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AIM: To assess the causal link between 211 gut microbiota (GM) taxa and dry age-related macular degeneration (dAMD) risk. METHODS: Mendelian randomization using instrumental factors taken from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) were used. Inverse variance weighted (IVW) analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed on the FinnGen project, which included 5095 cases and 222 590 controls. RESULTS: The IVW analysis showed substantial genus- and family-level relationships between GM taxa and dAMD risk. Specifically, the family Peptococcaceae (P=0.03), genus Bilophila (P=3.91×10-3), genus Faecalibacterium (P=6.55×10-3), and genus Roseburia (P=0.04) were linked to a higher risk of developing dAMD, while the genus Candidatus Soleaferrea (P=7.75×10-4), genus Desulfovibrio (P=0.04) and genus Eubacterium ventriosum group (P=0.04) exhibited a protective effect against dAMD. No significant causal relationships were observed at higher taxonomic levels. Additionally, in the reverse IVW analysis, no meaningful causal effects of the 7 GM taxa. CONCLUSION: These findings give support for the gut-retina axis participation in dAMD and shed light on putative underlying processes. Investigations on the connection between GM and dAMD have not yet revealed the underlying mechanism.

Abstract Background Modifying diet is crucial for diabetes and complication management. Numerous studies have shown that adjusting eating habits to align with the circadian rhythm may positively affect metabolic health. However, eating midpoint, eating duration, and their associations with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) are poorly understood. Methods The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013–2020) was examined for information on diabetes and dietary habits. From the beginning and ending times of each meal, we calculated the eating midpoint and eating duration. Urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥ 30 mg/g and/or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)

Abstract The platelet/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (PHR) is a novel inflammatory and hypercoagulability marker that represents the severity of metabolic syndrome. Liver metabolic syndrome is manifested by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is associated with inflammation and hypercoagulability. This cross-sectional investigation aimed to identify the relationship between PHR and NAFLD. Participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017–2020 were evaluated for hepatic steatosis and fibrosis using vibration-controlled transient elastography. The PHR was calculated as the ratio of platelets to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Increased PHR was associated with an increased incidence of NAFLD and hepatic fibrosis. Compared with patients in the first PHR quartile, after adjustment for clinical variables, the corresponding odds ratio (OR) for NAFLD in the fourth quartile was 2.36 (95% CI, 1.76 to 3.18) (p 0.05). Furthermore, restricted cubic spline analyses showed an S-shaped association between PHR and NAFLD and an L-shaped relationship between PHR and hepatic fibrosis. The results support the effectiveness of PHR as a marker for NAFLD and hepatic fibrosis. Therefore, interventions to improve the PHR may be of benefit in reducing the incidence of both hepatic steatosis and fibrosis.

Background. Premature infants often undergo painful procedures and consequently experience repeated procedural neonatal pain. This can elicit hyperalgesia and cognitive impairment in adulthood. Treatments for neonatal pain are limited. Orientin is a flavonoid C-glycoside that has repeatedly been shown to have pharmacological effects in the past decades. The aim of this study was to systematically explore the effect of orientin on repeated procedural neonatal pain using network pharmacology, molecular docking analysis, and experimental validation. Methods. Several compound-protein databases and disease-protein databases were employed to identify proteins that were both predicted targets of orientin and involved in neonatal pain. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed, and Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed to explore the potential mechanism of action. Molecular docking analysis was employed to calculate the binding energy and visualize the interactions between orientin and potential target proteins. Finally, a mouse model of repeated procedural neonatal pain was established and orientin was administered for 6 days. The mechanical and thermal pain thresholds were assessed in neonates and adult mice. A Morris water maze was employed to investigate cognitive impairment in adult mice. Results. A total of 286 proteins that were both predicted targets of orientin and involved in neonatal pain were identified. The hub proteins were SRC, HSP90AA1, MAPK1, RHOA, EGFR, AKT1, PTPN11, ESR1, RXRA, and HRAS. GO analysis indicated that the primary biological process (BP), molecular function (MF), and cellular component (CC) were protein phosphorylation, protein kinase activity, and vesicle lumen, respectively. KEGG analysis revealed that the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway may be the key to the mechanism of action. Molecular docking analysis showed the high binding affinities of orientin for MAPK1, MAPK8, and MAPK14. In mice, orientin inhibited the hyperalgesia in the pain threshold tests in neonates and adult mice and cognitive impairment in adult mice. Immunofluorescence showed that phosphorylated MAPK1 (p-ERK) protein levels in the hippocampus and spinal dorsal horn were downregulated by orientin. Conclusion. The findings suggested that orientin alleviates neonatal pain, and the MAPK signaling pathway is involved.

