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Objective: To explore the association between early menarche and physical fitness among adolescent girls in China., Methods: Research material was selected from the data of "2010 National Physical Fitness and Health Survey". Probability unit regression method was used to calculate the age of 10th percentile at menarche and menarche age before the 10th percentile was defined as early menarche(9.0-11.6 years old). A total of 1072 girls with early menarche were selected. Each girl with early menarche was matched with one girl from the same urban or rural locations who hadn't achieved menarche with the age difference less than 0.1 years. A total of 1072 girls without menarche were selected. Indicators of physical fitness included 50 m running, standing broad jump, 50 m×8 shuttle running and sit-ups. Differences of physical fitness between early menarche and without menarche were analyzed using t test stratified by age and urban/rural area. The multilevel models of single dependent variable and multiple dependent variables were used to analyze association between early menarche and physical fitness., Results: A total of 2144 students were put in this research. Among girls (11.0-11.6 years old) in urban areas, 50 m running, standing broad jump and sit-ups was (9.78 ± 0.85) s, (153.81 ± 18.59) cm, and 27.79 ± 10.25, respectively for those with early menarche, while in girls without menarche was (10.01 ± 0.90) s, (149.71 ± 18.72) cm and 26.28 ± 10.11, respectively. There were significant differences between two groups on all above variables (t values were 4.02, 3.43 and 2.31, respectively with all P values <0.01). Among girls in rural, 50 m×8 shuttle-running and sit-ups was (125.22 ± 15.57) s and 24.96 ± 8.97 for those with early menarche, while it was (120.92 ± 13.06) s and 22.96 ± 9.83 for those without menarche. There were significant differences between two groups on both variables(t values were 3.89 and 2.77 with both P values < 0.01). In addition, 50 m×8 shuttle-running in girls (10.0-10.9 years old) with early menarche was (128.52 ± 15.74) s and it was (123.89 ± 13.50) s in girls without menarche. The difference was significant (t = 2.14, P < 0.05). The multilevel analysis showed that 50 m running, standing broad jump and sit-ups in girls with early menarche was 0.12 s, 3.14 cm and 1.11 higher than girls without menarche (Waldχ(2) values were 4.00, 6.22 and 4.07, respectively with all P values < 0.05). But 50 m×8 shuttle-running in girls with early menarche was 1.95 s less than girls without menarche (Waldχ(2) = 3.96, P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Early menarche may be associated with higher speed fitness, leg power and muscle power and lower physical stamina.

Objective: To explore the influencing factors on physical endurance among Chinese primary and middle school students aged 10-17., Methods: Data was used from "2010 National Physical Fitness and Health Surveillance", from which 68 458 primary and middle school students with complete information were selected. Good physical endurance was defined as endurance running time ≤ P 25 of same gender and age, poor physical endurance as ≥ P 75 of same gender and age. Difference of endurance running time in different physical endurance groups was compared; chi-square test, logistic regression and multiple level model were used to analyze influence of region, BMI, diet, exercise and exercise willingness on physical endurance., Results: There were 34 293 (50.0%) students of good physical endurance and 34 219 (50.0%) ones of poor physical endurance in 68 458 subjects. Percentage of good physical endurance was 53.8% (18 285/33 996) in rural students, higher than urban ones (46.3% (15 954/34 462)) (χ(2) = 384.16, P < 0.01). Percentage of good physical endurance was 12.2% (448/3660) in obese students, lower than normal (55.2% (28 183/51 028)), overweight (29.3% (2012/6874)) and emaciated ones (52.1% (3596/6896)) (χ(2) = 3840.08, P < 0.01). Percentage of good physical endurance was 52.5% (25 534/48 679) in students having breakfast everyday, higher than ones never having breakfast or 1-2 times per week (41.3% (3209/7768))(χ(2) = 438.31, P < 0.01). Percentage of good physical endurance was 51.7% (11 580/22 379) in students having milk everyday, slightly higher than ones never or sometimes having milk (49.2% (22 659/46 079)) (χ(2) = 39.84, P < 0.01). Percentage of good physical endurance was 55.3% (18 961/34 314) in students with adequate physical education class, higher than ones with inadequate class (44.7% (15 278/34 144)) (χ(2) = 756.41, P < 0.01). Percentage of good physical endurance was 58.6% (9484/16 195) in students with one hour exercise or more per day, higher than ones with less than one hour exercise (47.4% (24 755/52 263)) (χ(2) = 619.82, P < 0.01). Percentage of good physical endurance was 60.1% (19 287/32 118) in students who were "very willing" to take part in endurance running, higher than "generally willing" ones (45.4% (10 569/23 272)) and "not willing" ones (33.5% (4383/13 068)) (χ(2) = 2909.61, P < 0.01). Multiple level analysis revealed that risk of poor physical endurance was lower in rural students (OR = 0.80, 95%CI: 0.77-0.82) than urban ones. Risk in emaciated students (OR = 1.11, 95%CI: 1.05-1.17), overweight students (OR = 2.69, 95%CI: 2.55-2.85) and obese students (OR = 7.71, 95%CI: 6.97-8.52) was higher than normal ones. Concerning diet, risk of poor physical endurance in students never having breakfast or once to twice per week was highest (OR = 1.20, 95%CI: 1.13-1.26), followed by students having breakfast three to five times per week (OR = 1.13, 95%CI: 1.08-1.18); risk in students having one bag of milk per day was higher (OR = 1.09, 95%CI: 1.02-1.17) than ones having two bags. Concerning exercise, risk of poor physical endurance in students with inadequate physical education class (OR = 1.20, 95%CI: 1.13-1.26) and less than one hour exercise per day (OR = 1.34, 95%CI: 1.29-1.40) was higher than ones with adequate physical education class and one hour exercise or more respectively. Risk of poor physical endurance in students who were "generally willing" (OR = 1.67, 95%CI: 1.61-1.73) and "not willing" (OR = 2.72, 95%CI: 2.60-2.85) to take part in endurance running was higher than "very willing" ones., Conclusion: Urban and rural residence, BMI, breakfast, milk, physical education class, exercise time and exercise willingness were related to primary and middle school students'physical endurance.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of anemia among patients with Crohn's disease (CD) in Chinese population and identify the possible risk factors., Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 441 patients with CD enrolled from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University between January 2003 and May 2012. The prevalence, severity, type of anemia in these patients was assessed when diagnosis was confirmed. A multivariate logistic regression including 122 patients was performed to screen risk factors of anemia., Result: The prevalence of anemia was 64.4% (284/441) with 69.0% (196/284) mild anemia, 28.9% (82/284) moderate anemia and 2.1% (6/284) severe anemia. The most common morphological classification was hypochromic microcytic anemia (43.7%, 124/284). Multivariate logistic regression showed the predictive factors for anemia were higher levels of modified Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) (OR = 1.007, 95% CI 1.002-1.013), platelet count (OR = 1.007, 95% CI 1.001-1.012), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (OR = 1.024, 95% CI 1.000-1.048), penetrating behavior (OR = 16.952, 95% CI 2.626-108.626), structuring behavior (OR = 6.717, 95% CI 1.583-28.507), older age at diagnosis (OR = 1.065, 95% CI 1.012-1.121),and lower body mass index (BMI) (OR = 0.769, 95% CI 0.633-0.935)., Conclusions: Anemia is a common complication in patients with CD among Chinese population. Activity of the underlying disease, older age at diagnosis, penetrating or structuring disease behavior and low BMI are the risk factors.

Objective: To explore the associations between behavioral risk factors and overweight and obesity among Chinese primary and middle school students in 2010., Methods: A total of 149 912 primary and middle school students aged 9 - 18 were selected from "2010 National Physical Fitness and Health Surveillance" while underweight students excluded. Questionnaires and height, weight and other physical index were performed. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between overweight, obesity and sleep time, diet, physical exercise intention and behavior as well as sedentary behavior., Results: Of students surveyed, the proportion of short sleep time was higher in obese students than in normal weight students, the prevalence of short sleep time was 93.60% (118 394/126 491), 94.39% (15 053/15 947) and 95.09% (6782/7132) in normal weight, overweight and obese students, respectively (P < 0.05); the proportion of egg intake with no more than 3 times per week was lower in obese students than in normal weight students (56.49% (4025/7125) vs 65.25% (82 518/126 464)) (P < 0.05); the proportion of never drinking milk was lower in obese students than in normal weight students (7.08% (505/7134) vs 7.55% (9 545/126 503)) (P < 0.05); and when compared with those of normal (29.53%, 37 354/126 482), more overweight students reported that they had spent 2 or more hours on homework (30.17%, 4 809/15 941) (P < 0.05). The proportions of physical activity intentions were significantly lower in obesity group of male students than those of normal male group, and the proportion of liking physical education, being willing to participate in the extracurricular sports activities, and being willing to participate long running exercise was 67.7% (4828/7134), 71.2% (5083/7135) and 35.9% (2560/7135) in obese students compared with 68.6% (86 776/126 511), 72.6% (91 814/126 509) and 47.4% (59 914/126 512) in normal weigh students, respectively. In the 13 - 15 age group, the proportion of having been physically active for a total of at least 60 minutes per day was lower in obese group (19.87%, 376/1893) than in normal group (20.66%, 8 253/39 941) (P < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that the students with short sleep time were more likely to get obesity than those without short sleep time (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.11, 95%CI: 1.00 - 1.25). Egg intake with no more than 3 times per week was negatively associated with the probabilities of being at risk for obesity (AOR: 0.88, 95%CI: 0.83 - 0.92), while, never drinking milk was independently related to obesity (AOR: 1.14, 95%CI: 1.03 - 1.25). Disliking physical education (AOR: 1.23, 95%CI: 1.16 - 1.30), unwilling to participate long running exercise (AOR: 2.16, 95%CI: 2.05 - 2.28) and spending 2 or more hours on homework (AOR: 1.09, 95%CI: 1.02 - 1.15) were independently related to obesity. The patterns of influence factors in different groups were not alike., Conclusion: Overweight and obesity prevalence was higher in China's primary and middle school students in 2010, and the bad dietary behavior, static life style were highly interconnected.

Objective: To study the effects of overweight and obesity on physical function (including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse, weight vital capacity index) in children and adolescents., Methods: The data of 2010 Chinese National Survey on Students Constitution and Health was analyzed. The samples of overweight and normal-weight group were randomly selected from the data by matching gender, urban or rural for getting the same number sample size as obese group (10 601 each group). The students aged 7 - 18 years were classified into 3 groups by BMI percentiles (P₅, P₁₅, P₂₅, P₅₀, P₇₅, P₈₅ and P₉₅), to analyze the change of physical function along with BMI percentile., Results: Compared to the normal-weigh group, SBP of the obese boys of all age groups increased by 8.0 - 12.0 mm Hg, DBP increased by 4.7 - 5.9 mm Hg, while SBP of the obese girls increased by 7.5 - 11.6 mm Hg, DBP increased by 4.7 - 6.1 mm Hg, with statistical significance (P < 0.05). In 13 - 15-year group, pulse of obese boys was 0.8 times/min higher than that of normal-weight. In 16 - 18-year group, pulse of obese boys was 1.1 times/min higher than that of overweight or normal-weight, while pulse of obese girls were 1.5 and 1.7 times/min higher than that of overweight and normal-weight, respectively (P < 0.05). Pulses in boys aged 7 - 9 years when BMI were P₅, P₅₀, P(95) were 87.63, 87.00, 87.83 times/min, and pulses in boys aged 10 - 12 were 85.66, 85.30, 85.43 times/min, respectively. Pulses in boys aged 13 - 15 years when BMI were P₅, P₅₀, P₉₅ were 82.60, 81.39, 82.34 times/min, and pulses in boys aged 16 - 18 years were 80.15, 79.00, 79.98 times/min. In both boys and girls of all age groups, weight vital capacity index had the trend of obese < overweight < normal-weight (P < 0.05). Compared to the normal-weight group, weight vital capacity index of overweight boys decreased by 6.4 - 8.4 ml/kg, that of obese boys decreased by 11.9 - 14.8 ml/kg, while that of overweight girls decreased by 5.3 - 7.7 ml/kg, that of obese girls decreased 11.0 - 11.5 ml/kg., Conclusion: Compared to the normal-weight, overweight and obese children and adolescents had elevated blood pressure, increased pulse, decreased weight vital capacity index.

Objective: To analyze the trend of overweight and obesity in students in China during 1985 - 2010., Methods: The data were from Chinese National Survey on Students Constitution and Health in 1985, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010, and the sample sizes were 204 977, 216 786, 234 421, 215 319, respectively. BMI was calculated with height and weight. The prevalence of overweight and obesity as well as the rates of increase were described based on the BMI percentile criteria of Working Group on Obesity in China (WGOC)., Results: In 2010, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in four groups students (urban boys, urban girls, rural boys, and rural girls aged 7 - 18 years) were 23.23% (12 503/53 830), 13.76% (7 414/53 857), 12.72% (6 839/53 744), 8.56% (4 612/53 888), respectively, which were higher in boys and urban, and reached the peak 17.14% (18 463/107 741) in students aged 7 - 12 years. The prevalences of obesity were 0.44% (8/1800) - 21.67% (390/1800) among children aged 7 - 18 years in different provinces. The prevalence of overweight and obesity during 1985 - 1995, 1995 - 2000, 2000 - 2005 and 2005 - 2010 increased 0.10%, 0.30%, 0.23%, 0.23%, respectively, and the increase rate was higher in urban than in rural during 1985 - 2005. During 1985 - 1995, the increase rate of obesity in four groups students were 0.20%, 0.13%, 0.05% and 0.03%, respectively. During 2005 - 2010, the increase rates of obesity in four groups of students were 0.30%, 0.10%, 0.34%, 0.17%, respectively, and the increase rate was higher in rural than in urban., Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity among 7 - 18 years-old children increased rapidly during the 1985-2000, and the increase rate of obesity in rural exceeded that in urban during 2005 - 2010.

