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On March 7, 1962 the Royal College of Physicians published a report entitled Smoking and Health that made the causal link between smoking and lung cancer clear and explicit. Using a historical data set that contains information on smoking from 1958 to 1965, I find a decrease in smoking for those with more schooling after the report's publication. I do not find a difference in the effect for those with greater access to information (measured by TV ownership or newspaper readership). This suggests the education health gradient is more likely due to processing of information rather than access to information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The method of diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has changed since the 1980s. The aim of this audit was to assess changes in the preoperative diagnosis of DCIS since the introduction of needle core biopsy, particularly the proportion with a preoperative biopsy diagnosis of DCIS. Methods and results: The preoperative diagnoses of patients with a final diagnosis of DCIS in the surgical specimen were reviewed (i) in 809 patients who presented through breast screening from 1997 to 2021, and (ii) in all patients in 5 individual years at 5‐year intervals from 2000 to 2020 (254 in total). For screening‐detected DCIS the proportion with a preoperative diagnosis of DCIS increased from 75% to 98% over the study period. In a detailed analysis of all cases of DCIS in 5 separate years the proportion with a preoperative diagnosis of DCIS increased from 68% in 2000 to 96% in 2020. For high‐grade DCIS the proportion increased from 87% to 97%, and for low‐ or intermediate‐grade DCIS from 48% to 93%. The proportion of women who had vacuum‐assisted biopsy increased from 7% in 2000 to 58% in 2015. There was a small increase in the number of biopsies that had basal cytokeratin and oestrogen receptor immunohistochemistry to aid diagnosis. Conclusion: There has been an increase in the preoperative diagnosis of DCIS, particularly of low‐ or intermediate‐grade, over the last two decades. The increasing use of vacuum‐assisted biopsy is likely to be a major contributory factor to this increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of daylight saving time (DST) on fatal road crashes in Australia. I exploit within year transitions to and from DST in a regression discontinuity in time framework. To examine the long run effect of the policy, I use trials of DST implemented in various states, and a DST extension due to the Sydney Olympics. Neither the transition to or out of DST, nor the long run effects of DST have an impact on fatalities on the road. However, there is evidence of reallocation of accidents over the day due to ambient light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing preventable readmissions is important to help manage current strains on healthcare systems. The metric of 30‐day readmissions is commonly cited in discussions regarding this topic. While such thresholds have contemporary funding implications, the rationale for individual cut‐off points is partially historical in nature. Through the examination of the basis for the analysis of 30‐day readmissions, greater insight into the possible benefits and limitations of such a metric may be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In May 2018, Scotland introduced a minimum unit price on alcohol. We examine the impact of this policy on traffic fatalities and drunk driving accidents. Using administrative data on the universe of vehicle collisions in Britain and a range of quasi‐experimental modeling approaches, we do not find that the policy had an effect on road crash deaths and drunk driving collisions. The results are robust to several sensitivity exercises. There is no evidence of effect heterogeneity by income and other predictors of alcohol consumption or cross‐border effects. A brief discussion of the policy implications of our findings is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well differentiated liposarcoma (WD‐LPS) is a relatively rare tumour, with fewer than 50 cases occurring per year in the UK. These tumours are both chemotherapy‐ and radiotherapy‐resistant and present a significant treatment challenge requiring radical surgery. Little is known of the molecular landscape of these tumours and no current targets for molecular therapy exist. We aimed to carry out a comprehensive molecular characterisation of WD‐LPS via whole genome sequencing, RNA sequencing, and methylation array analysis. A recurrent mutation within exon 1 of FOXD4L3 was observed (chr9:70,918,189A>T; c.322A>T; p.Lys108Ter). Recurrent mutations were also observed in Wnt signalling, immunity, DNA repair, and hypoxia‐associated genes. Recurrent amplification of HGMA2 was observed, although this was in fact part of a general amplification of the region around this gene. Recurrent gene fusions in HGMA2, SDHA, TSPAN31, and MDM2 were also observed as well as consistent rearrangements between chromosome 6 and chromosome 12. Our study has demonstrated a recurrent mutation within FOXD4L3, which shows evidence of interaction with the PAX pathway to promote tumourigenesis. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: We estimate a sequential model of schooling to assess the major contributing factors to the large gender imbalance in educational attainment within racial groups. First, we find that differences between males and females in measures of early behavior account for the majority of the gender gap for each racial group. Second, we show that black males have the largest response to improvements in family background characteristics, such that equalizing the distribution of family background characteristics for black and white youths reduces the gender gap in college enrollment among black youth by 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates optimal central bank disclosure in an economy in which only a proportion of firms adjusts prices each period to reflect current information. Such information comprises a firm-specific signal of the current state of aggregate demand and, potentially (depending on the transparency regime) a public signal disseminated by the central bank. The economy has two sources of price dispersion: first, the heterogeneity of the private signals of firms whose prices always reflect current information, and second, the non-adjustment of prices by firms that fail to update their information from period-to-period. Monetary policy is conducted by the central bank to maximize expected welfare, with the study's focus on the optimal degree of transparency. A key finding is that, for plausible values of model parameters, full transparency cannot be optimal: whether zero or partial transparency is desirable then depends on the proportion of firms failing to update their information each period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a new technique for estimating mixed logit models with a simple minorization-maximization (MM) algorithm. The algorithm requires minimal coding and is easy to implement for a variety of mixed logit models. Most importantly, the algorithm has a very low cost per iteration relative to current methods, producing substantial computational savings. In addition, the method is asymptotically consistent, efficient and globally convergent. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional wisdom has it that a central bank that uses an informational advantage to undertake active policy intervention can do as well, at least so far as real outcomes are concerned, by making its information publicly available and abstaining from stabilization. This notion is examined using a framework incorporating heterogeneous private sector information concerning aggregate demand shocks. An activist regime, in which the central bank exploits its own information to engage in stabilization, is found to be unambiguously superior to a noninterventionist regime, where the central bank maintains a constant setting of policy but publicly discloses its own information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Current guidelines recommend that mucocele-like lesions ( MLL) of the breast diagnosed on needle core biopsy ( NCB) should be categorized as a lesion of uncertain malignant potential ( B3). However, data on the outcome of MLL diagnosed on NCB remains limited due to the rarity of this lesion. The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of pure MLL without atypia diagnosed on NCB using a large series of cases and a review of the literature to provide evidence that can guide management. Methods and results Patients who underwent diagnostic excision biopsy after a core biopsy diagnosis of MLL without atypia were identified from several centres. Two of 54 patients (4%) with MLL without atypia on core biopsy had ductal carcinoma in situ in the subsequent excision specimen. This is similar to the rate in previous studies of 4% (four of 106). If there is atypia in the core biopsy, previous studies found that the frequency of malignancy is much higher at 21% (seven of 33). Conclusions Our results provide evidence that pure MLL without atypia diagnosed on NCB is usually associated with a benign outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the optimal monetary regime in a monopolistically competitive economy where wages are set by non-atomistic (i.e. large) unions. In such a context, the conduct of monetary policy is known to influence not only the equilibrium inflation rate, but also equilibrium employment. Previous contributions which have examined this scenario have commonly concluded that a low degree of accommodation of wages and prices is optimal. This study shows, however, that the framework's principal features imply a highly accommodating policy stance can potentially achieve a superior outcome and, indeed, despite its character, is able to both eliminate unemployment and deliver zero inflation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms underlying Golgi targeting and vesiculation are unknown, although the responsible phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns(4)P) ligand and four-phosphate-adaptor protein (FAPP) modules have been defined. The micelle-bound structure of the FAPP1 pleckstrin homology domain reveals how its prominent wedge independently tubulates Golgi membranes by leaflet penetration. Mutations compromising the exposed hydrophobicity of full-length FAPP2 abolish lipid monolayer binding and compression. The trafficking process begins with an electrostatic approach, phosphoinositide sampling and perpendicular penetration. Extensive protein contacts with PtdIns(4)P and neighbouring phospholipids reshape the bilayer and initiate tubulation through a conserved wedge with features shared by diverse protein modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown that chronic corticosterone treatment increases the expression of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA at the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). Like CRH, gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) appears to be involved in mediation of the stress response and is released at the CeA during exposure to an acute stressor. Using in-vivo microdialysis, this study examined the effects of corticosterone treatment on the release of CRH and GRP in response to an airpuff challenge at two forebrain regions, the CeA and medial prefrontal cortex. Adrenally intact rats were treated with corticosterone by systemic implants over a 14-day period prior to microdialysis probe insertion. We found that, at both regions, the airpuff-induced CRH and GRP release were enhanced in the corticosterone pellet-implanted rats as compared with the release observed in the vehicle-implanted control rats. These findings suggest that chronic corticosterone exposure potentiates the stressor-elicited release of CRH and GRP. As cortisol dysregulation has frequently been reported in people with psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety disorders or depression, a better understanding of the glucocorticoid-mediating regulation of CRH and GRP may provide insight into the underlying neurochemical mechanisms involved in both adaptive fear-type responses and maladaptive responses leading to pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and fiber tractography are useful tools for reconstructing white matter tracts (WMT) in the brain. Previous tractography studies have sought to segment reconstructed WMT into anatomical structures using several approaches, but quantification has been limited to extracting mean values of diffusion indices. Delineating WMT in schizophrenia is of particular interest because schizophrenia has been hypothesized to be a disorder of disrupted connectivity, especially between frontal and temporal regions of the brain. In this study, we aim to differentiate diffusion properties of thalamo-frontal pathways in schizophrenia from normal controls. We present a quantitative group comparison method, which combines the strengths of both tractography-based and voxel-based studies. Our algorithm extracts white matter pathways using whole brain tractography. Functionally relevant bundles are selected and parsed from the resulting set of tracts, using an internal capsule (IC) region of interest (ROI) as “source”, and different Brodmann area (BA) ROIs as “targets”. The resulting bundles are then longitudinally parameterized so that diffusion properties can be measured and compared along the WMT. Using this processing pipeline, we were able to find altered diffusion properties in male patients with chronic schizophrenia in terms of fractional anisotropy (FA) decreases and mean diffusivity (MD) increases in precise and functionally relevant locations. These findings suggest that our method can enhance the regional and functional specificity of DTI group studies, thus improving our understanding of brain function.