Biomedical subjects

Zhu Li

Publications and source records attributed to Zhu Li.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2006

[The extent and relative changes of equities in utilization of prenatal care among women in some areas of China].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the extent and relative changes of the equities in prenatal care utilization among women with different educational attainment in some areas of China. METHODS: Data were collected in 13 counties/cities covered by Perinatal Health Care Surveillance System established by Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Peking University. The study population consisted of 103 704 women who delivered single live births in 1994 and 2000. Chi-square and multiple logistic regression were employed to compare the systematic management rates and relative risks. Concentration index was used to assess the relative changes of equities in prenatal care utilization. SPSS 11.5 and Microsoft Excel 2003 were used for analysis. RESULTS: The total systematic management rate was 22.1% in 1994 and 57.4% in 2000. The concentration index was -0.046 in 1994 and 0.066 in 2000. In northern areas, the concentration index increased from 0.015 in 1994 to 0.295 in 2000, while it increased from -0.015 in 1994 to 0.062 in 2000 in southern areas. In rural areas, the concentration index increased from 0.002 in 1994 to 0.026 in 2000, while it decreased from 0.042 in 1994 to 0.019 in 2000 in urban areas. CONCLUSION: Inequities in prenatal care utilization in 2000 become more obvious than in 1994, especially in northern areas. More attention should be paid to solve the inequities.

China↗

PubMed2006

[Differences in serum retinol level between the breastfed and non-breastfed children aged 0 to 23 months].

OBJECTIVE: Some recent studies found that high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in the breastfed children. This study aimed to understand the differences in serum retinol level between breastfed and bottle-fed children aged 0 to 23 months and the possible causes of low level of serum retinol for the breastfed children. METHODS: Data for children aged 0 to 23 months were extracted from a population-based cross sectional study for vitamin A nutrition status. Fluorescence method was used to measure the serum retinol. Mothers or caregivers were asked to answer a pre-designed questionnaire and socioeconomic status, peri-natal care, breastfeeding status, morbidity histories and other related factors were collected. Semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to investigate the child's dietary intake one week prior to the survey. Data were analyzed using SAS 8.1. RESULTS: Of 401 children aged 0 to 23 months, the breastfeeding rate was 50.37%. The means of the serum retinol level between bottle-fed (30.67 +/- 0.57) microg/dl and the breastfed children (27.60 +/- 0.56) microg/dl was significantly different (P < 0.01). The corresponding figures were (31.82 +/- 0.98) microg/dl and (29.46 +/- 0.96) microg/dl after adjustment for confounders, which also showed significant difference (P < 0.01). After stratified by age groups, the breastfeeding rates in the 0-, 6-, 12- and 18-months groups were 92.1%, 70.1%, 32.0% and 17.1%, respectively. We calculated the difference in means of the serum retinol level between the bottle-fed and breastfed children for each of four age groups, and the 95% confidence limits of the differences. The differences in means and the 95% confidence limits for 0-, 6-, 12- and 18-months group were 4.70 microg/dl (-2.52-1.92), 0.82 microg/dl (-2.32-3.95), 2.95 microg/dl (-0.68-6.58) and 6.05 microg/dl (2.34-9.77), respectively. After adjustment for confounders and covariates, the adjusted figures were 0.00 microg/dl (-7.18-7.19), 1.35 microg/dl (-1.76-4.45), 2.92 microg/dl (-0.82-6.65) and 4.26 microg/dl (0.71-7.81), respectively. The significant difference in means of serum retinol level was only found in the 18-months group before or after adjustments (P < 0.01 for both). The Cochrane-Atmitage chi square trend test showed that the breastfed children tended to have lower frequencies of complementary dietary intakes than that of the bottle-fed aged 12 months and above. CONCLUSIONS: The breastfed children aged 0 to 23 months had relative low serum retinol level while compared with the bottle-fed. However, the significant differences seemed to be only confined to those aged 18 months and above. Low level of vitamin A in breast milk and low frequent complimentary food supplements might have served as the potential for the differences.

Breast Feeding↗

PubMed2006

[Determination of triazines in surface water using solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography].

