Handedness predicts Conservative-Republican preference and eliminates relations of Big Five personality to political orientation using the 48 contiguous American states as analytical units

The two present nomothetic studies focused on the period from 1996 to 2012 to determine relations between handedness and political orientation using the 48 contiguous American states as analytical units. The estimated percentage of left-handers in each state operationally defined handedness. A composite measure of Conservative-Republican preference was created from CBS/New York Times/Gallup polls of state resident conservatism and the percent in each state voting Republican in each presidential election from 1996 to 2012. Study 1 showed that state levels of left-handedness correlated to an extremely high degree with Conservative-Republican preference (r?=??.80). As well, with common demographic differences between states reflected in socioeconomic status, White population percent, and urban population percent controlled through multiple regression, handedness still accounted for an additional 37.2% of the variance in Conservative-Republican preference. Study 2 found that each of the Big Five personality variables correlated significantly with handedness and with Conservative-Republican preference, but in the opposite direction. Furthermore, Study 2 demonstrated quite surprisingly that all Big Five personality relations to Conservative-Republican preference were eliminated when handedness was controlled in multiple regression equations. For all regression equations, the global Moran’s I test specifically developed for detecting residual spatial autocorrelation indicated no significant spatial autocorrelation.     

Secukinumab for treatment of psoriasis: does secukinumab precipitate or promote the presentation of cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma?

Secukinumab is an interleukin (IL)‐17 monoclonal antibody inhibiting T‐helper (Th)1‐mediated immune response. It has proven high efficacy for moderate to severe psoriasis but data on its long‐term toxicities are limited. We describe two patients who received secukinumab for clinically presumed psoriasis, but were subsequently diagnosed with mycosis fungoides (MF) following skin biopsies triggered by skin deterioration while on secukinumab. Previous studies suggested decreased numbers of regulatory T cells (Tregs) with increasing stage of MF, which may lead to the shift in the Treg/Th17 balance towards the Th17 pathway. Theoretically, the use of IL‐17 monoclonal antibodies to inhibit Th17 pathway may lead to further immunosuppression and disease progression in cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma (CTCL) by shifting the balance towards Tregs, although this hypothesis has not been proven. With uncertainty over the role of IL‐17 and Treg/Th17 as well as diagnostic challenges in CTCL, we recommend that patients should have a confirmatory skin biopsy prior to the commencement of biologic therapy.