This review summarized the biological activities of natural saponins,introduced its action mechanisms,clinical applications and research progresses in cardiovascular system,antitumor,immunological enhancement,blood sugar suppression,contraception,antifugal and insecticide,etc,and prospected its exploitations.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic outlet syndrome can be divided into nervous system type and vascular type according to different compressed structure. Nervous system type has typical clinic manifestations,physical signs,radiological evidence and electromyogram variation. So,there is wide prospect for clinic application about evaluation of compression of nerve in patients with thoracic outlet syndrome by electrophysiological examination.OBJECTIVE: To study diagnostic significance of electrophysiological examination to thoracic outlet syndrome.DESIGN: A completed and randomized research based on patients.SETTING: An electrophysiological department in a municipal hospital.PARTICIPANTS: Twenty patients diagnosed as thoracic outlet syndrome were collected in Neurology and Neurosurgery Department,Hand Surgery Department and Clinic of Dalian Central Hospital from April 1998 to July2002,in which there were 5 males and 15 females,aged 31 -67,average46.0 years,with course of 2 - 7 years,average 4.5 years.METHODS: Nerve conduction velocity,wave amplitude and corresponding muscular needle electrode electromyogram(EMG) of median nerve,ulnar nerve,interior and exterior cutaneous nerve in forearm,suprascapular nerve,axillary nerve,musculocutaneous nerve,radial nerve were tested by keypoint myoelectricity evoked potential equipment made in Denmark.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The results of nerve electrophysiological examination.RESULTS: The type of compression of nerve trunk manifested as slower sensory and motor conduction velocity of nerve dominated by corresponding trunk across axillary section,lower wave amplitude and loss of nerve of corresponding muscle.CONCLUSION: Nerve electrophysiological examination is of important significance to diagnose thoracic outlet syndrome.

Objective:To investigate the curative effects and the economic effects of Alprostadil in Pharmacotherapeutic Schemes for Cerebral Infarction. Methods:118 cases of cerebral infarction, admitted from March 2001 to March 2003, were collected and divided into two groups: Alprostadil was given to group Ⅰ, Alprostadil was not given to group Ⅱ. Data was evaluated using the pharmacoeconomics cost effectiveness analysis. Results: The costs of two groups were 13 826.13 and 7 884.55 yuan respectively. The effective rates of two groups were 92.89% and 80.33% respectively. The cost-effective rates of two groups were 148.70 and 98.15 yuan / per unit of effective. It cost 469.69 yuan for group Ⅰ to increase per unit of effective above group Ⅱ. Conclusion: GroupⅡ had lower cost- effective ratio, and groupⅠ had higher effective rate. If patients care about effectiveness more than cost, it maybe useful to take groupⅠ.

Since the implementation of the Trial Measures of Degrees in Clinical Medicine in 1998,the application for clinical M.D.degree for in-service doctors has been considered as way of continued education for medical practitioners.To guarantee the quality of this education mode,Peking University Health Science Center adopted measures and achieved outcomes that are parallel to that of full-time M.D.programs.-service doctors at,This paper introduces the experience of PUHSC and proposes measures for MD program of in-service doctors in terms of quality control,informatization,etc..

