Antidepressant drugs: evaluation of price variation

Background: Drugs are available in many different brands and costs of all brands are different. Patients of depression have to take the antidepressant drug for a long duration. If the cost of a drug is high patient has to pay more money for complete treatment. It can result in noncompliance and treatment failure. This study was aimed to evaluate the cost of antidepressant drugs of different classes and to analyze price variation in various antidepressant drugs available in India. Hence, we decided to do the study of price variations of antidepressant drugs.Methods: We had evaluated the cost of a different class of antidepressant drugs. Current Index of Medical Specialties October-December 2014 and Indian Drug Review 2015 issue 1 drug manuals were used to derive the cost of antidepressant drugs. Data about the cost of antidepressant drugs were collected for all the strength and dosage forms. The maximum price and minimum price for the different antidepressant drugs were identified, and calculation for the percentage of price variation was done.Results: Maximum percentage of price variation in different groups were 900% in reboxetine 2 mg (tricyclic antidepressants group), 495.23% in escitalopram 10 mg (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors group), 318.66% in duloxetine 20 mg capsules (serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors group), 243.58% in moclobemide 150 mg tablet (reversible monoamine oxidase-A inhibitor), 84.93% in bupropion 150 mg sustained-release tablet (atypical antidepressants group). In combination escitalopram 10 mg + clonazepam 0.5 mg shows maximum price variation of 1101.92%.Conclusion: Price variation was wide for antidepressant drugs. Generic drug prescribing can decrease the expenditure of patient on the drug. Prescribers should be provided updated knowledge of the cost of different drugs. Modifications in pharmaceutical policy are required, and prices of the drug should be controlled in effective way for all the drugs

The effect of surveillance and appreciative inquiry on puerperal infections : a longitudinal cohort study in India

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Cryogenic acceptance tests of SST-1 superconducting coils

Toroidal field (TF) and poloidal field (PF) coils of steady-state superconducting tokamak (SST-1) have been fully refurbished to ensure cryostable and low-dc-resistance interpancake and intercoil joints, helium leak tightness of the winding pack, and \u3e 10 MΩ winding pack to ground insulation resistance under cold conditions. As per SST-1 mission mandate, all TF coils and PF3 Top had been cold tested at full operational parameters. A dedicated large coil test facility was integrated for these tests. Specially adapted solutions such as magnet preparation cum transport stand, demountable busbar supports, demountable sensor mountings, reusable joints for busbar connections inside cryostat, etc., were developed. These measures led to timely and successful completion of cold tests and integration of the magnet system on to the SST-1 machine shell. The functionality of various diagnostics of the magnet system was also established during these tests. Details of coil refurbishment, test facility, test campaigns, and some important test results are reported in this paper

Giant Frontal Osteoma: Case Report with Review of Literature

Diagnosis of frontal osteoma is usually by chance, but rarely these can produce exceptional ophthalmologic and neurological complications apart from cosmetic disfigurement. Etiology of frontal osteoma may be multifactorial. Surgical management should be site and size specific. A combination of open surgery and endoscopic methods would help confirm complete removal of the tumor. Here we report a fronto-ethmoidal osteoma of size 7.1 × 5.3 × 5.1 cm which is one of the largest reported in literature. Also, we have done an extensive web search and text based review of the literature on frontal osteoma in terms of its incidence, etiology, pathology, clinical presentation, complications and important developments in management. The available literature and our own experience suggest that even large osteoma arising in the fronto-ethmoid region can be completely removed surgically with minimum complications. The surgical approach can be varied according to the extent of the tumor and patient considerations. A regular follow up is necessary in asymptomatic cases being treated conservatively, in view of the potential complications

Activation of Wnt5A signaling is required for CXC chemokine ligand 12–mediated T-cell migration

Chemokines mediate the signaling and migration of T cells, but little is known about the transcriptional events involved therein. Microarray analysis of CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL) 12−treated T cells revealed that Wnt ligands are significantly up-regulated during CXCL12 treatment. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis confirmed that the expression of noncanonical Wnt pathway members (eg, Wnt5A) was specifically up-regulated during CXCL12 stimulation, whereas β-catenin and canonical Wnt family members were selectively down-regulated. Wnt5A augmented signaling through the CXCL12-CXCR4 axis via the activation of protein kinase C. Moreover, Wnt5A expression was required for CXCL12–mediated T-cell migration, and rWnt5A sensitized human T cells to CXCL12-induced migration. Furthermore, Wnt5A expression was also required for the sustained expression of CXCR4. These results were further supported in vivo using EL4 thymoma metastasis as a model of T-cell migration. Together, these data demonstrate that Wnt5A is a critical mediator of CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling and migration in human and murine T cells