A method was developed to monitor triazines in surface water using the combination of solid phase extraction (SPE) and high performance liquid chromatography. Four different SPE cartridges were tested for extracting six triazines, including atrazine (A), simazine (S), prometryn (P), desethylatrazine (DEA), 2-hydroxyatrazine (OHA) and desisopropylatrazine (DIA), and finally ENVI-18 was selected as optimal. The method for solid phase extraction was further systematically studied for details. Optimal results of orthogonal design were determined as follows: pH 6, 5 mL methanol as eluting solvent, and no methanol added into water sample before extraction. The detection limits of six triazines were 0.14 microg/L for P, 0.12 microg/L for A, 0.08 microg/L for S, 0.08 microg/L for DEA, 0.10 microg/L for OHA and 0.18 microg/L for DIA. This method was applied for environmental aquatic samples, and the results showed that the concentration of prometryn in a lake was detected as (9.33 +/- 0.27) microg/L, as well as the concentrations of atrazine and prometryn in a river were detected as (5.28 +/- 0.43) microg/L and (7.12 +/- 0.54) microg/L respectively.

English Abstract↗

PubMed2006

[Plasma and red blood cell folate levels among women in their first trimester of pregnancy from rural areas with high or low prevalence of neural tube defects, China].

OBJECTIVE: To compare plasma and red blood cell folate levels among women in their first trimester of pregnancy from rural areas with high or low prevalence of neural tube defects. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed, among women in their first trimester of pregnancy from rural areas with high or low prevalence of neural tube defects in 2003. Non-fasting blood sample were collected and analyzed for plasma and red blood cell folate concentrations for 688 women. RESULTS: The median plasma (10.53 nmol/L) and red blood cell folate (389.2 nmol/L) among women from the high prevalence rural area were lower than those of women from the low prevalence rural area (plasma folate: 30.39 nmol/L, red blood cell level folate: 926.0 nmol/L). Among women from the high prevalence area, about 50% and 43% were respectively, deficient for plasma and red blood cell folate, compared with 6% and 4% respectively, for women from the low prevalence area. The median plasma folate levels among women who took periconceptional folic acid supplements in both high and low prevalence areas were about twice higher than those who did not take the folic acid. The median red blood cell folate level of the folic acid users was 40% higher than those of the non-users. Among those who took folic acid, women in the low prevalence area had 70%-90% higher plasma folate concentration and twice higher red cell folate concentration than women in the high prevalence area. CONCLUSION: Women from the rural area with a high prevalence of neural tube defects had low plasma and red blood cell folate levels. Periconceptional supplementation with folic acid could substantially improve folate status of reproductive-aged women. However, supplementation with 0.4 mg of folic acid per day might be inadequate for women in the high prevalence rural area.

Dietary Supplements↗

PubMed2005

ACP-103, a 5-HT2A/2C inverse agonist, potentiates haloperidol-induced dopamine release in rat medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens.

