Comparison of effects of obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease on incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus

AIM: To compare and analyze the effects of obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) on the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) in Chinese subjects.METHODS: In 2008, a population of 4847 subjects was randomly sampled from 17 medical units for enrollment in this cohort study. Baseline information was obtained via a questionnaire on general information, physical examination(height, weight, and blood pressure), laboratory tests(triglycerides, total cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, alanine aminotransferase(ALT), uric acid, and creatinine), B-mode ultrasound, and ECG screening. The incidence of T2 DM after four years of follow-up was calculated. Numeric variable data was tested for normality, with the data expressed as mean ± SD. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to calculate the cumulative incidence. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the relative risk(RR) of different body mass index(BMI) levels and NAFLD on T2 DM, as well as analyzingthe RR adjusted for age, sex, blood pressure, lipids, transaminases, uric acid, and creatinine.RESULTS: A total of 4736(97.71%) subjects completed 4-year follow-up, with a median follow-up time of 3.85 years, totaling 17223 person-years. 380 subjects were diagnosed with T2 DM, with a cumulative incidence of 8.0%. The cumulative incidence of T2 DM in the NAFLD and control groups was 17.4% vs 4.1%(P < 0.001), respectively, while the incidence in overweight and obese subjects was 11.0% vs 15.8%(P < 0.001), respectively. The incidence of T2 DM increased with an increase in baseline BMI. Cox regression analysis showed that the risk of T2 DM in the NAFLD group(RR = 4.492, 95%CI: 3.640-5.542) after adjustment for age, sex, blood pressure, lipids, ALT, uric acid, and creatinine was 3.367(2.367-4.266), whi le t he value(RR, 95%CI) in overweight and obese subjects after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, blood pressure, lipids and other factors was 1.274(0.997-1.629) and 1.554(1.140-2.091), respectively. Stratification of three BMI levels(BMI < 24 kg/m2, 2 4 k g / m2 ≤ B M I < 2 8 k g / m2, B M I ≥ 2 8 k g / m2) showed that the risk of T2 DM in the NAFLD group was significantly higher than that in the control group(RR = 3.860, 4.049 and 3.823, respectively).CONCLUSION: Compared with BMI, NAFLD could be better at forecasting the risk of T2 DM in Chinese subjects, and may be a high risk factor for T2 DM, independent of overweight/obesity.

Association of β-cell function and insulin resistance with pediatric type 2 diabetes among Chinese children

BACKGROUND In addition to insulin resistance,impaired insulin secretion has recently been identified as a crucial factor in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Scarce clinical data exist for pediatric T2DM.AIM To investigate the association ofβ-cell function and insulin resistance with pediatric T2DM in the first Chinese multicenter study.METHODS This multicenter cross-sectional study included 161 newly diagnosed T2DM children and adolescents between January 2017 and October 2019.Children with normal glycemic levels(n=1935)were included as healthy control subjects.The homeostasis models(HOMAs)were used to assess theβ-cell function(HOMA2-%B)and insulin resistance(HOMA2-IR)levels.The HOMA index was standardized by sex and age.We performed logistic regression analysis to obtain odds ratios(ORs)for T2DM risk using the standardized HOMA index,adjusted for confounding factors including sex,Tanner stage,T2DM family history,body mass index z-score,and lipid profile.RESULTS The male-female ratio of newly diagnosed T2DM patients was 1.37:1(OR=2.20,P=0.011),and the mean ages of onset for boys and girls were 12.5±1.9 years and 12.3±1.7 years,respectively.The prevalence of related comorbidities including obesity,elevated blood pressure,and dyslipidemia was 58.2%,53.2%,and 80.0%,respectively.The T2DM group had lower HOMA2-%B levels(P<0.001)and higher HOMA2-IR levels(P<0.001)than the control group.Both the decrease in HOMA2-%B z-score(OR=8.40,95%CI:6.40-11.02,P<0.001)and the increase in HOMA2-IR z-score(OR=1.79,95%CI:1.60-2.02,P<0.001)were associated with a higher risk of T2DM,and the decrease in HOMA2-%B z-score always had higher ORs than the increase in HOMA2-IR z-score after adjusting for confounding factors.CONCLUSION Besides insulin resistance,β-cell function impairment is also strongly associated with Chinese pediatric T2DM.Gender difference in susceptibility and high comorbidities warrant specific T2DM screening and prevention strategies in Chinese children.

