Objective Based on the investigation of household drinking water in Lanzhou, the reason and difference of selecting drinking water by different households of educational and earning level were analyzed. Methods 1 000 households in Lanzhou city were chosen to fill the questionnaires, and the statistical analysis were performed. Results The tap water was chosen by 65.3% of Lanzhou households. 29.8% Lanzhou households drank barreled drinking water. The "convenience" and "price" were major concerns when Lanzhou residents chose drinking water. The acceptable price of barreled drinking water was 7.2 yuan(RMB) per barrel. The households of high income and well educated were the principal households using depth treatment water as drinking water. Residents in Lanzhou city had little concerns about quality of tap water. Conclusion The tape water was chosen by a majority of Lanzhou households as drinking water. The price was the major reason for Lanzhou residents to choose drinking water. In order to keep healthy,the residents should choose safe and healthy drinking water,and they had better clean the trough.

Objective To know the effect of hours of use of the drinking machine on drinking water quality. Methods The hours of use of the drinking machine were 1week, 2, 5, 10, 12, 36 and 60 months, the water samples collected at different hours of use was determined by routine test methods of water quality. Results The total bacteria count and nitrite in drinking water exceeded the standard limits and the two indexes increased as the hours of use of the drinking machine lasted. At the first-using of drinking-machine, the total bacteria count and coliform count exceeded the standard limits seriously. Conclusion In order to ensure the drinking water safety,water should be boiled before drinking and the drinking-water-producing factories should improve the production and management. Cleaning and disinfection of the inner components of drinking water machine should be paid more attetion to.

Objective To assess the effects of eszopiclone (ESZ) on the pentobarbital sodium-induced sleeping time and spontaneous activity in mice exposed to acute hypobaric hypoxia.Methods 120 mice were randomly divided into 6 groups by using two factors 2×3 levels factorial design,in which two factors were interventions (ESZ and 0.9％ sodium chloride,2 levels) and altitudes (800 m,3500 m and 6000 m,3 levels).The pentobarbital sodium-induced sleeping test and the open field test were engaged to assess the effects of ESZ on sleeping time and spontaneous activity.Results (1) The drug and altitude had no interaction in the results of both the pentobarbital sodium-induced sleeping test and the open field test(P＞0.05).(2)The time of pentobarbital sodium-induced sleeping of mice in the groups of ESZ at each altitudes were (37.77± 18.22) min,(37.02± 13.67) min,(95.67±47.68)min and in the groups of NS were(17.78± 14.10) min,(15.09± 12.46) min,(39.54±28.24) min respectively,and the sleep time in ESZ groups were significantly longer than those in the groups of NS (P＜0.05).The time of pentobarbital sodium-induced sleeping were longer in group of 6000 m than those in the other two groups,both the ESZ and NS groups (P＜0.05).(3)No significant difference was found in the open field test between the ESZ and NS groups in the same altitude(P＞0.05) ; while the mice at the altitude of 6000 m in groups of ESZ and NS decreased compared with the groups at the altitude of 800 m after the relevant drugs intra-perineally for 6 h (P＜0.05).Conclusion ESZ may prolong pentobarbital sodium-induced sleeping time especially at the altitude of 6000 m and with no influence on the spontaneous activity in mice exposed to acute hypobaric hypoxia.High altitude at 6000 m may prolong the sleep time induced by pentobarbital sodium and reduce the spontaneous activities.

BACKGROUND: Harmful stimuli induce increased production of calcitonin gene-related peptide(CGRP) in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion, causing also intense dilation of the microvessels. But it remains unknown whether vessel dilation and pain relief were accompanied by increased CGRP production when negative pressure is applied on the limbs for treatment of peripheral arterial occlusion diseases (PAOD).OBJECTIVE: To examine the changes of calcitonin gene-related peptide (GGRP) -immunoractive nerve fibers in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion in dogs with PAOD treated with negative pressure on the limbs.DESIGN: A randomized controlled retrospective study.SETTING: The department of general surgery of a military medical university.MATERIALS: This study was carried out at Xijing Hospital of the Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA between January and August 2003. Seventeen adult male dogs weighing 12 - 18 kg, regardless of the gender, were selected.INTERVENTIONS: Seventeen dogs were randomly divided into three groups, namely the treatment group( n = 10), model group( n = 5), and the normal control group( n = 2). Posterior left leg ischemia was induced in dogs in the treatment and model groups, and those in the treatment group, but not the model group, were treated with negative limb pressure for 10 days 14days after model establishment. The spinal cord and dorsal ganglion at L1-5of these two groups were collected and stained immunohistochemically for observing the changes of GGRP-immunreactive nerve fibers. The dogs in the normal control group were also sampled in similar manner for immunohistochemical staining.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Distribution of CGRP-immunoreactive nerve fibers in the spinal cord and dorsal ganglions of the three groups of dogs.RESULTS: In the dogs of the model group, GGRP-immunoreactive nerve fibers in the spinal cord and dorsal ganglions was significantly more numerous[ (75. 00 ±4. 30)%, (68.20 ± 2.60)% ] than those in the treatment and normal control groups[ (58. 20 ±5. 10)%, (52. 20 ±6.20)%; (37.00±4. 20)%, (34. 00 ± 1.40)%, P ＜ 0.01]. The positive nerve fibers were less strongly stained in the treatment group than those in the model group,but still stronger stained those in the normal control group, with significant difference between the three groups( P ＜ 0.01).CONCLUSION: Negative pressure on the limbs may attenuate the synthesis of CGRP-immunoreactive nerve fibers in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion and pain conduction following PAOD in dogs, so that harmful afferent stimuli are inhibited to relieve the pain in the limbs.

