OBJECTIVETo explore the mechanism of male reproductive toxicity induced by acrylonitrile (ACN).

METHODSMale Sprague-Dawley rats were daily administrated ACN by intraperitoneal injection 5 times a week for 13 weeks at the dose of 0, 7.5, 15.0 and 30.0 mg/kg body weight, respectively. The rats were sacrificed and testes were removed at the end of 4, 8, 13 or 15 weeks, respectively. The activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) and the levels of glutathione (GSH) and malonaldehyde (MDA) were detected in testes.

RESULTSFollowing ACN treatment of 4 weeks, the levels of GSH in ACN 15.0 mg/kg and 30.0 mg/kg group were (7.44 +/- 0.77) mg/g pro and (6.95 +/- 0.77) mg/g pro respectively, and the activity of GSH-Px was (70.89 +/- 4.01) U/mg pro in 30.0 mg/kg group, all of which were significantly higher than the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). After 8 weeks, the levels of GSH decreased to (2.50 +/- 0.94) mg/g pro in ACN 30.0 mg/kg group (P < 0.01); the activities of SOD increased to (102.08 +/- 16.08) NU/mg pro and (113.30 +/- 17.20) NU/mg pro in ACN 15.0 mg/kg and 30.0 mg/kg group (P < 0.01). After 13 weeks, the levels of GSH declined in ACN 15.0 mg/kg and 30.0 mg/kg group, and the activities of GST decreased in ACN 30.0 mg/kg group, and of GSH-Px decreased in both doses group. However, the level of MDA [(0.68 +/- 0.16) nmol/mg pro] were significantly higher in 30.0 mg/kg group than that in control group [(0.38 +/- 0.12) nmol/mg pro] (P < 0.01). 2 weeks after stopping ACN treatment, the level of GSH restored to normal but the levels of MDA or the activity of GSH-Px in 30.0 mg/kg group were still higher or lower respectively than those of control (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONACN may impair the balance of antioxidant system, thus induce lipid peroxidation damage to rat testes.

Acrylonitrile ; toxicity ; Animals ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Glutathione ; metabolism ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Glutathione Transferase ; metabolism ; Lipid Peroxidation ; drug effects ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Testis ; drug effects ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the correlation between NRAMP1 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to tuberculosis ( TB) in Tibetan people in Qinghai. Methods A case-control study was con-ducted in this study, involving 99 Tibetan patients with TB and 89 healthy Tibetans. The single nucleotide polymorphisms of NRAMP1 gene at rs17235409 and rs3731865 sites were detected by using TaqMan probe method. Gene cloning and sequencing typing were performed to analyze the single nucleotide polymorphisms of NRAMP1 gene at the rs17235416 site. SPASS20. 0 software was used to statistically analyze the correla-tion between NRAMP1 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to TB in Tibetan people. Results No signifi-cant difference in the genotype frequencies of rs3731865 and rs17235409 was found between the two groups (χ2=0. 852, P=0. 356;χ2=0. 279, P=0. 597). The genotype frequencies of TGTG/TGTG and TGTG/del+del/del at the rs17235416 site were 70. 7% ( 70/99 ) and 29. 3% ( 29/99 ) in patients with TB and 86. 5% (77/89) and 13. 5% (12/89) in healthy subjects. There were significant differences in the geno-type frequencies of TGTG/TGTG and TGTG/del+del/del between the two groups (χ2=6. 870, P=0. 009). The genotypes of TGTG/del and del/del at rs17235416 were risk factors for TB ( OR=0. 376; 95%CI:0. 178-1. 794 as compared with the TGTG/TGTG genotype in Tibetan people in Qinghai. Conclusion This study suggested that the NRAMP1 gene polymorphisms at rs3731865 and rs1723409 sites had no correlation with the susceptibility to TB in Tibetans in Qinghai. However, the NRAMP1 gene polymorphisms at rs17235416 site were correlated with the susceptibility to TB. The TGTG/del alleles at the rs17235416 site might be the risk factors for tuberculosis in Tibetans in Qinghai.

