Body mass index in relation to prostate-specific antigen-related parameters.

BACKGROUND: Only a few previous studies conducted to assess the association between body mass index (BMI) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) related parameters have taken prostate volume (PV) and blood volume (BV) into consideration. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between BMI and parameters of PSA concentrations in Chinese adult men. METHODS: A total of 86,912 men who have received annual physical examination at the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2018 were included in this study. Linear regression models were performed to assess the relationship between BMI, PV, BV and PSA, and analyze the correlation between BMI and PSA, PSA density and PSA mass. RESULTS: The univariable linear regression showed that PV, BV, systolic pressure (SBP), pulse, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and age were significantly associated with PSA level (P < 0.05). The multivariate linear regression demonstrated that PV, BV, FBG and age were significantly associated with PSA level (P < 0.05). WHR and BMI is negatively associated with PSA and PSA density (P < 0.05), and no statistically significant association was found between PSA mass and WHR and (P = 0.268) or BMI (P = 0.608). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this large-sample, hospital-based study in China indicate that PV was positively associated with serum PSA concentrations, while BMI and BV were inversely related with PSA levels. PSA mass can be used to estimate the PSA concentration without being affected by obesity in Chinese men.

Identification of key pathways and genes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease using bioinformatics analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common types of liver disease in the world. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating the development of NAFLD have remained unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the present study, we analyzed two public datasets (GSE48452 and GSE89632) to identify differentially expressed mRNAs in the progression of NAFLD. Next, we performed bioinformatics analysis to explore key pathways underlying NAFLD development. RESULTS: Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly involved in regulating a series of metabolism-related pathways (including proteolysis and lipid metabolism), cell proliferation and adhesion, the inflammatory response, and the immune response. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that DEGs in NAFLD were mainly enriched in the insulin signaling pathway, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway, and p53 signaling pathway. We also constructed protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks for these DEGs. Interestingly, we observed that key hub nodes in PPI networks were also associated with the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our analysis revealed that a series of pathways, such as metabolism and PPAR signaling pathways, were involved in NAFLD development. Moreover, we observed that many DEGs in NAFLD were also dysregulated in HCC. Although further validation is still needed, we believe this study could provide useful information to explore the potential candidate biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and drug targets of NAFLD.

Correlation between serum 25-OH vitamin D expression and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

This study investigated changes in the level of serum 25-OH vitamin D [25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25(OH)D] in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the correlation between the severity of NAFLD and 25(OH)D. A retrospective analysis was performed on 385 NAFLD patients (NAFLD group) admitted to the Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University from January 2015 to December 2017 and 347 healthy people with physical examination (control group). The height and weight of all subjects were measured, and BMI was calculated. Fasting venous blood was extracted for the determination of blood glucose, blood lipid and 25(OH)D. The indicator levels of patients in the two groups were compared and analyzed. Spearman's correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between the severity of NAFLD and the level of 25(OH)D. The levels of BMI, FPG, FPI, HbA1c, TG, TC and LDL-C of patients in the NAFLD group were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05). The level of 25(OH)D in the NAFLD group was lower than that in control group (P<0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between 25(OH)D and the severity of patients in the NAFLD group (r=-0.868, P<0.001). BMI, FPG, FPI, HbA1c, TG, TC and LDL-C were independent risk factors for the low level of 25(OH)D (P<0.05). Lowly expressed in the serum of NAFLD patients, 25(OH)D has a significant negative correlation with the severity of NAFLD, which is of guiding significance for the prevention and treatment. 25(OH)D is a novel biomarker for NAFLD diagnosis and a potential drug target.