To solve the sparse channel estimation problem in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) systems, this paper presents a pilot design algorithm based on multi-pilot parallel searching and binary coding. Under the Mutual Incoherence Property (MIP), we consider the deterministic pilot design problem by minimizing the coherence of the dictionary matrix. The pilot is also required to be placed within the effective subcarrier range for more practical purposes. In this scheme, the pilot set is binary coded. In each iteration, the sequence of the binary code segment is recombined to update the approximately optimal pilot position. The update of some coding segments can change multiple pilot positions at the same time. It can increase the diversity of pilots, and reduce the complexity of computation. Experimental results show that, compared with the existing pilot optimization methods, this algorithm can find a smaller MIP measurement matrix. Therefore, the corresponding pilot mode can significantly improve the performance of channel estimation.

Abstract Background Plasma 1,5-anhydro-d-glucitol (1,5-AG) may be a easily accessible marker for glycemic variability under mild-to-moderate hyperglycemia. The present study was to investigate the association of 1,5-AG with peripheral nerve function and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in patients with T2D and mild-to-moderate hyperglycemia. Methods We recruited 574 T2D patients with mild-to-moderate hyperglycemia (HbA1c

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by elevated fasting glucagon and impaired suppression of postprandial glucagon secretion, which may participate in diabetic complications. Therefore, we investigated the associations of plasma glucagon with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), albuminuria and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in T2DM patients. Methods Fasting glucagon and postchallenge glucagon (assessed by area under the glucagon curve [AUCgla]) levels were determined during oral glucose tolerance tests. Patients with an eGFR

BackgroundSodium is a critically important component of bones, and hyponatremia has firmly been established as a risk factor associated with the incidence of fragility fractures. However, researches have also revealed that lower serum sodium are linked to reductions in muscle mass and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease even when these levels are within the normal range. Accordingly, this study was developed to examine the relationships between normal serum sodium concentrations and bone turnover in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).MethodsPatients with T2D were enrolled in the present study from January 2021 to April 2022. All patients underwent analyses of serum sodium levels, oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT), bone turnover markers (BTMs), and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning. BTMs included bone formation markers osteocalcin (OC) and N-terminal propeptide of type-I procollagen (PINP), and bone resorption marker C-terminal telopeptide (CTx). Patients were stratified into three subgroups based on the tertiles of their serum sodium concentrations.ResultsIn total, 372 patients with T2D and sodium levels in the normal range were enrolled in this study. Serum OC and PINP levels were increased from subgroup with the low sodium tertile to that with the high sodium tertile (p for trend < 0.05), whereas CTx level was comparable among the subgroups. A positive correlation was detected between serum sodium levels and both lnOC (r = 0.210, p < 0.001) and lnPINP (r = 0.196, p < 0.001), with these relationships remaining significant even following adjustment for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and HbA1c. Only after adjusting for these four factors a positive correlation was detected between serum sodium levels and CTx levels (r = 0.108, p < 0.05). Linear regression analyses revealed that following adjustment for potential covariates, serum sodium level was and positively significantly associated with lnOC level (β = 0.134, t = 2.281, p < 0.05) and PINP level (β = 0.179, t = 3.023, p < 0.01).ConclusionThese results highlight a significant association between low-normal serum sodium levels and low bone turnover.

