4-Hydr­oxy-3-meth­oxy-5-nitro­aceto­phenone (5-nitro­apocynin)

The title mol­ecule, C9H9NO5, is close to planar (r.m.s. deviation from the mean plane of the non-H atoms = 0.058 Å). The OH group forms a bifurcated O—H⋯(O,O) hydrogen bond, with the intra­molecular component to a nitro O atom and the inter­molecular component to a keto O atom, the latter resulting in chains along [20]. A C—H⋯O inter­action reinforces the packing

3,3′-Dinitro­bis­phenol A

The title compound [systematic name: 2,2′-dinitro-4,4′-(propane-2,2-di­yl)diphenol], C15H14N2O6, crystallizes with two mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit. Both have a trans conformation for their OH groups, and in each, the two aromatic rings are nearly orthogonal, with dihedral angles of 88.30 (3) and 89.62 (2)°. The nitro groups are nearly in the planes of their attached benzene rings, with C—C—N—O torsion angles in the range 1.21 (17)–4.06 (17)°, and they each accept an intra­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond from their adjacent OH groups. One of the OH groups also forms a weak inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond

Vascular and Cardiac Impairments in Rats Inhaling Ozone and Diesel Exhaust Particles

BackgroundMechanisms of cardiovascular injuries from exposure to gas and particulate air pollutants are unknown.ObjectiveWe sought to determine whether episodic exposure of rats to ozone or diesel exhaust particles (DEP) causes differential cardiovascular impairments that are exacerbated by ozone plus DEP.Methods and resultsMale Wistar Kyoto rats (10–12 weeks of age) were exposed to air, ozone (0.4 ppm), DEP (2.1 mg/m3), or ozone (0.38 ppm) + DEP (2.2 mg/m3) for 5 hr/day, 1 day/week for 16 weeks, or to air, ozone (0.51 or 1.0 ppm), or DEP (1.9 mg/m3) for 5 hr/day for 2 days. At the end of each exposure period, we examined pulmonary and cardiovascular biomarkers of injury. In the 16-week study, we observed mild pulmonary pathology in the ozone, DEP, and ozone + DEP exposure groups, a slight decrease in circulating lymphocytes in the ozone and DEP groups, and decreased platelets in the DEP group. After 16 weeks of exposure, mRNA biomarkers of oxidative stress (hemeoxygenase-1), thrombosis (tissue factor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, tissue plasminogen activator, and von Willebrand factor), vasoconstriction (endothelin-1, endothelin receptors A and B, endothelial NO synthase) and proteolysis [matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-2, MMP-3, and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloprotease-2] were increased by DEP and/or ozone in the aorta, but not in the heart. Aortic LOX-1 (lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1) mRNA and protein increased after ozone exposure, and LOX-1 protein increased after exposure to ozone + DEP. RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products) mRNA increased in the ozone + DEP group. Exposure to ozone or DEP depleted cardiac mitochondrial phospholipid fatty acids (DEP > ozone). The combined effect of ozone and DEP exposure was less pronounced than exposure to either pollutant alone. Exposure to ozone or DEP for 2 days (acute) caused mild changes in the aorta.ConclusionsIn animals exposed to ozone or DEP alone for 16 weeks, we observed elevated biomarkers of vascular impairments in the aorta, with the loss of phospholipid fatty acids in myocardial mitochondria. We conclude that there is a possible role of oxidized lipids and protein through LOX-1 and/or RAGE signaling

Longitudinal cohort study investigating neurodevelopmental and socioemotional outcomes in school-entry aged children after open heart surgery in Australia and New Zealand: the NITRIC follow-up study protocol

Introduction: Despite growing awareness of neurodevelopmental impairments in children with congenital heart disease (CHD), there is a lack of large, longitudinal, population-based cohorts. Little is known about the contemporary neurodevelopmental profile and the emergence of specific impairments in children with CHD entering school. The performance of standardised screening tools to predict neurodevelopmental outcomes at school age in this high-risk population remains poorly understood. The NITric oxide during cardiopulmonary bypass to improve Recovery in Infants with Congenital heart defects (NITRIC) trial randomised 1371 children <2 years of age, investigating the effect of gaseous nitric oxide applied into the cardiopulmonary bypass oxygenator during heart surgery. The NITRIC follow-up study will follow this cohort annually until 5 years of age to assess outcomes related to cognition and socioemotional behaviour at school entry, identify risk factors for adverse outcomes and evaluate the performance of screening tools. Methods and analysis: Approximately 1150 children from the NITRIC trial across five sites in Australia and New Zealand will be eligible. Follow-up assessments will occur in two stages: (1) annual online screening of global neurodevelopment, socioemotional and executive functioning, health-related quality of life and parenting stress at ages 2–5 years; and (2) face-to-face assessment at age 5 years assessing intellectual ability, attention, memory and processing speed; fine motor skills; language and communication; and socioemotional outcomes. Cognitive and socioemotional outcomes and trajectories of neurodevelopment will be described and demographic, clinical, genetic and environmental predictors of these outcomes will be explored. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval has been obtained from the Children’s Health Queensland (HREC/20/QCHQ/70626) and New Zealand Health and Disability (21/NTA/83) Research Ethics Committees. The findings will inform the development of clinical decision tools and improve preventative and intervention strategies in children with CHD. Dissemination of the outcomes of the study is expected via publications in peer-reviewed journals, presentation at conferences, via social media, podcast presentations and medical education resources, and through CHD family partners.Trial registration numberThe trial was prospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry as ‘Gene Expression to Predict Long-Term Neurodevelopmental Outcome in Infants from the NITric oxide during cardiopulmonary bypass to improve Recovery in Infants with Congenital heart defects (NITRIC) Study – A Multicentre Prospective Trial’. Trial registration: ACTRN12621000904875

