Plasma periostin as a biomarker of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes.

INTRODUCTION: Periostin, as an emerging biomarker, is involved in multiple steps in bone metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between periostin levels and bone mineral density as well as bone turnover markers in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional study that included 164 postmenopausal women with T2DM as study subjects and 32 age-matched nondiabetic postmenopausal women with normal bone mineral density (BMD) as healthy control subjects. A total of 164 subjects with T2DM were then divided into three groups according to BMD: the normal BMD group (n = 29), the osteopenia group (n = 70), and the osteoporosis group (n = 65). The clinical data of all subjects along with the relevant biochemical parameter data were collected. Plasma periostin was detected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Plasma periostin levels were significantly increased in T2DM patients with normal BMD compared with healthy controls (p < 0.05). In the diabetic group, plasma periostin levels were significantly elevated with decreased BMD, were positively correlated with osteocalcin levels (r = 0.162, p = 0.039) and were inversely associated with femoral neck BMD (r = - 0.308, p < 0.001) and total femur BMD (r = - 0.295, p < 0.001). In the case of chronic complications, periostin levels were slightly increased in individuals with complications of diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy and fracture (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrated that plasma periostin levels were significantly associated with BMD in patients with T2DM, and periostin might act as a novel biochemical marker of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes.

Therapeutic effects of metformin and clomiphene in combination with lifestyle intervention on infertility in women with obese polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of metformin and clomiphene in combination with lifestyle adjustment on infertility in women with obese polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: A total of 101 infertile women with obese PCOS admitted to our hospital from July 2013 to July 2015 were randomly divided into an observation group (n=51) and a control group (n=50). The control group was treated with metformin plus clomiphene, based on which the observation group was also subjected to lifestyle adjustment. The body weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were measured before and after treatment. The changes of reproductive hormones, ovaries and endometrium were detected, and the rates of menstrual recovery, ovulation and pregnancy were observed. RESULTS: The body weight and BMI of the observation group after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment and of the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in WHR between the two groups. In the observation group, there were significant differences in LH, T, LH/FSH, FINS and TG levels before and after treatment and from those of the control group after treatment (P<0.05). Both the left and right ovarian volumes of the observation group after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment and of the control group after treatment (P<0.05). The menstrual recovery, ovulation and pregnancy rates of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Lifestyle adjustment combined with metformin and clomiphene can improve the reproductive endocrine and lipid metabolism of obese PCOS patients, decrease the volumes of left and right ovaries, and increase the menstrual recovery, ovulation and pregnancy rates.