Objective To know the implementary circs and short-dated effects of cooking stoves improvement in reducing fluoride level in the endemic fluorosis areas and to offer the background information and scientific basis for continuing the development of cooking stoves improvement in reducing fluoride level. Methods To do the surveys in the households, 769 families were selected and investigated from 38 000 peasant families in the program, by cluster sampling with 2% sample rate and 70 families were randomly selected from them, the fluoride levels in the air, foodstuff, non-staple food was determined. Results 98.7% of the families in the cooking stoves improvement areas could rightly use the improved stove. The fluoride levels in corn and hot peppers were greatly improved in county A compared with that in 2000, but the fluoride levels in the air, foodstuff, non-staple food still exceeded the standard limit, not all reached the national standard. Conclusion The headstream interventions measure in coal-burning type endemic fluorosis areas is effective. Controlling the fluoride pollution of capsicum and tea is necessary, the production methods must be improved. The health education and management should be strengthened for reducing fluoride level in the investigated areas.

AIM: To investigate the effect of exercise stress on chronic cigarette smoking-induced downregulation of expression of large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel (BK_(Ca)) and voltage-dependent delayed rectifier potassium channel (Kv1.5) in rat bronchial smooth muscle cells. METHODS: Rats were divided into 3 groups: normal control, smoking control and smoking plus exercise training group. The alteration of airway responsiveness and plasma cortisol level were detected, and potassium channel expression and pathological changes in lung tissue were determined with HE staining, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization and Western blot techniques. RESULTS: (1) Cigarette smoking induced an increase in airway responsiveness, smoking plus exercise lead to a decrease in airway responsiveness in contrast to smoking control group; (2) Plasma level of cortisol determined immediately after exercise was higher than that determined before exercise; (3) HE staining showed that there was severe chronic pulmonary inflammatory response in smoking control group, which was slight in the smoking plus exercise group; (4) The protein and mRNA expression of BK_(Ca) in cigarette smoking group were less than that in control group in BSMC, the mRNA expression of BK_(Ca) in exercise group were higher than that in smoking group; (5) The protein and mRNA expression of Kv1.5 in smoking group were less than that in control group in BSMC, and expression of Kv1.5 in exercise group was higher than that in smoking group in bronchioli. CONCLUSION: Proper exercise training can increase the expression of potassium channel BK_(Ca) and Kv1.5, and increase the cortisol secretion, which may contribute to the decreasing of airway hyperresponsiveness induced by cigarette smoking. [

OBJECTIVE: Patients with 22q11.2 microduplications have highly variable clinical phenotypes. The clinical manifestations and prognosis of 19 fetuses carrying 22q11.2 microduplications were analyzed. METHODS: The fetuses were analyzed by single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP array), which was followed by parental validation. Pregnancy outcome and clinical features of the newborns were analyzed in order to delineate genotype-phenotype correlation. RESULTS: Two fetuses were identified by karyotyping analysis of amniotic fluid samples. SNP array revealed that all have carried a 468.8 kb~3.4 Mb duplication in 22q11.2 region. Two couples have refused parental verification. Seven cases were inherited from the mother, 6 were from the father, and 4 cases were de novo in origin. Three couples opted termination of the pregnancy. One fetus perished at birth. Five newborns showed delayed growth, the remaining 10 were normal. CONCLUSION The prenatal phenotype of fetuses carrying 22q11.2 microduplications are nonspecific, and the phenotypes of survivors may become more diverse along with increased age. Professional evaluation and long-term follow-up should be recommended.
Female ; Fetus ; Genetic Counseling ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Karyotyping ; Phenotype ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis