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Objective To measure the situation of the non-prescription sale of antibiotics and the service quality of community pharmacies in Guangzhou, China. Methods A simulated client method was conducted to estimate the non-prescription sale of antibiotics and service quality based on scenarios about adult acute upper respiratory tract infection in 2019. A total of 595 community pharmacies from 11 districts were investigated in Guangzhou, China. We used binary logistic regression to evaluate the factors associated with the non-prescription sale of antibiotics. Results The proportion of non-prescription dispensing of antibiotics was 63.1% in Guangzhou, China, with a higher incidence of antibiotic dispensing without prescription in outer districts (69.3%). Cephalosporin (44.1%) and Amoxicillin (39.0%) were sold more often than other antibiotics. Chain pharmacies had better performance on the prescription sale of antibiotics and service quality. Traditional Chinese medicine was commonly recommended by pharmacy staff. Conclusion Since the non-prescription sale of antibiotics is prevalent in Guangzhou, effective solutions should be determined. Strengthened public awareness and regulatory system innovation are needed.

Within the Sino-Italian environmental protection cooperation framework established in 2002, a comprehensive air quality monitoring network has been developed in urban Suzhou, a medium-sized Chinese city, in compliance with European standards (Directive 96/62/EC). This paper is among the first attempts to present a systematic and scientific analysis of benzene, toluene, and xylenes (BTX) pollution in China. It presents our analysis of BTX space-related and time-related measurement results. Background BTX concentrations were investigated by passive sampler Analyst(R) in 2003. We depicted the spatial distribution of average BTX concentrations collected from three 15-day campaigns on isoconcentration maps. This is the first time such detailed BTX concentration maps have been developed in China in a city scale. Continuous measurement of BTX by automatic gas chromatography was carried out at two fixed monitoring stations, one in an urban residential zone and one in a heavy traffic zone, from April to December 2005. The results show similar seasonal trends at both sites, the similarities reaching their greatest level in December and their lowest level in August. The average daily profile of BTX shows greater fluctuation in spring and winter with clear morning and evening peaks. Daily average benzene, toluene, and m,p-xylenes concentrations for the study period were 2.64, 11.52, and 3.52 microg m(-3), respectively. The benzene/toluene ratio we found was lower in Suzhou than those published in studies of other worldwide cities, which indicates serious levels of toluene pollution from local stationary sources. The similarities in seasonal trend and spatial distribution in these manual and automatic measurement results were compared with each other, though the concentration values differed.

Vertical distribution of traffic-related pollutants inside an open street-canyon were observed in Suzhou, P.R. China, in 2005. The aim was to explore transfer and diffusion characteristics of vehicular exhaust emissions, as well as monitoring constraints associated with street canyons, courtyards and enclosed spaces. Vertical wind speed was found to strongly affect the fluctuation of all the pollutants. Daily average concentrations of NO x , NO 2 and NO, as well as NO 2 /NO x ratio, were found to vary significantly alongside the vertical, proportionate to different average daily trends. Oxidation processes and photochemical activity are discussed to explain these phenomena. Daily CO trends were found to track closely with both NO x and Benzene, while the corresponding ratios were different relative to other published works. Different emission factors and driving conditions, as well as other emission sources types (especially for Benzene) are used to explain this point.

In this study we investigated the effects of sigma receptor ligands and neurosteroids on bradykinin-induced intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) changes in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. [Ca2+]i levels in cells loaded with fura-2 were monitored with dual-wavelength ratiometric fluorescence measurement. Submicromolar concentrations of bradykinin elicited [Ca2+]i responses with a fast rise followed by a slow decline in these cells. Preincubation of low micromolar concentrations of the neurosteroids pregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), or the prototypic sigma (sigma) receptor agonist (+)pentazocine potentiated bradykinin-induced [Ca2+]i changes in SH-SY5Y cells. The sigma receptor antagonist haloperidol blocked the enhancing effects on [Ca2+]i by (+)pentazocine or pregnenolone. Progesterone did not significantly affect the basal [Ca2+]i level or bradykinin-induced [Ca2+]i changes in these cells. However, coincubation of progesterone with (+)pentazocine, pregnenolone, or DHEA reversed their potentiating effects. The antagonistic effects of haloperidol and progesterone on the potentiating effects of (+)pentazocine and pregnenolone suggested that these ligands might act through a common mechanism. We further showed that progesterone, pregnenolone, and DHEA competed for [3H]+pentazocine binding in SH-SY5Y cells with Ki values of 0.13 +/- 0.03 microM, 0.98 +/- 0.34 microM, and 5.2 +/- 1.4 microM, respectively. Thus, the modulation of bradykinin-induced [Ca2+]i changes by neurosteroids in these cells is likely due to their actions on sigma receptors.