RATIONALE: Atypical antipsychotic drugs (APDs) such as clozapine, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, and ziprasidone are serotonin (5-HT)(2A) antagonists and relatively weaker dopamine (DA) D(2) antagonists, with variable 5-HT(2C) antagonist properties. The ability of atypical APDs to preferentially increase DA release in the cortex compared to the limbic system is believed to be due in part to their antagonism of 5-HT(2A) and D(2) receptors and believed to contribute to their beneficial effects on cognition, negative, and psychotic symptoms. Previous studies from this laboratory using microdialysis have shown that pretreatment of the 5-HT(2A) antagonist M100907 with the typical APD and D(2) antagonist haloperidol produced an increase in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), but not in the nucleus accumbens (NAC), DA release. However, pretreatment with the 5-HT(2A/2C) receptor antagonist SR46349-B with haloperidol increased both mPFC and NAC DA release, suggesting that both 5-HT(2A) and 5-HT(2C) properties may be important for atypical APD effects. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a novel putative atypical APD ACP-103 on mPFC and NAC DA release using in vivo microdialysis in freely moving rats that are awake. ACP-103 is an inverse agonist at both 5-HT(2A) and 5-HT(2C) receptors and has intermediate affinities for 5-HT(2C) receptors relative to their affinities for 5-HT(2A) receptors compared to M100907 and SR46349-B. In addition, the effects of ACP-103 were compared to M100907 and SR46349-B, and ACP-103 was also coadministered with haloperidol. RESULTS: ACP-103 10.0 mg/kg, but not 3.0 mg/kg, increased DA release in the mPFC, while neither dose increased DA release in the NAC. Like M100907, ACP-103 (3.0 mg/kg) potentiated 0.1 mg/kg haloperidol-induced DA release in the mPFC while inhibiting that in the NAC. However, ACP-103 (3.0 mg/kg), similar to SR46349-B, potentiated a high dose of haloperidol (1.0 mg/kg)-induced DA release in both regions. The potent 5-HT(2C) antagonist SB242084 1.0 mg/kg significantly potentiated 0.1 mg/kg haloperidol-induced DA release in both the mPFC and NAC. However, SB242084, at 0.2 mg/kg, significantly potentiated DA release only in the NAC. Moreover, SB242084 0.2 mg/kg potentiated DA release in the NAC produced by the combination treatment of 3 mg/kg ACP-103 and 0.1 mg/kg haloperidol. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that the relative extent of 5-HT(2A) and 5-HT(2C) antagonism, as well as the extent of D(2) receptor blockade, has a critical influence on DA release in the mPFC and NAC and may be a determining factor in the action of this class of atypical APDs on these two potentially clinically relevant parameters.

Aminopyridines↗

PubMed2005

[Epidemiological study on reduced folate carrier gene(RFC1 A80G) polymorphism and other risk factors of neural tube defects].

OBJECTIVE: To study the reduced folate carrier gene (RFC1) A80G polymorphism and other factors influence on children with neural tube defects (NTDs) and provide the epidemiological evidence for finding genetic marker of NTDs. METHODS: RFC1(A80G) genotypes were detected using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP-PCR) for blood DNA of 104 trios with NTDs-affected by child, and the 100 control families without child-affected by any birth defects. We performed the analysis of multifactors logistic regression for RFC1 genotypes and other factors in order to investigate the RFC1 genotype of the nuclear families and maternal periconceptional folic acid supplementation influence on NTDs independently. Transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT) for the RFC1 genotype of NTDs and control pedigree were carried out. RESULTS: The RFC1 G allele frequency of children with NTDs (64.42%) was higher than that of the control children (52.53%), and there was the significant difference between them (chi(2)=5.9198, P<0.05). We observed that the infants of the GG genotype were associated with a 2.56-fold increased risk of NTDs when compared with the AA genotype (95% CI=1.04-6.36), The risk of mothers who did not take folic acid for having an NTDs-affected infants was 7.69 (95% CI=2.86-21.75). There were significant differences between cases and controls in the other risk factors, such as paternal age (> or =30), maternal fever during the early pregnancy, the history of maternal spontaneous abortion. In the logistic regression analysis, of multifactors the three factors, for example, the offspring of the RFC1 GG genotype (OR=2.91, 95% CI=1.35-6.30), maternal periconceptional folic acid supplementation (OR=4.32, 95% CI=1.62-11.55), maternal fever during the early pregnancy, had the statistic significance for the risk of NTDs. There was the evidence of an association between G allele and the risk of the maternal having a child with NTDs (OR=1.56, 95% CI=1.07-2.28) in TDT analysis. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the RFC1 genotype (GG) is a possible susceptible gene marker for an increased NTDs risk in this Chinese population, and there is a potential influence on the risk of NTDs in maternal periconceptional folic acid supplementation, and maternal fever during the early pregnancy.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Neural responses to acute cocaine administration in the human brain detected by fMRI.

An improved functional MRI (fMRI) method for the reduction of susceptibility artifacts has been utilized to measure blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses to acute cocaine administration in the human brain of cocaine users. Intravenous administration of cocaine (20 mg/70 kg) activated mesolimbic and mesocortical dopaminergic projection regions and showed temporal positive or negative BOLD responses. These results obtained from human cocaine users supported the involvement of the dopaminergic pathway in cocaine addiction from animal models. In addition, the cocaine administration also induced activations in the hierarchical brain networks in the anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) of the Brodmann area 10 (BA10) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). It is suggested that the dopaminergic pathways and the hierarchical brain networks may participate in mediating cocaine reward processes, associative learning, motivation, and memory in cocaine addiction in the human brain.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Genetic variation of infant reduced folate carrier (A80G) and risk of orofacial defects and congenital heart defects in China.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate whether the risks of congenital heart defects (CHD) and orofacial defects were influenced by a polymorphism of the offspring's RFC1 or by an interaction between the RFC1 gene and maternal periconceptional use of folic acid. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted. A total of 82 families with a child affected by cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CLP), 67 families with a child-affected by CHD, and 100 nonmalformed control families were genotyped using PCR-RFLP. RFC1 G allele was tested through family-based association test. RESULTS: Among mothers who did not use folic acid, the risks of 4.03 (95% CI = 1.33-12.77) for the G80/G80 genotype and 4.14 (95% CI = 1.06-16.82) for the G80/A80 genotype were observed relative to the A80/A80 genotype for CHD offspring. In family-based association tests (FBAT), offspring carrying the G allele for RFC1 is at increased risk for CHD (Z = 2.140, p < .05). No significant association was found between either RFC1 genotype or maternal folic acid supplementation and the risks of CLP. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the RFC1 G allele is likely to be an important candidate gene in folate transport and to be associated with risk for CHD. This study found modest evidence for a gene-nutrient interaction between offspring RFC1 genotype and periconceptional intake of folic acid on the risk of congenital heart defects.

Case-Control Studies↗

PubMed2005

Reduced folate carrier gene is a risk factor for neural tube defects in a Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: There is a considerable body of data demonstrating that periconceptional supplementation of folic acid can prevent a significant proportion of neural tube defects (NTDs). At present, the mechanism by which folic acid exerts its beneficial effect remains unknown. Folate transporter genes, including the reduced folate carrier gene (RFC1), have been proposed as NTD risk factors. METHODS: The study population included 104 nuclear families with NTDs and 100 nonmalformed control families. We investigated the possible association between a common RFC1 polymorphism (A80G) and NTD risk among offspring, as well as potential gene-environment interactions between the infant RFC1 genotype and maternal periconceptional use of folic acid through a population-based case-control study. RESULTS: We observed that the infants of the GG genotype were associated with a 2.56-fold increased risk of NTDs when compared to the AA genotype (odds ratio [OR], 2.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-6.36) in our study population. Among mothers who did not utilize folic acid supplements, the risk for having a child with an NTD was 3.30 (95% CI, 1.15-9.65) for offspring with the GG genotype, compared to the reference (AA) genotype. Children who had the GG genotype and whose mothers did not take folic acid had an elevated risk for NTDs (OR, 8.80; 95% CI, 2.83-28.69), compared to offspring with the AA and GA genotypes whose mothers utilized folic acid supplements. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the RFC1 G allele is likely to be an important genetic factor in determining folate transport and subsequently may be a risk factor for NTDs in this Chinese population.

Case-Control Studies↗

PubMed2005

Reduction of artifacts by optimization of the sensitivity map in sensitivity-encoded spectroscopic imaging.

Sensitivity-encoded spectroscopic imaging (SENSE-SI) reduces scanning time by using multiple coils for parallel signal acquisition. Significant artifacts could be induced by SENSE-SI, mainly due to the low-resolution nature of spectroscopic imaging. The present study introduces a novel method to reduce the artifacts. High-resolution sensitivity maps are used in low-resolution SENSE reconstruction. An intermediate unaliased image is obtained after SENSE reconstruction. Based on the intermediate image, the sensitivity maps are optimized and then the SENSE reconstruction is performed again. The final unaliased image has significantly reduced artifacts.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

N-desmethylclozapine, a major metabolite of clozapine, increases cortical acetylcholine and dopamine release in vivo via stimulation of M1 muscarinic receptors.

