Liver cirrhosis is the advanced stage of various chronic liver diseases,and its complications include portal hypertension,esophageal and gastric varices,hepatocellular carcinoma,etc. Transient elastography( TE),a noninvasive method for liver stiffness measurement( LSM),has been used widely to detect liver fibrosis qualitatively and quantitatively. Recently,correlations were observed for LSM with liver cirrhosis and its complications. This article reviewed the studies focused on these correlations,as well as the clinical application of TE.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of lipids disorder in patients with diabetes and the relationship of lipids disorder with sex and hypertension.Methods Totally 2 545 diabetic patients were analyzed for their different lipids disorder based on the clinical data.Results In the group of diabetic patients,1 663 cases were found with lipids disorder (65.3%),and females and males with lipids disorder were 69.6% and 61.9% respectively (P

Objective To observe the phosphorylation level and nuclear translocation of signal transducer and activator of transcription factor-3 (STAT3) in hippocampal neurons induced by oxygen and glucose deprivation in vitro and discuss the dynamic changes of STAT3 signal pathway in an in vitro cell model of brain hypoxia and ischemia.Methods Hippocampal neurons from newly born SD rats (within 24 hours from birth) were cultured with DMEM/F12 for nine days,and then were transferred to oxygen and glucose deprivation environment for four hours to establish experimental cell models.The distribution of phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) in the hippocampal neurons in different groups was observed under laser scanning confocal microscope after immunofluorescence staining.Expression intensity of p-STAT3 at different time points after oxygen and glucose deprivation in the hippocampal neurons was detected by Western blotting.Results Expression of p-STAT3 was unobvious in the nucleus of the control group,but it was observed in the nucleus of the model group one hour after modeling,and peaked at three hour.Expression levels of p-STAT3 in the hippocampal neurons at each time point between the two groups showed significant difference (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Oxygen and glucose deprivation induces noticeable up-regulation of p-STAT3 in the hippocampal neuronal nucleus,which indicates the overactivation of signal transduction pathway of STAT3.

AIM: To investigate the effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate(EGCG) on 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion(MPP+)-induced apoptosis in rat pheochromocytoma(PC12) cells and to explore the relationships between its roles of anti-oxidation,intracellular calcium homeostasis and anti-apoptosis.METHODS: Rat PC12 cells were pretreated with vehicle control or EGCG(10,50,and 100 ?mol/L) for 30 min,then cultured with MPP+(900 ?mol/L) for 24 h.The cell viability and apoptosis were monitored by MTT assay and flow cytometry using Annexin V and PI.The activity of intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS),contents of superoxide dismutase(SOD) and malondialdehyde(MDA),cytoplasmic Ca2+ density and apoptotic morphology of mitochondria were examined by fluorescent plate-based assays,confocal microscope,and transmission electron microscope,respectively.RESULTS: MPP+ impaired the PC12 cells in a concentration-dependent pattern and induced apoptosis of the cells(31% versus control).Compared with the control,the cells pretreated with EGCG showed markedly higher rate of viability and lower apoptosis.Meanwhile,EGCG pretreatment significantly increased the SOD activity and decreased the levels of MDA and ROS.Interestingly,EGCG also decreased the concentration of cytoplasmic Ca2+ and improved the morphology of mitochondria.CONCLUSION: EGCG exhibits inhibitory effects on MPP+-induced apoptosis in rat PC12 cells,which is possibly associated with increasing the cell ability of anti-oxidation and decreasing the concentration of cytoplasmic Ca2+.

Objective To investigate the factors affecting the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in Chinese patients with diabetes. Methods Six hundred and fifty four patients with diabetes were examined comprehensively for diabetes complications and cardiovascular risk factors in a metropolitan hospital in Beijing, China. Insulin resistance and secretion were also evaluated by measurement of glucose and insulin levels before and 2h after a meal. Results were analyzed according to patient groups stratified by the number of cardiovascular risk factors coexisting with diabetes. Results Cardiovascular risk factors were common in Chinese diabetic patients. Clustering of three or more of these factors with diabetes occurred greater than that by random one factor alone and was associated with postprandial hyperinsulinemia. Patients with more risk factors were more prone to macrovascular events. Using the commonly adopted lower threshold for diagnosing obesity and central obesity in women, there were more females with multiple risk factors. But the difference disappeared if the same criteria were used for males and females. Even in the presence of diabetes, cardiovascular risk factors were inadequately controlled in most patients. Conclusion The concurrence of diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors which constitute the metabolic syndrome is a common phenomenon in urban Chinese diabetic patients. It is possibly associated with hyperinsulinemia and gender.

Aim To investigate the antagonistic action of EGCG on apoptosis of rat PC12 cell induced by MPP+.Methods PC12 cells were cultured and the apoptosis induced by MPP+(900 ?mol?L-1)was observed.The cells were randomly divided into 6 groups:blank group without any treatment,MPP+ control group,vitamin E group and EGCG groups(10,50,100 ?mol?L-1).After treatment of drugs,cell viability,leakage of LDH,morphological changes of mitochondria and apoptosis were detected by MTT,Hoechst 33342 staining,transmission electron microscope and flow cytometry,respectively.Results After treatment of cultured PC12 cells with MPP+,cell viability was decreased,leakage of LDH and apoptotic rate were increased,and mitochondria swelling,vacuole and cristae breakage were observed.Vitamin E and EGCG en-hanced cell viability,reduced the leakage of LDH and apoptotic rate,and decreased the damage degree of mitochondria.Conclusions EGCG possesses the ability of inhibiting rat PC12 cell apoptosis induced by MPP+,and its protective action may relate to its function of keeping mitochondria integrality.

To evaluate the clinical effect of laser in situ keratomileusis ( LASlK) with the corneal flap created by FEMTO LDV femtosecond laser for myopia.
●METHODS: The corneal flap was created by the FEMTO LDV femtosecond laser, and the thickness of the flap was 110μ m. A total of 143 myopic patients (283 eyes) were treated with the EC5000 - CXlll element laser. The optometry of the eye, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) the thickness of the cornea, and ObscanⅡ were examined before the operation. The thickness of the flap was calculated by measuring the thickness of corneal bed during the operation in 35 eyes. The conditions of the corneal flap, complications, uncorrected visual acuity ( UCVA ), diopter, corneal topography were observed during and after the operation and were checked for 3mo follow-up.
●RESULTS: During the operation, it appeared small flap ( diameter < 5mm ) in 3 eyes, corneal margin incised incompletely in 5 eyes and incision bleeding in 8 eyes. Postoperative subconjunctival hemorrhage appeared in 6 eyes. The thickness of corneal flap in 35 eyes was 108. 75± 8. 52μ m (98-117μ m) and the error was 6. 49±8. 62μ m (3-12μ m). There was no significant difference between the actual flap thickness and the preset flap thickness ( P >0. 05) . The average equivalent spherical refractive was -0. 29± 0. 47 ( - 1. 50 to + 1. 00) DS after the operation for 3mo and the UCVA met or exceeded preoperative BCVA in 251 eyes (88. 7%).
●CONCLUSlON: The operation of myopia by LASlK flap created by FEMTO LDV femtosecond laser has fewer complications, and the effect is definite and safe.

Objective To investigate the application value of virtual touch tissue quantification (VTQ) technique in staging of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods VTQ examination was performed on a random sample of 96 CKD patients at different clinical stages and 45 healthy volunteers (control group). Shear wave velocity (SWV) of renal parenchyma was measured and compared. Correlation between SWV and clinical stage and glomeru-lar filtration rate (GFR) of CKD patients was analyzed. Results The SWV value of renal parenchyma decreased gradually, along with the progression of CKD disease and impairment of renal function. There was no significant difference(P>0.05)between the control group and the CKD1 group ( P=0.061), the CKD2 group and the CKD3 group (P = 0.238), and the CKD4 group and the CKD5 group (P = 0.624). The difference of SWV between the remaining groups was statistically significant(P < 0.05). SWV of renal parenchyma was negatively correlated with CKD stage (r =-0.65, P < 0.001), which means the higher the stage of CKD was associated with the lower the SWV. SWV was positively correlated with GFR (r = 0.73, P < 0.001), which means the lower the GFR was related to the lower the SWV. Conclusion VTQ technique can noninvasively reflect the changes of renal parenchyma elas-ticity and evaluate the impairment of renal function in CKD patients. It can provide a new quantitative evaluation index for the clinical staging of CKD.

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of tuina plus foot bath with Chinese medicine for patients with diabetic foot (DF) in early stage.Methods:A total of 70 patients with early-stage DF were randomly allocated by the random number table into two groups,with 35 cases in each group.Patients in the control group received conventional medication,while patients in the observation group received tuina plus foot bath with Chinese medicine on the basis of conventional medication.The clinical efficacy was compared after 2 courses of treatment.Results:After treatment,intra-group comparisons of ankle-brachial index (ABI) showed statistical significance in both groups (both P＜0.05).The curative rate was 83.3％ in the observation group,with the total effective rate of 96.7％,versus 29.4％ and 76.5％ in the control group,respectively,and the between-group comparisons showed statistical significance (both P＜0.05),indicating a better effect in the observation group.Conclusion:Tuina plus foot bath with Chinese medicine has a good therapeutic effect for DF patients in early stage.

Objective To investigate the incidence of needle stick injuries of nursing students in different stages of clinical practice and occupational protective education to provide evidence for developing education strategies. Methods One hundred and forty-one nursing students were surveyed retrospectively by a self-designed questionnaire. Results A total of 75.9%(107/141) nursing students had been injured in clinical practice. The incidence of needle stick injuries varied in different stages of clinical practice. Compared with the middle and late stage of clinical practice, the incidence of needle stick injuries was highest in the early stage of clinical practice:53.9%(76/141) vs. 38.3%(54/141),7.8%(11/141),and there was significant difference, χ2=216.14, P<0.05.About 64.2%(88/141)-78.0%(110/141) nursing students had not received protective education on the needle stick injuries. Only 48.9%(69/141)-55.3%(78/141) of nursing students were given protective training on needle stick injuries in their practice hospitals. Before clinical practice, 63.1%(89/141) nursing students had not been vaccinated to prevent infective diseases. Conclusions To reduce the incidence of needle stick injuries and related potential risks of infection caused by injuries, it is necessary to strengthen pre-practice education on occupational protection among nursing students. Perfect supervision system should also be established in practice hospitals and clinic wards.