OBJECTIVETo study the alkaloids of Macleaya cordata and their anti-tumor activities.

METHODAlcohol and liquid-liquid extraction were used methods were used to extract the alkaloids constituents, and silica gel, reverse-phase octadecylsilyl (ODS), sephadex LH-20 chromatographic methods and HPLC were applied to isolate and purify compounds. MS, NMR spectroscopic methods were used to determine their structures. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of these chemical components for MCF-7 and SF-268 cell lines was measured by MTT method.

RESULTTwelve alkaloids were isolated from the fruits of M. cordata, and their structures were identified as: maclekarpine E (1), 6-acetonyldihyrochelerythrine (2), cavidilinine (3), 6-acetonyldihyrosanguinnarine (4), O-methylzanthoxyline (5), 6-methoxy-dihydrosanguinarine (6), spallidamine (7), 6-hydroxyldihydrochelerythrine (8), arnotianamida (9), dihydrosanguinarine (10), protopine (11), and cryptopine (12).

CONCLUSIONCompounds 1, 3, 7-9 were isolated from M. cordata for the first time, and compound 5 is a new natural product. The results of cytotoxic assay indicated that compound 6 showed strong cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and SF-268 cell lines with IC50 values of 0.61 μmol · L(-1) and 0.54 μmol · L(-1), respectively.

Alkaloids ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; isolation & purification ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Papaveraceae ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo identify the epidemical characteristics of suicidal tendency among middle-school students in cities of China and to explore the main factors leading to suicidal tendency in adolescents.

METHODSMulti-stage cluster sampling method was used to select 9015 students in grades 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively from 25 general middle schools in Beijing, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Urumqi of China in June 2006 and field investigation was carried out through "China Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) Questionnaire".

RESULTSAmong the students in the four cities, the incidence rates of suicidal ideation were from 14.4% to 20.8% with an average of 17.4%. The incidence rates of suicidal plan were from 6.8% to 9.7% with an average of 8.2% and were different among cities. 15.0% of the boys had suicidal ideation and 6.7% of them made a suicidal plan comparing to 19.7% of girls having had suicidal ideation and 9.5% of them made a suicidal plan. The two kinds of suicidal tendency in girls were all higher than those in boys. City, age, gender, grade, days and type of being bullied, depression, close friends and having received health education on coping with stresses were factors influencing suicidal tendency of students. Days of being bullied and suicidal tendency showed a dose-response relation.

CONCLUSIONSuicidal tendency seemed common in middle-school students. Training on 'coping the issue' should be strengthened and harmonious environment should be improved in middle-schools.

Adolescent ; China ; epidemiology ; Data Collection ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Students ; psychology ; Suicide ; psychology ; statistics & numerical data ; Urban Population

Previous studies suggested an association between the EGF +61 A>G polymorphism and susceptibility to gastric cancer, but the results have been inconsistent. To draw a more precise risk estimation of the association, we performed a meta-analysis of published studies. PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar and the Chinese Wanfang databases were systematically searched to identify relevant studies. There were 7 studies involving 1992 cases of gastric cancer and 3202 controls in this meta-analysis. Our study showed that, overall, the EGF +61 A>G polymorphism was significantly associated with the increased risk of gastric cancer in allele model (G vs. A: OR=1.18, 95% CI=1.00-1.39), dominant model (GG + GA vs. AA: OR=1.28, 95% CI=1.05-1.55), homozygous model (GG vs. AA: OR=1.31, 95% CI=1.06-1.63) and heterozygous model (GA vs. AA: OR=1.25, 95% CI=1.01-1.53). The stratified analysis by ethnicity revealed a significant association between EGF +61 A>G polymorphism and gastric cancer risks in Asians. This meta-analysis indicates that EGF +61 A>G polymorphism may increase the risk of gastric cancer, especially in Asians. Large-sized, well-designed studies involving different ethnic groups should be conducted to confirm this association.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; EGF Family of Proteins ; genetics ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; genetics ; Genetic Association Studies ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Regression Analysis ; Stomach Neoplasms ; genetics