Objective: To survey the emotional and sleeping status of patients with chronic constipation (CC) and analyze the relationship between psychological status and constipated symptoms., Methods: From January 2009 to April 2010, 5 centers and 25 stratified hospitals were selected as the representatives of different regions of mainland China. The CC questionnaires including constipated symptoms, emotional and sleeping status, previous treatments and self-reported impact of constipation on health status, etc. Questionnaires were completed by well-trained physicians or investigators during face-to-face interviews. CC was diagnosed in accordance with the Rome III criteria., Results: A total of 909 valid questionnaires analyzed. There were 258 males and 651 females with a mean age of (49 ± 19) years. 41.5% (377 cases) reported "tense feelings" and 38.3% (348 cases) "felt downcast" over the past 3 months. The patients feeling tense and(or) downcast "frequently" and "most of time" were around 11.3% (103 cases) and 9.4% (85 cases). And 43.8% (398 cases) patients reported sleeping disorders over the past 3 months. Regional differences existed in the comorbidities of psychological and sleeping disorders in CC patients, especially in those from tertiary hospitals. And it was the highest in Beijing area for tense feelings and downcast. The sleeping disorders were the most common in the patients from secondary hospitals, of which 66.1% (37/56) and 65.0% (39/60) were from Wuhan and Xi'an respectively. They were higher than Beijing and Guangzhou (39.7% (23/58), 29.0% (9/31), all P = 0.001). The patients from rural primary clinics suffered more sleeping disorders than those from urban primary cares (P = 0.026). About 35.0% (318 cases) and 28.4% (258 cases) patients reported their constipation was related with emotional and sleeping disorders. The comorbidities of psychological and sleeping disorders were more common in severe constipated patients than mild and moderate counterparts and resulted in more hospital visits (both P = 0.000)., Conclusions: The CC patients often have the comorbidities of psychological and sleeping disorders with regional differences. The patients from the hospitals at various levels may present different spectrums of comorbidities of psychological and sleeping disorders. And the severity of CC influences the moods, sleeps and hospital visits.

Objective: To investigate the role of small G-protein RhoA in neointimal formation following rat carotid artery balloon injury and related mechanisms., Methods: Male 3-4-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats were used in the present study (10 rats per group). Group A: control; Group B: carotid artery balloon injury; Group C: injury + Ad-CMV-eGFP + Pluronic F-127; Group D: injury + Ad-CMV-N19RhoA-eGFP + Pluronic F-127; Group E: non injury + Ad-CMV-eGFP + Pluronic F-127. Perivascular gene transfer of an adenovirus co-expressing N19RhoA was performed to rat carotid artery following balloon injury and the effect on neointimal formation and the expressions of PCNA and α-SM-actin examined. Rats were killed after 14 days., Results: The protein expression of RhoA in group B was significantly higher than in group A (P = 0.001), and the positive cells rate of PCNA and α-SM-actin which were assessed by immunohistochemistry in group C (45.2% and 75.6%) was significantly higher than in group D (28.4% and 51.9%, all P < 0.01). The area of neointima was significantly smaller [(0.14 ± 0.08) mm(2) vs. (0.23 ± 0.10) mm(2), P < 0.01], the luminal area was significantly larger [(0.47 ± 0.11) mm(2) vs. (0.31 ± 0.06) mm(2), P < 0.01] in group D than in group C., Conclusion: Gene transfer of N19RhoA attenuates neointimal formation after balloon injury in rat carotid arteries possibly related to the modulating capacities of small G-protein RhoA on the proliferation, phenotypic differentiation and migration of vascular adventitial fibroblasts.

Objective: To analyze the current situation of semenarche in boys aged 11 - 18 of 18 Chinese ethnic minority, and compare the average age of semenarche with Chinese Han boys from the same province or autonomous region., Methods: The average age of semenarche in various ethnic minority groups of Chinese boys who participated in 2005 National Physical Fitness and Health Surveillance were calculated. The sample size of ethnic minority boys was 16 267, and the ethnic minorities were Mongolian, Hui, Tibetan, Korean, Zhuang, Miao, Buyi, Dong, Shui, Tujia, Bai, Hani, Dai, Lisu, Wa, Naxi, Li and Tu. The local Han boys semenarche were also surveyed in 2005 National Physical Fitness and Health Surveillance. Probability unit regression, chi2 test, U test and dynamic clustering were used to calculate and analyze the average age of semenarche., Results: In the 13 years old group,the percentage of semenarche in Dong was lowest (5.00%, 5/100), while that in Li was the highest (68.35%, 54/79) (P<0.01). In the 14 and 15 years old group,the percentages of semenarche in Shui were the lowest (17.02%, 16/94; 22.83%, 21/92, respectively) (all P values <0.01), while the percentages in Zhuang were the highest (94.33%, 183/194; 98.45%, 191/194, respectively).When reached 18 years old, 97.85% (2137/2184) ethnic minority boys experienced semenarche. The top 3 ethnic minority groups in average age of semenarche were Korean (12.37 years old), Zhuang (13.34 years old) and Naxi (13.36 years old); and the last 3 ethnic minority groups were Shui (16.19 years old), Bai (15.27 years old) and Tu (15.19 years old). The average age of semenarche in Zhuang was 1.34 years earlier than that of Han boys from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region; the average age in Korean was 1.28 years earlier than that of Han boys from Jilin province; and the average ages in Naxi and Dai were 0. 89 years and 0. 17 years earlier than that of Han boys from Yunnan province, respectively (all P values < 0. 01). The cluster analysis indicated that the 18 ethnic minority groups could be classified into two groups: Zhuang, Naxi, Li and Korean were classified into earlier age group of semenarche, and the other 14 ethnic minority groups were belonged to later age group of semenarche., Conclusion: There was a large variation among different ethnic minority groups in terms of average age of semenarche. The semenarche was earlier in Zhuang, Korean, Naxi, and Dai, compared with local Han boys.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of step-up and top-down infliximab therapy on patients with Crohn's disease (CD)., Methods: A prospective and open-label study was performed by the First Affiliated Hospital of SUN Yat-sen University during September 2007 to December 2010. Active CD patients who were refractory to steroid/immunomodulator or who were steroid-dependent were enrolled into step-up group. Active CD patients who had no steroid or immunomodulator therapy before were enrolled into top-down group. All patients were intravenously infused with infliximab of 5 mg/kg body weight in an induction regimen of 3 doses at week 0, 2 and 6, followed by maintenance dosing every 8 weeks beginning at week 14. The clinical and endoscopic follow up lasted 30 weeks. Clinical symptoms and mucosal healing status under endoscopy were evaluated by follow-up at week 10 and 30., Results: Forty-one CD patients were enrolled, with 24 in step-up group and 17 in top-down group. There were significant differences in disease duration (P = 0.006), combination therapy (P < 0.001) and severity of disease (P = 0.011) in baseline between step-up and top-down groups. At week 10 and 30 during treatment, the clinical remission rates in step-up group were 45.8% (11/24) and 58.3% (14/24) respectively; the mucosal healing rates in step-up group were 33.3% (8/24) and 54.2% (13/24) respectively; the clinical remission rates in top-down group were 70.6% (12/17) and 82.4% (14/17) respectively; and the mucosal healing rates in top-down group were 35.3% (6/17) and 52.9% (9/17) respectively. No significant differences in clinical remission and mucosal healing rates at both week 10 and 30 were observed between the two groups. The prevalences of adverse events in step-up and top-down group were 41.7% (10/24) and 29.4% (5/17) respectively (P = 0.422)., Conclusion: Both step-up and top-down infliximab therapy can induce remission in more than half of CD patients, while top-down therapy might be more beneficiary to symptom and endoscopic remission.

