Development and validation of the cancer self-perceived discrimination scale for Chinese cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: To develop a Cancer Self-Perceived Discrimination Scale (CSPDS) for Chinese cancer patients and to assess its reliability and validity. METHOD: A total of 178 patients were recruited and the classical test theory was used to develop the CSPDS. Item analysis was adapted to improve the preliminary version of the CSPDS, then the reliability, the validity and the acceptability of the final version of CSPDS were assessed. RESULTS: This CSPDS contained 14 items classified into 3 subscales: social withdrawal with 7 items, stigma with 4 and self-deprecation with 3. Good validity (χ2/df = 1.216, GFI = 0.935, AGFI = 0.903, I-CVIs> 0.80) and good reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.829, Spearman-Brown coefficient = 0.827, test-retest reliability coefficient = 0.944) were found. The completion time was 6.06 ± 1.80 min. Participants who were female and reported poor self-rated health tended to have higher CSPDS scores (P <  0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that this CSPDS could be used to assess the level of self-perceived discrimination and to preliminarily screen perceived discrimination among Chinese cancer patients, especially in Southwest China. It may provide a basis for scientific assessment of targeted patient education, psychological counseling, social interventions, and psychotherapy in the future.

[In vivo study of Chuankezhi metabolism in rat].

To study the metabolic products of main compounds of Chuankezhi injection in rat, 12 Sprague Dawley rats were classed into 2 groups, a blank control group and an intermuscular administration group, respectively. Rat feces and urine samples were collected from 0−24 h and 24−48 h after administration. All the samples were ultrasonically treated with methanol and then analyzed using LC-LTQ Orbitrap MSn. By comparison with the total ion chromatogram of samples from the blank control group, the metabolites in the samples of drug-treated group were screened. These metabolites were further analyzed by multistage product ion scanning and comparison of retention time with reference substances. As a result, a total of 12 flavonoid metabolites were tentatively identified from the rat feces and no metabolite was discovered in the rat urine. Epimedin C and icariin were detected in the rat blood samples after 30 min of administration, but their metabolites and other original flavones were not detected. Furthermore, no original flavones and their metabolites were detected in rat blood samples after 2 and 4 h of administration. The potential metabolism paths were further characterized and the principal in vivo transformation of flavones from Chuankezhi injection were deglycosylation, dehydration, methylation, oxidation and isomerization in rats.

Effects of metal ions on the cultivation of an oleaginous microalga Chlorella sp.

A coupling technique to purify wastewater for lipid production based on microalgae is attractive and promising for its potential to clean water and as biofuel feedstocks. Metal ions from wastewater might be involved in microalgal cultivation. In this study, the effects of metal ions on algal growth, lipid-producing potential, and water purifying capability of Chlorella sp. HQ were investigated. The effects of metal ions (Cr6+, Cu2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, Fe3+, Na+, and K+) on alga lipid production combined with water purification showed that Chlorella sp. HQ had strong resistance to metal ions and could efficiently remove them (Fe3+ 85.40~98.73%, Mn2+ 45.63~97.24%, Zn2+ 81.93~100.00%, Cu2+ 81.71~95.19%, Cr6+ 20.07~45.60%). Meanwhile, nutrient removal (total nitrogen (TN) 78.15~94.77%, total phosphorus (TP) 80.52~100%) was not inhibited by metal ions. Besides that, the highest algal biomass, lipid yield, and triacylglycerol (TAG) yield peaked at 350.00 ± 31.50, 87.50 ± 3.54, and 33.39 ± 19.42 mg L-1, respectively, with the addition of Fe3+ (6.6 mg L-1), Na+ (101.81 mg L-1), and K+ (31.9 mg L-1). The lipid/TAG content significantly increased up to 54.17 ± 11.91%/44.92 ± 0.42%, 100%/100%, 32.56 ± 12.40%/37.53 ± 4.58%, and 77.50 ± 1.77%/46.19 ± 1.06%, separately, with the addition of Cr6+(0.50 mg L-1), Cu2+(5.02 mg L-1), Zn2+(5.05 mg L-1), and Mn2+(50.52 mg L-1).