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To evaluate the power of transvaginal ultrasound cervical length (CL) and fetal fibronectin (fFN) measurement for the prediction of preterm delivery (PTD) in asymptomatic women with risk factors.Between January 2010 and October 2012, 218 women with singleton pregnancies and a high risk for PTD (i.e. prior history of PTD, cervical surgeries, late miscarriages, uterine abnormalities or premature rupture of the membranes) were selected. CL was measured by transvaginal ultrasonography between 14 and 22 weeks, and a CL2.5 cm was considered to be short. The fFN was measured with a sterile speculum examination. The primary outcome was the spontaneous PTD rate at34(+0) and37(+0) weeks, and the PTD rate was analyzed by either of two methods alone or combined.There were 213 cases included in the analysis, and 47 women (22.1%) had positive fFN. The average CL of women with positive fFN (2.3 ± 0.9 cm) was significantly shorter than that of women with negative fFN (3.1 ± 0.8 cm; p=0.02). There were 25 (11.7%) and 38 (18.8%) cases with PTD at34(+0) and37(+0) weeks, respectively. By individual analyses, the highest PTD rate was 51.2% in women with positive fFN at37(+0) weeks. The sensitivity and diagnostic efficiency values for PTD prediction by CL were low at34(+0) and37(+0) weeks. The values of diagnostic efficiency by fFN were80% at34(+0) and37(+0) weeks. In the combined analysis, the highest PTD rate was 57.1% in women with CL ≤ 2.5 cm and positive fFN at37(+0) weeks. The Kaplan-Meier curve indicated that there were significant differences among the four groups (χ(2)=54.261; p=0.000).These results indicate a significant correlation between fFN and PTD prediction. The PTD prediction could be enhanced by combined CL and fFN measurement.

To explore the relationship of Pi-deficiency syndrome in TCM with the change of serum high density lipoprotein (HDL) in blood lipid metabolic disorder.Sixty-eight patients with confirmed coronary heart disease (CHD) were selected for TCM syndrome typing into Pi-deficiency (PD) group and non-Pi-deficiency (NPD) group. Routine blood lipids and serum lipoprotein electrophoretogram (SLPG) were determined in all patients to analyze the total content of HDL and its relative contents of sub-components HDL(1-5), as well as their relation with PD syndrome. Besides, a healthy control group (62 cases) was set up.The level of serum HDL-C was lowered, SLPG abnormality rate increased in the patients with CHD, with total HDL and the relative contents of subcomponent HDL(1) and HDL(3) significantly lower than those in the healthy control group (P0.01). The total HDL, HDL(1) and HDL(3) in the PD group were also lower than those in the NPD group (P0.05, P0.01).Serum HDL and its sub-components showed a definite relation with TCM PD syndrome type, therefore, further exploring the granular specificity of HDL and its sub-components as well as their influence on reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) may hopefully provide clues for developing RCT regulatory Chinese new drugs and for CHD prevention and treatment.

Dyslipoproteinemia is correlated with the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis and cardiocerebral vascular diseases. The metabolism of serum lipoprotein, however, is a complicated and ordered metabolic process. On one hand, every organ, tissue and even cell of the body participates in and affects the state of serum lipoprotein dynamic balance (SLDB) in different degrees. On the other hand, SLDB is a direct factor for maintaining the normality of whole vascular system, especially the vascular endothelium system. The serum lipoprotein dynamic imbalance, as an inducement or even etiological factor, can bring about various clinical diseases. Therefore, integrated analysis is needed to appropriately assess the state of SLDB. It is suggested that serum lipoprotein dynamic imbalance syndrome should be the key risk factor for those related diseases. Serum lipoprotein electrophoretogram can ideally express the state of SLDB and be taken as a new index for cognizing the serum lipid metabolism and the function of speen-qi to distribute Jing (Essonse) in the integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine. Practice has showed that concrete integration and bilateral development should be one of the main tasks in current researches of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine.