The first complete chloroplast genome of the fern genus Polystichum (Dryopteridaceae).

The first chloroplast genome of the fern genus Polystichum Roth (Dryopteridaceae) is reported here. Polystichum deltodon (Baker) Diels belongs to subgenus Haplopolystichum (Polystichum; Dryopteridaceae), many species of which are endangered or critically endangered species. The complete chloroplast genome of P. deltodon was determined for the first time in this work, which is revealed a circle quadripartite structure of 154,143 bp in length comprising a large single-copy region (LSC) of 86,990 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 21,593 bp and a pair of inverted regions (IRs) of 22,780 bp, respectively. Based on the reported chloroplast genomes of Dryopteridaceae, phylogenetic analyses suggested that P. deltodon was located nearly to the genus Crytomium, which is in agreement with previous systematic research.

[Safety of metformin in the treatment of elderly type 2 diabetes mellitus].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety of metformin in the treatment of elderly type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: Two hundred and forty-three cases of elderly T2DM hospitalized from Jan. 1996 to Dec. 2006 were reviewed; the changes of fasting blood glucose(FBG), postprandial blood glucose (PBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), liver and renal function and blood lactic acid were evaluate before and after treatment. RESULTS: The mean time of treatment with metformin was (6.6 +/- 3.9) years (3 months - 21 years) in these 243 cases. The levels of FBG, PBG and HbA1c significantly reduced after treatment with metformin only in 43 cases (17.7%), metformin combined with other oral hypoglycemic drugs in 124 cases (51.0%) and metformin combined with insulin in 76 cases (31.3%). There was only 18.1% of the cases with normal range (> 80 ml/min) of creatinine clearance rate (Ccr), and 25.8% of the cases with Ccr