Artemisinin is a traditional anti-malarial drug. In recent years, many researches indicated that artemisinin and its derivatives have obvious anti-tumor effects. Its mechanisms of anti-tumor lies in cytotoxicity, direct destruction of tumor cells due to oxidative stress reaction, inducing apoptosis, inhibiting of tumor cell proliferation, restraining tumor angiogenesis and performing immunological regulation. Compared with the traditional anti-cancer drugs, artemisinin can selectively inhibit tumor cells and manifestating no cross-resistance with traditional chemotherapeutic agents. Besides it can reverse the phenomenon of multi-drug resistant of tumor cells. Therefore, artemisinin, as an new type of anti-cancer drug, will be applied to a wide range of clinical practice.

Objective: To examine the emotional states of asthmatic children with different degrees of severity, as well as the effects of emotion on change of cytokines in airway. Methods: Asthmatic children were divided into two groups according to the degrees of severity: moderate and mild. Their emotional states were measured and results were compared. Correlation analysis was conducted between scores on emotional scales and sputum levels of IL-8.Results: Total scores on anxiety and depression were higher in the moderate group than in the mild group. Negative correlation was found between levels of anxiety and IL-8 during acute exacerbation of asthmatic condition. Conclusion: Emotional distress was found to be increased with severity of asthmatic condition in children. Anxiety contributed to the decreased concentration of IL-8 in asthmatic children's airway.