The active moiety of clozapine, the prototypical antipsychotic drug, consists of clozapine and its major metabolite, N-desmethylclozapine (NDMC). Previous studies have suggested that NDMC may be more important than the patent compound itself for the improvement in cognition in patients with schizophrenia treated with clozapine. While the pharmacology of clozapine and NDMC are similar in most respects, NDMC has been shown to be an M1 muscarinic receptor partial agonist whereas clozapine is an M1 antagonist in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesized that NDMC may improve cognition by increasing dopamine (DA) and acetylcholine (ACh) release in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) via direct stimulation of M1 receptors, whereas both NDMC and clozapine itself would do so by other mechanisms as well, and that clozapine would inhibit the M1 agonist effect of NDMC. In the present study, using microdialysis in awake, freely moving rats, we found that NDMC at doses of 10 and 20, but not 5 mg/kg, significantly increased DA and ACh release in the mPFC and HIP, but not in the nucleus accumbens (NAC). The M1-preferring antagonist, telenzepine (3 mg/kg), completely blocked NDMC (10 mg/kg)-induced increases in cortical DA and ACh release. Clozapine (1.25 mg/kg), which by itself had no effect on DA or ACh release in the cortex, blocked NDMC (10 mg/kg)-induced ACh, but not DA, release in the mPFC. The 5-HT1A receptor antagonist, WAY100635 (0.2 mg/kg) blocked NDMC (20 mg/kg)-induced cortical DA but not ACh release. These findings suggest that: (1) NDMC is an M1 agonist while clozapine is an M1 antagonist in vivo; (2) M1 agonism of NDMC can contribute to the release of cortical ACh and DA release; (3) NDMC, because of its M1 agonism, may more effectively treat the cognitive impairments observed in schizophrenia than clozapine itself; and (4) M1 receptor agonism may be a valuable target for the development of drugs that can improve cognitive deficit in schizophrenia, and perhaps other neuropsychiatric disorders as well.

Acetylcholine↗

PubMed2005

Rate-distortion optimal video summary generation.

The need for video summarization originates primarily from a viewing time constraint. A shorter version of the original video sequence is desirable in a number of applications. Clearly, a shorter version is also necessary in applications where storage, communication bandwidth, and/or power are limited. The summarization process inevitably introduces distortion. The amount of summarization distortion is related to its "conciseness," or the number of frames available in the summary. If there are m frames in the original sequence and n frames in the summary, we define the summarization rate as m/n, to characterize this "conciseness". We also develop a new summarization distortion metric and formulate the summarization problem as a rate-distortion optimization problem. Optimal algorithms based on dynamic programming are presented and compared experimentally with heuristic algorithms. Practical constraints, like the maximum number of frames that can be skipped, are also considered in the formulation and solution of the problem.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

[Prevalence of major external birth defects in high and low risk areas in China, 2003].

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence rates of birth defects in high and low risk areas in China. METHODS: A population-based surveillance system on birth defects was used to obtain the prevalence rates of 24 kinds of major external birth defects from > or = 20 weeks of gestation to 7 days of life in selected areas in Shanxi and Jiangsu provinces. RESULTS: The birth prevalence of birth defects (232.4 per 10,000 births) and neural tube defects (NTDs) (138.7 per 10,000 births) in four counties of Shanxi province were significantly higher than that in Taiyuan city (75.3 and 28.2 per 10,000 births, respectively). There was no significant difference for all selected birth defects between Wuxi city and Xishan counties in low risk areas. There was a 6.1-fold of higher prevalence for NTDs in Taiyuan city compared with that in Wuxi areas (4.6 per 10,000 births). In four counties of Shanxi province, the prevalence rates of anencephaly, spina bifida, hydrocephaly, cleft palate alone and polydactyly were significantly higher than in Wuxi areas. The NTDs prevalence rate in four counties of Shanxi was 30.2 times higher than in Wuxi areas. When compared with previous surveillance data, the NTDs prevalence rate did not present obvious declining trend in high risk areas. The birth prevalence rate had a 31.8% decrease when births were calculated after 28 gestational weeks and compared with those from 20 gestational weeks. CONCLUSION: NTDs remained to be the most common birth defect seen in Shanxi province. The birth prevalence rate of NTDs in some areas of Shanxi province was among the highest that ever reported in the world in comparison with data from other countries and regions. The current prevalence rate in high risk areas in Shanxi province did not clearly show a declining trend. Programs on surveillance and prenatal diagnosis were proved to have made big impact on the rates of major external birth defects.

