Publications by authors named "Xin-mei Zhou"

Background: Although smartphone application for smoking cessation was considered a promising strategy, there were scarce studies on the combination of usual interventions and apps for smoking cessation in China. Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Cigarette-Burning application combined with medication intervention for smoking cessation.

Methods: A parallel, open-label randomized clinical trial was conducted with a ratio of 1:1 allocation into the bupropion plus app group and bupropion group.

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  • The study assesses cigarette smoking patterns among Chinese women, revealing a low overall prevalence of 1.85%, but significant regional differences, particularly between Jilin and Fujian provinces.
  • It analyzed data from over 43,000 female participants aged 20-69, finding that over 7 million women are tobacco dependent, with older, single, and less-educated women more likely to smoke.
  • The research also highlights a concerning trend of younger smoking initiation ages among women, especially those with tobacco dependence, indicating the need for targeted public health interventions.
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  • The study investigates the relationship between nicotine metabolic ratio (NMR) and smoking cessation success in Chinese smokers with COPD, comparing the efficacy of varenicline and bupropion as treatment options.
  • It involved 224 participants, revealing that varenicline was more effective than bupropion in normal metabolizers (43.1% vs. 23.5% abstinence), while no significant difference was observed in slow metabolizers (54.1% vs. 45.9%).
  • The findings suggest that NMR can help tailor smoking cessation treatment, with varenicline being advantageous for normal metabolizers, while bupropion had fewer side effects for slow metabolizers
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Background: Tobacco cessation is proven to be the most effective and cost-effective strategy for smokers to reduce their risk of smoking-related disease and premature death. Providing effective, efficient, safe, and patient-centred tobacco cessation treatment to reach those who need them is a significant challenge. To date, only a few nationwide studies in China have assessed the overall clinical care practice and treatment outcome of tobacco cessation.

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Objective: To clarify the extent to which smokers in the general population experience tobacco withdrawal symptoms and whether such experience differs in those who continue to smoke and those who stopped smoking.

Methods: We included relevant questions in the nationally-representative China Health Literacy Survey (CHLS) conducted in 2018-2019. Among 87,028 participants, there were 22,115 ever-smokers aged 20-69 years who provided information on their smoking history and their experience of tobacco withdrawal symptoms.

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  • Tobacco dependence is a significant barrier to quitting smoking and was found to have a prevalence of 13.1% among the general Chinese population aged 20-69, and 49.7% among current smokers, with rates differing by gender and across provinces.
  • The study used data from the 2018 China Health Literacy Survey, which involved over 84,000 participants, to analyze sociodemographic characteristics and factors associated with tobacco dependence.
  • Findings indicated that higher levels of tobacco dependence correlated with increased smoking intensity, such as the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the age at which smoking started.
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  • - The study examined how uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) levels changed in rat hearts preserved at low temperatures for 3-12 hours, revealing that UCP2 expression increased as preservation time lengthened.
  • - The use of UCP2 inhibitor genipin prevented cardiac dysfunction and ATP production decline but did not affect mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), while SIRT1 protein levels decreased after hypothermic preservation.
  • - Resveratrol, a SIRT1 activator, counteracted the increase in UCP2 and improved cardiac function during preservation, suggesting that regulating UCP2 through the SIRT1 pathway may provide protective effects for preserved hearts.
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Objective: To investigate the roles of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase regulatory subunit alpha (PIK3R1)gene in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Surgical specimens of liver cancer and corresponding pericancerous liver tissue were collected from 20 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Expression of p85α, encoded by PIK3R1, in HCC tissue specimens was detected by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.

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The aim of this study was to investigate whether puerarin protects against high glucose (HG)-induced apoptosis by suppressing calpain activation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs were exposed to normal glucose (NG) (5.5 mm) or HG (33 mm) for 48 h; then, apoptosis and caspase-3 activity were determined.

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Objective: To investigate the effect of AT₁ receptor on the changes of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactivity (TH-IR) in rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) induced by brain cholinergic stimuli in rats.

Methods: Male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: NS + CBC group, Los + CBC group, Los + NS group and NS + NS group. AT₁ was blocked by pretreatment of 20 μg losartan in Los + CBC and Los + NS groups; intracerebroventricular injection of 0.

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Aim: To investigate the effect of three types of nitric oxide synthase inhibitors on the changes of hemodynamic parameters and thoracic aorta tension induced by septic shock in rats.

Methods: We used cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) method to establish septic shock in rats, and the three types of nitric oxide synthase inhibitors were injected after CLP. The carotid artery was cannulated and connected to a pressure transducer to determine mean arterial blood pressure (MABP).

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Aim: To observe the differences of hemodynamics and nitric oxide synthase(NOS) activity of ventricular cardiac muscle in two septic shock models and explore the possible mechanism.

Methods: Two rat models of septic shock[lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced and cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced septic shock] were used. The hemodynamic parameters and nitric oxide synthase activity of ventricular cardiac muscle were measured.

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Objective: To investigate the vascular activity of extract from mulberry leaves (EML) on rat thoracic aorta and the underlying mechanism.

Methods: Isolated thoracic rings of Sprague-Dawley rats were mounted on the organ bath and the tension of the vessel was recorded.

Result: (1) EML produced a concentration-dependent vasorelaxation of aorta preconstricted by high K(+) (60 mmol/L) or 10(-6) mol/L phenylephrine (PE) in endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded arteries.

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The aim of the present study was to determine the possible mechanism by which rutin causes vasodilatation in isolated thoracic aorta rings from the rat. The effects of rutin on rings preconstricted with phenylephrine, with or without endothelium, were determined using an organ bath technique. The mechanism was explored by measuring the effects of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-N(G)-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME), the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor methylene blue, the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin, the ATP-sensitive Kchannel blocker glibenclamide and the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol.

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Objective: To determine the possible difference in vasodialtation effect of quercetin and rutin.

Methods: The isolated rat thoracic aorta was treated with phenylephrine (PE), and the effects of quercetin and rutin on the preconstricted aorta rings with or without endothelium were determined by organ bath technique. Nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-N(G)-nitroarginine methyl-ester (L-NAME), guanylyl cyclase inhibitor methylene blue, cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin were used to explore the mechanism.

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The aims of the present study were to investigate the vasoactive effects of ethyl acetate extract from Flos Chrysanthemi (FCE) and its mechanisms on the rat thoracic aorta. FCE (9.4-150 mg/L) caused a concentration-dependent relaxation on endothelium-intact rings precontracted with phenylephrine (PE, 10(-6)M) or a high level of K+ (6x10(-2)M).

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