Study on absorption and accumulation of mercury in rats by repeated administration of Yuhong ointment / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study in vivo mercury absorption and accumulation through repeated transdermal administration of Yuhong ointment containing calomel, in order to provide scientific evidences for clinical safe medication.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>A total of 100 SD rats were randomly classified into five groups: the control group, the Yuhong ointment group, the double-concentration Yuhong Ointment group, the quadruple-concentration Yuhong ointment group and the 1.6% calomel group. The rats were treated with the dosage of 0.04 g . cm-2 by repeated transdermal administration for 2, 4 weeks. After the drug discontinuance for 4 weeks, the levels of mercury in blood, urine, and tissues of heart, liver, brain and kidney were determined, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Compared with the control group, the blood mercury level of the Yuhong ointment group show no obvious change after treatment for 4 weeks. However, the levels of mercury in blood and urine of other experimental groups increased significantly with time and the increase in dosage, and so did the level of mercury in major organ. At 4 weeks, all experimental groups showed increase in the content of mercury, and kidneys displayed the highest level, whereas brain displayed the lowest level After the drug discontinuance for 4 weeks, the mercury level in blood and urine of every dose group recovered to normal, with significant decline in the content of mercury in each organ.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>After transdermal administration in rats for 4 weeks, there was no obvious absorption of mercury in blood. Mercury was mainly accumulated in kidneys and excreted through urine. The results suggest that the patients' mercury content and kidney function indexes need to be monitored in long-term clinical use of Yuhong ointment.</p>

The influence of ambient air pollutants on outpatient visits for allergic disease and pollinosis / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the effects of ambient air pollutants on hospital outpatient visits for allergic disease and pollinosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The monitoring data of daily air pollution (SO(2), NO(2) and PM(10)) in 8 national monitoring and controlling sites of Beijing air quality, airborne pollen in 4 monitoring sites of Beijing, and daily meteorological data, along with the daily numbers of outpatients visits for allergic disease and pollinosis at the Allergy Department of Beijing Shijitan Hospital from April to September in 2004 were collected. Associations between the levels of air pollutants and outpatient visits for allergic disease and pollinosis were estimated by time serial analysis using a generalized addictive model (GAM), considering lag effect and the influence of multipollutants.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>During the study period, the average daily ambient concentrations of SO(2), NO(2) and PM(10) were (20.9 ± 12.9), (58.6 ± 13.6) and (126.8 ± 64.1) µg/m(3), respectively. The mean daily pollen count was (163.8 ± 209.0) grains/1000 mm(2), while the average daily numbers of doctor visits for allergic disease and pollinosis were (16.3 ± 5.3) and (3.5 ± 5.0), respectively. Time serial analysis showed that significant positive associations were found between levels of airborne pollen and doctor visits, with an excess risk (ER) of 2.44% (95%CI: 0.75% - 4.13%)for allergic disease and 6.58% (95%CI: 3.82% - 9.34%) for pollinosis per 100 grains/1000 mm(2) increase in pollen, in single-pollutant models. There were associations between ambient air pollutants (SO(2), NO(2), PM(10)) and doctor visits with lag effects. A 10 µg/m(3) increase in NO(2) was associated with a 3.14% (95%CI: 0.42% - 5.85%) increase in doctor visits for allergic disease at lag 6 d. For pollinosis, the highest ER was observed for 10 µg/m(3) increases in SO(2) at lag 1 d, NO(2) at lag 6 d, PM(10) at lag 3 d. However, this association was not statistically significant (RR (95%CI) were 1.0460 (0.9640 - 1.1280), 1.0325 (0.9633 - 1.1017), 1.0079 (0.9942 - 1.0217), respectively). The associations enhanced slightly in multi-pollutant models with an ER of 2.56% (95%CI: 0.80% - 4.31%) for allergic disease and 6.81% (95%CI: 3.91% - 9.71%) for pollinosis per 100 grains/1000 mm(2) of pollen.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Our results suggest that level of airborne pollen may have a stronger effect than ambient air pollutants on allergic disease and pollinosis.</p>