Improper food handling and its associated characteristic factors among domestic food handlers in rural areas of Anhui Province in China

Improper domestic food handling in rural areas of China is an important public health issue leading to foodborne illness. However, the underlying factors responsible for poor domestic food hygiene practices have not been comprehensively studied. Here, a cross-sectional study was conducted in Anhui Province, China between 2015 - 2016, using a questionnaire to collect data from 819 respondents, selected using multistage cluster random sampling techniques. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was then used to assess the demographic factors associated with improper food handling. Results showed that 525 (64.1%) of respondents used improper food handling techniques. The factors associated with improper food handling included gender, age, education, income, and occupation. Males (vs. females), adults aged ≥ 50 years (vs. those aged 18 - 30 years), individuals with primary school education or lower (vs. individuals with a bachelor’s degree or higher), individuals with annual incomes of < 4,387 USD (vs. income ≥ 13,161 USD), and workers (vs. other occupation groups) were more likely to report inappropriate food handling practices in rural areas. The results obtained from the present work may provide the basis for training in domestic food safety hygiene/handling practices in rural areas of China in order to reduce the incidence of foodborne illnesses.

Acupuncture modulates the neuro-endocrine-immune network

As a nonspecific physical stimulation, the effect of acupuncture on diseases is produced by motivating the inherent regulatory system in the body, having the characteristics of whole regulation, dual directional regulation, etc. Modern scientific researches show that body's inherent regulatory system is neuro-endocrine-immune (NEI) network. Hence, we speculate that the regulatory effect of acupuncture may be produced through its regulation of NEI network. In this article, we reviewed the recent researches about acupuncture's effect on the NEI network, to find out the evidence of acupuncture adjusting NEI network and provide some evidences for revealing the mechanism of acupuncture.

Current status of standardization of acupuncture and moxibustion in China

With the wide-spread and application of acupuncture and moxibustion, the demand of its standardization construction is increasingly prominent. On the basis of further investigation into the standards of acupuncture and moxibustion in China, this article summarize the research status of Chinese standardization of acupuncture and moxibustion, analyse some problems existing in current construction of acupuncture and moxibustion standardization, and put forward several strategies for moving forward, in order to show an overall and objective understanding of acupuncture and moxibustion standardization.

Endothelin mediates the altered renal hemodynamics associated with experimental congestive heart failure

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is commonly associated with renal dysfunction. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the role of endothelin in the renal dysfunction of experimental CHF by using tezosentan, a potent dual endothelin receptor antagonist. Rats were subjected to coronary artery ligation. Cardiac and renal hemodynamics were assessed after 3-5 weeks, when CHF had developed. Compared with control rats, CHF rats had significantly higher left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), lower mean arterial pressure, and reduced dP/dt(max). CHF rats had severe renal vasoconstriction, as assessed by increased renal vascular resistance (RVR, p < 0.001), decreased renal plasma flow (RPF, p < 0.001), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR, p < 0.001). Filtration fraction rose (p < 0.001). Urine flow rate and sodium excretion were markedly lower. Acute administration of tezosentan induced a marked decrease in LVEDP without change of dP/dt(max) and heart rate. Tezosentan decreased RVR (-43%, p < 0.001) and increased RPF and GFR. Filtration fraction decreased slightly. Tezosentan also increased urine flow rate and sodium excretion. These findings demonstrate that endothelin at least partly mediates the altered renal hemodynamics associated with experimental CHF. Dual endothelin receptor blockade could be useful for the improvement of both cardiac and renal function in CHF.