BackgroundDyslipidemia is a well-recognized risk factor for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Growing evidences have shown that compared with the traditional lipid parameters, some lipid ratios may provide additional information of lipid metabolism. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate which lipid index was most related to DKD.MethodsThis study was a cross-sectional study that enrolled patients with T2D from January 2021 to October 2021. Each participant was screened for DKD, and the diagnostic criterion for DKD is estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 or urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥ 30 mg/g for 3 months. Fasting blood was collected to determine lipid profiles by an automatic biochemical analyzer, and lipid ratios were calculated based on corresponding lipid parameters. Spearman’s correlation analyses were conducted to assess the correlations between lipid indices and kidney injury indices, and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between lipid indices and the risk of DKD.ResultsA total of 936 patients with T2D were enrolled in the study, 144 (15.38%) of whom had DKD. The LDL-C/Apo B ratios were positively correlated with eGFR (r = 0.146, p < 0.05) and inversely correlated to cystatin C and UACR (r = -0.237 and -0.120, both p < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression demonstrated that even after adjusting for other clinical covariates, the LDL-C/Apo B ratios were negatively related to DKD, and the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 0.481 (0.275–0.843). Furthermore, subgroup analyses revealed that compared with patients with normal lipid profiles and a high LDL-C/Apo B ratio, the odds ratio of DKD in patients with normal lipid metabolism and a low LDL-C/Apo B ratio was 2.205 (1.136-4.280) after adjusting for other clinical covariates.ConclusionIn patients with T2D, the LDL-c/Apo B ratio was most closely associated with DKD among various lipid indices, and a lower LDL-C/Apo B ratio was associated with increased risks of DKD among patients with T2D.

Objective To investigate the expression of HIF-1 α, PAR-1 and VEGF in breast cancer tissues from patients with type 2 diabetes and the effect of hypoxia microenvironment on the invasion and proliferation of human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Methods Thirty-seven specimens of breast cancer from patients with complicated with type 2 diabetes mellitus were examined by surgical resection. The expression of HIF-1α, PAR-1, VEGF and microvessel density (MVD) in breast cancer and paracancerous tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry. MCF-7 cells were divided into control group (5.6 mmol/L glucose), high glucose group (30 mmol/L glucose), hypoxia group (1% O2 5% CO2 94% N2) and high glucose plus hypoxia group. The cell morphology was observed by microscoped, the cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 method, the invasive ability of cells was detected by Transwell chamber test, and the expression of HIF-1α, PAR-1, VEGF mRNA and protein were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot. Results The expression of HIF-1α, PAR-1, VEGF and MVD count in breast cancer tissues were higher than those in periaracancerous tissues(P＜0.05); the number of cells passing through the basement membrane and the cell survival rate of MCF-7 in the high glucose hypoxia group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P＜0.01); and the expressions of HIF-1α, PAR-1, VEGF mRNA and protein in the hypoxia group and hypoxia high glucose group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05). Conclusions Hypoxia and high glucose can promote the proliferation and invasion and the expression of HIF-1α, PAR-1, VEGF of MCF-7 cells, which is a potential target for clinical detection and treatment of breast cancer of patients with type 2 diabetes.

