Enjoying Season 4 of the Americans TV Spy Drama

Just recently, I found another TV drama besides Game of Thrones and Outlander that I enjoyed very much. It is Season 4 of the The Americans at the FX networks every WED at 10PM.

The Americans is an American television period drama series created and produced by former CIA officer Joe Weisberg. The series premiered in the United States on January 30, 2013 on the cable network FX.

Set in the early 1980s during the Cold War, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple living in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. with their unsuspecting children (Holly Taylor and Keidrich Sellati) and their neighbor, Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), an FBI agent working in counterintelligence.

The series' fourth season premiered on March 16, 2016. On May 25, 2016, FX set an end date for the series by renewing it for a fifth and sixth season. The 13-episode fifth season will air in 2017, followed by a 10-episode sixth and final season in 2018. For a review of Season 3 read the following:

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/features/is-the-americans-tvs-best-drama-20150311

New Drug for the Treatment of Parkinson's Psychosis

As a former FDA employee in the Center of New Drugs and a primary caretaker for a love one with Parkinson, the above news attracted my attention. The new drug is Nuplazid or Pimavanserin manufactured by Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Pimavanserin was approved by the FDA just recently specifically for the treatment of Parkinson's disease psychosis.
It works in a different way than other antipsychotics: it does not block dopamine. It is a selective serotonin inverse agonist, meaning it targets serotonin receptors. This makes it a safer choice when treating people with PD that are experiencing psychoses, because it can reduce hallucinations without affecting motor performance.

NUPLAZID™ (pimavanserin) is the first and only medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis.

According to the National Parkinson Foundation, about one million people in the United States and from four to six million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson’s disease. An estimated 40 percent of these patients have Parkinson’s disease psychosis, a debilitating condition that is characterized by hallucinations and delusions, is associated with significant caregiver burden, and is a major reason for nursing home placement among Parkinson’s patients.

The following information is from the insert published by Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Inc.:

Important Safety Information and Indication for NUPLAZID™ (pimavanserin) tablets

WARNING: INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA-RELATED PSYCHOSIS
Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. NUPLAZID is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis unrelated to the hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis.

INDICATIONS AND USAGE
NUPLAZID is an atypical antipsychotic indicated for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis.

QT Interval Prolongation: NUPLAZID prolongs the QT interval. The use of NUPLAZID should be avoided in patients with known QT prolongation or in combination with other drugs known to prolong QT interval including Class 1A antiarrhythmics or Class 3 antiarrhythmics, certain antipsychotic medications, and certain antibiotics. NUPLAZID should also be avoided in patients with a history of cardiac arrhythmias, as well as other circumstances that may increase the risk of the occurrence of torsade de pointes and/or sudden death, including symptomatic bradycardia, hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia, and presence of congenital prolongation of the QT interval.

Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse reactions (≥2% for NUPLAZID and greater than placebo) were peripheral edema (7% vs 2%), nausea (7% vs 4%), confusional state (6% vs 3%), hallucination (5% vs 3%), constipation (4% vs 3%), and gait disturbance (2% vs <1%). Drug Interactions: Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (eg, ketoconazole) increase NUPLAZID concentrations. Reduce the NUPLAZID dose by one-half. Strong CYP3A4 inducers may reduce NUPLAZID exposure, monitor for reduced efficacy. Increase in NUPLAZID dosage may be needed. Renal Impairment: No dosage adjustment for NUPLAZID is needed in patients with mild to moderate renal impairment. Use of NUPLAZID is not recommended in patients with severe renal impairment. Hepatic Impairment: Use of NUPLAZID is not recommended in patients with hepatic impairment. NUPLAZID has not been evaluated in this patient population. Pediatric Use: Safety and efficacy have not been established in pediatric patients. Dosage and Administration: Recommended dose: 34 mg per day, taken orally as two 17 mg tablets once daily, without titration. For details on the balancing act of treatment between motor symptoms and psychosis read the following: http://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/non-motor-symptoms/Psychosis/What-are-the-Treatment-Options-for-Psychosis

My Pineapple Guava Shrub-Feijoa ( Acca)Sellowiana

One of my Favorite Plant in My Yard
There is one shrub in my yard that has attractive flowers but also edible fruits that I enjoy eating very much. The fruit is an excellent source for Vitamin C. It is my Pineapple Guava shrub, known also as Feijoa( Acca) sellowiana( see photo above). The following is a short video for additional information on this plant for your landscaping needs.



There are six reasons why pineapple guava should be in your landscaping list as follows:

http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/13877/5-or-6-reasons-to-grow-pineapple-guava

Pineapple Guava Flower

A Red Crape Myrtle Tree for My Yard

The Dynamite Red Crape Myrtle that blooms light red the first year and then get deeper each year.

For the last 4 weeks, I had been searching for a flowering shade tree to replace the maple tree that died in my front yard this year. After reading the Internet and talking to the neighbors, I decided to buy a crape myrtle which blooms during summer to late Fall.

