Reported alcohol drinking and mental health problems in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between reported alcohol drinking and mental health problems in Hong Kong adolescents.

METHODS

In a school-based questionnaire survey in 2012-13 on 4620 Secondary one (US Grade seven) to six students (mean age 14.5, SD 1.6 years; 53.4% boys), alcohol drinking was classified as never drinking (reference), experimental, former, less-than-weekly and weekly drinking. Binge drinking was defined as drinking at least five drinks on one occasion. Mental health was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) with five subscales (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer relationship problems and prosocial activity) and the total difficulties score (sum of the first four subscales). Multilevel regression was used to analyse the associations of mental health problems with drinking frequency and binge drinking, adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

Compared with never drinking, higher total difficulties scores were associated with less-than-weekly drinking (adjusted odds ratio AOR 1.39, 95% CI 1.01-1.91), weekly drinking (AOR 3.21, 95% CI 2.18-4.70), and binge drinking (AOR 2.18, 95% CI 1.42-3.32). Weekly drinking was most strongly associated with hyperactivity (AOR 6.27, 95% CI 1.42-3.32) among all subscales. Girls were more likely than boys to report emotional problems (AOR 3.36 vs 1.47) and hyperactivity (AOR 19.2 vs 2.31) related to weekly alcohol drinking (both P for interaction <0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In Hong Kong adolescents, less-than-weekly, weekly, and binge drinking are associated with higher risks of mental health problems based on self-reported data. Prospective studies are warranted to explore the causality between alcohol drinking and mental health problems.

Risk factors and outcomes of childhood obesity in Hong Kong: a retrospective cohort study

1. Onset of obesity is related to age, gender, pubertal stage, dietary habits, and parental occupation. Targeting the high riskgroups may help curb obesity in children. 2. Obesity may lead to poor self-esteem and potential psychosocial risk. The psychosocial impact of obesity could be more pronounced in girls than boys. 3. The association between obesity and psychosocial health could be bi-directional. Improving psychosocial health could be beneficial in weight management for normal-weight and obese children. 4. Obesity is associated with higher blood pressures.

A dual function of the furanocoumarin chalepensin in inhibiting Cyp2a and inducing Cyp2b in mice: the protein stabilization and receptor-mediated activation

Chalepensin, a furanocoumarin, is present in several medicinal Rutaceae plants and causes a mechanism-based inhibition of human and mouse cytochrome P450 (P450, CYP) 2A in vitro. To address the in vivo effect, we investigated the effects of chalepensin on multiple hepatic P450 enzymes in C57BL/6JNarl mice. Oral administration of 10 mg/kg chalepensin to mice for 7 days significantly decreased hepatic coumarin 7-hydroxylation (Cyp2a) and increased 7-pentoxyresorufin O-dealkylation (Cyp2b) activities, whereas activities of Cyp1a, Cyp2c, Cyp2e1, and Cyp3a were not affected. Without affecting its mRNA level, the decreased Cyp2a activity was accompanied by an increase in the immunodetected Cyp2a5 protein level. In chalepensin-treated mice, microsomal Cyp2a5 was less susceptible to ATP-fortified cytosolic degradation than that in control mice, resulting in the elevated protein level. The in vitro inactivation through NADPH-fortified pre-incubation with chalepensin also protected microsomal Cyp2a5 against protein degradation. Using cell-based reporter systems, chalepensin at a concentration near unbound plasma concentration activated mouse constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), in agreement with the observed induction of Cyp2b. These findings revealed that suicidal inhibition of Cyp2a5 and the CAR-mediated Cyp2b9/10 induction concurrently occurred in chalepensin-treated mice.

Mechanism-based inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP)2A6 by chalepensin in recombinant systems, in human liver microsomes and in mice in vivo

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Chalepensin is a pharmacologically active furanocoumarin compound found in rue, a medicinal herb. Here we have investigated the inhibitory effects of chalepensin on cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2A6 in vitro and in vivo.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Mechanism-based inhibition was studied in vitro using human liver microsomes and bacterial membranes expressing genetic variants of human CYP2A6. Effects in vivo were studied in C57BL/6J mice. CYP2A6 activity was assayed as coumarin 7-hydroxylation (CH) using HPLC and fluorescence measurements. Metabolism of chalepensin was assessed with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS).

