Evaluation of D-dimer and prothrombin time in alcohol related liver cirrhosis with comparison of machine learning analyses.

Objectives: Liver cirrhosis (LC) can be caused by obesity, alcohol consumption, viral infection, and autoimmune disease. Early diagnosis and management of LC is important for patient quality of life. Non-invasive diagnostic methods are useful for predicting the current status and mortality risk of LC.

Nutrient-sensing growth hormone secretagogue receptor in macrophage programming and meta-inflammation.

Objective: Obesity-associated chronic inflammation, aka meta-inflammation, is a key pathogenic driver for obesity-associated comorbidity. Growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) is known to mediate the effects of nutrient-sensing hormone ghrelin in food intake and fat deposition. We previously reported that global Ghsr ablation protects against diet-induced inflammation and insulin resistance, but the site(s) of action and mechanism are unknown.

Performance Comparison of Procalcitonin, Delta Neutrophil Index, C-Reactive Protein, and Serum Amyloid A Levels in Patients with Hematologic Diseases.

(1) Background: We compared the diagnostic and prognostic performance of serum amyloid A (SAA), procalcitonin (PCT), delta neutrophil index (DNI), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with hematologic diseases; (2) Methods: We retrospectively collected the remaining serum samples from patients with hematologic diseases, analyzed their clinical data, and measured the levels of PCT, DNI, CRP, and SAA. Performances for infection diagnosis were evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, and 90-day mortality was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier estimation; (3) Results: The levels of all markers were significantly higher in the infected group ( = 27) than those in the uninfected group ( = 100) ( < 0.0001 for all markers).

Roles and correlations of TIM-3 and LAG-3 with cytokines and chemokines in alcoholic liver disease.

Background: Dysregulation of immune checkpoint regulators has been reported in alcoholic liver disease (ALD). This study was designed to assess the serum levels of cytokines and chemokines associated with ALD and uncover the possible disease correlations with the soluble TIM-3 and LAG-3.

Methods: The soluble TIM-3 and LAG-3 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay, and 14 cytokines and chemokines were measured using Luminex-based multiplex assay in 111 male ALD patients and 45 healthy controls (HCs).

Bavachin and Corylifol A Improve Muscle Atrophy by Enhancing Mitochondria Quality Control in Type 2 Diabetic Mice.

Type 2 diabetes reduces muscle mass and function. Chronic inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction play critical roles in muscle atrophy pathogenesis. Here, we investigated the effects of bavachin and corylifol A from L.

Gomisin G improves muscle strength by enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis and function in disuse muscle atrophic mice.

Disuse muscle atrophy is characterized by a decrease in muscle mass and strength and an increase in glycolytic muscle fiber type. Although Schisandra chinensis extract has beneficial effects on muscle atrophy induced by various conditions (e.g.

Attention-Setting and Human Mental Function.

This article provides an introduction to experimental research on top-down human attention in complex scenes, written for cognitive scientists in general. We emphasize the major effects of goals and intention on mental function, measured with behavioral experiments. We describe top-down attention as an open category of mental actions that initiates particular task sets, which are assembled from a wide range of mental processes.

Mechanistic Investigation of GHS-R Mediated Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion in Pancreatic Islets.

Ghrelin receptor, a growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), is expressed in the pancreas. Emerging evidence indicates that GHS-R is involved in the regulation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), but the mechanism by which GHS-R regulates GSIS in the pancreas is unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of GHS-R on GSIS in detail using global mice (in vivo) and -ablated pancreatic islets (ex vivo).

Neuronal GHS-R Differentially Modulates Feeding Patterns under Normal and Obesogenic Conditions.

The orexigenic hormone ghrelin increases food intake and promotes obesity through its receptor, growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R). We previously reported two neuron-specific GHS-R knockout mouse lines, namely pan-neuronal deletion by Syn1-cre and hypothalamic deletion by AgRP-cre, exhibiting differential diet-dependent effects on body weight. GHS-R deficiency in neurons elicited less pronounced metabolic effects under regular diet (RD) than high fat diet (HFD).

Potential therapeutic effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists on COVID-19-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious diseases caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Now, it is pandemic over the world. SARS-CoV-2 often causes a "cytokine storm" in people with COVID-19, causing inflammatory lung damage and pneumonia, which eventually leads to death.

Metabolic and inflammatory functions of cannabinoid receptor type 1 are differentially modulated by adiponectin.

Background: Antagonists of cannabinoid type 1 receptor () have been shown to promote body weight loss and improve insulin sensitivity. Cannabinoids decrease adiponectin, and blocker increase adiponectin. However, the mediators of actions are not well defined.

Characteristics of immune checkpoint regulators and potential role of soluble TIM-3 and LAG-3 in male patients with alcohol-associated liver disease.

The involvement of immune checkpoint regulators (ICs) in alcohol-associated liver diseases (ALDs) is still largely unknown. Here, we analyzed the levels of 16 soluble ICs (sICs) in male patients with ALD to determine their clinical significance. The 16 sICs were measured using a luminex-based multiplex assay in 115 patients with ALD and 47 healthy controls (HCs).

Dulaglutide improves muscle function by attenuating inflammation through OPA-1-TLR-9 signaling in aged mice.

Dulaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist, is widely used to treat diabetes. However, its effects on muscle wasting due to aging are poorly understood. In the current study, we investigated the therapeutic potential and underlying mechanism of dulaglutide in muscle wasting in aged mice.

Current laboratory tests for diagnosis of hepatitis B virus infection.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has a long history in human infectious diseases. HBV infection can progress chronically, leading to cancer. After introduction of a vaccine, the overall incidence rate of HBV infection has decreased, although it remains a health problem in many countries.

A Brief Review of the Mechanisms of β-Cell Dedifferentiation in Type 2 Diabetes.

Diabetes is a metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia. Over 90% of patients with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Pancreatic β-cells are endocrine cells that produce and secrete insulin, an essential endocrine hormone that regulates blood glucose levels.

Soluble type immune checkpoint regulators using multiplex luminex immunoassay in chronic hepatitis B patients.

Aims: Soluble immune checkpoint regulators (sICs) were reported to have clinical impact on the diagnosis and progress of various diseases. This study compared the serum levels of 16 sICs in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) to elucidate their clinical significance.

Methods: The sICs of 86 patients with CHB and 50 healthy controls (HCs) were measured using luminex-based multiplex assay.

β Cell GHS-R Regulates Insulin Secretion and Sensitivity.

Growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) is widely known to regulate food intake and adiposity, but its role in glucose homeostasis is unclear. In this study, we investigated the expression of GHS-R in mouse pancreatic islets and its role in glycemic regulation. We used Ghsr-IRES-tauGFP mice, with Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) as a surrogate for GHS-R, to demonstrate the GFP co-localization with insulin and glucagon expression in pancreatic islets, confirming GHS-R expression in β and α cells.

GHS-R suppression in adipose tissues protects against obesity and insulin resistance by regulating adipose angiogenesis and fibrosis.

Background/objectives: Ghrelin is an orexigenic hormone that increases food intake, adiposity, and insulin resistance through its receptor Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor (GHS-R). We previously showed that ghrelin/GHS-R signaling has important roles in regulation of energy homeostasis, and global deletion of GHS-R reduces obesity and improves insulin sensitivity by increasing thermogenesis. However, it is unknown whether GHS-R regulates thermogenic activation in adipose tissues directly.

Effect of hepatic steatosis on native T1 mapping of 3T magnetic resonance imaging in the assessment of T1 values for patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Purpose: This study investigated whether T1 values in native T1 mapping of 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the liver were affected by the fatty component.

Methods: This prospective study involved 340 participants from a population-based cohort study between May 8, 2018 and August 8, 2019. Data obtained included: (1) hepatic stiffness according to magnetic resonance elastography (MRE); (2) T1 value according to T1 mapping; (3) fat fraction and iron concentration from multi-echo Dixon; and (4) clinical indices of hepatic steatosis including body mass index, waist circumference, history of diabetes, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, and triglycerides.

GHS-R in brown fat potentiates differential thermogenic responses under metabolic and thermal stresses.

In response to cold or diet, fatty acids are dissipated into heat through uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in brown adipose tissue (BAT). This process is termed non-shivering thermogenesis, which is important for body temperature maintenance and contributes to obesity pathogenesis. Thermogenic enhancement has been considered a promising anti-obesity strategy.

Association between airflow limitation and prognosis in patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis.

Background: Previous studies have shown that reduced levels of lung function, characterized by forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV), are associated with higher respiratory events and mortality in general population and some chronic lung diseases. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is a destructive, fatal lung disease caused by infection in non-immunocompromised patients with suboptimal pulmonary function. However, there is limited information on the status and features of CPA according to FEV.

A potential therapeutic combination for treatment of COVID-19: Synergistic effect of DPP4 and RAAS suppression.

COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is an abbreviated name for coronavirus disease 2019. COVID-19 became a global pandemic in early 2020. It predominantly affects not only the upper and lower respiratory tract, but also multiple organs, including the kidney, heart, and brain.