Reduced costs with bisoprolol treatment for heart failure - An economic analysis of the second Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study (CIBIS-II)

Background Beta-blockers, used as an adjunctive to diuretics, digoxin and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, improve survival in chronic heart failure. We report a prospectively planned economic analysis of the cost of adjunctive beta-blocker therapy in the second Cardiac Insufficiency BIsoprolol Study (CIBIS II). Methods Resource utilization data (drug therapy, number of hospital admissions, length of hospital stay, ward type) were collected prospectively in all patients in CIBIS . These data were used to determine the additional direct costs incurred, and savings made, with bisoprolol therapy. As well as the cost of the drug, additional costs related to bisoprolol therapy were added to cover the supervision of treatment initiation and titration (four outpatient clinic/office visits). Per them (hospital bed day) costings were carried out for France, Germany and the U.K. Diagnosis related group costings were performed for France and the U.K. Our analyses took the perspective of a third party payer in France and Germany and the National Health Service in the U.K. Results Overall, fewer patients were hospitalized in the bisoprolol group, there were fewer hospital admissions perpatient hospitalized, fewer hospital admissions overall, fewer days spent in hospital and fewer days spent in the most expensive type of ward. As a consequence the cost of care in the bisoprolol group was 5-10% less in all three countries, in the per them analysis, even taking into account the cost of bisoprolol and the extra initiation/up-titration visits. The cost per patient treated in the placebo and bisoprolol groups was FF35 009 vs FF31 762 in France, DM11 563 vs DM10 784 in Germany and pound 4987 vs pound 4722 in the U.K. The diagnosis related group analysis gave similar results. Interpretation Not only did bisoprolol increase survival and reduce hospital admissions in CIBIS II, it also cut the cost of care in so doing. This `win-win' situation of positive health benefits associated with cost savings is Favourable from the point of view of both the patient and health care systems. These findings add further support for the use of beta-blockers in chronic heart failure

Thermal transformations of Cu–Mg (Zn)–Al(Fe) hydrotalcite-like materials into metal oxide systems and their catalytic activity in selective oxidation of ammonia to dinitrogen

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) containing $Mg^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$ or $Zn^{2+}$ cations in the $Me^{II}$ positions and $Al^{3+}$ and $Fe^{3+}$ in the $Me^{III}$ positions were synthesized by co- precipitation method. Detailed studies of thermal trans- formation of obtained LDHs into metal oxide systems were performed using high temperature X-ray diffraction in oxidising and reducing atmosphere, thermogravimetry coupled with mass spectrometry and temperature-pro- grammed reduction. The LDH samples calcined at 600 and 900 $^{o}\textrm{C}$ were tested in the role of catalysts for selective oxidation of ammonia into nitrogen and water vapour. It was shown that all copper congaing samples presented high catalytic activity and additionally, for the Cu–Mg–Al and Cu–Mg–Fe hydrotalcite samples calcined at 600 $^{o}\textrm{C}$ rela- tively high stability and selectivity to dinitrogen was obtained. An increase in calcination temperature to 900 $^{o}\textrm{C}$ resulted in a decrease of their catalytic activity, possibly due to formation of well-crystallised metal oxide phase which are less catalytically active in the process of selective oxidation of ammonia

Modelling of EMR data for Fe2+(S=2) ions in a [2Fe-2S] cluster in the reduced ferredoxin

The modelling techniques employed in this study utilize structural data to enable correlation of EMR data – described by the spin Hamiltonian (SH) and optical spectroscopy data – described by the crystal field (CF) Hamiltonian. These techniques enable also to predict magnetic and spectroscopic properties of 3dN ions, especially 3d4 and 3d6 ions, in various systems. Specific applications are considered for [Fe2+ and Fe3+] binuclear centres in [2Fe-2S] cluster in the reduced ferredoxin and related biological molecules. The background for model calculations of the zero-field splitting (ZFS) parameters and/or crystal field parameters and the capabilities of the two major techniques used will be presented in the full paper. Here, we present preliminary results of the microscopic spin Hamiltonian (MSH) modelling for Fe2+ (3d6) ions in the reduced ferredoxin

Spin Hamiltonian parameters for Co²⁺ ions in PbMoO₄ crystal - interplay between the fictitious spin S'=1/2 and the effective spin S̃ =3/2

The interplay between the fictitious spin S' = 1/2 and the effective spin S̃=3/2 for Co²⁺(3d⁷) ions is considered. The available experimental data on the Ze g_{i}' factors for the two Co²⁺ complexes in PbMoO₄ obtained using the fictitious "spin" S'=1/2 description serve for determination of the Zeeman g_{i} factors corresponding to the effective spin S̃ =3/2. The second-rank zero-field splitting parameters D and E (S̃ = 3/2) are also indirectly determined from the experimental EMR data by employing the formulas arising from projection of the g_{i}(S̃=3/2) factors onto the g_{i}'(S' = 1/2) factors. The so-determined second-rank zero-field splitting parameters and g_{i}(S̃ = 3/2) factors will enable comparison with the respective quantities obtained in a subsequent paper using a combined modeling approach

Arg-Thz is a minimal substrate for the N-alpha,N-alpha-arginyl methyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of plantazolicin

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.The final biosynthetic step towards plantazolicin (PZN) comprises Nα,Nα-arginyl methyltransferase (PznL) mediated N-terminal bismethylation. We show that PznL processes truncated desmethyl-plantazolicin analogues, but only those with an N-terminal guanidine side chain derived from arginine. PznL specificity, which is narrow, depends on the side chain of the N-terminal amino acid linked to an azole, and not so much on the number of azoles.DFG, EXC 314, Unifying Concepts in Catalysi

Thermal transformations of Cu–Mg (Zn)–Al(Fe) hydrotalcite-like materials into metal oxide systems and their catalytic activity in selective oxidation of ammonia to dinitrogen

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) containing Mg2+, Cu2+ or Zn2+ cations in the MeII positions and Al3+ and Fe3+ in the MeIII positions were synthesized by co-precipitation method. Detailed studies of thermal transformation of obtained LDHs into metal oxide systems were performed using high temperature X-ray diffraction in oxidising and reducing atmosphere, thermogravimetry coupled with mass spectrometry and temperature-programmed reduction. The LDH samples calcined at 600 and 900 °C were tested in the role of catalysts for selective oxidation of ammonia into nitrogen and water vapour. It was shown that all copper congaing samples presented high catalytic activity and additionally, for the Cu–Mg–Al and Cu–Mg–Fe hydrotalcite samples calcined at 600 °C relatively high stability and selectivity to dinitrogen was obtained. An increase in calcination temperature to 900 °C resulted in a decrease of their catalytic activity, possibly due to formation of well-crystallised metal oxide phases which are less catalytically active in the process of selective oxidation of ammonia