[Clinical analysis of adverse reactions in patients with multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis treated with delamanid-containing regimen].

Objective: To explore the characteristics of adverse drug reactions during the 24-week therapy with delamanid-containing regimen for patients with multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (MDR/RR-PTB). Methods: The prospective multicenter study was conducted from June 2020 to June 2023. A total of 608 eligible patients with MDR/RR-PTB were enrolled in 26 tuberculosis medical institutions in China including 364 males and 79 females, aged 39.6(19.0-68.0) years. Patients were treated with chemotherapy regimens containing delamanid. Patients were closely supervised during treatment of medication, and all adverse reactions occurring during treatment were monitored and recorded. The clinical characteristics of adverse reactions were evaluated by descriptive analysis. Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the related factors of QTcF interval prolongation (QT corrected with Fridericia's formula). Results: Of the 608 patients enrolled in this study, 325 patients (53.5%) reported 710 adverse events within 24 weeks of treatment. The top 6 most common complications were hematological abnormalities (143 patients, 23.5%), QT prolongation (114 patients, 18.8%), liver toxicity (85 patients, 14.0%), gastrointestinal reaction (41 patients, 6.7%), peripheral neuropathy (25 patients, 4.1%) and mental disorders (21 patients, 3.5%). The prolongation of QT interval mostly occurred in the 12th week after the first dose of medication. Serious adverse reactions occurred in 21 patients (3.5%). There were 7 patients (1.2%) with mental disorders, including 2 patients (0.3%) with severe mental disorders. Conclusions: The safety of dalamanid-based regimen in the staged treatment of MDR/RR-PTB patients was generally good, and the incidence of adverse reactions was similar to that reported in foreign studies. This study found that the incidence of QT interval prolongation in Chinese patients was higher than that reported overseas, suggesting that the monitoring of electrocardiogram should be strengthened when using drugs containing delamanid that may cause QT interval prolongation.

[Association between isoniazid induced hepatotoxicity and host N-acetyltransferase 2 polymorphisms].

Isoniazid(INH, H) has been a key drug for treating drug-susceptible tuberculosis (TB) for nearly seventy years. The differences in the pharmacokinetic(PK) might affect INH absorption. Low plasma concentration is related to less treatment outcomes and vice versa, but higher plasma concentrations can induce hepatotoxicity or death. Factors that can cause fluctuations in blood concentration include INH absorption (i.e. drug-drug or drug-food interactions and other diseases such as gastrointestinal problems, diabetes or TB) and abnormal metabolization by the liver. N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) genetic polymorphism significantly affects the plasma concentrations of INH. However, there is a lack of guidelines for the management of adverse drug reactions caused by isoniazid therapy, and the only measures taken to address adverse reactions to isoniazid are abrupt discontinuation of the drug or reduction in the dose of isoniazid based on clinical experience, but such measures could lead to the development of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Therefore, further clarification of the correlation between the host NAT2 genotype and its phenotypic polymorphisms, plasma isoniazid concentration and adverse effects can help to improve the efficacy and minimize the adverse effects.

[Progress in research of epidemiology of extra pulmonary tuberculosis].

Currently, tuberculosis, including both pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and extra pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) still widely spread worldwide. EPTB has become one of research hotspots, changes in the incidence of EPTB and its composition in TB have occurred, the situation varied with country and region. The age and gender distributions of EPTB cases were different, even contradicted, indicated by different studies. The incidence rate and prevalence rate of EPTB might be underestimated due to insufficient attention paid to EPTB, inadequate diagnostic methods and low diagnosis rate. The cure rate of EPTB is always lower than PTB, posing challenges to global TB control. This paper summarizes the progress in research of EPTB epidemiology in recent years in terms of EPTB definition, epidemiological characteristics of EPTB in the world, correlation of different EPTB and related risk factors to provide reference for the prevention and control of EPTB.