KEY RESULTS

CYP2A6.1, without pre-incubation with NADPH, was competitively inhibited by chalepensin. After pre-incubation with NADPH, inhibition by chalepensin was increased (IC(50) value decreased by 98%). This time-dependent inactivation (k(inact) 0.044 min(-1) ; K(I) 2.64 µM) caused the loss of spectrally detectable P450 content and was diminished by known inhibitors of CYP2A6, pilocarpine or tranylcypromine, and by glutathione conjugation. LC/MS analysis of chalepensin metabolites suggested an unstable epoxide intermediate was formed, identified as the corresponding dihydrodiol, which was then conjugated with glutathione. Compared with the wild-type CYP2A6.1, the isoforms CYP2A6.7 and CYP2A6.10 were less inhibited. In mouse liver microsomes, pre-incubation enhanced inhibition of CH activity. Oral administration of chalepensin to mice reduced hepatic CH activity ex vivo.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Chalepensin was a substrate and a mechanism-based inhibitor of human CYP2A6. Formation of an epoxide could be a key step in this inactivation. 'Poor metabolizers' carrying CYP2A6*7 or *10 may be less susceptible to inhibition by chalepensin. Given in vivo, chalepensin decreased CYP2A activity in mice.

Synthesis of sulfur-sulfur bond formation from thioamides promoted by 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone

A mild and efficient synthesis of sulfur-sulfur bond formation from thioformanilides with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone (DDQ) is described. Functionality on the aromatic ring plays a key role in the formation of a sulfur-sulfur bond.

The relationship between hypertension and anxiety or depression in Hong Kong Chinese

BACKGROUND

Psychosocial stress can be the cause or the consequence of hypertension.

OBJECTIVE

To study the association between hypertension and anxiety or depression in adults from Hong Kong, China.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Patients with diagnosed hypertension (n=197) were recruited to complete the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire. The control group comprised 182 normotensive subjects recruited using random telephone numbers.

RESULTS

The score in the anxiety subscale (HADS-A) of the HADS correlated with age (r= -0.23, P<0.001) and sex (r=0.11, P=0.042), and was found to be higher in women. The score in the depression subscale (HADS-D) correlated with age (r=0.17, P=0.003) and hypertension (r=0.12, P=0.039), but not with sex (r=0.02, P=0.68). When the control subjects were matched for sex and age with the subjects with hypertension, the mean HADS-A score was 5.51+/-0.41 in 113 hypertensive subjects and 4.38+/-0.39 in 113 normotensive subjects (P=0.047). The mean HADS-D score was 5.56+/-0.39 in the hypertensive and 4.76+/-0.32 in the normotensive subjects (P=0.11). Multiple regression analysis using data from both groups indicated that the HADS-A score was related to the HADS-D score (beta=0.49, P<0.001), age (beta= -0.25, P<0.001) and sex (beta=0.12, P=0.01) (R(2)=0.28), whereas the HADS-D score was related to the HADS-A score (beta=0.48, P<0.001), age (beta=0.30, P<0.001), positive smoking status (beta=0.13, P=0.004) and lack of exercise habit (beta=0.12, P=0.008) (R(2)=0.31). Hypertension was related to waist circumference, history of parental hypertension and age (R(2)=0.38, P<0.001). Anxiety and depression scores were rejected as independent variables.

CONCLUSIONS

Hypertension was associated with anxiety but not depression; however, age, history of parental hypertension and central obesity appeared to have a stronger association with hypertension in adults from Hong Kong.

Snf1--a histone kinase that works in concert with the histone acetyltransferase Gcn5 to regulate transcription

Modification of histones is an important element in the regulation of gene expression. Previous work suggested a link between acetylation and phosphorylation, but questioned its mechanistic basis. We have purified a histone H3 serine-10 kinase complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and have identified its catalytic subunit as Snf1. The Snf1/AMPK family of kinases function in conserved signal transduction pathways. Our results show that Snf1 and the acetyltransferase Gcn5 function in an obligate sequence to enhance INO1 transcription by modifying histone H3 serine-10 and lysine-14. Thus, phosphorylation and acetylation are targeted to the same histone by promoter-specific regulation by a kinase/acetyltransferase pair, supporting models of gene regulation wherein transcription is controlled by coordinated patterns of histone modification.

