Shaomin Cheng

Ginger has shown promising effects on metabolism in preclinical and clinical studies. This updated and comprehensive meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effects of ginger on the cardiometabolic profile of patients with type 2 diabetes. Scopus, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from the inception to July 2, 2025, to find randomized controlled trials that compared the effects of ginger with placebo on glycemic indexes, blood pressure, and lipid profile among those with type 2 diabetes. A random-effects model (DerSimonian-Laird) was employed to pool data because of high heterogeneity. In total, 13 articles were included in this meta-analysis. Ginger supplementation was associated with a statistically significant reduction in fasting blood sugar (FBS) (MD -16.27 mg/dl, 95% CI (-25.75, -6.80), I² = 86.39%), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (MD -0.41%, 95% CI (-0.63, -0.20), I² = 92.09%) systolic blood pressure (MD -1.62, 95% CI (-3.01, -0.24), I² = 6.09%), and triglyceride level (MD -17.10 mg/dL, 95% CI (-31.13, -3.07), I² = 81.61%); however, the magnitude of these effects was of limited clinical importance. A statistically significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level (MD 2.13 mg/dL, 95% CI (0.44, 3.82), I² = 85.72%) was also observed. However, treatment with ginger did not significantly change homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMAIR), diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and body mass index (BMI). This meta-analysis indicated that ginger may probably improve the metabolic indices of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objectives To assess the association between thyroid dysfunction and diabetic retinopathy (DR), a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study utilizing the Genome-wide Association Study (GWAS) database was conducted to investigate the causal relationship between these two variables. Methods In this study, GWAS of 48,328,151 single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNP) in the European population from the IEU open GWAS database were utilized as genetic tools for investigating thyroid dysfunction. The total sample size for the study on hyperthyroidism was 460,499 (case group: 3557; control group: 456,942). The total sample size for hypothyroidism was 410,141 (case group: 30,155; control group: 37,986). In addition, the data on DR were extracted from the FinnGen Biobank, comprising a total sample size of 319,046 individuals (10,413 cases and 308,633 controls). For the forward MR analysis, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism were considered as exposures with DR as the outcome. Reverse MR analysis was conducted using DR as exposure and hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism as outcomes. Methods: The main analytical approach employed inverse variance weighting(IVW), supplemented by MR-Egger, Weighted mode method, weighted median, and Simple mode. Cochran's Q test, MR-PRESSO, MR-Egger and leave-one-out analysis were used to evaluate the sensitivity and pleiotropy. Results Two-sample bidirectional MR analysis revealed a significant association between the presence of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism and an increased risk of DR in the forward MR analysis (IVW: OR = 1.29, 95% [CI] = 1.12-1.49, P < 0.001; OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.10-1.25, P < 0.001). In the reverse MR analysis, DR was found to be associated with an elevated risk of developing hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism (IVW: OR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.38-1.76, P < 0.001; OR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.25-1.59, P < 0.001). Furthermore, most supplementary MR methods also demonstrated statistically significant differences and exhibited effect sizes consistent with those obtained from IVW. The sensitivity analysis confirmed the relative reliability of our causal findings. Conclusions Our findings provide genetic evidence supporting a bidirectional causal relationship between thyroid function and DR.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of Moyao ( Myrrh ) in the identification of the geographical origin and processing of the products. METHODS: Raw Moyao ( Myrrh ) and two kinds of Moyao ( Myrrh ) processed with vinegar from three countries were identified using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy combined with chemometric techniques. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce the dimensionality of the data and visualize the clustering of samples from different categories. A classical chemometric algorithm (PLS-DA) and two machine learning algorithms [K-nearest neighbor (KNN) and support vector machine] were used to conduct a classification analysis of the near-infrared spectra of the Moyao ( Myrrh ) samples, and their discriminative performance was evaluated. RESULTS: Based on the accuracy, precision, recall rate, and F1 value in each model, the results showed that the classical chemometric algorithm and the machine learning algorithm obtained positive results. In all of the chemometric analyses, the NIR spectrum of Moyao ( Myrrh ) preprocessed by standard normal variation or Multivariate scattering correction combined with KNN achieved the highest accuracy in identifying the geographical origins, and the accuracy of identifying the processing technology established by the KNN method after first-order derivative pretreatment was the best. The best accuracy of geographical origin discrimination and processing technology discrimination were 0.9853 and 0.9706 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: NIR spectroscopy combined with chemometric technology can be an important tool for tracking the origin and processing technology of Moyao ( Myrrh ) and can also provide a reference for evaluations of its quality and the clinical use.

Background Although Klotho-related research has seen a significant upsurge, the field lacks comprehensive analytical representation and in-depth exploration of pertinent areas such as prevailing research trends and key focus areas. Method This review presents a bibliometric analysis of literature data gathered from the Web of Science Core Collection databases from January 1, 2000, to April 30, 2023. Parameters such as co-authorship, co-citation, co-occurrence, and the emergence of publications, countries, categories, references, and keywords were scrutinized predominantly using Citespace software. Results Our investigation amassed a total of 3548 papers, with the United States leading in the quantity of publications (1175, accounting for 33.12%), followed by China (867, representing 24.44%), and Japan (439, accounting for 12.37%). While the United States is preeminent in the overall volume of publications, Scotland holds prominence in terms of centrality. Out of a total of 96 subject categories, urology and nephrology (573), and endocrinology and metabolism (542) were the two leading domains of Klotho-related publications. The 2011 paper titled “FGF23 induces left ventricular hypertrophy” by Faul C et al. holds the distinction of being the most frequently cited. The keywords “fibroblast growth factor 23,” “phosphate homeostasis,” and “functional variants” demonstrated the highest intensity, underscoring the potential of these research areas. Conclusion As the volume of literature grows, the role of Klotho in disease management and its applicability as a marker in disease progression warrant vigilant tracking and study.

Background and Purpose: Butylphtalide increases the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and decreases matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 in animal models of stroke and might be of use in the management of stroke. To explore whether butylphthalide combined with conventional treatment can change the levels of MMP-9 and VEGF and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores of patients with stroke.Methods: This was a prospective cohort study involving inpatients admitted to the Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital (January–June 2019) due to acute cerebral infarction. The patients received conventional treatments with or without butylphthalide. The changes in the NIHSS scores were compared between groups. Plasma MMP-9 and VEGF were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results: A total of 24 patients were included in the conventional treatment group and 46 in the butylphthalide group. The butylphthalide group showed lower MMP-9 (130 ± 59 vs. 188 ± 65, p = 0.001) and higher VEGF (441 ± 121 vs. 378 ± 70, p = 0.034) levels on day 6 compared with the conventional treatment group. The changes in MMP-9 and VEGF were significant, starting on day 3 in the butylphthalide group but on day 6 in the conventional treatment group. There were no differences between the two groups in the NIHSS scores at admission and at discharge (p > 0.05). The overall response rate was higher in the butylphthalide group compared with the conventional treatment group (63.0 vs. 37.5%, p = 0.042).Conclusion: Butylphthalide combined with conventional treatment can decrease MMP-9 levels and increase VEGF levels. The patients showed the reduced NIHSS scores, possibly suggesting some improvement in prognosis after stroke. Still, the conclusions need to be confirmed in a larger sample and in different etiological subtypes of stroke.