Search

Objective. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of antithyroid drugs combined with antioxidant supplementation represented by selenium in the treatment of Graves' disease. Methods. Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched in PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library databases, and the Chinese Medical Association. The search was conducted from the time of library construction to December 20, 2022. Three writers gradually examined, evaluated, and graded the literature and then used RevMan 5.3 to analyze the data and develop conclusions. Results. A total of seven papers were screened according to the search requirements. The results showed that free triiodothyronine (FT3) (WMD = −2.29, 95% CI: −3.55 to −1.02, P = 0.0004), free thyroxine (FT4) (WMD = −0.62, 95% CI: −1.05 to −0.18, P = 0.0005), thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb) (WMD = −1.31, 95% CI: −1.63 to −0.99, P < 0.00001), and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) (WMD = −9.8, 95% CI: −16.57 to −3.03, P = 0.005) in the observation group (selenium supplementation combined with antithyroid drugs) were significantly lower than those in the control group (antithyroid drugs combined with or without placebo). In addition, selenium supplementation can increase serum selenium (WMD = 33.29, 95% CI: 30.7 to 35.87, P < 0.00001), selenoprotein levels (WMD = 1.3, 95% CI: 0.8 to 1.8, P < 0.00001), and blood lipid levels (WMD = 32.3, 95% CI: 17.87 to 46.74, P < 0.0001). It cannot be excluded that the process of selenium supplementation treatment will affect the patient's lipid levels. Conclusion. Selenium is a trace mineral that is crucial for human health. In patients with Graves' disease, the use of antithyroid medications along with selenium supplementation can considerably enhance thyroid function. It has the potential to drastically lower TPOAb and TRAb levels as well as FT3 and FT4 levels, which is crucial for the treatment, recovery, and prognosis of hyperthyroid patients. Further research is required to determine whether the impact of antioxidant supplementation on blood lipids will restrict the use of this medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims. Currently sedation is a common practice in colonoscopy to reduce pain of patients and improve the operator satisfaction, whereas its impact on examination quality, especially adenoma detection rate (ADR) is still controversial. Thus, we aimed to investigate the association of sedation with ADR. Methods. Consecutive patients receiving colonoscopy between January 2017 and January 2020 at the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing, China, were collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were performed to investigate the association between sedation and ADR. Subgroup analysis and propensity score matching (PSM) analysis, as sensitivity analysis, were performed to validate the independent effect. Results. The ADR was significantly higher in cases with sedation (ADR: 36.9% vs. 29.1%, odds ratio [OR]: 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.31–1.55, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that the sedation was an independent factor associated with ADR (OR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.35–1.65, P < 0.001). The effect was consistent in subgroup analyses (P > 0.05) and PSM analysis (ADR: 37.6% vs. 29.1%, OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.33–1.63, P < 0.001). Conclusion. Sedation was associated with a higher polyp and ADR s during colonoscopy, which can promote the quality of colonoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is known and objective: Statins are widely used lipid‐lowering drugs and play an important role in the treatment of many cardiovascular diseases. With the increase in the scope of use and the number of users, peripheral neuropathy caused by statins has been frequently reported. There are no randomized controlled trials comparing the relationship between statins and the risk of peripheral neuropathy. Therefore, we systematically reviewed and meta‐analysed observational studies evaluating the impact of statins on the risk of peripheral neuropathy. Methods: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library databases and Web of Science were used to search the effects of statins on polyneuropathy from inception to 3 December 2020. We included studies that met the following criteria: (i) A randomized controlled trial, prospective or retrospective cohort study examining the relationship between statins and peripheral neuropathy (PN). Exclusion criteria included the following: Reviews and research related to other diseases or subjects; and studies without data on the prevalence of PN were excluded. Newcastle‐Ottawa scale (NOS) was used for quality assessment of included studies. Meta‐analysis was used to estimate the risk of disease. We conducted a subgroup analysis of duration of follow‐up, adjusted (adjusted RR vs. unadjusted RR), sample size, study design and region. Results and discussion: A total of 9 independent studies assessing 150 556 patients were included in this analysis. In this meta‐analysis, we found that there was a nonsignificant increase of PN with statins exposure (RR 1.26, 95% CI (0.92‐1.74)). Our results revealed that there was no significant association between statins exposure and peripheral neuropathy risk. What is new and conclusion: Statins exposure does not influence the risk of developing peripheral neuropathy. The quality of the evidence included in this study is low, but it can provide useful information for clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) is restricted due to its adverse, cardiotoxic side effects, which ultimately result in heart failure. Moreover, there are a limited number of chemical agents for the clinical prevention of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. Based on the theories of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on chronic heart failure (CHF), Shenlijia (SLJ), a new TCM compound, has been developed to fulfill multiple functions, including improving cardiac function and inhibiting cardiac fibrosis. In the present study, the protective effects and molecular mechanisms of SLJ on DOX-induced CHF rats were investigated. The CHF rat model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of DOX for six weeks with the cumulative dose of 15 mg/kg. All rats were then randomly divided into the control, CHF, CHF + SLJ (3.0 g/kg per day), and CHF + captopril (3.8 mg/kg per day) groups and treated for further four weeks. Echocardiography and the assessment of hemodynamic parameters were performed to evaluate heart function. A protein chip was applied to identify proteins with diagnostic values that were differentially expressed following SLJ treatment. The data from these investigations showed that SLJ treatment significantly improved cardiac function by increasing the left ventricular ejection fraction, improving the hemodynamic index, and inhibiting interstitial fibrosis. Protein chip analysis revealed that SLJ upregulated MCP-1, MDC, neuropilin-2, TGF-β3, thrombospondin, TIE-2, EG-VEGF/PK1, and TIMP-1/2/3 expressions and downregulated that of MMP-13. In addition, immunohistochemistry and western blot results further confirmed that SLJ promoted TIMP-1/2/3 and inhibited MMP-13 expression. The results of the present study suggest that SLJ was effective against DOX-induced CHF rats and is related to the improvement of heart function and ultrastructure and the inhibition of myocardial fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Cellular senescence is thought to play a significant role in the onset and development of diabetic nephropathy. The goal of this study was to explore potential biomarkers associated with diabetic glomerulopathy from the perspective of senescence. Methods. Datasets about human glomerular biopsy samples related to diabetic nephropathy were systematically obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Hub senescence-associated genes were investigated by differential gene analysis and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator analysis. Cluster analysis was employed to identify senescence molecular subtypes. A single-cell dataset was used to validate the above findings and further evaluate the senescence environment. The relationship between these genes and the glomerular filtration rate was explored based on the Nephroseq database. These gene expressions have also been explored in various kidney diseases. Results. Twelve representative senescence-associated genes (VEGFA, IQGAP2, JUN, PLAT, ETS2, ANG, MMP14, VEGFC, SERPINE2, CXCR2, PTGES, and EGF) were finally identified. Biological changes in immune inflammatory response, cell cycle regulation, metabolic regulation, and immune microenvironment have been observed across different molecular subtypes. The above results were also validated based on single-cell analysis. Additionally, we also identified several significantly altered cell communication pathways, including COLLAGEN, PTN, LAMININ, SPP1, and VEGF. Finally, almost all these genes could well predict the occurrence of diabetic glomerulopathy based on receiver operating characteristic analysis and are associated with the glomerular filtration rate. These genes are differently expressed in various kidney diseases. Conclusion. The present study identified potential senescence-associated biomarkers and further explored the heterogeneity of diabetic glomerulopathy that might provide new insights into the diagnosis, assessment, management, and personalized treatment of DN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Leptin has an association with male infertility. However, only sporadic studies inconsistently reported the results. Aim and Objective. In this study, we aimed to perform a meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between leptin and male infertility. Methods. This study was performed based on published articles related to leptin and infertile males. PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Ovid + Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Wiley Online Library, Chinese CNKI, Chinese Chong Qing VIP, Chinese Wan Fang, and China Biology Medicine databases were searched to identify all relevant studies. All eligible works of literature were analyzed by the "meta" or "metan" command in STATA version 12.0 software. The standardized mean difference (SMD) of leptin concentration in serum or semen and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for all studies. The heterogeneity was described with I2. The sources of heterogeneity were explored via metaregression, and stratified analyses, sensitivity analyses, and publication bias were performed. Results. Nineteen studies were included in the current meta-analysis, involving 1138 cases of infertile men and 756 controls. The SMD of leptin concentration in serum was 2.002 (95% CI: 1.086, 2.918), Z-test (z) z = 4.29; p < 0.001 , and I2 was 97.3%, p < 0.001. The SMD of leptin concentration in semen was 3.274 (95% CI: 2.137, 4.411), z = 5.64; p < 0.001 , and I2 was 98.2%, p < 0.001. Notably, serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) was slightly higher in infertile men (SMD = 3.695, z = 2.33, p = 0.020 , I2 = 98.8%, p < 0.001). Other hormones, such as luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone, were also slightly higher, but the results were not statistically significant. In addition, sperm count (SMD = −4.533, 95% CI: −6.565, −2.501) and sperm motility (SMD = −7.894, 95% CI: −10.616, −5.172) inversely correlated with leptin levels in infertile males. Sperm abnormal forms did not show a statistically significant SMD of −0.076 (95% CI: −3.410, 3.258). Conclusion. Leptin plays a potential role in association with male infertility. This study may effectively reveal the relationship between leptin together with other hormones and its association with male infertility. These results may also provide opinions on precautionary measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Identifying new markers of juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) is critical event to predict patient stratification and prognosis. The aim of the present study is to analyze alteration of urinary protein expression and screen potential valuable biomarkers in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE). Methods. The urine was collected from the patients with or without JSLE and detected by mass spectrometry to analyze proteomic changes. ELISA was used to verify the Vitronectin (VTN) changes in a new set of patients. The clinical correlation was performed to analyze between VTN and clinical pathological parameters. WB and ELISA were used to analyze VTN-mediated cell pyroptosis. Results. Herein, we have identified a group of 105 differentially expressed proteins with ≥1.3-fold upregulation or ≤0.77-fold downregulation in JSLE patients. These proteins were involved in several important biological processes, including acute phase inflammatory responses, complement activation, hemostasis, and immune system regulation through Gene Ontology and functional enrichment analysis. Interestingly, urinary ephrin type-A receptor 4 (EPHA4) and VTN were significantly reduced in both inactive and active JSLE patients, and VTN treatment in THP-1 derived macrophages led to a significant increased cell pyroptosis by activation of Nod-like receptor family protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes, resulting in caspase-1 activation, cleaved gasdermin D (GSDMD), and IL-18 secretion. Most importantly, the urinary VTN was also linearly correlated with clinical characteristics of JSLE, implying that VTN could be a specific diagnostic biomarker to distinguish inactive and active JSLE. Conclusion. This study provided a novel role of VTN in pyroptosis in JSLE through the urinary proteomic profile for JSLE, which could be a nonintrusive monitoring strategy in clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H9N2 influenza virus has been reported worldwide for several decades, and it has evolved into multiple genotypes among domestic poultry. However, the study involving ecology and evolution of low pathogenic avian influenza virus H9N2 in wild birds in China is limited. Here, we carried out surveillance of avian influenza virus H9N2 in wild birds along with the East Asian–Australian migratory flyway in China in 2017. To estimate the prevalence of H9N2 avian virus in wild birds, information on exposure of wild bird populations to H9N2 viruses using serology, in addition to virology, would greatly improve monitoring capabilities. In this study, we also present serological data of H9N2 among wild birds in China during 2013–2016. We report the identification of poultry‐derived H9N2 isolates from asymptomatic infected multispecies wild birds such as Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Little owl (Athene noctua) and Ring‐necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in North China in June 2017. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that Tianjin H9N2 isolates belong to the G81 and carry internal genes highly homologous to human H10N8 and H7N9. The isolates could directly infect mice without adaptation but were restricted to replicate in the respiratory system. Glycan‐binding preference analyses suggested that the H9N2 isolates have acquired a binding affinity for the human‐like receptor. Notably, results from transmission experiment in guinea pigs and ferrets demonstrated the wild birds‐derived H9N2 influenza virus exhibits efficient transmission phenotypes in mammalian models via respiratory droplets. Our results indicate that the H9N2 AIVs continued to circulate extensively in wild bird populations and migratory birds play an important role in the spread and genetic diversification of H9N2 AIVs. The pandemic potential of H9N2 viruses demonstrated by aerosol transmission in mammalian models via respiratory droplets highlights the importance of monitoring influenza viruses in these hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]