A Bioactive Diterpene from the Chinese Herb Aster souliei

Aster souliei Franch, (Compositae) is a. herbaceous plant distributed innorth China. It has been used in folk medicine as antipyretic, detoxicant, expectorant andantitussive. In an effort to find biologically active components from Chinese medicinal plants ' ,we have examined the aerial parts of this herb, leading to the isolation of a clerodane-typediterpene, 18, 19-dihydroxy-5α, 10β-neo-cleroda-3, 13 (l4)-dien-16, 15-butenolide (1). In thispaper we report the structural elucidation, and the antitumor and antibacterial activities of thiscompound. It was found that 1 possesses moderate cytotoxicity against human leukemia cells (HL-60)and activity against microorganisms.

Comparative Study of the Biological Activities of the Skin Secretions from Six Common Chinese Amphibians

Water soluble skin secretions of six common Chinese amphibians were studied for their biological and enzymatic activities.The skin secretions of Tylototriton verrucosus,Bombina maxima ,and Bufo andrewsi were found toxic to mice with the intraperitoneal LD 50 of 11 5?mg/kg,18 8?mg/kg,and 264?mg/kg,respectively.No acute lethal toxicities were observed for the skin secretions of Rana nigromaculata,Rana guentheri and Rana limnocharis in a dose up to 500?mg/kg.The lethal toxicities of the skin secretions of T verrucosus and B maxima to mice are in the same grade as those of Viperidae snake venoms.The toxic components in T verrucosus and B maxima skin secretions are the proteins with molecular weights ranging from 3 to 60?kDa.All the skin secretions had both proteolytic activity and trypsin inhibitory activity.The skin secretions from T verrucosus , B maxima and B andrewsi also displayed wide spectrum antimicrobial activity.On the other hand,the skin secretions from B andrewsi and B maxima showed cytotoxicity on human cancer cells.All the six samples had not significant effects on mammalian blood coagulation system.Phospholipase A 2 activity was only found in the skin secretions of T verrucosus .None of these skin secretions showed acetylcholine esterase activity.

Isolation and Evaluation of Nerve Growth Factor

Objective: to obtain the high purified and active nerve growth factor (NGF) from mouse submaxillary glands. Methods: NGF was prepared from mouse submaxillary glands by the way of elution with CM 52 column. The molecular weight and purification of NGF were detected by SDS-PAGE polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The biological activity of NGF was verified thorough culturing DRG. Results: About 14 kDa stained band was observed on SDS-PAGE and it promoted proliferation of dorsal root gang lia (DRG). Conclusion: Good quality of NGF could be obtained with these methods.

Synthesis and in-vitro characterization of biodegradable porous magnesium-based scaffolds containing silver for bone tissue engineering

Infection is a major potential complication in the clinical treatment of bone injuries. Magnesium (Mg)-based composites are biodegradable and antibacterial biomaterials that have been employed to reduce infection following surgical implants. The aim of present study was to synthesize and in-vitro characterize Mg-based scaffolds containing silver for bone tissue engineering. Porous Mg-based scaffolds with four silver concentrations (i.e., 0, 0.5 wt.%, 1 wt.%, and 2 wt.%), denoted by Mg?Ca?Mn-Zn-xAg (MCMZ?xAg)(where x is the silver concentration), were fabricated by the space holder technique. The effects of silver concentration on pore architecture, mechanical properties, bioactivity, and zone of bacterial inhibition were investigated in-vitro. X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and fluorescence microscopy were utilized to characterize the obtained scaffolds. In-vitro corrosion test results indicated that the MCMZ scaffolds with lower silver content were more resistant to corrosion than those enriched with higher amounts of silver. Examination of the antibacterial activity showed that the MCMZ?Ag scaffolds exhibited superb potential with respect to suppressing the growth of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), in the inhibition zone around the MCMZ?Ag scaffolds, with increasing in the amount of incorporated silver;however, higher amounts of silver increased the cytotoxicity. Taken together, the results of this study demonstrate that the porous 0.5 wt.% Ag-containing scaffolds with interconnected pores, adequate mechanical properties, antibacterial activity, and cell adhesion are promising with respect to the repair and substitution of damaged and diseased bones.

Effect of Different Factors on Rooting Characteristics and Survival of Lonicera japonica Thunb

[Objective] The aim was to explore the effects of different factors on rapid propagation and seedling survival of Lonicera japonica Thunb. [Method] The cuttings of 1, 2 or 3 years old, with different length, were soaked in different hormones at different concentrations for different time and planted at different dates. Finally, their rooting rate and survival rate in different treatments were measured and compared. [Result] The rooting rate and survival rate of one-year old cuttings with length of 10-13 cm and planted on September 20 and October 20, 2012 were relatively higher among all the treatments. Hormone treatment could significantly promote the callus formation and accelerate the rooting of the cuttings, and improve their survival rate. The cuttings treated with 120-200 mg/L ABT1 or NAA for 35-45 min had higher rooting rate and survival rate. Among them, the survival rate of cuttings treated with 160 mg/L ABT1 for 35 min was the highest, up to 92.5%. [Conclusion] The study provided basis for improving the survival rate of L. japonica by cuttage, and for optimizing the rapid propagation technique.

Physical activity and exercise in children with chronic health conditions

In the last two or three decades,physical activity(PA) has gained increasing recognition as being essential for maintaining good health and improving quality of life for all ages.Children have traditionally been active in both free play and organized sports.However,there has been a recent decline in the PA levels among children for various reasons.This lifestyle change has resulted in increased obesity accompanied by a rise in diabetes and cardiovascular risk among otherwise healthy children.These lifestyle changes have been shown to be even more a problem when the child is already affected by a chronic disease.Due to medical limitations and contraindications,much care must be taken to make certain that these children are involved in the appropriate volume and intensity of exercise.The type of activity must also be given careful consideration to avoid undue risk for the child who may have problems such as poor balance,limited strength,poor vision,or cognitive disability.Further complications are either caused or exacerbated by lack of sufficient PA.The priority beyond concern for safety should be focused on ensuring the highest quality of life possible.The purpose of this review is to examine how PA can benefit children with selected chronic health conditions.

Quality of life in end stage renal disease patients

AIM： To understand factors associated with quality of life （QOL）, examine types of QOL instruments, and determine need for further improvements in QOL assessment.METHODS： The method used databases （Pubmed, Google scholar） and a bibliographic search using key words QOL, end stage renal disease, Hemodialysis, Peritoneal dialysis, instruments to measure QOL, patients and qualitative/quantitative analysis published during 1990 to June 2014. Each article was assessed for sample size, demographics of participants, study design and type of QOL instruments used. We used WHO defnition of QOL. RESULTS： For this review, 109 articles were screened, out of which 65 articles were selected. Out of 65 articles, there were 19 reports/reviews and 12 question-naire manuals. Of the 34 studies, 82% were quantita-tive while only 18% were qualitative. QOL instruments measured several phenomenon such as physical/psychological health, effects and burdens of kidney dis-ease, social support etc. those are associated with QOL. Few studies looked at spiritual beliefs, cultural beliefs, personal concerns, as per the WHO defnition. Telemedicine and Palliative care have now been successfully used however QOL instruments seldom addressed those in the articles reviewed. Also noticed was that longitudinal studies were rarely conducted. Existing QOL instruments only partially measure QOL. This may limit validity of predictive power of QOL. CONCLUSION： Culture and disease specific QOL in-struments that assess patients’ objective and subjective experiences covering most aspects of QOL are urgently needed.

Quality of life in gastric cancer

AIM: To summarize the empirical research on assessing quality of life (QOL) in patients with gastric carcinoma. METHODS: Literature searches were conducted in MedLine from 1966 to February 2004. RESULTS: Twenty-six studies were identified. QOL was used as an outcome measure in virtually all identified studies, such as those examining the effects of gastric cancer and various medical or surgical treatments in the patients. QOL was assessed mainly with generic measures; the social dimensions of QOL were largely neglected. The lack of gastric cancer-specific QOL measures hampers QOL research up to now. The gastric cancer-specific EORTCQLQ-STO22 and the FACT-Ga are important additions to the arsenal of disease-specific QOL measures. In most of the studies, the label QOL is used for questionnaires, which only assess symptoms or performance status, or are physician-reported rather than patient-reported outcomes. CONCLUSION: QOL in patients with gastric cancer deserves more systematic studies, especially as one of the outcome measures in randomized clinical trials. Results of studies that include QOL in patients with gastric cancer should be applied in clinical care, which aims at improving QOL of these patients.

Residents′Activity-travel Behavior Variation by Communities in Beijing,China

China's transition from a planned economy to a market economy has resulted in many changes in its urban structure and society and provided an opportunity for a quasi-longitudinal case study on the relationship between the built environment and activity-travel behavior.This paper draws upon data from an activity diary survey conducted in Beijing in 2007.The survey sample comprised 652 residents living in Danwei(work unit),commodity housing,and affordable housing neighborhoods.On the basis of the three-dimensional geo-visualization analysis of the space-time path and statistical multivariate regression models of daily travel and leisure time,it was found that both residential spatial factors and socio-demographics influence residents' daily behaviors.The findings show that Danwei residents have less daily travel time than those who live in commodity housing,but people living in affordable housing endure the longest travel time.Daily leisure time is associated more with individual attributes.We argue that although China's transition is currently gradual,the Danwei system may continue to play significant roles in daily life,and it might provide a valuable model for neighborhood spatial planning.

