The purpose of this study was to confirm previously reported associations of common variants in or near CDC7/TGFBR3 , ZP4 , SRBD1 , ELOVL5 , CAV1/CAV2 , TLR4 , CDKN2B , CDKN2B-AS1 , ATOH7 , PLXDC2 , TMTC2 , SIX1 , and CARD10 , with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in the Afro-Caribbean population of Barbados, West Indies. A total of 437 unrelated subjects from the Barbados Family Study of Open Angle Glaucoma (BFSG), including 272 with POAG and 165 unaffected individuals were included in this study. Eighteen SNPs were genotyped by using the multiplex SNaPshot method. Allelic, genotypic and model-based (dominant, recessive, and additive) associations of the SNPs with POAG were analyzed using Chi-squared tests and logistic regression. SNP rs1063192 (near CDKN2B ) was found to be significantly associated with POAG (allelic P = 0.0008, genotypic P = 0.0029), and the minor allele C of rs1063192 was protective against POAG (OR  = 0.39; 95%CI  = 0.22−0.69). Suggestive association was also noted for rs7916697 (near ATHO7 , allelic P  = 0.0096, genotypic P = 0.01) with the minor allele being protective (OR  = 0.67; 95% CI  = 0.50−0.91), although this finding did not withstand correction for multiple testing. However, a significant interactive effect on POAG risk was identified between rs1063192 and rs7916697 ( P -interaction  = 2.80×10 −5 ). Individuals with the rs1063192 protective genotype CC or CT and also rs7916697 genotypes GG or GA show a significantly decreased risk of POAG (OR = 0.17, 95%CI: 0.07−0.41). Our study confirms the significant association between SNP rs1063192 ( CDKN2B , previously shown to influence vertical cup-to-disc ratio and POAG at 9p21) and POAG in the Afro-Caribbean population of Barbados. The minor allele of rs1063192 interacts with that of rs7916697 (ATOH7)) to reduce POAG risk. Our results also suggest that rs1063912 is a common protective variant for POAG in populations of African as well as European descent.

The authors examine what determines corporate effective tax rates (ETR) at the firm level, using the panel data on 425 listed companies in China's stock market over the seven-year period 1998-2004. First they identify some possible determinants of ETR based on theories and firm characteristics in China, including firm size, leverage, asset mix, profitability, ownership structure, and overemployment. Then they conduct quantitative analyses and panel estimations with the randomeffect model. The findings from the empirical results are as follows. The firm size and capital intensity of the listed companies seem to have no significant effects on ETR. The impact of leverage on ETR is negative and significant. ETR tends to be smaller for firms with overemployment of labor, which may be related to incentive policies provided by government to promote employment. Effects of profitability and ownership structure on ETR vary with external tax environments, and they turn out to be positive as all firms enjoy tax incentives.

Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) was recently approved as a smallpox vaccine. Variola is transmitted by respiratory droplets and MVA immunization by skin scarification (s.s.) protected mice far more effectively against lethal respiratory challenge with vaccinia virus (VACV) than any other route of delivery, and at lower doses. Comparisons of s.s. with intradermal, subcutaneous, or intramuscular routes showed that MVAOVA s.s.-generated T cells were both more abundant and transcriptionally unique. MVAOVA s.s. produced greater numbers of lung Ova-specific CD8+ TRM and was superior in protecting mice against lethal VACVOVA respiratory challenge. Nearly as many lung TRM were generated with MVAOVA s.s. immunization compared to intra-tracheal immunization with MVAOVA and both routes vaccination protected mice against lethal pulmonary challenge with VACVOVA. Strikingly, MVAOVA s.s.-generated effector T cells exhibited overlapping gene transcriptional profiles to those generated via intra-tracheal immunization. Overall, our data suggest that heterologous MVA vectors immunized via s.s. are uniquely well-suited as vaccine vectors for respiratory pathogens, which may be relevant to COVID-19. In addition, MVA delivered via s.s. could represent a more effective dose-sparing smallpox vaccine.

Purpose-To compare macular thickness measurements using time domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and Fourier domain OCT (FD OCT).Methods-Thirty-two eyes from 32 normal patients underwent complete ophthalmic evaluation. Macular scanning using the StratusOCT and the RTVue-100 OCT were performed for a total of 3 times each on the same visit. The average retinal thicknesses of the 9 macular sectors as defined by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS), along with the foveal center point and macular volume, were recorded. The standard deviation, the coefficient of variation, and the intraclass correlation coefficient were calculated for each parameter studied. Comparisons were made between the two OCTs in terms of retinal thicknesses measurements, their reproducibility, and macular regional differences. Correlations between retinal thickness and demographic variables (age and gender) were also investigated. Due to known differences in segmentation algorithms of the two OCTs, software calipers were used to measure the distance from the internal limiting membrane to the photoreceptor inner segment--outer segment junction at the foveal center point on all RTVue scans in order to allow a more fair comparison. Results-TheRTVue yielded greater retinal thickness measurements in nearly all macular subfields compared to the StratusOCT. Even after accounting for differences in segmentation algorithms, significant disparities were still evident with the RTVue measurements less than those of the StratusOCT at the foveal center. On both machines, the macula was thinnest at the fovea and thickest within the 3mm ring. There were some consistent regional variations in macular thickness evident on both OCTs. Compared to the StratusOCT, the RTVue generally had lower coefficients of variation and higher intraclass coefficients, suggesting better reproducibility. Age and gender also appeared to be important determinants in some macular thickness parameters. The evolution of OCT has been a step-wise process, starting from the prototype through the development of the first, second, and third generations of commercially available instruments. Each successor had been an improvement over the predecessor in terms of imaging speed and resolution, but the underlying concepts had largely remained the same. In these so-called time domain OCTs (TD OCT), a mechanical moving mirror is crucial for extracting depth information for light reflected from the retina. Therefore, data acquisition speed is limited by the relatively slow mechanical movement. Conclusion-ComparedThe latest time domain model in widespread use, the StratusOCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA), has an axial resolution of 8 to 10 μm and a maximum of 512 transverse and 1024 axial data points per image acquired over 1.25 seconds, according to the user's manual. Because eye movement may induce significant errors in measurement, the StratusOCT also allows the user to choose scanning protocols that may increase the image acquisition speed at the expense of tr...

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