Objective To study the impact of hypothyroidism on sperm motility in male rat.Methods According to body weight,20 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group and hypothyroidism group (1 ml/100 g/day,0.1％ propylthiouracil by intragastric administration for 60 days) 10 rats in eachgroup.Body weight of these rats was observed every 3 days.After the last intragastric administration,all rats were killed.The levels of thyroid hormones [total triiodothyronine (T3),total thyroxine (T4),and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)] were measured by radioimmunoassay.Sperm motility parameters[average path velocity(VAP),straight fine velocity (VSL),straightness (STR),amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH),sperm density(p),curvilinear velocity (VCL),linearity(LIN),wobble (WOB),mean angular deviation (MAD) and beat cross frequency (BCF)] were measured by a WLJY-9000 color-detection system.Results Compared with the control groups[(298.20 ± 12.15) g,(344.00 ± 13.73)g],the weights of hypothyroidism group of the 30 days[(239.00 ± 15.02) g] and the 60 days [(232.67 ± 17.86)g] were significantly lower(t =7.704,11.380,all P ＜ 0.05).The levels of T3[(373.3 ± 101.3) ng/L] and T4 [(4.00 ± 0.89) × 103 ng/ml] of hypothyroidism group were significantly decreased compared with that of the control groups [(1000.0 ± 273.5)ng/L,(44.33 ± 7.84)× 103 ng/L,t =5.262,12.520,all P ＜ 0.05].Level of TSH[(5.77 ± 0.89) × 103 U/L] of hypothyroidism group was significantly increased compared with that of the control group[(1.87 ± 0.70) × 103 U/L,t =8.413,P ＜ 0.05].Values of VAP[(27.45 ± 1.59)μm/s],VSL [(21.08 ± 1.10)μm/s],STR[(70.53 ± 3.48)％] and ALH[(1.96 ± 0.26)μm] of hypothyroidism group were significantly increased compared with that of the control groups[(24.38 ± 2.59)μm/s,(17.99±2.06)μm/s,(65.93 ± 2.71)％,(1.53 ± 0.27)μm,t =2.687,2.404,2.420,3.175,all P ＜ 0.05].p[(5.07 ± 0.74)109/L] of hypothyroidism group was significantly decreased compared with that of the control group [(8.76 ± 1.01)109/L,t =6.463,P ＜ 0.05].VCL[(52.83 ± 5.56)μm/s],LIN[(38.58 ± 3.41)％],WOB[(52.64 ± 3.24)％],MAD [(64.21 ± 6.71) radian/s] and BCF [(8.93 ± 0.62) Hz] of hypothyroidism group were not significantly different compared with that of the control groups[(49.92 ± 6.43) μm/s,(36.52 ± 2.73)％,(52.49 ± 3.49)％,(62.77 ± 7.34)radia/s,(9.32 ± 0.61)Hz,t =0.805,1.089,0.037,0.341,1.033,all P ＞ 0.05].Conclusion Hypothyroidism can affect sperm activity in male rats,decrease sperm density and cause damage to the reproductive system.

Background:Tripterygium glycosides(TG)is effective for treatment of ulcerative colitis(UC)in clinical practice, however,the underlying mechanism has not been clarified yet. Aims:To investigate the therapeutic effect of TG on dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)-induced experimental colitis in mice and its possible mechanisms. Methods:Sixty healthy male BALB/ c mice were randomly divided into six groups:model control group,low,medium and high-dose TG group,blank control group and normal control group. Mice in the first four groups drank 5% DSS freely for 7 days to induce experimental colitis;simultaneously,distilled water,9. 01,27. 03 or 81. 09 mg/(kg·d)TG were given intragastrically for 21 days in these four groups,respectively. Histopathological changes of colonic mucosal tissues were observed;expressions of TLR4 mRNA and protein were determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting;expression of NF-κB p65 was detected by immunohistochemistry;concentrations of IL-1α,TNF-α and IL-13 were measured by ELISA. Results:Tissue damage and inflammation in varying degrees were observed in colonic mucosal tissues in TG groups with different dosage,but all were less severe than those in model control group. Expressions of TLR4 mRNA,TLR4 protein,and NF-κB p65 in colonic mucosal tissues,as well as concentrations of IL-1α and TNF-α in supernatant of colonic homogenate were significantly lower in TG groups than those in model control group(P < 0. 01). These parameters in medium and high-dose TG groups were significantly lower than those in low-dose TG group(P < 0. 05),but higher than those in blank control group and normal control group(P < 0. 05). Except for TNF-α,no significant differences were seen between medium and high-dose TG groups(P > 0. 05). Conclusions:TG exerts a protective effect on DSS-induced experimental colitis in mice. The underlying mechanism of its anti-inflammatory effect might be related with the inhibition of TLR4 / NF-κB signaling pathway activation and subsequently suppressing downstream proinflammatory cytokines expression and secretion.

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical efficacy of self-formulated Xingchang Decoction (XCD) in treating slow-transit constipation (STC) and the dynamical parameters of colonic motility during XCD treatment.

METHODSOne hundred and eighteen patients with STC were randomly assigned to the treatment group and the control group, 59 in each group. The treatment group was treated with XCD, and the control group was treated with mosapride, an intestinal energetic agent. The therapeutic course for both groups was 30 days. The 72-h colonic transition test was conducted and the symptom scores were observed before and after treatment; the adverse reaction rate and clinical efficacy were calculated after treatment; and the recurrence rate in one year was followed-up.

RESULTSSymptom scores were significantly improved in the treatment group after treatment, with the improvement significantly superior to that in the control group (P < 0.01). The cure rate and the total effective rate were 76.27% and 93.22% in the treatment group respectively, while they were 47.45% and 72.87% in the control group, showing significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). Besides, the 1-year recurrence rate was significantly lower (chi2 = 10.40, P = 0.001) and the improvement of colonic motor function was more in the treatment group than those in the control group (P < 0.01). Only low incidence (5.08% in the treatment group and 8.47% in the control group) of mild gastrointestinal reactions was shown, which caused no influence on the treatment.

CONCLUSIONXCD could effectively improve the motility of the digestive tract, and it is effective and safe for the treatment of STC.

Benzamides ; therapeutic use ; Constipation ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Gastrointestinal Agents ; therapeutic use ; Gastrointestinal Transit ; drug effects ; Humans ; Morpholines ; therapeutic use

AIMTo detect the changes of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in liver following ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) of hindlimbs and to elucidate their significance.

METHODSI/R was established using the occlusion of the femoral arteries for 4 h and reopening for 2-24 h in rats. The expression of iNOS mRNA, and iNOS protein and the nitrotyrosine (NT), a marker of peroxynitrite (ONOO-), in liver tissue were detected with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical technique, respectively. The liver superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were spectrophotometrically measured. The observation of pathologic changes of liver was made following the inhibition of iNOS by aminoguanidine (AG).

RESULTSCompared with control groups, the relative expression level of iNOS mRNA significantly increased in I/R group. There were more iNOS positive hepatocytes and more NT positive hepatocytes in I/R group than control groups. The contents of MDA markedly increased, while the activity of SOD significantly decreased in I/R group, compared with those in the control groups. The pathologic changes of rat liver became milder in I/R group following the inhibition of iNOS by AG.

CONCLUSIONThe expressions of iNOS mRNA and protein in liver are significantly upregulated, excess induction of iNOS-NO is contributed to the liver injury during the I/R of hindlimbs.