3D Photo-Fabrication for Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery

The most promising strategies in tissue engineering involve the integration of a triad of biomaterials, living cells, and biologically active molecules to engineer synthetic environments that closely mimic the healing milieu present in human tissues, and that stimulate tissue repair and regeneration. To be clinically effective, these environments must replicate, as closely as possible, the main characteristics of the native extracellular matrix(ECM) on a cellular and subcellular scale. Photo-fabrication techniques have already been used to generate 3D environments with precise architectures and heterogeneous composition, through a multi-layer procedure involving the selective photocrosslinking reaction of a light-sensitive prepolymer. Cells and therapeutic molecules can be included in the initial hydrogel precursor solution, and processed into 3D constructs. Recently, photofabrication has also been explored to dynamically modulate hydrogel features in real time, providing enhanced control of cell fate and delivery of bioactive compounds. This paper focuses on the use of 3D photo-fabrication techniques to produce advanced constructs for tissue regeneration and drug delivery applications. State-of-the-art photo-fabrication techniques are described, with emphasis on the operating principles and biofabrication strategies to create spatially controlled patterns of cells and bioactive factors. Considering its fast processing, spatiotemporal control, high resolution, and accuracy, photo-fabrication is assuming a critical role in the design of sophisticated 3D constructs. This technology is capable of providing appropriate environments for tissue regeneration, and regulating the spatiotemporal delivery of therapeutics.

Design, Preparation and in vitro Bioactivity of Mono-PEGylated Recombinant Hirudin

Hirudin, the most potent inhibitor of thrombin found in nature, has a short half-life in serum, which sig-nificantly limits its clinical application as an anticoagulant. Recently, PEGylation has been commonly used as an effective method to prolong its half-life in serum. In contrast to the nonspecific pEGylation under basic conditions that targets lysine residues randomly, PEGylation sites under mildly acidic conditions preferably targets histidine residues, and there is only one histidine residue at 51 in r-hirudin; therefore, succinimidyl carbonyl methoxy poly-ethylene glycol （SC-mPEG, 20000） was attached to r-hirudin at mildly acidic pH to favor the formation of mono-PEGylated r-hirudin. The reaction mixture with high mono-PEGylated ratio was easily separated by a one-step ion-exchange chromatographic （IEC） procedure. Approximately 79.71% of the mono-PEGylated r-hirudin was PEGylated at His51, which showed that the acidic PEGylation operation prevented the PEGylation of active center （Lys47） of r-hirudin in pdnciple. Mono-PEGylated.product with purity higher than. 95% was obtained as the pre-dominant product, and 34% of the anticoagulant activity was retained in vitro. The staining method for sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis （SDS-PAGE） was improved to obtain perfect electrophoretic pattern in less than 5min. More accurate molecular weight was deduced due to the use of PEGs as molecular weight standards.

Reliability and Validity of the Chinese Version of the Lymphedema Quality of Life Questionnaire

Objective To study the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Lymphedema Quality of Life Questionnaire(LYMQOL)in lymphedema patients.Methods LYMQOL was translated into Chinese.The Chinese version of the LYMQOL was distributed with the official Wechat account"Lymphedema Channel"to lymphedema patients who were recruited from October 28^(th),2020 to February 23^(rd),2021.Patients with upper limb lymphedema and lower limb lymphedema completed the LYMQOL-ARM subscale and the LYMQOL-LEG subscale separately,at enrollment,1 week later,and 1 month later.Reliability,validity,feasibility,responsiveness and average time required for completing the questionnaire were assessed.Results A total of 195 patients participated in the study.The Chinese questionnaire showed high reliability with Cronbach’sαcoefficients of 0.849-0.902 for the LYMQOL-ARM and intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC)of 0.848-0.884 and Cronbach’sαcoefficients of 0.726-0.902 for the LYMQOL-LEG and ICC of 0.863-0.900.The LYMQOL showed moderate to good correlations with the EQ-5 D(0.4<r<0.6,P<0.01;for the LYMQOLARM,n=95,for the LYMQOL-LEG,n=102).Responsiveness analysis suggested that quality of life of upper limb lymphedema patients decreased after 1 month(P<0.05).The average time of patients to finish the questionnaire was approximately 12 minutes.Conclusions The Chinese version of the LYMQOL is easy to answer,comprehensive and appropriate in length,and has good reliability and validity.It may be utilized to assist treatment decision-making and track changes in clinical setting or research for lymphedema.

