The Need to Legalize and Regulate Insider Trading - An Analysis

Insider trading is perceived as a problem across capital mar-kets. The Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) created the SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015, which criminalizes insider trading. However, insider trading laws have faced several problems at the implementation and enforcement stage. This article considers these problems from the viewpoint of the economic rationale that insider trading should be permitted in capital markets and thus le-galized. These economic arguments have largely been ig-nored by regulators who have continued to come down hard upon insider trading, despite limited success. Moreover, due to concerns related to privacy, insider trading investigations may face greater hurdles in the future. This article takes these factors and economic arguments into consideration and balances them against the regulators' concerns to suggest that insider trading be not only prima facie legalized, but also regulated when there is a breach of fiduciary duties or when there is a dissemination of positive information

A Surveillance Study on Culex sp. in Southeast Kansas and Prevalence of West Nile Virus in the Mosquito Population

West Nile virus (WNV) is the most common mosquito-borne disease in Kansas and the United States. Several species of mosquitoes are responsible for transmission of arboviruses but Culex species are the primary vector for WNV in Kansas and the United States. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 80 percent of people infected with WNV show no symptoms. But for the remaining 20 percent, symptoms can include headaches, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. Even less commonly, about one in every 150 people develop serious symptoms affecting the central nervous system, including brain and spinal inflamma­tion. This condition results in death in about 10 percent of those cases. There is currently neither a human vac­cine nor a cure for WNV, so the only thing you can do is avoid being bitten by a carrier mosquito. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announced that Kansas and neighboring states are becoming more and more hospitable to the Culex mosquitoes as average temperatures rise. The KDHE reports that, though there have not yet been any cases of WNV in 2018, from 1999 to 2017 there were 600 cases of the worst form of the disease in Kansas, including 30 deaths. In the KDHE’s latest announcement, the agency indicated that, based on historical human cases of the disease, half of the state is at a high risk for WNV infection, while the rest of the state is at a moderate risk

A pilot study on detection of lead in residential garden soil in tri-state mining area

Lead is toxic and a known human carcinogen, affecting millions of children in USA. Some of these effects on children includes permanent nervous system damage, and disabilities. High level of lead in soil may affect overall crop yield, soil health as well as health of the consumers. Our study focused on determining lead concentration in soil collected from residential gardens in Pittsburg (KS) and Alba (MO). With the background of mining in this tri-state area, this project aimed to increase community awareness on the soil quality and its potential impact on human and animal health. Soil was sampled from equal number of sites from both Pittsburg and Alba as well as control soil samples were collected from Pitcher (OK) chat piles. These samples were thoroughly dried and homogenized and tested for lead concentration using a commercially available kit (Industrial Test Systems Lead Soil Check) and also was analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy. Along with lead, other nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium levels and pH of the soil were also measured using Luster Leaf’s Rapitest Soil Test dip kit. Homeowners were provided with a short questionnaire survey regarding concern of lead exposure. Three out of a total of 24 subsites tested showed level of lead above the EPA guideline of 400 ppm. The data obtained will be shared with the owners and recommendations will be provided, if needed. A full-scale follow-up study will be conducted in future to enhance mindfulness among the community regarding environmental health

Bipolar spindle frequency and genome content are inversely regulated by the activity of two N-type kinesins in Entamoeba histolytica

Bipolar microtubular spindles are seen infrequently in Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites while monopolar or radial microtubular assemblies are common. Additionally, heterogeneity in nuclear DNA content and multi-nucleation is found in amoeba cells growing in axenic culture. Taken together these observations indicate that genome segregation is irregular in these cells. In order to identify proteins involved in regulating genome segregation, we have focused on studying E. histolytica homologues of kinesin motor proteins that are known to affect stability of bipolar mitotic spindles. We have demonstrated earlier that increased levels of the kinesin - Eh Klp5 - led to increased frequency of bipolar spindles accompanied with a reduction in the heterogeneity of genome content, showing that bipolar spindle frequency was inversely linked to genome content in E. histolytica. In this study, we have investigated the role of E. histolytica kinesins (Eh KlpA1, 2-4) in regulating bipolar spindle frequency and genome content. While downregulation of Eh Klp3, 4 and A1 showed no effect, downregulation of Eh Klp2 led to increased frequency of bipolar spindles and homogenization of genome content, similar to the effect of increased expression of Eh Klp5. In addition to microtubules, Eh Klp2-4 associated with F-actin in the cytoplasm, suggesting that these kinesins are multi-functional

