[Malaria endemic situation in Xuzhou City from 2010 to 2013].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the incidence and trend of malaria in Xuzhou City, so as to provide the evidence for formulating the malaria control measures. METHODS: The information of network reported malaria cases and epidemiological data were collected and analyzed statistically in Xuzhou City from 2010-2013. RESULTS: A total of 109 malaria cases were reported by the special report systems and the network report system in Xuzhou City from 2010 to 2013, in which there were 44 cases (40.37%) of vivax malaria, 62 cases (56.88%) of falciparum malaria, 2 cases (1.83%) of quartan malaria, 1 case (0.92%) of ovale malaria. The latter three were all imported from other countries. Totally 93 cases (85.32%) were confirmed by laboratory, and other 16 cases (14.68%) were diagnosed clinically. There was the incidence throughout the year and there were no obvious seasonal characteristics. The positive rate of blood test in the floating population was significantly higher than that of the local residents (Χ2 = 868.23, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The malaria endemic situation is in the steady decline period in Xuzhou City. The local infections decrease significantly but the imported falciparum malaria cases increase year by year. Therefore, the management for floating population and fever patients should be strengthened.

Extract of Ganoderma lucidum potentiates pentobarbital-induced sleep via a GABAergic mechanism.

Ganoderma lucidum has been used for the treatment of a variety of diseases. For the first time here we report a detailed study on the mechanisms and effects of G. lucidum aqueous extract (GLE) on sleep and its sedative activity. GLE showed no effects on sleep architecture in normal rats at doses of 80 and 120 mg/kg. However, GLE significantly decreased sleep latency, increased sleeping time, non-REM sleep time and light sleep time in pentobarbital-treated rats. Suppression of locomotor activity in normal mice induced by GLE was also observed. Flumazenil, a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist, at a dose of 3.5 mg/kg showed a significant antagonistic effect on the shortening in sleep latency, increase in sleeping time, non-REM sleep time or light sleep time in pentobarbital-treated rat induced by GLE. Significant effect was also observed with GLE on delta activity during non-REM sleep and flumazenil did not block this effect. In conclusion, GLE may be a herb having benzodiazepine-like hypnotic activity at least in part.

Tetrandrine, a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid from Chinese herb Radix, augmented the hypnotic effect of pentobarbital through serotonergic system.

This is the first study of hypnotic activity of tetrandrine (a major component of Stephania tetrandrae) in mice by using synergism with pentobarbital as an index for the hypnotic effect. The results showed that tetrandrine potentiated pentobarbital (45 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced hypnosis significantly by reducing sleep latency and increasing sleeping time in a dose-dependent manner, and this effect was potentiated by 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). In the subhypnotic dosage of pentobarbital (28 mg/kg, i.p.)-treated mice, tetrandrine (60 and 30 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly increased the rate of sleep onset and also showed synergic effect with 5-HTP. Pretreatment of p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA, 300 mg/kg, s.c.), an inhibitor of tryptophan hydroxylase, significantly decreased pentobarbital-induced sleeping time and tetrandrine abolished this effect. From these results, it should be presumed that serotonergic system may be involved in the augmentative effect of tetrandrine on pentobarbital-induced sleep.