Phthalates in Commercial Chinese Rice Wines: Concentrations and the Cumulative Risk Assessment to Adult Males in Shanghai

The concentrations of 16 phthalates in 164 commercial Chinese rice wines （CRW） were detected by GC-MS, and consumption data on CRW in different packaging types was investigated from 634 adult males in Shanghai using a food frequency questionnaire. Based on the prinq：iples of probabilistic modelling and cumulative risk assessment, the exposure and health risk of phthalates from CRW to adult males in Shanghai was evaluated. DMP, DEP, DIBP, DnBP, BBP, and DEHP were detected in the samples, thE： range of detection frequency of individual phthalates varied from 6.10% for BBP to 15.24% for DIBP, and the detected concentrations were 51.06-200.34 ng/mL. All the respondents consumed CRW, 90.69% of them consumed CRW 0.01-49.9 mL/d, the minimum value of the average daily intake of CRW was 6.25 mL/d, the median was 13.72 mL/d and the maximum was 300 mL/d. The median exposure level of the 6 detected Phthalates to adult males in Shanghai were 6.58-7.10 ng/（d.kg）, and the maximum exposure level were 137.38-540.47 ng/（d.kg）. The cumulative exposure health risk index （HI） based on the median and maximum exposure level of the 6 Phthalates （DMP, I~）EP, DIBP, DnBP, BBP, and DEHP） were 0.001147 ancl 0.063396, both were far less than 1. In conclusion, CRW were generally consumed by the adult males in Shanghai.

Urinary Retention in Adults Male Patients: Causes and Complications among Patients Managed in a Teaching Hospital in North Western Nigeria

Background: Urinary retention is one of the common urologic emergencies constituting a significant workload of urologists and non-urologists alike. Aims and Objectives: This study was undertaken to identify the causes and complications associated with urinary retention in adult male patients at AKTH, Kano. Patients and Methods: It was a prospective hospital-based study of 110 consecutive adult male patients who presented to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano with urinary retention over 12 months. On presentation, a brief history was taken and rapid physical examination done;the urinary retention was relieved by urethral catheterization or suprapubic cystostomy. A detailed history and thorough physical examination findings were later obtained. Results: One hundred and ten patients were seen during the study period. There ages ranged from 17 to100 years with a mean of 56 ± 19.3 SD years. Patients within the age range 55 - 74 years accounted for the largest group, (25.5% + 23.6% = 49.1%). The most common cause of urinary retention in this study was benign prostatic hyperplasia (51.8% of the patients). This was followed by urethral stricture (20%), cancer of the prostate (7.3%), urethral injury (7.3%) and bladder tumour (6.4%). More than half of the patients (53.4%) presented with acute urinary retention, 30.5% presented with chronic urinary retention, and 16.1% were diagnosed to have acute-on-chronic urinary retention. The complications of urinary retention found were: urinary tract infection (in 24.5% of patients), renal impairment (14.5%), and anaemia (11.8%). Conclusion: Urinary retention is commoner among the middle aged and the elderly. Benign prostatic hyperplasia remains the leading cause of urinary retention. Acute urinary retention was the commonest type of urinary retention;however, complications due to the retention were associated with chronic and acute-on-chronic urinary retention.

Remote ischemic conditioning-induced hyperacute and acute responses of plasma proteome in healthy young male adults:a quantitative proteomic analysis

