Hofstra University

About: Hofstra University is a education organization based out in Hempstead, New York, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 6341 authors who have published 11896 publications receiving 268028 citations.

Plasma Cell Differentiation Pathways in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Abstract: Plasma cells (PCs) are responsible for the production of protective antibodies against infectious agents but they also produce pathogenic antibodies in autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Traditionally, high affinity IgG autoantibodies are thought to arise through germinal center (GC) responses. However, class switching and somatic hypermutation can occur in extrafollicular (EF) locations, and this pathway has also been implicated in SLE. The pathway from which PCs originate may determine several characteristics, such as PC lifespan and sensitivity to therapeutics. Although both GC and EF responses have been implicated in SLE, we hypothesize that one of these pathways dominates in each individual patient and genetic risk factors may drive this predominance. While it will be important to distinguish polymorphisms that contribute to a GC-driven or EF B cell response to develop targeted treatments, the challenge will be not only to identify the differentiation pathway but the molecular mechanisms involved. In B cells, this task is complicated by the cross-talk between the B cell receptor, toll-like receptors (TLR), and cytokine signaling molecules, which contribute to both GC and EF responses. While risk variants that affect the function of dendritic cells and T follicular helper cells are likely to primarily influence GC responses, it will be important to discover whether some risk variants in the interferon and TLR pathways preferentially influence EF responses. Identifying the pathways of autoreactive PC differentiation in SLE may help us to understand patient heterogeneity and thereby guide precision therapy.

How Many Authors Does It Take to Publish an Article? Trends and Patterns in Political Science

Abstract: P olitical scientists have a tradition of reflecting on the evolution and state of their discipline. Numerous studies have examined rankings of departments (Klingemann 1986; Jackman and Siverson 1996; Lowery and Silver 1996; Miller, Tien, and Peebler 1996b; Morgan and Fitzgerald 1977), graduate programs (Katz and Eagles 1996), journals (Baum et al. 1976; Garand 1990; Giles and Wright 1975; Giles, Mizell, and Patterson 1989; Lester 1990), and citation rates (Cnudde 1986; Gleditsch 1993; Gleditsch 1996; Klingemann, Groffman, and Campagna 1989; Miller, Tien, and Peebler 1996a). The status of women in the profession-ascertained by, for example, counting the number of Ph.D.s granted over time-has also become a subject of study (Burton 1979; Sarkees and McGlen 1992; Kelly, Williams, and Fisher 1993; Hesli and Burrell 1995; Young 1995). We continue the self-study tradition by examining an area that has not received much attention among political scientists: trends and patterns of multiple-authored journal articles in political science over time (for an exception, see Miller, Tien, and Peebler 1996a, Table 7). In the social sciences more generally, patterns of multiple authorship have increasingly become the focus of scholarly attention and concern (Endersby 1996; Fisher et al. 1998; De Maio and Kushner 1981; Hudson 1996; Wildavsky 1986). About half of all articles published in toptiered professional social science journals are written by two or more scholars; two or three decades ago, the proportion of multiple-authored articles was one-quarter to one-third of all social science articles (Endersby 1996; Hudson 1996; Miller, Tien, and Peebler 1996a). The explanations offered for this increase in multiple authorships fall into three loosely defined categories (see Endersby 1996, Hudson 1996, Miller, Tien, and Peebler 1996a). First, the pool from which suitable collaborators can be found has

Global Production Networks and the Role of Logistics and Transportation

Abstract: There is an ongoing inquiry concerning the nature and role of globalization in terms of social processes, economic development, culture and tourism, and last, but not least, as it relates to spatial change. Although globalization has been an active field of research in social sciences, which is reflected by the large number of studies being published on this issue since the early 1990s (Dicken, 2003, 7), its complexity and dynamics suggest a whole range of issues that remain unaddressed. Even the term globalization itself remains undefined, since it appears as a “buzzword” (Dicken, ibd.) that carries quite different meanings. According to Baumann (1998), globlization is multidimensional and thus necessarily vague: “All vague words tend to share a similar fate: the more experiences they pretend to make transparent, the more they themselves become opaque. The more numerous are the orthodox truths they elbow out and supplant, the faster they turn into no-questions-asked canons” (Baumann, 1998, 1).