BACKGROUND:Self-assembling short-peptide has been shown to be a kind of hovel nanometer biomaterial.Following culture combined with chondrocytes,self-assembling short-peptide can promote eell marex secretion,cell division and proliferation.and eell phenotype maintenance.For this reason,it has become a candidate for all ideal cell scaffold used for cartilage tissue engineering.OBJECTIVE:To observe the biological characteristics of rabbit articular chondrocytes cultured in three-dimensional nanoscale self-assembling short.peptide KLD-12 hydrogel seaffold.DESIGN.TIME AND SETTING:An observational experiment was performed at the laboratory of Institute for Nanobiomedical Technology and Membrane Biology,Sichuan University between November 2007 and April 2008.MATERIALS:Nanoscale short-peptide KLD-12 with a sequence of Ac-KLDLKLDLKLDL-CONH2 was synthesized by Shanghai Biotech Company,China.METHODS:Chondrocytes were harvested from New Zealand rabbit articular cartilage by enzyme digestion.Following in vitro culture.chondrocytes of passage 3 were inoculated into 4 g/L self-assembling short-peptide KLD-12 solution at a density of 5x 109/L.Peptide gel formation was induced by phosphate buffered saline for three-dimensional culture.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:①Observation of chondrocyte morphology in the short-peptide hydrogel with inverted phase contrast microscope.②Detection of intracellular matrix secretion by toluidine blue staining and immunohistochemistry.③Measurement of mRNA expression levels of aggrccan,type Ⅱ collagen and type Ⅰ collagen in chondrocyte-seeded hydrogels by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.RESULTS:①The viability of chondrocytes digested and isolated from rabbit articular cartilage was over 95%.④Chondrocytes cultured in three-dimensional short-peptide hydrogel maintained their round shape,proliferated actively,and aggregated in clusters.In addition.cartilage lacuna could be seen surrounding the clusters.③Both toluidine blue staining and type Ⅱ collagen immunohistochemistry results were positive.The mRNA expression levels of aggrecan and type Ⅱ collagen were increased with time.④Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results revealed that after 3 weeks of in vitro culture in the short-peptide hydrogel,chondrocytes maintained the capability to secrete aggrecan and to express type Ⅱ collagen.CONCLUSION:Self-assembling short-peptide KLD-12 three-dimensional hydrogel Call well inainrain the normal cellular morphology,function and proliferative capability of chondrocytes

Objective: To investigate the clinical and pathological features of solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm of pancreas with emphasis on its diagnosis and differential diagnosis.Methods:Clinical data,pathological features and immunohistochemical findings were collected and a review of the literature was made,differential diagnosis was discussed in the cases of SPNP. Results:All the 5 patients were females,age from 16 to 65 years(average 32 years),there were no recurrence after tumor resection.The mean diameter of tumors was 8 cm,all encapsulated,and solid with cystic changes.Histological examination showed presence of solid sheets,Psudopapillary with uniform population of cells.The nuclei were oval,round without atypia,and mitotic figures were rare.Psudopapillary structure with fibrovascular core was remarkable.Hemorrhage,foamy cells and cholesterol crystals were often found.Immunohistochemically,5 cases were positive for ?1-ACT and Vimentin,3 cases expressed NSE and Syn,2 cases expressed CgA and CK.All cases were negative for Insulin and EMA.Conclusion:SPNP is a rare pancreatic neoplasm.Histologically,uniform population of cells formed psudopapillary structure with a fibrovascular core,and it is a clinicopathologic entity in young female patients with a benign clinical course.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy and economic effect of Alprostadil in the pharmacotherapeutic scheme for cerebral infarction.Methods:A total of 156 successfully treated cases of cerebral infarction were selected from those admitted from March 2003 to March 2004 and divided into two pharmacotherapeutic groups,with Alprostadil given to Group Ⅰ.The data were evaluated and compared by pharmacoeconomic cost-effect analysis.Results:The costs were $11 271.47 and $8 147.06,and the effectiveness rates were 84.21% and 70.00% respectively in the two groups,with the cost-effect ratios of 133.86 and $114.34 / unit effectiveness.It cost $219.87 for Group Ⅰ to increase a unit of effectiveness over Group Ⅱ.Conclusion:Group Ⅰ had a higher effectiveness rate,while Group Ⅱ a lower cost-effect ratio.

Chinese universities have similar requirement for the Doctor of Science Degree.The evaluation of the quality of doctoral education in basic science is generally based on the publication of SCI papers,which presents problems in addition to its appropriateness.With the development of society and the increasing demand for higher education,we need to explore various ways to promote the quality of doctoral education.

To meet the needs of society,the Academic Degrees Committee of the Chinese State Council set up a Medical Degree in 1998 to train senior clinicians.In order to reveal the influencing factors of the education quality of clinical medicine doctoral programmes,this paper used a questionnaire to evaluate the education experience of clinicians with clinical MD degrees of Peking University Health Science Center.

0.05).The DNA content in samples of ITS group was significantly lower than that of FBS group on day 6(P