ObjectivesThis study sought to examine the level of health-related knowledge and its predictors among vocational college students in China.Study designA cross-sectional study.MethodsA survey was performed to collect data on heath-related knowledge and potential risk factors among 708 students in four higher vocational colleges at Nanyang, Henan, China. Linear regression models were conducted to identify the predictors of the level of health-related knowledge.ResultsThe level of health-related knowledge among Chinese vocational college students is extremely low (only 1.4% students have an adequate level of health-related knowledge). According to the multivariate analysis, major, year of class, place of origin and a mother's education level are significantly associated with health-related knowledge in Chinese vocational college students.ConclusionsHealth education and health promotion efforts are encouraged to improve the level of health-related knowledge in this population. Attention and efforts to improve health-related knowledge of Chinese vocational college students who come from rural areas, whose mothers have a lower level of education, who are in non-medicine majors and during the first few years of vocational college is warranted.

Abstract. Cryptotanshinone is one of the fat-soluble phenanthrene quinone components. In vitro studies have shown that tanshinone compounds can inhibit the proliferation of various tumor cells and affect cell cycle distribution. The aim of the present study was to better understand the effect of cryptotanshinone on the inhibition of small cell lung cancer by cytotoxic cluster of differentiation (CD)4 + T cells through activation of the Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (JAK2/STAT4) pathway. The Cell Counting kit-8 assay and the lactate dehydrogenase assay were used to analyze the cell proliferation of H446 and CD4 + T cells, and the cell cytotoxicity of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells, respectively. JAK2 and STAT4 protein expression was measured by western blot analysis. Cryptotanshinone effectively inhibited the tumor growth of the H446 cells and the cell proliferation of the CD4 + T cells. Treatment with cryptotanshinone increased the cytotoxicity of the CD4 + T cells, but could not affect the cytotoxicity of the CD8 + T cells. Meanwhile, cryptotanshinone induced phosphorylated (p)-JAK2 and p-STAT4 protein expression in the CD4 + T cells. These results suggest that cryptotanshinone inhibits the cell growth of lung tumors by increasing CD4 + T cell toxicity through activation of the JAK2/STAT4 pathway.

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COP9 constitutive photomorphogenic homolog subunit 5 (COPS5), also known as Jab1 or CSN5, has been implicated in a wide variety of cellular and developmental processes. By analyzing male germ cell-specific COPS5 deficient mice, we demonstrated previously that COPS5 is essential to maintain male germ survival and acrosome biogenesis. To further determine the role of Cops5 in the peritubular myoid (PTM) cells, a smooth muscle lineage surrounding seminiferous tubules, we herein derived mice conditionally deficient for the Cops5 gene in smooth muscle cells (SMC) using transgenic Myh11-Cre mice. Although these conditional Cops5-deficient mice were born at the expected Mendelian ratio and appeared to be normal within the first week after birth, the homozygous mice started to show growth retardation after one week. These mice also exhibited a variety of developmental and reproductive disorders, including failure of development of reproductive organs in both males and females, spermatogenesis defects, impaired skeletal development, and immune functions. Furthermore, conditional Cops5-deficient mice revealed dramatic impairment of the endocrine system associated with testicular functions, including a marked reduction in serum levels of gonadotropins (FSH, LH), testosterone, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), and glucose, but not vasopressin. All homozygous mice died before 67 days old in the study. Collectively, our results provide novel evidence that Cops5 in smooth muscle lineage plays an essential role in postnatal development and reproductive functions.