Humans ; Siblings ; Forensic Medicine ; Forensic Genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the constitution and health status of the Beijing residents, and the primary influencing factors on nutrition and health, as to finding out the epidemiological characters and the changing trend of chronic diseases and to establish scientific basis for the establishment of public health and disease prevention policies of Beijing.

METHODSA stratified multi-stage cluster randomly sampling method was used. In total, 18 districts were surveyed, and among them, 9 were conducted dietary survey. The investigation was based on household, and all family members were surveyed at their home. After having got the compliance from the family members, question asking, medical examination, laboratory test and dietary investigation were carried out in these people.

RESULTSThe incidence rate of hypertension was 25.0% for the resident > or = 15 year-old, and over 50% for middle-aged and elderly people (> or = 45 years old). The incidence of diabetes for those not younger than 15 years old was 7.7%. The over-weight rate and the obesity rate for adults were 35.1% and 20.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe following risk factors of chronic disease, such as unreasonable diet pattern, deficient intake of some micronutrients, over-weight and obesity, lack of physical examination, smoking and over-drinking, should be the important factors influencing the health of Beijing residents severely.

China ; epidemiology ; Diabetes Mellitus ; epidemiology ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Hypertension ; epidemiology ; Incidence ; Life Style ; Male ; Nutritional Status ; Obesity ; epidemiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Cells, Cultured ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; metabolism ; virology ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; blood ; metabolism ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; metabolism ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oligodeoxyribonucleotides ; pharmacology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Toll-Like Receptor 9 ; agonists ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood ; metabolism ; Young Adult

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided modified anterior approach to sciatic nerve block ( SNB) for orthopedic surgery with general anesthesia. Methods Ninety American So-ciety of Anesthesiology physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱpatients of both sexes, aged 18-64 yr, weighing 19-28 kg∕m2 , scheduled for elective knee joint or distal orthopedic surgery, were divided into 3 groups ( n=30 each) using a random number table method: modified anterior approach ( the puncture needle was almost perpendicular to the ultrasound beam) group, anterior approach group and posterior approach group. SNB ( injecting 0. 5％ ropivacaine 20 ml) combined with femoral nerve block ( injecting 0. 5％ ropivacaine 15-20 ml) was performed under ultrasound guidance. Surgery was completed under combination of the laryngeal mask and combined intravenous-inhalational anesthesia. When the respiratory rate ≥20 beats∕min and∕or the increase in heart rate was more than 20％ of the baseline value, sufentanil 1μg∕time was intravenously injected. When visual analog scale ( VAS) score ≥4 within 24 h after surgery, celecoxib capsules 0. 2 g was taken orally for analgesia. The depth of sciatic nerve, needling depth, sharpness score of needle ima-ging under ultrasound, and operation time and duration of SNB were recorded. VAS scores at rest and dur-ing activity were recorded at 6, 8, 10, 12 and 24 h after surgery. The amount of sufentanil consumed dur-ing surgery and use of celecoxib capsules within 24 h after surgery were recorded. The development of ad-verse reactions such as hematoma at the puncture site, nausea and vomiting was also recorded after surgery. Results Compared with posterior approach group, the depth of sciatic nerve and needling depth were sig-nificantly increased, the operation time of SNB was prolonged, the duration of SNB was shortened, the in-traoperative consumption of sufentanil was increased, VAS scores at rest and during activity were increased at 10 h after surgery, and the sharpness score of needle imaging was increased in modified anterior approach and anterior approach groups (P<0. 05). Compared with anterior approach group, the sharpness score of needle imaging was significantly increased, and VAS scores during activity were decreased at 24 h after sur-gery in modified anterior approach group ( P<0. 05) . There was no significant difference in the requirement for celecoxib capsules within 24 h after surgery or occurrence of adverse reactions among the three groups ( P>0. 05) . Conclusion Although ultrasound-guided modified anterior approach to SNB provides compara-ble efficacy with anterior approach to SNB and is not as good as posterior approach to SNB when used for or-thopedic surgery with general anesthesia, modified anterior approach to SNB is easy to operate, with clear images under ultrasound.

