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.

Objectives To investigate the expression of TGF-?receptors and signaling protein SMADs mRNA in psoriatic lesional and nonlesional skin,and to analyze their role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.Methods Expression of TGF-?receptorⅠ,TGF-?receptorⅡmRNA and different SMADs(SMAD2,3,4,6,7)mRNA was investigated by real time PCR method in lesional and nonlesional skin of13psoriatic patients and10normal controls.Results The mRNA expression of TGF-?receptors and all kinds of SMADs was significantly down-regulated in psoriatic lesional skin compared with normal skin con-trols(P0.05).Conclusions There is down-regulated TGF-?pathway in psoriatic lesional skin,which may further indicate that lack of TGF-?mediated growth inhibition might play an important role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

A continuous noninvasive method for blood pressure (BP) estimation by pulse wave transit time (PWTT) is described. A constant linear relation is available between PWTT and BP, but characteristic parameter for the relation is different for different persons. According to hydrostatics, BP in some vessel changes with different body postures. In this paper, the difference, i.e. △BP, between two BP values with different body postures is gained. ECGs and surface pulse waves are also obtained, and then values of PWTT are calculated. Through the A BP and PWTT acquired above, parameter b of BP equation can be determined, and then parameter a is computerized through the measurements and one BP value. Thus a BP equation is got, which can be used to estimate BP values through continuous measurement of PWTT. Compared with the value from invasive BP measurement, the value from this method has an error rate less than 5%. The method is feasible for noninvasive continuous BP monitoring.

This study was aimed to define the scope of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) informatics standards. The basic construction of three-dimensional profiling framework includes TCM business domain, elements of TCM informationization and specificity level. The clinical informatics standards development was stated as an example to demonstrate the application method of this three-dimensional profiling framework.

Androgen has broad biological effects. Androgen and its receptor exist widely in the cardio-cerebrovascular system and play an important protective effect in the multiple aspects of the occurrence and development of ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD). In addition to involving in regulating the risk factors for ICVD, such as atherosclerosis,dyslipidemia, hypertension, coagulation-fibrinolysis abnormalities, obesity, and diabetes, androgen also has neuroprotective effect. This article reviews the protective effect of androgen in ICVD.

Objective:In order to study the immunofunction and cytokine’s role in sIL-2R and TNF? in clinical remission leprosy patients, and get more knowledge of leprosy’s immunopathogenesis.Methods:Serum TNF? and sIL-2R were measured in 62 clinical remission lerosy patients and their 28 direct relatives in Lanxi of Zhejiang Province. Local normal persons were randomly selected as controls.Results:The TNF? in all clinical remission leprosy patients lowered significantly( P

Objective To assess the value of color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) in indicating the recurrence and prognosis of liver cancer.Methods Two hundred and eighty-seven patients with primary liver cancer were enrolled,thirty-seven cases received operations ( 12.9% ).The size,profile,margin,echogen,blood supply of the tumors were observed preoperatively by CDFI. Twenty-eight patients were followed for 0.5 to 5 years.Results Recurrent nodules were seen in 24 cases (85.7%) during five years.Lesions larger than 5 cm recurred much earlier than those less than 5 cm in the diameter of the patients( P

In the perspective of medical ethics,doctor-patient relationship is a particular kind of social relations that contains a combination of factors such as biological,psychological and social basis,including certain moral standards and ethical norms formed.Ethical property is a fundamental property of the doctor-patient relationship.In current medical practice,doctor-patient relationship unprecedented tensions,conflicts between doctors and patients,the frequent occurrence of medical trouble,has become the social factors of disharmony and highly attention.In order to make the medical humanity regression and construct a new doctor-patient relationship reflecting equality and cooperation,with medical ethics as the angle of view,the author the author has discussed and demonstrated how to improve doctor-patient ethics accomplishment,rebuild the doctor-patient relationship of trust,reshape the respect for life and personality of medical humanism spirit,safeguard the equality of the subject position of both doctors and patients,and how to provide humane medical services etc.in order to indicate the direction for the deepening of China's reform of the medical system and provides theoretical support.

Objective To investigate the safe model to prevent and treat complications caused by various artificial liver support system(ALSS).Methods The complications in 191 patients with severe hepatitis during the ALSS(Including plasma exchange、plasma exchange associated with continuous venovenous hemofiltration、plasma exchange associated with hemodiafiltration、plasma exchange associated with plasma absorption、molecular absorbents recycling system) treatment were observed and analyzed. Results During the treatment 287 episodes occurred and the rate of complications was 50.44%(287/569).The clinical manifestation included rash,numbness/tetany,hypotension,blood clotting in the channel,chest distress, disequilibrium syndrome,errhysis on dwell catheter,effusion on dwell catheter.75.61% of these complications was caused by plasma exchange.The rate of complications was the lowest during the treatment of plasma exchange associated with hemodiafiltration.All of these complications got better after prompt sypotomatic therapies were taken.Conclusions Although the rate of complications was high during the treatment of ALSS,all of the complications got better after prompt sypotomatic therapies were taken.This therapeusis must be performed by intensive care.It is more safe than others during the treatment of plasma exchange associated with hemodiafiltration.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of carvedilol treatment for resistant renal parenchymal hypertension.Methods In this multi-center,open label,self-controlled trial,the enrolled resistant renal parenchymal hypertension patients stopped the use of ?-blocker and ?-blocker and took carvedilol 12.5 mg/d as initial dose and tittered to maximal dose of 50mg/d for 8 weeks.Other treatment was unchanged during the period.Results Among 183 patients enrolled,176 patients were followed up for 8 weeks.The systolic/diastolic BP decreased from(164.0?20.8)/(98.7?12.5)mm Hg to(140.0?14.2)/(84.5?24.7)mm Hg(both P