BackgroundDyslipidemia may contribute to low bone turnover in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) through mediating oxidative stress and atherosclerosis. The low-density lipoprotein cholesterol/apoprotein B (LDL-C/Apo B) ratio is a surrogate marker of small and density low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (sd-LDL-C), a most harmful group of LDL-Cs. The present study aimed to investigate the association between the LDL-C/Apo B ratio and bone turnover in patients with T2D.MethodsThis study was a cross-sectional study enrolled patients with T2D from January 2021 to December 2021. Each participant was assessed for lipid profiles, bone turnover markers (BTMs), lumbar spine (L1-L4) and hip dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans. Osteoporosis was diagnosed as a T-score lower than or equal to -2.5 at the spine or hip.ResultsA total of 335 patients with T2D were enrolled in the study, and the LDL-C/Apo B ratio ranged from 0.78 to 4.00. Along with the LDL-C/Apo B ratio tertile ascending, osteocalcin (OC), C-terminal telopeptide (CTx) and N-terminal propeptide of type-I procollagen (PINP) levels gradually increased (all p < 0.05). There were no differences in lumbar spine and hip T-score, proportion of osteoporosis (all p > 0.05) among the three subgroups. The LDL-C/Apo B ratio was positively correlated with lnOC (r = 0.244, p < 0.001), lnCTx (r = 0.226, p < 0.01) and lnPINP (r = 0.211, p < 0.001). These significant positive correlations persisted even when divided into male and female subgroups. Furthermore, three multiple linear regression analyses were constructed to investigate the independent association of the LDL-C/Apo B ratio with the BTMs levels. After adjusting for other clinical parameters, the LDL-C/Apo B ratio was still significantly associated with OC level (β = 0.199, t = 3.348, p < 0.01), CTx level (β = 0.238, t = 4.084, p < 0.001) and PINP level (β = 0.162, t = 2.741, p < 0.01).ConclusionThe LDL-C/Apo B ratio was significantly and positively associated with BTMs in patients with T2D. In clinical practice, more attention should be paid to the patients with T2D whose LDL-C/Apo B ratio is relatively low for the purpose of maintaining bone health.

Constituitively active CRISPR systems have the risk of adverse off-target effects. Here the authors use chemical masking and activation of gRNA to control activity.

Lipid metabolic dysregulation and liver inflammation have been reported to be associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Hepatitis B virus x protein (HBx) is a risk factor for NASH. Based on metabolomic and transcriptomic screens and public database analysis, we found that HBx-expressing hepatocyte-derived prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) induced macrophage polarization imbalance via prostaglandin E2 receptor 4 (EP4) through in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models. Here, we revealed that the M1-type polarization of macrophages induced by endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductase-1-like protein α (ERO1α)-dependent endoplasmic reticulum stress was associated with the HBx-related hepatic NASH phenotype. Mechanistically, HBx promoted Niemann–Pick type C1 (NPC1)/oxysterol-binding protein-related protein 5 (ORP5)-mediated cholesterol transport from the lysosome to the endoplasmic reticulum via mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation. This study provides a novel basis for screening potential biomarkers in the macrophage mTOR–cholesterol homeostasis–polarization regulatory signaling pathway and evaluating targeted interventions for HBx-associated NASH.

Synergic catalytic effect between active sites and supports greatly determines the catalytic activity for the aerobic oxidative desulfurization of fuel oils. In this work, Ni-doped Co-based bimetallic metalorganic framework (CoNi-MOF) is fabricated to disperse N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI), in which the whole catalyst provides plentiful synergic catalytic effect to improve the performance of oxidative desulfurization (ODS). As a bimetallic MOF, the second metal Ni doping results in the flower-like morphology and the modification of electronic properties, which ensure the exposure of NHPI and strengthen the synergistic effect of the overall catalyst. Compared with the monometallic Co-MOF and naked NHPI, the NHPI@CoNi-MOF triggers the efficient activation of molecular oxygen and improves the ODS performance without an initiator. The sulfur removal of dibenzothiophene-based model oil reaches 96.4% over the NHPI@CoNi-MOF catalyst in 8 h of reaction. Furthermore, the catalytic product of this aerobic ODS reaction is sulfone, which is adsorbed on the catalyst surface due to the difference in polarity. This work provides new insight and strategy for the design of a strong synergic catalytic effect between NHPI and bimetallic supports toward high-activity aerobic ODS materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) systems have been established as valuable genome‐editing tools. Controlling CRISPR systems has high biological significance and this field has garnered intense interest. There is a considerable need for simple approaches with no need for protein engineering. The CRISPR systems usually require a guide RNA (gRNA) moiety to recruit and direct the nuclease complexes. In this respect, the ninhydrin (1,2,3‐indantrione monohydrate) seems to have considerable potential, as yet unexploited, for modifying gRNA. In this study, ninhydrin chemistry is explored for reversible postsynthetic modification of gRNA molecules. It is further shown that ninhydrin chemistry is efficient in modulating two important CRISPR systems. Thus, ninhydrin chemistry exhibits potential applications in future chemical biology studies.

