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This paper introduces the special edition on International Inequality. It contextualizes the papers against the background of the “new inequality literature”. This contains two broad strands: criti...

There are many possible etiologies for cervical dystonia (CD), but a cause cannot be identified in most cases. Most recent attention has focused on genetic causes, although a few prior studies have highlighted autoimmune mechanisms instead. Because autoimmune disorders frequently co-exist, the current study evaluated the hypothesis that autoimmune disorders might be more common in CD than neurological controls. The frequency of 32 common autoimmune disorders was evaluated using a systematic survey comparing 300 subjects with CD with 391 neurological controls. The frequency of thyroid disease was significantly higher in CD (20%) compared with controls (6%). Regression analyses that accounted for age and sex revealed an odds ratio of 4.5 (95% CI 2.5-8.1, p0.001). All other autoimmune disorders occurred with similar frequencies in CD and controls. Although these studies do not establish a mechanistic link between CD and autoimmune disease, they suggest the need for further attention to a potential relationship, and more specifically with thyroid disease.

Recent decades have seen a proliferation of literature on creativity, with no consensus about what it consists of. Chinese and Russian contributions throw new light on these debates because of their concern with economic and human development. By integrating this with the widely-used concept of the “creative industries,” a rigorous concept of creativity rooted in the notion of creative labor is proposed. This can be defined as non-mechanical labor which, in conjunction with Information and Communication Technology (ICT), has produced a mass market in products embodying the use-value of distinctness. The creative industries then emerge as a branch of the division of labor making intensive use of creative labor in combination with mental objects, such as scientific and artistic products. Software, itself a mental object, is an “instrument of mental production” in these industries, helping explain their potential contribution to human development, and the obstacles to this potential imposed by the commodity form.

BACKGROUND Several monogenic causes for isolated dystonia have been identified, but they collectively account for only a small proportion of cases. Two genome-wide association studies have reported a few potential dystonia risk loci; but conclusions have been limited by small sample sizes, partial coverage of genetic variants, or poor reproducibility. OBJECTIVE To identify robust genetic variants and loci in a large multicenter cervical dystonia cohort using a genome-wide approach. METHODS We performed a genome-wide association study using cervical dystonia samples from the Dystonia Coalition. Logistic and linear regressions, including age, sex, and population structure as covariates, were employed to assess variant- and gene-based genetic associations with disease status and age at onset. We also performed a replication study for an identified genome-wide significant signal. RESULTS After quality control, 919 cervical dystonia patients compared with 1491 controls of European ancestry were included in the analyses. We identified one genome-wide significant variant (rs2219975, chromosome 3, upstream of COL8A1, P-value 3.04 × 10-8 ). The association was not replicated in a newly genotyped sample of 473 cervical dystonia cases and 481 controls. Gene-based analysis identified DENND1A to be significantly associated with cervical dystonia (P-value 1.23 × 10-6 ). One low-frequency variant was associated with lower age-at-onset (16.4 ± 2.9 years, P-value = 3.07 × 10-8 , minor allele frequency = 0.01), located within the GABBR2 gene on chromosome 9 (rs147331823). CONCLUSION The genetic underpinnings of cervical dystonia are complex and likely consist of multiple distinct variants of small effect sizes. Larger sample sizes may be needed to provide sufficient statistical power to address the presumably multi-genic etiology of cervical dystonia. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

BackgroundCervical dystonia is the most common of the adult-onset focal dystonias. Most cases are idiopathic. The current view is that cervical dystonia may be caused by some combination of genetic and environmental factors. Genetic contributions have been studied extensively, but there are few studies of other factors.ObjectiveTo conduct an exploratory metabolomics analysis of cervical dystonia to identify potentially abnormal metabolites or altered biological pathways.MethodsPlasma samples from 100 cases with idiopathic cervical dystonia and 100 controls were compared using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry-based metabolomics.ResultsA total of 7,346 metabolic features remained after quality control, and 289 demonstrated significant differences between cases and controls, depending on statistical criteria chosen. Pathway analysis revealed 9 biological processes to be significantly associated at pConclusionThis is the first large scale metabolomics study for any type of dystonia. The results may provide potential novel insights into the biology of cervical dystonia.

ObjectiveTo assess the clinical manifestations and predictors of different types of tremors in individuals with different types of isolated dystonia.MethodsClinical manifestations of tremor were assessed in a multicenter, international cross-sectional, cohort study of 2,362 individuals with all types of isolated dystonia (focal, segmental, multifocal, and generalized) recruited through the Dystonia Coalition.ResultsMethodical and standardized assessments of all participants in this cohort revealed the overall prevalence of any type of tremor was 53.3%. The prevalence of dystonic tremor varied from 36.9% to 48.4%, depending on criteria used to define it. To identify the factors associated with tremors in dystonia, the data were analyzed by generalized linear modeling and cluster analyses. Generalized linear modeling indicated 2 of the strongest factors associated with tremor included body region affected by dystonia and recruitment center. Tremor was also associated with severity of dystonia and duration of dystonia, but not with sex or race. The cluster analysis distinguished 8 subgroups within the whole cohort; defined largely by body region with dystonia, and secondarily by other clinical characteristics.ConclusionThe large number of cases evaluated by an international team of movement disorder experts facilitated the dissection of several important factors that influence the apparent prevalence and phenomenology of tremor in dystonia. These results are valuable for understanding the many differences reported in prior studies, and for guiding future studies of the nosology of tremor and dystonia.

Oromandibular dystonia (OMD) causes involuntary movements of masticatory and lingual muscles impairing eating, speaking, and swallowing. Treatment options are limited. The objective of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of abobotulinumtoxinA (aboBoNTA) in OMD. A dose-finding study (phase 1) followed by a single session, prospective, single-blind trial (phase 2) was carried out. OMD subjects were evaluated at baseline, 6 and 12 weeks. Muscles injected were tailored to individual symptoms using EMG guidance, but the aboBoNTA dose for each muscle was pre-specified based on phase 1 results. Evaluations were Global Dystonia Rating Scale (GDS), Unified Dystonia Rating Scale (UDRS), Clinical Global Impression (CGI) improvement and severity, and quality of life (OMDQ-25). Adverse events were monitored. The lowest dosage in phase 1 resulted in adverse effects in two of three patients and thus was used in phase 2. In phase 2, adverse effects were observed in 50% of subjects including dysphagia, voice change, and soft palate weakness. Most were mild. Significant improvement was seen in quality of life (OMDQ-25), speech (BFMq21), and change in GDS, UDRS, CGI severity assessed by the unblinded investigator, but not in blinded video ratings. We conclude that aboBoNTA therapy in this study was associated with improved quality of life and was generally well tolerated in OMD, but occurrence of dysphagia dictated the importance of using low genioglossus dosing. Face to face assessment appears to be more sensitive than video assessment for change in OMD severity. Consideration of the disability in OMD places constraints on traditional placebo-control trial design. Development of novel trial designs is warranted. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13311-018-0620-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Changkeun Kim (2016) reiterates his charge that there is circular reasoning in Freeman and Kliman’s definition of the Monetary Expression of Labour Time (MELT). Kim also charges that the Temporal Single System Interpretation (TSSI) of Marx’s value theory does not yield falsifiable conclusions, because it does not predict prices. Both charges depend logically on an erroneous claim about what an arithmetic equation consists of. Kim holds that an equation necessarily implies a causal relation by virtue of the order in which it is written. This is not so. The order in which an equation is written tells us nothing about the causal relations between the variables in it, and such an interpretation of the meaning of an equation contradicts the literature on the subject. Both charges therefore fall once this claim is recognised to be erroneous. In fact, causal explanations must come from outside the equation system. We show that both the MELT and market prices are necessarily indeterminate within the TSSI since it is an interpretation of Marx’s value theory to which the determination of market prices and the MELT are external. We briefly examine Kim’s derivation of the relation between the gold MELT and the actual currency MELT and show that the latter, in his own theory, is indeterminate. Thus, his own theory of the MELT is subject to exactly the same criticism that he levels at ours, proving that within the value equations, the MELT is necessarily indeterminate. The way forward is to cease the attempt to discredit legitimate theories of the MELT, especially that of the TSSI, by purely logical means. Instead, writers should concentrate on studying and theorising the real phenomena of capitalist monetary dynamics on the foundation of Marx’s value theory, on which there is now substantial potential agreement. We argue that the TSSI of this theory constitutes the best currently available foundation for this collective enterprise.

Wilson disease is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism that causes hepatic, neurologic, and psychiatric abnormalities. The ATP7B gene is impaired causing elevated levels of copper in the liver as well as other tissues. The diagnosis should be suspected in juveniles and adults with liver or neurologic manifestations. Diagnostic evaluation includes checking serum ceruloplasmin, 24-h urine for copper, ophthalmologic evaluation for Kayser-Fleischer rings, and possible liver biopsy. Medical treatment includes the copper chelators, penicillamine, and trientine, as well as zinc. Wilson disease is a treatable disorder that requires lifelong treatment.

This chapter studies Marx’s theory of class, with particular reference to Volume III, often misunderstood as a narrowly “economic” work, where the full power of Marx’s theory of value becomes apparent as he applies it to merchants, money owners, and landowners. A class, for Marx, is defined by a type of property, in contrast to modern social theory which defines classes by income or status. Each special type of property generates a type of revenue such as interest or rent. In contrast to neoclassical economics this revenue is not the price of a “factor of production” but an entitlement, conferred on a property owner by the rights which society grants, and drawn from the general pool of surplus-value created by labor. These classes, notably finance, are thus neither distortions of capitalism nor pre-capitalist survivals; they are the product of capitalism itself, and the site therefore of its most explosive contradictions.

In this introduction, we provide an overall framing of the articles that follow by placing the Ukraine conflict which today embroils the West in confrontation with Russia, within an historical acco...

Background In Parkinson's disease (PD), psychosis and affective disorders are common and independently impact quality of life and mortality. Both depression and psychosis are correlated with the occurrence of cognitive dysfunction, suggesting that they may share neurobiological substrates. Anxiety has not been examined as a correlate of psychosis. The objective of this study was to examine the nature of the association between affective disorders and psychosis in patients with PD. Methods One hundred forty-four patients with PD were evaluated using the Schedule for Assessment of Positive Symptoms to assess psychotic features, while depression and anxiety were examined using the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (SCID) and 2 self-assessment scales: the Beck Depression Inventory II and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Correlational analyses assessed associations between hallucinations and delusions with depression and anxiety. Results A diagnosis of anxiety (SCID) was significantly associated (P = 0.015) with hallucinations (odds ratio [OR], 4.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36–16.99). The severity of anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory) significantly predicted (P = 0.03) the presence of hallucinations (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.01–1.15) and delusions (OR, 1.09, confidence region, 1.01–1.17). Current depression (SCID) was significantly associated (P = 0.001) with the presence of hallucinations (OR, 6.12; 95% CI, 2.04–18.39) and delusions (OR, 7.14; 95% CI, 2.23–22.93). Multiple linear regressions revealed that severity of anxiety remained an independent predictor (P < 0.05) of both the number of types of hallucinations (t = 3.06; P = 0.003) and delusions (t = 2.87; P = 0.005). Severity of depression was a significant predictor of the total number of delusions (t = 2.28; P = 0.024). Conclusions This study demonstrates an association between depression and psychosis and, for the first time, an association between anxiety and psychosis. These associations may have implications for the pathophysiology and treatment of psychosis in patients with PD.

George DeMartino's The Economist's Oath is provoking timely and welcome discussions in economics. This essay assesses the close connection between the ethical dimension of economics and the concept of pluralism, which has become a focus of dissent within economics, especially in the UK and Europe. Both concerns, it argues, arise from the current “theoretical crisis of economics”—a term coined by Joan Robinson in the 1970s and updated in this essay to reflect the present state of the discipline of economics. It argues that pluralism in fact is an ethical as well as scientific response to this theoretical crisis, and it develops the case for ethical guidelines that codify the pluralist responsibilities of an economist.