Northern Rock: The Crisis of a UK Mortgage Lender

The global market liquidity squeeze for securities that initiated in 2007 has increased pressure among banks to sell, pushed down prices, and impacted the market for interbank loans, leading to a funding gap at Northern Rock, Britain’s fifth largest mortgage bank. This paper presents an analysis of the events that lead to the collapse of Northern Rock in the second half of 2007 and its rescue by the UK Government towards the end of the same year and the beginning of 2008. The paper presents the implications and banking reforms proposed by the UK financial authorities.financial crisis, banking reforms, financial regulation

SCREENING FOR IODINE DEFICIENCY – MORE THAN A MEDICAL APPROACH

Working as a team began more and more important in many fields, including medicine. After an era of fragmentation, when the need of deepen the knowledge led to supra-specialization, we witness now the reassembly of these distinct parts, in order to obtain a comprehensive view. This is true not only for research, but also for the clinical practice. We present the building of a team who started with a screening and continued with other evaluations in a city from the eastern part of Romania. The goal of the study was to evaluate the iodine status in a former iodine deficient area. Two parameters were necessary, evaluation of thyroid volume and urinary iodine in a representative group of children. The initial pure endocrinological team increased by adopting new members: medical (nurses, epidemiologist, biochemist) and non-medical (schoolteachers). The results induced new studies and the team had growth and proved the utility of interdisciplinarity

Studiul biochimic la genotipurile de Hyssopus officinalis l. din Republica Moldova

Centrul Științifico-Practic în domeniul Plantelor Medicinale, USMF „Nicolae Testemiţanu”Background. H. officinalis L. - medicinal, culinary plant widespread in Europe and Asia. The main phenolic compounds are flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids, with carminative, tonic, antiseptic, expectorant and antitussive properties. Objective of the study. Chemical study of plant products and dry extracts obtained from aerial parts of H. officinalis genotypes from the collection of SPCFMP. Material and Methods. The aerial parts of 3 genotypes of H. officinalis (cyaneus, ruber, albus) were collected. The dried extracts were obtained by fractional maceration with shaking. Phenolic compounds were identified by thin layer chromatography. The total phenolic acids with Arnow reagent and the total polyphenols with Folin-Ciocalteu reagent were determined spectrophotometrically. Results. Were identified rutozide (Rf = 0,93), caffeic (Rf = 0,21) and chlorogenic (Rf = 0,47) acids in dried extracts obtained from Hyssopi herba with white, pink and blue flowers. The maximum concentration of hydroxycinnamic acids was in the plant product and dry extract of H. officinalis (albus) - 1.48 and 3.01 mg/g, followed by H. officinalis (ruber) - 1.19 and 2.92 mg/g and H. officinalis (cyaneus) - 1.015 and 2.85 mg/g. The total polyphenols were higher in the dried extract of Hyssopi herba with blue flowers (39,06 mg/g), followed by the dried extracts of Hyssopi herba with white flowers (36,11 mg/g) and Hyssopi herba with pink flowers (33,08 mg/g). Conclusion. H. officinalis (cyaneus, ruber and albus) grown in the Republic of Moldova are important sources of active substances of medicinal interest, but require several biochemical studies to confirm their therapeutic potential. Research was carried out within the framework of the State Programme Project number 20.80009.8007.24.Introducere. H. officinalis L. – plantă medicinală, culinară răspândită în Europa și Asia. Principalii compuși fenolici sunt flavonoidele și acizii hidroxicinamici, cu proprietăți carminative, tonice, antiseptice, expectorante și antitusive. Scopul lucrării. Studiul chimic al produselor vegetale și extractelor uscate obținute din părțile aeriene la genotipuri de H. officinalis din colecția CȘPDPM. Materiale şi metode. S-au colectat părțile aeriene la 3 genotipuri de H. officinalis (cyaneus, ruber, albus). Extractele uscate s-au obținut prin macerarea fracționată cu agitare. Compușii fenolici s-au identificat prin cromatografie pe strat subțire. Conținutul total de acizi fenolici cu reactivul Arnow și totalul de polifenoli cu reactivul Folin-Ciocalteu s-a determinat spectrofototometric. Rezultate. În extractele uscate din Hyssopi herba cu flori albe, roz și albastre s-a identificat rutozida (Rf = 0,93), acizii cafeic (Rf = 0,21) și clorogenic (Rf = 0,47). Concentrația maximă de acizi hidroxicinamici a fost în produsul vegetal și extractul uscat de H. officinalis (albus) – 1,48 și 3,01 mg/g, urmat de H. officinalis (ruber) - 1,19 și 2,92 mg/g și de H. officinalis L. (cyaneus) – 1,015 și 2,85 mg/g. Totalul de polifenoli s-a dovedit mai înalt în extactul uscat din Hyssopi herba cu flori albastre (39,06 mg/g), urmat de extactele uscate din Hyssopi herba cu flori albe (36,11 mg/g) și Hyssopi herba cu flori roz (33,08 mg/g). Concluzii. H. officinalis L. (cyaneus, ruber şi albus) cultivate în R. Moldova sunt surse importante de substanțe active de interes medicinal, dar necesită mai multe studii biochimice pentru a confirma potențialul lor terapeutic. Cercetările s-au realizat în cadrul proiectului din Programul de Stat 20.80009.8007.24

Chemical analysis of Hyssopus officinalis L.