China↗

PubMed2005

Interaction between maternal periconceptional supplementation of folic acid and reduced folate carrier gene polymorphism of neural tube defects.

OBJECTIVE: To search the interaction between reduced folate carrier gene (RFC1 A80G) polymorphism of children with neural tube defects (NTDs) and maternal periconceptional no supplementation of folic acid. The purpose is to provide the epidemiological evidence for finding genetic marker of NTDs. METHODS: RFC1 (A80G) genotype was detected using PCR-restricted fragment length polymorphism for the blood DNA of 104 trios with NTDs-affected child, and 100 control families with non-malformed control children. The authors investigated the gene-environment interactions between the offspring RFC1 genotype and maternal periconceptional folic acid supplementation through a case-control study. RESULTS: It was observed that the offspring with the GG genotype were associated with a 2.56-fold increased risk of NTDs when compared to those with the AA genotype (OR = 2.56; 95% CI = 1.04-6.36) in this population under investigation. The risk of mothers who did not take folic acid for having an NTDs-affected infants was 7.69 (95% CI = 2.86-21.75). Among the mothers who did not utilize folic acid supplements, the NTDs risk was 3.30 (95% CI = 1.15-9.65) for offspring with the GG genotype, compared to the reference (AA) genotype. Children who had the GG genotype and whose mothers did not take folic acid had an elevated risk for NTDs (OR = 8.80, 95% CI = 2.86 - 29.82), compared to "offspring with AA or GA genotype" and "maternal folic acid use", the interactive coefficient being 1.45. CONCLUSION: The above findings indicate that the RFC1 genotype (GG) is a possible susceptible gene marker for an increased NTDs risk in Chinese population, and there is a potential gene-nutrient interaction between offspring RFC1 GG genotype and maternal periconceptional intake of folic acid on the risk of NTDs. However,the sample size of this study was limited, a larger sample of population-based study is required to pursue the initial observation.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

[A parental case control study on the association between reduced folate carrier gene polymorphism and neural tube defects].

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between reduced folate carrier gene (RFC1 A80G) polymorphism and the risk for child with neural tube defects (NTDs), and to provide epidemiological evidence for the existence of NTDs genetic marker. METHODS: RFC1 (A80G) genotypes were detected using RFLP-PCR for blood DNA of 104 families with NTDs-affected children and 100 control families with no history of child-affected birth defects. Case-control study and transmission/disequilibrium test(TDT) for the RFC1 genotype of NTDs pedigree were carried out. RESULTS: The G allele frequency of children with NTDs was higher than that of controls when compared to A allele( OR = 1. 64, 95% CI :1.08-2.49). The offspring of the GG genotype were associated with a 2.56-fold increased risk of NTDs when compared to the AA genotype (OR = 2.56, 95% CI: 1.04-6.36) in our study population. There was evidence of association between G allele and the risk of parent having a child with NTDs (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.07-2.28) in the TDT analysis. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that there was potential association between offspring RFC1 GG genotype and the risk of NTDs, and the G allele was a possible susceptible gene marker for an increased NTDs risk in the Chinese population.

Case-Control Studies↗

PubMed2005

[A case control study on the relationship between trace elements and human neural tube defects].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between multi-trace elements levels in hair and human neural tube defects as well as other risk factors. METHODS: Using 88 paired cases and controls, an 1:1 matched case control study was carried out. The study subjects were collected from the China-U. S. Collaborative Project on Neural Tube Defects Prevention and Birth Defects Surveillance System. Risk factors were obtained by field investigation with standardized questionnaires and hair trace elements levels were determined by AAS and ICP-MS methods. Microwave digestion was used to digest hair samples. The detected elements would include three groups, namely nutritional elements: Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Co, Mo; toxic elements: Pb, As, Cd, Hg; and Lanthanons: Y, La, Pr, Nd. Cox Proportional Hazard Regression Model was used to perform risk factors analysis. RESULTS: Pregnancy fever appeared to be a risk factor of neural tube defects (OR = 6.525, P = 0.034) while hair zinc level (OR = 0.541 microg/100 g, P = 0.02) and times of prenatal physical examination (OR = 0.634, P < 0.001) served as two protective factors appeared in the last model. CONCLUSION: Zinc deficiency might serve as a risk factor for human neural tube defects, suggesting that the avoidance of pregnancy infection together with more periodical prenatal physical examination might reduce the incidence of neural tube defects.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

