Fletcher Baragar

Hormones in self Tolerance and Autoimmunity: A role in the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Recent studies indicate that pituitary hormones play an important role in immunoregulation. The evidence that endocrine abnormalities are associated with, and may contribute to the development of autoimmune disease is reviewed and discussed. Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis show a number of endocrine abnormalities that indicate altered pituitary function. The decreased bioactivity of prolactin and possible inadequate glucocorticoid response to inflammation found in patients may have an etiological role in rheumatoid arthritis. The further clarification of the possible role of endocrine factors in the etiology of autoimmune disease is needed urgently.

Joan Robinson on Marx

This paper examines Joan Robinsons writings on Marx in order, first, to elucidate the nature of her interpretation of Marx, and, secondly, to consider the significance of Marx for her own research agenda. By focusing on the topics of value theory, effective demand and accumulation, the paper argues that Robinsons numerous criticisms of Marx are best viewed as being constructive, rather than destructive. She not only drew upon Marx for inspiration, but also endeavoured to pull Marx back into a position of prominence within economics so that his contributions can be put to use by those seeking to augment our understanding of capitalism.

Profit Without Accumulation

The first depression of the twenty-first century appears to contain some unusual properties in the United States. In the midst of an economy in its fourth year of oscillating between stagnation and recession, the companies in the Standard & Poors 500 stock index were expected to report record profits in 2011, and corporate profit as a share of the economy is at a fifty-year high. Productivity growth in the past decade, at more than 2.5 percent, is higher than in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. And yet there is little appetite or competitive drive to invest. Two questions come to mind: Why are profits high, and why not invest them? High rates of exploitation, low taxes, and speculation generate high profits in production, and rents captured from debt-laden households and commodity prices explain the high profitability. The divorce of the capitalist class from its domestic economy, the debts of which are so high as to make investments too uncertain, explains the low investment rate. The paper examines the theoretical implications of these developments, with particular attention to their implications for theorizing the capitalist drive to accumulate.

Anti-immunoglobulin analysis by diffusion patterns of inhibition and facilitation of complementary lysis in agar III. Anti-immunoglobulin diffusion-lysis patterns of normal human and rheumatoid sera☆

Abstract Diffusion-lysis tests on sera from normals, cases of active and inactive rheumatoid arthritis and a ‘miscellaneous’ group of general hospital patients indicated the presence in all sera of factors behaving as anti-immunoglobulins (anti-Igs) against configurationally changed immunoglobulin. There appeared to be two inhibiting and one facilitating anti-Ig in all sera and a fourth anti-Ig (inhibiting) in some sera. They were recognized by the appearance of rings of haemolysis of a degree either less or more than background haemolysis. The diameters of the various rings were used as parameters for comparing the groups of sera. One inhibiting anti-Ig (designated P1) is heat-stable. There is less of it in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) than in normal sera, and more of it in ‘miscellaneous’ than normal sera. A second inhibiting anti-Ig (P2) is heat-labile, and there is more of it in RA and ‘miscellaneous’ sera than in normal sera. A third anti-Ig (L/7S/F) is facilitating and heat-labile. Although the ring diameters for this anti-Ig are not significantly different in RA and normal sera, there is other evidence that suggests there is much more of it in RA than in normal sera. A fourth anti-Ig (P/7S/I/5), heat-stable and inhibiting, corresponds to classical rheumatoid factor; there is much of it in RA sera and very little in normal sera. The index P2/P1 is positively correlated with ESR, and P1 is negatively correlated with L/7S/F. The only anti-Ig which correlates with classical rheumatoid factor is P/7S/I/5. There is no significant correlation between P1 and P2. A hypothesis regarding the functional significance of these serum factors is presented.