Objective: To analyze the geographic distribution and 10 years' change of spermarche in Chinese boys of Hangroup aged 11 - 18., Methods: Calculate the average age of spermarche of Chinese boys who participated in National Physical Fitness and Health Surveillance in 2005 and 1995. The sample size of boys was 69 320 in 2005, 68 992 in 1995 National Physical Fitness and Health Surveillance, respectively. The geographic distribution of Chinese boys were categorized into 6 areas as north, northeast, east, south central, southwest and northwest by administrative divisions., Results: The average ages at spermarche were 13.98 and 14.22 years old for urban and rural boys in 2005, respectively. The average ages at spermarche were 13.57 and 13.72 years old for urban and rural boys who living in southwest of China. And the average ages at spermarche were 14.18 and 14.39 years old for urban boys who lived in northwest of China, and rural boys who lived in south central of China, respectively. The average age of spermarche of the top 5 provinces were Chongqing (13.28), Guizhou (13.47), Hainan (13.47), Sichuan (13.56) and Tianjin (13.61); and the last 5 provinces were Hubei (15.30), Qinghai (15.13), Liaoning (14.75), Guangxi (14.68) and Shanghai (14.55). The average ages of spermarche were 14.43 and 14.77 years old for urban and rural boys in 1995, respectively, and thus the ages of spermarche in 2005 were 0.45 and 0.55 years earlier than that of urban and rural boys in 1995., Conclusion: There was a large variation among different geographic areas. The onset of spermarche was generally earlier in urban than in rural boys, the earliest in southwest of China, and the latest in northwest and south central of China. Significant decline trend of age at spermarche could be found in Chinese boys, especially in rural areas.

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics, therapeutic responses and outcomes of pediatric Crohn's disease (CD)., Methods: From a hospital-derived incidence cohort, 20 Crohn's disease patients (aged 0.5 - 15 years old at diagnosis), diagnosed from 2003 to 2009, received a follow-up period of more than one year. The patients were phenotyped according to Montreal standards. PCDAI was introduced to assess the disease activity and the Hyams J rules adopted to evaluate the therapeutic efficacies. The treatment was individualized based on the overall evaluation of child., Results: Of these 20 patients, 55% were 7 - 12 years old at the diagnosis time. The male: female ratio was 1.5:1. At the time of diagnosis, the common manifestations included abdominal pain (95.0%), fever (80.0%) and diarrhea (80.0%). Growth retardation was detected in 50% of the cases. Complicated behavior was observed in 45% patients at diagnosis. The most frequent disease location at diagnosis was terminal ileum/colon (55%). Upper GI tract involvement was quite common in children (20%). Non-penetrating non-stricture (50%) behavior was most frequent at diagnosis. Ultimately, corticosteroids plus 6-MP/AZA treatment was administrated in 11 cases. Of these, 9 (82%) successfully withdrew the corticosteroids and maintained a complete remission. Colonoscopy was repeated in 6 complete remission cases and 4 of them achieved a complete mucosa healing. The mean follow-up period was 23 months (range: 12 - 59). At the endpoint of follow-up, 15 cases achieved a complete remission, 4 had a partial remission, 1 underwent operation and none of them died. The children who successfully withdrew from corticosteroids and achieved a complete remission could catch up the height of their age group. 6-MP/AZA associated severe adverse effects were reported at 17% in this group., Conclusion: Growth retardation is predominant in pediatric CD and it may provide diagnostic clues. Immunosuppressant therapy may improve the natural history of this disease. It is safe under close monitoring.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of low bone mineral density in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)and to identify its risk factors., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in IBD patients. Anthropometric measures, biochemical markers of nutrition and bone mineral density measurement were completed for these patients as well as healthy control subjects., Results: Seventy-seven Crohn's disease (CD) and 43 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients were enrolled, and 37 healthy volunteers were recruited as healthy controls (HC). The T value of CD patients, UC patients and HC was -1.72 +/- 1.20, -1.26 +/- 1.12 and -0.62 +/- 0.87 respectively and the T value of CD patients was significantly lower than that of HC (P = 0.000). The prevalence of osteoporosis in CD, UC and HC was 23.3%, 14.0% and 0 respectively. The prevalence of osteoporosis in CD was higher than that in HC (P = 0.003). Logistic regression analysis indicated that low BMI (BMI < or = 18.4 kg/m(2)) was an independent risk factor for osteoporosis both in CD (OR = 11.25, 95%CI 3.198 - 39.580, P = 0.000) and in UC (OR = 14.50, 95%CI 1.058 - 88.200, P = 0.045) patients. Age, disease duration, clinical activity active index (CDAI), oral steroid therapy, immunosuppressant treatment and serum vitamin D concentration were not found to be correlated with osteoporosis in IBD patients., Conclusions: Low bone mineral density is common in both CD and UC patients and low BMI is an independent risk factor for osteoporosis in IBD patients.

