This paper made some reflections on the development of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) nephrology in recent years. It analyzed the strategic position and importance of social development in the field of prevention and treatment of diseases by TCM. Problems and puzzles on this subject had been summarized and countermeasures had been put forward. Preliminary conceptions on development strategies, goals and direction of TCM nephrology had been made.

sham (P

Liver fibrosis can be classified as a wound-healing response to a variety of chronic stimuli,and is characterized by an excessive deposition of extracellular matrix(ECM)proteins.Hepatic stellate cells(HSCs)are presently regarded as one of the key cell types involved in the progression of liver fibrosis.Following a fibrogenic stimulus,HSC changes from a quiescent to an activated,collagen-producing cell.Each cellular response to extracelluar stimuli must be framed in a scenario.Along these lines,the identification and characterization of intracellular signaling pathways activated by different stimuli in HSCs represent a mandatory step.Drug targets which aim at the extra-cellular signals or intra-cellular cascades are required for ameliorating liver fibrosis.

Hepatic fibrosis is a pathological process in which excessive deposition of extracellular matrix components, occurs due to an imbalance between the production and degradation of matrix. Fibrosis is the hallmark of most chronic liver diseases. It is also the major factor of the development of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. Therefore, in light of the regulative factors on different levels and mechanism of fiber synthesis and degradation, antifibrotic medicine can inhibit the synthesis of matrix or increase its degradation on different links. The present situation concerning the study of the therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine and natural medicine on hepatic fibrosis is reviewed.

Based on the "Grayscales average distribution" method which equally distributes the input gray levels to output gray levels, three improved methods named: "Reduce the gray range expressed by the less significant subfields", "Low levels preset" and "Modify the exponent of inverse-gamma function" are proposed in this paper. Using these methods, the inverse-gamma relation subfields code can be obtained easily which can improve the low level expressions of AC-PDP. And a program, "gray scales distribution validate program", which can enhance the expressions of the demanded gray levels range, is also proposed in this paper.

Objective: To explore the relationship between CDR1 and CDR2 expression and fluconazole-resistance in clinical Candida albicans strains, so as to explore the mechanism of drug-resistance in Candida albicans. Methods: The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of clinical Candida albicans strains to fluconazole were determined by broth microdilution method. The total RNA of fluconazole-susceptible and fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans strains were extracted, and the expression of the CDR1 and CDR2 genes was examined by real-time RT-PCR. The efflux of Rhodamine 6G was determined in the strains highly expressing CDR1 and CDR2 genes. Results: The incidences of CDR1 and (or) CDR2 overexpression in fluconazole-resistant strains were significantly higher than those in the fluconazole-sensitive stains. The efflux of Rhodamine 6G was significantly increased in the fluconazole-resistant strains when glucose was added, and overexpression of CDR1 and CDR2 were observed in theses strains. Some resistant strains showed no overexpression of CDR1 and CDR2. Conclusion: Fluconazole-resistance in clinical Candida albicans strains is related to the overexpression of ABC transporter proteins. Overexpression of ABC transporters can increase the efflux of drugs and therefore lead to drug-resistance. Other mechanisms may also participate in the development of drug resistance in the clinical Candida albicans strains.

As one of exploratory data analysis method, the clustering analysis can provide technical support for objectivity and standardization ofTCM. This paper dealt with the application of the clustering analysis in the research of Chinese medcine, TCM pattern differentiation and the regularity of TCM herbal formulae. The clustering analysis showed great value on classifying imformation and finding out regularity from data, only if the characteristics of TCM data were considered.

Aluminum is a common metal element,and its nervous toxicity probably has an effect on the learning and memory mechanism. Long-term potentiation (LTP) is an available electrophysiology-model,cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) approach is an important signal transduction pathway of nerve cells,and plays an important role in the process of learning and memory mechanism. Aluminum has some adverse effects on learning and memory through influencing some links,such as neurotransmitter,Ca2 + concentration,protein kinase and so on. According to the recent studies in this field,in electrophysiology and biochemistry,the present paper reviewed the effects of aluminum on the learning and memory mechanism,as well as the role of cAMP/PKA approach.

We have observed the protective effects of indocin (IND), a potent inhibitor of pro-sglandins (PGs), on ototoxicity induced by furosemide (FU) using the synchronous recording technique of endocochlear potential (EP) and auditory action potential(AP) in guinea pigs. The FU group were found to have a mean decrease in EP of 65.1?5.6mV and AP amplitude 91.5?10.2%. In contrast, the animals in the FU+IND group had a much smaller reduction of EP(17.5 ?3.8mV) and AP amplitude(31.1?4.7%). The rate of return in EP and AP was much faster in the FU+IND group as compared with the other group. Our findings suggest that the ototoxicity of FU may be related to the mediation of PGs in the inner ear target tissues. IND can interrupt an increase in endogenous PGs in cochlear tissues triggered by FU injection by inhibiting the biological synthesis of PGs, thus effectively diminishing the ototoxicity induced by FU.