Search

There are contradictory findings regarding the effects of vitamin D supplementation and cigarette smoking on glucose metabolism in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Consequently, this meta-analysis focused on the association between vitamin D interventions and smoking cessation on glycemic control in T2DM patients. This study adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Cochrane Library, EMBASE and PubMed databases were used for a language-inclusive literature search until November 2022. The primary outcomes of this meta-analysis were changes in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, vitamin D concentration and body mass index (BMI) values. This meta-analysis included 14 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a total of 23,289 individuals with T2DM. Nine RCTs were related to vitamin D supplementation interventions, and 5 RCTs were related to smoking cessation interventions. The studies on vitamin D supplementation showed a substantial change in the intervention group, with a risk ratio (RR) of 0.72 (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.58, 0.88; p = 0.001) and an odds ratio (OR) of 0.52 (95% CI: 0.34, 0.78; p = 0.002); high heterogeneity was observed (I² ≥ 95%). Similarly, the smoking cessation studies showed a substantial change in the intervention group, with a RR of 0.92 (95% CI: 0.86, 0.99; p = 0.04) and an OR of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.99; p = 0.04); high heterogeneity was observed (I² = 87%). In conclusion, both vitamin D supplementation and smoking cessation are associated with moderate BMI decline and an improvement of insulin sensitivity in people with T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the key genes and biological functions associated with insulin resistance were investigated by comparing the gene expression profiles of adipose tissue obtained from insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant patients. The gene expression data set GSE20950 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus, including 39 adipose tissue samples obtained from insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery. Adipose samples were divided into two groups (the insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant groups) and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened out with packages of R. The interactions among DEGs were retrieved with Osprey and functional enrichment analysis was performed with the WebGestalt system. Information regarding the interaction network and enriched biological functions was combined to construct a functional interaction network. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis was then conducted using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery. A total of 170 DEGs were detected in the insulin-sensitive group, 8 downregulated and 162 upregulated. Response to glucose stimulus was the most significantly over-represented functional term. The focal adhesion pathway was identified to be significant in the genes of the functional interaction network. The present study revealed key biological functions and DEGs in adipose tissues associated with insulin resistance, which may facilitate the development of novel therapies for insulin resistance and diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular disease in China, which can seriously affect the heart, brain, kidney and other vital organs of the human body, and is the main cause of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and even death. Chronic hypertension can lead to remodeling of the right atrium, mainly due to factors such as pressure and volume overload of the right atrium and overactivation of neuroendocrine factors. It mainly includes cardiac remodeling and myocardial tissue remodeling. The purpose of this study was to observe the ultrastructure of myocardial cells in the right atrium of spontaneous hypertension rats. In this study, 10 12-week-old SHR rats were selected as the experimental group (SHR group), and WKY rats of the same age and sex were selected as the control group (WKY group, n = 10). Blood pressure was measured at the beginning and end of the 18-week trial. A section of the rat right atrium was taken for staining, and the percentage of the vascular wall area, the vascular lumen area (LA), and the vascular wall area of the heart wall were calculated by using the computer-assisted imaging system. The results showed that WKY's blood pressure remained at the normal level (106.65±6.55) mmHg. The blood pressure of SHR group increased from 8 weeks of age, and the systolic blood pressure of SHR8, SHR16 and SHR24 groups were (121.4±5.60), (204.7±5.60) and (226.45±6.60) mmHg, respectively, which were significantly higher than the WKY group of the same week (P < 0.05). In 30-week old SHR rats, the intima of the myocardial wall arterioles were significantly thickened and lumen decreased. This mechanism may be related to the imbalance between proliferation and apoptosis of medium smooth muscle cells. This paper introduces the characteristics of myocardial arteriole remodeling in SHR, which provides a basis for the study of hypertension and its vascular remodeling as well as the prevention and treatment of target organ damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]