Limited Options to Manage Specialty Drug Spending

Outlines rising trends in costs of and spending on specialty drugs; health plans' efforts to curb specialty drug spending, including patient cost sharing and utilization management; and efforts to integrate medical and pharmaceutical coverage

Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance: Down, But Not Out

Presents findings from twelve metropolitan areas about employers' efforts to control employee healthcare costs in response to the recession and national healthcare reform by firm size. Projects employer trends through 2014, including greater cost sharing

Isolation, purification, characterization and applications of serine protease from Bacillus megaterium

Bacillus megaterium isolated from poultry farm soil was identified by standard biochemical tests and screened for the production of serine protease. Production of serine protease was done using 5 different medias by varying the type of amino acid added. The purification was done by salt precipitation, dialysis and DEAEcellulose ion exchange chromatography. The proline containing media obtained the highest fold purification out of the five different medias (leucine, lysine, proline, tryptophan and methionine cotaining media). The enzyme showedan optimal activity at the temperature 37°C and the pH 6 which are known as its optimum temperature and pH respectively. The enzyme was proved as a Mn2+ dependent serine protease as it was activated by Mn2+ ions and inhibited by PMSF. The molecular weight of the enzyme was determined by SDS-PAGE technique as around 30kDa. It showed an excellent detergent activity on the blood stains and a very good stability in presence of locally available detrgents. The enzyme acted on the keratin protein of the chicken feather and showed a degrading capacity on the protein. So it was proved that the recently studied serine protease has a keratinase activity also. From these datas I conclude that the protease isolated from Bacillus megaterium is a Mn2+ dependent serine protease which has both keratinase and detergent activity

Xiap Inhibitor and Antiestrogen Embelin Abrogates Metastasis and Augments Apoptosis in Estrogen Receptor Positive Human Breast Adenocarcinoma Cell Line MCF-7

Tamoxifen therapy for the treatment of hormone responsive breast cancer has limitations due to acquired resistance in the case of recurrences. Embelin, a known inhibitor of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) was also reported to exhibit strong antiestrogenic effects in animal models. Dual role of embelin as a proapoptotic and antiestrogenic agent may have potential benefits in the therapy of breast cancer. In this study, the effects of embelin treatment on estrogen receptor positive Human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cells was investigated to primarily understand if embelin being an antiestrogen and XIAP inhibitor could be a potential alternative to tamoxifen therapy. Results revealed that, embelin at a concentration of 65 μg/ml attenuated proliferation, inhibited metastatic migration, modulated the expression of Bcl2, Caspases and induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells which was found to be p53 mediated. Hence, chemotherapy with embelin could be a promising strategy to be experimented in hormone responsive breast cancers

Short-term impact of aged garlic extract on endothelial function in diabetes: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Impaired endothelial function portends an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Vascular oxidative stress and systemic inflammation play a critical role in the pathogenesis and progression of vascular disease. Aged garlic extract (AGE) may improve impaired vascular endothelial function, while decreasing the progression of atherosclerotic plaque. We hypothesized that AGE may improve endothelial function, and in this study, we examined this hypothesis to determine whether this can be achieved over a period of 3 months, measured by the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), by reducing intracellular oxidant stress and stimulating nitric oxide generation in endothelial cells. We conducted a double-blinded placebo controlled, randomized clinical trial to investigate the effects of AGE on CAVI in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. A total of 65 individuals (38 men and 27 women) with a mean age of 58.8±11.1 years were enrolled and randomized to the AGE or placebo group in a double-blind placebo controlled trial. An ANOVA model with treatment as the main effect was used to compare changes in CAVI from baseline to follow-up between groups. The primary objective of this study was reduction in CAVI over a 3-month period. In the AGE group, CAVI was reduced on average by 0.71±1.27 vs. a mean reduction of 0.13±0.94 in the placebo group (P=0.04). On the whole, this study demonstrates that AGE has a positive impact on endothelial function in patients with T2DM and may play a role in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease

Loss of α-Synuclein Does Not Affect Mitochondrial Bioenergetics in Rodent Neurons.

Increased α-synuclein (αsyn) and mitochondrial dysfunction play central roles in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD), and lowering αsyn is under intensive investigation as a therapeutic strategy for PD. Increased αsyn levels disrupt mitochondria and impair respiration, while reduced αsyn protects against mitochondrial toxins, suggesting that interactions between αsyn and mitochondria influences the pathologic and physiologic functions of αsyn. However, we do not know if αsyn affects normal mitochondrial function or if lowering αsyn levels impacts bioenergetic function, especially at the nerve terminal where αsyn is enriched. To determine if αsyn is required for normal mitochondrial function in neurons, we comprehensively evaluated how lowering αsyn affects mitochondrial function. We found that αsyn knockout (KO) does not affect the respiration of cultured hippocampal neurons or cortical and dopaminergic synaptosomes, and that neither loss of αsyn nor all three (α, β and γ) syn isoforms decreased mitochondria-derived ATP levels at the synapse. Similarly, neither αsyn KO nor knockdown altered the capacity of synaptic mitochondria to meet the energy requirements of synaptic vesicle cycling or influenced the localization of mitochondria to dopamine (DA) synapses in vivo. Finally, αsyn KO did not affect overall energy metabolism in mice assessed with a Comprehensive Lab Animal Monitoring System. These studies suggest either that αsyn has little or no significant physiological effect on mitochondrial bioenergetic function, or that any such functions are fully compensated for when lost. These results implicate that αsyn levels can be reduced in neurons without impairing (or improving) mitochondrial bioenergetics or distribution

Solar and Heliospheric Physics with the Square Kilometre Array

The fields of solar radiophysics and solar system radio physics, or radio heliophysics, will benefit immensely from an instrument with the capabilities projected for SKA. Potential applications include interplanetary scintillation (IPS), radio-burst tracking, and solar spectral radio imaging with a superior sensitivity. These will provide breakthrough new insights and results in topics of fundamental importance, such as the physics of impulsive energy releases, magnetohydrodynamic oscillations and turbulence, the dynamics of post-eruptive processes, energetic particle acceleration, the structure of the solar wind and the development and evolution of solar wind transients at distances up to and beyond the orbit of the Earth. The combination of the high spectral, time and spatial resolution and the unprecedented sensitivity of the SKA will radically advance our understanding of basic physical processes operating in solar and heliospheric plasmas and provide a solid foundation for the forecasting of space weather events.Comment: 15 pages, Proceedings of Advancing Astrophysics with the Square Kilometre Array (AASKA14). 9 -13 June, 2014. Giardini Naxos, Italy. Online at http://pos.sissa.it/cgi-bin/reader/conf.cgi?confid=215, id.16

Macro Flora & Fauna of the Gulf of Mannar a checklist

The Gulf of Mannar (GoM) located along the south eastern tip of India falls in the Indo-Pacific realm and is one of the richest regions in the world from a marine biodiversity perspective. The region has a distinctive socio-economic and cultural profile shaped by its geography. It has an ancient maritime history and was famous for the production of pearls, an important item in trade with the Roman Empire as early as the first century AD. Rameshwaram along the GoM with its links to the legend Ramayana is an important pilgrim centre. The region has been and continues to be famous for its production of Indian sacred chanks. It has unique ecosystems mainly consisting of coral reefs, sea grass beds, salt marshes and mangroves which constitute important habitats for many species of commercially important finfishes and shellfishes. The GoM was established as a Biosphere Reserve (the first marine biosphere reserve in south and south east Asia) by 1989 by the Indian Government and the state of Tamil Nadu. A biosphere reserve is an area that is indented to secure the fundamental diversity of life in a region while continuing to advocate in economic growth. The overall objective of this Marine Biosphere Reserve is to conserve the Gulf of Mannar's globally significant assemblage of coastal and marine biodiversity and to integrate biodiversity conservation into coastal zone management plans. Thus, the GoM in addition to being a national priority also assumes global significance

Real-Time Adaptive Event Detection in Astronomical Data Streams

A new generation of observational science instruments is dramatically increasing collected data volumes in a range of fields. These instruments include the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), terrestrial sensor networks, and NASA satellites participating in "decadal survey"' missions. Their unprecedented coverage and sensitivity will likely reveal wholly new categories of unexpected and transient events. Commensal methods passively analyze these data streams, recognizing anomalous events of scientific interest and reacting in real time. Here, the authors report on a case example: Very Long Baseline Array Fast Transients Experiment (V-FASTR), an ongoing commensal experiment at the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) that uses online adaptive pattern recognition to search for anomalous fast radio transients. V-FASTR triages a millisecond-resolution stream of data and promotes candidate anomalies for further offline analysis. It tunes detection parameters in real time, injecting synthetic events to continually retrain itself for optimum performance. This self-tuning approach retains sensitivity to weak signals while adapting to changing instrument configurations and noise conditions. The system has operated since July 2011, making it the longest-running real-time commensal radio transient experiment to date

Microstructure of selective laser melted CM247LC nickel-based superalloy and its evolution through heat treatment

The selective laser melting of high temperature alloys is of great interest to the aerospace industry as it offers the prospect of producing more complex geometries than can be achieved with other manufacturing methods. In this study, the microstructure of the nickel-based superalloy, CM247LC, has been characterised following selective laser melting and after a post deposition heat-treatment below the γʹ solvus temperature. In the as-deposited state, scanning electron microscopy with electron backscatter diffraction revealed a fine, cellular microstructure with preferential alignment of along the build direction. A high dislocation density was seen at the periphery of the cells, indicating substantial localised deformation of the material. Fine primary MC carbides were also observed in the inter-cellular regions. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy identified the occurrence of very fine γʹ precipitates, approximately 5 nm in diameter, dispersed within the gamma phase. After heat treatment, the elongated cell colonies were observed to partially coalesce, accompanied by a decrease in dislocation density, producing columnar grains along the build direction. Cuboidal γʹ precipitates approximately 500 nm in diameter were observed to form in the recrystallised grains, accompanied by larger γʹ precipitates on the grain boundaries.The authors acknowledge funding from the EU under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) through the ASLAM project (CfP topic number: JTI-CS-2013-01-SAGE-06-006Project reference number: 619993). The authors would also like to acknowledge Rolls-Royce plc. for providing conventionally cast CM247LC.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2016.02.00