[A prospective cohort study on the relationship between maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and children's behavioral problems at 2 years old]

Objective: To explore the associations between maternal and prenatal depressive symptoms and children's behavioral problems at 2 years old. Methods: In the present study, a total of 491 mother-child pairs were selected from the Shanghai-Minhang Birth Cohort Study (S-MBCS) which was conducted in Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Minhang District in Shanghai between April and December, 2012. Data from the Center for Epidemiologic Studies on Depression was gathered to assess the maternal depressive symptoms in the second and third trimester of pregnancy, as well as at 6 months and 12 months postpartum. Neurodevelopment at 2 years was assessed, using the Child Behavior Checklist. We used generalized linear models with a log-link function and a Binomial distribution to estimate the risk ratios (RRs) and 95%CIs, on children's behavioral problems at 2 years of age. Sensitivity analyses were performed among participants without postpartum depressive symptoms. Results: After adjustment on factors as maternal age, gestation week, average monthly income per person, parental education and children's gender etc., maternal depression in second trimester of pregnancy was found associated with higher risk of both developing emotional (RR=2.61, 95%CI: 1.36-4.99) and internalizing problems (RR=1.94, 95%CI: 1.22-3.08). However, maternal depression in third trimester was found to be associated with higher risks of developing emotional (RR=6.46, 95%CI: 3.09-13.53), withdrawn (RR=2.42, 95%CI: 1.16-5.02), aggressive (RR=2.93, 95%CI: 1.45-5.94), internalizing (RR=1.79, 95%CI: 1.01-3.16) or externalizing problems (RR=2.56, 95%CI:1.49-4.42). In sensitivity analysis, antenatal maternal depression was found positively associated with children's emotional, internalizing and externalizing problems and the differences all statistically significant. Conclusions: Maternal depression during pregnancy might increase the risks of children's behavioral problems. In order to decrease the incidence of children's behavioral problems and promoting both maternal and child health status, monitoring program regarding maternal mental health care should be strengthened.

Hemokinin-1(4-11)-induced analgesia selectively up-regulates δ-opioid receptor expression in mice

Our previous studies have shown that an active fragment of human tachykinins (hHK-1(4-11)) produced an opioid-independent analgesia after intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection in mice, which has been markedly enhanced by a δ OR antagonist, naltrindole hydrochloride (NTI). In this study, we have further characterized the in vivo analgesia after i.c.v. injection of hHK-1(4-11) in mouse model. Our qRT-PCR results showed that the mRNA levels of several ligands and receptors (e.g. PPT-A, PPT-C, KOR, PDYN and PENK) have not changed significantly. Furthermore, neither transcription nor expression of NK₁ receptor, MOR and POMC have changed noticeably. In contrast, both mRNA and protein levels of DOR have been up-regulated significantly, indicating that the enhanced expression of δ opioid receptor negatively modulates the analgesia induced by i.c.v. injection of hHK-1(4-11). Additionally, the combinatorial data from our previous and present experiments strongly suggest that the discriminable distribution sites in the central nervous system between hHK-1(4-11) and r/mHK-1 may be attributed to their discriminable analgesic effects. Altogether, our findings will not only contribute to the understanding of the complicated mechanisms regarding the nociceptive modulation of hemokinin-1 as well as its active fragments at supraspinal level, but may also lead to novel pharmacological interventions.

Different regulatory pathways are involved in the proliferative inhibition of two types of leukemia cell lines induced by paclitaxel

Paclitaxel, one of the broadest-spectrum anticancer agents, is currently being used in the treatment of patients with solid tumors. In the present study, we compared the effect of paclitaxel on two types of leukemia cells. Our results showed that paclitaxel could inhibit the proliferation of MEL and K562 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The mechanism of proliferative inhibition in K562 cells treated by paclitaxel was related to the cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase, as well as the induction of apoptosis. By contrast, MEL cells treated by paclitaxel showed significant characteristics of necrosis, which indicated that the mode of cell death induced by paclitaxel in these two types of leukemia cells differed. Advances in research of the cell cycle, apoptosis and necrosis will extend our understanding of the mechanisms of paclitaxel-induced cell death, particularly in leukemia cells. Further elucidation of the mechanisms of necrosis in MEL cells may expedite the development of improved paclitaxel-based regimens for cancer therapy.

Study on the distribution sites and the molecular mechanism of analgesia after intracerebroventricular injection of rat/mouse hemokinin-1 in mice

Hemokinin-1 is a peptide encoded by Pptc, which belongs to the family of mammalian tachykinins. Our previous results showed that rat/mouse hemokinin-1 (r/m HK-1) produced striking analgesia after intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection in mice, and the analgesia could be blocked by the NK1 receptor antagonist and the opioid receptor antagonist, respectively. However, the precise distribution sites and the molecular mechanism involved in the analgesic effect after i.c.v. administration of r/m HK-1 are needed to be further investigated deeply. Using the fluorescence labeling method, our present results directly showed that r/m HK-1 peptides were mainly distributed at the ventricular walls and several juxta-ventricular structures for the first time. Our results showed that the mRNA expressions of NK1 receptor, PPT-A, PPT-C, KOR, PDYN, DOR and PENK were not changed markedly, as well as the protein expression of NK1 receptor was hardly changed. However, both the transcripts and proteins of MOR and POMC were up-regulated significantly, indicating that the analgesic effect induced by i.c.v. administration of r/m HK-1 is related to the activation of NK1 receptor first, then it is related to the release of endogenous proopiomelanocortin, as well as the increased expression level of μ opioid receptor. These results should facilitate further the analysis of the analgesia of r/m HK-1 in the central nerval system in acute pain and may open novel pharmacological interventions.

Cyclosporine-induced hypotension

The cardiovascular effects of i.v. infusion of cyclosporine were studied in pentobarbital-anesthetized rabbits. In doses ranging from 0.5 to 120 mg/kg/hr, CsA induced significant, sustained, dose-dependent hypotension. At the 60 mg/kg/hr dose the average drop in diastolic blood pressure was 27 mmHg (n = 9). Possible mechanisms were investigated by comparison of heart rate and blood pressure responses to physiologic manipulation, metabolic inhibition, or receptor antagonism before and after infusion of CsA. CsA did not modify responses to vagal stimulation, decreases in heart rate and blood pressure, P less than 0.001 and P less than 0.002, respectively. However, the cardiovascular reflex response during recovery was significantly attenuated after CsA infusion, P less than 0.05, n = 7. Response to bilateral carotid occlusion after CsA was decreased by 17 mmHg (n = 8, P less than 0.01). There were no significant differences between CsA alone and CsA plus glycopyrrolate or CsA plus aspirin. In this cyclosporine-induced hypotensive rabbit model, the hypotensive response appears to be related to a decrease in the endogenous sympathetic adrenergic activity, not to alterations in cholinergic tone, ganglionic transmission, or vasodilatory prostaglandin metabolism.