Passive sampling technique was used to preliminary assess the spatial and temporal distribution of air pollution in Suzhou (P.R. China) in 2003, with the aim to determine the representativeness of zones where to monitor air quality. 100 sites were selected to measure 15-days average concentrations of SO2, NOx, NO2, O-3, NH3, Benzene, Toluene and Xylene in winter and summer. The distribution trend of NO and NO2, as well as the ratio of NO2/NOx was used to identify the heavy traffic polluted zones and design a network of monitoring stations (macrositing). NO2/NOx ratios varied throughout the two selected seasons and from site to site clearly demonstrating the different extent and completeness of NO -> NO2 oxidation processes in time and space. The exceedance frequencies of pollutants was used to design the type of monitoring equipment to be installed at each station (micrositing). An air quality monitoring network composed by 9 monitoring stations has been finally established in 2004 according to the result of this Survey and is now currently running.

In human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell preparations, sigma(1) receptor agonists (+)-pentazocine and 1S,2R-(-)-cis-N-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]-N-methyl-2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cyclohexylamine (BD737) competed for [3H]haloperidol binding with K(i) values of 67+/-10 and 14+/-10 nM, respectively. (+)-Pentazocine or BD737 up to 10 microM did not affect basal levels of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) in these cells, but they significantly reduced muscarine-induced [Ca(2+)](i) changes in a dose-related manner. However, the reduction by (+)-pentazocine was not reversed by the sigma(1) receptor antagonist haloperidol. Further studies showed (+)-pentazocine, BD737 and haloperidol could compete for [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate binding in SH-SY5Y cells with K(i) values of 0.51+/-0.06, 0.32+/-0.07 and 4.4+/-2.3 microM, respectively. Thus, the inhibitory effects on muscarine-induced [Ca(2+)](i) changes by (+)-pentazocine and BD737 in SH-SY5Y cells were likely due to blockade of muscarinic receptors, not due to sigma(1) receptor activation by these ligands.

It has been suggested that neuropeptide Y (NPY) and sigma (sigma) receptor ligands may share a putative NPY/sigma receptor in rat brain. To study whether NPY and sigma receptor ligands have an inverse agonism at this putative NPY/sigma receptor, we measured their effects on G-protein activity in rat brain. Using [35S]GTPgammaS autoradiography, we found that NPY-induced G-protein activation exhibited a discrete distribution pattern in rat brain. G-protein activation in superficial cortical layers and hippocampal CA1-3 region was mainly attributed to Y1 and Y2 receptors, respectively. In the presence of 10 microM sigma-receptor agonist BD737 or 10 microM sigma-receptor antagonist haloperidol, the distribution and density of [35S]GTPgammaS binding stimulated by 10 nM NPY was not significantly altered. In rat cerebellar membranes, NPY stimulated high-affinity GTPase activity in a dose-related manner, with maximal effects of 29% increase over basal level seen at 500 nM. This NPY-elicited GTPase activity was not significantly affected by micromolar concentrations of the sigma-receptor antagonists Dup734 or haloperidol. Since no significant effects by sigma-receptor ligands on NPY-induced G-protein activation were observed, we did not see an inverse agonism of NPY and sigma-receptor ligands at the putative NPY/sigma receptor measured at the level of G-protein activation, suggesting that sigma receptors and NPY receptors do not represent a common population in rat hippocampus and cerebellum. It is also suggested that G-protein activation is not a convergent point for the signal transduction mechanisms of NPY receptors and sigma receptors.

Sigma (sigma) receptors have been implicated in psychosis, cognition, neuroprotection, and locomotion in the central nervous system. The signal transduction mechanisms for sigma receptors have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we examined the possible coupling between sigma(1) receptors and heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) in rodent brain. In sigma(1) receptor-rich cerebellar membrane preparations, the competitive binding curves of two sigma(1) agonists, (+)pentazocine and 1S,2R-(-)-cis-N-[2-(3, 4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]-N-methyl-2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cyclohexylamine (BD737), were unaffected by the addition of 10 microM guanosine-5'-O-(gamma-thio)-triphosphate (GTPgammaS). Neither (+)pentazocine (1-100 microM) nor BD737 (0.01-10 microM) stimulated GTPase activities significantly above basal levels in agonist-stimulated GTPase activity assays in cerebellar membranes. Furthermore, when using the method of agonist-stimulated [35S]GTPgammaS binding as assessed by autoradiography, we did not observe significant stimulation of [35S]GTPgammaS binding in rat brain sections by either (+)pentazocine or BD737. The above results demonstrate that the sigma(1) receptor is not likely be directly coupled to G proteins.