Bloodletting Puncture at Hand Twelve Jing-Well Points Relieves Brain Edema after Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats via Inhibiting MAPK Signaling Pathway / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate whether blood-brain barrier (BBB) served a key role in the edema-relief effect of bloodletting puncture at hand twelve Jing-well points (HTWP) in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the potential molecular signaling pathways.@*METHODS@#Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to the sham-operated (sham), TBI, and bloodletting puncture (bloodletting) groups (n=24 per group) using a randomized number table. The TBI model rats were induced by cortical contusion and then bloodletting puncture were performed at HTWP twice a day for 2 days. The neurological function and cerebral edema were evaluated by modified neurological severity score (mNSS), cerebral water content, magnetic resonance imaging and hematoxylin and eosin staining. Cerebral blood flow was measured by laser speckles. The protein levels of aquaporin 4 (AQP4), matrix metalloproteinases 9 (MMP9) and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway (MAPK) signaling were detected by immunofluorescence staining and Western blot.@*RESULTS@#Compared with TBI group, bloodletting puncture improved neurological function at 24 and 48 h, alleviated cerebral edema at 48 h, and reduced the permeability of BBB induced by TBI (all P<0.05). The AQP4 and MMP9 which would disrupt the integrity of BBB were downregulated by bloodletting puncture (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In addition, the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 signaling pathways were inhibited by bloodletting puncture (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Bloodletting puncture at HTWP might play a significant role in protecting BBB through regulating the expressions of MMP9 and AQP4 as well as corresponding regulatory upstream ERK and p38 signaling pathways. Therefore, bloodletting puncture at HTWP may be a promising therapeutic strategy for TBI-induced cerebral edema.

Recreational drug usage and HIV transmission in men who have sex with men in Jinhua / 上海预防医学

Objective:To determine the association between recreational drug usage， high risk sexual behavior， and HIV infection among men who have sex with men（MSM） in Jinhua. Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted to recruit MSM for anonymous questionnaire survey and serological examination. We used EpiData3.1 for data entry and SPSS 19.0 for statistical analysis. Results:A total of 368 MSM were surveyed， in which the proportion of recreational drug usage was 13.3% （ 49 / 368 ）， with the HIV infection of 10.3% （38/ 368 ） and syphilis infection of 8.9% （25/368）. Risk factors associated with recreational drug usage were determined to be part-time job or being unemployed （OR=5.26； 95%CI： 2.10-13.18； P<0.001）， average monthly income ≥CNY 5 000 （OR=6.45； 95%CI： 2.87-14.61； P<0.001）， education level of high school or above （OR=1.56； 95%CI： 1.37-3.57； P=0.037）， sexual orientation being homosexual（OR=3.52； 95%CI： 1.60-7.33； P=0.002）， number of sexual partners >1 （OR=4.37； 95%CI： 1.76-10.82； P=0.001）， engaged in group sex （OR=7.90； 95%CI： 2.11-29.55； P=0.002） and previously diagnosed sexually transmitted diseases （OR=4.76； 95%CI： 1.29-17.65；P=0.019）. Conclusion:Prevalence of recreational drug usage among MSM in Jinhua is relatively low. MSM with part-time or unemployed status， monthly income ≥CNY 5 000， higher education level， homosexual orientation， multiple sexual partners， sexually transmitted diseases and group sex behavior are the risk factors associated with recreational drug usage in Jinhua city. Targeted countermeasures should be considered for intervention.

Sexual relationship power and its influencing factors in married couples with single HIV positive spouse in Jinhua / 上海预防医学

Objective:To analyze the sexual relationship power and its influencing factors in married couples with single human immunodeficiency virus （HIV） positive spouse， and to provide theoretical support for the development of appropriate HIV prevention and control measures. Methods:Data of HIV single positive couples were collected from the database of AIDS epidemic. Social demographic characteristics， AIDS related knowledge， sexual behavior and sexual relationship power of HIV single positive couples were obtained by self-designed questionnaire. Current situation and influencing factors of sexual relationship power of the negative spouses HIV single positive couples' were analyzed. Results:Among 191 HIV negative spouses， 72.3% had not heard of AIDS， 3.1% had a history of HIV testing， and 38.2% had high sexual power. Single factor analysis found that men （χ2 =12.227，P<0.001）， high income （χ2 =4.227，P =0.040）， high education level （χ2 =18.188，P<0.001）， frequent drinking （χ2= 6.104，P=0.013）， and high-level awareness of AIDS （χ2=10.827，P=0.013） had higher power of sexual relationship. Multivariate analysis showed that men and individuals with college education or above had higher sexual power， with OR （95% CI） 4.102 （1.757-9.578） and 7.403 （2.810-19.503）， respectively. Conclusion:The low awareness rate of AIDS knowledge and the disharmonious relationship between husband and wife will increase the risk of AIDS transmission in the spouses. Male， economic income， education level and AIDS awareness rate are the important influencing factors of sexual relationship power.