Phosphorylation of serine 10 in histone H3 is functionally linked in vitro and in vivo to Gcn5-mediated acetylation at lysine 14

Multiple covalent modifications exist in the amino-terminal tails of core histones, but whether a relationship exists between them is unknown. We examined the relationship between serine 10 phosphorylation and lysine 14 acetylation in histone H3 and have found that, in vitro, several HAT enzymes displayed increased activity on H3 peptides bearing phospho-Ser-10. This augmenting effect of Ser-10 phosphorylation on acetylation by yGcn5 was lost by substitution of alanine for arginine 164 [Gcn5(R164A)], a residue close to Ser-10 in the structure of the ternary tGcn5/CoA/histone H3 complex. Gcn5(R164A) had reduced activity in vivo at a subset of Gcn5-dependent promoters, and, strikingly, transcription of this same subset of genes was also impaired by substitution of serine 10 to alanine in the histone H3 tail. These observations suggest that transcriptional regulation occurs by multiple mechanistically linked covalent modifications of histones.

The cell surface flocculin Flo11 is required for pseudohyphae formation and invasion by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Diploid yeast develop pseudohyphae in response to nitrogen starvation, while haploid yeast produce invasive filaments which penetrate the agar in rich medium. We have identified a gene, FLO11, that encodes a cell wall protein which is critically required for both invasion and pseudohyphae formation in response to nitrogen starvation. FLO11 encodes a cell surface flocculin with a structure similar to the class of yeast serine/threonine-rich GPI-anchored cell wall proteins. Cells of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain Sigma1278b with deletions of FLO11 do not form pseudohyphae as diploids nor invade agar as haploids. In rich media, FLO11 is regulated by mating type; it is expressed in haploid cells but not in diploids. Upon transfer to nitrogen starvation media, however, FLO11 transcripts accumulate in diploid cells, but not in haploids. Overexpression of FLO11 in diploid cells, which are otherwise not invasive, enables them to invade agar. Thus, the mating type repression of FLO11 in diploids grown in rich media suffices to explain the inability of these cells to invade. The promoter of FLO11 contains a consensus binding sequence for Ste12p and Tec1p, proteins known to cooperatively activate transcription of Ty1 elements and the TEC1 gene during development of pseudohyphae. Yeast with a deletion of STE12 does not express FLO11 transcripts, indicating that STE12 is required for FLO11 expression. These ste12-deletion strains also do not invade agar. However, the ability to invade can be restored by overexpressing FLO11. Activation of FLO11 may thus be the primary means by which Ste12p and Tec1p cause invasive growth.

Development of pseudohyphae by embedded haploid and diploid yeast

Diploid strains of S. cerevisiae are known to develop pseudohyphae in response to starvation for nitrogen. We report that both haploid and diploid yeast grow in a filamentous form when embedded in solid media. This is not a response to starvation, since yeast grown on rich media and overlaid with rich agar grow within the agar as pseudohyphae. While we find that the only element of diploidy required for formation of pseudohyphae in response to nitrogen starvation is the a1/alpha 2 repressor, pseudohyphal development by embedded cells does not require a1/alpha 2. Deletion of BUD 5 prevented the formation of pseudohyphae by embedded cells, suggesting that these structures are the result of ordered filament formation rather than agar penetration. Deletion of STE 12 prevented the formation of pseudohyphae by all cell types, showing that the same signal transduction pathway is used by embedded cells as by those responding to nitrogen starvation. Different cell types of yeast thus form filaments in response to several kinds of environmental stimuli.

FLO11, a yeast gene related to the STA genes, encodes a novel cell surface flocculin

