Lower levels sex hormone-binding globulin independently associated with metabolic syndrome in pre-elderly and elderly men in China

Objective To examine the relationship between sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in pre-elderly and elderly men in China. Methods A cross-sectional studywas done among 437men, aged 45 to 94 years old. Early morning fasting sera were assayed for total testosterone (TT), SHBG and other biochemical markers. Free testosterone (FT) was calculated. Results The SHBG level of the MetS group was significantly lower than those without MetS 35.70 (25.18, 47.10) nmol/L vs. 41.90 (31.80, 55.20) nmol/L; P < 0.001). As the number of MetS components increases, SHBG and TT levels became lower. SHBG correlated with age, as did TT and most of metabolic components. Body mass index (BMI), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), and TT remained independently associated with SHBG by multivariate regression analysis. In a logistic regression taking MetS as the dependent variable, SHBG (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.975��0.994, P = 0.018) and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (95%CI: 1.535��2.647, P < 0.001) were included in the final model. Conclusions Lower SHBG is independently associated with MetS among pre-elderly and elderly men. SHBG may be an independent predictor of MetS, but the mechanism of how SHBG is involved in MetS requires further studied.

Metabolic characteristics of lactic acid bacteria and interaction with yeast isolated from light-flavor Baijiu fermentation

During spontaneous fermentation of light-flavor Baijiu,the microbial diversity decreased gradually.Lactic acid bacteria(LAB)and yeast predominated at the end of fermentation and showed a strong positive correlation with esters in Baijiu.Exploring the metabolic characteristics of LAB and interactions with yeast are important for revealing the mechanism of Baijiu fermentation.The carbon source utilization heatmap showed that Lactobacillus acetotolerans,Lactobacillus brevis,and Lactobacillus hilgardii could utilize various organic acids.Lactobacillus plantarum could utilize a variety of amino acids.The utilization efficiency of different substrates was supposed to be an important factor for different LAB species dynamics during fermentation.The effects of pH,temperature and ethanol on the esterase activity of LAB were further analyzed.The results showed that pH was the most significant factor on esterase activity,and all the strains showed the highest activity at pH 7.0.Principal component analysis indicated that co-culture of LAB and Saccharomyces cerevisiae could promote the formation of esters,and the co-culture of Lactobacillus acetotolerans or Leuconostoc mesenteroides with Pichia anomala could promote the production of esters and alcohols.LAB showed a weak inhibitory effect on the growth of yeast,whereas the growth of LAB was significantly inhibited by yeast in the co-culture system.The results of this work will broaden our knowledge regarding the esterase activity,carbon source utilization efficiency of LAB and interactions with predominant yeast,which will provide a theoretical basis for the dynamics of different LAB species and their effects on the flavor of Baijiu.