An update of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) on systemic insecticides. Part 2: impacts on organisms and ecosystems

New information on the lethal and sublethal effects of neonicotinoids and fipronil on organisms is presented in this review, complementing the previous WIA in 2015. The high toxicity of these systemic insecticides to invertebrates has been confirmed and expanded to include more species and compounds. Most of the recent research has focused on bees and the sublethal and ecological impacts these insecticides have on pollinators. Toxic effects on other invertebrate taxa also covered predatory and parasitoid natural enemies and aquatic arthropods. Little, while not much new information has been gathered on soil organisms. The impact on marine coastal ecosystems is still largely uncharted. The chronic lethality of neonicotinoids to insects and crustaceans, and the strengthened evidence that these chemicals also impair the immune system and reproduction, highlights the dangers of this particular insecticidal classneonicotinoids and fipronil. , withContinued large scale – mostly prophylactic – use of these persistent organochlorine pesticides has the potential to greatly decreasecompletely eliminate populations of arthropods in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Sublethal effects on fish, reptiles, frogs, birds and mammals are also reported, showing a better understanding of the mechanisms of toxicity of these insecticides in vertebrates, and their deleterious impacts on growth, reproduction and neurobehaviour of most of the species tested. This review concludes with a summary of impacts on the ecosystem services and functioning, particularly on pollination, soil biota and aquatic invertebrate communities, thus reinforcing the previous WIA conclusions (van der Sluijs et al. 2015)

Understanding patient perspectives on management of their chronic pain: online survey protocol

Manasi Gaikwad,1,2 Simon Vanlint,1 G Lorimer Moseley,2,3 Murthy N Mittinty,4 Nigel Stocks1 1Discipline of General Practice, School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 2Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, 3Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW, 4School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia Background: It is widely recognized that both doctors and patients report discontent regarding pain management provided and received. The impact of chronic pain on an individual’s life resonates beyond physical and mental suffering; equal or at times even greater impact is observed on an individual’s personal relationships, ability to work, and social interactions. The degree of these effects in each individual varies, mainly because of differences in biological factors, social environment, past experiences, support, and belief systems. Therefore, it is equally possible that these individual patient characteristics could influence their treatment outcome. Research shows that meeting patient expectations is a major challenge for health care systems attempting to provide optimal treatment strategies. However, patient perspectives and expectations in chronic pain management have not been studied extensively. The aim of this study is to investigate the views, perceptions, beliefs, and expectations of individuals who experience chronic pain on a daily basis, and the strategies used by them in managing chronic pain. This paper describes the study protocol to be used in a cross sectional survey of chronic pain patients.Methods and analysis: The study population will comprise of individuals aged ≥18 years, who have experienced pain for ≥3 months with no restrictions of sex, ethnicity, or region of residence. Ethics approval for our study was obtained from Humans research ethics committees, University of Adelaide and University of South Australia. Multinomial logistic regression will be used to estimate the effect of duration and character of pain, on patient’s perception of time to recovery and supplement intake. Logistic regression will also be used for estimating the effect of patient-provider relationship and pain education on patient-reported recovery and pain intensity.Discussion: Knowledge about the perceptions and beliefs of patients with chronic pain could inform future policies, research, health care professional education, and development of individualized treatment strategies. Keywords: chronic pain, pain management, patient perspectives, survey, time to recover

Understanding patient perspectives on management of their chronic pain - Online survey protocol

� 2017 Gaikwad et al. Background: It is widely recognized that both doctors and patients report discontent regarding pain management provided and received. The impact of chronic pain on an individual’s life resonates beyond physical and mental suffering; equal or at times even greater impact is observed on an individual’s personal relationships, ability to work, and social interactions. The degree of these effects in each individual varies, mainly because of differences in biological factors, social environment, past experiences, support, and belief systems. Therefore, it is equally possible that these individual patient characteristics could influence their treatment outcome. Research shows that meeting patient expectations is a major challenge for health care systems attempting to provide optimal treatment strategies. However, patient perspectives and expectations in chronic pain management have not been studied extensively. The aim of this study is to investigate the views, perceptions, beliefs, and expectations of individuals who experience chronic pain on a daily basis, and the strategies used by them in managing chronic pain. This paper describes the study protocol to be used in a cross sectional survey of chronic pain patients. Methods and analysis: The study population will comprise of individuals aged ≥18 years, who have experienced pain for ≥3 months with no restrictions of sex, ethnicity, or region of residence. Ethics approval for our study was obtained from Humans research ethics committees, University of Adelaide and University of South Australia. Multinomial logistic regression will be used to estimate the effect of duration and character of pain, on patient’s perception of time to recovery and supplement intake. Logistic regression will also be used for estimating the effect of patient-provider relationship and pain education on patient-reported recovery and pain intensity. Discussion: Knowledge about the perceptions and beliefs of patients with chronic pain could inform future policies, research, health care professional education, and development of individualized treatment strategies

One-pot synthesis, characterization, and antioxidant capacity of sulfur- and oxygen-substituted 1,4-naphthoquinones and a structural study

In the present study, we reported the one-pot synthesis of S,S- and S,O-substituted 1,4-naphthoquinones, their structural studies, and investigation of their antioxidant activity. The multicomponent reactions of 2,3-dichloro-1,4-naphthoquinone with sulfur- and oxygen-containing nucleophiles were investigated to obtain highly functionalized S,S- and S,O-substituted 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives. All new compounds were characterized on the basis of H-1, F-19, and C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Crystal structure of 2,3-dihydro-2-(hydroxymethyl)naphtho[2,3-b]-1,4-oxathiin-5,10-dione was determined by X-ray diffraction method. The synthesized compounds were screened for their antioxidant capacity and free radical scavenging activity using the cupric reducing antioxidant capacity method and DPPH method, respectively. 3-Chloro-2-[3-(3-chloro-1,4-dihydro-1,4-dioxonaphthalen-2-yloxy)propylsulfanyl]-1,4-naphthoquinone shows the highest antioxidant capacity with 0.63 cupric reducing antioxidant capacity-trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity coefficient