Type and duration of subsyndromal symptoms in youth with bipolar I disorder prior to their first manic episode

Abstract: Early recognition and prevention in bipolar disorder (BD), particularly in youth, has gained considerable interest (1–16). The significant impairment and severity associated with BD underscores the importance of early identification and intervention (17–19). However, the concept of an identifiable clinical precursor state consisting of subsyndromal (i.e., prodromal) symptoms is still controversial for BD (20, 21). Numerous approaches have been proposed to identify those at highest risk for developing BD (3). These include studying offspring of patients with BD, focusing on youth with disorders frequently comorbid with BD [e.g., attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), disruptive behavior disorders] or preceding BD (i.e., major depressive disorder), assessing temperamental traits in patients with full BD, or, more recently, following patients with mania-like symptoms that are subthreshold to BD (3). Since family history arguably is the most replicated risk factor for BD, many studies focused on bipolar offspring and described their psychiatric disorders and symptom constellations (17–19, 22–33). However, these studies are limited by their cross-sectional nature, often small samples, lack of systematic assessment of symptoms or consideration of severity or change in symptoms over time. Moreover, longitudinal studies of youth at familial high-risk for BD have generally reported low rates of conversion to BD (26–29, 30, 31, 33) and largely excluded patients without a first-degree relative with the disorder. Furthermore, a significant proportion of patients with BD report no clear family history of BD, thus limiting the generalizability of family high-risk studies. Studies investigating inter-episode symptoms prior to relapse (34, 35) may also have questionable generalizability, as it is unclear whether the time course and type of prodromal symptoms are identical with early signs of initial illness manifestation. While childhood depression and ADHD have been identified as risk factors or comorbid precursor states for BD, conversion usually occurs after many years, and most of these youth do not develop BD (36–39). Studies that assessed premorbid temperament and character traits in youth and adults with BD or their offspring (40–43) reported prevalent clusters of behavioral disinhibition, mood lability, and oppositionality (10, 33, 44–46,), but these observations may not necessarily be specific to BD. To date, relatively few studies have characterized the prodrome to BD in detail (for review, see 10, 11, 15). These have included studies of adults with BD or of caregivers of children with BD (47–49), or case series of patients enrolled into a program for people at risk for psychosis who developed BD (8, 9, 50). Across these studies, the following characteristics have been identified most frequently prior to a first or relapsing manic episode: depressed mood, changes in energy level, disturbance in sleep, anger dyscontrol, argumentativeness, irritability, mood swings/lability, reckless/dangerous behavior, emotional hypersensitivity, diminished concentration, psychomotor change, social isolation, deterioration in role functioning, increased anxiety, suicidal ideation or attempts, cyclothymic-hypersensitive temperament traits and psychotic symptoms. However, some studies were limited by the lack of a systematic assessment to confirm the BD diagnosis and all employed non-standardized approaches to obtaining information about the putative prodromal phase. These assessments of the BD prodrome included the use of unstructured interviews, chart reviews or mailed surveys, resulting in the reporting of symptom frequencies without knowledge of individual symptom duration, severity or impact. The absence of reliable illness markers and information about the presence and timing of specific signs and symptoms that precede a first mania has limited the development of early interventions for high-risk samples of BD offspring who have familial risk and significant mood symptoms (51–55). Moreover, there is a paucity of data about which person (e.g., patient, parent, teacher, peer) is most likely to first notice the prodromal symptoms, which could inform the most effective psychoeducation strategies. Therefore, as a first step, and to guide future prospective studies of the bipolar prodrome, this study aimed to retrospectively, but comprehensively characterize subsyndromal symptoms preceding a first mania in youth with BD, utilizing the Bipolar Prodrome Symptom Scale-Retrospective (BPSS-R) (56). We hypothesized that a substantial number of youth would have experienced a prodrome of sufficient duration and severity with a relevant number of recognizable symptoms that emerged prior to their first syndromal manic episode allowing sufficient time for early identification and prevention efforts. We further hypothesized that some prodromal symptoms would be specific to BD, resembling subthreshold mania.