Effects of state reinsurance programs on health insurance exchange premiums and insurer participation

Objective

The aim of the study was to estimate the effect of the state-based reinsurance programs through the section 1332 State Innovation Waivers on health insurance marketplace premiums and insurer participation.

Data Source

2015 to 2022 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Insurance Exchange Compare Datasets.

Study Design

An event study difference-in-differences (DD) model separately for each year of implementation and a synthetic control method (SCM) are used to estimate year-by-year effects following program implementation.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

Not applicable.

Principal Findings

Reinsurance programs were associated with a decline in premiums in the first year of implementation by 10%–13%, 5%–19%, and 11%–17% for bronze, silver, and gold plans (p < 0.05). There is a trend of sustained declines especially for states that implemented their programs in 2019 and 2020. The SCM analyses suggest some effect heterogeneity across states but also premium declines across most states. There is no evidence that reinsurance programs affected insurer participation.

Conclusion

State-based reinsurance programs have the potential to improve the affordability of health insurance coverage. However, reinsurance programs do not appear to have had an effect on insurer participation, highlighting the need for policy makers to consider complementary strategies to encourage insurer participation.     

人参内生菌的研究进展

内生菌由细菌、真菌、古菌和原生生物组成，它们生活在植物的活体组织中，具有丰富的次级代谢产物多样性。人参内生菌在人参的生长发育、次级代谢产物的生成和环境适应等方面均有重要的促进作用，对人参的产量和品质有较大影响。随着人们在微生物领域研究的深入，高通量测序技术已经成为研究植物内生菌的重要方法。文章主要从人参内生菌分离与鉴定研究方法、人参内生菌的多样性、人参内生菌及其次级代谢产物的活性、人参内生菌对宿主的影响等4个方面对人参内生菌近年来的研究进展进行讨论，并对其发展方向提出展望，以期为药用植物内生菌研究和品质改良提供新思路、新方法。     

Single-dose replicating poxvirus vector-based RBD vaccine drives robust humoral and T cell immune response against SARS-CoV-2 infection

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健脾消癌方通过PI3K/Akt信号通路抑制结肠癌血管生成的研究＊

目的 观察结肠癌HCT116细胞健脾消癌方的条件培养液对HUVEC细胞管腔形成的影响，从PI3K/Akt生物轴调控角度探讨其作用机制。方法 培养HCT116细胞，细胞设3组：对照组，健脾消癌方组（加入15%健脾消癌方含药血清）及人参皂苷Rg3组；制备HCT116细胞健脾消癌方条件培养液（分组及制备方法见实验方法），用条件培养液干预HUVEC（脐静脉内皮细胞，Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells），Matrigel基质胶法检测HCT116细胞健脾消癌方条件培养液对HUVEC小管形成的影响。随后采用蛋白免疫印迹法（Western blot）检测各组HCT116细胞磷脂酰肌醇3-激酶（PI3K）、蛋白激酶B（Akt）、p-Akt、VEGF（血管内皮生长因子，Vascular endothelial growth factor）蛋白表达。最后在结肠癌HCT116荷瘤小鼠中验证健脾消癌方对肿瘤生长速度的影响，并经瘤组织VEGF蛋白表达、CD31免疫组化染色检测肿瘤内血管生成情况。结果 模型组HUVEC细胞管腔形成较空白血清组显著增加（P<0.05）；健脾消癌方组及人参皂苷Rg3组较模型组HUVEC细胞管腔形成显著减少（P<0.01）。p-Akt和VEGF蛋白表达水平模型组高于空白血清组（P<0.05），健脾消癌方组及人参皂苷Rg3组显著低于模型组（P<0.01）；PI3K、Akt蛋白表达量组间差异无统计学意义。与对照组比较，模型组荷瘤小鼠肿瘤体积显著性增大，瘤组织内VEGF表达、CD31阳性面积显著性增加，差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）；与模型组比较，健脾消癌方组及人参皂苷Rg3组荷瘤小鼠肿瘤体积显著减小，瘤组织内VEGF表达、CD31阳性面积降低，差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。结论 健脾消癌方可抑制肿瘤的血管生成和生长，其作用机制可能与PI3K/Akt生物轴调控VEGF表达有关。     

Do social support and community engagement act as mechanisms in the association between neighbourhood income inequality and the mental health of mothers in Calgary,Canada? A mediation analysis

PurposeAccording to the social determinants of health framework, income inequality is a potential risk factor for adverse mental health. However, few studies have explored the mechanisms suspected to mediate this relationship. The current study addresses this gap through a mediation analysis to determine if social support and community engagement act as mediators linking neighbourhood income inequality to maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms within a cohort of new mothers living in the City of Calgary, Canada.MethodsData collected at three years postpartum from mothers belonging to the All Our Families (AOF) cohort were used in the current study. Maternal data were collected between 2012 and 2015 and linked to neighbourhood socioeconomic data from the 2006 Canadian Census. Income inequality was measured using Gini coefficients derived from 2006 after-tax census data. Generalized structural equation models were used to quantify the associations between income inequality and mental health symptoms, and to assess the potential direct and indirect mediating effects of maternal social support and community engagement.ResultsIncome inequality was not significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms (β = 0.32, 95%CI = −0.067, 0.70), anxiety symptoms (β = 0.11, 95%CI = −0.39, 0.60), or lower social support. Income inequality was not associated with community engagement. For the depression models, higher social support was significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms (β = −0.13, 95%CI = −0.15, −0.097), while community engagement was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms (β = 0.059, 95%CI = −0.15, 0.27). Similarly, for the anxiety models, lower anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with higher levels of social support (β = −0.17, 95%CI = −0.20, −0.13) but not with higher levels of community engagement (β = 0.14, 95%CI = −0.14, 0.41).ConclusionThe current study did not find clear evidence for social support or community engagement mediating the relationship between neighbourhood income inequality and maternal mental health. Future investigations should employ a broader longitudinal approach to capture changes in income inequality, potential mediators, and mental health symptomatology over time.     

Pan-cancer proteomic map of 949 human cell lines

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Hepatitis B and circadian rhythm of the liver

The circadian rhythm in humans is determined by the central clock located in the hypothalamus’s suprachiasmatic nucleus, and it synchronizes the peripheral clocks in other tissues. Circadian clock genes and clock-controlled genes exist in almost all cell types. They have an essential role in many physiological processes, including lipid metabolism in the liver, regulation of the immune system, and the severity of infections. In addition, circadian rhythm genes can stimulate the immune response of host cells to virus infection. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the leading cause of liver disease and liver cancer globally. HBV infection depends on the host cell, and hepatocyte circadian rhythm genes are associated with HBV replication, survival, and spread. The core circadian rhythm proteins, REV-ERB and brain and muscle ARNTL-like protein 1, have a crucial role in HBV replication in hepatocytes. In addition to influencing the virus’s life cycle, the circadian rhythm also affects the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of antiviral vaccines. Therefore, it is vital to apply antiviral therapy at the appropriate time of day to reduce toxicity and improve the effectiveness of antiviral treatment. For these reasons, understanding the role of the circadian rhythm in the regulation of HBV infection and host responses to the virus provides us with a new perspective of the interplay of the circadian rhythm and anti-HBV therapy. Therefore, this review emphasizes the importance of the circadian rhythm in HBV infection and the optimization of antiviral treatment based on the circadian rhythm-dependent immune response.