Abstract Background Diabetic complications may be associated with impaired time-dependent glycemic control. Therefore, long-term glycemic variability, assessed by variations in haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), may be a potential risk factor for microvascular complications, such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). We investigated the association of HbA1c variability with DPN in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 563 type 2 diabetic patients who had been screened for DPN and undergone quarterly HbA1c measurements during the year preceding enrolment were recruited. DPN was confirmed in patients displaying both clinical manifestations of neuropathy and abnormalities in a nerve conduction evaluation. HbA1c variability was assessed by the coefficient of variation of HbA1c (CV-HbA1c), and the mean of HbA1c (M-HbA1c) was calculated. In addition, medical history and clinical data were collected. Results Among the recruited patients, 18.1% (n = 102) were found to have DPN, and these patients also presented with a higher CV-HbA1c than the patients without DPN (p

Similar to estrogens, bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) promotes the accumulation of more metabolically active subcutaneous fat and reduction of visceral fat. However, whether there is a cross-talk between BMP4 and estrogen signaling remained unknown. Herein, we found that BMP4 deficiency in white adipose tissue (WAT) increased the estrogen receptor α (ERα) level and its signaling, which prevented adult female mice from developing high fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and insulin resistance; estrogens depletion up regulated BMP4 expression to overcome overt adiposity and impaired insulin sensitivity with aging, and failure of BMP4 regulation due to genetic knockout led to more fat gain in aged female mice. This mutual regulation between BMP4 and estrogen/ERα signaling may also happen in adipose tissue of women, since the BMP4 level significantly increased after menopause, and was inversely correlated with body mass index (BMI). These findings suggest a counterbalance between BMP4 and estrogen/ERα signaling in the regulation of adiposity and relative metabolism in females.

Ligustrazine (2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine) is a major active ingredient of the Szechwan lovage rhizome and is extensively used in treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular disease. The mechanism of action of ligustrazine use against ischemic cerebrovascular diseases remains unclear at present. This study summarizes its protective effect, the optimum time window of administration, and the most effective mode of administration for clinical treatment of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. We examine the effects of ligustrazine on suppressing excitatory amino acid release, promoting migration, differentiation and proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells. We also looked at its effects on angiogenesis and how it inhibits thrombosis, the inflammatory response, and apoptosis after cerebral ischemia. We consider that ligustrazine gives noticeable protection from cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. The time window of ligustrazine administration is limited. The protective effect and time window of a series of derivative monomers of ligustrazine such as 2-[(1,1-dimethylethyl)oxidoimino]methyl]-3,5,6-trimethylpyrazine, CXC137 and CXC195 after cerebral ischemia were better than ligustrazine.

