Endocrine and Metabolic Science最新文献

Introduction

Although body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) are the most commonly used obesity markers in clinical practice regarding depression, some studies suggest that other obesity markers such as waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), a body shape index (ABSI), body roundness index (BRI), and conicity index (CI) may be more accurate in identifying patients with depression.

Objective

To determine the relationship between different markers of obesity and the presence of symptoms of depression.

Methods

Analytical cross-sectional study. A secondary analysis was conducted on the Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES) from 2018 to 2021. The main variable of the present study was the depression score. Numerical variables were presented as mean and confidence interval at 95 % (CI 95 %). A generalized linear model of the Gaussian family and Identity link function was performed to evaluate the strength of association between the variables of interest.

Results

The average depression score in the study population was 2.61 (95 % CI 2.56–2.65). In the multivariable analysis, the depression score increased for each unit that increased the BMI by 0.011 points (β = 0.011; 95 % CI 0.002–0.020), the WHtR by 0.207 points (β = 0.207; 95 % CI 0.145–0.267), the ABSI by 0.158 points (β = 0.158; IC95% 0.047–0.269), the BRI by 0.096 points (β = 0.096; IC95% 0.069–0.122), and the CI by 0.010 points (β = 0.010; IC95% 0.004–0.016). There was no statistically significant association for WC.

Conclusions

The WHtR may be a better marker of obesity for identifying patients with depressive symptoms compared to other markers.

Low neighborhood social cohesion (nSC) has been associated with obesity. Still, few studies have assessed the nSC-obesity relationship among a large, nationally representative, and racially/ethnically diverse sample of the United States population. To address this literature gap, we examined cross-sectional associations among 154,480 adult participants of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) from 2013 to 2018. We also determined if associations varied by race/ethnicity, sex/gender, age, annual household income, and food security status. Based on a 4-item scale from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods Community Survey, we categorized nSC as low, medium, and high. Based on body mass index (BMI) recommendations, we categorized obesity as ≥30 kg/m². We used Poisson regression with robust variance to directly estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) while adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, such as annual household income, educational attainment, and marital status, along with other confounders. Study participants' mean age ± standard error was 47.1 ± 0.1 years; most (69.2 %) self-identified as Non-Hispanic (NH)-White; and 51.0 % were women. NH-Black and Hispanic/Latinx adults comprised more of the population in neighborhoods with low nSC (14.0 % NH-Black, 19.1 % Hispanic/Latinx, and 61.8 % NH-White) versus high nSC (7.7 % NH-Black, 10.4 % Hispanic/Latinx and 77.0 % NH-White). Low vs. high nSC was associated with a 15 % higher prevalence of obesity (PR = 1.15 [95 % CI: 1.12–1.18]), and the magnitude of the association was more substantial among NH-White adults (PR = 1.21 [95 % CI: 1.17–1.25]) compared to associations among Hispanic/Latinx (PR = 1.04 [95 % CI: 0.97–1.11]) and NH-Black (PR = 1.01 [95 % CI: 0.95–1.07]) adults. Low vs. high nSC was associated with a 20 % higher prevalence of obesity in women (PR = 1.20 [95 % CI: 1.16–1.24]) compared to a 10 % higher prevalence in men (PR = 1.10 [95 % CI: 1.06–1.14]). Low vs. high nSC was associated with a 19 % higher prevalence of obesity among adults ≥50 years old (PR = 1.19 [95 % CI: 1.15–1.23]) compared to a 7 % higher prevalence of obesity among adults <50 years old (PR = 1.07 [95 % CI: 1.03–1.11]). Efforts to address nSC may improve health and address health disparities.

The application of artificial fruit ripeners has become a great burden to the public health clinicians. This study assessed the toxicity effect of ethylene glycol (EOGH) and plantain peel fraction ripened with calcium carbide (CaC₂) on male reproductive functions. Forty male rats were divided into five groups (n = 8). Group 1 received distilled water only; group 2 received 200 mg/m³ ethylene glycol; group 3 received 1000 mg/kg of CaC₂; group 4 received 200 mg/kg plantain peel extract (PPE) and group 5 received 200 mg/kg plantain-peel extract ripened with CaC₂ (PPECC). The exposure via oral route lasted for 14 days. Sub-acute exposure of male rats to ethylene glycol, CaC₂ and PPECC elicited spermatogenic lesions through significant (p < 0.05) depletion of testosterone level, daily sperm production, sperm motility, live sperm and sperm count with elevated sperm deformity and testicular 5¹-nucleotidase activity upon exposure to ethylene-glycol, CaC₂ and PPECC in relation to PPE. Also, exposure to ethylene glycol, CaC₂ and PPECC remarkably increased testicular MDA content and serum AST, ALT and ALP activities which predisposes to spermatogenic abnormalities. Altogether, application of PPECC is suggested as one of the risk factors of liver failure associated with reproductive disruption in rat model.

Introduction

African Americans (AAs) have the highest prevalence of hypertension among United States racial/ethnic groups. Regulators of blood pressure, such as aldosterone and endothelin-1, impact glucose regulation. The relationship between these factors and incident diabetes is not well elucidated among AAs.

Methods

Among 3914 AA participants without prevalent diabetes in the Jackson Heart Study, linear regression models were used to examine cross-sectional associations of exposures (aldosterone, endothelin-1, and a combined aldosterone-endothelin-1 score [2–8]) with glycemic measures (fasting plasma glucose [FPG], HbA1c, homeostatic model assessments of beta cell function [HOMA-β] and insulin resistance [HOMA-IR]). Longitudinal associations of exposures with incident diabetes were examined using Cox proportional hazard models. Models were adjusted for age, sex, education, occupation, systolic blood pressure, smoking, physical activity, dietary intake, alcohol use and adiponectin.