Objective To establish a discriminant model and to provide a relatively accurate scientific basis for the early diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) and detection of the close contacts. Methods Through logistic regression analysis, key factors were selected according to Bayes theory and key factors of TB incidence of the close contacts were screened as well as a discriminant model was established. Results The non-TB incidence discriminant function of the close contacts was described as: Y1= -39.831 (constant) + 1.927 X, (sputum-frequency) + 3.528 X2 (education) + 0.309 X3 (contact time) + 5.893 X4 (evade) + 2.140 X5 (ventilation) + 8.706 X6 (cough) + 30.970 X7 (fever). The discriminant function of non-TB incidence of the close contacts was as: Y2 =-57.875 (constant) + 2.343 X1 (sputum-frequency) + 3.965 X2 (education) + 0.361 X3 (contact time) + 6.296 X4 (evade) + 1.348 X5 (ventilation) + 12.984 X6 (cough) + 36.555 X7 (fever). Conduslon The diseriminant model night be used to contribute to the early diagnosis, early intervention and timely treatment on those close contacts of tuberculosis cases.

Therapeutic angiogenesis comes into sight as a new strategy for coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CAHD). The therapeutic method of activating blood circulation to remove stasis has shown confirmative effect upon both fundamental researches and clinical trials of CAHD. Thus, the new proposition may provide a better treatment plan for CAHD to study on therapeutic angiogenesis with the therapeutic method of activating blood circulation to remove stasis. The author reviewed relevant theories and the latest researches, on the basis of combining diseases identification and syndrome typing, discussed the state quo and achievement of therapeutic angiogenesis in CAHD by Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) of activating blood circulation to remove stasis from fundamental and clinical researches and action mechanisms from standpoints of Chinese herbal compounds, single Chinese herb, effective herbal chemical composition, thus providing references for future researches.
Coronary Disease ; therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; Phytotherapy ; methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate the efficacy and safety of sirolimus in management of chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN).

METHODSA retrospective study was conducted involving 31 CAN patients followed up since March 2002, who experienced a change from a calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-based regimen to a SRL-based regimen. Serum creatinine (Cr) in these patients was compared before and after the regimen change, and the adverse events associated with SRL were analyzed.

RESULTSTill March 2007 when the study closed, 15 patients reached the primary endpoint for resuming dialysis, 8 had improved and 8 had stable renal function. In patients with high Cr(0)(> or =3 mg/L, n=12), 9 resumed dialysis and 2 had improved renal function, but one of the patients with renal improvement eventually died due to infection; in the patients with low Cr(0)(<3 mg/L, n=19), 5 resumed dialysis, 8 had stable renal function and 6 had improved renal function, showing significant difference between the 2 groups (P=0.003). Altogether 14 patients reached the secondary endpoint for ceasing SRL for severe infection (5 patients, of whom 4 resumed dialysis and 1 died of infection) or adverse events associated with SRL (9 patients, of whom 4 resumed dialysis, 2 had stable and 3 had improved renal function). Hyperlipidemia (51.6%), leukocytopenia (41.9%), mouth ulcer (29.0%) and liver function lesion (16.1%) were the commonest adverse events in these patients, and totalling 13 severe adverse events were recorded, including 2 fatal cerebral hemorrhage, 3 fatal infection episodes, and 8 pulmonary and urinary infections that require hospitalization.

CONCLUSIONConversion from a CNI-based to SRL-based regimen can be effective for some CAN cases, especially for those with Cr(0) below 3 mg/L. Attention must be given to adverse events like hyperlipidemia and leukocytopenia, as well as the related cerebral vascular accidents and infections.

Adult ; Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Creatinine ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Kidney Function Tests ; Kidney Transplantation ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Sirolimus ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore the situation of smoking behavior among the students of middle school in Beijing, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Urumchi and to analyze the relationship between smoking behavior and several unhealthy behaviors together with psychological troubles to provide evidence in developing an early intervention plan.

METHODSThe National Health Education Institute (NHEI) of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided relevant data on all middle schools in the 4 cities and then U.S. CDC randomly sampled 100 common middle schools from them with a special sampling process. The core questionnaire developed by the experts from WHO and other countries was used in the survey among 9015 sampled students.

