Purpose: To investigate the differences of several serum markers among population with different bone mass and to explore the utility of new potential biomarker for the diagnosing and screening for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP). Materials and Methods: A total of 1055 postmenopausal women were screened and gathered data on BMD screening, biological samples, and questionnaire information. A liquid chip assay was used to measure serum IL-6, IGF-1, BMP-2, VEGF, leptin and FGF23. The predictive value of the indicator panels was assessed using the area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve (AUC). Statistical analyses were conducted by using SAS 9.4 and R software 4.1.1. Figures were created in GraphPad Prism 8.0. Results: When compared against the normal group, in addition to the vitamin D, the PMOP group showed a significant increase in median values for other indicators (P < 0.05), especially in P1NP and β-CTX. Among the six cytokines representing different osteoporosis mechanisms, currently, we found that only IGF-1 and leptin showed significant differences between the groups. Also, the liquid chip assay results showed that IGF-1 and leptin, as newer cytokines in osteoporosis, not only have significant differences between groups, but also have a strong correlation with each other (P < 0.05). Then, we reported the accuracy of different indicator combinations by using AUC and, moreover, we demonstrated that IGF-1 with leptin did significantly provide incremental value to the AUC of conventional indexes, it markedly improved diagnostic efficacy, displaying an IDI of 9.45% (P = 0.000). Conclusion: IFG-1 and leptin seem to be key biomarker associated with PMOP. The high prevalence of PMOP makes these cytokines might bear the potential of becoming a very useful screening test also for clinical follow-up of patients.

Introduction: Xueshuantong injection (XST), a Chinese Medicine, is clinically effective in treating acute cerebral infarction (ACI). However, the meta-analysis of XST combined with conventional treatments (CTs) on ACI remain unexplored. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of XST combined with CTs on patients with ACI. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were screened from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and four Chinese medical databases. The meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 and STATA 16.0. The GRADE assessment was performed by the GRADEprofiler (GRADEpro version: 3.6). The aggregate 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and relative risk (RR) estimates were calculated. Results: Forty studies were included, involving a total of 3,868 patients. XST combined with CTs performed significantly better than CTs alone on the overall response rate (ORR) after treatment (RR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.17−1.25, P < 0.001). There was no statistical differences in the incidence of adverse reactions between the experimental group (XST plus CTs) and control group (CTs alone). Groups treated with XST substantially decreased the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score compared to the groups without XST (WMD = −5.31, 95% CI = −6.40 to −4.22, P < 0.001). Activities of daily living (ADL) scores were significantly better in the group treated with XST than CTs alone (WMD = 12.51, 95% CI = 5.6−19.38, P < 0.001). Patients who received XST combined with CTs showed significantly higher improvements in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (WMD = −2.47, 95% CI = −3.11 to −1.82, P < 0.001) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) (WMD = −13.66, 95% CI = −17.80 to −9.51, P < 0.001) than those who received CTs alone. The GRADE assessment indicates that the comprehensive quality of this evidence is low. Conclusions: This meta-analysis and GRADE assessment conditionally recommend that XST combined with CTs can increase the overall response rate, ameliorate neurological deficit, and improve activities of daily living function more than CTs alone. A significant reduction in the hs-CRP and IL-6 levels were observed when XST was combined with CTs.

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a prevalent and debilitating disease that represents the leading cause of chronic kidney disease which imposes public health challenges Tongmai Jiangtang capsule (TMJT) is commonly used for the treatment of DN, albeit its underlying mechanisms of action are still elusive.Methods: This study retrieved databases to identify the components and collect the targets of TMJT and DN. Target networks were constructed to screen the core components and targets. Samples from the GEO database were utilized to perform analyses of targets and immune cells and obtain significantly differentially expressed core genes (SDECGs). We also selected a machine learning model to screen the feature genes and construct a nomogram. Furthermore, molecular docking, another GEO dataset, and Mendelian randomization (MR) were utilized for preliminary validation. We subsequently clustered the samples based on SDECG expression and consensus clustering and performed analyses between the clusters. Finally, we scored the SDECG score and analyzed the differences between clusters.Results: This study identified 13 SDECGs between DN and normal groups which positively regulated immune cells. We also identified five feature genes (CD40LG, EP300, IL1B, GAPDH, and EGF) which were used to construct a nomogram. MR analysis indicated a causal link between elevated IL1B levels and an increased risk of DN. Clustering analysis divided DN samples into four groups, among which, C1 and CI were mainly highly expressed and most immune cells were up-regulated. C2 and CII were the opposite. Finally, we found significant differences in SDECG scores between C1 and C2, CI and CII, respectively.Conclusion: TMJT may alleviate DN via core components (e.g. Denudatin B, hancinol, hirudinoidine A) targeting SDECGs (e.g. SRC, EGF, GAPDH), with the involvement of feature genes and modulation of immune and inflammation-related pathways. These findings have potential implications for clinical practice and future investigations.