OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Guizhi plus Gegen Decoction (GGD) on ultrastructural changes of intervertebral disc annulus fibrosus cells.

METHODSRats' intervertebral disc annulus fibrosus cells were isolated and cultured using adherence wall screening method. After annulus fibrosus cells were intervened by GGD, the microstructure and ultrastructural features of untreated annulus fibrosus cells and annulus fibrosus cells treated by GGD containing serum at different concentrations were observed under optical microscope and electron microscope.

RESULTSUnder optical microscope, most annulus fibrosus cells showed irregular polygons and few in star shape with rich superficial ecphyma. The nuclei were oval, large and complete. Under electron microscope, most cells in the blank group were oval after intervened by GGD containing serum at different concentrations. The nucleus was large, deviated, and irregular, the heterochromatin scattered diffusely, partial mitochondria vacuolized, and rough endoplasmic reticulum dilated. In the low dose GGD group, increased mitochondria and condensed density could be seen. The rough endoplasmic reticulum were expanded, lipid drops or glycogen could be occasionally seen. In the middle dose GGD group, increased endoplasmic reticulum expansion and condensed density could be seen. More medium density protein sediment could be seen. Increased mitochondria with condensed density could be seen, showing irregular cystic form with various sizes nucleus. In the high dose GGD group, increased rough endoplasmic reticulum with obvious expansion could be seen. More high density protein sediment could be seen. The nuclei were deviated. More mitochondria could be seen with secretory granules in them.

CONCLUSIONSAfter intervened by GGD containing serum at different concentrations, the ultrastructure of annulus fibrosus cells were manifested as follows: (1) The endoplasmic reticulum increased more in the middle and high dose GGD groups than in the blank group and the low dose GGD group. Greater density protein sediment occurred, especially in the high dose GGD group. (2) GGD played an important role in preventing ultrastructural changes induced by the degeneration of annulus fibrosus cells.

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Intervertebral Disc ; cytology ; drug effects ; ultrastructure ; Rats ; Serum

The mechanism of chromium accumulation and microstructure transformation of the fused yeast were studied in this paper.The result showed that the process of Cr6+ reduction and adsorption was accom-panied by the H+ consumption.The main adsorptive groups on the strain surface included amino,hydroxyl,phosphate group and amide,among which phosphate group played vital role in the chromium accumulation.The removal rate of chromium and reduction rate of hexavalent chromium declined 70% and 46%,respec-tively,when phosphate group was masked.During the adsorption process the chromium ions complexed on the surface of fused yeast was transported into the cell wall and combined with inclusion to form steady spe-cies and this took 90 min to reach the equilibrium.The biosorption and reduction of Cr on the cell surface would alter microstructure of cell surface,reduce cell membrane potential and increase cell membrane per-meability.

Acute Disease ; Fatal Outcome ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn ; diagnosis ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the cognition and health education needs on child neglect among parents/carers to the preschool children in Guangdong Province.

METHODSA total of 621 parents/carers of preschool children aged 3-6 years from four cities (Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhongshan, and Foshan) in Guangdong Province completed self-designed questionnaires concerning the cognition and health education needs on child neglects.

RESULTSOnly 5.4% of the parents/carers had a good knowledge of child neglect, and 55.9% had never heard about this term. About 90.5%-90.7%of the surveyed parents/carers were willing to learn more about child neglect and 94.6%-97.4% of them agreed that education on child neglect was necessary. It was found that normal brochures, books, newspapers, and magazines were the preferred way of education for parents/carers (77.0%); also nearly half of the parents/carers welcomed courses (55.6%) or lectures (49.1%). Most of them believed that awareness raising activities should be carried out in kindergarten (70.5%), public places (61.4%) or by providing collective training for teachers in kindergarten (59.6%).

CONCLUSIONSMost parents/carers of preschool children in Guangdong Province have a poor knowledge of child neglect. Efforts should be made to strengthen awareness raising activities on this topic via appropriate pathways.

Caregivers ; Child Abuse ; Child, Preschool ; Cognition ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Health Education ; Humans ; Parents

OBJECTIVETo study the cost-effectiveness, benefit and utility of infant hepatitis B vaccination in Shanghai from 1992 to 2001.

METHODSTo calculate the cost of hepatitis B vaccination by cost analysis method. Both the numbers of persons with HBsAg positive and patient with hepatitis B, cirrhosis and liver cancer decreased as the index of direct effect. To study the sick-time and the cost of treating hepatitis B, cirrhosis and liver cancer patients, a face to face questionnaire was used and quasi method was adopted to understand the effect of cure and the course of hepatitis B. The cost benefit analysis method was also used to calculate the cost benefit of HBV vaccine. The disability adjusted life years (DALY) was regarded as an index of utility to measure the disease burden.

RESULTSInput of 501,129.49 Yuan might have the result of reducing one liver cancer patient, ten cirrhosis patients, one hundred chronic hepatitis B patients and one thousand HBsAg positive people. The cost of hepatitis B vaccination was 0.24 hundred million Yuan during the past ten years in Shanghai, which had obtained the total benefit value of 41.22 hundred million Yuan, with a cost benefit ratio of 1:172 Yuan. It was estimated that the total disease burden of hepatitis B, cirrhosis and liver cancer patients was 59,762.55 DALY in order to reduce one DALY loss cost of 402.50 Yuan.

CONCLUSIONHBV vaccine inoculation in infants seemed to be a low-cost input and high-effect output strategy.

Adult ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Female ; Hepatitis B ; complications ; economics ; prevention & control ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; economics ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Immunization Programs ; economics ; Infant, Newborn ; Liver Cirrhosis ; economics ; etiology ; Liver Neoplasms ; economics ; etiology ; Male ; Markov Chains ; National Health Programs ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vaccination

A new viral sampling concentration device was designed which was equipped with a new cationic filter membrane-Nanoceram suitable for field sampling. Norovirus Genegroup II was detected from environmental water with the aid of this device. The effects on virus recovery of prefiltration, various second-concentration methods, and different eluants were investigated through pre-experiment. The concentration optimized process, and the optimal concentration process were then determined. The results showed that the prefiltration had a profound effect on virus recovery, and two second-concentration method: PEG-NaC1 precipitation and celite adsorption, had almost the same concentration effects. The Na2 HPO4 solution of 0.15 mol/L was selected as the final eluant to elute the adsorbed Nuorovirus from the celite. The virus recovery of Nanoceram was determined to be 3.02%. Finally, successful detection of Norovirus GII in sewage from Yangqiao River, Fengtai District, Beijing was acheived. All these data had shown that the Naneceram filter concentration method could concentrate Norovirus from environmental water with a steady effects.
Filtration ; instrumentation ; methods ; Fractional Precipitation ; instrumentation ; methods ; Genotype ; Norovirus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Rivers ; virology ; Water Microbiology

China ; Humans ; Maximum Allowable Concentration ; Occupational Exposure ; prevention & control

Objective To explore the characteristics of human plague using a sero-epidemiologic method in the source of the three rivers area in Qinghai for possible plague control strategies. Methods Investigate human plague sero-epidemiologically in the source of 4 counties in the three rivers area in Qinghai. The human serum would be tested to confirm the sew-positive rate for plague F1 antibody using indirect hemagglutination assay(IHA). Results A total of 2508 local participants were tested in 4 counties, the overall plague sero-positive rate was 2.31%(58/2508). This represents a statistically significant difference with 4 counties(X2=19.30,P<0.01). The sew-positive rate for males and females were 2.54% (32/1261) and 2.09% (26/1247), respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between males and females(X2= 0.65,P 0.05). The sero-positive rate in herdsman, cadre, Tibetan, Hart nationalities were 3.54% (44/1243), 6.47% (11 / 170), 2.40% (56/2335) and 1.47% (2/136), respectively. The sero- positive rate increased with age. The highest titre for human plague serum antibody was 1 : 640. Conclusion There were occult infections of plague in the population on source of three rivers area in Qinghai. Sero-epidemiologic data revealed that the human plague sero-positive rate was closely correlated with the local animal plague.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of genetic polymorphisms of epoxide hydrolase 1 (EPHX1) in the metabolism of styrene in vivo.

METHODSFifty-six styrene-exposed workers, who worked in the painting workshop of an enterprise for manufacturing glass fiber-reinforced plastic yachts in Shandong Province, China for over one year and were protected in approximately the same way, were selected as study subjects. The 8-hour time-weighted average concentration (8 h-TWA) of styrene and the concentrations of mandelic acid (MA) and phenyl glyoxylic acid (PGA) as urinary metabolites were measured. The genetic polymorphisms of EPHX1 were detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.

RESULTSThe urinary concentrations of MA and PGA were 177.25±82.36 mg/g Cr and 145.91±69.73 mg/g Cr, respectively, and the 8 h-TWA of styrene was 133.28±95.81 mg/m3. Urinary concentrations of MA and PGA were positively correlated with 8 h-TWA of styrene (R=0.861, P < 0.05; R=0.868, P < 0.05). The subjects were divided into high-exposure group (8 h-TWA >50 mg/m(3)) and low-exposure group (8 h-TWA ≤ 50 mg/m(3), and in the two groups, the urinary concentrations of MA and PGA were significantly higher in the individuals carrying high-activity genotypes of EPHX1 than in those carrying low-activity genotypes of EPHX1 (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONGenetic polymorphisms of EPHX1 play an important role in the metabolic process of styrene in vivo.

Adult ; Air Pollutants, Occupational ; pharmacokinetics ; China ; Epoxide Hydrolases ; genetics ; Glyoxylates ; urine ; Humans ; Male ; Mandelic Acids ; urine ; Occupational Exposure ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Styrene ; pharmacokinetics

The purpose of this study was to investigate how Zuogui pills from the Kidney-tonifying and Nourishing Yin formula, in combination with the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonist cetrorelix, affected the ovarian local oxidative stress response in decreasing ovarian reserve (DOR) mice. All animal experiments were carried out in accordance with the guidelines and standards established by Jinan University's Experimental Animal Management Committee. Cyclophosphamide (CTX)-treated DOR mice were given Zuogui pills, cetrorelix, or a combination of the two drugs intragastrically. After treatment, there were changes in the estrous cycle, serum sex hormone levels, oxidative stress-related indexes, growth biochemical factor levels, and SIRT1/P53/P21 expression. In comparison to the model group, the Zuogui pills and the cetrorelix+Zuogui pills group had significantly prolonged estrous periods and shortened interestrous periods, and the cetrorelix+Zuogui pills group had a significantly shortened cycle length. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) decreased and estradiol (E₂) increased in all treatment groups compared to the model group, oxidative stress indexes nitric oxide synthase (NOS), nitric oxide (NO), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) decreased, growth biochemical factors brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF-9) concentrations increased significantly, and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) showed no significant change. SIRT1/P53/P21 immunohistochemical results revealed that, when compared to the model group, the expression of SIRT1 increased while the expression of P53 and P21 proteins decreased in all treatment groups, with the cetrorelix+Zuogui pills group having the largest decrease, with significant differences in all indicators. We conclude that cetrorelix combined with Zuogui pills for kidney nourishing and Yin recipe improved the oxidative stress response in the follicle by regulating the SIRT1/P53/P21 pathway, reducing peroxide product production, protecting ovarian function, and regulating ovarian hormone secretion, and its efficacy is superior to that of cetrorelix or Zuogui pills alone.