[Study on the descriptive epidemiology of pregnancy-induced hypertension from 1995 - 2000 in Jiaxing of Zhejiang province, China].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiological characters of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) in Jiaxing areas of Zhejiang province of China between 1995 and 2000. METHODS: We analyzed the perinatal health surveillance data that was collected as part of the Sino-American cooperative project on neural tube defects prevention established in 1992. The study population consisted of 136 070 pregnant women with at least 20 weeks of gestational age. National diagnostic criteria were used to identify the cases which were divided into three subgroups: mild, moderate and severe. RESULTS: 15 127 cases were identified and the overall incidence rate of PIH was 11.1% (95% CI : 11.0% - 11.3%). Among all the cases, mild, moderate and severe PIH were accounted for 71.4%, 22.3% and 6.3%, respectively. The proportions of PIH cases that occurred in the second trimester, third trimester and during delivery appeared to be 4.2%, 34.4% and 61.4%, respectively. There was a significant fall in the trend of PIH occurrence every year, which dropped from 10.7% in 1995 to 8.6% in 2000 by 19.6%. More risk of PIH seemed to be related to those mothers living in the urban areas with age under 20 or above 35, being peasants and having little educational, having had multiple gestations, conceiving in spring/summer or delivering in winter or spring etc. Compared with the results of national survey in 1988, the incidence rate of PIH was higher by 18.1%, while the proportion of severe PIH was much lower by 68.8%. Although the incidence rates of PIH in urban and rural areas were somehow similar, the proportion of severe PIH in rural areas was much higher than that in urban areas. CONCLUSION: Overall incidence rate and distribution of PIH were reported. Compared with the results in 1988, incidence rate of PIH was much higher, particularly for mild cases.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Clozapine increases both acetylcholine and dopamine release in rat ventral hippocampus: role of 5-HT1A receptor agonism.

Atypical antipsychotic drugs (APDs) such as clozapine, but not the typical APD haloperidol, improve some aspects of cognition in schizophrenia. This advantage has been attributed, in part, to the ability of the atypical APDs to markedly increase acetylcholine (ACh) and dopamine (DA) release in rat medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), while producing a minimal effect in the nucleus accumbens (NAC) or striatum. The atypical APD-induced preferential release of DA, but not ACh, in the mPFC is partially inhibited by the selective 5-HT(1A) antagonist WAY100635. However, little is known about these effects of atypical APDs in the ventral hippocampus (vHIP), another possible site of action of atypical APDs with regard to cognitive enhancement. The present study demonstrates that clozapine (10 mg/kg) comparably increases both ACh and DA release in the vHIP and mPFC. The increases in DA, but not ACh, release in both regions were partially attenuated by WAY100635 (0.2 mg/kg), which had no effect by itself on the release of either neurotransmitter in either region. Tetrodotoxin (TTX; 1 microM), a Na(+) channel blocker, in the perfusion medium, eliminated the clozapine (10 mg/kg)-induced ACh and DA release in the vHIP, indicating their neuronal origin. Haloperidol produced a slight increase in ACh release in the vHIP at 1 mg/kg, and DA release in the mPFC at 0.1 mg/kg. In conclusion, clozapine increases ACh and DA release in the vHIP and mPFC, whereas haloperidol has minimal effects on the release of these two neurotransmitters in either region. These differences may contribute, at least in part, to the superior ability of clozapine, compared to haloperidol, to improve cognition in schizophrenia. 5-HT(1A) agonism is important to the ability of clozapine and perhaps other atypical APDs to increase DA, but not ACh, release in the vHIP, as well as the mPFC. The role of hippocampus in the cognitive effects of atypical APDs warrants more intensive study.

Acetylcholine↗