Modulation of fluorophore environment in host membranes of varying charge

The net electrical charge of the biological membrane represents an important parameter in the organization, dynamics and function of the membrane. In this paper, we have characterized the change in the microenvironment experienced by a membrane-bound fluorescent probe when the charge of the phospholipids constituting the host membrane is changed from zwitterionic to cationic with minimal change in the chemical structure of the host lipid. In particular, we have explored the difference in the microenvironment experienced by the fluorescent probe 2-(9-anthroyloxy)stearic acid (2-AS) in model membranes of zwitterionic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and cationic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-ethylphosphocholine (EPOPC) which are otherwise chemically similar, using the wavelength-selective fluorescence approach and other fluorescence parameters. Our results show that the microenvironment experienced by a membrane probe such as 2-AS is different in POPC and EPOPC membranes, as reported by red edge excitation shift (REES) and other fluorescence parameters. The difference in environment encountered by the probe in the two cases could possibly be due to variation in hydration in the two membranes owing to different charges

Eh Klp5 is a divergent member of the kinesin 5 family that regulates genome content and microtubular assembly in Entamoeba histolytica

Earlier studies have established two unusual features in the cell division cycle of Entamoeba histolytica. First, microtubules form a radial assembly instead of a bipolar mitotic spindle, and second, the genome content of E. histolytica cells varied from 1X to 6X or more. In this study, Eh Klp5 was identified as a divergent member of the BimC kinesin family that is known to regulate formation and stabilization of the mitotic spindle in other eukaryotes. In contrast to earlier studies, we show here that bipolar microtubular spindles were formed in E. histolytica but were visible only in 8-12% of the cells after treatment with taxol. The number of bipolar spindles was significantly increased in Eh Klp5 stable transformants (20-25%) whereas Eh Klp5 double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) transformants did not show any spindles (< 1%). The genome content of Eh Klp5 stable transformants was regulated between 1X and 2X unlike control cells. Binucleated cells accumulated in Eh Klp5 dsRNA transformants and after inhibition of Eh Klp5 with small molecule inhibitors in control cells, suggesting that cytokinesis was delayed in the absence of Eh Klp5. Taken together, our results indicate that Eh Klp5 regulates microtubular assembly, genome content and cell division in E. histolytica. Additionally, Eh Klp5 showed alterations in its drug-binding site compared with its human homologue, Hs Eg5 and this was reflected in its reduced sensitivity to Eg5 inhibitors - monastrol and HR22C16 analogues

Insects in confined swine operations carry a large antibiotic resistant and potentially virulent enterococcal community

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Extensive use of antibiotics as growth promoters in the livestock industry constitutes strong selection pressure for evolution and selection of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. Unfortunately, the microbial ecology and spread of these bacteria in the agricultural, urban, and suburban environments are poorly understood. Insects such as house flies (<it>Musca domestica</it>) and German cockroaches (<it>Blattella germanica</it>) can move freely between animal waste and food and may play a significant role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistant bacteria within and between animal production farms and from farms to residential settings.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Enterococci from the digestive tract of house flies (<it>n </it>= 162), and feces of German cockroaches (<it>n </it>= 83) and pigs (<it>n </it>= 119), collected from two commercial swine farms were isolated, quantified, identified, and screened for antibiotic resistance and virulence. The majority of samples (93.7%) were positive for enterococci with concentrations 4.2 ± 0.7 × 10⁴CFU/house fly, 5.5 ± 1.1 × 10⁶CFU/g of cockroach feces, and 3.2 ± 0.8 × 10⁵CFU/g of pig feces. Among all the identified isolates (n = 639) <it>Enterococcus faecalis </it>was the most common (55.5%), followed by <it>E. hirae </it>(24.9%), <it>E. faecium </it>(12.8%), and <it>E. casseliflavus </it>(6.7%). <it>E. faecalis </it>was most prevalent in house flies and cockroaches, and <it>E. hirae </it>was most common in pig feces. Our data showed that multi-drug (mainly tetracycline and erythromycin) resistant enterococci were common from all three sources and frequently carried antibiotic resistance genes including <it>tet</it>(M) and <it>erm</it>(B) and Tn<it>916</it>/<it>1545 </it>transposon family. <it>E. faecalis </it>frequently harbored virulence factors <it>gelE, esp, </it>and <it>asa1</it>. PFGE analysis of selected <it>E. faecalis </it>and <it>E. faecium </it>isolates demonstrated that cockroaches and house flies shared some of the same enterococcal clones that were detected in the swine manure indicating that insects acquired enterococci from swine manure.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study shows that house flies and German cockroaches in the confined swine production environment likely serve as vectors and/or reservoirs of antibiotic resistant and potentially virulent enterococci and consequently may play an important role in animal and public health.</p

Genome re-duplication and irregular segregation occur during the cell cycle of Entamoeba histolytica

Heterogeneity of genome content is commonly observed in axenic cultures of Entamoeba histolytica. Cells with multiple nuclei and nuclei with heterogenous genome contents suggest that regulatory mechanisms that ensure alternation of DNA synthesis and mitosis are absent in this organism. Therefore, several endo-reduplicative cycles may occur without mitosis. The data also shows that unlike other endo-reduplicating organisms, E.histolytica does not undergo a precise number of endo-reduplicative cycles. We propose that irregular endo-reduplication and genome partitioning lead to heterogeneity in the genome content of E.histolytica trophozoites in their proliferative phase. The goal of future studies should be aimed at understanding the mechanisms that are involved in (a) accumulation of multiple genome contents in a single nucleus; (b) genome segregation in nuclei that contain multiple genome contents and (c) maintenance of genome fidelity in E. histolytica

Usability and Acceptability of an Electronic Clinical Decision Support Tool for Antibiotic Selection for Common Pediatric Infections in Outpatient Rural Healthcare Clinics

The purpose of this project was to determine the potential role of an electronic clinical decision support tool (ECDST) for optimizing antibiotic prescribing practices in rural clinical practice. The specific aim was to evalu­ate the usability and acceptability of an ECDST for antibiotic prescribing in pediatric patients in outpatient ru­ral health clinics. The data was collected from providers working with pediatric patients at Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas. The ECDST used in this project was found to have a high usability value and was accepted as a potential tool for clinical practice by the majority of the providers who used it

Prevalence and characterization of antibiotic resistant strains of Enterococcus spp. And Acinetobacter spp. in community household environment

With increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance threats, there is an upsurge in the occurrence of community-acquired infections. The purpose of this study is to assess the ecology and prevalence of Enterococcus spp. and Acinetobacter spp. (that are well-known antibiotic resistant nosocomial pathogens) in the household environment. Each household sampling kit contained 5 swabs for each of shoe bottom, restroom, cleaning supply, kitchen top, and door step/handle as well as a demographic data sheet to be filled up. A total of 30 such kits (n=150) have been processed. The swabs were subjected to enrichment using selective media for test bacterial species. A panel of antibiotics were selected for testing using disc-diffusion method. Twenty-two out of 30 (73%) and 28/30 (93%) kits were positive for growth of Enterococcus spp. and Acinetobacter spp., respectively. Door steps, cleaning supplies, and shoe soles (13-20%) were less frequently contaminated with enterococci compared to that of kitchen tops (16/30, 53%) and restrooms (12/30, 40%). Although majority of the locations swabbed were contaminated with suspected Acinetobacter spp., door step/handles were free of any selected microbe. Overall, 102/150 (68%) of the swabbed surfaces were contaminated with Acinetobacter spp. in contrast to 43/150 (28%) with enterococci. Biochemical tests confirmed identity of 34% (140 out of 408) Acinetobacter and 71% (123/172) Enterococcus isolates at the genus level. Susceptibility testing revealed 41 of each of Acinetobacter and enterococcal isolates were resistant to 3-6 antibiotics. Multi-drug resistant isolates are being tested for their capability of forming biofilms in 96-well microtiter plates along with their amylase and protease production using agar-media based assays. The antibiotic-resistant isolates will be genotyped and compared to their relative nosocomial strains. The community will be outreached with recommended cleaning protocol and stewardship in antibiotic consumption and resistance. The outcome of this study may help facilitate effective and appropriate antibiotic treatment against community-acquired infections