Efficacy of sex hormone-binding globulin on predicting metabolic syndrome in newly diagnosed and untreated patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to investigate the correlation of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and the components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and explore the ability of SHBG to predict MetS in newly diagnosed and untreated patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: Ninety-eight newly diagnosed and untreated patients with PCOS and 37 healthy volunteers were recruited. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to explore the best cutoff values of SHBG for predicting that the patients with PCOS would fulfill at least one abnormal index of MetS components, at least two abnormal indexes of MetS components, or MetS. RESULTS: The numbers of patients with PCOS who fulfilled none, one, or two of the MetS criteria items and MetS were 33, 31, 19, and 15, respectively. SHBG was negatively correlated with BMI (r = - 0.615, P < 0.001), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (r = - 0371, P < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (r = - 0.285, P = 0.004), triglycerides (TG) (r = - 0.431, P < 0.001), fasting serum insulin (I0) (r = - 0.549, P < 0.001), HOMA-IR (r = - 0.557, P < 0.001), and plasma glucose 2 h after glucose load (G120) (r = - 0.337, P < 0.001) and positively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (r = 0.629, P < 0.001) in patients with PCOS. The optimal cutoff value of SHBG for predicting MetS in patients with PCOS was 21.3 nmol/L, with a sensitivity of 100.0% (95% CI 78.0-100.0%) and specificity of 85.12% (95% CI 77.5-90.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Sixty-five patients had varying degrees of metabolic abnormalities, accounting for 66.3% of the patients with PCOS. SHBG was associated with metabolic indexes, including BMI, SBP, DBP, TG, I0, HOMA-IR, G120, and HDL-C, and can therefore be employed as a useful index for MetS prediction.

COVID-19 severity is associated with immunopathology and multi-organ damage

COVID-19 is characterised by dysregulated immune responses, metabolic dysfunction and adverse effects on the function of multiple organs. To understand how host responses contribute to COVID-19 pathophysiology, we used a multi-omics approach to identify molecular markers in peripheral blood and plasma samples that distinguish COVID-19 patients experiencing a range of disease severities. A large number of expressed genes, proteins, metabolites and extracellular RNAs (exRNAs) were identified that exhibited strong associations with various clinical parameters. Multiple sets of tissue-specific proteins and exRNAs varied significantly in both mild and severe patients, indicative of multi-organ damage. The continuous activation of IFN-I signalling and neutrophils, as well as a high level of inflammatory cytokines, were observed in severe disease patients. In contrast, COVID-19 in mild patients was characterised by robust T cell responses. Finally, we show that some of expressed genes, proteins and exRNAs can be used as biomarkers to predict the clinical outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection. These data refine our understanding of the pathophysiology and clinical progress of COVID-19 and will help guide future studies in this area.

Efficacy of Buyang Huanwu Decoction in Treating Ischemic Stroke Recovery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effect and security of Buyang Huanwu decoction in treatment of the ischemic stroke recovery. Methods: We retrieved the relevant articles of random and semi- random control trials in treating ischemic stroke recovery using Buyang Huanwu decoction, published in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the Wanfang Data, the Weipu Information Resources System, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Cochrane Library, PUBMED and MEDLINE from the date of establishment until to March 2018. The quality of studies was evaluated according to the Cochrane Reviewers?? handbook 5.1, and the study was carried out using Cochrane system assessment methods. Statistical analysis was performed with Rev Man 5.3. Results: Altogether 39 studies and 3539 cases of ischemic stroke recovery were enrolled. In terms of clinical efficacy, the difference between Buyang Huanwu Decoction and Western Medicine conventional therapy in the treatment of ischemic stroke was significantly different from that of conventional western medicine therapy [RR =1.26, 95％CI (1.20, 1.31), Z =10.05, P ＜ 0.00001], and the difference between Buyang Huanwu Decoction and other Chinese patent medicines was statistically significant [RR =1.12, 95％CI(1.06, 1.19), Z =3.82, P =0.0001]; neurological deficit NIHSS score [MD =-2.55, 95％CI (-3.10, -2.01), Z =9.20, P ＜ 0.00001]; clinical neurological deficit score (CSS) [MD =-3.85, 95％CI (-5.21, -2.50), Z =5.56, P ＜ 0.00001]; limb motor function score (FMA) [MD =6.10, 95％CI (1.19, 11.01), Z =2.43, P =0.01]; Barthel Index of Daily Living Activity Scale [MD =9.09, 95％CI (6.95, 11.23), Z =8.33, P ＜ 0.00001]; In terms of improving blood rheology index, serum peroxide lipid (LPO), serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and other biochemical indicators, due to the small number of studies, it may have a certain effect. Most studies did not report adverse reactions. Conclusion: Based on the existing clinical evidence, combination of Buyang Huanwu decoction and western medicine has higher clinical efficacy than western medicine alone for the ischemic stroke recovery. Due to the limited methodological quality of the included studies, more high- quality RCTs with large scale are needed to increase the strength of the above evidence.