Corticosteroid therapy for patients with severe novel Coronavirus disease 2019.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of corticosteroid on hospital mortality, hospital length of stay, and time of viral clearance in patients with severe and critical COVID-19. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with severe and critical COVID-19 who had been discharged or expired were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into corticosteroid group and non-corticosteroid group according to the systemic corticosteroid use or not. Clinical data were collected, and hospital mortality, hospital length of stay, time of viral clearance, time of mechanical ventilation, and duration from illness onset to symptom resolution were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 72 inpatients who were diagnosed with severe and critical COVID-19 were enrolled, in which 47 patients were divided into corticosteroid group and 25 were involved as the non-corticosteroid group. Baseline characteristics were generally similar between the two groups. Four (5.6%) patients died during hospitalization, and 68 (94.4%) were discharged. Among survivors, the mean duration time from admission to discharge was 19.5d (SD 7.05 d). The mean time of viral clearance among survivors was 17.5d (SD 7.67 d), with a maximum of 37 d, and a minimum of 5 d. Hospital mortality (4.3% vs. 8.0%), length of hospital stay (18.7d vs. 21.0d), and time of viral clearance (16.1d vs. 19.4d) had no significant difference between two groups (p>0.05). The duration of symptoms suffering was shorter in the corticosteroid group than non-corticosteroid group, with statistically significant difference (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Corticosteroid therapy in patients with severe COVID-19 cannot reduce the hospital mortality, and is not associated with delayed viral clearance, but it could relieve the inflammatory storm and improve clinical symptoms in brief. Patients with severe COVID-19 could benefit from low-dose corticosteroid treatment.

[Awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in 640 000 adults in eastern China].

Objective: To understand the awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in residents aged 35-75 years in eastern China, analyze the treatment mode for antihypertensive agents while identifying those factors affecting awareness, treatment and control. Methods: The data collected in eastern China from the China Patient-Centered Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events (PEACE) Million Persons Project were used to obtain the information about the awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in the residents and the antihypertensive medication treatment mode in this area. Multilevel mixed-effects model was used to explore the association of the demographic characteristics of hypertension patients with the rates of awareness, treatment and control of hypertension. Results: A total of 640 539 participants aged 35-75 years, mean age (56.9±9.6) years, were included in the analysis, women accounted for 59.7% and 318 741 (49.8%) of the participants suffered from hypertension. Among those hypertensive patients, 46.5% were aware of their condition, 38.1% were taking prescribed antihypertensive medications, and 11.1% had achieved the control of hypertension, the differences were significant among provinces, between urban area and rural area and among different demographical groups. Calcium-channel blockers was the most commonly used medication (45.1%), and 78 735 hypertension patients (86.2%) took only one type of medication. Older age, higher household income, higher level of education, and histories of myocardial infarction, stroke and diabetes were associated with higher awareness, treatment and control of hypertension (P<0.05). Conclusions: The rates of awareness, treatment and control of hypertension were low in residents in eastern China. The differences in hypertension management were significant among provinces and between urban area and rural area. Further efforts are needed to enhance the system of hypertension prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment.

[Clinical and imaging features of acute histoplasmosis].

Objective: To investigate the clinical and imaging characteristics of acute histoplasmosis. Methods: The clinical and imaging data of 10 patients with acute histoplasmosis were studied. Their clinical and imaging characteristics were analyzed. All the patients returned from a South American republic in April 2019 and were treated at the Chongqing public health medical treatment center. Results: All the 10 patients were male, aged 30-56 years old, with an average age of 43.8 years old. Four of them were engaged in soil clearing, 2 in gas cutting, 2 in moving tools, and 2 in inspection. The disease in all the 10 patients was caused by inhaling a large amount of bacteria-bearing dust in a short time, with an incubation period of 9-13 days, and the main clinical manifestations were fever, insomnia, dizziness, headache, cough, poor appetite, rash and diarrhea. One patient's head CT showed extensive thickening and increased density of bilateral frontotemporal, parietal and occipital meninges, while the other 9 patients showed no obvious abnormalities. Chest CT findings were as follows: (1) Multiple nodular shadow: the chest CT findings of 4 patients were miliary nodular shadow with diffuse distribution in both lungs. Most of the nodules were less than 5 mm in diameter and distributed evenly or unevenly. CT findings of 6 cases showed scattered nodular shadows in both lungs, with diameters ranging from 2 to 15 mm, and obvious distribution in subpleural and inferior lobes of both lungs. (2) Consolidation shadow: in 2 cases, the size of the shadow was uneven and the density increased, mainly distributed in the subpleura and the lower lobe of both lungs. (3) Ground glass density shadow: mainly distributed around nodules, halo signs can be seen around some nodules. (4) Mediastinum and/or hilar lymph nodes were enlarged. (5) Pleural effusion: a small amount of pleural effusion was found in 4 cases. (6) Pericardial effusion in 3 cases. Abdominal CT showed splenomegaly in 8 cases and hepatomegaly in 1 case. Conclusions: Acute histoplasmosis has no specificity in clinical manifestations. However, there are still some features in CT manifestations, including multiple nodules in both lungs accompanied by halo, enlarged liver, spleen and mediastinal lymph nodes, and multiple serous cavity effusions.

Increased EWSAT1 expression promotes cell proliferation, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently been identified as crucial regulators in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. The aim of the study is to investigate the clinical role and biological effects of long non-coding RNA EWSAT1 in CRC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression of lncRNA EWSAT1 was detected in 106 cases of fresh CRC tissues and matched adjacent normal tissues by qRT-PCR analyses. The Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test were used to assess the association between lncRNA EWSAT1 expression and overall survival (OS) rate of CRC patients. Cell proliferation and invasion capacity were evaluated by CCK8 assay, colony formation, and transwell invasion assays. The protein expression was detected using western blot analysis. RESULTS: LncRNA EWSAT1 expression was abnormally higher in CRC tissues compared to matched adjacent normal tissues. Higher lncRNA EWSAT1 expression significantly associated with depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, and advanced tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage in CRC patients. Patients with higher EWSAT1 expression exhibited shorter OS compared with patients with lower EWSAT1 expression. Furthermore, lncRNA EWSAT1 knockdown significantly suppressed cell proliferation and invasion in CRC. In addition, lncRNA EWSAT1 knockdown suppressed cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through reducing Snail1, Snail2, and N-cadherin expression, but increasing E-cadherin expression in CRC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Downregulation of lncRNA EWSAT1 suppressed cell proliferation and invasion of CRC, which indicated that EWSAT1 may be a potential target of CRC treatment.

Significance of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in limb salvage treatment of osteosarcoma and its effect on GLS1 expression.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the clinical significance of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in limb salvage treatment of osteosarcoma and its effect on the Glutaminase 1 gene (GLS1) expression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 278 patients admitted to Qianfoshan Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University with osteosarcoma were randomly divided into the study group and the control group. Patients in the study group had 3-4 courses of cisplatin, ifosfamide, and adriamycin (DIA) chemotherapy before surgical excision, while no chemotherapy was used in the control group before the surgery. RESULTS: GLS1 expression in the study group decreased, the difference showed statistical significance compared with that of the control group (p<0.05). The median survival time of the study group was 48.4±19.7 months while in the control group was 42.4±11.2. The overall survival time of study group was 58.5±15.2 months, which was significantly higher than control 49.4±10.7 (p<0.05). The higher GLS1 expression in osteosarcoma was, the shorter the patients' survival time would be. CONCLUSIONS: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy performed before surgery could significantly decrease the GLS1 expression in osteosarcoma, effectively improving limb salvage treatment of osteosarcoma. The higher the GLS1 expression was, the shorter the patients' survival time would be.

