Objective To explore the effects of liraglutide on cardiovascular in obese men without diabetes mellitus.Methods Ten obese men without diabetes mellitus (body mass index (BMI) ＞ 25 kg/m2)were enrolled in this study.All subjects received 6 months treatments of liraglutide.Cardiovascular risk factors were measured at 0 and 6 months after treatment.Results Compared to the baseline,BMI and blood pressure didn't change(P＞0.05).The waist-hip ratio and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in base line were 0.98±0.04,(5.96± 0.4) 6％,significant different from those after treatment (0.94 ± 0.04,(5.45 ± 0.25) ％;t =2.391,4.115;P＜0.05).The high density lipoprotein cholesterol and superoxide dismutase after treatment were (1.24 ±0.15) mmol/L and (92.6±6.1) U/ml,higher than those before treatment ((1.08±0.16) mmol/L,(83.2 ± ±9.2) U/ml;t =2.843,2.490;P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Liraglutide improve body fat distribution and cardiovascular risk factors in obese men.

Objective To examine the clinical effect of simultaneous intervention for heart and lung on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) of stationary phase combined with stable angina pectoris with Qi deficiencyblood stasis-phlegm blockade syndrome.Methods Ninety-six COPD stationary phase combined with stable angina pectoris patients with Qi deficiency-blood stasis-phlegm blockade syndrome were randomized into control group,Juhong [Exocarpium Citri Rubrum] tablet group,the Tongxinluo (通心络) group and the Ju&Tong group,24 cases in each group.The control group was given western medicine routine therapy.In addition to the treatment of the control group,Juhong tablet 3.6 g was given to the Juhong tablet group orally,twice each day;Tongxinluo capsule 1.04 g was given to the Tongxinluo group orally,three times each day;Juhong tablet and Tongxinluo capsule were given to the Ju&Tong group.Each group was treated for 8 weeks.The following intems were compared before and after treatment including the scores of cough,cough up phlegm,dyspnea and St.George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ),anginal attacks,durante dolors,nitroglycerin consumption,pulmonary function [including forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC)],as well as the levels of serum C reactive protein (CRP),interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and interleukin 10 (IL-10).Results After treatment,the scores of cough,cough up phlegm,dyspnea and SGRQ decreased in the Juhong tablet group,the Tongxinluo group and the Ju&Tong group.FEV1 and FVC increased.Anginal attacks,durante dolors,nitroglycerin consumption,as well as the levels of serum CRP,IL-1 βand IL-10 decreased.Moreover,the effect of certain indexes in the Ju&Tong group was superior to those in the Juhong tablet group and the Tongxinluo group (P ＜ 0.05 or P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion Simultaneous intervention for heart and lung might improve clinical symptoms and pulmonary function of COPD stationary phase combined with stable angina pectoris with Qi deficiency-blood stasis-phlegm blockade syndrome patients.Inhibiting chronic persistent inflammation might be one of the important mechanisms.

Objective To examine the interleukin-27 (IL-27) levels in the serum of the patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and healthy controls (HCs) and explore the correlation of the serum IL-27 level with disease severity.Methods Serum concentrations of IL-27 from 39 patients with NMO and 39 HCs were measured by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Mann-Whitney U test was performed to analyze the difference in the IL-27 levels between the NMO group and the HCs.Spearman's rank correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlations of serum IL-27 levels with clinical parameters (EDSS,spinal cord lesion length,annual relapse rate and antibody titers of AQP-4) of NMO.Results The serum IL-27 levels were significantly lower in NMO group than in HCs (P＜0.001).Serum IL-27 levels were negatively correlated with EDSS,total length of spinal cord lesion identified by MRI at the sampling,and the average relapse rate during two-year follow-up (r=-0.439,P=0.010;r=-0.434,P=0.006;r=-0.451,P=0.031).There was no significant correlation between IL-27 levels and antibody titers of AQP-4 (r=-0.027,P=0.871).Multivariate regression analysis showed that serum IL-27 levels were negatively correlated with EDSS (B=-0.025,P=0.023).Conclusion IL-27 may participate in the pathogenic process of NMO and might be a prognosis marker of the disease.