I purchased a 15-gal tree that is about 6 ft tall from our local Lowe's Nursery. I paid $69.99. I have my gardener picked it up in his truck. He planted the tree immediately and charged me another $100.

According to the Nursery brochure this variety is pest and disease resistant as well as highly drought tolerant. It will bloom during summer and last until late Fall. The mature height varies from 20 to 25 ft and the mature width from 10 to 20 ft. The botanical name is lagerstroemia indica. For more information on flowering shade trees see:

http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/CrapeMyrtles.htm?gclid=CIfj6q6e6cwCFQ2QaQodLzIIWw

Upgrade my PC from Windows 7 to 10?

Last week, my son wanted me to try Windows 10. Currently, I am happy with my Windows 7. I tried Windows 10 just for a few hours now. I notice the resolution and speed is better. However, I am not sure if I really need to upgrade since I am not into Gaming. So I did some search on Windows 10 differences with Window 7 and here's what I found in the Web. It is a very informative article. I like to hear from you if you have similar experiences as discussed in the more than 700 comments in the article as follows:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/windows-10-vs-windows-7

Better Late than Never-My Enjoyment of Game of Thrones

Last week, I posted my addiction for the TV drama, Outlander which is in its 2nd season currently. Last week, I started watching Game of Thrones which premiered in 2011 and now in its 6th season. For the last couple of years I have read and heard that Games of Thrones is one of the most entertaining, widely acclaimed and awarded TV drama series that had been created, but sadly I never had the time to watch it.

Last week I started watching Season 1 and for the last 7 days I had been watching the series. Today, I am now in Season 5. I am now hooked to the series and I am not disappointed. I would agree with the critics acclaims of this HBO TV drama regarding the story scope, acting, complex characters, production and entertaining values. If you have not heard or read about Games of Thrones, here's a summary from Wikipedia.

"Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by show runners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin's series of fantasy novels, the first of which is titled A Game of Thrones. It is filmed in a Belfast studio and on location elsewhere in Croatia, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, Northern Ireland, Spain, Scotland, and the United States, and premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011. The sixth season of the series premiered on April 24, 2016, and the series has also been renewed for a seventh season to air in 2017.

The series is set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos and interweaves several plot lines with a large ensemble cast. The first narrative arc follows a civil war among several noble houses for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms; the second covers the attempts to reclaim the throne by the exiled last scion of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty; the third chronicles the rising threat of the impending winter and the legendary creatures and fierce peoples of the North.

Game of Thrones has attracted record numbers of viewers on HBO and attained an exceptionally broad and active international fan base. It has received widespread acclaim by critics, particularly for its acting, complex characters, story, scope, and production values, although its frequent use of nudity, violence, and sexual violence has attracted criticism. The series has won 26 Prime time Emmy Awards, including the Prime time Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2015—when it set a record for most wins for a series in a single year—and numerous other awards and nominations, including three Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, a Peabody Award, and three Golden Globe Award nominations. From among the ensemble cast, Peter Dinklage won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for his performance as Tyrion Lannister.

I am Hooked on The TV Drama-Outlander

I watched TV for only about 3 hours per day. I rarely watched TV soap operas or drama series except for The Tyrant last year and My Husband's Lover( A Pinoy Soap Opera)about two years ago. This year I got addicted to a British-American drama, Outlander. It is now in its Season 2, Episode 5. I missed Season 1 but I was able to watch the whole 16 episodes in My PC for three days in between my duties as a primary care giver of a Parkinson Disease affected loved one.

Season 2 will have 13 episodes that I am looking forward to enjoy. Each episode is only about 1 hour without a commercial.

Outlander is a British-American television drama series based on the historical time travel Outlander series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Developed by Ronald D. Moore and produced by Sony Pictures Television and Left Bank Pictures for Starz, the show premiered on August 9, 2014. It stars Caitriona Balfe as Claire Randall, a married World War II nurse in 1945 who finds herself transported back to Scotland in 1743, where she encounters the dashing Highland warrior Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and becomes embroiled in the Jacobite risings. As of April 30, 2016, 20 episodes of Outlander have aired.

For summary of the episodes refer to Wikipedia. If you like historical drama, romance and time travel, this is a must see television series.

Critical Acclaim: The first season scored 73 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 34 reviews, which were "generally favorable", while the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 91% "certified fresh" critics rating with an average rating of 7.8/10 based on 54 reviews. The website consensus reads: "Outlander is a unique, satisfying adaptation of its source material, brought to life by lush scenery and potent chemistry between its leads".

The Huffington Post called the first episode "... A masterpiece of impressive depth ... It is amazing!" Entertainment Weekly gave the premiere an A- rating, writing that it was "sexy and smart and stirring". Matt Zoller Seitz of New York magazine also praised the series, calling it "defiantly its own thing: part romance-novel fantasy, part-time-travel story, and part wartime drama (set across two time periods)". Sonia Saraiya of The A.V. Club gave the first six episodes an A, writing that it "does for 1743 Scotland what Downton Abbey does for 1912 England", and adding that "Outlander succeeds admirably ... it refuses to sit comfortably in any genre."