Health Care Expenditure and GDP in Oil Exporting Countries: Evidence From OPEC Data, 1995-2012

BACKGROUND: There is a large body of literature examining income in relation to health expenditures. The share of expenditures in health sector from GDP in developed countries is often larger than in non-developed countries, suggesting that as the level of economic growth increases, health spending increase, too. OBJECTIVES: This paper estimates long-run relationships between health expenditures and GDP based on panel data of a sample of 12 countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), using data for the period 1995-2012. PATIENTS & METHODS: We use panel data unit root tests, cointegration analysis and ECM model to find long-run and short-run relation. This study examines whether health is a luxury or a necessity for OPEC countries within a unit root and cointegration framework. RESULTS: Panel data analysis indicates that health expenditures and GDP are co-integrated and have Engle and Granger causality. In addition, in oil countries that have oil export income, the share of government expenditures in the health sector is often greater than in private health expenditures similar developed countries. CONCLUSIONS: The findings verify that health care is not a luxury good and income has a robust relationship to health expenditures in OPEC countries

Main determinants of catastrophic health expenditures: a Bayesian logit approach on Iranian household survey data (2010)

BACKGROUND: During recent decades, increase in both health care expenditures and improvement of the awareness as well as health expectations have created some problems with regard to finance healthcare expenditures so that the issue of health financing by households has been determined as a major challenge in health sector. According to the definition by the World Health Organization, catastrophic health expenditure is considered if financial contribution for health service is more than 40 of income remaining after subsistence needs have been met. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of our study was determination of Main factors on catastrophic health expenditures in Iranian households. PATIENTS & METHODS: In this study, using an econometrics Bayesian logit model, determinants of the appearance of catastrophic health expenditure based on household budget data collected in 2010 were evaluated. RESULTS: Among Iranian households, the following groups were more likely to encounter with unsustainable health expenditures: rural households, households with the numbers of the elderly more than 65 years, illiterate householders, unemployed householders, households with some unemployed persons, households in upper rank and households with larger equivalent household size were higher than the average of community could significantly predict catastrophic health expenditures. CONCLUSIONS: About 2.1 of households were faced with catastrophic health expenditures in 2010. Thus, the implemented policies could not make considerable and significant change in improving justice in financing in health systems

Di-μ-ethano­lato-bis­[diethano­lato(2-methyl­quinolin-8-olato)titanium(IV)]

In the centrosymmetric dinuclear title compound, [Ti2(C10H8NO)2(C2H5O)6], the Ti atom is bonded to an N,O-bidentate quinolin-8-olate ligand, two terminal ethano­late anions and two bridging ethano­late anions in a distorted TiNO5 octa­hedral geometry. An intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs; in the crystal, inter­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions help to establish the packing

In vitro gas production of wheat grain flour coated with different fat types and levels

Gas production (GP) is a rapid method for feedstuffs assessment. A study was done to investigate wheat grain coated with hydrogenated tallow (HT) and hydrogenated palm oil (HP) of different fatty acids types and levels to study total gas production. Approximately, 200 mg (DM basis) of sample was weighed and inserted in glass syringes, mixed with the inoculum and artificial saliva, then incubated at 39°C in a ventilated oven. The outcome of this study showed that experimental fat reduced in vitro degradability using the gas test technique. The addition of experimental fat (HT or HP) to wheat grains significantly decreased GP during incubation (P < 0.01). In comparison to HP fat, coating wheat grains with HT fat resulted in significantly reduced GP (P < 0.01). Accordingly, it seems that experimental fats could be used as a coating substance to reduce the speed of cereal grains (like barley and wheat grains) fermentation in the rumen. Consequently, it could prevent dairy cows from metabolic diseases like acidosis. Moreover, this processing could alter the amount of starch reaching the small intestine to produce more glucose for high producing animals like dairy cows.Key words: Wheat grain, fat coating method, gas production, hydrogenated tallow, hydrogenated palm oil

Dichloridobis(5,7-dichloro­quinolin-8-olato-κ2 N,O)tin(IV)

The SnIV atom in the title compound, [Sn(C9H4Cl2NO)2Cl2], is chelated by the substituted quinolin-8-olate anions in a distorted octa­hedral geometry. The N-donor atoms are in a cis alignment as are the Cl atoms; the O atoms are trans to each other

Bis(μ-2-methyl­quinolin-1-ium-8-olato-κ2 O:O′)bis­[(2-methyl­quinolin-1-ium-8-olato-κO)tris­(nitrato-κ2 O,O′)lanthanum(III)]

The two independent N-heterocycles in the centrosymmetric title compound, [La2(C10H9NO)4(NO3)6], exist in the zwitterionic form. One of these binds to one metal center, whereas the other bridges two metal centers. The La atom is chelated by three nitrate groups and is surrounded by nine O atoms in a coordination environment based on a distorted monocapped square-anti­prism. The dinuclear structure is further stabilized by intra­molecular N—H⋯O(nitrate) hydrogen bonds

Evaluation the Effect of Wheat Germ Fermentation Using Yeast and Lactic Acid Bacteria on the Bioactive Compounds

