Methods for assessing the impact of PM2.5 concentration on mortality while controlling for socio-economic factors.

Even though industrial development has brought vast improvements to our daily lives, it carries with it negative effects such as adverse health outcomes caused by PM2.5 and other pollutants. The negative externalities and external costs might occur when property rights are not properly defined, which means that if no one holds a property right on the atmosphere and the quality of air, there is no appropriate mechanism to prevent a further expansion of negative effects. An economic burden of pollution related to premature morbidity and mortality in individual countries can account for 5-14% of GDP (World Bank, 2021). In 2019, the worldwide health cost of mortality and morbidity caused by exposure to PM2.5 concentration was $8.1 trillion, which is equivalent to 6.1 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) (World Bank estimate). Policymakers require evidence-based results that clearly show the impact that air pollution has on the economy and society, in order to be able to establish the proper regulations and ensure their successful implementation. The purpose of this long term study is to provide methods for assessing the negative effects of PM2.5 concentration on PM2.5-related mortality using panel data structure and demonstrate how socio-economic factors affect this relation. This study employed advanced econometric techniques to analyse the long-term impact of PM2.5 on human health, while controlling for socio economic indicators. This study has demonstrated significant effects of socio-economic, health risk and system and governance variables on the relation between PM2.5 â€‹concentration and PM2.5-related mortality.

Environmental and social responsibility of companies cross EU countries - Panel data analysis.

In recent years, the socio-environmental dimension has become a structural and strategic element of successful companies, where it is usually addressed through the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility. The challenge for business is to draft new paradigms for operational procedures and improve the business conditions towards social and environmental responsibilities. Companies focus on eco-innovations and the production of "green products". Green innovations or technologies can be used by firms of all sizes and organizations have various motives for implementing an environmental friendly strategy or processes. Conversely, consumers tend to move more towards green products, which provide them with a sense that they are protecting the environment. According to the data from the group of International Standards Organization ISO 14000 more organizations from the EU have registered their systems as "eco-friendly" over the last few years. Data in this study was obtained from company-level surveys across EU member states conducted by the World Economic Forum following the thematic research on Global Competitiveness Index. The static panel data regression model was employed to show that there is a strong relationship between innovation and "going green". The results from several models reveal that innovation is significant and positively associated with "going green". Access to green environment increases innovation among competitors to present products that are environmentally friendly. Also, we have found that corporate ethics influence firms to apply environment-friendly business practices.

The diagnostic criteria of Graves' disease and especially the thyrotropin receptor antibody; our own experience.

It is generally accepted that the thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb) has a stimulating activity and is the major pathogenic factor in Graves' disease (GD). In spite of that, TRAb is not routinely examined in clinical practice. The aim of this article is to briefly review the subject and suggest protocols for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with GD based on our own studies and referring especially to TRAb. Clinical symptoms and signs and thyroid hormones may have poor sensitivity or specificity, especially in cases of endocrine ophthalmopathy and subclinical hyperthyroidism. In these cases the TRAb test is 98% sensitive and specific with a diagnostic accuracy of almost 99%. By this test it is possible to differentiate between autoimmune and other forms of thyrotoxicosis such as autonomous hyperthyroidism, destructive thyroiditis, iodine induced hyperthyroidism etc. Antithyroid drugs decrease serum TRAb levels and also induce immune remission. If after treatment TRAb remains increased as in about 30%of our cases, patients will relapse. In pregnant women with GD the follow-up of serum TRAb levels is also important as predictive of immune thyroid disease in the newborn. Data presented in this article confirm that the determination of serum TRAb levels in some rare hyperthyroid disorders, such as associated autoimmune and autonomous forms and in epidemiological studies, is also justified.

Vitamin D receptor polymorphisms are associated with Graves' disease in German and Polish but not in Serbian patients.

Diverse genes are candidates for susceptibility to Graves' disease, including the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which regulates the transcription of target genes in response to the active metabolite 1,25(OH)(2)D(3). We analyzed four polymorphisms of the VDR gene (ApaI, TaqI, BsmI, and FokI) in patients with Graves' disease (n = 789) and healthy controls (n = 823) from three European populations (German, Polish, and Serbian). The VDR ApaI (rs7975232) and TaqI (rs731236) polymorphisms showed no significant difference in any population. The BsmI (rs1544410) variant "b" was associated with Graves' disease in the Polish population (p = 0.0070). The FokI (rs10735810) variant "f " was found to be associated with Graves' disease in Germans and "F" in Polish patients (p = 0.0024 and 0.0049, respectively). Construction of haplotypes for TaqI, ApaI, and BsmI showed the haplotype "Tab" to be the most frequent in the German and Polish population as well as in the Serbian patients, while "tAB" in Serbian controls. Our results show an association of VDR gene polymorphisms in the German and Polish population but not in the Serbian. Furthermore, the VDR polymorphisms are differentially distributed in the three populations. Therefore, VDR polymorphisms analysis needs to be stratified according to the population background.

Diagnostic sensitivity of two radio receptor assays (TRAK Assay and TRAK Dyno Human) for detection of TSH receptor antibodies.

Radio receptor assays for the detection of TSH receptor antibodies in serum are typically based on binding the competition of TSH-R antibodies and (125)I "labeled" TSH for membrane preparation of thyrocytes (TBII tests). The sensitivity of the available tests utilizing porcine cell membranes was found to be around 80%. A new test (TRAK Dyno human, BRAHMS) utilizes human recombinant TSH receptor and human standard material that is supposed to improve the performance of the test. We have compared the results of these two assays. The sensitivity of the TRAK Assay tested in 356 patients with untreated Graves' disease was found to be 85%, and 97.5% for TRAK Dyno human in 111 newly diagnosed patients. Both tests were performed from the same serum specimen for 60 of the investigated patients. The TRAK Assay was positive in 50 patients (83.2%) and TRAK Dyno human in 59 patients (98.3%). The specificity of the new radio receptor assay was also improved.