Results

Aldosterone and the combined aldosterone-endothelin score were positively associated with FPG, HOMA-IR, and HOMA-β (all p < 0.05). Endothelin-1 was negatively associated with FPG but positively associated with HOMA-β (both p < 0.05). Only the aldosterone-endothelin score was positively associated with HbA1c (p < 0.01). A 1-SD higher serum aldosterone and endothelin-1 was associated with a 22 % and 14 % higher risk of incident diabetes, respectively, while a 1-point higher aldosterone-endothelin score was associated with a 13 % higher risk of incident diabetes after adjustment for diabetes risk factors (all p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Aldosterone and endothelin-1, factors integral in blood pressure regulation, may play a significant role in the development of diabetes among AAs.

Introduction

Hypothyroidism is a very common endocrine disorder routinely treated with levothyroxine replacement therapy. Despite treatment to biochemical euthyroidism, some individuals continue to have hypothyroidism-related symptoms. Many individuals with hypothyroidism also have low levels of calcitonin. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of calcitonin treatment on quality of life in hypothyroid individuals treated with levothyroxine.

Methods

Adult, hypothyroid individuals were treated with nasal calcitonin spray, 200 international units daily for 6 weeks. Participants completed a modified City of Hope Quality of Life questionnaire prior to initiating calcitonin and after completing 6 weeks of therapy. Perception of quality-of-life benefit with calcitonin was also assessed.

Results

Improvements in quality-of-life scores with calcitonin treatment from 184.77 to 148.44 (p = 0.342) were not statistically significant. Also, only one individual perceived any benefit with calcitonin therapy.

Conclusion

Treatment with nasal calcitonin spray in individuals with hypothyroidism on levothyroxine replacement therapy did not result in quality-of-life benefit.

Clinical experience shows that older people with hyperthyroidism display fewer signs or symptoms compared to younger people with hyperthyroidism. Moreover, older people with normal thyroid function tests display several clinical features of hypothyroidism. These observations suggest that there may be an age-related resistance to the actions of thyroid hormones (TH). Indeed, laboratory experiments have consistently documented an age –related blunting of response to exogenously administered TH. This resistance to TH action has been attributed to reduced cellular transport of TH, possibly reduced nuclear receptors of TH and reduced cytosolic deiodinase activity. In light of these observations, along with epidemiologic studies, the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease in older people differ from the current treatment guidelines of younger people with thyroid disease. It is noteworthy that the age-related resistance to TH is distinct from the congenital TH resistance syndromes where plasma TH levels are increased. This distinction is explained by the age-related changes in pituitary responsiveness to the feedback inhibition by TH and reduced thyroid gland response to thyrotropin. The current evidence suggests that the age-related resistance to TH is an adaptive process to prolong life span. At the present time, it is not known if younger people can also experience premature resistance to TH and may have symptoms of hypothyroidism in the face of normal plasma TH concentrations.

Background

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy with a reported incidence of 0.5–2 cases per million population per year. Literature is scarce on this malignancy with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. The objective of this report was to report a single-center experience of this rare malignancy.

Methods

A retrospective chart review (1997–2019) was performed on patients diagnosed with ACC via surgical pathology. Data were subsequently split into two time periods defined by the date of initial presentation: 1996–2007 and 2008–2019.

Results

52 patients were identified, 55.8 % were female, and the mean age at the time of surgery was 53 years. Most common presentations (25 % each) were: incidentalomas, abdominal pain, or hormonal hypersecretion. Laboratory evidence of hormonal hypersecretion was identified in 40.4 %. Among those patients, elevated 24-hour urinary free cortisol was the most common finding in both time periods.

The overall 5-year survival rate was 53.1 % and showed significant improvement in recent years when compared between the two time periods, 85.7 % vs 40.0 %. P = 0.004.

Conclusion

Overall, the most common presentation of ACC was found to be equally distributed among incidentaloma, hormonal hypersecretion, and abdominal pain. Hypercortisolism, a recognized poor prognosticator, was the most frequent form of hormonal hypersecretion. The 5-year survival rate for ACC was noted to be poor in general; however, it was observed to be substantially higher in more recent years. More research is necessary to further understand this malignancy in order to optimize management and improve outcomes.

Clinical relevance

This report provides a valuable contribution and expands the knowledge base for this important yet rare malignancy. The objective of this study was to report a single-center experience of ACC by characterizing patients diagnosed with this rare disease and managed at our institution and assessing their outcomes.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common ophthalmological complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and a leading cause of preventable visual impairment. In DM, retinal neurodegenerative changes precede microvascular changes which can be assessed by electrophysiological and advanced imaging techniques. Studies measuring retinal neurodegenerative changes in DM were systematically evaluated in this review. Included studies have assessed retinal neurodegeneration in diabetic rodents by combining clinically used diagnostic techniques and molecular assays. Significant impairment was noticed in electrophysiology data in the diabetic retina as compared to the non-diabetic retina. Also, a significant reduction in synaptic protein levels was noticed in the diabetic retina compared to the non-diabetic retina. Even though retinal neurodegeneration was noticed, no vascular abnormalities were seen in the diabetic retina. However, little is known about molecular mechanisms behind diabetic retinal neurodegeneration (DRN), which explains the need for further investigation to detect DR in the early stages of diabetes.