Indian community health insurance schemes provide partial protection against catastrophic health expenditure

BACKGROUND: More than 72% of health expenditure in India is financed by individual households at the time of illness through out-of-pocket payments. This is a highly regressive way of financing health care and sometimes leads to impoverishment. Health insurance is recommended as a measure to protect households from such catastrophic health expenditure (CHE). We studied two Indian community health insurance (CHI) schemes, ACCORD and SEWA, to determine whether insured households are protected from CHE. METHODS: ACCORD provides health insurance cover for the indigenous population, living in Gudalur, Tamil Nadu. SEWA provides insurance cover for self employed women in the state of Gujarat. Both cover hospitalisation expenses, but only upto a maximum limit of US$23 and US$45, respectively. We reviewed the insurance claims registers in both schemes and identified patients who were hospitalised during the period 01/04/2003 to 31/03/2004. Details of their diagnoses, places and costs of treatment and self-reported annual incomes were obtained. There is no single definition of CHE and none of these have been validated. For this research, we used the following definition; "annual hospital expenditure greater than 10% of annual income," to identify those who experienced CHE. RESULTS: There were a total of 683 and 3152 hospital admissions at ACCORD and SEWA, respectively. In the absence of the CHI scheme, all of the patients at ACCORD and SEWA would have had to pay OOP for their hospitalisation. With the CHI scheme, 67% and 34% of patients did not have to make any out-of-pocket (OOP) payment for their hospital expenses at ACCORD and SEWA, respectively. Both CHI schemes halved the number of households that would have experienced CHE by covering hospital costs. However, despite this, 4% and 23% of households with admissions still experienced CHE at ACCORD and SEWA, respectively. This was related to the following conditions: low annual income, benefit packages with low maximum limits, exclusion of some conditions from the benefit package, and use of the private sector for admissions. CONCLUSION: CHI appears to be effective at halving the incidence of CHE among hospitalised patients. This protection could be further enhanced by improving the design of the CHI schemes, especially by increasing the upper limits of benefit packages, minimising exclusions and controlling costs

Voices of the Governed: towards a theory of the translocal

In this article I want to interrogate the political, economic, and social conditions that enable the extraction of natural and mineral resources from Indigenous and rural communities in Africa, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific. The end of direct colonialism and the emergence of the development state did not necessarily translate into forms of local sovereignty for these communities who bore the brunt of development. I describe the emergence of resource wars in the postcolonial era and how organizational technologies of extraction, exclusion and expulsion lead to dispossession and death. I conclude by discussing possibilities of resistance and develop the notion of translocal resistance where local actors most affected by development are able to forge a series of temporary coalitions with international and national groups in an attempt to promote some form of participatory democracy. The article advance debates on postcolonialism by developing theoretical insights from translocal modes of resistance that open up new analytical spaces marked by particular configurations of market, state and civil society actors

Impact of Land-Use Changes on the Runoff of Nandigama, Andhra Pradesh, India

Present study investigated the effect of land-use variations on the excess flow for a Nandigama, Andhra Pradesh, India by using HEC-HMS model. The model was calibrated and validated using observed rainfall and runoff data. The R2 and NSE values were both greater than 0.65 after calibration, indicating a reasonable fit of the model. An analysis was conducted to understand how land-use changes in a basin have affected the runoff. The analysis revealed that the stream flow increased due to variations in land use, and a reduction in the timing of peak flow at the outlet was observed. Additionally, the study analysed the trend of maximum rainfall time series and found that the months of June, July, and August show a decreasing trend in maximum rainfall over the study period, while other months show an increasing trend. The results of the analysis can be used to inform policies and management practices aimed at mitigating the negative impact of land-use changes and climate changes in Nandigama