Animals ; Guanidines ; pharmacology ; Hindlimb ; blood supply ; Liver ; blood supply ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; analysis ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; analysis

Objective To probe into the impact on sperm motility in male rat induced by fluorine poisoning, and provide experimental basis to further research for reproductive toxicity of fluoride. Methods According to bodyweight, 32 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group, the low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose group( 100,200,300 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) NaF), and were treated by intragastric administration for 90 days, and the weight of the rats was observed each day. After the last intragastric administration, all rats were killed. The relative weight of liver, kidney and testis was calculated. Rat epididymides were plucked off and spermatozoa released from it. Sperm motility parameters were measured by WLJY-9000 color-detection system of sperm quality. Results Compared with high-dose group[(206.00 ± 18.16)g], the weight of low-dose and medium-dose group [ (235.00 ± 14.56), (235.44 ± 24.99)g] in 30 days were statistically significant increased(all P < 0.05) ; there were no significant differences between the groups in 60 days and in 90 days(F = 0.578,1.893, all P > 0.05). Comparison of organ coefficient of liver, kidney and testis among three groups showed no significant difference(F = 2.148,0.907, 1.801, all P > 0.05). The average path velocity(VAP) of the high-dose group[ (25.04 ± 4.59)μm/s] showed significant increase compared with control group[ (20.22 ± 3.29)μm/s] ; the straight line velocity(VSL) of the low- dose, medium-dose and high-dose group[ (18.82± 3.19), (17.84 ± 4.54), (16.46 ± 2.63)μm/s] showed significant increase compared with control group[ ( 12.48 ± 1.73 ) μm/s ] ; linearity (LIN) of the low-dese, medium-dose and high.dose group[(23.84±1.58)%,(24.99±3.37)%,(26.75±5.07)%]showed significant decrease compared with control group[(33.29±4.00)%];wobble(WOB)of the medium-dose and high-dose group[(47.03±3.98)%,(4921±723)%]showed significant increase compared with control group[(38.09±0.48)%];mean angular deviation (MAD)of the low-dose group[(68.29±5.71)radian/s]showed significant decrease compared with control group [(81.57±8.44)radian/s];beat cross frequency(BCF)ofthe high-dose group[(117±0.61)/s]showed significant increase compared with control group[(9.49±0.34)/s];sperm density(p)of the low-dose and medium-dose group [(1.26±0.24)×10~9/L,(1.84±0.50)×10~9/L]showed significant decrease compared with control group [(3.94±1.10)×10~9/L,all P<0.05].Comparison of the eurvilinearvelocity(VCL),straightness(STR),amplitude of lateral head displacement(ALH)among three groups showed no significant difference(F=0.264,2.209,1.667, all P>0.05).Conclusion Fluorine poisoning could change sperm motility parameters of the rat,reduce the sperm density and cau8e damage to the reproductive system.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect and safety of L-carnitine in the treatment of idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia based on current clinical evidence.

METHODSWe searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI, VIP, CBM and Wanfang Database from the establishment to April 2014 for the published literature on the treatment of idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia with L-carnitine. We conducted literature screening, data extraction, and assessment of the methodological quality of the included trials according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, followed by statistical analysis with the RevMan 5. 2 software.

RESULTSSeven randomized controlled trials involving 751 patients with idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia met the inclusion criteria, and 678 of them were included in the meta-analysis. L-carnitine treatment achieved a significantly increased rate of spontaneous pregnancy as compared with the control group (RR = 3.2, 95% CI 1.74 to 5.87, P = 0.0002). After 12-16 and 24-26 weeks of medication, total sperm motility (WMD = 5.21, 95% CI 2.78 to 7.64, P < 0.0001 and WMD = 9.29, 95% CI 1.28 to 17.29, P = 0.02) and the percentage of progressively motile sperm (WMD = 12.44, 95% CI 4.58 to 20.31, P = 0.002 and WMD = 9.76, 95% CI 3.56 to 15.97, P = 0.002) were remarkably higher than those in the control group, but no statistically significant differences were observed in sperm concentration between the two groups (WMD = 4.91, 95% CI -2.63 to 12.45, P = 0.2 and WMD = 0.93, 95% CI -3.48 to 5.34, P = 0.68). After 12-16 weeks of treatment, the percentage of morphologically abnormal sperm was markedly decreased in the L-carnitine group as compared with the control (WMD = -2.48, 95% CI -4.35 to -0.61, P = 0.009), but showed no significant difference from the latter group after 24-26 weeks (WMD = -4.38, 95% CI -9.66 to 0.89, P = 0.1). No statistically significant difference was found in the semen volume between the two groups after 12-16 or 24-26 weeks of medication (WMD = -0.13, 95% CI -0.43 to 0.18, P = 0.42 and WMD = 0.28, 95% CI -0.02 to 0.58, P = 0.07). No serious L-carnitine-related adverse events were reported in 4 of the randomniized controlled trials.

CONCLUSIONThe current evidence indicates that L-carnitine can improve spontaneous pregnancy and semen parameters in the treatment of idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia, with no serious adverse reactions.

Asthenozoospermia ; drug therapy ; Carnitine ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Semen Analysis ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility