RNA Control of HIV-1 Particle Size Polydispersity

HIV-1, an enveloped RNA virus, produces viral particles that are known to be much more heterogeneous in size than is typical of non-enveloped viruses. We present here a novel strategy to study HIV-1 Viral Like Particles (VLP) assembly by measuring the size distribution of these purified VLPs and subsequent viral cores thanks to Atomic Force Microscopy imaging and statistical analysis. This strategy allowed us to identify whether the presence of viral RNA acts as a modulator for VLPs and cores size heterogeneity in a large population of particles. These results are analyzed in the light of a recently proposed statistical physics model for the self-assembly process. In particular, our results reveal that the modulation of size distribution by the presence of viral RNA is qualitatively reproduced, suggesting therefore an entropic origin for the modulation of RNA uptake by the nascent VLP

Policies for biosimilar uptake in Europe : an overview

Background: Across European countries, differences exist in biosimilar policies, leading to variations in uptake of biosimilars and divergences in savings all over Europe. Objectives: The aim of this article is to provide an overview of different initiatives and policies that may influence the uptake of biosimilars in different European countries. Recommendations will be formulated on how to create sustainable uptake. Methods: An overview of policies on biosimilars was obtained via a questionnaire, supplemented with relevant articles. Topics were organized in five themes: availability, pricing, reimbursement, demand-side policies, and recommendations to enhance uptake. Results: In all countries studied, biological medicines are available. Restrictions are mainly dependent on local organization of the healthcare system. Countries are willing to include biosimilars for reimbursement, but for commercial reasons they are not always marketed. In two thirds of countries, originator and biosimilar products may be subjected to internal reference pricing systems. Few countries have implemented specific incentives targeting physicians. Several countries are implementing pharmacist substitution; however, the scope and rules governing such substitution tend to vary between these countries. Reported educational policies tend to target primarily physicians, whereas fewer initiatives were reported for patients. Recommendations as proposed by the different country experts ranged from the need for information and communication on biosimilars to competitive pricing, more support for switching and guidance on substitution. Conclusions: Most countries have put in place specific supply-side policies for promoting access to biosimilars. To supplement these measures, we propose that investments should be made to clearly communicate on biosimilars and educate stakeholders. Especially physicians need to be informed on the entry and use of biosimilars in order to create trust. When physicians are well-informed on the treatment options, further incentives should be offered to prescribe biosimilars. Gainsharing can be used as an incentive to prescribe, dispense or use biosimilars. This approach, in combination with binding quota, may support a sustainable biosimilar market

Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds

Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world’s oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and nonbreeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging speciespublishedVersio

Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds

Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world’s oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and non-breeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging species

Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds

Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world’s oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and non-breeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging species

Strategies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis : what is the place of biosimilar drugs ?

Le coût des biomédicaments impacte lourdement le fardeau financier déjà important imposé par la polyarthrite rhumatoïde (PR) à la société. Le but de ce travail était de rechercher les motivations de la prescription des médicaments biosimilaires en rhumatologie, tout particulièrement pour prendre en charge les patients atteints de PR. Les travaux effectués ont permis d’estimer les économies annuelles réalisables en France avec le médicament biosimilaire de l’infliximab à 13,6 millions d’EUR, pour la seule prise en charge de la PR. Par ailleurs, une enquête menée auprès des rhumatologues et pharmaciens a permis d’identifier les principaux enjeux liés à l’utilisation de ces médicaments. Enfin, le suivi de leur utilisation en région Grand Est entre 2015 et 2016 rend compte de leur utilisation encore modeste. La mise sur le marché régulière de médicaments biosimilaires, combinée à l’expérience croissante des acteurs et aux dispositifs d’incitation mis en place, devraient permettre de faire progresser la part d’utilisation de ces médicaments dans les prochaines années, et de s’assurer qu’ils tiennent bien leurs engagements sur le plan des économies réalisées.Biological drugs are associated with high procurement costs and heavily impact the financial burden imposed by rheumatoid arthritis on society. The purpose of this work was to investigate the benefits of using biosimilar drugs in rheumatoid arthritis patients. This work showed the introduction of biosimilar infliximab could lead to substantial annual cost savings of up to €13.6 million nationally, to treat rheumatoid arthritis patients only. Moreover, a biosimilar survey involving rheumatologists and pharmacists allowed us to identify the main issues at stake. Finally, the monitoring of their use in Grand Est region between 2015 and 2016 account for their relatively low utilization rate. The regular launch of new biosimilar medicines, together with growing experience of healthcare players and incentive policies, should allow to increase biosimilar uptake in the future, and also to make sure they meet well their commitments in terms of savings generated

Strategies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis : what is the place of biosimilar drugs ?

Le coût des biomédicaments impacte lourdement le fardeau financier déjà important imposé par la polyarthrite rhumatoïde (PR) à la société. Le but de ce travail était de rechercher les motivations de la prescription des médicaments biosimilaires en rhumatologie, tout particulièrement pour prendre en charge les patients atteints de PR. Les travaux effectués ont permis d’estimer les économies annuelles réalisables en France avec le médicament biosimilaire de l’infliximab à 13,6 millions d’EUR, pour la seule prise en charge de la PR. Par ailleurs, une enquête menée auprès des rhumatologues et pharmaciens a permis d’identifier les principaux enjeux liés à l’utilisation de ces médicaments. Enfin, le suivi de leur utilisation en région Grand Est entre 2015 et 2016 rend compte de leur utilisation encore modeste. La mise sur le marché régulière de médicaments biosimilaires, combinée à l’expérience croissante des acteurs et aux dispositifs d’incitation mis en place, devraient permettre de faire progresser la part d’utilisation de ces médicaments dans les prochaines années, et de s’assurer qu’ils tiennent bien leurs engagements sur le plan des économies réalisées.Biological drugs are associated with high procurement costs and heavily impact the financial burden imposed by rheumatoid arthritis on society. The purpose of this work was to investigate the benefits of using biosimilar drugs in rheumatoid arthritis patients. This work showed the introduction of biosimilar infliximab could lead to substantial annual cost savings of up to €13.6 million nationally, to treat rheumatoid arthritis patients only. Moreover, a biosimilar survey involving rheumatologists and pharmacists allowed us to identify the main issues at stake. Finally, the monitoring of their use in Grand Est region between 2015 and 2016 account for their relatively low utilization rate. The regular launch of new biosimilar medicines, together with growing experience of healthcare players and incentive policies, should allow to increase biosimilar uptake in the future, and also to make sure they meet well their commitments in terms of savings generated

Stratégies de prise en charge de la polyarthrite rhumatoïde : quelle place pour les médicaments biosimilaires ?

Biological drugs are associated with high procurement costs and heavily impact the financial burden imposed by rheumatoid arthritis on society. The purpose of this work was to investigate the benefits of using biosimilar drugs in rheumatoid arthritis patients. This work showed the introduction of biosimilar infliximab could lead to substantial annual cost savings of up to €13.6 million nationally, to treat rheumatoid arthritis patients only. Moreover, a biosimilar survey involving rheumatologists and pharmacists allowed us to identify the main issues at stake. Finally, the monitoring of their use in Grand Est region between 2015 and 2016 account for their relatively low utilization rate. The regular launch of new biosimilar medicines, together with growing experience of healthcare players and incentive policies, should allow to increase biosimilar uptake in the future, and also to make sure they meet well their commitments in terms of savings generated.Le coût des biomédicaments impacte lourdement le fardeau financier déjà important imposé par la polyarthrite rhumatoïde (PR) à la société. Le but de ce travail était de rechercher les motivations de la prescription des médicaments biosimilaires en rhumatologie, tout particulièrement pour prendre en charge les patients atteints de PR. Les travaux effectués ont permis d’estimer les économies annuelles réalisables en France avec le médicament biosimilaire de l’infliximab à 13,6 millions d’EUR, pour la seule prise en charge de la PR. Par ailleurs, une enquête menée auprès des rhumatologues et pharmaciens a permis d’identifier les principaux enjeux liés à l’utilisation de ces médicaments. Enfin, le suivi de leur utilisation en région Grand Est entre 2015 et 2016 rend compte de leur utilisation encore modeste. La mise sur le marché régulière de médicaments biosimilaires, combinée à l’expérience croissante des acteurs et aux dispositifs d’incitation mis en place, devraient permettre de faire progresser la part d’utilisation de ces médicaments dans les prochaines années, et de s’assurer qu’ils tiennent bien leurs engagements sur le plan des économies réalisées

Flooding a landscape: impact of Holocene transgression on coastal sedimentology and underwater archaeology in Kiladha Bay (Greece)

Franchthi Cave, bordering Kiladha Bay, in Greece, is a key archaeological site, due to its long occupation time, from * 40,000 to * 5000 year BP. To date, no clear evidence of Neolithic human dwellings in the cave was found, supporting the assumption that Neolithic people may have built a village where there is now Kiladha Bay. During the Neolithic period/Early Holocene, wide areas of the bay were indeed emerged above sea level. Bathymetric and seismic data identified a terrace incised by a valley in * 1 to 2 m sediment depth. Eight sediment cores, up to 6.3-m-long, were retrieved and analysed using petrophysical, sedimentological, geochemical, and chronostratigraphic methods. The longest core extends into the exposure surface, consisting of a layer of carbonate rubble in a finer matrix, representing weathering processes. Dated organic remains place this unit at * 8500 cal year BP. It is overlain by stiff silty mud representing an estuarine environment. This mud is capped by reduced sediments with roots marking an exposure surface. A shell-layer, dated to * 6300 cal year BP, overlies this terrestrial sequence, reflecting the marine transgression. This layer occurs at 10.8 mbsl, 7.7 m deeper than the global sea level at that time, suggesting tectonic subsidence in the area. It is overlain by finer-grained marine carbonate-rich sediments. The top of the core shows traces of eutrophication, pebbles and marine shells, all likely a result of modern anthropogenic processes. These results are interpreted in the context of human occupation: the exposed surface contains pottery sherds, one dating to the Early to Middle Neolithic period, indicating that Neolithic people were present in this dynamic landscape interacting with a migrating coastline. Even if the artefacts are isolated, future investigations of the submerged landscape off Franchthi Cave might lead to the discovery of a Neolithic village, which eventually became buried under marine sediments