Background: Long-term remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) has been proven to be beneficial in multiple diseases, such as cerebral and cardiovascular diseases. However, the hyperacute and acute effects of a single RIC stimulus are still not clear. Quantitative proteomic analyses of plasma proteins following RIC application have been conducted in preclinical and clinical studies but exhibit high heterogeneity in results due to wide variations in experimental setups and sampling procedures. Hence, this study aimed to explore the immediate effects of RIC on plasma proteome in healthy young adults to exclude confounding factors of disease entity, such as medications and gender. Methods: Young healthy male participants were enrolled after a systematic physical examination and 6-month lifestyle observation. Individual RIC sessions included five cycles of alternative ischemia and reperfusion, each lasting for 5 min in bilateral forearms. Blood samples were collected at baseline, 5 min after RIC, and 2 h after RIC, and then samples were processed for proteomic analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. Results: Proteins related to lipid metabolism (e.g., Apolipoprotein F), coagulation factors (hepatocyte growth factor activator preproprotein), members of complement cascades (mannan-binding lectin serine protease 1 isoform 2 precursor), and inflammatory responses (carboxypeptidase N catalytic chain precursor) were differentially altered at their serum levels following the RIC intervention. The most enriched pathways were protein glycosylation and complement/coagulation cascades. Conclusions: One-time RIC stimulus may induce instant cellular responses like anti-inflammation, coagulation, and fibrinolysis balancing, and lipid metabolism regulation which are protective in different perspectives. Protective effects of single RIC in hyperacute and acute phases may be exploited in clinical emergency settings due to apparently beneficial alterations in plasma proteome profile. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of long-term (repeated) RIC interventions in preventing chronic cardiovascular diseases among general populations can also be expected based on our study findings.

Effects of methylphenidate on resting-state brain activity in normal adults: an fMRI study

Methylphenidate （MPH） is one of the most commonly used stimulants for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder （ADHD）. Although several studies have evaluated the effects of MPH on human brain activation during specific cognitive tasks using functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI）, few studies have focused on spontaneous brain activity. In the current study, we investigated the effect of MPH on the intra-regional synchronization of spontaneous brain activity during the resting state in 18 normal adult males. A handedness questionnaire and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale were applied before medication, and a resting-state fMRI scan was obtained 1 h after medication （20 mg MPH or placebo, order counterbalanced between participants）. We demonstrated that： （1） there were no significant differences in the performance of behavioral tasks between the MPH and placebo groups; （2） the left middle and superior temporal gyri had stronger MPH-related regional homogeneity （ReHo）; and （3） the left lingual gyrus had weaker MPH-related ReHo. Our findings showed that the ReHo in some brain areas changes with MPH compared to placebo in normal adults, even though there are no behavioral differences. This method can be applied to patients with mental illness who may be treated with MPH, and be used to compare the difference between patients taking MPH and normal participants, to help reveal the mechanism of how MPH works.

Smoking In Pregnancy Linked to Adult Male Violence

吸烟的危害是个老话题,然而,这个老话题总是在“抖”出新意。本文以调查研究后所得到的可靠的数据,再次向世人发出警告:女性在妊娠期吸烟,其所生的男婴多有暴力倾向,这种倾向延伸至其成年期! 这个结论并非耸人听闻之言,更无哗众取宠之意。因为: The finding was consistent with earlier studies that linked prenatal(出生以前的)smoking by women not only to lawbreaking by their offspring but to impulsive(冲动的)behavior and attention deficit(注意力不足)problems. 初步判断的原因是: …damage done by smoking to the central nervous system of the fetus(胎儿). 而且,文章还断言:此调查结论适用于不同人种: …these findings may be generalizable to other populations. 读者同志,当我国女性吸烟人数不幸呈上升趋势时,此文的现实意义也就不言而喻了!

Description of two new species of Newsteadia Green(Hemiptera:Coccomorpha:Ortheziidae)from China with a key to Chinese species

This study reported two new species:Newsteadia multipori Zheng&Wu,sp.nov.,collected from pine needle litter in Guizhou Province,are described and illustrated for its adult female,male,and first-,second-and third-instar nymphs;N.chebalingensis Zheng&Wu,sp.nov.,collected from broad leaf litter in Guangdong Province,are described and illustrated for its adult female and first-instar nymph.Identification keys are provided to the adult females of Newsteadia species known in China and to the adult males of Newsteadia species known worldwide.