Two anthraquinones which inhibit activity of the Src tyrosine kinase were isolated from a water extract of Hedyotis diffusa WILLD. and identified as 2-hydroxy-3-methylanthraquinone (compound 1) and 1-methoxy-2-hydroxyanthraquinone (compound 2). Both compounds showed inhibitory activity against protein tyrosine kinases v-src and pp60src and arrested the growth of SPC-1-A, Bcap37 and HepG2 cancer cells. Observation of mitochondrial membrane potential collapse and caspase-3 activation following treatment with the compounds indicates that their apoptotic induction activity may act via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Compared with compound 2, compound 1 is more active as an antagonist of Src kinase, which might account for its higher potency to induce growth arrest and apoptosis. These results provide a deeper insight into the functions of these two simple anthraquinones and the anti-tumour pathway of Hedyotis diffusa WILLD.
Background: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) represent a complex group of neurodevelopment and mental disorders. Currently, the etiologies for ASDs are unclear. Consequently, it is important to assess the perceptions of ASDs among parents of affected children, as their perceptions can impact parent-child bonding, disease prognosis and treatment, subsequent education and living environment of the affected child, and interactions with health professionals. The majority of available research regarding parental perceptions of ASDs has been conducted in the Western countries. Given that culture plays an important role in parents' views regarding the causes of ASDs, this study aims to examine perceptions of the etiology of ASDs among parents in Taiwan -an Asian country strongly influenced by the Chinese culture.Methods: Participants were recruitment through ASDs organizations in Taiwan. In-depth interviews were performed with 31 mothers and 8 fathers who had at least one child diagnosed with ASDs. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and subsequently analyzed via content analysis.Results: The themes of ASDs etiologies identified by participants from the highest to the lowest frequencies were: genetics (n=30; 76.9%), problems during mother's pregnancy (n=18; 46.2%), complications/situations during delivery (n=13; 33.3%), vaccination (n=11; 28.2%), environmental pollutions (n=10; 25.6%), children's non-ASDs related health problems and unintended injuries (n=9; 23.1%), parenting style (n=7; 17.9%), parents' occupation (n=7; 17.9%), spiritual or religious factors (n=6; 15.4%), children's diet (n=2; 5.1%), maternal age at the time of pregnancy (n=1; 2.6%), and children's use of traditional Chinese medicine (n=1; 2.6%).Discussion: Taiwanese parents held diverse views on the causes of ASDs. Overall, parental beliefs were based on culture, scientific evidence/research and uninformed non-scientific views. Our results may help health professionals and researchers identify gaps in parents' knowledge of ASDs and understand commonly held misperceptions about the causes of ASDs. Further, findings generated from this qualitative research may serve as the foundation for a research instrument to survey beliefs regarding the causes of ASDs among larger samples of Taiwanese parents who have children affected by ASDs.
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