The Flavivirus Protease As a Target for Drug Discovery

Many flaviviruses are significant human pathogens causing considerable disease burdens,including encephalitis and hemorrhagic fever,in the regions in which they are endemic.A paucity of treatments for flaviviral infections has driven interest in drug development targeting proteins essential to flavivirus replication,such as the viral protease.During viral replication,the flavivirus genome is translated as a single polyprotein precursor,which must be cleaved into individual proteins by a complex of the viral protease,NS3,and its cofactor,NS2B.Because this cleavage is an obligate step of the viral life-cycle,the flavivirus protease is an attractive target for antiviral drug development.In this review,we will survey recent drug development studies targeting the NS3 active site,as well as studies targeting an NS2B/NS3interaction site determined from flavivirus protease crystal structures.

Hierarchical Linear Model Approach to the Determinants of Activities of Daily Living of Chinese Oldest Old at Both Individual and Regional levels

Based on the Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey conducted in 2002, this paper uses hierarchical linear model (HLM) to make an approach to the possible determinants of activities of daily living (ADL) of Chinese oldest old (aged 80 and above) by combining both individual and provincial level factors. The descriptive analysis shows that there is a great differ- ential in ADL by province among Chinese oldest old. The findings turn out that there does exist a significant differential in ADL between oldest old and young old, and that there is also a great differential in ADL by province among Chinese oldest old. The HLM demonstrates that comorbidity, age, cognitive impairment, visual impairment, and emotion could be the most important indi- vidual factors while natural environment, medical facilities, type of staple food and poverty rate in urban areas are the most sig- nificantly regional determinants of ADL of oldest old. The find- ings imply that future actions should not only be taken at individ- ual level, but also at regional level in order to achieve the goal of a healthy aging society in China.

In-vitro anticoagulant activity of fucoidan derivatives from brown seaweed Laminaria japonica

Fucoidan, a group of sulfated heteropolysaccharides, was extracted from Laminaria japonica, an important economic alga species in China. The anticoagulant activity of fucoidan and its derivatives (including sulfated, phosphorylated, and aminated fucoidan) was examined using in-vitro anticoagulant systems. The correlation between chemical variations within the fucoidan group and anticoagulant activity was determined. The in-vitro anticoagulant properties of fucoidan and its derivatives were determined by measuring activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and thrombin time (TT). The results indicate anticoagulant activity in all samples using APTT and TT assays; however, only the fucoidan derivatives affected the PT assay. Thus, the fucoidan derivatives were able to inhibit both intrinsic and extrinsic blood coagulants. Fucoidan (FPS) and its derivatives presented better anticoagulant activity than low molecular weight fucoidan (DFPS) and its derivatives, suggesting that molecular weight and proper conformation are contributing factors for anticoagulant activity of polysaccharides. Amino groups have a positive charge and can thus change the charge density of fucoidan. Accordingly, among the tested samples, aminated fucoidan (NF) was the most active reflecting the importance of charge density for anticoagulant activity. Available data obtained using in-vitro models suggest that the sulfate content, sulfate/total-sugar ratio, molecular weight, and the substituted group of fucoidan are important factors for anticoagulant activity but that the influence of sulfate, phosphate and amino groups on anticoagulant activity was different.

Estimation of quality of life in Cypriot patients with inflammatory bowel disease

AIMTo investigate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients suffering with idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).METHODSThe Greek validated version of the Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire was used for evaluating the quality of life of IBD patients. The questionnaire was distributed to 100 consecutive patients suffering from IBD and presenting for a clinic appointment at the endoscopy unit of Larnaca General Hospital during the period from October to November 2012. The criteria for participating in this study were constituted by the documented diagnosis of either ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn&#x02019;s disease (CD) after endoscopy and histologic examination at least 6 months before the study, adult patients (18 years old or older), the capability of verbal communication and the patient&#x02019;s written consent for attending this study. The majority of the questionnaires were completed by a nurse practitioner who specializes in IBD patient care.RESULTSRegarding the physical dimension in patients with UC, males scored significantly higher than females (4.2 vs 3.4, P = 0.023). Higher scores were also observed in UC patients younger than 35 or older than 50 years (4.0 and 4.2 vs 3.2, respectively, P = 0.021). The psychological dimension revealed similar results in patients with UC, with males, and older ages scoring higher (5.0 vs 3.0, P = 0.01 and 4.7 vs 2.7, P &#x0003c; 0.5, respectively), whereas regarding CD higher scores were observed in married compared to unmarried (3.83 vs 2.33, P = 0.042). No statistical differences in any parameters in the social dimension were observed. Regarding the treatment of, patients with CD, overall higher scores were observed when treated with biological factors compared to standard therapy in all dimensions but with statistical significant difference in the social dimension (5.00 vs 3.25, P = 0.045).CONCLUSIONThe study reveals a negative impact of IBD on HRQoL. Increased risks are age and gender in patients with UC and family status in patients with CD.

