diuresis obtained with furosemide alone in critically ill patients.
Initial Public Offerings as a Web of Conflicts of Interest: An Empirical Assessment
Authors: Dalton Dan R. , Certo S. Trevis , Daily Catherine M. 
Published: July 2012

Abstract:While a ubiquitous phenomenon, initial public offerings (IPOs) have received no attention in the ethics literature. We provide an overview of a series of potential conflicts of interest that pervade the IPO process. We also report the results of an empirical assessment of IPOs and those elements that may inform a substantive moral hazard faced by key players in the period prior to and just after an IPO.
Introduction: Special Issue on Finance
Authors: Boatright John R. , Peterson Jeffrey 
Published: July 2012

This special issue of Business Ethics Quarterly on ethics in finance was planned before the high profile scandals at Enron, WorldCom, Global Crossing, Tyco, and Arthur Andersen, among other firms. Although these unfortunate events make this special issue especially timely, the subject matter of finance ethics has long been in need of scholarly attention. It is ironic that business ethics as an academic field owes its existence in part to the insider trading and junk bond scandals of the 1980s, and yet business ethics scholars have devoted comparatively little attention to financial topics. Now that another wave of ethical failures in finance is upon us, it is appropriate to present this collection of the best work on finance ethics.From a theoretical point of view, finance is a unique field for ethical exploration. The central activity of finance is financial contracting, in which parties make agreements with regard to the assets that they control. An individual who rents a home, leases a car, buys an insurance policy, invests in a mutual fund, or saves for retirement is entering into a contract with someone who promises something in return. In making these contracts, individuals are assumed by finance theorists to be entirely self-interested and opportunistic, which is to say that they will renege on their promises if they can do so safely. The response of rational contractors, therefore, is to build in safeguards to ensure compliance with the agreements made.
Making a Difference or Making a Statement? Finance Research and Socially Responsible Investment
Authors: Rivoli Pietra 
Published: July 2012

Abstract:What does socially responsible investing (SRI) accomplish for investors and for society? Proponents of SRI claim that the practice yields competitive portfolio returns for investors, while at the same time achieving better outcomes for society at large. Skeptics view SRI as ineffective at best and ill-conceived marketing hype at worst. My objective in this paper is to apply mainstream finance research findings to the question of whether SRI may be expected to lead to superior social outcomes. I conclude that under the perfect markets assumptions underlying most finance theory, SRI will not affect social outcomes. However, given well documented imperfections in equity markets, the claim that SRI “makes a difference” to society is a reasonable one that is consistent with current theoretical and empirical research in finance.
A Single Framework for Strategic and Ethical Behavior in the International Context
Authors: Reynolds Scott J. 
Published: July 2012

Abstract:Scholars have developed many theories of international strategy and many theories of international ethics. Separating strategy and ethics in this way, though, perpetuates a perception that profit and ethics are mutually exclusive. Accordingly, I offer a framework that links international strategy and international ethics. I suggest that at an abstract level the strategic concepts of integration and responsiveness and the ethical concepts of justice and caring are concerned with the same theoretical quandaries. Therefore, in any situation there are behaviors that are both integrative and just and/or both responsive and caring, and these behaviors are both strategic and ethical. To demonstrate the potential descriptive and prescriptive value of the framework, I descend the ladders of abstraction associated with these concepts and apply the framework to two business situations.
A Critique of Social Products Liability
Authors: Sollars Gordon G. 
Published: July 2012

Abstract:It has been suggested that a new form of moral responsibility, labeled “social products liability,” is relevant to business ethics. In particular, this kind of responsibility might justify recent legal claims against firearm manufacturers. This paper argues that, as it has been presented, social products liability must rest upon utilitarian considerations or on a deeper, more complete theory of moral responsibility. In the first case, a new form of responsibility seems unnecessary, since liability could be directly apportioned on utilitarian grounds. In the second case, proponents of social products liability face the tasks of presenting the more complete theory and then anchoring social products liability to it.
The Law and Ethics of K Street: Lobbying, the First Amendment, and the Duty to Create Just Laws
Authors: Ostas Daniel T. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT:This article explores the law and ethics of lobbying. The legal discussion examines disclosure regulations, employment restrictions, bribery laws, and anti-fraud provisions as each applies to the lobbying context. The analysis demonstrates that given the social value placed on the First Amendment, federal law generally affords lobbyists wide latitude in determining who, what, when, where, and how to lobby.This article explores the law and ethics of lobbying. The legal discussion examines disclosure regulations, employment restrictions, bribery laws, and anti-fraud provisions as each applies to the lobbying context. The analysis demonstrates that given the social value placed on the First Amendment, federal law generally affords lobbyists wide latitude in determining who, what, when, where, and how to lobby.
Kasky V. Nike and the Quarrelsome Question of Corporate Free Speech
Authors: Mayer Don 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT:In the Kasky case, the Supreme Court of California determined that Nike, Inc., might be accountable in a civil action for misleading statements that it made to the press and to the public about its operations in Southeast Asia. The Kasky case is examined here in its legal and ethical aspects. The U.S. Supreme Court's First Amendment cases that distinguish between commercial speech and political speech are explained, and the arguments in favor of greater protection for Nike's statements about its overseas operations are evaluated in light of Donaldson and Dunfee's integrative social contracts theory. The hypernorm of “necessary social efficiency” is invoked to claim that the arguments made by Nike and various “friends of the court” in favor of greater protection for corporate speech are problematic. Reliable information is the lifeblood of both democracy and efficient free markets. Thus, the more ethical approach is for corporations to support systemic legal reforms that would predictably sanction false and misleading statements in accordance with clear guidelines.