Objective: To assess the values of endoscopy, 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring, symptom index, 24-hour esophageal bile monitoring, and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) trail in the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)-related noncardiac chest pain (NCCP)., Methods: 27 NCCP patients, selected from a consecutive sample of 255 patients who had received coronary angiography owing to chest pain, underwent upper endoscopy, and 24-hour esophageal pH and bile monitoring, then they took esomeprazole 20 mg orally twice daily for 14 days. Symptom score (SI) was used to measure the severity and frequency of chest pain before and after treatment. The patients also underwent an initial questionnaire survey including the general personal data and symptom characters, reflux diagnostic questionnaire (RDQ), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) survey, and self-rating depression scale (SDS) survey., Results: If only based on erosive esophagitis and/or abnormal 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring, 9 of the 27 patients (33%) were classified as GERD-related NCCP. Otherwise, 74% (20 of the 27 patients were classified as GERD-related NCCP based on erosive esophagitis and/or abnormal 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring, or positive SI or abnormal bile monitoring. 15 of the 20 GERD patients (75%) had a significant symptom improvement on PPI compared with 14% (1/7) of non-GERD patients (P = 0. 009). The calculated sensitivity and specificity of the PPI trail was 75% and 86% respectively. The typical reflux symptoms presented more frequently among GERD patients than non-GERD patients [65% (13/20) vs 29% (2/7), P = 0.185]. There was no significant RDQ score difference between the 2 groups (10 +/- 4 vs 8 +/- 4, P = 0.411). The sensitivity and specificity of RDQ to GERD-related NCCP were 35% and 86% respectively. The SAS scores of GERD and non-GERD-related NCCP patients were both significantly higher than that of the normal controls (P = 0.008 and P = 0.011), while the SDS scores of the GERD and non-GERD-related NCCP patients were both similar to that of the normal controls (P = 0.090 and P = 0.113)., Conclusion: Combination of endoscopy, 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring, SI, and 24-hour esophageal bile monitoring helped to improve the diagnosis of GERD-related NCCP. PPI trail is the first clinical diagnostic tool in the evaluation of GERD-related NCCP.

Objective: To determine the degree of agreement of Rome III and Rome II criteria in diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and to compare the clinical difference between the patients diagnosed with these two criteria., Methods: 3014 patients in the gastrointestinal outpatient department were enrolled consecutively and interviewed face to face with a standard questionnaire., Results: (1) 480 patients were diagnosed as IBS with Rome III criteria. The overall detection rate was 15.9% (480/3014). The proportion of IBS subtypes was as follows: IBS with constipation 27.9% (134/480), IBS with diarrhea 32.7% (157/480), Mixed IBS 6.7% (32/480), Unsubtyped IBS 32.7% (157/480). No difference was observed between different sex and age groups; with Rome II criteria, 558 patients were diagnosed with a detection rate of 18.5% (558/3014). The proportion of IBS subtypes was as follows: constipation predominant IBS 33.2% (185/558), diarrhea predominant IBS 38.2% (213/558), others 28.7% (160/558). The detection rate was higher in female patients (P = 0.002), but there was no difference between different age groups. The detection rate of Rome III criteria was lower than that of Rome II criteria (P = 0.008). There was a good accordance between these two criteria in the diagnosis of IBS (P < 0.01). (2) Patients classified according to Rome III criteria complained more severe abdominal symptoms (P = 0.04) and abnormal bowel habit (P < 0.001) as well as a higher healthcare seeking rate in the last 3 months (35.6% vs 26.5%, P = 0.02) as compared with those classified according to Rome II criteria. (3) According to Rome III criteria, the severity of bowel habit was different among the four subtypes (C-IBS, M-IBS > D-IBS > U-IBS, P < 0.005) while no difference was observed on the abdominal symptoms and the healthcare seeking rates in the last 3 months., Conclusions: There is a good accordance between Rome II and Rome III criteria in diagnosing IBS. Compared to Rome II criteria, Rome III criteria has a lower detection rate. It is more practical in the clinical practice with clear definition of symptom frequency and easy way of subtyping IBS. The patients diagnosed with Rome III criteria had more severe symptoms and higher healthcare seeking rate, they are more suitable for clinical trial.

Objective: To observe the association between uroguanylin G-247A polymorphism and blood pressure/fluid and electrolytes homeostasis., Methods: Uroguanylin genotype was determined by restrictive fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and blood pressure as well as fluid and electrolytes homeostasis were measured in 442 volunteers from Jing Ning County, ZheJiang Province. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE), and Quantitative Transmission Disequilibrium Test (QTDT)., Results: Ten uroguanylin gene polymorphisms were detected in 40 subjects by direct sequencing, all were reported in the NCBI SNP database. We selected the G-247A polymorphism for genotyping. Compared with G allele carriers, AA homozygotes had a higher urinary volume (P = 0.08), higher excretions of sodium (P = 0.07) and potassium (P < 0.001), but similar systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P > 0.32) both before and after adjustment for sex, age, body-mass index, current smoking, alcohol intake, and antihypertensive treatment., Conclusions: The uroguanylin G-247A polymorphism was associated with urinary volume and sodium and potassium excretions.

Objective: To observe the changes of dilated intercellular space (DIS) of esophageal epithelium in different subtypes of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) before and after esomeprazole treatment., Methods: Nineteen patients with GERD, 6 with erosive esophagitis (EE), 7 with NERD with abnormal acid exposure (NERD pH+), and 6 with NERD with normal acid exposure (NERD pH-), were treated with esomeprazole 40 mg daily for two months. During endoscopy before and after treatment, six biopsy specimens were taken from the apparently normal mucosa 3 - 5 cm above the dentate line in the esophagus to undergo HE staining and histological examination and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Fifteen normal subjects were used as controls., Results: Two months after the treatment 5 cases (83.33%) in the EE group, 6 cases (85.57%) in the NERD pH+ group, and 5 cases (83.33%) in the NERD pH- group showed a complete recovery of DIS and complete disappearance of the symptom of heartburn. Two of the left three patients who showed incomplete recovery of DIS still had heartburn., Conclusion: A complete recovery of DIS 2 months after treatment of esomeprazole is always accompanied by resolution of heartburn symptom. No significant difference in complete recovery of DIS can be found among different GERD subgroups.

