Quality of sexual life and associated factors: a cross-sectional survey of Chinese breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore Chinese breast cancer patients' quality of sexual life (QSL) and factors associated with QSL. METHODS: The questionnaires in this cross-sectional study include the general information questionnaire, cognition and assessment of sexual health questionnaire, Self-acceptance Questionnaire (SAQ), Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire (MCMQ), and Quality of Sexual Life Questionnaire (QSLQ); 201 breast cancer patients were required to complete the questionnaires assessing characteristic information, cognition and assessment of sexual health, QSL, self-acceptance, and coping style. Finally, hierarchical regression was used to analyze the factors associated with QSL in Chinese breast cancer patients. RESULTS: The mean age (at the time of the survey) of the breast cancer patients was 48.31±9.15. The mean score of the QSLQ (range 28-140) was 75.14±16.57. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that the associated factors of breast cancer patients' QSL included age (at the time of the survey), education level, type of surgery, cognition and assessment of sexual health, self-acceptance, and avoidance and acceptance-resignation coping styles, that independent variables explained 60.4% of the variance. CONCLUSION: The QSL among Chinese breast cancer patients needs to be improved. Our findings indicated that breast cancer patients with older age, lower education level, or modified radical mastectomy have poor QSL. Breast cancer patients learn correct information about sexual health, enhance self-acceptance, and reduce acceptance-resignation, and avoidance coping could be intervention strategies to improve their QSL.

Synthesis and evaluation on anticonvulsant and antidepressant activities of 5-Alkoxy-tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinazolines.

Several 5-alkoxy-tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinazoline derivatives have been synthesized by reacting 2,4-dichloroquinazoline with various phenols or aliphatic alcohol and then with sodium azide. The structures of these compounds have been confirmed by IR, MS,( 1)H-NMR, and elementary analysis. Anticonvulsant activities were evaluated using the maximal electroshock (MES) test. Most of the synthesized compounds displayed weak anticonvulsant activity at a dose of 300 mg/kg. Antidepressant activities were investigated by forced swimming test. Two compounds, namely 5-(hexyloxy)tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinazoline and 5-(4-methoxyphenoxy)tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinazoline, showed significant antidepressant activity, which decreased the immobility time by 62.2 and 51.7% at 100 mg/kg dose level.

Arsenate removal from aqueous solution by siderite synthesized under high temperature and high pressure.

In present study, a novel method was developed to synthesize siderite under high temperature and high pressure (SID-HTP). SID-HTP was characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms (BET), XRD, SEM, and FTIR and utilized to remove arsenic(V) (As(V)) from aqueous solution. Results showed that, under oxic condition, pH had ignorable effect on As(V) adsorption. However, adsorption capacity increased with increasing pH from 2 to 7 and remained relatively constant at higher pH until 10 under anoxic condition. Higher adsorption was obtained in the presence of oxygen, showing oxygen-enhanced As(V) adsorption on SID-HTP. In both cases, adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 12 h and adsorption process was better described by pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The equilibrium data fitted well with Langmuir isotherm model for As(V) adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacity increased with increasing temperature, which was up to 42 mg g-1 at 55 °C in the presence of oxygen. Thermodynamic study revealed that the adsorption was a spontaneous and endothermic process. The mechanism of oxygen-enhanced adsorption was mainly ascribed to the -OH on the surface of FeOOH (goethite and lepidocrocite) in the SID-HTP. It suggested that SID-HTP would be a potentially attractive adsorbent for As(V) removal.

Impact of natural organic matter on arsenic removal by modified granular natural siderite: Evidence of ternary complex formation by HPSEC-UV-ICP-MS.

High arsenic (As) groundwater usually has high concentrations of natural organic matter (NOM). Effects of NOM on arsenic adsorption were investigated to evaluate the efficiency of modified granular natural siderite (MGNS) as an adsorbent for groundwater arsenic remediation. Humic and fulvic acids (HA/FA) were selected as model NOM compounds. In batch tests, HA or FA was either first adsorbed onto the MGNS, or applied together with dissolved arsenic to investigate effects of both adsorbed and dissolved NOM on arsenic removal. The kinetic data showed no significant effects of both adsorbed and dissolved HA/FA on As(III) adsorption. However, As(V) removal was inhibited, whereby the adsorbed NOM compounds had greater inhibitory effect. The inhibitory effect on As(V) removal increased with increasing NOM concentrations. FA exhibited higher inhibitory effect than HA at the same concentration. Steric Exclusion Chromatography-HPLC (SEC-HPLC), and High-Performance Size Exclusion Chromatography-UV-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (HPSEC-UV-ICP-MS) revealed that As(V) removal was mostly achieved by the oxyanion adsorption and adversely affected by dissolved FA via competitive adsorption for surface sites. In addition to oxyanion adsorption, removal of As(V) was related to scavenging of ternary HA-As-Fe complexes, which led to the less inhibitory effect of dissolved HA on As(V) removal than dissolved FA via competitive adsorption.

Arsenic mobilization in aquifers of the southwest Songnen basin, P.R. China: evidences from chemical and isotopic characteristics.

High As groundwater has widely been found in the inland basins of China. Little is known about distribution and mobilization mechanisms of high As groundwater in the Songnen basin, where groundwater is the major source for drinking and irrigation. Eighty-seven groundwater samples, three surface water samples and sixty-three sediment samples were taken from the southwest of the Songnen basin, in order to investigate spatial distribution and constrains of groundwater As. Results showed that high As groundwater was generally of Na-Mg/Ca-HCO3 type, which had relatively low Eh values and neutral-weakly alkaline pH. High As groundwater was characterized by low concentrations of NO3(-) and SO4(2-), and high concentrations of Fe, Mn, and H2S. Around 65.5% of sampled shallow groundwater and 96% of sampled deep groundwater had As concentrations greater than 10 µg/L. Sediments had higher total As contents and higher Fe/Mn oxide-bound As contents in high As groundwater area than in the low As groundwater area. Distribution of groundwater As was dependent upon hydrogeologic settings, redox potential, microbial degradation of organic carbon, and precipitation of pyrite, siderite, and calcite. Along the groundwater flow path, As concentration showed an increasing trend. High As groundwater was mainly distributed in the low-lying areas. Reducing conditions were the major causes for As mobilization in the aquifers, which led to more As released from the sediments with higher contents of Fe/Mn oxide-bound As in higher As groundwater area. Results of (13)CDOC and (13)CDIC showed that dissimilatory Fe(III) reduction coupled with microbial degradation of dissolved organic carbon would be related to As mobilization in the aquifers. Although both Fe and As were released during these redox processes, pyrite, siderite and calcite precipitation would be the sink of dissolved As, which resulted in weak correlation between dissolved Fe and As.