Objective:To investigate middle school students' parent-related fears of poor performance on im- portant examinations in the United Stated and China.Methods:The“Failure Outcome Expectancy (FOE)”inventory was used to measure students' perceptions of test anxiety in a sample of 1,215 public middle school students,ages 14and 15.Results:The findings indicated that students in different countries reported similar trends in the reasons for their parent-related test anxiety including student worries with respect to confidence about admission to higher institu- tions,and student contributions to parental annoyances in relation to academic achievement.However,cross-cultural differences revealed that Chinese students reported significantly expectations,or the potential for annoying their par- ents than American students.American students reported a significantly stronger preoccupation about their capacity to face challenges in life than Chinese students.Additionally,gender differences were more significant in the western culture of the United States than in China.American female students reported stronger perceptions on seven items of parent-related causes of their test anxiety than Chinese female students.Chinese male students reported stronger pre- occupation only on two items than their American counterpart.Conclusion:Chinese and American students have similar trends in the reasons for their parent-related test anxiety.There are also culture difference and gender differ- ence in this problem.

Air Pollution, Indoor ; statistics & numerical data ; Hong Kong ; Noise, Occupational ; statistics & numerical data ; Restaurants ; statistics & numerical data ; Temperature

Adult ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To construct BCR-ABL SH3-T79Y mutant recombinant adenovirus vectors and investigate its effects on apoptosis of K562/G01 cells.Methods SH3-T79Y mutant was amplified by overlapping PCR with pMig210 as template and cloned into recombinant adenovirus vectors .After identifying , packaging and amplifying , the recombinant adenovirus vectors containing SH 3-T79Y mutant was collected .Recombinant adenovirus vectors were transferred into K562/G01 cells.Then transfection efficiency was determinated , changes of cell morphology were observed by Wright 's staining , cell apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry , BCR-ABL and CrkL phospho-rylation was detected by Western blot .Results The vectors were successfully constructed .Transfection efficiency was more than 80%after transferring into K562/G01 cells for 72 h;there was obvious apoptosis phenomenon , cell apoptosis significantly increased to 32.46% compared with the control groups ( P<0.05 ) , BCR-ABL and CrkL phosphorylation significantly decreased and so did the expression of BCR-ABL( P<0.05 ) .Conclusions Success-fully constructed the SH 3-T79 Y mutant recombinant adenovirus vectors and it may promote the apoptosis of K 562/G01 cells by inhibiting BCR-ABL and CrkL phosphorylation .

Objective To investigate the potential of chronic myeloid leukemia ( CML) cell line KCL22 in indu-cing leukemia in NOD-SCID mice for setting up a basis for constructing a CML mouse transplantation tumor model. Methods 2 ×107 KCL22 cells in logarithmic growth phase were injected via the tail vein into experimental NOD-SCID mice whereas PBS was injected to the mice of control group.General condition of the mice of both groups was observed.Wright staining was used to observe the changes of blood and bone marrow smears.PCR was conducted to detect the transcription level of BCR-ABL, and histology with HE staining was used to evaluate the tumor cell invasion in the liver and spleen. Results Four weeks after the injection of KCL22 cells, the mice in experimental group showed physical signs of decreased reactivity, depression, swollen hindlimb muscles and petechia on the hindlimb femur.Peripheral white blood cells ( WBC) began to increase after 5 weeks, with a significantly increased quantity compared with the control group (P<0.05).Imma-ture granulocytes could be seen in blood and bone marrow smears, and tumor cell infiltration was found in the liver and spleen.BCR-ABL was highly expressed in bone marrow cells.Survival time of the experimental mice without therapy was 70 days, significantly shorter than that in the control group ( >90 days) (P<0.05).Conclusions A NOD-SCID mouse model of CML transplantation tumor is successfully established with leukemia KCL22 cells.