Objective: To investigate the association of aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) -344T/C polymorphism with plasma renin activity (PRA), and concentrations of angiotensin II (Ang II) and aldosterone (Aldo) in patients with essential hypertension (EH)., Methods: 421 EH patients, 296 males and 125 females, aged 56.3 +/- 11.2, and 207 sex and aged-matched normotensive subjects were genotyped for the CYP11B2 -344T/C polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. PRA and plasma Ang II and Aldo concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay among 328 EH patients in the supine position and 279 of the 328 subjects in the upright position., Results: No significant difference in genotype and allele frequencies of CYP11B2 -344T/C polymorphism was observed between the EH and normotensive subjects (P = 0.61 and P = 0.34 respectively). In the 328 EH patients undergoing measurement of PRA, Ang II, and Aldo, the plasma Aldo concentration of the TT subjects was 76.8 pg/ml, significantly higher than those of the TC subjects (58.8 pg/ml) and CC subjects (58.8 pg/ml, P = 0.02), after adjustment for age, sex and body mass index. No association was found between the -344T/C polymorphism and PRA and plasma Ang II in the supine position (P = 0.63 and P = 0.28 respectively). However, with similar adjustment applied, the plasma Ang II concentration in the upright position was higher in the CC subjects (85.7 pg/ml) than in the TC subjects (54.6 pg/ml) and TT subjects (51.8 pg/ml. P = 0.02)., Conclusion: In the EH patients, CYP11B2 -344T/C polymorphism is associated with plasma Aldo and the plasma Ang II concentration when the patients are in the upright position.

Objective: To explore the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of three candidate genes, including T869C of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), -344T/C of aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) and Gly460Trp of alpha-Adducin with essential hypertension in Chinese Han population., Methods: Three hundred ninety six hypertensive patients and 214 normotensive subjects were genotyped for T869C, -344T/C and Gly460Trp polymorphisms with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and mutagenically separated PCR (MS-PCR), respectively., Results: In single-gene analysis, no association was observed between either CYP11B2 -344T/C or alpha-Adducin Gly460Trp polymorphism and essential hypertension. For female, there were significant difference in genotype distribution and allele frequency of T869C polymorphism (P < 0.02), as compared with subjects with T allele. CC homozygosity had a higher relative risk of hypertension (OR = 2.97, 95% CI, 1.38 to 6.32, P = 0.004), whereas we failed to detect any association between T869C polymorphism and essential hypertension in male. In multiple-gene analysis, the incidence of hypertension was higher in CYP11B2 TT homozygosity than in other CYP11B2 genotypes (OR = 1.99, 95% CI, 1.01 to 3.74, P = 0.03) in the presence of TGF-beta1 CC genotype., Conclusions: Our results indicated that T869C polymorphism of TGF-beta1 gene might be associated with essential hypertension in female, furthermore, the TGF-beta1 T869C and CYP11B2-344T/C polymorphisms appeared to interact in hypertensive population.

Objectives: To assess the risk factors of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in the general population and its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL)., Methods: A face-to-face interview was carried out in Guangdong Province using a validated Chinese version Reflux Disease Questionnaire (RDQ) to assess the prevalence of GERD. Random clustered sampling of permanent inhabitants aged 18 to 90 years was carried out under stratification of urban and suburban areas. The impact of GERD on HRQOL was evaluated using the Chinese version of SF-36. The statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 10.0 programs., Results: A total of 83 GERD patients were collected and 166 healthy subjects were selected as control. There was no difference in prevalence between male (2.6%) and female (2.4%). There was no significant association between age and prevalence of GERD symptoms. Divorced/widowed/separated subjects (OR 4.61) and subjects with severe working burden (OR 3.43) were significantly more likely to report GERD symptoms. As compared with the general population, subjects with GERD symptoms experienced considerable impairment in quality of life., Conclusions: Psychosocial factors may play important roles in the production of GERD symptoms. GERD has a negative impact on HRQOL.

Objective: To analyze the motor performance status in students of Han nationality in fifteen provinces in china., Methods: Totally, 161 804 students of Han nationality aged from 7 to 18 years old were involved in the Chinese Surveillance on Students' Physical Fitness and Health in 2004. Motor abilities were accessed with the aid of gripping power, 50 m dash, standing long jump, and 1-min sit-ups. Based on general statistical description, principal component analysis and linear regression, the development characters of students' motor performance were explored., Results: This research showed some characters similar to those of last ones: motor capability was improved in correlation with age; boys did better than girls, the difference between 18 year-old rural boys and rural girls was 15.3 kg, -2.0 s, 58.6 cm, 8.7/min; the urban students performed better than the rural ones, the difference between 15 year-old urban boys and rural boys was 0.9 kg, -0.2 s, 3.5 cm, 3.5/min. The first principal component might represent the 4 tests greatly. Regression analysis on principal component quantitatively interpreted the influence of factors such as age, sex and area., Conclusions: The general principles of exercise quality development of students are still in work. Principal component analysis should be adequate and convenient in motor performance analysis.

Objective: To analyze the secular changes of physical growth in 7-17 year old students of Zang-tribe in Tibet during 1965-2004, and to make suggestions for further improvement., Methods: The data collected by local government in 1965 and Chinese national survey on students' physical fitness and health in 1985, 1995 and 2004 were used to analyze and find out the differences from the students' stature, body weight, chest girth, and BMI in different years, and to compare the increasing rate per 10 years in different periods of time., Results: Levels on stature, body weight and chest girth were increased significantly among 7-17 year-old students of Zang-tribe in Tibet during 1965-2004. From 1965 to 1985, the levels of stature and body weight were increased 11.4 cm and 5.0 kg respectively among male Zang-tribe students, 9.1 cm and 3.9 kg among the female. During 1985-2004, stature levels of Zang-tribe students was kept rising in much less extent, while average levels of body weight were reaching up remarkably, especially in 1995-2004, in which the average increasing rate per 10 years had achieved 14.8% and 13.4% among the male and female students aged 7-17 years old respectively. Levels of chest girth were increased rapidly in 1965-1985, showing a higher increasing rate in male students (2.7%) than in female students (1.9%). In 1985-2004, the increasing rates fell obviously both in male and female students, but there existed a higher rate in 1995-2004 than in 1995-1985, especially for females (4.0%). Upon the secular changes of stature and body weight, the levels of BMI were decreased in 1985 as comparing to those in 1965, then increased rapidly in 1985-2004, especially in 1995-2004, having an increasing rate up to 12.6% and 12.4% respectively in male and female students., Conclusion: Secular changes on physical growth among 7-17 year-old students of Zang-tribe in Tibet were paralleled with the economic progress in 1965-2004, giving active effects by economic progress and nutrition improvements to the physical growth of children and adolescents.