RESULTSAmong all the sampled students, 29.4% of them had ever attempted cigarettes smoking while 6.6% of them tried tobacco in the 30 days before survey, 27.0% of the students with smoking behavior began smoking at the age of 9 or younger, 31.8% had learned how to refuse smoking from school education. The students with smoking behavior were more likely to drink alcohol, use drugs, bully others, be injured, miss classes, and have some psychological troubles than those without smoking behavior.

CONCLUSIONThere were increasing trends noticed on the incidence of attempt and smoking cigarettes. Smoking was closely related to other unhealthy behaviors and psychological troubles. Comprehensive education activities on "no-smoking" should be implemented as early as possible among adolescents, as well as to promote training on life skills.

Adolescent ; Adolescent Behavior ; Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mental Disorders ; Smoking ; epidemiology ; Students ; psychology ; Substance-Related Disorders

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical diagnosis of BK virus (BKV) infection in renal transplant recipients.

METHODSUrine and peripheral blood samples were taken from 234 renal transplant recipients for BKV detection with cytological test and real-time PCR.

RESULTSThe occurrence rate of urine decoy cells, BKV viruria and viremia in these patients was 33.3 %, 33.3% and 16.2%, respectively, and the median level of urine decoy cells was 6/10 HPF, with the median level of urine and peripheral blood BKV of 7.62 x 10(3) copy/ml and 7.61 x 10(3) copy/ml, respectively. The positivity rate of BKV in the urine samples were significantly higher than that in peripheral blood samples (P=0.000). The amount of decoy cells was related to BKV load in the urine samples (gamma=0.59, P=0.000), but the BKV load in the urine samples was not related to that in peripheral blood samples (P=0.14).

CONCLUSIONRenal transplantation is associated with increased BKV shedding, indicating the necessity of BKV monitoring in renal transplant recipients with urine cytology, which is convenient and sensitive and indicates renal histological changes indirectly. Urine and peripheral blood BKV DNA detection is of value in identifying BKV activation to prevent irreversible graft damage of BKV-associated nephropathy.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; BK Virus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; physiology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polyomavirus Infections ; diagnosis ; virology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo provide accurate data on health related behaviors and protective factors among students in middle schools in China, for developing priorities, programs and policies on health education.

METHODSWe used a standard scientific sample selection process developed by American Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct the questionnaire survey among middle schools from four cities--Beijing, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Urumchi.

RESULTSData were found as: 3.2% of students are overweight; 25.3% of students rarely washing hands before eating at school, 20.5% of the students had seriously injured in the past 12 months, 30.4% of male students having had physical fighting, 17.1% of the students having serious attempted suicide, 29.7% of the students ever tried or experimented cigarette smoking, 13.0% having drunk from alcohol and 14.5% having been offered or selling drugs during the past 30 days, 78.9% were in an insufficient amount of physical activity and only 14.3% often used seat belt when riding in a car.

CONCLUSIONSThere were many problems on health related behaviors among middle school students in these four cities, especially on hygiene, physical activities, psychological situation, smoking and drinking etc. It is absolutely necessary to develop health education for children and adolescence to promote their healthy behaviors and lifestyle.

Adolescent ; Adolescent Behavior ; Child ; Child Behavior ; China ; Health Behavior ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Male ; Risk Reduction Behavior ; Students ; psychology ; statistics & numerical data ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Urban Health

This study aimed to propose an operational definition of late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) that incorporates both clinical symptoms and serum testosterone measurements to evaluate the prevalence of LOH in aging males in China. A population-based sample of 6296 men aged 40 years-79 years old was enrolled from six representative provinces in China. Serum total testosterone (TT), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and luteinizing hormone (LH) were measured and free testosterone (cFT) was calculated. The Aging Males' Symptoms (AMS) scale was used to evaluate the LOH symptoms. Finally, 5078 men were included in this analysis. The TT levels did not decrease with age (P = 0.59), and had no relationship with AMS symptoms (P = 0.87 for AMS total score, P = 0.74 for ≥ 3 sexual symptoms). The cFT levels decreased significantly with age (P < 0.01) and showed a negative association with the presence of ≥ 3 sexual symptoms (P = 0.03). The overall estimated prevalence of LOH was 7.8% (395/5078) if a cFT level <210 pmol l