Chair of pharmacognosy and pharmaceutical botany, Scientific Center for the Cultivation of Medicinal Plants ,,Nicolae Testemitanu” SUMPh, Republic of Moldova, Congresul consacrat aniversării a 75-a de la fondarea Universității de Stat de Medicină și Farmacie „Nicolae Testemițanu” din Republica Moldova, Ziua internațională a științei pentru pace și dezvoltareIntroduction. Hyssopus officinalis L. (hyssop), a species native to the Caspian Sea region, has been cultivated in the Republic of Moldova as aromatic plant and has been used in folk medicine as antitussive, expectorant, carminative, digestive and sedative remedy. Purpose. Identification of chemical compounds and estimation of hydroxycinnamic acids total content in the vegetal product Hyssopi herba.Material and methods. Vegetal product (Hyssopi herba) was collected from the collection of the Scientific Center for the Cultivation of Medicinal Plants of "Nicolae Testemitanu" SUMPh. Qualitative analysis was performed with sedimentation and color reactions. The total content of hydroxycinnamic acids (THA) was determinated by spectrophotometric method, measuring the optical density at 325 nm wavelength (Metertech UV/VIS SP 8001). Results. Through qualitative reactions, in Hyssopi herba, tannins, flavonoids, saponosides were identified and the lack of alkaloids, coumarins and anthracene derivatives were confirmed. From the vegetal product were obtained 2 extracts: 30% ethanolic and aqueous; the THA was quantified by spectrophotometric method, expressed as chlorogenic acid. The THA were higher in ethanolic extract (3.64%) compared to aqueous (2.67%). Conclusions. The obtained results may justify the continuation of studies for the use of H. officinalis L. as a source of phenolic compounds, a plant appreciated for its volatile content

DMTs and Covid-19 severity in MS: a pooled analysis from Italy and France

We evaluated the effect of DMTs on Covid-19 severity in patients with MS, with a pooled-analysis of two large cohorts from Italy and France. The association of baseline characteristics and DMTs with Covid-19 severity was assessed by multivariate ordinal-logistic models and pooled by a fixed-effect meta-analysis. 1066 patients with MS from Italy and 721 from France were included. In the multivariate model, anti-CD20 therapies were significantly associated (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.39–3.02, p < 0.001) with Covid-19 severity, whereas interferon indicated a decreased risk (OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.18–0.99, p = 0.047). This pooled-analysis confirms an increased risk of severe Covid-19 in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and supports the protective role of interferon

RESILIENT Part 2: A Randomized, Open-Label Phase III Study of Liposomal Irinotecan Versus Topotecan in Adults With Relapsed Small Cell Lung Cancer

PURPOSE The phase III RESILIENT trial compared second-line liposomal irinotecan with topotecan in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with SCLC and progression on or after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy were randomly assigned (1:1) to intravenous (IV) liposomal irinotecan (70 mg/m(2) every 2 weeks in a 6-week cycle) or IV topotecan (1.5 mg/m(2) daily for 5 consecutive days, every 3 weeks in a 6-week cycle). The primary end point was overall survival (OS). Key secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR). RESULTS Among 461 randomly assigned patients, 229 received liposomal irinotecan and 232 received topotecan. The median follow-up was 18.4 months. The median OS was 7.9 months with liposomal irinotecan versus 8.3 months with topotecan (hazard ratio [HR], 1.11 [95% CI, 0.90 to 1.37]; P = .31). The median PFS per blinded independent central review (BICR) was 4.0 months with liposomal irinotecan and 3.3 months with topotecan (HR, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.77 to 1.20]; nominal P = .71); ORR per BICR was 44.1% (95% CI, 37.6 to 50.8) and 21.6% (16.4 to 27.4), respectively. Overall, 42.0% and 83.4% of patients receiving liposomal irinotecan and topotecan, respectively, experienced grade >= 3 related treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). The most common grade >= 3 related TEAEs were diarrhea (13.7%), neutropenia (8.0%), and decreased neutrophil count (4.4%) with liposomal irinotecan and neutropenia (51.6%), anemia (30.9%), and leukopenia (29.1%) with topotecan. CONCLUSION Liposomal irinotecan and topotecan demonstrated similar median OS and PFS in patients with relapsed SCLC. Although the primary end point of OS was not met, liposomal irinotecan demonstrated a higher ORR than topotecan. The safety profile of liposomal irinotecan was consistent with its known safety profile; no new safety concerns emerged

Northern Rock: the crisis of a UK mortgage lender

The global market liquidity squeeze for securities that initiated in 2007 has increased pressure among banks to sell, pushed down prices, and impacted the market for interbank loans, leading to a funding gap at Northern Rock, Britain’s fifth largest mortgage bank. This paper presents an analysis of the events that lead to the collapse of Northern Rock in the second half of 2007 and its rescue by the UK Government towards the end of the same year and the beginning of 2008. The paper presents the implications and banking reforms proposed by the UK financial authorities.mortgage bank; market liquidity; banking reforms; financial authorities; financial crisis