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Aim: To develop a visual prediction model for gestational diabetes (GD) in pregnant women and to establish an effective and practical tool for clinical application. Methods: To establish a prediction model, the modelling set included 1756 women enrolled in the Zunyi birth cohort, the internal validation set included 1234 enrolled women, and pregnant women in the Wuhan cohort were included in the external validation set. We established a demographic–lifestyle factor model (DLFM) and a demographic–lifestyle–environmental pollution factor model (DLEFM) based on whether the women were exposed to environmental pollutants. The least absolute shrinkage and selection lasso–logistic regression analyses were used to identify the independent predictors of GD and construct a nomogram for predicting its occurrence. Results: The DLEFM regression analysis showed that a family history of diabetes (odd ratio [OR] 2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05‐4.71), a history of GD in pregnant women (OR 4.22; 95% CI 1.89‐9.41), being overweight or obese before pregnancy (OR 1.71; 95% CI 1.27‐2.29), a history of hypertension (OR 2.61; 95% CI 1.41‐4.72), sedentary time (h/day) (OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.08‐1.24), monobenzyl phthalate (OR 1.95; 95% CI 1.45‐2.67) and Q4 mono‐ethyl phthalate concentration (OR 1.85; 95% CI 1.26‐2.73) were independent predictors. The area under the receiver operating curves for the internal validation of the DLEFM and the DLFM constructed using these seven factors was 0.827 and 0.783, respectively. The calibration curve of the DLEFM was close to the diagonal line. The DLEFM was thus the more optimal model, and the one which we chose. Conclusions: A nomogram based on preconception factors was constructed to predict the occurrence of GD in the second and third trimesters. It provided an effective tool for the early prediction and timely management of GD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex hormone‐binding globulin, also known as testosterone–estradiol‐binding globulin, is a multifunctional protein synthesised by hepatocytes. Sex hormone‐binding globulin specifically binds and transports sex hormones to regulate plasma bioactive sex hormone levels and affects their bioavailability. As male sex hormone expression is dominated by testosterone, the binding of sex hormone‐binding globulin with testosterone leads to the reduction in bioavailable testosterone, which cannot fulfil its physiological roles, thereby resulting in male infertility, erectile and gonadal dysfunction, prostate cancer and other male reproductive system diseases. Sex hormone‐binding globulin may be involved in the pathogenesis of male reproductive system diseases, seriously affecting the quality of life of men. In this article, we review the association between sex hormone‐binding globulin and male reproductive system diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fatigue is the most common symptom negatively affecting the quality of life of patients with cancer. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the preliminary efficacy and safety of 10.6-μm infrared laser moxibustion for cancer-related fatigue (CRF).Methods: The authors conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial among 78 patients with cancer who were diagnosed with CRF. The group treated with infrared laser moxibustion received 10.6 μm of infrared laser moxibustion on the ST36 (bilateral), CV4, and CV6 acupoints. Each participant received a 20-minute treatment session 3 times per week for 4 weeks. The sham group received the same treatment duration on the same acupoints, but without infrared laser output. The outcome was change in fatigue as measured by the Chinese version of the Brief Fatigue Inventory between groups at week 4 with additional evaluation at week 8 for durability of treatment effects. A mixed effects model was used to evaluate the difference in treatment effect over time.Results: Among those randomized, 61 patients (78%) completed the entire study. At the end of the intervention, the individuals in the group treated with the laser were found to have significantly less fatigue than those in the sham group (3.01 vs 4.40; P = .002). The improvement in fatigue persisted to week 8, favoring the group treated with laser moxibustion (3.03 vs 4.26; P = .006). Laser moxibustion was safe, with 3 cases of mild local erythema that resolved without medical intervention reported.Conclusions: Infrared laser moxibustion appeared to be safe and efficacious for improving CRF in a Chinese patient population. Larger studies in more racial/ethnically diverse populations are needed to confirm the benefit of this technique for fatigue in patients with cancer. Cancer 2016;122:3667-72. © 2016 The Authors. Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Cancer Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]