We report the characterization of a gene encoding a novel flocculin related to the STA genes of yeast, which encode secreted glucoamylase. The STA genes comprise sequences that are homologous to the sporulation-specific glucoamylase SGA and to two other sequences, S2 and S1. We find that S2 and S1 are part of a single gene which we have named FLO11. The sequence of FLO11 reveals a 4,104-bp open reading frame on chromosome IX whose predicted product is similar in overall structure to the class of yeast serine/threonine-rich GPI-anchored cell wall proteins. An amino-terminal domain containing a signal sequence and a carboxy-terminal domain with homology to GPI (glycosyl-phosphatidyl-inositol) anchor-containing proteins are separated by a central domain containing a highly repeated threonine- and serine-rich sequence. Yeast cells that express FLO11 aggregate in the calcium-dependent process of flocculation. Flocculation is abolished when FLO11 is disrupted. The product of STA1 also is shown to have flocculating activity. When a green fluorescent protein fusion of FLO11 was expressed from the FLO11 promoter on a single-copy plasmid, fluorescence was observed in vivo at the periphery of cells. We propose that FLO11 encodes a flocculin because of its demonstrated role in flocculation, its structural similarity to other members of the FLO gene family, and the cell surface location of its product. FLO11 gene sequences are present in all yeast strains tested, including all standard laboratory strains, unlike the STA genes which are present only in the variant strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus. FLO11 differs from all other yeast flocculins in that it is located near a centromere rather than a telomere, and its expression is regulated by mating type. Repression of FLO11-dependent flocculation in diploids is conferred by the mating-type repressor al/alpha2.

Regulation of alpha-amylase-encoding gene expression in germinating seeds and cultured cells of rice

Four alpha-amylase-encoding cDNA (alpha Amy-C) clones were isolated from a cDNA library derived from poly(A)+RNA of gibberellic acid (GA3)-treated rice aleurone layers. Nucleotide sequence analysis indicates that the four cDNAs were derived from different alpha Amy genes. Expression of the individual alpha Amy gene in germinating seeds and cultured suspension cells of rice was studied using gene-specific probes. In germinating seeds, expression of the alpha Amy genes is positively regulated by GA3 in a temporally coordinated but quantitatively distinct manner. In cultured suspension cells, in contrast, expression of the alpha Amy genes is negatively and differentially regulated by sugars present in the medium. In addition, one strong and one weak carbohydrate-starvation-responsive alpha Amy genes have been identified. Interactions between the promoter region (HS501) of a rice alpha Amy gene and GA3-inducible DNA binding proteins in rice aleurone cells were also studied. A DNA mobility-shift assay showed that the aleurone proteins interact with two specific DNA fragments within HS501. One fragment is located between nt -131 to -170 and contains two imperfect directly repeated pyrimidine elements and a putative GA3-response element. The other fragment is located between nt -92 to -130 that contains a putative enhancer sequence. The interactions between aleurone proteins and these two fragments are sequence-specific and GA-responsive.

Increased incidence of asthma and pulmonary dysfunction after severe lower respiratory tract infection in infancy

In the present study we tried to define the effect of lower respiratory tract infections upon pulmonary function and/or asthma in childhood. Thirty-five children with history of pneumonia in infancy were followed five to ten years later; all were asked to respond questionnaire, received physical examination and were diagnosed for pulmonary function. The results follow: 13 children (37%) had developed asthma, a significantly higher percentage than normal prevalence among students in this area. Simple pulmonary function test, pulmonary function test after distilled water mist and after hypertonic saline (4.5%) mist all showed abnormal values in VC (17%, 14%, 29% respectively), in IVC (46%, 51%, 53%), in FVC (20%, 23%, 24%), in FEVl (17%, 23%, 29%), in FEF25-75% (37%, 49%, 47%), in FEF75% (26%, 23%, 29%) and in FEVl/VC (20%, 14%, 29%). Methacholine challenge test (PC20) showed a marked decrease of PC20 in asthmatic children; each was less than 5 mg/ml (mean value; 0.99 mg/ml). Family-allergy in at least one parent and wheeze were the two significant risk factors. Nevertheless, in 22 non-family-allergy children, the occurrence of asthma was also higher than general prevalence (18.2% vs 5.6%). Wheezing was evident in viral infections in infancy, but bacterial culture from sputum or throat swabs failed to find pathogenic bacteria. These results indicate that while the genetic factor may be important, viral infections may be more important because, even in non-family-allergy children, the occurrence of asthma was higher for infants infected in early infancy than the general prevalence for age-matched students.

Benign sclerosing pneumocytoma of lung (sclerosing haemangioma)

The clinical and histopathological features of 14 cases of so-called sclerosing haemangioma of the lung are described. All developed in Hong Kong Chinese women. Histochemical and ultrastructural study of these tumours indicates an epithelial origin. The term benign sclerosing pneumocytoma is suggested as being more appropriate for this unusual tumour.