BACKGROUNDEpidemiological study showed that the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors was associated with higher bone mineral density (BMD) in older people, especially male subjects, which suggested that angiotensin II may have a detrimental effect on bone. Therefore, blocking its effect may have a beneficial effect on bone health.

METHODSSix-month-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) were used. Animals of each model were randomly assigned to the following four groups: Group 1, SHAM operated+vehicle; Group 2, orchidectomy (ORX)+vehicle; Group 3, ORX+low-dose losartan (10 mg×kg(-1)×d(-1)); and Group 4, ORX+high-dose losartan (25 mg×kg(-1)×d(-1)). Blood pressure was recorded weekly. SHAM and ORX operations were performed, followed by daily losartan and vehicle treatment from day 4 after operation for 16 weeks. Serum and 24-hour urine samples were collected for measurement of bone turnover markers before euthanasia and then the left femur was collected for measurements of BMD and microarchitecture before mechanical test.

RESULTSUrine deoxypyridinoline/urine creatinine (DPD/Cr) ratio was significantly higher in SHR than in WKY. BMD and microarchitecture parameters also showed bone deterioration in SHR. After ORX, serum osteocalcin concentration decreased and urine DPD/Cr ratio increased significantly accompanied by a significant decrease in cortical and trabecular BMD and cortical bone thickness in both WKY and SHR. High-dose losartan significantly increased DPD in urine in both SHR and WKY. Apart from marginal favorable changes in bone architecture in WKY treated with high-dose losartan, losartan did not show significant effect on BMD, bone area, bone microarchitecture, and mechanical properties in both SHR and WKY.

CONCLUSIONAngiotensin II type I receptor blocker losartan was not able to demonstrate significant effect on ORX-induced bone deterioration in both hypertensive and normotensive rats.

Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Bone Density ; drug effects ; Bone and Bones ; drug effects ; pathology ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Losartan ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Orchiectomy ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Rats, Inbred WKY ; Systole ; drug effects

Objective: To explore the association between the consumption of chemical fertilizers and the risk of low birth weight (LBW), to provide references for prevention programs on LBW and to improve the birth outcomes. Methods: Stratified multivariate logistic regression method was used in this study involving 153 preterm LBW infants, 179 term LBW infants and 204 normal control infants that were randomly selected from the birth monitoring data between October 2007 and September 2012 in Pingding county, Shanxi province. Associations between the risk of LBW and maternal exposure to chemical fertilizers during pregnancy were identified. A normal control group was set up to compare results between preterm and term LBW groups. Results: Totally, 18 749 infants were born between 2007 and 2012, with the total incidence rates of LBW as 48.5‰, preterm LBW as 19.4‰, and term LBW as 29.1‰. Concerning the case control study on preterm LBW, after adjustment for confounding factors, the risk of preterm LBW appeared 2.51 (95%CI: 1.05-5.99) times higher in villages with annual consumption of chemical fertilizer ≥100 tons than those villages that using chemical fertilizer less than 50 tons. No significant statistical associations were found between the amounts of household chemical fertilizer consumption and the risks of preterm LBW. Regarding the case control study on term LBW, after adjustment for confounding factors, in villages with ≥100 tons annual consumption of chemical fertilizers, the risk of term LBW was 4.03 (95%CI: 1.63-9.92) times of the risk in villages where the annal use of chemical fertilizers was less than 50 tons. There was no significant association between household consumption of chemical fertilizers and the risk of term LBW. Conclusions: Maternal exposure to chemical fertilizers during pregnancy was associated with the risk of LBW. Our findings suggested that the amount of chemical fertilizer consumption in rural areas seemed also associated with the risks of other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Women should avoid the chance of exposure to chemical fertilizers during pregnancy and the consumption of chemical fertilizers should be carefully managed.
Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Female ; Fertilizers/adverse effects* ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Maternal Exposure ; Pregnancy ; Premature Birth/epidemiology* ; Random Allocation ; Risk Factors

Humans ; Osteogenesis ; Mesentery/surgery* ; Ossification, Heterotopic/surgery*

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of a potential diabetes-related mitochondrial region, which includes two previously reported mutations, 3243A-->G and 3316G-->A, in Chinese patients with adult-onset type 2 diabetes.

METHODSA total of 277 patients and 241 normal subjects were recruited for the study. Mitochondrial nt 3116 - 3353, which spans the 16S rRNA, tRNA(leu(UUR)) and the NADH dehydrogenase 1 gene, were detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), direct DNA sequencing, PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and allele-specific PCR. Variants were analyzed by two-tailed Fisher exact test. The function of the variants in 16S rRNA were predicted for minimal free energy secondary structures by RNA folding software mfold version 3.

RESULTSFour homoplasmic nucleotide substitutions were observed, 3200T-->C, 3206C-->T, 3290T-->C and 3316G-->A. Only the 3200T-->C mutation is present in the diabetic population and absent in the control population. No statistically significant associations were found between the other three variants and type 2 diabetes. The 3200T-->C and 3206C-->T nucleotide substitutions located in 16S rRNA are novel variants. The 3200T-->C caused a great alteration in the minimal free energy secondary structure model while the 3206C-->T altered normal 16S rRNA structure little.

