Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the major complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which results in a high risk of mortality. Thus, the cardiovascular safety of new anti-diabetic agents has become an important prob?lem with wide concern. There are two classes of incretine-based medications: glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor (DPP-4I). It has been demonstrated that GLP-1RA and DPP-4I possesse beneficial actions in both animal models of cardiovascular dysfunction and patients with ischemic heart diseases. However, their effects on the cardiovascular system in diabetic patients with heart diseases are still uncertain. Here, we sys?tematically reviewed the effects of GLP-1RA and DPP-4I on cardiovascular system to provide more evidence of incretin-based therapy application for diabetes and complications.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic arthritis, mainly suffering the middle and elderly patients, and it is the main cause of arthralgia and articular functional disturbance. Studies have suggested that osteophyte formation was closely con?nected with the development of OA due to the stabilization of suffered joints and arthralgia induced by osteophytes. In tissue con?stitution and pathology, osteophyte is made up of bone, cartilage and connective tissue, stemming from MSCs. With the develop?ment of osteophytes, the proportion of bone increases while the proportion of cartilage and connective tissue decreases. What's more, in promotion factors of osteophytes, osteophyte formation was induced by the biomechanical and biochemical factors and their both effect. The biomechanical factors result from imbalance of articular biomechanics induced by cartilaginous degeneration and ligament trauma. And the biochemical factors result from alteration of articular microenvironment induced by metabolic disor?der of chondrocytes and synovitis. Furthermore, the both effects that the biomechanical factors induces biochemical alterations al?so co?promote osteophyte formation. And studies on the mechanism indicated that osteophyte formation was regulated by several signaling pathways and cytokines. TGF?β superfamily and Hedgehog signaling pathway were involved in modulating osteophyte formation. TGF?βand BMPs modulated the initiation and late stage of osteophyte formation respectively. And Hedgehog signaling pathway regulated the osteophyte formation with modulating the hypertrophy of chondral osteophytes. This paper emphatically re?views the development and mechanism of osteophytes in OA for deeply understanding the OA and bringing new ideas and methods for the precaution and treatment of OA.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of par ti al pulpotomy in the dreatment of complicated crown fracture of permanent inciso rs with pulp exposure. Methods 44 soldiers suffering from compl icated crown fracture of the incisors with exposure of pulp as a result of injur y 46 during training were enrolled for study. Altogetber teeth were treated with partial pulpotomy, and they were followed-up for 1 to 5 years. Result One of the teeth was found fo have pulp necrosis one year after treatm ent dut to falling off of the filling. The treatment failed in other toeth dut t o polpitis 2 to 4 years later. The treatment was successful in 42 teeth (91.3%) . Conclusion Partial pulpotomy was an effective treatment for c omplicated crown fracture of permanent incisors with exposureof pulp.

Mitochondria play an important role in energy ( ATP ) production through oxidative phosphorylation pathway and the regulation of cell death by apoptosis. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of a number of neurodegenerative diseases. Glaucoma as a neurodegenerative disorder, mitochondrial oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of glaucoma and the damage of RGCs has received close attention in recent years. ln this article, we reviewed the current evidences and recent advances in the relationship between mitochondrial oxidative stress and the RGCs apoptosis.

It is important to analyze the epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR) mutation before makingstrategyonnon-small cell lung cancer ( NSCLC) patients scheduled to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor ( TKI) therapy .Digital PCR is a new generation of molecular diagnostic technique that provides ultra-highersensitive, specific and absolute nucleic acid quantification based on its unique principle.The application of digital PCR indetecting circulate tumor DNA can be the truly tumorliquid biopsy, helps to acquire the accurate EGFR mutation status from peripheral blood and screen out the most appropriate patients for TKI therapy.This breakthrough technology will also contribute to tumor surveillance and drug resistance monitoring.

Objective To identify appropriate subjects for public hospitals social evaluation which fit and match the public hospital social evaluation index system.Methods The methods of literature review,expert consulting and comprehensive evaluation were used.SWOT analysis,appropriateness ranking and classification were made to such six evaluation subj ects as civil servants,medical workers, professional organizations,patients and their family,the public at large and mass media representatives. Results For the support dimension,the top three appropriate evaluation subj ects are professional social organizations,the public at large and medical workers in turn.For the process dimension,the top three subj ects are social professional organizations,civil servants and the public at large.For the result dimension,the top three are professional organizations,the public at large and civil servants.Conclusions Diversified evaluation subj ects independently represented and guided by non-government third-party professional organizations seem a better solution for China′s present specifics.Such a mechanism is authorized by the government,involving patients and their family,the public and social observers,and mass media representatives,supported and coordinated by government departments and public hospitals.

OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of health intervention on blood pressure,medication compliance and the quali-ty of life in elderly patients with hypertension. METHODS:64 elderly patients with hypertension were selected and randomly divid-ed into observation group and control group,with 32 cases in each group. Both groups were given Amlodipine besylate tablet 5 mg,qd. Control group received routine hypertension knowledge education and regular recheck by guidance. Observation group addi-tionally received health intervention on the basis of control group. The blood pressure control,cognitive level of patients to hyper-tension,medication compliance,the level of trust in physicians and quality score of life were compared between 2 groups before and after intervention. RESULTS:There was no statistical significance in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure be-tween 2 groups before intervention (P>0.05). After intervention,systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure of 2 groups were decreased significantly,and the observation group was significantly lower than the control group,with statistical significance (P<0.05). There was no statistical significance in cognitive level of patients to hypertension,medication compliance,the level of trust in physicians and quality score of life between 2 groups before intervention (P>0.05). After intervention,the observation group was better than the control group in terms of cognitive level of patients to hypertension,medication compliance,the level of trust in physicians and quality score of life,with statistical significance(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS:Health intervention can effec-tively improve the cognitive level of elderly patients with hypertension to hypertension,improve the medication compliance and the level of trust in physicians,control blood pressure and improve the quality of life.

Objective To assess the safety of living environment by the elderly, further clarify the relevant factors of the elderly fall in the living environment. Methods The self- made assessment form of fall-related factors of living environment for elderly patients was used to survey 1 076 elderly. Likert five grades score was used for each item, and the higher score demonstrated the safer living environment. Results In the assessment of the safety of living environment, the indoor physical environment (3.94 points), home furniture safety (3.66 points) score was better;home ground and the channel (3.32 points) and outdoor activities places (3.57 points) score was lower. Scores of home′s ground and channel, furniture safety, indoor physical environment and living environment of urban elderly were (23.56 ± 6.49), (44.52 ± 7.72), (11.93 ± 2.49), (105.03 ± 17.82) points, which were better than (22.46 ± 6.39), (42.73 ± 7.95), (11.53 ± 2.39), (101.55 ± 18.15) points of rural elderly (t=2.471-3.495, P <0.05). Conclusions The indoor physical environment, home furniture safety got higher scores, and the scores of ground-channel environment and outdoor activities places were relatively lower. Scores of the safety of living environment in urban are better than in rural. It suggests the elderly living environment need to reduce the incidence of falls.

OBJECTIVE: How to promote the generation of neural stem cells (NSCs) and induce them differentiate into the goal cell type has been the focus of neuroscience. In this article, we review the adjustment of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) to the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs. DATA SOURCES: A computer-based online search of Medline database was undertaken to identify the related articles published in English from January 1998 to March 2006 by using the keywords of "bFGF, EGF, nerve stem cells". At the same time, Chinese relevant articles were searched in China National Knowledge Infrastruction published between January 2000 and March 2006 with the same keywords in Chinese. STUDY SELECTION: The data were selected firstly to look over the citations of every literature. Inclusive criteria: Articles related to the effect of bFGF and EGF on the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs. Exclusive criteria: Duplicate research or Meta analysis. DATA EXTRACTION: A total of 78 related articles were collected, of which 32 accorded with the inclusive criteria and 46 with duplicate or old contents literatures were eliminated. Among the 32 literatures, 8 involved in the research status of NSCs, 10 about the effect of bFGF on the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs and the mechanism, 4 involved in the effect of EGF on the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs and the mechanism, respectively, 8 related to the effect of bFGF and EGF together, and 5 related to the comparison of the effect of bFGF and EGF. DATA SYNTHESIS: ①NSCs are self-renewed, and can differentiate into different stem cells and mature tissue cells in different microenvironment. Many cytokines in the microenvironment play essential roles in the differentiation direction of NSCs. ②bFGF has strong improvement effect on the proliferation of NSCs and can activate the potential regeneration capacity of neuronal precursor cell in distinct areas of central nervous system, proliferation and differentiation of cells present bFGF concentration dependent. ③EGF can improve the growth of NSCs, and promote them differentiate into neuron and glial cells; its effect of facilitating cell proliferation also presents concentration dependent. ④To elevate the efficacy of proliferation and differentiation of NSCs, allied application of bFGF and EGF is usual in NSCs culture. ⑤There is not a unified cognition to the effect difference of bFGF and EGF. CONCLUSION: bFGF and EGF have powerful effect to improve the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs; therefore, both of them are important neural somatomedin. Moreover, their effects present concentration dependent.

As a new biomarker and a member of transforming growth factor super family,growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is increased in some pathological situations,and plays a positive role.Increasing evidence from animals and clinical trials has indicated that GDF-15 is a promising biomarker to be used for diagnosis,screening,risk stratification and prognosis evaluation in acute coronary syndrome,heart failure and pulmonary vascular diseases.However,there are still numerous challenges and problems need to be resolved in the future,such as appropriate cut-off value in diagnosis and risk stratification in different cardiovascular diseases,improvement in sensitivity and specificity,and combinational application with other biomarkers.