Oral contraceptive use, iron stores and vascular endothelial function in healthy women

Background

Increased iron stores are associated with greater cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women. Oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use decreases the volume of menstrual blood loss and increases iron stores, but the link between OCP use, iron stores and cardiovascular risk in premenopausal women has not been characterized.

Study Design

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 23 healthy OCP users to determine the association between type and duration of OCP exposure, iron stores, and vascular endothelial function [flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in the brachial artery].

Results

Median duration of OCP use was 45 months. FMD in the brachial artery was significantly associated with progestin type used (estranes/gonanes vs. drospirenone) and duration of OCP use (both p<.05) but not iron stores. In multivariate analysis, progestin type was the only independent predictor of FMD.

Conclusions

Use of OCP containing drospirenone was independently associated with greater FMD in the brachial artery and, thus, a potentially more favorable cardiovascular risk profile, when compared with use of OCP containing estranes/gonanes.     

Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Ginger Oil

Objective Ginger(Zingiber officinale) is widely used as a spice in cooking and as a medicinal herb in traditional herbal medicine.The present study was to investigate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of ginger oil in experimental animal models.Methods The analgesic effect of the oils was evaluated by the "acetic acid" and "hot-plate" test models of pain in mice.The anti-inflammatory effect of the oil was investigated in rats,using rat paw edema induced by carrageenan,adjuvant arthritis,and vascular permeability induced by bradykinin,arachidonic acid,and histamine.Indomethacin(1 mg/kg),Aspirin(0.5 g/kg) and Dexamethasone(2.5 mg/kg) were used respectively as reference drugs for comparison.Results The ginger oil(0.25-1.0 g/kg) produced significant analgesic effect against chemically-and thermally-induced nociceptive pain stimuli in mice(P < 0.05,0.01).And the ginger oil(0.25-1.0 g/kg) also significantly inhibited carrageenan-induced paw edema,adjuvant arthritis,and inflammatory mediators-induced vascular permeability in rats(P < 0.05,0.001).Conclusion These findings confirm that the ginger oil can be used to treat pain and chronic inflammation such as rheumatic arthritis.     

Effects of Danqidihuang Granules on glucolipid metabolism in insulin-resistant rats

OBJECTIVE:To explore whether the insulin resistance(IR) model could be established through feeding Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats high-sugar and high-fat diets and to further observe the preventive and treatment effects of different doses of Danqidihuang Granules in rats.METHODS:Thirty-two SD rats were divided randomly into control group A(given regular feed),model group B(food high in sugar and fat),intervention group C(food high in sugar and fat as well as regular doses of Danqidihuang Granules),and intervention group D(food high in sugar and fat as well as double doses of Danqidihuang Granules).The interventions were for 8 weeks.Motion,change in color,body weight,and food intake,as well as plasma lipids(including low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-C),total cholesterol(TC) and triglyceride(TG),fasting blood glucose(FBG),fasting insulin(FINs) levels,insulin sensitivity index(ISI),and insulin resistance index(HOMO-IR) were observed.RESULTS:At the end of the second week of the experiment,the appetite and activities of rats in groups B,C and D decreased significantly compared with group A.The fur of the rats in those three groups was curly.After the fourth week,the activities,food intake and color of rats in group B were worse than those in groups C and D,but there were no significant differences in weight(P>0.05).Compared with group A,LDL-C,TC,FBG and HOMO-IR in model group B were increased significantly(P<0.05),whereas the FINs and ISI increased obviously(P<0.05).The levels of LDL-C and TC in group D was decreased obviously compared with those in group C,and HOMO-IR in group D was less than that in group B(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Danqidihuang Granules helped to prevent and improved the insulin resistance of rats.     

Origin of the S curve in the ancient Taiji diagram-evolvement from the heaven and earth positioning diagram to the Taiji diagram

The term 'Taiji' first appear in Zhouyi·Xici, saying that 'yi has Taiji which includes yin and yang'. Chinese ancestors formed the 'year' conception by observing sunrise, sundown and seasonal successions for a long period. 'yi has Taiji which includes yin and yang' was the resultant recording of their sun-movement observations. People compared the heaven and earth to a circle and they divided the circle into four areas to record meteorological changes of the four seasons. A line was drawn from the spring equinox to the autumn equinox and the heaven and earth positioning diagram was created with the upper half as the heaven and the bottom half as the earth. The line was called the Taiji line. Considering that 'yang starts to grow at the winter solstice and yin starts to grow at the summer solstice', therefore people gradually changed the line to a S -curve.     

