Individual Recipients Research Articles

Women Physicians Are Underrepresented in Recognition Awards From the Association of Academic Physiatrists.

Determine representation by gender for individual recognition awards presented to physicians by the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP). Cross-sectional survey was used. Lists of individual recognition award recipients for the 27-yr history of the AAP awards (1990-2016) were analyzed. The primary outcome measures were the total numbers of men versus women physician award recipients overall and for the past decade (2007-2016). No awards were given to women physicians for the past 4 yrs (2013-2016) or in half of the award categories for the past decade (2007-2016). No woman received the outstanding resident/fellow award since its inception (2010-2016). There was a decrease in the proportion of awards given to women in the past decade (2007-2016, 7 of 39 awards, 17.9%) as compared with the first 17 yrs (1990-2006, 10 of 46 awards, 21.7%). Furthermore, compared with their proportional membership within the specialty, women physicians were underrepresented for the entire 27-yr history of the AAP awards (1990-2016, 17 of 85 awards, 20%). According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the proportion of full-time female physical medicine and rehabilitation faculty members was 38% in 1992 and 41% in 2013. Women physicians have been underrepresented by the AAP in recognition awards. Although the reasons are not clear, these findings should be further investigated.

Personal and social shame among the recipients of charity food aid in Finland

In this article, we focus on shame among the recipients of charity food aid in Finland. We are interested in whether shame is explained by sociodemographic factors, frequent use of food aid or the persons for whom the charity food is obtained. Our analysis is based on survey data collected in 2012–2013 (N = 3474). Shame is measured using two indicators that are related to social and personal shame. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression are utilised. Nearly three of four respondents do not perceive receiving food aid as humiliating or socially harmful. Feelings of social shame are more common when charity food aid is needed to support an entire family rather than an individual recipient, and feelings of personal shame are more common when there are two or more children in the family. The highly educated, the elderly and those with the most insufficient perceived incomes are more socially and personally ashamed than others are. Women receiving charity food aid consider it more socially shameful than men do.

The Effect of Advertising Signs on the Urban Scene of Cities Centers (Al Bab Al Sharqi – Al Tahrir Square) Case Study

The research represents an applied study to the urban scene of Baghdad city center within the area of (Al Bab Al Sharqi – Al Tahrir Square) through studying and identifying the levels of the reciprocal correlation of advertising signs impact on urban scene , then finding out the indicators and potential values which have made advertising signs as positive value by achieving the mechanisms of visual quality or a negative value by achieving mechanisms of visual pollution. And then examining the resulted visual perception defect reforming mechanism from it and identify the basic elements represented of the laws and legislation known worldwide. When presenting the problem, The research depends on: (Lack of clear perception about the definition of advertising signs concept and their design characteristics (Semantic) impact on achieving the relationship of perceptual contact with the individual (recipient) in addition to its contribution in enhancing the visual quality and reducing the visual pollution situation on urban scene of the cities centers. In order to solve the research problem, the objective outlined as follows: (Reaching to building up an integrated theoretical model, by which the foundations and mechanisms of the main act of advertising signs are determined as communication and perception act between the individual (recipient) and urban scene , and their impact level on the scene in accordance with the concept of visual quality and visual pollution). The research hypothesis is as follows: (Lack of harmony in the advertising signs' design characteristics (Semantic) affects the efficiency of their performance as a communicational and perceptual act, and on diminishing the visual quality and increasing the visual pollution situation in urban scene of cities centers). The research reached to a number of conclusions, mainly: Baghdad city center (represented by study area) suffers visual pollution caused by misuse of advertising signs as a result of lack of harmony in the design characteristics (Semantic) and lack of mechanisms which identifies the methods of advertising signs usage in a manner that preserves the aesthetic value of the area. The study concludes several recommendations for the use of the advertising signs effectively as a means of communication with the recipient meanwhile to maintain the visual quality and to reduce the resulting visual pollution situation. 

Nonrandom contribution of left and right testes to germline transmission from mouse spermatogonial stem cells.

Vast amounts of sperm are produced from spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), which continuously undergo self-renewal. We examined the possible effect of laterality in male germline transmission efficiency of SSCs using a spermatogonial transplantation technique. We transplanted the same number of wild-type and Egfp transgenic SSCs in the same or different testes of individual recipient mice and compared the fertility of each type of recipient by natural mating. Transgenic mice were born within 3 months after transplantation regardless of the transplantation pattern. However, transgenic offspring were born at a significantly increased frequency when wild-type and transgenic SSCs were transplanted separately. In addition, this type of recipient sired significantly more litters that consisted exclusively of transgenic mice, which suggested that left and right testes have different time windows for fertilization. Thus, laterality plays an important role in germline transmission patterns from SSCs.

Development of a Predictive Model for Blood Transfusions and Bleeding During Liver Transplantation: An Observational Cohort Study

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) frequently is associated with major blood loss and considerable transfusion requirements. The goal of this study was to define the risk factors for multiple transfusions and major bleeding during OLT and to help identify higher risk patients that could benefit from targeted interventions. OLTs were studied for this observational cohort study. Community hospital. A total of 800 consecutive OLTs were studied. No intervention. Baseline and intraoperative data were gathered. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to find variables associated with 2 outcomes: transfusion of more than 2 units of red blood cells (RBC) and bleeding ≥900 mL. Two nomograms were developed to predict individual risks. The overall intraoperative RBC transfusion was 0.6 ± 1.4 units on average, and 61 surgeries (7.6%) received more than 2 units of RBC (4.5 ± 1.9). Some variables were associated with the outcomes: 5 were associated with transfusion of more than 2 units of RBC (patient's height, starting hemoglobin concentration, starting bilirubin value, the use of a phlebotomy, and central venous pressure [CVP] at the time of vena cava clamping) and 3 with blood loss of ≥900 mL (starting hemoglobin value, Child-Turcotte-Pugh score, and CVP at the time of vena cava clamping). Preclamping CVP showed the strongest association with both outcomes. Nomograms were developed to predict the individual OLT recipients' risk of requiring more than 2 units RBC and suffering from major bleeding. Among the variables associated with multiple RBC transfusions and major bleeding, 3 can lead to interventions: baseline hemoglobin value, the use of a phlebotomy, and the preclamping CVP. Some variables were able to predict the risk of multiple transfusions and major bleeding in this low bleeding liver transplantation population. Further studies based on these variables should be done to better define the role of targeted interventions in higher risk liver transplant recipients.

Application of Distributive Conjugal DNA Transfer in Mycobacterium smegmatis To Establish a Genome-Wide Synthetic Genetic Array.

Genetic redundancy can obscure phenotypic effects of single-gene mutations. Two individual mutations may be viable separately but are lethal when combined, thus synthetically linking the two gene products in an essential process. Synthetic genetic arrays (SGAs), in which defined mutations are combined, provide a powerful approach to identify novel genetic interactions and redundant pathways. A genome-scale SGA can offer an initial assignment of function to hypothetical genes by uncovering interactions with known genes or pathways. Here, we take advantage of the chromosomal conjugation system of Mycobacterium smegmatis to combine individual donor and recipient mutations on a genome-wide scale. We demonstrated the feasibility of a high-throughput mycobacterial SGA (mSGA) screen by using mutants of esx3, fxbA, and recA as query genes, which were combined with an arrayed library of transposon mutants by conjugation. The mSGA identified interacting genes that we had predicted and, most importantly, identified novel interacting genes-encoding both proteins and a noncoding RNA (ncRNA). In combination with other molecular genetic approaches, the mSGA has great potential to both reduce the high number of conserved hypothetical protein annotations in mycobacterial genomes and further define mycobacterial pathways and gene interactions.IMPORTANCE Mycobacterium smegmatis is the model organism of choice for the study of mycobacterial pathogens, because it is a fast-growing nonpathogenic species harboring many genes that are conserved throughout mycobacteria. In this work, we describe a synthetic genetic array (mSGA) approach for M. smegmatis, which combines mutations on a genome-wide scale with high efficiency. Analysis of the double mutant strains enables the identification of interacting genes and pathways that are normally hidden by redundant biological pathways. The mSGA is a powerful genetic tool that enables functions to be assigned to the many conserved hypothetical genes found in all mycobacterial species.

The superovulated environment, independent of embryo vitrification, results in low birthweight in a mouse model.

Epidemiological studies suggest that babies born following in vitro fertilization (IVF) and fresh embryo transfer are of lower birthweight than babies born following frozen embryo transfer, although the mechanism responsible for this phenotype is not known. We developed a novel mouse model that isolates the independent effects of embryo freezing and the superovulated environment, which cannot be performed in humans. We transferred blastocysts that had been vitrified and warmed, mixed with with fresh blastocysts, into individual pseudopregnant recipients produced by either natural mating or mating following injection with equine chorionic gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin and hCG (superovulation). We found that superovulation of the recipient dams led to significantly lower fetal weight at term while blastocyst vitrification had no significant effect on fetal weight (1.43±0.24 g fresh-natural, 1.30±0.28 g vitrified-natural vs. 1.09±0.20 fresh-superovulated, 0.93±0.23 g vitrified-superovulated, P<0.0001). Doppler ultrasound revealed increased median umbilical artery resistance in the placentae of near-term dams exposed to superovulation compared to naturally mated dams (0.927 vs 0.904, P=0.02). Additionally, placental microvascular density was lower in superovulated compared to naturally mated dams (1.24×10-3 vessel/micron vs 1.46×10-3 vessels/micron, P=0.046). Gene expression profiling suggested alterations in fetal genes involved in glucorticoid regulation. These results suggest a potential mechanism for altered birthweight following superovulation in our model and may have implications for human IVF.

The impact of the Bolsa Família Program on food consumption: a comparative study of the southeast and northeast regions of Brazil.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Bolsa Família Program (PBF) on food consumption in the northeast and southeast regions of Brazil. The database was obtained from the individual food consumption module of the Household Budget Survey conducted in 2008-09. Consumption was assessed through two food records. The food was categorized into four groups: fresh or minimally processed food; culinary ingredients; processed food; and ultra-processed food. To analyze the impact, the propensity score matching method was used, which compares the individual recipients and non-recipients of the PBF in relation to a group of socioeconomic characteristics. After the propensity score was calculated, the impact of the PBF was estimated through the nearest-neighbor matching algorithm. In both regions, more than 60% of the daily total calories consumed by PBF recipients came from foods that had not undergone industrial processing. The recipients of PBF had a low level of consumption of processed and ultra-processed food in both regions, and an increased level of consumption of fresh or minimally processed food in the northeast. The results indicate the importance of adopting intersectoral policies in parallel to the PBF in order to strengthen healthy eating practices.

IMPLEMENTATION AND PROTECTION OF LEGAL LAW ON CASH WAQF TOWARD TABUNG WAKAF INDONESIA OF DOMPET DHUAFA JAKARTA

Waqf institution is an effort made by Muslim community and government to overcome poverty issues. One of the institutions that manage cash waqf is Wakaf Tunai Dompet Dhuafa Jakarta. Article 49 Paragraph 3 of Religious Court Law stated that the ownership of land waqf is protected and governed by the government rules This research aims to examine how the implementation and protection of waqf law on Tabung Wakaf Indonesia of Dompet Dhuafa Jakarta. This research is normative-juridical research using statute approach, conceptual approach and case approach. Then the analysis was qualitatively presented. Based on the results, the implementation of cash waqf in Tabung Wakaf Indonesia was conducted by collecting cash waqf funds to be managed into productive and non-productive activities. Tabung Wakaf Indonesia has provided legal protection to the waqif by certification of cash waqf. However, till present, there is no legitimate legality for individual cash waqf recipients or legal entities as stipulated in government regulations.Keywords: legal protection, cash waqf, tabung wakaf indonesia

Agile Logistics Strategy as the Determinant of Supply Chain Management – the Textile Industry Case Study

The goal of the paper is to present the organizational aspects of the delivery cycle of industrial products for individual recipients. The authors conducted their research and analysis in the clothing industry, as a representative of a relatively low level of complexity of products, but also high variety and volatility of demand and high expectations represented by clients concerning efficient delivery, thus functioning in the conditions requiring flexibility and agility of management. It seems that such a model will become common for the majority of manufacturing enterprises.

The Lower Limit of Regulatory CD4+ Foxp3+ TCRβ Repertoire Diversity Required To Control Autoimmunity.

The TCR repertoire of regulatory T cells (Tregs) is highly diverse. The relevance of this diversity to maintain self-tolerance remains unknown. We established a model where the TCR repertoire of normal polyclonal Tregs was limited by serial transfers into IL-2Rβ-/- mice, which lack functional Tregs. After a primary transfer, the donor Treg TCR repertoire was substantially narrowed, yet the recipients remained autoimmune-free. Importantly, upon purification and transfer of donor-derived Tregs from an individual primary recipient into neonatal IL-2Rβ-/- mice, the secondary recipients developed autoimmunity. In this study, the Treg TCRβ repertoire was reshaped and further narrowed. In contrast, secondary IL-2Rβ recipients showed fewer symptoms of autoimmunity when they received donor Tregs that were premixed from several primary recipients to increase their TCRβ repertoire diversity. About 8-11% of the Treg TCRβ repertoire was estimated to be the minimum required to establish and maintain tolerance in primary IL-2Rβ-/- recipients. Collectively, these data quantify where limitations imposed on the Treg TCRβ repertoire results in a population of Tregs that cannot fully suppress polyclonal autoreactive T cells. Our data favor a model where the high diversity of the Treg TCR provides a mechanism for Tregs to actively adapt and effectively suppress autoreactive T cells, which are not fixed, but are evolving as they encounter self-antigens.

Attending to individual recipients’ knowledge when generating persuasive analogies

ABSTRACTWhen addressing the general population, experts and novices ground analogical arguments on culturally shared situations. No studies, however, have assessed the extent to which the analogies used in person-to-person exchanges relate to the background knowledge of their intended recipient. In Experiment 1, two groups of psychology students received a description of a patient seeking psychological assistance. They were tasked with generating analogies to dissuade her from embarking on a short therapy, on the grounds that such therapies leave the underlying causes unchanged. While one of the groups was asked to analogise to the knowledge background of the patient, the other group was not given such indication. Results showed that even though participants can adjust their analogies to their addressees upon explicit request, they rarely do it spontaneously. Experiment 2 yielded similar results despite a more vivid presentation of the critical information about the recipient. A final study showed that a sample of the same population regards tailored analogies as being more persuasive than non-tailored analogies, thus confirming that participants of the first two experiments selected analogies that were less appropriate than other types of analogies that they are capable of generating.

Migrant remittance flow: challenges and motivations in Isiekenesi Southern Nigeria

ABSTRACTThe study examined challenges of sending remittances and factors that motivate migrants to send remittances to Isiekenesi. Survey research design was adopted for the study. Using multi-stage sampling method for the quantitative data of the study, 402 questionnaires were distributed to the study participants and 395 were retrieved; 17 interviews and three focus group discussions (qualitative data) were conducted. Insecurity, the high cost of the transfer of remittances, lack of social amenities and so on were noted as challenges that undermine the flow of remittances to Isiekenesi. Factors that motivate migrants to send remittances to Isiekenesi are the desire to improve the family living standard, improved security in the home country, the need for recognition and the economic situation of the home country among others. Finally, the study has clearly shown that remittances in Isiekenesi are typically altruistic as migrants see it as a means of providing economic support to individual recipients at home to improve their living standard.

Branching out to residential lands: Missions and strategies of five tree distribution programs in the U.S

Residential lands constitute a major component of existing and possible tree canopy in many cities in the United States. To expand the urban forest on these lands, some municipalities and nonprofit organizations have launched residential yard tree distribution programs, also known as tree giveaway programs. This paper describes the operations of five tree distribution programs affiliated with the Urban Ecology Collaborative, a regional network for urban forestry professionals. We analyzed the programs’ missions, strategies, and challenges as reported through surveys and interviews conducted with program staff. The programs were led by nonprofit organizations and municipal departments in New York City, NY; Baltimore, MD; Philadelphia, PA; Providence, RI; and Worcester, MA. These organizations focused their tree distribution efforts on private residential lands in response to ambitious tree canopy or planting campaign goals. We assessed these programs through the framework of urban forests as social-ecological systems and discuss the programs’ biophysical, social and institutional contexts. Programs face principle-agent problems related to reliance on individual tree recipients to meet goals; their institutional strategies meant to ameliorate these problems varied. Differing organizational and partner resources influenced the programs’ abilities to perform outreach and follow-up on tree performance. Programs attempted to connect with diverse neighborhoods through free trees, targeting areas with low existing canopy, and forging partnerships with local community groups. Given tree recipients’ demand for smaller flowering or fruiting trees, as well as lack of resources for tree survival monitoring on private lands, program leaders appeared to have turned to social measures of success − spreading a positive message about trees and urban greening − as opposed to biophysical performance metrics. We conclude with suggestions for outcomes monitoring, whether those outcomes are social or biophysical, because monitoring is critical to the sustainability and adaptive management of residential tree programs.

Tracking HCV protease population diversity during transmission and susceptibility of founder populations to antiviral therapy

Due to the highly restricted species-tropism of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) a limited number of animal models exist for pre-clinical evaluation of vaccines and antiviral compounds. The human-liver chimeric mouse model allows heterologous challenge with clinically relevant strains derived from patients. However, to date, the transmission and longitudinal evolution of founder viral populations in this model have not been characterized in-depth using state-of-the-art sequencing technologies. Focusing on NS3 protease encoding region of the viral genome, mutant spectra in a donor inoculum and individual recipient mice were determined via Illumina sequencing and compared, to determine the effects of transmission on founder viral population complexity. In all transmissions, a genetic bottleneck was observed, although diverse viral populations were transmitted in each case. A low frequency cloud of mutations (<1%) was detectable in the donor inoculum and recipient mice, with single nucleotide variants (SNVs) > 1% restricted to a subset of nucleotides. The population of SNVs >1% was reduced upon transmission while the low frequency SNV cloud remained stable. Fixation of multiple identical synonymous substitutions was apparent in independent transmissions, and no evidence for reversion of T-cell epitopes was observed. In addition, susceptibility of founder populations to antiviral therapy was assessed. Animals were treated with protease inhibitor (PI) monotherapy to track resistance associated substitution (RAS) emergence. Longitudinal analyses revealed a decline in population diversity under therapy, with no detectable RAS >1% prior to therapy commencement. Despite inoculation from a common source and identical therapeutic regimens, unique RAS emergence profiles were identified in different hosts prior to and during therapeutic failure, with complex mutational signatures at protease residues 155, 156 and 168 detected. Together these analyses track viral population complexity at high-resolution in the human-liver chimeric mouse model post-transmission and under therapeutic intervention, revealing novel insights into the evolutionary processes which shape viral protease population composition at various critical stages of the viral life-cycle.