Pu-erh tea has been used for thousands of years to treat metabolic diseases.Recognized in Shen Nong's Herbal Classic,a compendium kept by the first traditional Chinese practitioners,it is still highly valued for its hypocholesterolemic and hypolipidemic effects.This review reports the processing and bioactive components of pu-erh tea.Recent human and animal studies of pu-erh tea and its potential therapeutic mechanisms have also been summarized.The interaction of liver and gut microbiome regulates the pu-erh tea biotransformation and endogenous metabolism,and thus contributes to the health benefits.

To explore the best measurement of waist circumference related with intra-abdominal fat area evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI). Totally 207 participants aged 20-60 years were enrolled. Waist circumference were measured at the levels of navel ( WC1) and the midpoint between costal brim and iliac cest (WC2). Intra-abdominal fat area was evaluated by MRI scan. Intra-abdominal fat area was significantly higher in men than in women [(132. 17 ± 59. 49 vs 70. 56 ± 35. 33)cm2 , P<0. 01]. Pearson correlation analysis showed that WC1 and WC2 were positively correlated with intra-abdominal fat area (r = 0. 779, r = 0. 809, both P<0. 01). Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that WC1 and WC2 were independently associated with intra-abdominal fat area(β=0. 553, R2 =0. 714, P<0. 01; β = 0. 603, R2 = 0. 735, P<0. 01). All of the two different measurements of waist circumference parameters may reflect intra-abdominal fat area, while WC1 seems to be the simpler one.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics, etiological composition, imaging features, and prognosis of adrenal metastases.Methods:This study is a retrospective case series that included 96 patients with pathologically confirmed adrenal metastases who were treated at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, from 2007 to 2017. Clinical features such as sex, age, tumor size, biochemical tests, imaging characteristics, postoperative pathology, treatment methods, and prognosis were collected and analyzed. The prognosis of patients and its influencing factors were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curve and single-factor Cox risk proportional model.Results:Among the 96 included patients, 64 were male and 32 were female, with a median age of 60 years. There were 89 cases of unilateral adrenal metastases, five cases of bilateral metastases, and two cases with unspecified laterality. The median diameter of the metastases was 3.5 cm×2.9 cm, with an average CT value of 31 HU. Thirty-four cases of adrenal hormones were evaluated, and no abnormality was found.The primary tumor sites were as follows: lung ( n=36), kidney ( n=19), liver ( n=12), pancreas ( n=7), rectum ( n=3), stomach ( n=2), and one case each of tumor in the esophagus, skin, thyroid, left maxillary muscle, breast, bladder, cervix, chest wall, and gastrointestinal tract. There were three cases with unknown primary tumors. The most common pathological type was lung adenocarcinoma (20.8%, 20/96), followed by hepatocellular carcinoma (9.4%, 9/96) and high-grade invasive urothelial carcinoma of the kidney (8.3%, 8/96). Thirty-nine cases were diagnosed concurrently with the primary tumor, while 37 cases were diagnosed after the primary tumor, with a median interval of 15 months (range: 2-144 months). There was no significant correlation between the death risk of adrenal metastatic tumor patients and gender, age, and the size of the metastatic tumor (all P>0.05). There were 4 patients with radiotherapy and chemotherapy alone, 19 patients with surgery alone, and 6 patients with combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The median overall survival was 1, 3, and 7 years, respectively. Conclusions:Adrenal metastases were mostly diagnosed at the same time as the primary tumor or within 15 months after the diagnosis of the primary tumor. Unilateral metastasis is common. The lungs are the most common primary lesion, followed by the kidney and liver. CT is the preferred method for the diagnosis of adrenal metastases, and the plain CT value is more than 30 HU. The overall prognosis of adrenal metastases is poor. The prognosis was better for patients who underwent surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy than those who received only surgery or radiotherapy and chemotherapy alone.