荧光原位杂交技术在检测胎儿染色体亚显微结构异常中的应用

目的探讨荧光原位杂交(FISH)技术在诊断培养后的羊水细胞染色体亚显微结构异常中的应用价值。方法对1例18孕周,经典细胞遗传学羊水染色体核型分析结果与B超检查结果有不符合的胎儿,应用FISH的18号、X、Y染色体着丝粒探针和13、21号染色体位点特异性探针,对培养后的羊水中期细胞标本进行检测。结果共分析了22个独立细胞克隆的分裂象,发现胎儿染色体存在两种核型嵌合,结果记为:mos45,X[20]/46,XY[2];FISH检测发现此胎儿核型存在Y染色体亚显微小片段易位。结论 FISH技术结合传统细胞遗传学核型分析,对于诊断染色体亚显微结构异常非常重要。     

An investigation of oxidative DNA damage in pharmacy technicians exposed to antineoplastic drugs in two Chinese hospitals using the urinary 8-OHdG assay

Objective To investigate oxidative DNA damage in pharmacy technicians preparing antineoplastic drugs at the PIVAS (Pharmacy Intravenous Admixture Service) in two Chinese hospitals.Methods Urinary 8-OHdG served as a biomarker.5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) concentrations in air,masks and gloves were determined.The spill exposure of each PIVAS technician to antineoplastic drugs was investigated.Eighty subjects were divided into exposed group Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and control group Ⅰ,Ⅱ.Results 5-FU concentration ratios for gloves and masks in exposed group Ⅰ were significantly higher than those in exposed group Ⅱ (P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The average urinary 8-OHdG concentrations in exposed group Ⅰ,control group Ⅰ,exposed group Ⅱ,and control group Ⅱ were 14.69±0.93,10.68±1.07,10.57±0.55,and 11.96±0.73 ng/mg Cr,respectively.Urinary 8-OHdG concentration in exposed group Ⅰ was significantly higher than that in control group Ⅰ or that in exposed group Ⅱ (P＜0.01).There was a significant correlation between urinary 8-OHdG concentrations and spill frequencies per technician (P＜0.01).Conclusion There was detectable oxidative DNA damage in PIVAS technicians exposed to antineoplastic drugs.This oxidative DNA damage may be associated with their spill exposure experience and contamination of their personal protective equipment.     

荧光原位杂交技术在检测胎儿染色体亚显微结构异常中的应用

目的探讨荧光原位杂交（FISH）技术在诊断培养后的羊水细胞染色体亚显微结构异常中的应用价值。方法对1例18孕周,经典细胞遗传学羊水染色体核型分析结果与B超检查结果有不符合的胎儿,应用FISH的18号、X、Y染色体着丝粒探针和13、21号染色体位点特异性探针,对培养后的羊水中期细胞标本进行检测。结果共分析了22个独立细胞克隆的分裂象,发现胎儿染色体存在两种核型嵌合,结果记为：mos45,X[20]/46,XY[2];FISH检测发现此胎儿核型存在Y染色体亚显微小片段易位。结论 FISH技术结合传统细胞遗传学核型分析,对于诊断染色体亚显微结构异常非常重要。     

Development of loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for rapid detection of Streptococcus iniae, the causative agent of streptococcicosis in fish

Streptococcus iniae is a major pathogen that causes sever economic losses in tilapia aquaculture. A set of four specific primers was designed by targeting lctO gene. With Bst DNA polymerase, the target DNA can be clearly amplified for 60 min at 64 °C in a simple water bath. The sensitivity of the LAMP assay for the detection of S. iniae is about 12.4 cells per reaction in both of pure cultures and added fish tissues cultures. LAMP products could be judged with agar gel or naked eye after addition of SYBR Green I. There were no cross-reactions with other bacterial strains indicating high specificity of the LAMP. The LAMP method was also applied to detect S. iniae-infected tilapia tissues effectively. The LAMP assay reported here indicates the potential usefulness of the technique as a valuable simple, rapid alternative procedure for the detection of S. iniae during streptococcicosis monitoring of cultured fish.