Objective: To analyze the role of step-test on large sample surveillance in students' physical fitness and health., Methods: Totally, 36 237 students aged 12-, 14- and 17-year-old from fifteen Chinese provinces taking part in the 2004th National Surveillance on Students' Physical Fitness and Health were enrolled in this study. All of them passed through the step-test, of which the indices were calculated in combining with the performance time and pulse rates in resuming period. The means of step-test index were analyzed among various youth groups, and compared with the obesity, overweight and the normal-weight subjects., Results: As compared with the general level of physical growth, the means of step-test index were found higher in rural groups than in urban ones, and higher in southern groups than in northern ones. The highest means of index was found in the rural groups in having the lowest socioeconomic status, and also the lowest means found in metropolis groups having the highest socioeconomic status. These gaps were due to the change of life style, absence of physical exercise and relatively to the high body weight of the high socioeconomic-level groups. Among the obesity, overweight and normal-weight youths, the means of step-test index was shown in a gradient decrease tendency, and those significant gaps might be found between the obesity and the overweight, and the overweight and the normal-weight groups, showing that there should be harmful influences of overweight and obesity on the youth's cardiovascular function., Conclusion: As a safe and easily-taken measure for cardiovascular function, the step-test should be useful in regularly measuring the national students' physical fitness and health status.

Objective: To identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the regulatory and coding regions of human kynureninase (KYNU) gene in a hypertensive candidate chromosomal region 2q14-q23 of Han Chinese, and to investigate the relationship between polymorphisms in KYNU and essential hypertension., Methods: The SNPs in the promoter region and exons of the KYNU gene were detected by direct DNA sequencing. Genotyping of the nonsynonymous Lys412Glu (A/G) polymorphism was performed by DHPLC technology in 456 hypertensive patients and 430 normal controls., Results: Sixteen SNP were identified in the KYNU gene, including 6 in the regulatory region and 2 in the coding region (both of them lead to substitution of amino acid). Significant differences between hypertensive patients and normal controls were observed for the distribution of alleles (chi(2) = 6.693, P = 0.035) and genotypes (chi(2) = 4.188, P = 0.041) of the Lys412Glu polymorphism in all subjects, and for the distribution of alleles in the subgroup of men (chi(2) = 4.424, P = 0.035)., Conclusion: The Lys412Glu polymorphism of the KYNU gene in a hypertensive candidate chromosomal region is associated with essential hypertension in Han Chinese.

Objective: To investigate the association of peripheral and central blood pressure with the alpha-adducin Gly460Trp polymorphism in Chinese., Methods: We randomly selected 6 villages from JingNing County, ZheJiang Province. We invited nuclear families to take part in our study. We measured each participant's blood pressure at the non-dominant arm by means of a standard mercury sphygmomanometer at subjects' homes. Five consecutive readings were averaged for analysis. Central blood pressures were obtained by use of SphigmoCor pulse wave analysis system. The observers administered a standardized questionnaire to collect information on smoking habits, alcohol consumption and use of antihypertensive drugs. Venous blood was sampled and the adducin genotype was determined by restrictive fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)., Results: Four hundred and forty-two subjects included 230 (52.0%) women, and 116 (26.2%) hypertensive patients, of whom 49 (11.1%) took antihypertensive drugs. The frequencies of alpha -adducin GlyGly, GlyTrp and TrpTrp genotypes were 21.3%, 54.5% and 24.2%, respectively. There was no association between the alpha-adducin Gly460Trp polymorphism and peripheral systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse pressure. However, both before and after adjustment for sex, age, age(2), body-mass index, current smoking, alcohol intake, and antihypertensive treatment, the alpha-adducin polymorphism was significantly (P < 0.02) associated with central systolic blood pressure and central pulse pressure. After adjustment, central systolic blood pressure (+/- SE) averaged 122.5 +/- 3.5, 114.1 +/- 1.5 and 109.1 +/- 1.8 mm Hg (P = 0.01) in the GlyGly, GlyTrp and TrpTrp subjects, respectively. The corresponding values for central pulse pressure were 39.4 +/- 1.3, 36.4 +/- 1.0 and 32.9 +/- 0.9 mm Hg (P = 0.002), respectively., Conclusions: In the JingNing population, the adducin 460Trp allele was associated with lower levels of central systolic pressure and pulse pressure.

Objective: To determine the accuracy of the assay using perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (pANCA) and anti-saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) in diagnosing ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) and whether the presence of ASCA and pANCA antibodies could differentiate either CD from UC, or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from normal controls., Methods: Serum samples were obtained from 34 patients with CD and 29 with UC, and from 25 normal volunteers. Diagnosis was established on clinical findings, X-ray or endoscopy and histology. Determination of ASCA and pANCA antibodies was performed using indirect immunofluorescence technique., Results: 47.1% patients with CD against 69.0% patients with UC expressed pANCA (P < 0.05). Vice versa 58.6% patients with UC against 11.8% patients with CD expressed ASCA (P < 0.05). The sensibility, specificity and positive predictive value of combination of positive ASCA and negative pANCA to diagnosis CD was 0, 89.7% and 0 respectively, and those of combination of positive pANCA and negative ASCA to diagnosis of UC was 20.7%, 64.7% and 33.3% respectively., Conclusions: The positive of either ASCA or pANCA are not enough sensible to screen the IBD, but useful to diagnosis IBD. The combination pANCA and ASCA can not be as a serum differential diagnosis marker for IBD.

Objective: To test whether P38 MAPK is involved in angiotensin II (Ang II)-enhanced migration potential of adventitial fibroblasts (AFs) from spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR)., Methods: Migratory potential was estimated by transwell chamber in vitro. Activation of P38 MAPK pathway was determined with phosphospecific antibodies by immunoblotting., Results: Ang II induced migration of SHR-AFs was markedly increased in a dose-dependent manner when compared with WKY-AFs. Addition of the Ang II receptor type-1 (AT1-R) antagonist Losartan and P38 MAPK inhibitor SB202190 suppressed Ang II-induced migration of SHR-AFs. Ang II could induce P38 MAPK phosphorylation in SHR-AFs in a time-and dose-dependent manner. Phosphorylation of P38 MAPK was suppressed by Losartan and SB202190., Conclusion: This study indicated that Ang II-induced migration involves P38 MAPK pathway via AT1 receptor in aortic adventitial fibroblasts from SHR.

Objective: To investigate whether the number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) correlate with the severity of coronary stenosis in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD)., Methods: 80 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography (exclusion of acute coronary syndrome and myocardial infarction) were enrolled. Physical examination and blood tests were performed to assess the disease severity and cardiovascular risk factors. Circulating EPCs as measured by the number of CD133/KDR double positive cells were detected by FACS., Results: The number of EPCs inversely correlated with age, creatinine clearance (Ccr) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) (P = 0.004, 0.015, 0.014 respectively). Patients with hypertension showed significant reduction in number of EPCs compared to those without hypertension (P = 0.004). Moreover, the number of EPCs in patients with coronary artery disease was significantly lower than that of those with normal coronary artery (P < 0.01). EPCs also inversely correlated with angiographic Gensini score (n = 49, r = -0.305, P = 0.039)., Conclusions: In patients with stable CAD, the numbers of circulating EPCs correlate with the severity of CAD as well as cardiovascular risk factors.

