Task-switching mechanisms under methamphetamine cravings: sex differences in cued and voluntary task-switching.

Introduction: This study explored the effects of task-switching type and sex on the task-switching ability of methamphetamine abstainers, as well as the differences in brain mechanisms under drug cravings under drug cravings using near-infrared spectroscopy.

Methods: Craving-inducing videos were used to arouse 20 methamphetamine abstainers (including 10 men), whose switching ability was then assessed using voluntary and cued task-switching exercises.

Results: During task-switching under methamphetamine cravings, the activation of the premotor cortex (PMC), supplementary motor area (SMA), frontal eye field (FEF), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in women was significantly stronger than in men, while the activation of FEF in men was significantly stronger than in women.

Effect of doctor-patient news-induced moral judgments on pain empathy for doctors and patients in China.

Objective: Pain empathy's preferential nature tends to trigger prejudice and intergroup conflicts. Given the current degree of proliferation of doctor-patient conflict news in China, this study aims to determine whether readers of doctor-patient news-initiated moral judgments prefer pain empathy for doctors or patients.

Materials And Methods: This study utilized localized doctor-patient news with high or low moral performance (based on morality ratings of patients' behaviors) as moral-judgment-eliciting materials, and painful pictures as pain empathy-eliciting materials.

A New Xanthone Glycoside from the Endolichenic Fungus Sporormiella irregularis.

A new xanthone glycoside, sporormielloside (1), was isolated from an EtOAc extract of an endolichenic fungal strain Sporormiella irregularis (No. 71-11-4-1), along with two known xanthones (2, 3). Their structures were determined by detailed spectroscopic analysis (IR, MS, and 1D- and 2D-NMR), a chemical method, and a comparison of NMR data with closely related compounds previously reported.

Antitumor Effects and Mechanism of Novel Emodin Rhamnoside Derivatives against Human Cancer Cells In Vitro.

A series of novel anthracene L-rhamnopyranosides compounds were designed and synthesized and their anti-proliferative activities on cancer cell lines were investigated. We found that one derivative S-8 (EM-d-Rha) strongly inhibited cell proliferation of a panel of different human cancer cell lines including A549, HepG2, OVCAR-3, HeLa and K562 and SGC-790 cell lines, and displayed IC50 values in low micro-molar ranges, which are ten folds more effective than emodin. In addition, we found EM-d-Rha (3-(2",3"-Di-O-acetyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-2',3'-di-O-acetyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-emodin) substantially induced cellular apoptosis of HepG2 and OVCAR-3 cells in the early growth stage.

[Effects of airborne fine particulate matter on human respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function].

Objective: to explore effects of airborne fine particulate matter exposure on human respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function.

Methods: one hundred and seven field traffic policemen were recruited as airborne fine particulate matter high-exposure group and one hundred and one male residents as common exposure group. The individual sampler was used to measure fine particulate matter exposure levels of the two groups.

[Epidemiological study on traffic accident in Shanghai from 2000 to 2002].

Objective: Data on traffic accident from year 2000 to 2002 were collected and testified. Epidemiological study was carried out to find the main risk factors of traffic accident.

Methods: The spatial distribution was conducted by means of Geographic Information System (GIS) and were marked on Shanghai digitalized map with different layers by different colors.