BACKGROUNDIt is essential to establish an animal model for the elucidation of the biological behaviors of stem cells in vivo. We constructed a chimeric animal model by in utero transplantation for investigation of stem cell transplantation.

METHODSThis chimerism was achieved by injecting the stem cells derived from the bone marrow of green fluorescence protein (GFP)-transgenic mice into fetal mice at 13.5 days of gestation. Several methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR, fluorescence-assisted cell sorting (FACS) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were used for the observation of donor cells.

RESULTSUnder a fluorescence microscope, we observed the GFP cells of donor-origin in a recipient. PCR, FACS analysis and FISH indicated chimerism at various intervals. Real-time PCR indicated that some donor cells existed in chimera for more than 6 months.

CONCLUSIONSAllogenic stem cells may exist in recipients for a long time and this allogenic animal model provides a useful tool for studying the behavior of hematopoietic stem cells and also offers an effective model system for the study of stem cells.

Animals ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transplantation Chimera ; Transplantation, Homologous

BACKGROUNDMethylmalonic acidemia (MMA) is a multifactorial autosomal recessive inborn error of organic acid metabolism, often presenting with neurological symptoms. As neurological disorders are often related to white matter injury, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an excellent tool for assessment of white matter injury and possibly for diagnosing this disorder.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed DTI images of 12 patients with MMA (7 males, 5 females, age range: 7 - 12 months, mean age: 9.25 +/- 1.70 months) with negative MRI findings. And another 12 age-matched and gender-matched infants were enrolled as control subjects. Fractional anisotropy (FA) of different white matter tracts of the brain was measured in both groups.

RESULTSFor patients with negative MRI findings, compared with healthy infants, a statistically significant reduction in DTI FA value of the frontal white matter, temporal white matter, and occipital white matter was observed (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSIn addition to conventional T1W and T2W MR Image, Brain DTI presents a useful, sensitive and complementary tool for the assessment of brain damage in patients with MMA.

Amino Acid Metabolism, Inborn Errors ; blood ; pathology ; Anisotropy ; Brain ; pathology ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Methylmalonic Acid ; blood ; Nerve Fibers, Myelinated ; pathology

BACKGROUNDCholesterol-lowering therapy with statins has been reported to reduce the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effects of combined application of extended-release niacin and atorvastatin on lipid profile modification and the risks of adverse events in patients with coronary artery disease.

METHODSConsecutive 108 patients with coronary artery disease and serum total cholesterol (TC) > or = 3.5 mmol/L were randomized into two groups: group A using atorvastatin and group B using extended-release niacin (niacin ER) and atorvastatin. Plasma lipid profile, glucose, and adverse events were assessed at the hospitalization, and 6 and 12 months after treatment. In addition, clinical cardiovascular events were evaluated after 12 months of treatment.

RESULTSThe levels of TC, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in groups A and B, but the levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and ApoA increased by 29.36% and 40.81% respectively after 12 months of treatment in group B (P < 0.01). The medications were generally well tolerated in the two groups. No significant difference of adverse events was found between the two groups (group A: 3.2% vs group B 5.1%, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCombined use of extended-release niacin with atorvastatin was superior to atorvastatin monotherapy alone in lipid profile regulation. Combination therapy with niacin ER and atorvastatin was well tolerated and safe in patients with coronary artery disease.

Aged ; Anticholesteremic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Apolipoproteins A ; blood ; Atorvastatin Calcium ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Cholesterol, HDL ; blood ; Cholesterol, LDL ; blood ; Coronary Artery Disease ; drug therapy ; Female ; Heptanoic Acids ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; drug effects ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Niacin ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Pyrroles ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo understand the prevalence and control of several common chronic disease in Beijing adults.

METHODS16,658 adult residents were randomly selected with stratified multi-stage cluster sampling method. Each participant was invited to receive a set of standardized questionnaire, physical examinations and laboratory tests.

RESULTSData showed that the prevalence, awareness, treatment and the rate of control on hypertension among the adults in Beijing were 29.1%, 49.3%, 42.3% and 10.6% respectively. The counterparts of diabetes mellitus were 8.8%, 56.7%, 50.0% and 15.0%. The four corresponding figures for dyslipidemia were 33.2%, 31.1%, 13.0% and 4.3%, respectively. 22.9% of the Beijing adults had metabolic syndrome including 8.1 per thousand suffering from myocardial infarction and 18.4 per thousand from stroke. Except for diabetes, all the chronic diseases had higher prevalence rate in rural area than in urban area, according to the findings under our study. Postmenopausal women were more susceptible to chronic disease than men.