Identification of a novel mtDNA lineage B3 in chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)

DEAR EDITOR, In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial DNA genome （mitogenome） of the Zhengyang Yellow chicken （Gallus gallus domesticus） by next-generation sequencing technology. Samples were taken from Zhumadian city, Henan Province, China. The complete mitogenome was 16 785 bp in size, and had a nucleotide composition of 30.3% （A）, 23.7% （T） 32.5% （C）, and 13.5% （G）, with a high AT content of 54.0%. The assembled mitogenome exhibited typical mitochondrial DNA （mtDNA） structure, including a non-coding control region, two rRNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, and 22 tRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that this mitogenome defined a novel sub-haplogroup B3 within haplogroup B. These results should provide essential information for chicken domestication and insiqht into the evolution of genomes.

Longitudinal transcriptome analyses show robust T cellimmunity during recovery from COVID-19

Understanding the processes of immune regulation in patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)is crucial for improving treatment.Here,we performed longitudinal whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing on peripheral blood mononuclear cell(PBMC)samples from 18 patients with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)during their treatment,convalescence,and rehabilitation.After analyzing the regulatory networks of differentially expressed messenger RNAs(mRNAs),microRNAs(miRNAs)and long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)between the different clinical stages,we found that humoral immunity and type I interferon response were significantly downregulated,while robust T-cell activation and differentiation at the whole transcriptome level constituted the main events that occurred during recovery from COVID-19.The formation of this T cell immune response might be driven by the activation of activating protein-1(AP-1)related signaling pathway and was weakly affected by other clinical features.These findings uncovered the dynamic pattern of immune responses and indicated the key role of T cell immunity in the creation of immune protection against this disease.

Longitudinal transcriptome analyses show robust T cell immunity during recovery from COVID-19

Understanding the processes of immune regulation in patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)is crucial for improving treatment.Here,we performed longitudinal whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing on peripheral blood mononuclear cell(PBMC)samples from 18 patients with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)during their treatment,convalescence,and rehabilitation.After analyzing the regulatory networks of differentially expressed messenger RNAs(mRNAs),microRNAs(miRNAs)and long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)between the different clinical stages,we found that humoral immunity and type I interferon response were significantly downregulated,while robust T-cell activation and differentiation at the whole transcriptome level constituted the main events that occurred during recovery from COVID-19.The formation of this T cell immune response might be driven by the activation of activating protein-1(AP-1)related signaling pathway and was weakly affected by other clinical features.These findings uncovered the dynamic pattern of immune responses and indicated the key role of T cell immunity in the creation of immune protection against this disease.

Association between new onset type 1 diabetes and real-world antibiotics and neonicotinoids’exposure-related gut microbiota perturbation

Background The real-world exposure levels of non-therapeutic antibiotics and neonicotinoids in type 1 diabetes(T1D)children and their associations as environmental triggers through gut microbiota shifts remained unknown.We thus investigated the antibiotics and neonicotinoids’exposure levels and their associations with gut microbiota in pediatric T1D.Methods Fifty-one newly onset T1D children along with 67 age-matched healthy controls were recruited.Urine concentrations of 28 antibiotics and 12 neonicotinoids were measured by mass spectrometry.Children were grouped according to the kinds of antibiotics’and neonicotinoids’exposures,respectively.The 16S rRNA of fecal gut microbiota was sequenced,and the correlation with urine antibiotics and neonicotinoids’concentrations was analyzed.Results The overall detection rates of antibiotics were 72.5%and 61.2%among T1D and healthy children,whereas the neonicotinoids detection rates were 70.6%and 52.2%(P=0.044).Children exposed to one kind of antibiotic or two or more kinds of neonicotinoids had higher risk of T1D,with the odd ratios of 2.579 and 3.911.Furthermore,co-exposure to antibiotics and neonicotinoids was associated with T1D,with the odd ratio of 4.924.Antibiotics or neonicotinoids exposure did not affect overall richness and diversity of gut microbiota.However,children who were exposed to neither antibiotics nor neonicotinoids had higher abundance of Lachnospiraceae than children who were exposed to antibiotics and neonicotinoids alone or together.Conclusion High antibiotics and neonicotinoids exposures were found in T1D children,and they were associated with changes in gut microbiota featured with lower abundance of butyrate-producing genera,which might increase the risk of T1D.