CONCLUSIONSThe results suggest that the 3200T-->C mutation is linked to the development of type 2 diabetes, but that the other observed mutations are neutral. In contrast to the Japanese studies, the 3316G-->A does not appear to be related to type 2 diabetes.

Age of Onset ; Aged ; Alleles ; Base Sequence ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; chemistry ; genetics ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; genetics ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Models, Molecular ; Nucleic Acid Conformation ; Point Mutation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; chemistry ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the intestinal absorption kinetics of gambogic acid (GA) in rats.

METHODIn situ single-way intestinal perfusion model was established to study the intestinal absorption kinetics of GA in different absorption segments, and the concentration of GA in the perfusate was determined by HPLC. The effect of drug concentrations on intestinal absorption was also detected.

RESULTGA showed a higher absorption rate than other intestinal segments (P < 0.05) and kept unchanged in duodenum after addition in drug concentration.

CONCLUSIONGA can be absorbed in all intestinal segments in rats with the higher absorption rate in duodenum. Its mechanism is passive diffusion.

Animals ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Intestinal Absorption ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Xanthones ; pharmacokinetics

According to the hardware characters of the high intensive focused ultrasound (HIFU) serial-parallel robots, this paper presents an algorithm of 2-grade interpolation scheme which includes the rough and fine interpolations. Both pre-acceleration and post-acceleration are employed to meet the restrictive requirements of coordinated dynamic performance and the detailed procedure of the interpolation algorithm is given too.
Algorithms ; Artificial Intelligence ; Computer Simulation ; Equipment Design ; Humans ; Robotics ; Ultrasound, High-Intensity Focused, Transrectal ; instrumentation ; methods

In this research and development project, we used the general microprocessor as a core to constitute the animal cardiac pacemaker in vitro. Control of the pacemaker's settings was carried out by transmitting parameters through a serial communication interface. Finally, our pacemaker reaches a satisfying test result in activating the cardiac outer membrane of the rabbits. Full digital pacemaker has high precision, good stability, and has an intuitive way to set parameters. Owing to its smaller size, lower cost, and easier mass production, the digital pacemaker is a good candidate to replace costly medical pacemakers for activating the animal's heart.
Animals ; Electrocardiography ; methods ; Equipment Design ; Male ; Microcomputers ; Pacemaker, Artificial ; veterinary ; Rabbits ; Research ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

OBJECTIVETo investigate the underlying mechanism of apoptosis-inducing effect of a specific COX-2 inhibitor SC236 in gastric cancer cells.

METHODSWestern blot analysis was used to measure apoptosis-related proteins, cytochrome c, and caspase-3. The catalytic activity of the caspases was measured using a colorimetric assay.

RESULTSTreatment of AGS gastric cancer cells with SC236 caused a significant elevation of the pro-apoptotic protein Bak, release of cytochrome c to the cytosol, and activation of caspase-3. A specific caspase-3 inhibitor, z-DEVD-fmk, blocked SC236-induced apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONSC236 inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in gastric cancer cells at least partly through the up-regulation of Bak, stimulation of cytochrome c release, and activation of caspase-3.

Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 3 ; Caspases ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Cytochromes c ; metabolism ; Humans ; Oligopeptides ; pharmacology ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases ; metabolism ; Pyrazoles ; pharmacology ; Stomach Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Sulfonamides ; pharmacology ; bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein ; metabolism

China ; Coal Mining ; Humans ; Pneumoconiosis ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Transients and Migrants

Objective: To understand the prevalence of biomass fuel exposure in women aged ≥40 years in China during 2014-2015, and provide evidence for the prevention and control of bio-fuel exposure. Methods: All participants were selected from a national representative cross-sectional survey during 2014-2015 in the mainland of China. A multi-stage stratified cluster sampling strategy was used. A total of 37 795 women aged ≥40 years received a face-to-face questionnaire survey at 125 surveillance points in 31 provinces. The level of biomass fuel exposure was analyzed after complex sample weighting to represent the overall Chinese women aged ≥40 years. Results: A total of 37 777 women were included in the analysis. With complex weighting, the rate of biomass fuel exposure in Chinese women aged ≥40 years was 35.8% (95%CI: 29.6%-42.1%), the exposure rate was higher in rural women than in urban women (P<0.001). The biomass fuel exposure rate was highest in northeastern and lowest in northern areas of China (χ(2)=17.03, P=0.009). The estimated biomass fuel exposure rate decreased with the increase of educational level (P<0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of biomass fuel exposure is high in women aged ≥40 years in China, especially in those in rural areas. The exposure level differs with age and area. Appropriate measures should be taken to reduce the level of biomass fuel exposure in Chinese women.
Adult ; Aged ; Air Pollutants/toxicity* ; Air Pollution, Indoor/statistics & numerical data* ; Asian People ; Biomass ; China/epidemiology* ; Cooking/methods* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Fossil Fuels/toxicity* ; Humans ; Inhalation Exposure/statistics & numerical data* ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Rural Population ; Surveys and Questionnaires