Endothelin (ET) is an endothelium-derived vasoconstrictive peptide. We have developed a sensitive and selective radioimmunoassay for porcine/human endothelin (ET-1). 126I-labled ET was perpared by lodogen method and was purified by HPLC. Its specific activity was about 64.75 TBq(1750Ci)/mmol. The assay has a detection limit of 0.17pg/tube and the assay range was 0.25-1000pg/tube. The procedure was developed for extraction of endothelin from human plasma using C18 Sep-pak extraction cartridges. Human plasma samples were extracted, assayed and the plasma ET values of 17 healthly volunteers was found to be 2.81 ?0.60pg/ml. Both patients with uraemia(n = 20) and acute myocardial infarction(n= 11) had significantly higher plasma values than normal subjects.

Objective To explore the effects of a new simple device for blood collection by tail snipping in rats so as to provide a safe, practical and repeatable method. Methods The rats were held by simple devices which made from plastic bottles and block and treated by some moderate ways for blood collection. Results The device was easy to be made and handled. 20 rats could have 6 times of blood collec-tion by this device in one day. There was no mouse death and no person injure during the experimental course. Conclusion This device is a safe and ideal equipment for blood collection by tail snipping in rats.

Liver cirrhosis is a pathological stage in which most chronic liver diseases progress to the advanced stages, and the main complications of liver cirrhosis include portal hypertension, gastroesophageal variceal bleeding, and liver cancer. Transient elastography (TE) uses acoustic waves to obtain liver stiffness measurement (LSM) noninvasively and is currently widely used in clinical practice. At present, various studies on LSM and liver cirrhosis and its complications suggest that TE has the ability to identify liver cirrhosis and its complications and can thus reduce unnecessary invasive procedures to a certain degree. This article summarizes and elaborates on the advances in the clinical application of TE in liver cirrhosis and its complications.

Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) is often used for the prevention and treatment of digestive system diseases, and the adverse outcomes caused by the use of PPI are increasingly concerned by scholars. This article elaborates on the association of the complications of liver cirrhosis, such as upper gastrointestinal bleeding, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatocellular carcinoma, and infection, and the change in gut microbiota with the use of PPI, and points out that in clinical practice, it is important to master the medication rules of PPI, understand the risk of complications caused by PPI, and actively improve the complications caused by medication.