Changes in Serum Irisin Levels and Their Significance in Carotid Atherosclerosis Associated with Obesity.

Objective: This study aims to comprehensively examine and assess the changes and significance of irisin levels in individuals with carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) who are concurrently dealing with obesity. Method: A total of 156 CAS patients admitted between March 2020 and March 2022 were categorized into CAS normal weight (C1), CAS overweight (C2), and CAS obesity (C3) groups based on BMI. Simultaneously, 80 healthy adults from the same period comprised the control group (C0). The study conducted a comparative analysis of biochemical indexes, serum irisin levels, and carotid artery ultrasounds across all groups. Correlation analyses and diagnostic assessments for serum irisin in obesity with carotid atherosclerosis were executed using ROC curves. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), serum homocysteine (Hcy), and irisin levels among all groups (P < .05). Obese CAS patients exhibited higher levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, and Hcy, with notably lower levels of HDL-C and irisin compared to other groups (P < .05). Significant variations in carotid artery ultrasound intima-media thickness (IMT) and Crouse scores were also evident among all groups (P < .05). Specifically, IMT and Crouse scores were higher in obese CAS patients compared to other groups (P < .05). Correlation analysis results indicated a significant negative correlation between irisin and TC, TG, LDL-C, Hcy, IMT, and Crouse score (P < .05). Conversely, irisin exhibited a significant positive correlation with HDL-C levels (P < .05). The ROC curve analysis for the diagnostic value of irisin in obesity with CAS revealed an area under the curve of 0.957. Conclusions: Serum irisin levels are significantly reduced in CAS patients, particularly those with overweight and obese. Additionally, irisin levels are closely associated with patients' blood lipids, homocysteine levels, and the severity of atherosclerosis.

Relationship between chemical industrial environment and allergic skin diseases.

OBJECTIVE: This study is an exploration of the relationship between chemical industrial environment and allergic skin diseases. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, 200 patients with allergic skin diseases who worked or lived in a chemical industrial zone and were admitted in our hospital between January 2018 and January 2020 were enrolled as Group A. Besides, 500 patients with allergic skin disease who lived in Zhenhai New District, five kilometers away from the chemical radiation zone, were selected as Group B. The specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels were determined by Western blotting. The allergen positivity, as well as allergen positivity between different age, sex and body mass index (BMI) were compared between the two groups. The positive food-specific allergen IgE antibody (sIgE) and positive inhalational sIgE were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The positive rate of total IgE and inhalational sIgE in Group A was higher than that in Group B (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in positive rate in food sIgE between the two groups (P>0.05). In Group A, the differences in positive rates of total IgE, food-induced sIgE and inhalational sIgE were not significant between patients with different ages, sexes and BMI (P>0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in sIgE positive rates of wheat, mango, soybean/peanut/cashew nut combination, limb/beef combination, crab/shrimp/fish combination, milk and egg white (P>0.05). The positive rates of inhalational sIgE in tree combination and dust mites/household dust mites combination in Group A were higher than those in Group B (P<0.05), but had no significant difference between the two groups in the positive rates of inhalational sIgE in Humulus japonicus, mold combination 1, cockroach, cat/dog hair combination, and ragweed/artemisia combination (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Chemical industrial environment is closely associated with allergic dermatosis, and the positive rate of total IgE and inhalational sIgE increases significantly in patients living there.

Association between Dietary Pattern, Nutritional Status, Metabolic Factors, and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can be harmful to the body to varying degrees, and over a prolonged period, patients may develop steatotic cirrhosis or even develop liver cancer based on cirrhosis. Moreover, its harms are related to its severity. Patients with severe steatosis develop hepatocyte destruction, transaminase abnormalities, and long-term progression to steatotic cirrhosis, or even liver cancer, which should be treated aggressively. In order to provide theoretical basis for the prevention and early intervention of NAFLD, we analysis the relationship between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) and dietary pattern, nutritional status, metabolic factor A total of 517 participants (200 males and 317 females) recruited in this study were gained from the health check center of The Ningbo Seventh Hospital, Ningbo, China, from September 2018 to August 2019. Patients diagnosed with NAFLD were selected as the study subjects. The data on the dietary pattern, nutritional status, and metabolic factors were collected for further analysis. A total of 517 eligible participants (317 females and 200 males) were involved in this study, with a mean age of 54.7 ± 16.7 years. Dessert and fruit diet, healthy dietary pattern, animal food dietary pattern, high salt diet mode, triglyceride, uric acid, adiponectin, and waist-hip ratio were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.05). Dietary patterns, nutritional status, metabolic factors, and NAFLD are correlated. Furthermore, applying this correlation law can better manage NAFLD patients.