Publications by authors named "Zhao-Yun Zhang"

The short-term effects of long-acting somatostatin analogues (SSAs) on lipid profiles in patients with acromegaly are not well studied. We retrospectively analyzed the effects of SSAs on lipid profiles and associated cardiovascular risk factors in a cohort of 120 newly diagnosed acromegaly patients. In this study, 69 females and 51 males were included.

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Objective: Exposure to microgravity results in postflight cardiovascular deconditioning in astronauts. Vascular oxidative stress injury and mitochondrial dysfunction have been reported during this process. To elucidate the mechanism for this condition, we investigated whether mitochondrial oxidative stress regulates calcium homeostasis and vasoconstriction in hindlimb unweighted (HU) rat cerebral arteries.

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Background: /Objective: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease, and effective treatments are lacking. Bariatric surgery, including sleeve gastrectomy (SG), is a potential therapeutic strategy for NAFLD, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its effects are not fully understood. In this study, the effects of SG and the underlying mechanisms were evaluated in a mouse model of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD.

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Article Synopsis
  • TCF7L2 is a transcription factor that plays a significant role in WNT signaling and is strongly linked to diabetes risk, potentially impacting pancreatic β-cell function via the PI3K/AKT pathway.
  • Researchers conducted experiments using MIN6 cells to understand how TCF7L2 affects this pathway, measuring key proteins and insulin secretion.
  • The study found that TCF7L2 inhibits the PIK3R1 gene's expression, which activates the PI3K/AKT pathway and boosts insulin release, emphasizing the importance of specific binding motifs for TCF7L2's function.
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Medicinal values and their chemical bases of Paris (Trilliaceae) are reviewed. Paris plants include 40 species and varieties. Among them, 18 ones are medicinal plants with similarity in traditional uses.

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Cushing's disease, also known as adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenomas (PAs) that cause excess cortisol production, accounts for up to 85% of corticotrophin-dependent Cushing's syndrome cases. However, the genetic alterations in this disease are unclear. Here, we performed whole-exome sequencing of DNA derived from 12 ACTH-secreting PAs and matched blood samples, which revealed three types of somatic mutations in a candidate gene, USP8 (encoding ubiquitin-specific protease 8), exclusively in exon 14 in 8 of 12 ACTH-secreting PAs.

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Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have reported that the polymorphism rs5219 of the potassium inwardly rectifying channel, subfamily J, member 11 (KCNJ11) is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Given that diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most common microvascular complications of T2DM, GWAS have identified a number of potential susceptibility genes for DR. However, only a fraction of them have been replicated in different studies and show consistent genetic associations with the occurrence of DR.

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Background/aims: Glucocorticoids are associated with a number of side effects including the development of new-onset hyperglycemia or diabetes. The diagnosis and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycemia are surprisingly undervalued by many health-care professionals, probably due to the lack of quality studies that assess specific reasons for and prevention of hyperglycemia. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the long-term incidence of glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycemia and diabetes in nondiabetic patients who received glucocorticoid treatment.

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Background: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PPARGC1A/ PGC-1α) is a ligand-activated transcription factor belonging to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. The activity of PGC-1α or genetic variations in the gene encoding the enzyme may contribute to individual variations in mitochondrial function and insulin resistance or diabetes. The objective of this study was to assess the extent to which PPARGC1A (rs8192678) and serum uric acid (UA) and its interaction impact on T2DM susceptibility in Chinese Han population.

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Background: The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate the contribution of the insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its interaction with obesity to T2DM susceptibility.

Methods: To clarify whether IGF2BP2 is an independent risk factor for T2DM in Chinese population, we conducted a study with a total of 2,301 Chinese Han subjects, including 1,166 T2DM patients and 1,135 controls, for the genotype of a most common and widely studied polymorphism-rs4402960 of IGF2BP2. Genotyping was performed by iPLEX technology.

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Objective: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy (DR) among type 2 diabetic patients aged over 30 in Shanghai central area.

Methods: 1039 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) aged over 30 were investigated by randomized cluster sampling in Shanghai central area and data from 767 of those patients were analyzed.

Results: (1) Among all of the 1534 digital ocular fundus images from 767 patients, 87.

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