Effects of NCMS Coverage on Access to Care and Financial Protection in China

The introduction of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme in rural China is one of the largest health care reforms in the developing world since the millennium. The literature to date has mainly used the uneven rollout of NCMS across counties as a way of identifying its effects on access to care and financial protection. This study exploits the cross-county variation in NCMS generosity in 2006 and 2008 in Ningxia and Shandong province and adopts an instrumenting approach to estimate the effect of a continuous measure of coverage level. Our results confirm earlier findings of NCMS being effective in increasing access to care, but not increasing financial protection. In addition, we find that NCMS enrollees are sensitive to the incentives set in the NCMS design when choosing their provider, but also that providers seem to respond by increasing prices and/or providing more expensive care

Renal protective effects and mechanisms of the angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor LCZ696 in mice with cardiorenal syndrome

Aims This study investigated the renal protective effects and mechanisms of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor LCZ696 in mice with cardiorenal syndrome. Materials and methods Mice were divided into abdominal aortic ligation alone, or treatment with LCZ696 or valsartan, whilst those undergoing sham surgery served as controls. Rat proximal renal tubular epithelial cells from the NRK-52E line were treated with control solution, LCZ696 or valsartan, in the presence or absence of Ang II for 24 h. Key findings Compared to controls, abdominal aortic ligation significantly increased plasma NT-proBNP and urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), which were associated with reduced renal length and velocity time integral on ultrasonography. Histology revealed wrinkling of the glomerular capillary wall and sclerosis of the glomerulus, dilatation of the Bowman's capsule, accompanied by diffuse renal tubular atrophy and fibrosis, accompanied by lower kidney index and higher percentage area of fibrosis. Increases in NGAL and decreased ANP protein and mRNA expression levels were observed. These abnormalities were significantly prevented by LCZ696 and to a lesser extent by valsartan. Cellular experiments demonstrated a central role of Ang II/transforming growth factor-β1/Smad2/3/connective tissue growth factor-dependent signaling leading to type IV collagen deposition. This upregulation was reversed by LCZ696 in a greater extent than valsartan treatment alone, accompanied by a significant improvement in NGAL. Significance LCZ696 can reduce kidney injury to a level beyond valsartan therapy alone in mice with cardiorenal syndrome, which can be speculated by effects on epithelial-mesenchymal transition and fibrosis through downregulating the TGF-β1/Smad2/3/CTGF/Collagen IV pathway

Facile and straightforward synthesis of superparamagnetic reduced graphene oxide-Fe3O4 hybrid composite by a solvothermal reaction

A superparamagnetic reduced graphene oxide-Fe3O4 hybrid composite (rGO-Fe3O4) was prepared via a facile and straightforward method through the solvothermal reaction of iron (III) acetylacetonate (Fe(acac)3) and graphene oxide (GO) in ethylenediamine (EDA) and water. By this method, chemical reduction of GO as well as the formation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) can be achieved in one step. The Fe3O4 NPs are firmly deposited on the surfaces of rGO, avoiding their reassembly to graphite. The rGO sheets prevent the agglomeration of Fe3O4 NPs and enable a uniform dispersion of these metal oxide particles. The size distribution and coverage density of Fe3O4 NPs deposited on rGO can be controlled by varying the initial mass ratio of GO and iron precursor, Fe(acac)3. With an initial mass ratio of GO and Fe(acac)3 of 5:5, the surfaces of rGO sheets are densely covered by spherical Fe3O4 NPs with an average size of 19.9 nm. The magnetic-functionalized rGO hybrid exhibits a good magnetic property and the specific saturation magnetization (Ms) is 13.2 emu g-1. The adsorption test of methylene blue from aqueous solution demonstrates the potential application of this rGO-Fe3O4 hybrid composite in removing organic dyes from polluted water. ? 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd