[An epidemiological study on domestic violence in Hunan, China].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of domestic violence (DV) in Hunan. METHODS: Using a multi-stage sampling strategy, 9451 households involving 32 720 persons in urban, rural and industrial areas in Hunan, China were studied. Multiform clue investigation and face-to-face interviews were combined to investigate the prevalence of DV. RESULTS: A lifetime prevalence of DV was reported by 1533 households (16.2%). A total of 1098 households (11.6%) reported at least one incident of DV in the previous year. Both lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DV varied significantly by geographic setting (P < 0.01). The lifetime prevalence abuse rates were: spousal 10.2%, child abuse 7.8%, and elder 1.5%. With regard to household structure, the lifetime prevalence of DV was highest among those remarried families (21.0%), followed by married couples with one child and extended families with several generations living together (20.1% and 20.0%, respectively). The highest rate of spousal abuse was found among remarried families (14.7%), while child and elder abuse was most prevalent among extended families (12.4% and 4.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggested that although the prevalence of DV in Hunan was modest compared to Western countries, it remained a serious public health problem affecting over 1 in 10 households. Furthermore, the prevalence of various types of DV varied by geographic setting and family structure, suggesting that diverse geographic setting and family constellations carried different risk and protective features.

[Effect of triamcinolone acetonide on the proliferation and monocyte chemoattractant protein expression in rat glomerular mesangial cells].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the inhibitory effect and mechanism of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) on the proliferation and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1(MCP-1) expression in rat glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs). METHODS: TA with different concentrations was put in the cultured rat GMC line in vitro after Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). There were three groups in our experiment: the GMC group, LPS group (GMCs + LPS), and TA group(GMCs + LPS + TA). The GMC proliferation level was detected by the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyltetrazo-lium bromid (MTT) incorporation at the 24th and 48th hours. The expression of MCP-1 and nuclear transcriptional factor-Kappa B (NF-kappa B) were checked by immunohistochemistry. The MCP-1 concentration was determined by ELISA. RESULTS: 1. In the TA group, the GMC proliferative level was obviously lower than that either in the LPS group or in the GMC group (P < 0.01). 2. The MCP-1 expression of GMCs in the TA group was obviously lower than that in any of the other groups (P < 0.01). 3. The NF-kappa B expression in GMCs in the TA group was significantly lower than that in the LPS group (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference in the NF-kappa B expression between the TA group and LPS group (P > 0.05). 4. The concentration of MCP-1 in the TA group was obviously lower than that in the LPS group (P < 0.01), while there was no significant difference in the MCP-1 concentration between the TA group and the GMC group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: TA can obviously inhibit the proliferation of GMCs, and down-regulate the abnormal expression and secretion of MCP-1 by reducing the activation of NF-kappa B.