Objective To evaluate the assessment index system of internal medicine, and to analyze the factors of practical effects on internal medicine. Methods The assessment index system of clinical skills was developed by expert group based on the clinical syllabus and objectives. Internal medicine index system was divided into four items such as history-taking, physical examination, hos-pital records and case questions. 49 five-year clinical interns who took internal medicine exams were researched. Reliability, validity, discrimination, difficulty were used to analyze the quality of assess-ment index system. Gender, teaching hospital and the preparation of postgraduate examination were used to explore the influencing factors of practical effects with independent t-test and Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Results The reliability, discrimination, difficulty of the assessment index system were 0.50, 0.15 and 0.85, respectively. The removing item coefficient of history collection, physical ex-amination, hospital records, case questions were 0.38, 0.26, 0.47 and 0.53, separately, and the discrimination were 0.18, 0.17,0.27 and 0.37, separately, and the difficulty were 0.87, 0.89, 0.79, and 0.78, respectively. The scores of assessment index system of girls were higher than those of the boys(P<0.05). Moreover, the girls scored higher in history collection and physical examination, compared with the boys(P<0.05). The discrepancy scores were not statistically significant among teaching hospitals (P>0.05). The students who prepared the postgraduate examination scored lower than the others(P<0.05). Conclusions The assessment index system of internal medicine is reason-able and reliable, but the assessment of case questions still needs to be standardized. Teaching hospi-tals have little effect on internship while gender and the preparation for postgraduate examination influence practice effects in internal medicine.

Objective To investigate the clinical features and management of bile duct injury caused by laparoscopic cholecysteetomy by using harmonic scalpel (UHS-LC), and its prevention. Methods The clinical data of 1863 UHS-LC cases from April 2003 to February 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 11 patients suffering from UHS-LC related iatrogenic bile duct injury including intraoperatively immediate recognized injuries in 9 cases, and postoperatively found injuries in 2 cases. For those patients in which bile duct injury was found during the UHS-LC procedure, the patient was converted to open surgery, the injury was repaired accordingly by end-to-end bile duet anastomosis or Roux-en-Y procedure. For the injuries found postoperatively (all two cases were of CBD perforation), CBD was sutured by second stage. Results All the 11 patients recovered well and no biliary stricture occurred during the follow up of 1-5 years. Conclusions While UHS-LC is suitable for most cases of choleeystectomy, it causes significant porcentage of bile duct injury (0. 6% ) in hands of unskillful surgeons. It is important to be on alert against iatrugenic bile duct injuries.

Objective To explore the correlation of atheroselerosis progression and the expression of platelet derived endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in rabbits. Methods A total of 24 male New Zealand white rabbits were used in this study. Six of the animals were fed with normal food (control group). Eighteen rabbits were fed with cholesterol-rich food (1 g/d) for 12 weeks to establish the atherosclerosis model. Among 18 models, 6 rabbits were executed immediately and their aorta and platelet samples were collected for further analysis (model group), 6 rabbits were orally administered with pravastatin (10 rag/d) for additional 12 weeks (treated group), and the remaining 6 rabbits were left untreated until the end of the study (untreated group). The control, treated and untreated animals were then killed, and the aorta and platelet samples were collected for eNOS expression analysis (RT-PCR). Results The aorta samples in model and untreated group exhibited rough intima and a lot of longitudinal fatty streaks, which indicated that atherosclerosis models were established successfully. While in treated group, the degree of atherosclerosis was decreased. The average percent of thickness of fatty streaks or atheroselerotic plaques relative to the whole thickness of vessel walls was 0. 04±0. 02, 0. 82±0. 16, 0. 33±0. 18,0. 77±0. 14 in control, model, treated and untreated group, respectively. The thickness of fatty streaks or atherosclerotic plaques was significantly increased in the model and untreated groups and decreased in treated group compared with the control group (both P<0. 05). The expressions of platelet derived eNOS/mRNA were 1. 02± 0. 28, 0. 41± 0. 27, 1.00 ± 0. 77, 0. 40±0. 29 in control, model, treated and untreated group, respectively. The expression of eNOS/mRNA was markedly decreased in model group and untreated group compared with the control group, but was increased in treated group compared with untreated and model groups (F=3. 544, P = 0. 024). Conclusions There is a negative correlation between eNOS expression and atherosclerosis development, which suggests that the reversal effect of pravastatin on atheroselerosis progression and plaque formation may relate to the expression of platelet derived eNOS.

