Effect of harmine on osteosarcoma cell proliferation and apoptosis by down regulating COX-2 expression / 中国医师杂志

Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of harmine on osteosarcoma cell proliferation and apoptosis by down regulating cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression.Methods Human osteosarcoma cell line U2OS was cultured in vitro and randomly divided into control group,study group 1,study group 2 and study group 3.The cells were cultured in 0,5 μmol/L,10 μmol/L and 20 μmol/L concentration of harmine for 48 hours.Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) method and flow cytometry were used to detect cell viability and apoptosis.The expression level of COX-2,proliferation and apoptosis related proteins and mRNA were detected by Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR),respectively.Results After cultured with different concentrations of harmine for 12,24 hours and 48 hours,the cell viability of the three study groups were significantly lower than that of the control group (P ＜ 0.05),while that of the study groups 2 and 3 were significantly lower than that of the study group 1 (P ＜ 0.05).The apoptosis rate of the three study groups were significantly higher than that of the control group (P ＜0.05),while that of the two groups were significantly higher than that of the study group 1 (P ＜ 0.05).After 48 hours of culture,the levels of COX-2,cyclin D1,proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA),B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein and mRNA expression in study group 2 were significantly lower than those in control group,while the expression levels of cleaved caspase-3 and BCL2-Associated X (Bax) in study group 2 were significantly higher than those in control group (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Harmine can inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells by inhibiting the expression of COX-2 and regulating the expression of cell cycle and apoptosis related protein.

Service functions of private community health stations in China: A comparison analysis with government-sponsored community health stations / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

In China, with the restructuring of health care system moving forward, private community health facilities have been playing a complementary but increasingly important role in providing public health and basic medical care services in urban areas. However, only limited evidence is available concerning the service functions of private community health facilities in China. The aim of this study was to explore the functions of private community health stations (PCHSs) to provide evidence-based recommendations for policy-making and practice in the development of urban community health services systems. A total of 818 PCHSs and 4320 government-sponsored community health stations (GCHSs) located in 28 cities of China were investigated in 2008. The percentages of stations that provided health services and the annual workload per community health worker (CHW) were compared between the two types of institutions. The results showed that the percentages of PCHSs providing public health services were significantly higher than those of GCHSs (P0.05). The annual workloads of all the public health services and basic medical services per CHW in PCHSs were lighter than those in GCHSs (P0.05). At present, the GCHSs are still the mainstream in urban China, which will last for a long period in future. However, our findings showed that the annual workloads of CHWs in PCHSs were no heavier than those in GCHSs, and the PCHSs were willing to provide public health services. In view of current inadequacy of health resources in China, it is feasible to further develop PCHSs under the guidance of the government, given that PCHSs can perform the basic functions of community health services, which is useful for the formation of public-private partnerships (PPP) and the improvement of community health services.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with prehypertension: identification of foci for primary prevention of hypertension.

BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: Prehypertension (pre-HT) has become an important public health issue in China because it identifies people at higher risk for hypertension (HT) and cardiovascular diseases. The aims of this study were to (1) examine the prevalence of pre-HT, (2) identify risk factors of pre-HT, and (3) identify factors that increase the likelihood of developing HT among the pre-HT group. SUBJECT AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Community-dwelling residents of an urban district in Wuhan, central China (obtained from stratified random sampling), aged between 35 and 74 years completed the study. Data were collected by using a structured self-reporting questionnaire and a standardized protocol for blood pressure measurement and risk screening. Blood pressure categories were defined according to the results of the seventh report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. RESULTS: Among the 1,448 participants, 618 (42.7%) had pre-HT. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed the risk factors of being overweight (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26-2.98) or obese (aOR, 8.9; 95% CI, 1.14-62.3) and having above-optimal triglyceride level (aOR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.24-2.26) were associated with pre-HT. Age and lower educational level were also associated with pre-HT risk. There was a clear trend toward an increased risk of HT among the pre-HT group with every 10-year increment in age starting from 45 years (aORs were 3.47, 6.82, and 7.58, respectively). Participants with Pre-HT currently engaging in sedentary work were also found to have a higher risk of developing HT. Other risk factors for HT included being overweight (aOR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.50-2.68), a known family history of HT (aOR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.98-3.26), and presence of diabetes mellitus (aOR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.66-3.80). CONCLUSION: Prehypertension is common among residents in an urban district in central China. Findings of this study serve to identify the at-risk groups. Targeting these people early with therapeutic lifestyle changes may provide important long-term benefit for HT prevention.

Exploration on path linkage and compatibility of migrant workers' medical insurance system in China / 中华医院管理杂志

Migrant workers incur the challenges of linkage and compatibility of medical insurance systems for their migration across regions and change of identities. To identify a medical insurance system adaptable to their needs, the paper recommends the following: Take their medical insurance into the national account of medical insurance; build a linkage mechanism between cities and villages, and that between cities as well; make the medical insurance system more compatible and portable, in order to safeguard their right of health.