Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex disorder affecting mainly, but not only, teenagers. Researchers agree that AN is deeply associated with a pro-inflammatory state following an impaired immune system, resulting from altered levels of cytokines such as IL-1β and TNF-α, also impacted by the frequent depressive states. Thus, this case-control study aimed to evaluate the relationship between patients suffering from AN undergoing specialized eating disorder treatment for AN and pro-inflammatory cytokines. ⋯ In addition, an improvement in the anxiety-depressant aspects was also noted. In conclusion, the results obtained suggest that pro-inflammatory cytokines are indeed related to the pathophysiology of AN. However, further investigations, involving larger samples of patients with distinct subtypes of AN, are essential to confirm the current findings.
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Medicare beneficiaries' healthcare spending varies across geographical regions, influenced by availability of medical resources and institutional efficiency. We aimed to evaluate whether social vulnerability influences healthcare costs among Medicare beneficiaries. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted to determine whether the social vulnerability index (SVI), released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was associated with average submitted covered charges, total payment amounts, or total covered days upon hospital discharge among Medicare beneficiaries. ⋯ The SVI was not significantly associated with the total payment amounts (β = -0.07, p = 0.238) or the total covered days (β = 0.00, p = 0.953) in the adjusted model. Regional variations in Medicare beneficiaries' healthcare spending exist and are influenced by levels of social vulnerability. Further research is warranted to fully comprehend the impact of social determinants on healthcare costs.
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Liver and lung tissue damage caused by sepsis is still one of the causes of death. B-lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1 (Blimp-1) has a protective role in inflammation-related disease. However, whether Blimp-1 can regulate cell pyroptosis and affect disease progression in sepsis is still unclear. ⋯ In the LPS-induced cell model, cell injury by knockout Blimp-1 was increased, and cell activity was restored after TAK-242 intervention. Overexpression of Blimp-1 relieved LPS-induced cellular inflammatory damage and pyroptosis. Our study had shown that Blimp-1 could improve septic damage by regulating the level of cellular inflammation and pyroptosis in sepsis.
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Obesity and diabetes are associated with impaired iron metabolism. We aimed to examine the independent relationship between diabetes and iron after controlling for body weight (or obesity) in women aged 20-49 years. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2015 to 2018 were used in this investigation. ⋯ Women with diabetes were more likely to have iron deficiency, anemia, and iron deficiency anemia than those without diabetes (18.1% vs 8.6%, p < 0.001), (24.4% vs 8.4%, p < 0.001), and (14.8% vs 5.2%, p < 0.001), respectively. Among women with obesity, those with diabetes had lower predicted ferritin (β = -0.19, p = 0.016), BII (β = -0.99, p = 0.016), and hemoglobin (β = -0.27, p = 0.042) than those without diabetes. The study shows that diabetes is linked to lower iron stores; this is exacerbated in those with obesity.