The prevalence of diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions worldwide.Elevated glucose levels and associated increases in blood pressure and dyslipidemia lead to long-term complications including cardiovascular disease,diabetic retinopathy,kidney disease,and nervous system damage.These complications are largely responsible for the great increase in morbidity and mortality seen in diabetes.Unfortunately,once established,diabetes is very diffi cult to treat,and it is currently exerting tremendous pressure on healthcare systems worldwide.For these reasons,diabetes prevention has become a key target for clinicians,patients and policymakers,and a number of potential strategies are under study.The purpose of this article is fi rst to discuss the defi ciency of current preventing strategies,and the potential role and the advantages of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) to prevent diabetes.Following that,based on observational studies as well as on prospective trials,and with respect to the prevention and treatment of diabetes,the authors,therefore,suggest that the best way to approach prevention is through lifestyle modification guided by TCM theory.And those interventions should include not only herbs,but acupuncture,massage,food therapy and mind-body exercise,and they must examine cost-effectiveness as well.Future studies should also be designed with using such interventions and should be of suff icient duration to differentiate between genuine diabetes prevention as opposed to simple delay or masking of the disease.

Medical community and pharmaceutical companies are currently facing a dire need for discovery and identification of new druggable targets. However, the discovery of small-molecule target is an important and arduous task for the biological and medical scientists. To overcome the bottlenecks for target validation, many new approaches are being developed, such as chemical proteomics. As a part of proteomics approaches, chemical proteomics employs small-molecule compounds that can specifically interact with the target protein to interfere with and detect proteomics. Therefore, new target identification, drug discovery and research on multi-target-directed drugs will all be benefited from the further advances in chemical proteomics approaches. Chemical proteomics has the potential to greatly enhance the efficiency of the drug discovery process.

Objective To investigate the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of Bartter syndrome in children. Methods Clinical data of 15 patients with Bartter syndrome in Children`s Hospital Afifliated to Chongqing Medical University was analyzed, and pertinent literatures were reviewed. Results Bartter syndrome is an autosomal recessive inherited renal disorder characterized by hypokalemia, hypochloremia, metabolic alkalosis, vomiting, growth retardation, the activation of the renin-aldosterone axis, normal blood pressure. Genetic analysis is the most reliable way for diagnosis. Comprehensive therapy with antisterone, indomethacin, catopril and potassium have remarkable effect. Conclusions Bartter syndrome should be considered when children have unreasonable continuous hypokalemia, hypochloremia, metabolic alkalosis and growth retardation. It can be clinically diagnosed by clinical manifestation and hydrochlorothiazide test, and genetic analysis is the most reliable way. It can be ameliorated by potassium and magnesium supplementation, antialdosterone medications, prostaglandin inhibitors and antisterone. Considering the following electrolyte disturbances, infections, growth retardation, kidney failure and even death,Bartter syndrome need lifelong treatment, early diagnosis and treatment is of the most importance.

Intracellular calcium is one of the crucial signalings that modulate various physiological and pathological processes.Abnormal calcium signaling is closely associated with invasion and migration of neoplasms.Calcium regulates focal adhesion turnover,cytoskeletal reorganization and other processes about tumor cell movement through contacting with multiple downstream proteins,such as calpain,PYK2 and S100 protein family.Several calcium entry channels including store-operated calcium channels and transient receptor potential channels participate in the invasion and migration of tumor cells.Pathological calcium signaling may be a potential target in anti-invasion and anti-migration therapy.

The reversed pH gradient across the cell membrane on account of intracellular alkalinization and extracellular acidosis is an importart characteristic of tumor microenvironment.Sodium hydrogen exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1) is ubiquitously expressed at the plasma membrane of many types of cells,which plays a critical role in intracellular pH and cell volume homeostasis.NHE1 plays an important role in the regulation of tumor microenvironment and involves in tumor migration and invasion,which may be a potential new target in anti-cancer therapy.

Translumbar amputation, also known as hemicorporectomy, is a life-saving procedure for patients with a life-threatening diagnosis but with a normal life expectancy. In the surgical procedure, the pelvis, pelvic contents, lower extremities and external genitalia are removed following transection of the lumbar spine. The operation makes the patient lose the ability of being upright. With the interdisciplinary cooperation of doctors, nurses, prosthetists, psychologists, vocational rehabilitation workers and social rehabilitation workers, the patient can realize most of independent activities of daily living through rehabilitation. The rehabilitation associated with the procedure is reviewed.

One hundred and twenty-eight cases of lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion were randomly divided into treatment group, in which 70 cases were treated with electroacupuncture, TDP plus Tuina, and control group, in which 58 cases were treated with electroacupuncture plus TDP. The curative rate in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group (64.3% vs 31.0%, P＜ 0.01). The total effective rate was 100% in the treatment group, 91.3% in the control group; the effect of the former was better than that of the latter (P＜ 0.05).

Objective To investigate the distribution of the mini mental status examination in the elderly Methods Totally 3 776 residents aged 55 years or over serving as samples in the urban and rural areas of Lhasa city, from August to December in 2001 were studied A residential area and a door to door general sampling procedures were used in this study, respectively Mini mental status examination (MMSE) and a activity of daily living scale (ADL) were used as screening methods for dementia Results The distribution of lower scores in such examination in middle elderly people, in Lhasa city was 7 2%, in which, males were 9 3% and femals, 6 3% Conclusion The results of lower scores in the mini mental status examination were similar to those reporting from inland cities, but there appear some what differences in distributions of ages, educational levels and sexes from Tibetan, which may be due to their special location and living habits

Objective To study the gene mutation in a pedigree with Dowling-Meara type epidermolysis bullosa simplex (DM-EBS). Methods Using the immuno-histochemistory, electron microscopy, PCR-HA and DNA sequencing. Results The cytolysis was observed throughout the lower basal layer, tonofilaments were decreased; using PCR-HA, the K14 gene mutation was detected. By DNA sequencing, we found gene mutation in this pedigree: K14 1A domain: N123R. Conclusion There is K14 1A domain gene mutation in this DM-EBS pedigree.

Objective To analyze genetic types and clinical features with anhi drotic ectodermal dysplasia (EDA). Methods The genetic types and clinical manife stations of 35 patients with EDA in five families were analyzed by genealogical investigation and clinical examination. Results① All patients were males in fam iliesⅠ ,Ⅱ ,Ⅳ andⅤ . The females in these families were recessive carriers. T herefore, the genetic types were X linked EDA. There were 8 males and 6 female s in familyⅢ . The proportion of males to females approximated to 1∶ 1, indica ting autosomal dominant inheritant EDA.② In families with X linked EDA, Types Ⅰ andⅡ were divided according to clinical manifestations of the families. The patients in familiesⅠ andⅣ belonged to typeⅠ , with the characteristics of sp ecial appearances, such as defects in the development of hair and sweat glands, hypophrenia and bad sights. Intelligence and physical development were lower tha n those of general population. However, the patients in familiesⅡ andⅤ belonge d to typeⅡ . It was characterized by sparse hair, hypohidrosis and inborn teeth less or teeth dysplasia. Intelligence and physical development were the same as general population. In the family with autosomal dominant inheritant EDA, patien ts manifested hypohidrosis only, and had no other characteristics.③ Histopathol ogy showed defects in the development of hair follicles and sweat glands in pati ents with X linked EDA, but dysplasia of sweat glands and congenital defect of hair follicles in patients with autosomal dominant inheritant EDA. Conclusion T here are variations in hereditary types and clinical manifestations of patients with EDA.