Objective: To investigate possible association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of transforming growth factor beta3 (TGF-beta3) gene and essential hypertension (EH) in Chinese., Methods: The promoter region, exons, as well as part of the introns of TGF-beta3 gene were sequenced by a fluorescent labeling automatic sequencing method to detect and characterize the SNPs in 24 DNA samples from a Chinese population. Then we conducted a case-control study using 396 patients with hypertension (case) and 214 nomortensive subjects (control). The three SNPs including Thr63Asn, SS5608219 and SS5608220 were genotyped by PCR-RFLP or real-time allele-specific PCR in subjects studied., Results: Seven SNPs in the exons, introns and 3'untranslated region (3'UTR) of TGF-beta3 gene were identified. Among them, 2 SNPs were found to be novel genetic variants and one of the two located in the exon 1 and produced substitution of amino acid. However, no differences were found between hypertensives and nomortensives in genotype distribution and allele frequency of SS5608219, Thr63Asn or SS5608220 polymorphisms., Conclusions: Two novel SNPs of TGF-beta3 gene were identified in Chinese. One of them produces a threonine to asparagines substitution in codon 63 (Thr63Asn). But no association was found between TGF-beta3 gene polymorphisms and EH in Chinese.

Objective: To explore and assess the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients in the population., Methods: Random clustered sampling involving permanent inhabitants aged 18 - 80 yr was carried out under stratification of urban and suburban areas in Guangdong Province. Altogether 231 IBS patients fulfilling the Rome II criteria and 636 Non-IBS as control were collected. The impact of IBS on HRQOL was evaluated using the Chinese version of SF-36., Results: (1) There were no statistically significant differences between IBS and Non-IBS groups in aspects of sex, age educational level, and distribution according to areas (P > 0.05). (2) IBS patients reported significantly poorer HRQOL than controls (Non-IBS) on all SF-36 subscales (P < 0.05). The patients had poorer HRQOL than the Non-patients, but their differences weren't significant (P > 0.05). (3) The scores on all SF-36 subscales were highly associated with the frequency of abdominal pain in IBS patients (P < 0.05); They were also correlated to degree of effects of IBS symptoms on life reported by IBS patients (P < 0.05); The association between the scores and the symptom of fatigue which is the most extra-intestinal symptom in IBS was significant (P < 0.05); (4) Copying style was highly correlated to the eight SF-36 subscales; IBS still had a significant impact on patients after partialing out the effect of copying style., Conclusions: IBS symptoms had a negative impact on HRQOL and the SF-36 could be adopted to detect the differences between IBS group and Non-IBS group, which may be used as an outcome measure in future treatment studies. However, the development of IBS-specific measures of quality of life is necessary.

Objective: To explore the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and its risk factors in Guangdong province., Methods: A questionnaire was used to screen IBS by face-to-face interviews according to Manning (modified including symptoms of constipation) and Rome II criteria. Random clustered sampling involving permanent inhabitants aged 18 - 80 years was carried out under stratification of urban and suburban areas. Potential risk factors were explored by comparing the frequencies among IBS group and non-IBS group using chi(2) and logistic analysis of multivariate adjusted for age and gender., Results: A total of 4178 residents (male 1907, female 2271) were investigated. Mean age among the responders was (43 +/- 14) years. The response rate was 98%. The adjusted prevalence of IBS in Guangdong province is 5.67% according to the modified Rome II criteria, and is 11.50% according to Manning criteria. There is no difference between urban and suburban areas. The female was predominant in IBS, and the ratio of male to female was 1:1.25 (Rome II) and 1:1.34 (Manning). The age was poorly correlated with the prevalence. Events including history of analgesic use such as NSAID (OR = 3.83), history of food allergies (OR = 2.68), psychological distress (OR = 2.18), life events (OR = 1.89), history of dysentery (OR = 1.63) and negative coping style (OR = 1.28) are highly associated with IBS (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: IBS is a common disorder in Guangdong Province which deserves greater care and further investigation.

Objective: To study the diadynamic method of primary bile reflux gastritis., Methods: Endoscopy, histologic examination, symptom analysis and 24-hour gastritic bilirubin monitoring with Bilitec 2000 were performed in 20 healthy subjects (HS) and 42 patients with symptoms of abdominal pain, abdominal distention, nausea and bile vomiting., Results: The total fraction time of bile reflux was higher in 42 patents than in 20 HS [(17.68 +/- 17.89)% vs. (2.92 +/- 2.39)%, P < 0.01]. 23 (55%) of 42 patients showed pathologic duodenogastric reflux (DGR). The incidence of pathologic DGR detected by Bilitec2000 in bile dyed mucous lake, antral mucosal erosion, bile dyed mucous lake accompanied with erosion and bile dyed mucous lake accompanied with middle-hyperemia of antral mucosae found in endoscopy were 86%, 88%, 8/8 and 85% respectively. The diagnosis of bile reflux gastritis (BRG) could be established if the patients with bile dyed mucous lake accompanied with erosion and/or middle-hyperemia of antral mucosae were found to be pathologic DGR. With this criterion, 11 patients were BRG in 42 patients in this study. The active inflammation of antral mucosae in the patients with BRG that without Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection was more severe than that in the patients with physiologic DGR that without Hp infection significantly (P < 0.05). The symptoms of abdominal distention, nausea and bile vomiting in the patients with BRG were more severe significantly than those in the patients with physiologic DGR respectively (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Final diagnosis of BRG can be made for the integrity stomach if the patients with bile dyed mucous lake accompanied with erosion and/or middle-hyperemia of antral mucosae were found to be pathologic DGR by Bilitec 2000.

Objective: To establish a cell model by chronically infecting human gastric epithelial cells with H.pylori, and to determine the effect of chronic H.pylori infection on apoptosis of gastric epithelial cells., Methods: Human non-tumor gastric epithelial cells GES-1 were cocultured with an H.pylori strain SS1 for 16 weeks, in order to obtain GES-1 "model" cells. Biological characteristics of the model cells including growth, adherence and clone formation were determined. Apoptosis of the "model" cells in response to apoptosis inducers such as H.pylori and other enterobacteria and agents commonly used in the chemotherapy of gastric cancer were measured by flow cytometry., Results: A cell model of human gastric epithelial cells with chronic H.pylori infection (GES-1 model cells) was successfully established. Apoptosis was dramatically decreased in the "model" cells with and without stimulation by H.pylori and other enterobacteria and some chemotherapeutic agents., Conclusion: Chronic H.pylori infection induces apoptosis resistance in gastric epithelial cells, which may increase the risk of the development of gastric cancer.