Primary aldosteronism(PA) is one of the most common causes of secondary hypertension,plasma aldosterone concentration(PAC)/plasma renin activity (PRA) ratio is widely used in clinical practice.However,PRA reflects the level of plasma renin indirectly.In recent years,plasma renin concentration (PRC) has been measured by automatic chemiluminescence immunoassay,which is more stable,convenient and with less confounding factors than conventional renin activity.This review briefly introduces methods of examining PRA,PRC and PAC,and compares the value of PAC/PRC ratio with PAC/PRA ratio in PA detection.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the drug-resistance status of clinically isolated Staphylococcus aureus(SAU) and provide scientific evidence for clinically reasonable use of antibiotics.METHODS Retrospective review was adopted to analyze the specimen source and the clinical distribution of 311 SAU strains.BioMerieux VITEK 32 was used to identify SAU.Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by K-B method.RESULTS Isolating rate of meticillin-resistant S.aureus(MRSA) was 48.9%.SAU were resistant to the diverse antibiotics in different degree except for 100% sensitivity to glycopeptide antibiotics.The drug-resistance to antibiotcs in MRSA were all higher than those in meticillin-sensitive S.aureus(MSSA).CONCLUSIONS Monitoring and controlling of antibiotics resistance are effective measures of prevention from nosocomial infections.

AIM: The aim of this work is to investigate the protective effects of Ginsenoside Rb 1(Rb 1) on apoptosis induced by hypoxia /hypoglycemia and reoxygenation in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. METHODS: Apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry; Morphological changes and neuronal necrosis were examined under microscope; The leakage of lactic dehydrogenase(LDH) and the product of nitric oxide(NO) were measured. RESULTS: hypoxia /hypoglycemia cultures for 5 h and reoxygenation induced neuronal apoptosis and necrosis,and significantly increased the leakage of LDH and the product of NO. The effects were enhanced with the extending time of reoxygenation. Rb 1 could significantly decrease the percentage of neuronal apoptosis and necrosis, and reduce the leakage of LDH and the product of NO. CONCLUSION: Rb 1 had an effect of anti-neuronal apoptosis. This effect might be related to the inhibition of the activity of NO synthase and NO production.

AIM: To investigate the effect of Zhongfeng Nao De Ping, a traditional chinese medicine, on the cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats. METHODS: Delayed neuronal death (DND) model was established by bilateral carotid arteries occlusion for l0 min followed by 1 day and 7 days reperfusion. Effects of sodium glutamate, ketamine and Zhongfeng Nao De Ping on DND in the hippocampus was examined by counting neuronal density in CAl Sector, and the contents of Ca 2+ and amino acids in the hippocampus were also measured. RESULTS: The contents of the glutamate and aspartate in the hippocampus were increased significantly at l0 min after transient cerebral ischemia. Sodium glutamate markedly decreased the neuronal density in hippocampal CAl sector, while ketamine and Zhongfeng Nao De Ping increased it significantly in the same sector. The level of Ca 2+ increased on day 1, day 7 after the reperfusion, while Zhongfeng Nao De Ping inhibited the increase in Ca 2+ concentration in hippocampus. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that Zhongfeng Nao De Ping has an effective protection against DND in hippocampus following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in rats.

AIM: To study the effect of Jiunaoning Injection on apoptosis and the changes in cytosolic calcium induced by hypoxia/hypoglycemia in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. METHODS: The apoptosis and the changes in cytosolic calcium were induced by hypoxia and hypoglycemia .Apoptosis was measured via flow cytometry(FCM), and cytosolic calcium was determined by Fluo-3 fluorometry. RESULTS: The hypoxia/hypoglycemia induced apoptosis and increased the cytosolic calcium in SH-SY5Y cells. Jiunaoning Injection inhibited the apoptosis of the SH-SY5Y cells and decreased the concentration of cytosolic free calcium. CONCLUSION: Hypoxia/hypoglycemia induced apoptosis and increase in cytosolic free calcium in SH-SY5Y cells, which were significantly inhibited by Jiunaoning Injection.