Bioactivity,in-vitro corrosion behavior,and antibacterial activity of silver-zeolites doped hydroxyapatite coating on magnesium alloy

Mg-based alloys received significant attention for temporary implant applications while, their applications have been limited by high degradation rate. Therefore, silver-zeolite doped hydroxyapatite（Ag-Zeo-HAp） coating was synthesized on Ti O2-coated Mg alloy by physical vapour deposition（PVD） assisted electrodeposition technique to decrease the degradation rate of Mg alloy. X-ray diffraction（XRD） analysis and field emission scanning electron microscopy（FE-SEM） images showed the formation of a uniform and compact layer of Ag-Zeo-HAp with a thickness of 15 μm on the Ti O2 film with a thickness of 1 μm. The potentiodynamic polarization（PDP） and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS） tests indicated that corrosion resistance of Mg-Ca alloy was considerably increased by the Ag-Zeo-HAp coating. The bioactivity test in the simulated body fluid（SBF） solution showed that a dense and homogeneous bonelike apatite layer was formed on the Ag-Zeo-HAp surface after 14 d. Investigation of antibacterial activity via disk diffusion and spread plate methods showed that the Ag-Zeo-HAp coating had a significantly larger inhibition zone（3.86 mm） towards Escherichia coli（E. coli） compared with the Ti O2-coated Mg alloy（2.61 mm）. The Ag-Zeo-HAp coating showed high antibacterial performance, good bioactivity, and high corrosion resistance which make it a perfect coating material for biomedical applications.

Determinism, Free Will, and Moral Responsibility

Human beings live amidst several bonds. These bonds often place both internal and external limitations that apparently create the view that a human being has no free will but is determined. This paper explores the controversial issue whether a human being possesses free will to make free choices or is determined. It is the stance of this study that if one does not have free will then one cannot be morally responsible for one＇s actions and consequently praise and blame would then have no value. The paper, therefore, is of the view that notwithstanding the many bonds within which they live, humans, with their special dignity, have free will that operate within the respective constraints set by the bonds of human life. Furthermore, since morality involves good and bad, the paper asserts that for an act to be designated as morally good or bad, it implies that the agent was free to perform the said act or do otherwise to merit praise or blame respectively. Thus, for human freedom to be significant, it must be responsible.

PREVENTION OF DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION──RESULTS FROM A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT IN CHINA

Eight different geographical districts in China varying in urban and rural characteristics from 6 provinces and 2 municipalities were selected as pilot areas of the project.The interventions included early detection and treatment of neuritis,self-care training,adapted footwear,surgery,comprehensive treatment of complicated ulcers,and prostheses.Main changes in eye,hand and foot impairments between baseline assessment and assessment at 2 years have been presented in this paper.

Martin Luther on Marriage and Family

This paper describes and analyzes Martin Luther＇s views on marriage and family primarily from his own writings. Luther elevated marriage and family life to a place of respect and honor in the church and society at a time when singleness and celibacy were celebrated as ways of reaching a higher state of spirituality. Martin Luther＇s teachings were so radically different from the traditional Catholic views of his days that the church became furious with him and tried almost everything in their power to silence him. Although Luther is known primarily for his views on Justification, but it is his teachings on marriage and family that has been more consequential. Many in the West who have never heard the name of Martin Luther, today enjoy a more biblical view on marriage and family because of his influence. He advocated divorce according to biblical principles, at a time when divorce was almost impossible; he encouraged priests to marry by showing that there was no conflict between their calling and marriage; he denounced celibacy, blaming it for encouraging lust rather than aiding chastity; he restored marriage and family life back to the arena of spirituality and respectability in society. Luther lived out his own advice by getting married and living an exemplary married life. What made Luther so effective was the passionate intensity with which he advocated these reforms. He wrote and spoke with such power and backed up his words with such a bold and courageous life, although living in the shadow of constant threats, that centuries after his death, the power and conviction of his ideas still resonate.