Objective To investigate the role of interleukin-18 (IL-18) gene promoter polymorphisms in the susceptibility of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (SAD). Methods A total of 109 patients with SAD and 109 healthy controls matched for age and gender were enrolled in our study with case-control method. Polymerase chain reaction with sequence specific primer was used to detect the single nucleotide polymorphisms (C/A) of gene promoter of IL-18 at position -607. Results Significant differences in the C/A genotype and allele distributions of IL-18 promoter at position -607 were noted between patients with SAD and controls (P=0.041 and P=0.021, respectively). The CC genotype frequency of gene promoter of IL-18 at position -607 in patients with SAD was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (x2=4.109, P=0.043); and the people with this genotype had a 1.90-fold increased risk as compared with the people with other genotypes (OR=1.90, 95%CI: 1.017-3.550).Conclusion The C/A polymorphisms of IL-18 gene promoter at position -607 are correlated with SAD in Han Chinese population. People with -607CC in IL-18 gene promoter have an increased risk of SAD.

OBJECTIVETo study the role of cerebrovascular hemodynamic indexes (CVHI) changing in stroke and to provide reference for stroke prevention and risk factor study.

METHODSFrom 2003 to 2004, participants aged 40 years and above in two communities in Fengxian district were recruited by cluster sampling. Risk factors of stroke and CVHI were investigated and checked during baseline investigation. A total of 10 565 individuals completed the survey and met the inclusion criterion. After baseline investigation, the cohort was followed up for stroke occurrence. Relative risk (RR) of CVHI and common risk factors were estimated by cohort study design.

RESULTSAge of the cohort was (56.2 ± 11.4) years. 4444 (42.1%) were males and 6121 (57.9%) were females. Total follow-up duration was 67 885.7 person-years. A total of 195 stroke cases occurred and incidence density of stroke was 287.2 per 100 000 person-years. Stroke incidence in exposure groups of hypertension, heart disease and alcohol drinking was 3.47% (108/3118), 2.96% (21/710) and 2.50% (47/1882), respectively. The incidence in corresponding non-exposure group was 1.17% (87/7448), 1.77% (174/9855) and 1.70% (148/8683) respectively. There was significant difference between 2 groups (χ(2) value was 62.72, 4.56 and 4.94, respectively, P < 0.05). Stroke incidence in CVHI score < 25, 25 - 49, 50 - 74 and ≥ 75 groups was 9.12% (59/647), 5.68% (44/775), 2.52% (39/1545) and 0.72% (53/7403)(χ(2)trend = 273.57, P < 0.05), respectively. Incidence of stroke in 40 - 49, 50 - 59, 60 - 69, ≥ 70 years age group was 0.22% (8/3565), 1.28% (43/3357), 2.71% (50/1848) and 5.88% (94/1600) (χ(2)trend = 181.48, P < 0.05), respectively. Multiple Cox regression analysis indicated that RR (95%CI) value of hypertension and cigarette smoking was 1.40(1.02 - 1.92) and 1.59(1.19 - 2.12), respectively when comparing with non-exposure group. RR (95%CI) value in CVHI score < 25, 25 - 49 and 50 - 74 points group were 6.15 (4.08 - 9.26), 4.55 (2.98 - 6.96) and 2.68 (1.75 - 4.09), respectively when comparing with the score ≥ 75 points group. RR (95%CI) value in age 50 - 59, 60 - 69 and ≥ 70 years group was 4.61 (2.16 - 9.82), 7.81 (3.67 - 16.60) and 13.49(6.44 - 28.24), respectively when comparing with below 40 years group.

CONCLUSIONCVHI score is the strong independent predictive factor and hypertension, cigarette smoking and age are the independent risk factors of stroke.

Aged ; Brain ; physiopathology ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Stroke ; epidemiology ; etiology ; physiopathology

Systematical studies are lacking on the influencing factors and mechanisms of the heparin enhanced sperm capacitation, although many studies have shown that heparin enhanced sperm capacitation. The effect of heparin concentration and exposure time, incubation temperature and co-culture with oviductal epithelial cells or cumulus cells on goat sperm capacitation were investigated in this study. The motility, membrane and acrosome integrity and capacitated percentage of goat spermatozoa were assessed after different heparin treatments, and rates of fertilization and embryo cleavage were compared after in vitro insemination of oocytes with spermatozoa capacitated by different heparin treatments. The major results are summarized as follows: 1) When spermatozoa were capacitated with heparin at 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 microg/mL for 45 min, 50 and 100 microg/mL heparin treatments produced the highest capacitated percentages of 55% and 56%, respectively, but the percentage of spermatozoa with intact acrosomes in the 100 microg/mL heparin treatment decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in comparison with that in the control group, indicating that the optimal heparin concentration for goat sperm capacitation would be 50 microg/mL. 2) Capacitated percentage of spermatozoa increased with extension of treatment time when goat sperm were treated with 50 microg/mL heparin for 0, 10, 20, 30, 45, 60 or 120 min. Although heparin treatments for 45 to 120 min did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) in capacitated sperm percentages, sperm motility and membrane integrity decreased significantly when treated with heparin for 120 min. This suggested that the optimal exposure time of heparin at 50 microg/mL for goat sperm capacitation would be 45 to 60 min. 3) Significantly higher capacitated percentages of spermatozoa were obtained when goat sperm were treated at 42 and 38.5 degrees C than at 15 and 37 degrees C, but sperm motility and acrosome integrity were significantly lower when spermatozoa were treated at 42 degrees C than they were treated at other temperatures. Temperature of 38.5 degrees C would, therefore, be the optimal temperature for goat sperm capacitation. 4) The capacitated percentage of spermatozoa was significantly higher when goat sperm were co-cultured with oviductal epithelial cells than when treated with heparin alone or co-cultured with cumulus cells, but sperm motility and membrane and acrosome integrity did not differ significantly among the three treatments. Rates of fertilization (91.3%) and cleavage (72.2%) were significantly higher in the oviductal epithelial cell co-culture group than those in the heparin alone group. This indicated that co-culture with oviductal epithelial cells significantly enhanced goat sperm capacitation by heparin treatment.
Acrosome Reaction ; drug effects ; physiology ; Animals ; Coculture Techniques ; Epithelial Cells ; cytology ; Fallopian Tubes ; cytology ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Goats ; Heparin ; pharmacology ; Male ; Sperm Capacitation ; drug effects ; physiology ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; cytology ; physiology

BACKGROUND: Spirituality has been an important part of Transpersonal Psychology and is believed to have a large effect on the mental health because it has been systematized. The aim of this study was to determine the level of spiritual disposition on human beings along with its effects on one's mental health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study targeted 400 women residing in Youn-Gil city of JiLin Prov., which is a district of the Cho-Sun tribe in China. Their spiritual well-being was studied using the Spiritual Well-being Scale-Korean Version. The spiritual well-being scale consists of 2 sub-scales of religious well-being and existential well-being. The study was evaluated using a lie scale, psychotic trend, and a combined anxiety-depression scale. The results were considered to be factors of one's mental health. The correlation between the spiritual well-being and each tendency was analyzed by regression analysis. RESULTS: The total score of the Cho-Sun tribal women according to the spiritual well-being scale was 68.29 which was much less than the 100.65 of Korean Christian women. There was no significant correlation between the spiritual well-being and the Lie trend. However, it was found that 86% (344) of Cho-Sun tribal women scored above 70 in the Lie trend with a mean score of 74.57 which is higher than normal populations. Regarding the correlation between the spiritual well-being and psychotic trend, the psychotic trend became significantly higher when the religious well-being was at a high level. On the other hand, the psychotic trend became significantly lower when the existential well-being was at a high level. Regarding the correlation between the spiritual well-being and anxiety, the anxiety was significantly higher when the religious well-being was at a high level. However, the anxiety level was significantly low when the existential well-being was at a high level. Regarding the correlation between the spiritual well-being and depression, the depression level was somewhat significantly high when the religious well-being was at a high level. However, the depression level was significantly low when the existential well-being was at a high level. CONCLUSION: This study evaluated the effects of spiritual well-being on a person's mental health among Cho-Sun tribal women in Youn-Gil city of JiLIn Prov., P.R. of China. The results found that the religious well-being, which is a sub-scale of spiritual well-being, had negative effects while the existential well-being had positive effects on the mental health. These results proved that a person's religious disposition had negative effects on their mental health in a communitarian society.
Anxiety ; China* ; Depression ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Mental Health* ; Psychology ; Spirituality

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; genetics ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; genetics ; Male ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide