Background As part of the 2018 periodic review (“PR18”) of Network Rail, the Office of Rail and Road (“ORR”) is reviewing the way in which the charges that operators pay to access the rail network are calculated. This review ...

Background Periodic reviews are one of the principal mechanisms by which the Office of Rail and Road (“ORR”) holds Network Rail to account, and secures value for money for users and funders of the railway. The ORR’s periodic review...

(MENAFN - Costa Rica News) Citizens closed ranks with democracy to battle the Coronavirus pandemic; the image of public institutions also improved i... ......

As the globe contends with the coronavirus pandemic, still looming large now more than ever is the threat posed by Communist China, which is something Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) warns should not be taken lightly. ......

After suspending its passenger flights due to pandemic flight restrictions, Turkey's low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines announced on May 7 it has started cargo flights.

On Friday 17 April the FCA issued draft guidance on Buy-now pay-later (BNPL), rent-to-own (RTO) and pawnbroking. It proposes temporary financial relief for customers impacted by coronavirus and is intended to complement measures finalised on 9 April...

A weekly read to keep you in the loop on humanitarian issues.

Dorothy Tembo is Executive Director ad interim, International Trade Centre (ITC)

The post The Cost of Coronavirus in Africa: What Measures can Leaders Take? appeared first on Inter Press Service.

The catastrophic impact of the coronavirus on the State's economy is threatening another delay to the construction of the long-awaited new €350m National Maternity Hospital in Dublin.

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator A Rehman Malik has asked the government to bear the charges of coronavirus tests of the poor patients.He asked that the poor patients...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Microchip’s Low-Power Radiation-Tolerant (RT) PolarFire FPGA Enables High-Bandwidth Space Systems with Lower Total System Cost

Reduce Memory Costs and Retain Data at Power Loss with Microchip’s EERAM Memory Solutions

Trade facilitation, by reducing trade costs and raising the efficiency of moving goods across borders, is integral to international trade.

NEW DELHI: Low-cost housing, which found several mentions in BJP’s 2014 election manifesto, is likely to get infrastructure status, making it easier for real-estate developers to get finance from banks and for longer tenures, and eventually increasing the supply of houses. While developers are in favour of an infrastructure tag to the housing sector as a whole, the government is likely to grant it only to the low-cost segment, said a senior government official, who did not wish to be named. According to government definition, low-cost houses are those with an area of up to 40 sq metres. BJP’s manifesto talks about rolling out a massive low-cost housing programme to […]

Buying a house or any residential property in Noida will now be a costlier affair, as the Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities decided to hike the land allotment rate up to 10-12% at a board meeting on Monday. “We have increased the land allotment rate up to 10% in Noida in all categories, except for commercial properties. Rates of commercial property in Noida will not be increased because we want to correct the rates. “Land allotment rates will be hiked up to 12% in Yamuna expressway area. The rates are unchanged in Greater Noida because they saw an increase in February this year,” said Rama Raman, chairperson of Noida, Greater […]

Thousands of Oktoberfest visitors attend the traditional parade of people in Bavarian costumes that marks the second day of the rowdy party. Sharon Reich reports.

Title: Imaging Costs Soar for Medicare Cancer Patients
Category: Health News
Created: 4/27/2010 4:10:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 4/28/2010 12:00:00 AM

Title: Diabetes Costs Are High for Young People
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2011 11:01:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/29/2011 12:00:00 AM

Title: Dengue Fever a Major Cost Burden in Puerto Rico
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2012 6:05:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2012 12:00:00 AM

Title: Drugs Can Sometimes Prevent Migraines, but at a Cost
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2013 10:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/29/2013 12:00:00 AM

Title: Complications Fairly Common, Costly With Some Kidney Stone Treatments
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2014 9:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/29/2014 12:00:00 AM

Title: Complications Common, Costly With Some Kidney Stone Treatments
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2014 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2014 12:00:00 AM

Title: Norovirus a Costly Bug
Category: Health News
Created: 4/26/2016 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2016 12:00:00 AM

Title: Chicken Patties Sold at Costco Recalled
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/1/2017 12:00:00 AM

Title: Nevada Bill Aims to Limit Insulin Costs
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/2/2017 12:00:00 AM

Title: More Active Kids Could Save U.S. Billions in Health Costs: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 5/1/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/2/2017 12:00:00 AM

Title: Zika Epidemic in U.S. Could Be a Costly Scenario
Category: Health News
Created: 5/3/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/4/2017 12:00:00 AM

Title: Costs Would Keep 1 in 7 Americans From Seeking COVID-19 Treatment
Category: Health News
Created: 4/28/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/29/2020 12:00:00 AM

ABSTRACT

The profiling of gene expression by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has enabled powerful studies of global transcriptional patterns in all organisms, including bacteria. Because the vast majority of RNA in bacteria is rRNA, it is standard practice to deplete the rRNA from a total RNA sample such that the reads in an RNA-seq experiment derive predominantly from mRNA. One of the most commonly used commercial kits for rRNA depletion, the Ribo-Zero kit from Illumina, was recently discontinued abruptly and for an extended period of time. Here, we report the development of a simple, cost-effective, and robust method for depleting rRNA that can be easily implemented by any lab or facility. We first developed an algorithm for designing biotinylated oligonucleotides that will hybridize tightly and specifically to the 23S, 16S, and 5S rRNAs from any species of interest. Precipitation of these oligonucleotides bound to rRNA by magnetic streptavidin-coated beads then depletes rRNA from a complex, total RNA sample such that ~75 to 80% of reads in a typical RNA-seq experiment derive from mRNA. Importantly, we demonstrate a high correlation of RNA abundance or fold change measurements in RNA-seq experiments between our method and the Ribo-Zero kit. Complete details on the methodology are provided, including open-source software for designing oligonucleotides optimized for any bacterial species or community of interest.

IMPORTANCE The ability to examine global patterns of gene expression in microbes through RNA sequencing has fundamentally transformed microbiology. However, RNA-seq depends critically on the removal of rRNA from total RNA samples. Otherwise, rRNA would comprise upward of 90% of the reads in a typical RNA-seq experiment, limiting the reads coming from mRNA or requiring high total read depth. A commonly used kit for rRNA subtraction from Illumina was recently unavailable for an extended period of time, disrupting routine rRNA depletion. Here, we report the development of a "do-it-yourself" kit for rapid, cost-effective, and robust depletion of rRNA from total RNA. We present an algorithm for designing biotinylated oligonucleotides that will hybridize to the rRNAs from a target set of species. We then demonstrate that the designed oligonucleotides enable sufficient rRNA depletion to produce RNA-seq data with 75 to 80% of reads coming from mRNA. The methodology presented should enable RNA-seq studies on any species or metagenomic sample of interest.

The current coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, raises important questions as to whether pre-morbid use or continued administration of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) affects the outcomes of acute respiratory infections due to coronavirus. Many physicians are concerned about whether individuals positive for SARS-CoV-2 and taking ICS should continue them or stop them, given that ICS are often regarded as immunosuppressive. A number of key questions arise. Are people with asthma or COPD at increased risk of developing COVID-19? Do ICS modify this risk, either increasing or decreasing it? Do ICS influence the clinical course of COVID-19? (figure 1). Whether ICS modify the risk of developing COVID-19 or the clinical course of COVID-19 in people who do not have lung disease should also be considered (figure 1).

Introduction

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) achieve disease control in the majority of asthmatic patients, although adherence to prescribed ICS is often poor. Patients with severe eosinophilic asthma may require treatment with oral corticosteroids (OCS) and/or biologic agents such as mepolizumab. It is unknown if ICS adherence changes on, or alters clinical response to, biologic therapy.

A growing literature at the intersection of personality psychology and behavioral economics investigates the interplay between personality and decision making in social dilemmas (1, 2). Engelmann et al. (3) extend prior research in this area by investigating the role of antisocial personality in the context of a trust game with...

Inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)–based therapy is often used for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, this approach is under scrutiny because of ICS overuse in patients for whom it is not recommended and because of concerns about adverse events, particularly pneumonia, with long-term ICS use. Evidence suggests ICS may be beneficial in specific patients, namely, those with high blood eosinophil counts (eg, ≥300 cells/µL) or who are at a high risk of exacerbations. According to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2020 ABCD assessment tool, these patients belong in group D. For these patients, recommended initial treatment includes ICS in combination with long-acting β2-agonists (LABAs) when blood eosinophil counts are ≥300 cells/µL or LABA + long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) when patients are highly symptomatic, that is, with greater dyspnea and/or exercise limitation. Follow-up treatments for patients with persistent dyspnea and/or exacerbations may include LABA + ICS, LABA + LAMA, or LABA + LAMA + ICS, with use of ICS being guided by blood eosinophil counts. In this review, differences in the inflammatory mechanism underlying COPD and asthma and the role of ICS treatment in COPD are summarized. Furthermore, findings from recent clinical trials where use of ICS-based dual or triple therapy in COPD was compared with LABA + LAMA therapy and trials in which ICS withdrawal was evaluated in patients with COPD are reviewed. Finally, a step-by-step guide for ICS withdrawal in patients who are unlikely to benefit from this treatment is proposed. A video of the author discussing the overall takeaway of the review article could be downloaded from the link provided: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq7Sr5jqPDI.

Technology in bioanalysis, -omics, and computation have evolved over the past half century to allow for comprehensive assessments of the molecular to whole body pharmacology of diverse corticosteroids. Such studies have advanced pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) concepts and models that often generalize across various classes of drugs. These models encompass the "pillars" of pharmacology, namely PK and target drug exposure, the mass-law interactions of drugs with receptors/targets, and the consequent turnover and homeostatic control of genes, biomarkers, physiologic responses, and disease symptoms. Pharmacokinetic methodology utilizes noncompartmental, compartmental, reversible, physiologic [full physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) and minimal PBPK], and target-mediated drug disposition models using a growing array of pharmacometric considerations and software. Basic PK/PD models have emerged (simple direct, biophase, slow receptor binding, indirect response, irreversible, turnover with inactivation, and transduction models) that place emphasis on parsimony, are mechanistic in nature, and serve as highly useful "top-down" methods of quantitating the actions of diverse drugs. These are often components of more complex quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) models that explain the array of responses to various drugs, including corticosteroids. Progressively deeper mechanistic appreciation of PBPK, drug-target interactions, and systems physiology from the molecular (genomic, proteomic, metabolomic) to cellular to whole body levels provides the foundation for enhanced PK/PD to comprehensive QSP models. Our research based on cell, animal, clinical, and theoretical studies with corticosteroids have provided ideas and quantitative methods that have broadly advanced the fields of PK/PD and QSP modeling and illustrates the transition toward a global, systems understanding of actions of diverse drugs.

Eligibility criteria for a biologic treatment for severe asthma include poor disease control despite a full medication plan according to Global Initiative for Asthma steps 4–5 [1]. Adherence to inhaled therapy should be verified as part of that prescription requirement [2]. In fact, it has been demonstrated that poor adherence is a major cause of uncontrolled asthma, regardless of its severity [3]. Furthermore, biologics do not exert a disease-modifying effect [4]; in contrast to allergen immunotherapy, which is able to permanently modulate the way the immune system reacts to allergens beyond the immunotherapy treatment course [5], biologic therapy withdrawal usually leads to asthma relapse [4]. Thus, a low adherence rate to inhaled treatment in patients undergoing biologic therapy raises some issues related to sustainability.

ABSTRACTBackground:A significant number of girls are married as children, which negatively impacts their health, education, and development. Given the sheer numbers of girls at risk of child marriage globally, the challenge to eliminate the practice is daunting. Programs to prevent child marriage are typically small-scale and overlook the costs and scalability of the intervention.Implementation:This study tested and costed different approaches to preventing child marriage in rural Burkina Faso and Tanzania. The approaches tested were community dialogue, provision of school supplies, provision of a livestock asset, a model including all components, and a control arm. A quasi-experimental design was employed with surveys undertaken at baseline and after 2 years of intervention. We examined the prevalence of child marriage and school attendance controlling for background characteristics and stratified by age group. Programmatic costs were collected prospectively.Results:Among those in the community dialogue arm in Burkina Faso, girls aged 15 to 17 years had two-thirds less risk (risk ratio [RR]=0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.19, 0.60) of being married and girls aged 12 to 14 years had a greater chance of being in school (RR=1.18; 95% CI=1.07,1.29) compared to the control site. In Tanzania, girls aged 12 to 14 years residing in the multicomponent arm had two-thirds less risk of being married (RR=0.33; 95% CI=0.11, 0.99), and girls 15 to 17 in the conditional asset location had half the risk (RR=0.52; 95% CI=0.30, 0.91). All the interventions tested in Tanzania were associated with increased risk of girls 12 to 14 years old being in school, and the educational promotion arm was also associated with a 30% increased risk of girls aged 15 to 17 years attending school (RR=1.3; 95% CI=1.01, 1.67). Costs per beneficiary ranged from US$9 to US$117.Conclusion:The study demonstrates that minimal, low-cost approaches can be effective in delaying child marriage and increasing school attendance. However, community dialogues need to be designed to ensure sufficient quality and intensity of messaging. Program managers should pay attention to the cost, quality, and coverage of interventions, especially considering that child marriage persists in the most hard-to-reach rural areas of many countries.

Patients with hematologic cancers have improved outcomes after treatment with bispecific antibodies that bind to CD3 on T cells and that redirect T cells toward cancer cells. However, clinical benefit against solid tumors remains to be shown. We made a bispecific antibody that targets both the common prostate tumor–specific antigen PSMA and CD3 (PMSAxCD3) and provide evidence for tumor inhibition in several preclinical solid tumor models. Mice expressing the human extracellular regions of CD3 and PSMA were generated to examine antitumor efficacy in the presence of an intact immune system and PSMA expression in normal tissues. PSMAxCD3 accumulated in PSMA-expressing tissues and tumors as detected by immuno-PET imaging. Although PSMAxCD3 induced T-cell activation and showed antitumor efficacy in mice with low tumor burden, PSMAxCD3 lost efficacy against larger solid tumors, mirroring the difficulty of treating solid tumors in the clinic. Costimulatory receptors can enhance T-cell responses. We show here that costimulation can enhance the antitumor efficacy of PSMAxCD3. In particular, 4-1BB stimulation in combination with PSMAxCD3 enhanced T-cell activation and proliferation, boosted efficacy against larger tumors, and induced T-cell memory, leading to durable antitumor responses. The combination of CD3 bispecific antibodies and anti-4-1BB costimulation represents a therapeutic approach for the treatment of solid tumors.

Background:

Drugs are the fastest growing cost in the Canadian health care system, owing to the increasing number of high-cost drugs. The objective of this study was to examine the characteristics of high–drug-cost beneficiaries of public drug plans across Canada relative to other beneficiaries.

Ovarian cancer imposes a substantial health and economic burden. We systematically reviewed current health-economic evidence for ovarian cancer early detection or prevention strategies. Accordingly, we searched relevant databases for cost-effectiveness studies evaluating ovarian cancer early detection or prevention strategies. Study characteristics and results including quality-adjusted life years (QALY), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) were summarized in standardized evidence tables. Economic results were transformed into 2017 Euros. The included studies (N = 33) evaluated ovarian cancer screening, risk-reducing interventions in women with heterogeneous cancer risks and genetic testing followed by risk-reducing interventions for mutation carriers. Multimodal screening with a risk-adjusted algorithm in postmenopausal women achieved ICERs of 9,800–81,400 Euros/QALY, depending on assumptions on mortality data extrapolation, costs, test performance, and screening frequency. Cost-effectiveness of risk-reducing surgery in mutation carriers ranged from cost-saving to 59,000 Euros/QALY. Genetic testing plus risk-reducing interventions for mutation carriers ranged from cost-saving to 54,000 Euros/QALY in women at increased mutation risk. Our findings suggest that preventive surgery and genetic testing plus preventive surgery in women at high risk for ovarian cancer can be considered effective and cost-effective. In postmenopausal women from the general population, multimodal screening using a risk-adjusted algorithm may be cost-effective.

For almost first-time home buyers, owning a home can be a very rewarding experience. With a little caution and some attention to detail, you can avoid costly mistakes.

With the acquisition of a start-up specialising in encrypted messaging and cloud services, Zoom will finally be able to make good on its claims of offering end-to-end encryption.

Although 50 doesn't keep in touch with Marquise, he is close to his seven-year-old son Sire, whom he fathered with model Daphne Joy.

PIERS MORGAN launched another blistering attack on Boris Johnson, accusing the prime minister of encouraging the public to break the lockdown through "absurdly reckless" leaks to the media.

Siemens stock surged on Friday after the German engineering company said it was speeding up cost savings to tackle the coronavirus downturn and the flotation of its energy business remained on track.

A potentially deadly disease affecting olive trees in Europe could take a huge economic toll in the next five decades, researchers have said.

UK businesses have furloughed 3.8 million workers during the coronavirus lockdown, Downing Street has said.