Objective To evaluate clinical features,insulin sensitivity,and serum adipocytokines levels in pregnant women with different glucose tolerance status and to investigate the possible serum predictive biomarkers of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).Methods We included 74 pregnant women with positive results of 50 g glucose challenge test (GCT),who received regular obstetrical follow-up in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2009 to June 2012.A further 100 g oral glucose tolerance test was performed in 24-28 gestational weeks,based on which the 74 pregnant women were divided into GDM group (n =25),impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) group (n =25) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) group (n =24).The clinical data were recorded in detail.Serum fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-19,FGF-21,visceral adiposespecific serine protease inhibitor (vaspin),leptin,insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1),and adiponectin levels of the 3 groups were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared.The associations of these adipocytokines with the patients' baseline data and metabolic indexes were analyzed.Results The blood glucose after GCT and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c in the GDM group were significantly higher than those in the NGT group [(9.21 ±0.75) mmol/L vs.(8.52 ±0.50) mmol/L,P ＜0.05;(5.39 ± 0.34) ％ vs.(5.18 ± 0.20) ％,P ＜ 0.05],but not significantly different from those in the IGT group [(9.14 ± 0.64) mmol/L,P ＞ 0.05;(5.28 ± 0.28) ％,P ＞ 0.05].Age,systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in the first trimester,pre-gestational body mass index (BMI),increment of BMI during pregnancy,serum total cholesterol,triglyceride,high-density lipoprotein cholesterol,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,and C-reactive protein levels in the three groups showed no significant differences (all P ＞0.05).From the NGT group to the IGT group to the GDM group,the area under curve of blood glucose (AUCBG) [(19.84±1.95),(23.20±1.51),(26.58±2.02) mmol/(L · h)] and AUC of insulin (AUCINS) [(1.84± 0.91) ×103,(1.85 ±1.15) ×103,(2.49 ±1.36) ×103 pmol/(L · h)] both gradually increased.Compared with the NGT group,the GDM group had significantly higher HOMA-IR [3.0 (1.5,5.2) vs.2.5 (1.5,3.4),P ＜0.05] significantly lower HOMA-β [230.5 (144.6,311.6) vs.235.6 (168.1,350.0),P ＜ 0.05].Among the GDM,the IGT,and the NGT groups,there were no significant differences in serum FGF-19 [(284.42±78.16),(268.17 ±72.97),(283.86 ±79.74) ng/L],FGF-21 [(798.16±273.57),(882.43 ±322.17),(842.75 ±343.01) ng/L],vaspin [(22.36 ±7.27),(23.53 ±7.90),(22.63±9.11) μag/L],leptin [(5.51 ± 1.44),(5.58 ± 1.58),(5.48 ± 1.47) μg/L],adiponectin [(798.85 ± 255.14),(863.44 ± 252.18),(828.36 ± 249.32) μg/L] and IGFBP-1 [(40.44 ± 16.41),(49.57±12.60),(43.80±16.58) μg/L] levels (all P＞0.05).Conclusions There are no significant differences of a variety of adipocytokines in pregnant women with different glucose tolerance status,and no effective serum predictors of GDM are found.The effect of adipocytokines in the pathogenesis of GDM remains to be further investigated.

Objective To explore the relationship between glycated albumin ( GA ) in 2 consecutive months and hemoglobin A1c ( HbA1c) in diabetes patients.Methods Totally 100 consecutive patients with main diagnosis of diabetes mellitus were enrolled retrospectively from April 2015 to January 2016 in outpatient clinic of endocrinology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, who had undertaken GA tests every 4 weeks for 2 successive months and had HbA1c test in the second month.GA was measured with liquid enzymatic method. HbA1c was measured by ion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography.The relationship between HbA1c and GA for the 2 successive months was determined.Results A total of 85 patients were enrolled.The regres-sion equation between HbA1c (y) and average GA (j) for successive 2 months was y=3.187+0.218j (adjusted R2 =0.520, P=0.000), which showed a similar effect as the regression equation for HbA1c and the levels of GA tested for the 2 successive months (adjusted R2 =0.514, P=0.000), and both had more significant regressive effect than the regression equation for HbA1c and single measurement of GA (adjusted R2 =0.392, P=0.000). Conclusions The regressive effect between HbA1c and GA (or the average of GA) in successive 2 months is bet-ter than that with single measurement of GA, hence could better predict HbA1c in clinical practice.

Objective To explore the long-term outcome of postpartum glucose metabolism among patients with gestational hyperglycemia and its risk factors.Methods Patients with gestational hyperglycemia,diagnosed by 100 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) during 24th to 28th gestation week between 2010 and 2012 and giving the childbirth in Peking Union Medical College Hospital,were included.The glucose metabolism outcomes were evaluated by 75 g OGTT.The risk factors influencing the glucose metabolism outcome and the glucose metabolism parameter changes between the pregnancy term and now were also analyzed.Results Forty patients with gestational hyperglycemia were included.The follow-up time was postpartum 5-8 years and (6.83±0.74) years on average.Among them,3 patients were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 9 patients were diagnosed with impaired glucose intolerance.The overall rate of abnormal glucose metabolism was 30 percent.The third-hour glucose of OGTT larger than 7.45 mmol/L and the area under the glucose curve (Glu AUC) during OGTT larger than 24.875 mmol×h/L were the risk factors for the abnormal glucose metabolism outcome,with the odds ratio of 5.769 (95％ confidence interval 1.064-31.270,P=0.042) and 12.5 (95％ confidence interval 2.226-70.187,P=0.004).Using the 2-hour glucose larger than 8.25 mmol/L and 3-hour glucose larger than 7.45 mmol/L in the OGTT of midtrimester to judge the glucose state in the follow-up visit can achieve the diagnostic efficacy with the sensitivity of 75％,specificity of 82％,positive prediction value of 64％ and negative prediction value of 88％.Comparing with now,the fasting glucose in the midtrimester was lower ([5.49±0.43] vs.[4.55±0.47] mmol/L,P＜0.001),the fasting insulin in the midtrimester was high-er (12.30 [6.35,16.55] vs.8.31 [6.79,12.00] μIU/ml,P=0.048),HOMA-β in the midtrimester was higher (202.67 [145.71,335.71] vs.85.41 [78.63,112.13],P＜0.001).Conclusion The third-hour glucose larger than 7.45 mmol/L and the glucose area under the curve larger than 24.88 mmol×h/L in the OGTT of midtrimester are the risk factors for the abnormal glucose state in the postpartum long-term follow-up.The combination of the second-hour and the third-hour glucoses in the 100 g OGTT of midtrimester can help to predict the postpartum long-term glucose state.

Mitochondrial dysfunctions play major roles in ageing. How mitochondrial stresses invoke downstream responses and how specificity of the signaling is achieved, however, remains unclear. We have previously discovered that the RNA component of Telomerase TERC is imported into mitochondria, processed to a shorter form TERC-53, and then exported back to the cytosol. Cytosolic TERC-53 levels respond to mitochondrial functions, but have no direct effect on these functions, suggesting that cytosolic TERC-53 functions downstream of mitochondria as a signal of mitochondrial functions. Here, we show that cytosolic TERC-53 plays a regulatory role on cellular senescence and is involved in cognition decline in 10 months old mice, independent of its telomerase function. Manipulation of cytosolic TERC-53 levels affects cellular senescence and cognition decline in 10 months old mouse hippocampi without affecting telomerase activity, and most importantly, affects cellular senescence in terc cells. These findings uncover a senescence-related regulatory pathway with a non-coding RNA as the signal in mammals.