AIM:To detect the activation of macrophage autophagy caused by lipopolysaccharide ( LPS) and the possible related signaling pathways .METHODS:The macrophage cell line RAW264.7 cultured in vitro was divided into 5 groups according to the culture environment , including normal culture group , starvation-activated sautophagy group , LPS group, LPS+PI3K inhibitor (hVps34) group and LPS+mTOR inhibitor (rapamycin) group.Fluorescent expression vector pcDNA3.1-GFP-LC3 constructed in previous work was transfected into the macrophages .The fluorescence microscopy was used to detect the formation of autophagosome .The mRNA expression of autophagy-associated genes Atg5, Atg7, LC3-II and Bnip3 in the macrophages was detected by qRT-PCR.The protein levels of LC3-II, p-Akt and p-mTOR were deter-mined by Western blotting , so as to evaluate the molecular pathways of autophagy in LPS-activated macrophages .RE-SULTS:The macrophages stably expressing GFP-LC3 were successfully established , which were used to observe the auto-phagy under fluorescence microscope .Compared with normal culture group , the autophagy in starvation group , LPS +hVps34 group and LPS+rapamycin group was significantly increased .The mRNA expression levels of Atg5, LC3-II and Bnip3 were significantly increased in starvation group , LPS+hVps34 group and LPS +rapamycin group , while in LPS group, those decreased slightly .The protein level of p-Akt in starvation group , LPS group and LPS+rapamycin group was significantly increased , while p-mTOR in starvation group , LPS+hVps34 group and LPS+rapamycin group significantly declined .LC3-II expression level in starvation group , LPS+hVps34 group and LPS+rapamycin group was higher than that in control group and LPS group .CONCLUSION: LPS regulates macrophage autophagy , and its possible pathway is the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, but there are some other effective regulatory pathways .

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of IFNα combined with mannan peptide in treatment of patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B ( CHB ). Methods Eighty HBeAg-positive CHB patients with HBV DNA quantity ranging from 10 to 10 eopies/mL were enrolled and randomized into the treatment group and the control group ( n = 40 for each ). Patients in treatment group were given daily subcutaneous injection of IFNα-2b 5,000,000 U for 52 weeks, and received mannan peptide 10 mg per intravenous injection or 2. 5 mg per intramuscular injection for a total of 2 to 3 treatment courses (12 weeks for each). The control group received only IFNα-2b treatment. Liver function, serum markers of hepatitis B, HBV DNA quantity and blood tests were performed before the treatment and at 2, 4, 8, 16, 26 and 52-week during the treatment; and the adverse effects were recorded. Results The rates for ALT normalization, negative HBsAg, negative HBeAg, HBeAg seroconversion and negative HBV DNA were 91. 8% , 17. 5% , 52. 5% , 27. 5 % and 47. 5% at 52nd week in the treatment group, while those in the control group were 80. 0% , 12. 5% , 30. 0% , 10. 0 % and 25. 0% , respectively. There were significant differences in HBeAg-negative, HBeAg-seroeonversion and HBV DNA-negative rates between two groups (χ2 = 4. 178, 4.021 and 4.381, P < 0. 05 ) , and these indexes in the treatment group were increased to 57. 5% , 30. 0% and 50. 0 respectively at 52nd week after drug withdraw. White blood cells began to be elevated at 4th week and were restored to the normal levels at 8th week in the treatment group, while the count in the control was lower than the normal value even at 52nd week of the treatment with the average of (3.45±1. 18)×109/L. Conclusion Alpha-interferon combined with mannan peptide therapy is effective for patients with HBeAg-positive CHB, which may restore the declined peripheral WBC counts induced by interferon and improve the compliance.

Objective To evaluate the clinical significance of cytokeratin19(CK19) mRNA in the peripheral blood of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods The expression of CK19 mRNA was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the peripheral blood from 98 NSCLC patients (NSCLC group), 20 benign pulmonary lesion patients (benign pulmonary lesion group) and 20 healthy adults(control group). Results The positive rate of CK19 mRNA in peripheral blood of NSCLC group, benign pulmonary lesion group and control group was 77.55 % (76/98), 3.57% (1/28),0 (0/20) respectively,and there was significant difference among three groups ( x2 = 73.680,P ＜ 0.01 ). The positive rate of CK19 mRNA in different pathological types of NSCLC had no significant difference (x2 =0.414, P ＞ 0.05 ), but had significant difference in different lymphy node metastasis status( x2 = 17.523, P ＜0.01 ) and different clinical stage ( x2 =13.453,P ＜ 0.01 ). Conclusions The higher expression of CK19mRNA in peripheral blood of NSCLC may relate to cancer metastasis. Detection of CK19 mRNA has significance in early prediction of its prognosis.

