Composition and inhibitory properties of endogenous urinary GAGS are different in subjects from two race groups with different occurrence rates of kidney stones: Pilot studies provide unique evidence in support of an inhibitory role for this group of compounds.

Background: Calcium oxalate (CaOx) kidney stone disease is common in South African whites (W) but is rare in the black population (B). The possible role of endogenous urinary glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) has not been previously investigated in this context.

Aim: To determine concentration, composition, structure and CaOx crystal-inhibiting properties of this group of compounds in ultrafiltered urine of healthy subjects from both groups.

Folium pyrrosiae ingestion has no effect on the thermodynamic or kinetic urinary risk factors for calcium oxalate urolithiasis in healthy subjects: a poor prognosis for alternative treatment in this type of stone former.

Kidney stone disease occurs throughout the world. Conservative treatments involving herbal preparations have been used in traditional Chinese medicine. In vitro studies have suggested that Folium pyrrosiae (FP) has therapeutic potential in this context.

Herbal preparations affect the kinetic factors of calcium oxalate crystallization in synthetic urine: implications for kidney stone therapy.

Herbal remedies are increasingly being considered as suitable long-term treatments for renal dysfunction. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of some herbal extracts, all previously identified in published studies as influencing kidney stone formation, on the crystallization characteristics of calcium oxalate (CaOx) in synthetic urine (SU). Five herbal extracts were selected for the study: Folium pyrrosiae, Desmodium styracifolium, Phyllanthus niruri, Orthosiphon stamineus and Cystone(®).

Melamine crystallization: physicochemical properties, interactions with other lithogenic salts and response to therapeutic agents.

Purpose: There were reports of children in the People's Republic of China being hospitalized with renal stones and/or failure by September 2008, which were caused by melamine and its co-contaminant cyanurate. We investigated the physicochemical behavior of melamine, its interaction with other endogenous urine factors and the response to therapeutic agents in the renal environment in vitro.

Materials And Methods: A mixed suspension, mixed product removal system was set up for crystallization studies of melamine in urine.

Urinary glycosaminoglycans and glycoproteins in a calcium oxalate crystallization system.

This study measures the effects of total urinary glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), glycoproteins (GPs) and individual GAGs on the nucleation rates (Bo), growth rates (G) and suspension densities (Mт) of calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystallization by the mixed suspension mixed product removal (MSMPR) system. Total urinary GAGs, glycoproteins and individual GAGs including heparan sulfate (HS), chondroitin sulfate (CS) and Hyaluronic acid (HA) were added into the artificial urine (AU) and then introduced into the MSMPR test chamber and the crystal sizes and numbers were analyzed by a particle counter. The effects of added GAGs and GPs on CaOx crystallization were reflected by the changes on the crystallization indexes including the Bo, G and Mт of CaOx that were calculated based on the crystal size and numbers.

Investigation of pajama properties on skin under mild cold conditions: the interaction between skin and clothing.

Background: Clothing is considered the second skin of the human body. The aim of this study was to determine clothing-wearer interaction on skin physiology under mild cold conditions.

Methods: Skin physiological parameters, subjective sensory response, stress level, and physical properties of clothing fabric from two longitude parallel-designed wear trials were studied.

The effects of pajama fabrics' water absorption properties on the stratum corneum under mildly cold conditions.

Background: The interaction of textiles with the skin is a fertile area for research.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of clothing fabric on the stratum corneum (SC) under mildly cold conditions.

Methods: A longitudinal controlled parallel study was designed to investigate the effects of the liquid/moisture absorption properties of pajama fabrics on the SC water content, transepidermal water loss, skin surface acidity (pH), and sebum.

Evaluation of the performance of using mean absolute amplitude analysis of thoracic and abdominal signals for immediate indication of sleep apnoea events.

Aim: To evaluate the sensitivity of mean absolute amplitudes of the thoracic and the abdominal signals as a prompt indicator of the occurrence of sleep apnoea events.

