Breaking down barriers: rationalisations and motivation to stop among Chinese male smokers under cigarette dependence.

Background: Smoking rationalisation beliefs are a huge barrier to quitting smoking. What types of rationalisations should be emphasised in smoking cessation interventions? Although past literature has confirmed the negative relationship between those beliefs and motivation to stop smoking, little is known regarding the importance and performance of those beliefs on motivation with varying cigarette dependence. The study aimed to ascertain rationalisations that are highly important for motivation yet perform poorly in different cigarette dependence groups.

Interconnected Microdomain Structure of a Cross-Linked Cellulose Nanocomposite Revealed by Micro-Raman Imaging and Its Influence on Water Permeability of a Film.

Substantial adsorption of water vapor triggered by hydrogen-bonding interactions between water molecules and cellulose chains (or nanoplates) is hard to avoid in nanocomposite films, although the addition of nanoplates can improve the oxygen (or carbon dioxide) barrier property. In the present work, an effective strategy is raised to decline adsorption by weakening hydrogen-bonding interactions via chemical cross-linking by epichlorohydrin (ECH) without sacrificing the homogeneous dispersion of nanoplates. The generated microdomain structure of the chemical cross-linking reaction via ECH is explicitly revealed by micro-Raman imaging.

[Study on the relationship between microsatellite alterations of RASSF1A gene and the development of cervical carcinoma].

Objective: To explore the relationship between microsatellite alterations of RASSF1A gene and the development of cervical carcinoma, and HPV16 infection.

Methods: Two sites of microsatellite polymorphism of RASSF1A gene were selected, we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique to detect the LOH and MSI of cervical tissues, and to detect the infection state of HPV16.

Results: There were significant differences of LOH rates at the two sites between clinical stage and pathological grade (P < 0.

Concise asymmetric synthesis of (+)-CP-99,994 and (+)-L-733,060 via efficient construction of homochiral syn-1,2-diamines and syn-1,2-amino alcohols.

An efficient asymmetric synthesis of human NK-1 SP receptor antagonists (+)-CP-99,994 and (+)-L-733,060 was achieved starting from a common chiral intermediate (5). Our route featured the SmI2-induced reductive coupling of N-tert-butanesulfinyl imine (7) with aldehyde (6) as the key step as well as pivotal transformations of the anti-1,2-amino alcohol thus obtained to homochiral syn-1,2-amino alcohol and syn-1,2-diamine for the asymmetric synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted piperidines.

Effect of blockage of costimulatory signal on murine abortion-prone model.

Background: Inhibition of the key costimulatory signals results in T cell anergy, indicating the alloantigen-specific immunologic unresponsiveness. In this study, the effect of blockage of costimulatory signal CD(86) on murine abortion-prone model was studied.

Methods: Thirty CBA/J female mice cohabitated with DBA/2 male or BALB/c male mice were investigated.

A dinucleotide deletion in CD24 confers protection against autoimmune diseases.

It is generally believed that susceptibility to both organ-specific and systemic autoimmune diseases is under polygenic control. Although multiple genes have been implicated in each type of autoimmune disease, few are known to have a significant impact on both. Here, we investigated the significance of polymorphisms in the human gene CD24 and the susceptibility to multiple sclerosis (MS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

The expression and functional role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in rat adipocytes.

To clarify whether nicotine has a direct effect on the function of adipocytes, we evaluated nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) expression in adipocytes by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunocytochemistry and the direct effects of nicotine on the production of adipocytokines by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis. Receptor binding assays were performed using [3H]nicotine. RT-PCR studies revealed that alpha1-7, 9, 10, beta1-4, delta, and epsilon subunit mRNAs are expressed in adipocytes.

Long-term oral nicotine administration reduces insulin resistance in obese rats.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of long-term oral nicotine administration on insulin resistance in an animal model of obesity. Eight-week-old male Zucker fatty rats (ZFRs) were administered nicotine tartrate dihydrate (4.6 mg/kg/day) in the drinking water.