Introduction Wheat germ is a valuable nutritional supplement and a by-product of the flour milling industry used for animal feed and oil extraction. Quinone compounds found in wheat germ have anti-cancer properties that are abundantly found in wheat germ. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of fermentation conditions on the bioactive compounds in wheat germ with anti-cancer properties. For this purpose, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae 5022 and Lactobacillus plantarum strain 1058 were used for fermentation of wheat germ under different pH levels (4.5, 6, and 7.5) over different time (24, 48, and 72h). Response Surface Methodology was used to find the optimal fermentation conditions and to investigate the effects of above-mentioned conditions on DPPH radical scavenging activity, total phenolics and dimethoxy benzoquinone (DMBQ) content. Moreover, the amounts of bio-peptides and gamma aminobutric acid (GABA) were also determined under optimum conditions.   Materials and Methods To accomplish the fermentation process, 10 g of wheat germ was suspended in 200 mL of sodium phosphate buffer solution. Bacterial and yeast cells were then separated from the culture medium by a centrifugation at 6,000×g for 5 min at room temperature. The harvested cells were then washed with sterile phosphate buffer multiple times, resuspended in water to achieve a cell population of 108 CFU/mL, and finally homogenized using a vortex unit. The yeast and bacterial cells were incubated at 28° C and 37° C, respectively, for 24, 48, and 72 h at pH levels of 4.5, 6.0, and 7.5. Upon the completion of each fermentation process, the obtained samples were lyophilized. Total phenolic content (TPC) was measured using the method adapted  by Liu et al. (2017). Briefly, the Folin-Ciocalteu phenol reagent was diluted ten times using distilled water. Subsequently, 0.1 mL of the extract was mixed with 0.75 mL of the diluted reagent. After 10 min, 0.75 mL sodium carbonate solution (2% w/v) was added to the mixture and vortexed. The absorbance was measured at 765 nm by a spectrophotometer. The antioxidant activity of fermented wheat germs was assessed using the free radical scavenging activity of the samples evaluated through a DPPH radical assay. Briefly, 2 mL of wheat germ extract was diluted with 100 mL 90% methanol aqueous solution. The methanol extract was then mixed with 4 mL of DPPH stock solution. The tube was subsequently kept in the dark for 45 min. The absorbance of each sample was then read using a spectrophotometer at 517 nm (Adedoyin et al., 2013). Dimethoxy benzoquinone (DMBQ) content was measured by an HPLC system. Briefly, 10 g of lyophilized wheat germ sample was dissolved in 250 mL of distilled water and extracted three times by shaking with 200 mL of chloroform. The chloroform layers were collected, washed three times with distilled water, and exposed to sodium sulfate solution to induce drying of the sample. The filtrate was then evaporated using a vacuum evaporator at 30° C to achieve a stable dry material. The dried sample was thereafter dissolved in the mobile phase and injected into the HPLC column to determine the DMBQ content. The HPLC system was equipped with a C-18 column and a UV detector operating at 245 nm. The mobile phase consisted of 20% acetonitrile-80% water (v/v) mixture at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min and a temperature of 25° C.   Results and Conclusion The highest biological activity was found when fermentation proceeded by L. plantarum under pH 6 for 48 h. Under these optimal conditions, total phenol content (3.33 mg of GAE/g), free DPPH radical scavenging (86.49%), dimethoxy benzoquinone content (DMBQ) (0.56 mg/g), peptide content (607 μg/mL) and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) (19983.88 mg/kg) were significantly higher than those of raw non-fermented samples. During the fermentation process, increasing the pH levels led to enhancement of antioxidant activity, total phenolic and DMBQ contents up to 48 h followed by a decline. Also, the fermentation time had a positive effect in the amount of the antioxidant activity, while it allowed an increased followed by a decrease in the contents of total phenolic and DMBQ. These findings underscore the importance of fermentation conditions of wheat germ by L. plantarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae and can potentially serve as a promising way for the development of valuable products with anti-cancer and antioxidant functions

Bis(isopropoxido-κO)bis­(2-methyl­quinolin-8-olato-κ2 N,O)titanium(IV)

The two 2-methyl­quinolin-8-olate anions in the title complex, [Ti(C10H8NO)2(C3H7O)2], chelate the TiIV atom, which shows an all-cis distorted octa­hedral N2O4 coordination geometry

Grafting of a novel gold(III) complex on nanoporous MCM-41 and evaluation of its toxicity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The goal of this research was to investigate the potential of newly synthesized gold complex trichloro(2,4,6-trimethylpyridine)Au(III) as an anticancer agent. The gold(III) complex was synthesized and grafted on nanoporous silica, MCM-41, to produce AuCl3@PF-MCM- 41 (AuCl3 grafted on pyridine-functionalized MCM-41). The toxicity of trichloro(2,4,6- trimethylpyridine)Au(III) and AuCl3@PF-MCM-41 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (as a model system) was studied. The gold(III) complex showed a mid cytotoxic effect on yeast viability. Using the drug delivery system, nanoporous MCM-41, the gold(III) complex became a strong inhibitor for growth of yeast cells at a very low concentration. Furthermore, the animal tests revealed a high uptake of AuCl3@PF-MCM-41 in tumor cells. The stability of the compound was confirmed in human serum

8-Hydroxy-2-methylquinoline

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C10H9NO, contains two independent mol­ecules which are linked by a pair of O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds into a hydrogen-bonded dimer