CONCLUSIONThe prevalence rate of chronic disease in Beijing was still high. The prevalence rate in rural area had exceeded the level in urban area. Adjustment and attention should be made according to the prevalence features and weakness existed in present chronic disease control strategy.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; China ; epidemiology ; Chronic Disease ; epidemiology ; Diabetes Mellitus ; epidemiology ; Dyslipidemias ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; epidemiology ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome ; epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVESTo investigate total drinking water intake of adults in the four cities of China in summer.

METHODSA total of 1483 adults aged 18 - 60 yrs from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou were selected using multiple-stage random sampling method. The information of amounts and types of daily drinking water was recorded by subjects for seven consecutive days using a quantitative measurement. The amounts and types of daily drinking water among different cities and between men and women or urban and rural was analyzed.

RESULTSThe median of daily total drinking water of subjects was 1488 ml, with significant difference among the four cities (1579, 1793, 1150, 1467 ml in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou city, respectively, χ(2) = 154.31, P = 0.000). The median of daily drinking water was significantly higher in men (1679 ml) than women (1370 ml) (Z = 8.34, P = 0.000), but no significant difference was found between urban (1514 ml) and rural (1466 ml) daily drinking water median (Z = -0.81, P = 0.420). The median of daily consumption of plain water, tea and beverages were 786, 109, 186 ml, respectively. Among four cities, the highest consumption of plain water was in subjects of Guangzhou (917 ml), while the highest tea consumption in Shanghai (257 ml) and the highest beverages consumption in Shanghai (323 ml) and Beijing (264 ml). Consumption of tea in men (229 ml) was significantly higher than that in women (57 ml) (Z = 7.52, P = 0.000). Subjects in urban (693 ml) had lower consumption of plain water than those in rural (914 ml). The proportion was 32.4% (480/1483) for subjects with water drinking less than 1200 ml per day.

CONCLUSIONThe daily consumption of total drinking water, including plain water, tea and beverages is different in adults among different cities and is different in gender and regions. It is nearly 1/3 of subjects with daily total drinking water less than current Chinese recommended water intake (1200 ml).

Adolescent ; Adult ; Beverages ; China ; Drinking ; physiology ; Drinking Water ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Seasons ; Urban Population ; Young Adult

Objective:To establish the fingerprints of standard decoction of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix-dried products by different methods,and to evaluate the quality correlation. Method:HPLC,InertSustain C₁₈ chromatographic column(4.6 mm×250 mm,5 μm),Gradient elution was performed for the mobile phase of acetonitrile-phospho,detection wavelength at 240 nm and flow rate of 0.8 mL·min^-1,and column temperature was 40℃. The quality correlation analysis of different methods for different kinds of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix standard decoction was carried out from the aspects of chemical composition consistency,common chemical composition consistency,main chemical composition content and transfer rate. Result:The control fingerprint of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix standard decoction was established. According to the peak matching data,there were 10 common peaks in the fingerprint of 15 batches of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix standard decoction.Among the 10 common peaks,5 chemical constituents of loganic acid,6'-O-β-D-glucosyl gentiopicroside,swertiamarin,gentiopicroside and swertia glycosides were identified. The results of quality correlation analysis showed that the three different drying methods were consistent with the chemical composition and quantity of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix standard decoction. But in terms of the content consistency of common chemical components and the transfer rate of main chemical components,the quality correlation between the products obtained from vacuum drying and the standard decoction was lower than that obtained from spray drying and freeze-drying. Conclusion:The fingerprint of different method of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix standard decoction was established. Through the analysis of the mass correlation of chemical composition consistency,common chemical composition content consistency,main chemical composition content and transfer rate,the mass correlation between them was comprehensively reflected. It is suggested that spray drying or freeze drying should be used for the key drying process of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix granules. This study provides a reference for the preparation process and quality control of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix granules.