A Bioinformatic Algorithm based on Pulmonary Endoarterial Biopsy for Targeted Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Therapy.

Background: Optimal pharmacological therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains unclear, as pathophysiological heterogeneity may affect therapeutic outcomes. A ranking methodology based on pulmonary vascular genetic expression analysis could assist in medication selection and potentially lead to improved prognosis.

Objective: To describe a bioinformatics approach for ranking currently approved pulmonary arterial antihypertensive agents based on gene expression data derived from percutaneous endoarterial biopsies in an animal model of pulmonary hypertension.

A High-Throughput Colocalization Pipeline for Quantification of Mitochondrial Targeting across Different Protein Types.

Efficient metabolic engineering and the development of mitochondrial therapeutics often rely upon the specific and strong import of foreign proteins into mitochondria. Fusing a protein to a mitochondria-bound signal peptide is a common method to localize proteins to mitochondria, but this strategy is not universally effective, with particular proteins empirically failing to localize. To help overcome this barrier, this work develops a generalizable and open-source framework to design proteins for mitochondrial import and quantify their specific localization.

High-throughput colocalization pipeline quantifies efficacy of mitochondrial targeting signals across different protein types.

Efficient metabolic engineering and the development of mitochondrial therapeutics often rely upon the specific and strong import of foreign proteins into mitochondria. Fusing a protein to a mitochondria-bound signal peptide is a common method to localize proteins to mitochondria, but this strategy is not universally effective with particular proteins empirically failing to localize. To help overcome this barrier, this work develops a generalizable and open-source framework to design proteins for mitochondrial import and quantify their specific localization.

Response of Mexican life and non-life insurers to the low interest rate environment.

The purpose of this research is to examine whether insurers have improved their economic performance through efficiency as a reaction to the prolonged period of low interest rates. The results of an analysis of 22 years of data, using a two-stage data envelopment analysis approach (DEA), show that there is an inverse relationship between efficiency and interest rate. The non-life insurance group had a superior level of efficiency compared with that of the life insurance group.

Statistical analysis of bitcoin during explosive behavior periods.

This paper develops the ability of the normal inverse Gaussian distribution (NIG) to fit the returns of bitcoin (BTC). As the first cryptocurrency created, the behavior of this new asset is characterized by great volatility. The lack of a proper definition or classification under existing theory exacerbates this property in such a way that explosive periods followed by a rapid decline have been observed along the series, meaning bubble episodes.

Association of candidate genes with nonsyndromic clefts in Honduran and Colombian populations.

Objectives/hypothesis: Orofacial clefts are the most common craniofacial birth defects in humans, with the majority of orofacial clefts occurring as nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCLP). We previously demonstrated associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IRF6 gene and NSCLP in the Honduran population. Here we investigated other candidate genes and chromosomal regions associated with NSCLP identified from genome-wide association studies (GWAS), including MAFB, ABCA4, 8q24, 9q22, 10q25, and 17q22 in two independent Hispanic populations.

Measurement and analysis of broadband UVB solar radiation in Spain.

Measurements of broadband UVB irradiance (290-315 nm) at 14 locations in Spain for the period 2000-2009 have been used to generate instantaneous, hourly and daily values of irradiance (W m(-2)) and radiant exposure (kJ m(-2)). These measurements, and its statistical indices, have been analyzed. For the UVB irradiance, the values corresponding to July (maximum) and December (minimum) have been analyzed as representative of the year during the whole period for all locations.

Treatment of refractory epilepsy in adult patients with right-sided vagus nerve stimulation.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) was introduced as a novel method for the treatment of patients with medically and/or surgically refractory epilepsy. VNS typically involves placement of the electrode on the left vagus nerve. However, there are some patients who cannot be implanted on this side because of complications related to the surgical procedure or side effects or infections forcing the left side VNS (L-VNS) explant.