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Fulltext Activating CARD14 Mutations Are Associated with Generalized Pustular Psoriasis but Rarely Account for Familial Recurrence in Psoriasis Vulgaris

Berki DM, Liu L, Choon SE, David Burden A, Griffiths CEM, Navarini AA, et al.

J Invest Dermatol, 2015 Dec;135(12):2964-2970.
PMID: 26203641 DOI: 10.1038/jid.2015.288

Caspase recruitment family member 14 (CARD14, also known as CARMA2), is a scaffold protein that mediates NF-κB signal transduction in skin keratinocytes. Gain-of-function CARD14 mutations have been documented in familial forms of psoriasis vulgaris (PV) and pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP). More recent investigations have also implicated CARD14 in the pathogenesis of pustular psoriasis. Follow-up studies, however, have been limited, so that it is not clear to what extent CARD14 alleles account for the above conditions. Here, we sought to address this question by carrying out a systematic CARD14 analysis in an extended patient cohort (n=416). We observed no disease alleles in subjects with familial PV (n=159), erythrodermic psoriasis (n=23), acral pustular psoriasis (n=100), or sporadic PRP (n=29). Conversely, our analysis of 105 individuals with generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) identified a low-frequency variant (p.Asp176His) that causes constitutive CARD14 oligomerization and shows a significant association with GPP in Asian populations (P=8.4×10(-5); odds ratio=6.4). These data indicate that the analysis of CARD14 mutations could help stratify pustular psoriasis cohorts but would be mostly uninformative in the context of psoriasis and sporadic PRP.
Robust molecular bowl-based metal-organic frameworks with open metal sites: size modulation to increase the catalytic activity

Liu L, Han ZB, Wang SM, Yuan DQ, Ng SW

Inorg Chem, 2015 Apr 20;54(8):3719-21.
PMID: 25849722 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5b00185

Herein, two stable lead(II) molecular-bowl-based metal-organic frameworks and their micro- and nanosized forms with open metal sites were presented. These materials could act as Lewis acid catalysts to cyanosilylation reaction. Moreover, the catalytic performances are size-dependent, with the catalyst with nanosized form being 1 order of magnitude more efficient than those with micro- and millisized forms.
Fulltext Immunity and clinical efficacy of an inactivated enterovirus 71 vaccine in healthy Chinese children: a report of further observations

Liu L, Mo Z, Liang Z, Zhang Y, Li R, Ong KC, et al.

BMC Med, 2015;13:226.
PMID: 26381232 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-015-0448-7

To investigate the long-term effects on immunity of an inactivated enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine and its protective efficacy.
Fulltext Cardiovascular risk and events in 17 low-, middle-, and high-income countries

Yusuf S, Rangarajan S, Teo K, Islam S, Li W, Liu L, et al.

N Engl J Med, 2014 08 28;371(9):818-27.
PMID: 25162888 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1311890

BACKGROUND: More than 80% of deaths from cardiovascular disease are estimated to occur in low-income and middle-income countries, but the reasons are unknown.
METHODS: We enrolled 156,424 persons from 628 urban and rural communities in 17 countries (3 high-income, 10 middle-income, and 4 low-income countries) and assessed their cardiovascular risk using the INTERHEART Risk Score, a validated score for quantifying risk-factor burden without the use of laboratory testing (with higher scores indicating greater risk-factor burden). Participants were followed for incident cardiovascular disease and death for a mean of 4.1 years.
RESULTS: The mean INTERHEART Risk Score was highest in high-income countries, intermediate in middle-income countries, and lowest in low-income countries (P<0.001). However, the rates of major cardiovascular events (death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure) were lower in high-income countries than in middle- and low-income countries (3.99 events per 1000 person-years vs. 5.38 and 6.43 events per 1000 person-years, respectively; P<0.001). Case fatality rates were also lowest in high-income countries (6.5%, 15.9%, and 17.3% in high-, middle-, and low-income countries, respectively; P=0.01). Urban communities had a higher risk-factor burden than rural communities but lower rates of cardiovascular events (4.83 vs. 6.25 events per 1000 person-years, P<0.001) and case fatality rates (13.52% vs. 17.25%, P<0.001). The use of preventive medications and revascularization procedures was significantly more common in high-income countries than in middle- or low-income countries (P<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Although the risk-factor burden was lowest in low-income countries, the rates of major cardiovascular disease and death were substantially higher in low-income countries than in high-income countries. The high burden of risk factors in high-income countries may have been mitigated by better control of risk factors and more frequent use of proven pharmacologic therapies and revascularization. (Funded by the Population Health Research Institute and others.).
Note: Malaysia is a study site (Author: Yusoff K)
Global differences in lung function by region (PURE): an international, community-based prospective study

Duong M, Islam S, Rangarajan S, Teo K, O'Byrne PM, Schünemann HJ, et al.

Lancet Respir Med, 2013 Oct;1(8):599-609.
PMID: 24461663 DOI: 10.1016/S2213-2600(13)70164-4

BACKGROUND: Despite the rising burden of chronic respiratory diseases, global data for lung function are not available. We investigated global variation in lung function in healthy populations by region to establish whether regional factors contribute to lung function.
METHODS: In an international, community-based prospective study, we enrolled individuals from communities in 17 countries between Jan 1, 2005, and Dec 31, 2009 (except for in Karnataka, India, where enrolment began on Jan 1, 2003). Trained local staff obtained data from participants with interview-based questionnaires, measured weight and height, and recorded forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) and forced vital capacity (FVC). We analysed data from participants 130-190 cm tall and aged 34-80 years who had a 5 pack-year smoking history or less, who were not affected by specified disorders and were not pregnant, and for whom we had at least two FEV₁ and FVC measurements that did not vary by more than 200 mL. We divided the countries into seven socioeconomic and geographical regions: south Asia (India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan), east Asia (China), southeast Asia (Malaysia), sub-Saharan Africa (South Africa and Zimbabwe), South America (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Chile), the Middle East (Iran, United Arab Emirates, and Turkey), and North America or Europe (Canada, Sweden, and Poland). Data were analysed with non-linear regression to model height, age, sex, and region.
FINDINGS: 153,996 individuals were enrolled from 628 communities. Data from 38,517 asymptomatic, healthy non-smokers (25,614 women; 12,903 men) were analysed. For all regions, lung function increased with height non-linearly, decreased with age, and was proportionately higher in men than women. The quantitative effect of height, age, and sex on lung function differed by region. Compared with North America or Europe, FEV1 adjusted for height, age, and sex was 31·3% (95% CI 30·8-31·8%) lower in south Asia, 24·2% (23·5-24·9%) lower in southeast Asia, 12·8% (12·4-13·4%) lower in east Asia, 20·9% (19·9-22·0%) lower in sub-Saharan Africa, 5·7% (5·1-6·4%) lower in South America, and 11·2% (10·6-11·8%) lower in the Middle East. We recorded similar but larger differences in FVC. The differences were not accounted for by variation in weight, urban versus rural location, and education level between regions.
INTERPRETATION: Lung function differs substantially between regions of the world. These large differences are not explained by factors investigated in this study; the contribution of socioeconomic, genetic, and environmental factors and their interactions with lung function and lung health need further clarification.
FUNDING: Full funding sources listed at end of the paper (see Acknowledgments).
Fulltext Population burden of betel quid abuse and its relation to oral premalignant disorders in South, Southeast, and East Asia: an Asian Betel-quid Consortium Study

Lee CH, Ko AM, Warnakulasuriya S, Ling TY, Sunarjo, Rajapakse PS, et al.

Am J Public Health, 2012 Mar;102(3):e17-24.
PMID: 22390524 DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300521

We investigated the population burden of betel quid abuse and its related impact on oral premalignant disorders (OPDs) in South, Southeast, and East Asia.