Understanding factors impacting global priority of emergency care: a qualitative policy analysis.

Introduction: The high burden of emergency medical conditions has not been met with adequate financial and political prioritisation especially in low and middle-income countries. We examined the factors that have shaped the priority of global emergency care and highlight potential responses by emergency care advocates.

Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews with key experts in global emergency care practice, public health, health policy and advocacy.

Genetic analysis of isoform usage in the human anti-viral response reveals influenza-specific regulation of transcripts under balancing selection.

While genetic variants are known to be associated with overall gene abundance in stimulated immune cells, less is known about their effects on alternative isoform usage. By analyzing RNA-seq profiles of monocyte-derived dendritic cells from 243 individuals, we uncovered thousands of unannotated isoforms synthesized in response to influenza infection and type 1 interferon stimulation. We identified more than a thousand quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with alternate isoform usage (isoQTLs), many of which are independent of expression QTLs (eQTLs) for the same gene.

Common genetic variants modulate pathogen-sensing responses in human dendritic cells.

Little is known about how human genetic variation affects the responses to environmental stimuli in the context of complex diseases. Experimental and computational approaches were applied to determine the effects of genetic variation on the induction of pathogen-responsive genes in human dendritic cells. We identified 121 common genetic variants associated in cis with variation in expression responses to Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide, influenza, or interferon-β (IFN-β).