ABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common mental and behavioral disorder in school-aged children. This study evaluated the effect of osmotic-release oral system (OROS) methylphenidate (MPH) on cognitive function and academic performance of Chinese school-aged children with ADHD.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This 12-week, prospective, multicenter, open-label, self-controlled study enrolled 153 Chinese school-aged children with ADHD and 41 non-ADHD children. Children with ADHD were treated with once-daily OROS-MPH (18 mg, 36 mg, or 54 mg). The primary endpoints were Inattention/Overactivity (I/O) with Aggression Conners Behavior Rating Scale (IOWA) and Digit Span Test at week 12 compared with baseline. Secondary endpoints included opposition/defiant (O/D) subscale of IOWA, Clinical Global Impression (CGI), Coding Test, Stroop Color-word Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), academic performance on teacher-rated school examinations, and safety at week 12 compared with baseline. Both non-ADHD and ADHD children received the same frequency of cognitive operational test to avoid the possible bias caused by training.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 128 patients were evaluated with cognitive assessments. The OROS-MPH treatment significantly improved IOWA Conners I/O subscale scores at week 12 (3.8 ± 2.3) versus baseline (10.0 ± 2.4; P < 0.0001). Digit Span Test scores improved significantly (P < 0.0001) with a high remission rate (81.1%) at week 12 versus baseline. A significant (P < 0.0001) improvement was observed in O/D subscale of IOWA, CGI, Coding Test, Stroop Color-word Test, WCST, and academic performance at week 12 versus baseline. Very few practice-related improvements were noticed in the non-ADHD group at week 12 compared with baseline. No serious adverse events and deaths were reported during the study.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The OROS-MPH treatment effectively controlled symptoms of ADHD and significantly improved academic performance and cognitive function of Chinese school-aged children with ADHD. The treatment was found to be safe and generally well-tolerated over 12 weeks.</p><p><b>TRIAL REGISTRATION</b>ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01933880; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01933880?term=CONCERTAATT4099&rank=1.</p>
Subject(s)
Child , Female , Humans , Male , Administration, Oral , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity , Drug Therapy , Cognition , Methylphenidate , Therapeutic Uses , Neuropsychological Tests , Prospective Studies , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Objective To understand the current status and relevant factors influencing the duration of breastfeeding in rural areas in China.Methods Children under two years old were selected as subjects from the study on "Physical growth among the under 7-years-old children from the rural areas of ten provinces in China in 2006".Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival curves and Cox multivariate stepwise regression was used to identify the relevant factors on the duration of breastfeeding.Results Median of the duration for breastfeeding was 12 months in rural areas of 10 provinces in China.Results of this study suggested that factors as sex,birth order,areas of residency,nationality,initiation of formula,parents' education levels,maternal services and famliy income were correlated with the duration of breastfeeding.Conclusion Duration of breastfeeding among rural children under 2-years of age was short in the 10 provinces of China.Factors as level of education,residential areas and family income of the parents as well as sex of the chilaren were correlated with the duration of breastfeeding.Intervention program should be implemented to improve the current status on breastfeeding.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effect of RegIII-proinsulin-pBudCE4.1 plasmid on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus and its underlying mechanisms. The model of type 1 diabetes mellitus was established by intraperitoneal injections of STZ (40 mg kg(-1)) to Balb/c mice for five consecutive days. Then, ten type 1 diabetic mice were intramuscularly injected with 100 microg RegIII-proinsulin-pBudCE4.1 plasmid for 4 weeks (one time/week) and the blood glucose levels were monitored every week; whereas another ten diabetic mice served as negative control group were injected with pBudCE4.1 vector at the same dose. Normal control and model control mice were treated with normal saline at identical volume under the same way. Western blotting, MTT assay, ELISA, HE staining and Tunel assay were applied to explore the underlying mechanisms. Results showed that RegIII-proinsulin-pBudCE4.1 plasmid ameliorated the hyperglycemia symptoms in diabetic mouse remarkably. It induced an immunological tolerance state in type 1 diabetic mice by inhibiting the proliferation of splenic lymphocytes and recovering Th1/Th2 balance evidenced by MTT and ELISA analysis. Furthermore, it elevated insulin concentration in the serum of type 1 diabetic mice and promoted the regeneration of beta cells supported by the results of HE staining and Tunel assay. In conclusion, RegIII-proinsulin-pBudCE4.1 plasmid possesses powerful anti-diabetic ability, which may be involved in the inducing of immunological tolerance and enhancing beta cells recovery.