Serum Glypican 4 Levels Are Associated with Metabolic Syndrome in a Han Population from Guizhou Province, China

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is the presence of a battery of cardiovascular risk factors including abdominal obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and disturbed carbohydrate metabolism[1]. MetS affects 20% of adults in the Western world and 33% of adults in China[2] and has become a serious public health problem worldwide. However, the mechanism underlying the occurrence and progression of MetS is still largely unclear. It is now well established that excess fat deposition leads to abdominal obesity, which plays a vital role in the underlying mechanism. Adipose tissue can function as an endocrine organ that secretes various adipokines. The dysregulated expression of adipokines caused by excess adiposity and adipocyte dysfunction, has been linked to the pathogenesis of MetS[3]. Some serum adipokines such as leptin, adiponectin, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumour necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), might be potential markers for MetS development.

Fat-to-muscle Ratio: A New Anthropometric Indicator for Predicting Metabolic Syndrome in the Han and Bouyei Populations from Guizhou Province, China

Objective To investigate the prevalence and possible factors influencing metabolic syndrome in people from Guizhou Province and to explore the predictive value of the fat-to-muscle ratio in diagnosing metabolic syndrome. Methods A multistage stratified sampling method was used in this cross-sectional study of 20-80 years old Han and Bouyei populations from Guizhou Province, southwestern China, from October-December 2012. The study included 4,553 cases of metabolic syndrome, that was defined according to 2005 International Diabetes Federation criteria. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used for determining the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive ability of the fat-to-muscle ratio for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. Results The age-standardized prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 11.38%（men： 9.76%; women： 12.72%） for Han and 4.78%（men： 4.43%; women： 5.30%） for Bouyei populations. In Guizhou Province, the cut-off value for the men fat-to-muscle ratio was 0.34, the area under the curve was 0.95, and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.94 and 0.85, respectively. The cut-off value for the women fat-to-muscle ratio was 0.55, the area under the curve was 0.91, and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.93 and 0.79, respectively. Conclusion The fat-to-muscle ratio is highly predictive of metabolic syndrome in Guizhou Province, and a useful reference indicator.

A PCR-based Rapid Neutralization Assay for GⅡ.4 Norovirus Infection in HIEC6 Cell Culture

Because of limited viral replication and lack of cytopathic effect in cell culture,a new PCR-based rapid seroneutralization assay for detection of GII.4norovirus neutralized antibodies was developed with serum samples from acute-phase patients,convalescent-phase patients and healthy controls.According to this study,neutralizing antibodies were detected in 100% ofconvalescent-phase sera, and in 2.5% of healthy controls sera. However, all of the acute-phase serum samples could not neutralize virus efficiently. Compared to the results from ELISA （96.2% at sensitivity and 80% at specificity）, the present in vitro neutralization assay is more specific and more sensitive.