OBJECTIVETo study the selective dilatation effects of iptakalim (Ipt) on basilar and pulmonary arterioles, and endothelial cell function of these arterioles in hypoxic rats.

METHODSSD male rats were divided into 2 groups:control and hypoxic group fed in normobaric hypoxic environment (O2 7.8%, 8 h). Arteriole rings about (204 + 5) pm were isolated and the tension of hypoxic arterioles pre-contracted by 6 nmol/L endothelin-1 (ET-1) was observed with wire myograph system model (DMT 610 m). The relaxing response of hypoxic arterioles induced by different concentration of Ipt were detected and endothelial activity was also tested by acetylcholine.

RESULTS10(5) mol/L acetylcholine (ACh)-mediated vasodilatation of basilar and pulmonary arterioles was greatly reduced in the hypoxic group than those in control group (P < 0.05). Compared with normal group, a novel ATP-sensitive potassium channel opener Ipt at the concentration ranging from 10(-11) mol/L to 10(3) mol/L, caused stronger dose dependent vasodilatation on hypoxic pulmonary arterioles, and there was no significant difference between control and hypoxic basilar arterioles.

CONCLUSIONThe endothelial function of basilar and pulmonary arterioles was damaged under hypoxic state, and Ipt selectively increased dilatation effects on hypoxic pulmonary arterioles, but not on hypoxic basilar arterioles which could improve high altitude pulmonary edema pathological state and be the novel drug in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension.

Acetylcholine ; pharmacology ; Altitude ; Altitude Sickness ; physiopathology ; Animals ; Arterioles ; drug effects ; Dilatation ; Endothelin-1 ; pharmacology ; Hypoxia ; KATP Channels ; drug effects ; Male ; Propylamines ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Vasodilation ; Vasodilator Agents ; pharmacology

Background Researches documented that retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) in unaffected carriers of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) becomes thickened in different quadrants to different degrees.But the change of their macular thickness is still unclear.Objective This study was to clarify RNFLT and macular thickness by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in unaffected female carriers of LHON families.Methods Five female LHON patients (5 eyes) from 5 LHON families,eighteen unaffected female carriers (18eyes) from 18 LHON families and twenty-five age-matched healthy female controls (25 eyes) were included in this study.The patients and genetic carriers were diagnosed in PLA General Hospital from 2011 September to 2012 October.Regular ocular examination were performed followed by OCT measurement of retinas.The Optic Disc Cube 200×200 and Macular Cube 200×200 protocols were used during the OCT measurement.Average (360°) RNFLT,RNFLT at four quadrantic sections,cube average macular thickness and macular thickness of nine Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) sub-areas were compared among the LHON genetic carriers,LHON patients and normal controls.Results Compared to the normal control group,significant reduced values were seen in temporal,superior,nasal and inferior side of sub-area macular thickness in the LHON female carriers (P=0.022,0.046,0.024,0.008).In addition,but no significant differences were found in cube average thickness,central subarea macular thickness,temporal,superior,nasal and inferior side of lateral sub-area macular thickness,average RNFLT,and temporal,superior,nasal and inferior quadrant RNFLT between the LHON female carriers and normal controls (P=0.102,0.051,0.238,0.663,0.1 10,0.104,0.419,0.371,0.158,0.063,0.563).Compared to the unaffected female carrier group,female patients showed significant reductions in cube average macular thickness,temporal,superior,nasal and inferior side of sub-area macular thickness,temporal,superior,nasal and inferior side of lateral sub-area mac ular thickness,average R NFLT and temporal,superior,and inferior quadrant RNFLT (P =0.000,0.000,0.000,0.007,0.002,0.002,0.000,0.000,0.040,0.000,0.016,0.000,0.000) except for the central subarea macular thickness and nasal quadrant RNFLT (P=0.388,0.580).Conclusions Unaffected LHON female carriers show a normal peripapillary RNFLT,but the macular thickness at medial sub-area is thinner.This first report offers an information of macular structure change in unaffected LHON female carriers,which suggest that macular damage appears prior to RNFLT change.