An economically realistic asset exchange model.

Despite their highly idealized nature, certain agent-based models of asset exchange, proposed for the most part by physicists and mathematicians, have been shown to exhibit remarkable agreement with empirical wealth distribution data. While this agre- ement is comforting, there is widespread sentiment that further progress will require a detailed under- standing of the connection between these idealized models and the more realistic microeconomic models of exchange used by economists. In this paper, we examine that connection for a three-parameter asset exchange model, the Affine Wealth Model (AWM), that has demonstrated fraction-of-a-per cent agreement with empirical wealth data. We compare certain properties of this model with those of three great milestones of twentieth century economics, namely (i) Expected Utility Theory, (ii) General Equilibrium Theory and (iii) Prospect Theory. We find that the phenomenology exhibited by the AWM is fundamentally incompatible with Expected Utility Theory and General Equilibrium Theory, but very similar to that exhibited by Prospect Theory. Based on these observations, we argue that AWM transactions are, in a particular sense, an approximation to those described by Prospect Theory, and that Prospect Theory provides the sought-for connection between econophysics and microeconomics, at least for the topic of wealth distribution. This article is part of the theme issue 'Kinetic exchange models of societies and economies'.

Lipid Profiles in Lyme Borreliosis: A Potential Role for Apheresis?

Dyslipidemia and dyslipoproteinemia are common causes of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, intracellular bacteria, such as Borrelia burgdorferi, utilize host lipids to survive and disseminate within the host. Recent data suggest that elevated lipids are a contributing factor to the maintenance and severity of Lyme disease and its complications. Here we review and discuss the role of lipids in Borreliosis and report on a pilot trial to examine the potential roles of circulating lipids and lipoproteins in patients with Borrelia infection. In this analysis we assessed the clinical and lipid profiles of 519 patients (319 women, 200 men) with a proven history of Lyme disease, before and after an extracorporeal double membrane filtration. Lipid profiles pre- and post-apheresis were analyzed in conjunction with clinical symptoms and parameters of inflammation. Circulating cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, LP(a), and other inflammatory lipids were significantly reduced after the apheresis, while symptoms of the disorder and bioindexes of inflammation such as CRP improved. Further studies should be initiated to investigate the possibly causal relation between Lyme disease and circulating lipids and to design appropriate therapeutic strategies.

Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR) in the inPatients of Medicine Department of a Rural Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital and Influence of Pharmacovigilance in Reporting ADR.

OBJECTIVES: (i) To find the incidence and study various aspects of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR) in the inpatients of medicine department of Shree Krishna Hospital, a rural tertiary care teaching hospital. (ii) To test the impact of pharmacovigilance in reporting ADR. MATERIAL #ENTITYSTARTX00026; METHODS: A prospective study involving 600 patients admitted to the medical wards and TB & Chest diseases ward over a period of six months and a retrospective analysis of 600 case files for the corresponding period of the previous year were carried out to find the incidence rate of ADR, study various aspects of ADR like causality assessment, drugs frequently causing ADR etc. Suitably structured and pre-tested format was used for compiling the data. RESULTS: In the prospective study, 18 of the 600 patients (3%) developed ADR. A significant number (77.78%) of patients developed ADR between the 3(rd) and 10(th) days of administering the drug/s. As the number of drugs increased, the incidence of ADR also increased. Majority of ADR (72.22%) occurred due to chemotherapeutic agents. 66.67% of ADR involved the gastrointestinal tract. None of the ADR was fatal. Sex of the patients did not influence the incidence rate of ADR. On the other hand, in the retrospective analysis, only ADR were reported in just 6 out of 600 patients (1%). CONCLUSION: The incidence rate of ADR is found to be much lower (3%) than the reported rate (10%-20%). Pharmacovigilance certainly contributes to picking up ADR.