Clopidogrel was believed to be superior to aspirin by the well-known CAPRIE trial. However, no other large clinical trials demonstrated the same results, but all focused on the combination use of clopidogrel with aspirin, and combination therapy in CREDO was called the "Emperor's New Clothes". However, no one overturned the results of these clinical trials by quantitatively analyzing them. We reviewed ten large-scale clinical trials about clopidogrel. On the basis of results of CAPRIE, CREDO and CHARISMA trials, we re-estimated their minimal sample sizes and their powers by three well-established statistical methodologies. From the results of CAPRIE, we inferred that the minimal sample size should be 85 086 or 84 968 but its power was only 30.70%. A huge gap existed. The same was also true of CREDO and CHARISMA trials. Moreover, in CAPRIE trial, 0 was included in the 95% confidence interval and 1 was included in the 95% confidence interval for the relative risk. There were some paradoxical data in CAPRIE trial. We are led to conclude that the results in CAPRIE, CREDO, and from the subgroup analysis in CHARISMA trials were questionable. These results failed to demonstrate that clopidogrel was superior to aspirin or that clopidogrel used in combination with aspirin was better than aspirin alone. The cost-effectiveness analyses by some previous studies were not reliable.

Clopidogrel was believed to be superior to aspirin by the well-known CAPRIE trial. However, no other large clinical trials demonstrated the same results, but all focused on the combina-tion use of clopidogrel with aspirin, and combination therapy in CREDO was called the "Emperor's New Clothes". However, no one overturned the results of these clinical trials by quantitatively ana-lyzing them. We reviewed ten large-scale clinical trials about clopidogrel. On the basis of results of CAPRIE, CREDO and CHARISMA trials, we re-estimated their minimal sample sizes and their powers by three well-established statistical methodologies. From the results of CAPRIE, we inferred that the minimal sample size should be 85 086 or 84 968 but its power was only 30.70%. A huge gap existed. The same was also true of CREDO and CHARISMA trials. Moreover, in CAPRIE trial, 0 was included in the 95% confidence interval and 1 was included in the 95% confidence interval for the relative risk. There were some paradoxical data in CAPRIE trial. We are led to conclude that the results in CAPRIE, CREDO, and from the subgroup analysis in CHARISMA trials were questionable. These results failed to demonstrate that clopidogrel was superior to aspirin or that clopidogrel used in combination with aspirin was better than aspirin alone. The cost-effectiveness analyses by some pre-vious studies were not reliable.

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a commonly seen disease of digestive system, and its prevalence is increasing year by year. Xinjiang is located in the northwestern part of China and is a multi-ethnic region. The diets consumed are mainly meat, sweet food and strong tea, and the incidence of GERD is high in Xinjiang. Aims: To compare the efficacy of 4-week and 8-week courses of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) in the treatment of mild erosive esophagitis (EE) and to explore the factors influencing the efficacy of PPI. Methods: A total of 151 LA-A/B grade EE patients from November 2020 to February 2021 at General Hospital of Xinjiang Military Region were recruited, and grading of gastroesophageal reflux disease questionnaire (GerdQ), STOP-Bang questionnaire, Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), self-rating depression scale (SDS) were performed. Patients received 40 mg qd esomeprazole for 8 weeks. The factors influencing the efficacy of PPI were analyzed. Results: No significant difference in symptom remission rate was found between 4-week and 8-week courses of PPI (74.1% vs. 81.3%, P=0.163). Multivariate analysis results showed that high risk of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and presence of hiatal hernia were the factors influencing the efficacy of 4-week course of PPI (P<0.05) and presence of hiatal hernia was the factor influencing the efficacy of 8-week course of PPI (P<0.05). Conclusions: Symptom remission rates are similar between 4-week and 8-week courses of PPI for mild EE. The presence of hiatal hernia and high risk of OSAHS can increase the difficulty and prolong the course of PPI in the treatment of EE.