Prolonged heart rate-corrected QT(QTc) interval is related to ventricular arrhythmia and cardiovascular mortality, with considerably high prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Additionally, long-term glycaemic variability could be a significant risk factor for diabetic complications in addition to chronic hyperglycaemia. We compared the associations of long-term glycaemic variability versus sustained chronic hyperglycaemia with the QTc interval among type 2 diabetes patients.In this cross-sectional study, 2904 type 2 diabetes patients were recruited who had undergone at least four fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-hour postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) measurements (at least once for every 3 months, respectively) during the preceding year. Long-term glycaemic variabilities of FPG and 2-hour PPG were assessed by their standard deviations (SD-FPG and SD-PPG, respectively), and chronic fasting and postprandial hyperglycaemia were assessed by their means (M-FPG and M-PPG, respectively). HbA1c was also determined upon enrolment to assess current overall glycaemic control. QTc interval was estimated from resting 12-lead electrocardiograms, and more than 440 ms was considered abnormally prolonged.Patients with prolonged QTc interval (≥440 ms) had greater M-FPG, M-PPG, SD-PPG and HbA1c than those with normal QTc interval but comparable SD-FPG. QTc interval was correlated with M-FPG, M-PPG, SD-PPG and HbA1c (r = 0.133, 0.153, 0.245 and 0.207, respectively, p = 0.000) but not with SD-FPG (r = 0.024, p = 0.189). After adjusting for metabolic risk factors via multiple linear regression analysis, SD-PPG, M-PPG and HbA1c (t = 12.16, 2.69 and 10.16, respectively, p = 0.000) were the major independent contributors to the increased QTc interval. The proportion of prolonged QTc interval increased significantly from 10.9% to 14.2% to 26.6% for the first (T1) to second (T2) to third (T3) tertiles of SD-PPG. After adjusting via multiple logistic regression analysis, the odd ratios of prolonged QTc interval of the T2 and T3 versus the T1 of SD-PPG were 1.15 (95% CI, 0.82-1.60) and 2.62 (1.92-3.57), respectively.Increased long-term variability of PPG is a strong independent risk factor for prolonged QTc interval in type 2 diabetes patients, in addition to long-term postprandial hyperglycaemia and current HbA1c.

AIM: To analyze and compare the effect of femtosecond laser micro-incision corneal stromal lens excision(SMILE)and excimer laser in situ keratomileusis(LASIK)in the treatment of myopia after operation, to explore the safety, operability and prediction of SMILE. METHODS: In this prospective clinical controlled study, 100 cases(200 eyes)received SMILE and 100 cases(200 eyes)undergone LASI in our hospital in the same period were selected. Uncorrected visual acuity, diopter, corrected visual acuity, slit lamp examination, intraocular pressure and corneal anterior segment OCT, corneal topography(Obscan II)of two groups in 1d, 1wk, 1, 3, 6mo, 1a were compared. Independent samples t test was used for data analysis. RESULTS: 1)Postoperative slit lamp examination: after 1d in SMILE group, there were less eyes had corneal layer between mild cloudy or edema; postoperative 1wk corneal layer disappeared, cornea became clear and transparent. 2)Postoperative vision recovery: 1d after operation, vision recovery in LASIK group was better than that in SMILE group, the difference was statistically significant(PP>0.05). 3)Obscan II examination: graphics in the SMILE group was more regular and placed in the center, no eccentric and irregular graphics, better than that in the LASIK group. 4)Anterior segment OCT examination: postoperative corneal flap in the SMILE group was more uniform and accurate, but it was thin in the center and slightly thick the peripheral part in the LASIK groups. 5)Postoperative visual quality assessment used subjective questionnaire survey. The two groups had statistically significant difference on 4 points and 1 points(PCONCLUSION: SMILE is safe, effective, stable and predictable for the correction of myopia.

The insulin-pancreatic acinar axis may play a major role in pancreatic function. Amylase is an exocrine enzyme that is produced by pancreatic acinar cells, and low serum amylase levels may be associated with endocrine diseases, such as metabolic syndrome and diabetes. We hypothesized that low serum amylase levels may be associated with impaired islet β cell function in type 2 diabetes. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between the serum amylase levels and islet β cell function in patients with early type 2 diabetes.The cross-sectional study recruited 2327 patients with a mean of 1.71±1.62 years since their diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, and all participants were treated with lifestyle intervention alone. Serum amylase levels, the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and metabolic risk factors were examined in all participants. The insulin sensitivity index (Matsuda index, ISIMatsuda) and insulin secretion index (ratio of total area-under-the-insulin-curve to glucose-curve, AUCins/glu) were derived from the OGTT. Integrated islet β cell function was assessed by the Insulin Secretion-Sensitivity Index-2 (ISSI-2) (ISIMatsuda multiplied by AUCins/glu).Serum amylase levels in the normal range were significantly correlated with ISIMatsuda, AUCins/glu and ISSI-2 (r = 0.203, 0.246 and 0.413, respectively, p