Inhibition of miR-126 protects chondrocytes from IL-1ß induced inflammation via upregulation of Bcl-2.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of miR-126 in the development of osteoarthritis, as well as the potential molecular mechanisms involved, in order to provide a theoretical basis for osteoarthritis treatment and a novel perspective for clinical therapy. METHODS: Human chondrocyte cell line CHON-001 was administrated by different doses of interleukin (IL)-1ß to simulate inflammation. Cell viability, migration, apoptosis, IL-6, IL-8, and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α expression, as well as expression of apoptosis-related factors, were measured to assess inflammation. miR-126 expression was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Cells were then transfected with miR-126 inhibitor to assess the effect of miR-126 on IL-1ß-injured CHON-001 cells. Expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and the activity of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) / Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway were measured by Western blot to explore the underlying mechanism through which miR-126 affects IL-1ß-induced inflammation. RESULTS: After IL-1ß administration, cell viability and migration were suppressed while apoptosis was enhanced. Expression of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were all increased, and miR-126 was upregulated. In IL-1ß-administrated CHON-001 cells, miR-126 inhibitor suppressed the effect of IL-1ß on cell viability, migration, apoptosis, and inflammatory response. Bcl-2 expression was negatively regulated with miR-126 in IL-1ß-administrated cells, and thus affected expressions of phosphorylated MAPK and JNK. CONCLUSION: IL-1ß-induced inflammatory markers and miR-126 was upregulated. Inhibition of miR-126 decreased IL-1ß-induced inflammation and cell apoptosis, and upregulated Bcl-2 expression via inactivating the MAKP/JNK signalling pathway.Cite this article: C. D. Yu, W. H. Miao, Y. Y. Zhang, M. J. Zou, X. F. Yan. Inhibition of miR-126 protects chondrocytes from IL-1ß induced inflammation via upregulation of Bcl-2. Bone Joint Res 2018;7:414-421. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.76.BJR-2017-0138.R1.

[ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in the eastern urban China: from 2001 to 2011].

OBJECTIVE: To assess trends in clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcomes for hospitalized patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI) in eastern urban China from 2001 to 2011. METHODS: The data were obtained from the China PEACE-retrospective acute myocardial infarction study. Patients admitted to hospital in the eastern urban China for STEMI were selected via two-stage random sampling. The first phase was to identify participating hospitals via a simple random-sampling procedure. The second stage was to select patients admitted to each participating hospitals for acute myocardial infarction in the year of 2001, 2006 and 2011 with a systematic sampling approach. Then clinical information was obtained via central medical record abstraction for each patient. In all analyses, weight was calculated proportional to the inverse sampling fraction for each period. Multilevel logistic regression models with generalized estimating equations were used for analysis of patient outcomes. RESULTS: This analysis included 5 257 patients with STEMI from 32 hospitals. In 2001, 2006, and 2011, the median age of STEMI patients was 66(57, 72)、67(56, 74)and 63(53, 74)years(trend test P=0.008), the proportion of female was 30.3%, 29.5% and 29.2%(trend test P=0.530), respectively. The proportion of cardiovascular risk factors increased over time(trend test P<0.001); 45.6%, 55.6%, and 56.3% patients had hypertension(trend test P<0.001); 18.8%, 27.7% and 26.2% patients had diabetes(trend test P<0.001); 50.1%, 59.2% and 70.5% patients had dyslipidemia(trend test P<0.001); 30.5%, 35.1% and 44.1% patients are current smokers(trend test P<0.001) in 2001, 2006 and 2011, respectively. Between 2001 and 2011, there were significant increases in aspirin use(80.7% in 2001, 90.4% in 2006, and 91.5% in 2011, trend test P<0.001), clopidogrel use(2.9% in 2001, 64.2% in 2006, and 90.3% in 2011, trend test P<0.001) within 24 hours after admission, statins use rate was 45.8% in 2001, 83.4% in 2006, and 93.8% in 2011(trend test P<0.001), and rate of direct percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI) was 21.0% in 2001, 29.7% in 2006, and 40.3% in 2011(trend test P<0.001) in patients without documented contraindications. However, the rate of reperfusion therapy was non-significantly decreased: 58.5% in 2001, 58.0% in 2006, and 55.5% in 2011 (trend test P=0.230). The use of beta blockers also decreased: 62.4% in 2001, 64.3% in 2006 and 55.2% in 2011(trend test P=0.001). The mortality rate within 7 days following admission was 7.8%, 7.0%, 6.1%, and the proportion of death or treatment withdrawal because of terminal status was 8.3%, 8.6%, 7.4% in 2001, 2006 and 2011, respectively. Both parameters were similar among the 3 time points(trend test P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: During the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in application of new technology and drug for STEMI in the eastern urban China. However, important gaps persist between clinical practice and guideline recommendations, and the outcomes of patients have not been significantly improved. Clinical Trail Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01624883.

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the CPP-like gene family in soybean.

Cysteine-rich polycomb-like protein (CPP-like) genes are a group of transcription factors with highly conserved cysteine-rich domains and are widely distributed in animals and plants, but do not present in yeast. Previous studies have shown that members of this family play important roles in the development of reproductive tissue and in the control of cell division in plants. In this study, whole genome identification of soybean CPP transcription factors was performed using bioinformatic methods. The results showed that there were 20 CPP transcription factors in the soybean genome, which encoded for 28 distinct CPP proteins. These transcription factors were distributed on 16 of 20 chromosomes. Phylogenetic relationship analysis showed that expression of CPP gene family members occurred before the differentiation of monocotyledons and dicotyledons. RNA-Seq analysis showed that 5 genes were highly expressed in all tissues, including Glyma10g39080, Glyma01g44670, Glyma101g66920, Glyma02g01540, and Glyma20g28740. One gene (Glyma14g14750) was specifically expressed in young leaves, while 2 genes (Glyma02g01540 and Glyma10g01580) were highly expressed in root nodules. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that the expression levels of most genes increased in the roots under high temperature stress. Our findings indicate that these genes are not only involved in growth and development, but also in the responses to high temperature stress in soybean roots.

Optimal time to take once-daily oral medications in clinical practice.

Currently only a few package inserts of once-daily medications specially define the dosing time, although sporadic studies have demonstrated administration time-dependent effects on the therapeutic outcome. Some chronotherapeutic approaches aim to diminish the occurrence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and hence better tolerance and medication compliance whereas most of the chronotherapies are recommended to improve therapeutic efficacy. The administration time-dependent efficacy seems not a common feature of drugs within the similar therapeutic or structural class and it is related to kinds of drugs, pathophysiologic status, clinical symptoms and feedback from patients. Doctors, pharmacists and nurses should know what kind of drug has requirement for optimal dosing time, and realize that better efficacy and lower incidence of ADRs may be achieved by rational arrangement of administration schedule. In order to promote medication compliance, it is essential to provide patient education regarding differences between conventional and chronotherapeutic approaches and pathophysiologic benefits of chronotherapy.

Systemic lupus erythematosus: a genetic epidemiology study of 695 patients from China.

Our purpose was to explore potential genetic models for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and analyze genetic epidemiologic characteristics of SLE in a Chinese population. Data for 695 patients with SLE were obtained by using a uniform questionnaire. Patients, clinical characteristics and their family history were analyzed using software. A complex segregation analysis was conducted to propose potential genetic models for SLE. The mean +/- SD age of onset were 30.2 +/- 10.5 years and mean time to progression to SLE was 32.5 +/- 44.4 months. The most frequent initial manifestations were malar rash (61.3%). During the evolution of the disease, the main clinical features were arthritis in 73.6% of our patients, followed by malar rash (68.1%), and renal involvement (56.7%). As the first symptom, the late-onset group (onset of disease beyond the age of 50 years) less often showed malar rash (45% vs. 63.4% in the early-onset group; p = 0.001). There were no significant differences in the other cumulative clinical symptoms between late-onset and early-onset group, except for a lower prevalence of malar rash, photosensitivity and alopecia and a higher prevalence of mucosal ulcers in the late-onset group. A positive family history of SLE was obtained in 50 patients (7.2%). There were no statistical differences in clinical characteristics between familial SLE and sporadic SLE patients. The heritability of SLE was 43.6%, the genetic model of SLE could be polygenetic model and major gene mode is the best fitted one. SLE could be a multifactorial disease with polygenetic model.

Heroin abuse and nitric oxide, oxidation, peroxidation, lipoperoxidation.

