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‘Sacrifice zone’ is how a certain type of segregated and stigmatized space has become internationally known. In such a space, the physical and mental health and the quality of life of human beings are compromised in the name of ‘economic development’ or ‘progress’ – but ultimately for the sake of capitalist interests. This article offers a discussion of how environmental issues, power relations and the production of subjectivity intersect in the production of a kind of space that is typical of how residential segregation correlates with patterns of industrial location and the neglect of the health and well-being of the poor by the state apparatus in the (semi) periphery of the capitalist world system.

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The enantioselective electrophilic fluorination of α-aryl-tetralones is promoted by cinchonine/selectfluor combinations. This strategy allows a facile synthesis of the corresponding 2-fluoro-2-aryl-1-tetralones with excellent yields (up to >98%) and moderate to good enantioselectivity (up to74%).

This work describes the design, synthesis and in vivo evaluation of new central nervous system depressing agents that show low levels of acute toxicity, high solubility in water, and exhibit anxiolytic and hypnotic effects. These new compounds are sodium 2-benzyl-2-chloromalonates, which were designed using molecular modelling techniques and synthesized in four steps, with an overall yield between 41% and 65%. In vivo tests with mice, including pentobarbitalinduced sleep, rotarod, open field and elevated plus maze tests, were executed, and the results indicated that some of these agents induce activities similar to those induced by diazepam but with lower hypnotic potency and with greater anxiolytic potency. These compounds were also orally administered to mice in doses of 2 g/kg, and their effects were evaluated for 14 days. The mice did not show signs of intoxication, confirming that sodium 2-benzyl-2-chloromalonates exhibit low levels of acute toxicity. These observations indicate that sodium 2benzyl-2-chloromalonates and their analogues are efficient and safer central nervous system depressing drugs relative to the existing standard of care.

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In the present study, we provide a retrospective genomic epidemiology analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We gathered publicly available data from GISAD and sequenced more 1,927 new genomes sampled periodically from March 2021 to June 2021 from 91 out of the 92 cities of the state. Our results showed that the pandemic was characterized by three different phases driven by a successive replacement of lineages. All stages occurred in distinct mortality and mobility contexts, with higher evidence of social distancing measures being observed in early pandemic and relaxed in the last two phases. Interestingly, we noticed that viral supercarriers accounted for the overwhelming majority of the circulating virus (> 90%) among symptomatic individuals in the state. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance also revealed the emergence and spread of two new variants (P.5 and P.1.2) firstly reported in this study. Altogether, our findings provided important lessons learned from the different epidemiological aspects of the SARS-CoV-2 dynamic in the state of Rio de Janeiro that have a strong potential to shape future decisions aiming to improve public health management and understanding mechanisms underlying virus dispersion.

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