Objective:To explore the mediating effects of self-control and rumination between neuroticism and insomnia in college students.Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 767 college students from a university in Sichuan province with Chinese big five personality inventory-15, insomnia severity index, ruminative responses scale, and self-control scale.Results:The prevalence of insomnia was 36.6% among college students.The scores of neuroticism (9.63±3.41), rumination (22.27±5.44) and ISI (6.61±4.28) were positively correlated with each other ( r=0.281-0.389, P<0.01), while each of them was negatively correlated ( r=-0.453--0.194, all P<0.01) with self-control (60.71±9.41). Analysis of mediating effects revealed that neuroticism not only directly affected insomnia, but also indirectly affected insomnia through the mediating effects of rumination and self-control respectively. Conclusion:Self-control and rumination have mediating effects between neuroticism and insomnia in college students.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are the second and third most common causes of death by cancer, respectively. The etiologies of the two cancers are either infectious insult or due to chronic use of alcohol, smoking, diet, obesity and diabetes. Pathological changes in the composition of the gut microbiota that lead to intestinal inflammation are a common factor for both HCC and CRC. However, the gut microbiota of the cancer patient evolves with disease pathogenesis in unique ways that are affected by etiologies and environmental factors. In this review, we examine the changes that occur in the composition of the gut microbiota across the stages of the HCC and CRC. Based on the idea that the gut microbiota are an additional "lifeline" and contribute to the tumor microenvironment, we can observe from previously published literature how the microbiota can cause a shift in the balance from normal → inflammation → diminished inflammation from early to later disease stages. This pattern leads to the hypothesis that tumor survival depends on a less pro-inflammatory tumor microenvironment. The differences observed in the gut microbiota composition between different disease etiologies as well as between HCC and CRC suggest that the tumor microenvironment is unique for each case.

The gut microbiota is profoundly involved in glucose and lipid metabolism, in part by regulating bile acid (BA) metabolism and affecting multiple BA-receptor signaling pathways. BAs are synthesized in the liver by multi-step reactions catalyzed via two distinct routes, the classical pathway (producing the 12α-hydroxylated primary BA, cholic acid), and the alternative pathway (producing the non-12α-hydroxylated primary BA, chenodeoxycholic acid). BA synthesis and excretion is a major pathway of cholesterol and lipid catabolism, and thus, is implicated in a variety of metabolic diseases including obesity, insulin resistance, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Additionally, both oxysterols and BAs function as signaling molecules that activate multiple nuclear and membrane receptor-mediated signaling pathways in various tissues, regulating glucose, lipid homeostasis, inflammation, and energy expenditure. Modulating BA synthesis and composition to regulate BA signaling is an interesting and novel direction for developing therapies for metabolic disease. In this review, we summarize the most recent findings on the role of BA synthetic pathways, with a focus on the role of the alternative pathway, which has been under-investigated, in treating hyperglycemia and fatty liver disease. We also discuss future perspectives to develop promising pharmacological strategies targeting the alternative BA synthetic pathway for the treatment of metabolic diseases.

Calorie restriction (CR) is a dietary regimen that reduces calorie intake without incurring malnutrition or a reduction in essential nutrients. It has long been recognized as a natural strategy for promoting health, extending longevity, and prevents the development of metabolic and age-related diseases. In the present review, we focus on the general effect of CR on gut microbiota composition and global metabolism. We also propose mechanisms for its beneficial effect. Results showed that probiotic and butyrate-producing microbes increased their relative abundance, whereas proinflammatory strains exhibited suppressed relative abundance following CR. Analyses of the gut microbial and host metabolisms revealed that most host microbial co-metabolites were changed due to CR. Examples of dramatic CR-induced changes in host metabolism included a decrease in the rate of lipid biosynthesis and an increase in the rates of fatty acid catabolism, β-oxidation, glycogenolysis, and gluconeogenesis. The observed phenotypes and the further verification of the direct link between gut microbiota and metabolome may benefit patients that are at risk for developing metabolic disease. Thus, improved gut microbiota composition and metabolome are potential biomarkers for determining the effectiveness of dietary interventions for age-related and metabolic diseases.
Animals ; Bacteroides ; Bacteroidetes ; Caloric Restriction ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; microbiology ; Humans ; Metabolic Diseases ; microbiology ; Metabolome