VEGFA- a New Therapeutic Target in CNS Leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the commonest cancer to affect children. Historically, central nervous system (CNS) involvement has been considered as a feature of high risk disease. Although this risk is mitigated by current intended CNS directed treatments based on risk stratification strategies, currently 10% or more of children will die from relapsing or unresponsive disease and the CNS is still a major site of relapse.CNS directed treatments bypass the blood brain barrier (BBB) but do not specifically target CNS leukemic cells. Consequently, although effective, they are associated both with serious short-term toxicities and debilitating long-term morbidities. Understanding the biology of those ALL cells which lodge in the CNS may lead to the development of drugs to specifically target them, and this could further improve outcomes but with fewer complications.We transplanted bone marrow (BM) derived leukemic cells from children with B-ALL into non-conditioned immune-deficient mice by tail-vein injection. We confirmed BM engraftment and evidence for CNS involvement was demonstrated by microscopy and flow cytometry analyses of the CSF, and was confirmed histo-pathologically in brain tissue. The pattern of leukemic infiltration of the CNS in xenograft recipients closely mimicked that seen post mortem in children with ALL. Furthermore, the MRI scans of xenograft mice showed a meningeal enhancement typical of the leukemic meningitis seen in patients with CNS involvement. Thus by using standard clinical techniques, we were able to demonstrate that the xenograft recipients of B-ALL cells faithfully recapitulates patterns of CNS disease that are seen in human.Interestingly, human leukemic cells isolated from either the CNS or BM of individual recipient mice demonstrated different kinetics of engraftment following serial passage into secondary and quaternary recipients. This functional observation implies cell intrinsic differences between leukemic cells lodged at the two sites.We next compared the gene expression profiles of leukemic cells isolated from the CNS and BM of affected children and xenograft recipients. Using gene set enrichment analysis, we demonstrate that leukemic cells that have infiltrated the CNS, in contrast to those in the BM, show features of adaptation to hypoxia including cell cycle quiescence and downregulation of oxidative phosphorylation. Consistent with these transcriptional data, we could demonstrated that fewer of the CNS-derived leukemic cells were in S/G2/M compared with BM-derived leukemic cells and that CNS-derived leukemic cells consumed less oxygen in in vitro assays.We found that CNS derived leukemic cells had a transcriptional signatures suggestive of physiological adaptation to hypoxic microenvironment and VEGFA is one of the most up-regulated genes in CNS-derived leukemic cells. We tested therapeutic potential of targeting VEGFA using bevacizumab, a VEGFA-neutralizing antibody. Bevacizumab or normal saline (NS) was injected intraperitoneally into the xenografted recipients of B-ALL cells. In the bevacizumab group, leukemic cell numbers in the CNS were significantly less at the end of treatment, and staining of brain sections confirmed reduced leukemic burden in CNS of bevacizumab-treated mice compared with control mice. This in vivo preclinical assay shows that VEGFA could be targeted to treat the patients with ALL who have CNS involvement.In conclusion, we have shown that B-ALL cells residing in the CNS have gene expression signatures and phenotypic features that are distinct from those in the BM, and that this can be effectively targeted in preclinical model of CNS leukemia. These observations may inform not only further mechanistic research, but also future clinical trials. DisclosuresOgawa:Takeda Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma: Research Funding; Kan research institute: Consultancy, Research Funding.

Application of CD8+ Cells Count as a Guide of Immunosuppressive Regimen Introduction for Very Sick Patients Undergoing Liver Transplantation

BackgroundImmunosuppression (IS) protocols should be individualized according to the individual recipient's immunity to minimize adverse effects. The aim of this study was to determine whether preoperative levels of CD8+ T lymphocytes could be used as a guide for the introduction of IS. MethodsSixteen adult liver transplantations in our institute were retrospectively analyzed. The immunosuppressive agents were temporarily withheld for 8 patients with a lower (<10%) preoperative percentage of CD8+ cells after transplant (classified as group A). In this group, postoperative immunosuppressive agents had never been used until acute rejection was suspected. Another 8 patients receiving classic IS were classified as group B. We collected their demographic features and analyzed the clinical courses. ResultsThe postoperative IS-free period of group A was 5 to 120 days (median, 31 days). Our data showed an inverse correlation between CD8+ levels and the severity of liver disease. Although the IS-free protocol did not present a lower incidence of infection-related events, most of them were effectively treated with antibiotics. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall patient survival rates were not different between those with a short-term IS-free period and those with regular IS (87.5% vs 100%, 75% vs 100%, and 62.5% vs 87.5%; P = .468). No patient died of graft failure due to acute rejection. ConclusionsPostoperative immunosuppressive agents can be safely withheld for a period of time to preserve proper immune responses against infections in very sick recipients guided by using the CD8+ levels.

ПОМОЩЬ РАЗВИТИЮ ВО ВНЕШНЕЙ СТРАТЕГИИ КИТАЯ, РЕСПУБЛИКИ КОРЕЯ И ЯПОНИИ

The article focuses on new trends in development assistance strategies of three Northeast Asian countries: China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. It provides the analysis of key features of China&rsquo;s contemporary foreign aid strategy which is currently based mainly on economic priorities rather than on ideology. Building on post-reform successes in economic development, Beijing is expanding its assistance to African and Asian countries, thus demonstrating the efficiency of China&rsquo;s development model. Moreover, China implements foreign aid programs taking into account the individual recipient countries&rsquo; priorities and specific features of their economic and social development. The authors gave attention to Beijing&rsquo;s willingness to use soft power tools for promoting aid programs. However, the active government involvement in formulation and implementation of foreign aid programs, as well as the predominance of commercial interests of Chinese businesses, are among the main characteristics which are negatively perceived by developing states. The article also explores Japan&rsquo;s contemporary official development assistance (ODA) policies, which have been changing following the transformation of Japanese security and foreign strategy. Although Tokyo&rsquo;s aid programs in industrial and social spheres are welcomed by developing countries, Japan&rsquo;s pursuit towards the &quot;normalization&quot; of security and foreign policy is still viewed in some of recipient countries with caution. Although the scale of the Republic of Korea&rsquo;s ODA is smaller compared to Japan&rsquo;s and China&rsquo;s foreign aid programs, its implementation has been relatively successful due to interaction between government, businesses and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Whereas in the case of China, rigid control of public activities by the government still hinders comprehensive and multifaceted development of Beijing&rsquo;s assistance policies. Although the peculiarities of China&rsquo;s legislature and political system make its foreign aid policies and practices different from Japan&rsquo;s and Korea&rsquo;s ODA policies, there are a number of common features. These include attention to developing countries&rsquo; priorities and peculiarities of their economic and political development, the acknowledgment of social responsibility of business, and the growing use of soft power tools. Given these circumstances, the collaboration on ODA projects is possible between China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. However, in some regions where the interests of these countries meet and contradict, for example, in Southeast Asia, there is a growing rivalry between Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul for presence and influence.

HLA and Risk of Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma After Solid Organ Transplantation.

Solid organ transplant recipients have heightened risk for diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The role of donor-recipient HLA mismatch and recipient HLA type on DLBCL risk are not well established. We examined 172 231 kidney, heart, pancreas, and lung recipients transplanted in the United States between 1987 and 2010, including 902 with DLBCL. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated using Poisson regression for DLBCL risk in relation to HLA mismatch, types, and zygosity, adjusting for sex, age, race/ethnicity, year, organ, and transplant number. Compared with recipients who had 2 HLA-DR mismatches, those with zero or 1 mismatch had reduced DLBCL risk, (zero: IRR, 0.76, 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.61-0.95; one: IRR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.69-1.00). In stratified analyses, recipients matched at either HLA-A, -B, or -DR had a significantly reduced risk of late-onset (>2 years after transplantation), but not early-onset DLBCL, and there was a trend for decreasing risk with decreasing mismatch across all 3 loci (P = 0.0003). Several individual recipient HLA-A, -B, -C, -DR, and -DQ antigens were also associated with DLBCL risk, including DR13 (IRR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.57-0.93) and B38 (IRR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.10-1.93), confirming prior findings that these 2 antigens are associated with risk of infection-associated cancers. In conclusion, variation in HLA is related to susceptibility to DLBCL, perhaps reflecting intensity of immunosuppression, control of Epstein-Barr virus infection among transplant recipients or chronic immune stimulation.

A Method of Porcine Pancreatic Islet Isolation for Microencapsulation.

Since the discovery of insulin by Banting and Best in 1921, the prognosis and treatment options for individuals with diabetes have improved. The development of various insulin types, various oral agents, and insulin pumps have improved the available medical options for individuals afflicted with diabetes. The current need for frequent blood glucose monitoring imposed by multiple daily insulin injections, result in significant life-style challenges for in individuals afflicted with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). In contrast the use of surgical interventions, such as whole organ pancreas transplantation (PT) requires less-intensive glucose monitoring while the organ is viable. Also, isolated human pancreatic islet transplantation (IT) holds similar promise as PT; however, the limited availability of human pancreata exacerbated by, the need for multiple pancreata per individual IT recipient, and issues with prolonged viability, still hamper widespread successful, and routine use of IT. The use of porcine pancreata holds promise as a viable alternative to human pancreas to significantly increase the volume of islets available to meet the needs of millions of patients afflicted with T1D. This chapter outlines our protocol utilized to reliably isolate and microencapsulate porcine islets.