RANKL Is Independently Associated with Increased Risks of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Chinese Women with PCOS: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are more likely to have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) than non-PCOS women; however, the exact mechanism underlying this trend is unknown. The receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) is strongly involved in bone metabolism and has multiple functions. Recent studies suggest that RANKL is implicated in hepatic insulin resistance (IR), which is the highest risk factor for NAFLD.

Assessment of Molecular Subtypes in Thyrotoxic Periodic Paralysis and Graves Disease Among Chinese Han Adults: A Population-Based Genome-Wide Association Study.

Importance: Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is a potentially lethal complication of hyperthyroidism. However, only 1 specific susceptibility locus for TPP has been identified. Additional genetic determinants should be detected so that a prediction model can be constructed.

Secretion of Gut Hormones and Expression of Sweet Taste Receptors and Glucose Transporters in a Rat Model of Obesity.

Objectives: This study was undertaken to compare gut hormone secretion between high-fat-fed and control rats, and to examine the corresponding changes in the expression of sweet taste receptors and glucose transporters in the small intestine and hypothalamus.

Methods: Four-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats were fed a standard or high-fat diet for 8 weeks (10 in each group), followed by an oral glucose tolerance test (50% glucose solution, 2 g/kg). Blood was sampled for glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and polypeptide YY (PYY) assays.

Label-Free and Multiplexed Quantification of microRNAs by Mass Spectrometry Based on Duplex-Specific-Nuclease-Assisted Recycling Amplification.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important biomarker candidates for cancer screening and early detection research. Generally, miRNAs undergo synergistic adjustments in tumor cells. Herein, a mass-spectrometric method based on a duplex-specific-nuclease (DSN)-enzyme-assisted signal-amplification technique was proposed for label-free and multiplexed detection of multiple miRNAs, and applied to the quantification of three miRNAs (i.

A dense mapping study of six European AITD susceptibility regions in a large Chinese Han Cohort of Graves' disease.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the six susceptibility loci of GD identified from European population in Chinese Han population and further to estimate the genetic heterogeneity of them in stratification of our GD patients.

Design: Dense mapping studies based on GWAS.

Patients: A total of 1536 GD patients and 1516 controls in GWAS stage and 1994 GD patients and 2085 controls and 5033 GD patients and 5389 controls in two replication stages.

Different expression of mimecan as a marker for differential diagnosis between NSCLC and SCLC.

Mimecan mRNA was present in a limited number of mouse and human tissues, however, abundant mimecan mRNA was observed in the lung tissue. Therefore, we hypothesize that mimecan could serve as a biomarker for differentiating various histological types of lung cancers. In humans, the mimecan mRNA was found most abundant in ovary and less abundant in lung by using Northern blot analysis.

Influence of visceral adiposity on ghrelin secretion and expression in rats during fasting.

Although circulating ghrelin levels correlate inversely with adiposity at baseline, little is known about the effect of percent visceral adipose tissue value (PVATV) on ghrelin expression and secretion in response to fasting. Our study demonstrated that ghrelin increased with 24-h fasting in rats with the lowest PVATV (less than 6%), after 3 days in rats with intermediate PVATV (6-9%) and 5 days in rats with the highest PVATV (greater than 9%). Ghrelin mRNA in the stomach was increased after 3 days in low-PVATV (5.

[The prevalence of mild cognitive impairment among residents aged 55 or over in Chengdu area].

Objective: To study the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the urban and the rural areas in Chengdu, Southwest China.

Methods: Residents aged 55 or over were selected by stratified random cluster sampling from 19 districts, cities, and counties of Chengdu area in Sichuan province. A two-stage survey was carried out.

Prevalence and course of schizophrenia in a Chinese rural area.

Objective: To assess the characteristics and factors affecting course of schizophrenia in a Chinese rural area.

Method: An epidemiological investigation was conducted to identify all the patients with schizophrenia among 149 231 people in Xinjin County, Chengdu.

Results: The total prevalence of schizophrenia was 4.