Background: To provide symptomatic management of sleep apnoea, a reliable method of detecting sleep apnoea is essential to ensure that the intervention can be applied only when needed. It is also crucial to identify the threshold for the trigger of an intervention using a deployed sensor.

Telomerase-associated apoptotic events by mushroom ganoderma lucidum on premalignant human urothelial cells.

The chemopreventive effects of Ganoderma lucidum was tested, using a tumorigenic transformable human urothelial cell (HUC-PC) model. These in vitro data show that G. lucidum can inhibit the viability and growth of HUC-PC.

Respiratory health of road-side vendors in a large industrialized city.

Goal, Scope And Background: The literature reports a high prevalence of respiratory symptoms associated with exposure to motor vehicle exhaust emissions and people exposed to vehicle emissions are at risk of reduced lung function and cardiovascular performance. Although the effect of traffic emissions is a known risk to respiratory health, retailers are often situated along major roads in a busy urban environment to maximise customers. Shop assistants in an air-conditioned environment should be less exposed to traffic fumes and their lung function should be better preserved compared to 'unprotected' vendors exposed directly to vehicle emissions.

Evaluation on masks with exhaust valves and with exhaust holes from physiological and subjective responses.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of wearing different kinds of masks on the ear canal temperature, heart rate, clothing microclimate, and subjective perception of discomfort. Ten subjects performed intermittent exercise on a treadmill while wearing the protective masks in a climatic chamber controlled at an air temperature of 25 degrees C and a relative humidity of 70%. Two types of mask-mask A, with exhaust valves and mask B, with exhaust holes-were used in the study.

Transmission of communicable respiratory infections and facemasks.

Background: Respiratory protection efficiency of facemasks is critically important in the battle against communicable respiratory infections such as influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). We studied the spatial distributions of simulated virus-laden respiratory droplets when human subjects wore facemasks and were exposed to regulatory viral droplets by conducting in vivo experiments in facemask use.

Methods: Transmission pathway of aerosols of Fluorescein-KCl solution through facemasks and protective efficiency of facemasks were examined by using normal surgical facemasks and two facemasks with exhaust valves (Facemask A) and exhaust holes (Facemask B) covered with the same surgical filters situated at the back of the facemasks.

Mechanism of pajama material on stratum corneum water content under mild cold conditions: explored by hierarchical linear regression.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the effect of fabric material worn during nocturnal sleep on stratum corneum water content (SCWC) under mild cold conditions.

Method: A controlled cross-over study has been designed to investigate systematically the effects of two kinds of pajama materials, cotton and polyester, on SCWC. Factors such as pajama fabric material, subjective perception and sleep quality were examined.

Electrophoretic separation and characterization of urinary glycosaminoglycans and their roles in urolithiasis.

Urinary polyanions recovered from the urine samples of kidney stone-formers and normal controls were subjected to preparative agarose gel electrophoresis, which yielded fractions 1-5 in a decreasing order of mobility. In both groups, chondroitin sulfates were identified in the fast-moving fractions and heparan sulfates in the slow-moving fractions. Furthermore, two types of heparan sulfates were identified based on their electrophoretic mobility: slow-moving and fast-moving.

Chinese herbal medicines and their efficacy in treating renal stones.

In herbal treatment of kidney stones, antilithics are used to "dissolve" the stones or aid their passing to guard against further retention. Diuretic action is also needed to increase the amount of fluid going through the kidneys and flush out the deposits. Previous clinical studies have shown that herbal medicines and their concoctions could be used to inhibit calcium oxalate crystallization.

Anticancer effects of Ganoderma lucidum: a review of scientific evidence.

"Lingzhi" (Ganoderma lucidum), a popular medicinal mushroom, has been used in China for longevity and health promotion since ancient times. Investigations into the anticancer activity of lingzhi have been performed in both in vitro and in vivo studies, supporting its application for cancer treatment and prevention. The proposed anticancer activity of lingzhi has prompted its usage by cancer patients.