Impacts of passive smoking on learning and memory ability of mouse offsprings and intervention by antioxidants.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of passive smoking and the protective effect of antioxidants such as vitamin E and quercetin on learning and memory ability of mouse offsprings. METHODS: A passive smoking model of pregnant mice was established. Learning and memory ability was evaluated by the water maze test and long term potentiation (LTP). Nitric oxide (NO), content, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), acetylcholinesteras (Ache) activity in brain, vitamin E concentration, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in serum were determined. The latency period (the time during which the mice swim from the starting position to the ending position) and errors (the number of mice entering the blind end) in control and antioxidant intervention groups were compared with those in the smoke exposure group after 6 days. RESULTS: The latency period as well as errors in the air, control diet, tobacco smoke (TS), and vitamin E diet groups were decreased significantly as compared with the TS and control diet groups (P<0.05). LTP was restrained in the TS and control diet groups. LTP in all the antioxidant diet groups was significantly increased compared with the TS and control diet groups. In addition, NOS and acetylcholinesteras (Ache) activitiy was significantly higher in the TS and control diet groups than in the air and control diet group. NO content was not significantly different among the different groups, and significantly lower in the TS and vitamin E diet groups than in the TS group, control diet group, quercetin diet group, and mixture diet group (P<0.05). Vitamin E concentration and ROS activity in serum were correlated with the outcome of water maze and LTP. CONCLUSION: Passive smoking reduces LTP formation by disturbing the hippocampus function of mice, by decreasing NOS and Ache activity and increasing NO content. Antioxidants (especially vitamin E) partially improve the learning and memory ability of offsprings whose mothers are exposed to tobacco smoke during pregnancy.

[Knowledge, attitude and practice related to schistosomiasis control among rural residents in Wanjiang River region after a flood].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the status of knowledge, attitude and behavior of schistosomiasis control of rural residents in Wanjiang River region after a flood, so as to provide the reference for targeted health education. METHODS: The multistage sampling was applied to select the respondents in rural residents in Wanjiang River region, and the self-designed questionnaire was used to investigate the current situation of knowledge, attitude and behavior of schistosomiasis prevention and control of the rural residents. RESULTS: The total awareness rate of knowledge about the prevention and control of schistosomiasis was 47.92%. The age, education, family income, relatives and friends with medical background, and health education significantly influenced the awareness rate (χ2 = 12.76, 89.19, 18.19, 50.83 and 92.60 respectively, all P < 0.05). The accuracy rates of attitude and behavior in schistosomiasis control were 62.89% and 52.37% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The awareness rate of knowledge about the prevention and control of schistosomiasis, and the accuracy rates of attitude and behavior in schistosomiasis control of the rural residents in Wanjiang River region are all inefficient, and therefore, the targeted health education should be strengthened to decrease the risk of schistosomiasis transmission.

[Preliminary investigation of acaroid mites breeding in commercial food in Hsinchu City, Taiwan Province, China].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the breeding of acaroid mites in the stored food in Taiwan Province, China. METHODS: The breeding mites from samples selected from the markets in Hsinchu City, Taiwan Province were separated under a microscope. The isolations were used for slide preparation, then observed and identified under a microscope. RESULTS: Among the 39 species samples, 13 species of acaroid mites were isolated from the samples. They belonged to 11 genera of 6 families. They were Acarus siro, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Tyrophagus longior, Aleuroglyphus ovatus, Caloglyphus berlesei, Suidasia nesbitti, Lardoglyphus konoi, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Chortoglyphus arcuatus, Carpoglyphus lactis, Dermatophagoides farina and Gohieria fuscus. CONCLUSIONS: There are acaroid mites breeding in the commercial food in Hsinchu City, Taiwan Province, China. Therefore, relevant measures should be taken to control the breeding of acaroid mites.

Vitamin E modulates cigarette smoke extract-induced cell apoptosis in mouse embryonic cells.

Vitamin E (VE) can effectively prevent occurrence of lung cancer caused by passive smoking in mice. However, whether VE prevents smoking-induced cytotoxicity remains unclear. In this study, a primary culture of embryonic lung cells (ELCs) was used to observe the cytotoxic effects of cigarette smoke extract (CSE), including its influence on cell survival, cell cycle, apoptosis, and DNA damage, and also to examine the effects of VE intervention on CSE-induced cytotoxicity. Our results showed that CSE could significantly inhibit the survival of ELCs with dose- and time-dependent effects. Furthermore, CSE clearly disturbed the cell cycle of ELCs by decreasing the proportion of cells at the S and G2/M phases and increasing the proportion of cells at the G0/G1 phase. CSE promoted cell apoptosis, with the highest apoptosis rate reaching more than 40%. CSE also significantly caused DNA damage of ELCs. VE supplementation could evidently inhibit or reverse the cytotoxic effects of CSE in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The mechanism of CSE effects on ELCs and that of VE intervention might involve the mitochondrial pathway of cytochrome c-mediated caspase activation. Our study validate that VE plays a clearly protective effect against CSE-induced cytotoxicity in mouse embryonic lung cells.