To further reveal the risks of heroin abuse to human body, and to determine the injuries of oxidation, peroxidation and lipoperoxidation induced by nitric oxide and other free radicals to heroin abusers, we determined and compared plasma values of lipoperoxides (LPO), nitric oxide (NO), vitamin C (VC), vitamin E (VE), beta-carotene (beta-CAR) and erythrocyte values of LPO, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in 114 heroin abusers and 100 healthy volunteers. Using linear regression and correlation as well as stepwise regression and correlation, we also analyzed the effect of the abusing duration, and daily abusing quantity on the above-mentioned biochemical parameters in the heroin abusers. The results showed that, compared with the healthy volunteer groups, the average plasma values of LPO, and NO, and the average erythrocyte value of LPO in the heroin abuser group were significantly increased (P < 0.0001), and the average plasma values of VC, VE, and beta-CAR and the average erythrocyte values of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px were significantly decreased (P < 0.0001). Analysis of linear regression and correlation showed that with prolonged heroin abusing and with increased daily quantity in the heroin abusers, the plasma values of LPO, and NO, and the erythrocyte value of LPO were gradually increased (P < 0.001), whereas the plasma values of VC, VE, and beta-CAR and the erythrocyte values of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px were gradually decreased (P < 0.001). Analysis of stepwise regression and correlation indicated that the plasma values of NO, VC and VE were closely correlated with the abusing duration and daily abusing quantity. These results indicate that the balance between oxidation and antioxidation in the heroin abusers was seriously disturbed, and the injuries induced by nitric oxide and other free radicals, through oxidation, peroxidation and lipoperoxidation to the bodies of heroin abusers exacerbated. It is therefore necessary that in abstaining from heroin dependence, the heroin abusers should acquire sufficient quantities of antioxidants such as VC, VE and beta-CAR.

Effects of cigarette smoking and smoking cessation on plasma constituents and enzyme activities related to oxidative stress.

In order to study effects of cigarette smoking and smoking cessation on plasma constituents and enzyme activities related to oxidative stress, 1255 smokers and 524 healthy non-smokers were investigated in terms of plasma levels of lipoperoxides (LPO), nitric oxide (NO), vitamin C (VC), vitamin E (VE) and beta-carotene (beta-CAR). Additionally, erythrocytes were examined to determine the level of LPO, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). The results showed that, when compared with the average values of the non-smoker group, the average plasma values of LPO, NO and the average erythrocyte value of LPO in the smoker group were significantly increased (P < 0. 001), while the average plasma values of VC, VE, beta-CAR, and the average erythrocyte activities of SOD, CAT, GSH-Px were significantly decreased (P < 0.001). A linear regression and correlation analysis for 65 male smokers who were all 40 years old showed that with longer smoking duration and greater daily smoking quantity, the plasma values of LPO, NO and the erythrocyte value of LPO were elevated, while the plasma values of VC, VE, beta-CAR and erythrocyte values of SOD, CAT, GSH-Px were decreased. In a group of 73 smokers who stopped smoking completely for six months, the average plasma values of LPO, NO and the average erythrocyte value of LPO decreased, although they were still significantly higher than those in the matched non-smoker group (P < 0.05). Additionally, the average plasma values of VC, VE, beta-CAR and the average erythrocyte values of SOD, CAT, GSH-Px increased, although they were still significantly lower than those in the matched non-smoker group (P < 0.05). However, after smoking cessation for one year the above average values were not significantly different from those in the matched non-smoker group (P > 0.05). This finding indicates that the markedly increased oxidative stress in smokers might gradually return to normal but only after a long period of smoking cessation. In conclusion, in the bodies of smokers a series of free radical chain reactions were gravely aggravated, the dynamic balance between oxidation and antioxidation was seriously disrupted, and oxidative stress was clearly exacerbated, which is closely related to many disorders or diseases in smokers. The present study underscored the need, urgency and importance of complete smoking cessation.

[Effect of Paeonia lactiflora on platelet cytosolic free calcium and erythrocyte membrane Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-ATPase activity in hyperlipid rabbits].

The effect of Paeonia lactiflora (PL) on platelet cytosolic free calcium and erythrocyte membrane Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-ATPase activity in hyperlipid rabbits were observed. Results showed the level of platelet cytosolic free calcium in the PL group (276.25 +/- 27.00 nmol/L) was significantly lower than that in the cholesterol group (390.88 +/- 70.00 nmol/L), P < 0.01, the basal and calmodulin-stimulated activities of erythocyte membrane Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-ATP ase in PL group (0.79 +/- 0.05 mumol.pi-1.mg-1.h-1 and 1.34 +/- 0.10 mumol.pi-1.mg-1.h-1) were higher than that in the cholesterol group (0.65 +/- 0.09 mumol.pi-1.mg-1.h-1 and 1.04 +/- 0.13 mumol.pi-1.mg-1.h-1).