Neuregulin 4 (Nrg4), a newly identified adipokine secreted by brown adipose tissue, is hypothesised to play a crucial role in metabolism. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between serum Nrg4 levels and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in children with obesity in China. A total of 123 children with obesity were included in this study. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured in all subjects. NAFLD was diagnosed using ultrasonography. The serum levels of Nrg4, leptin and adiponectin were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. NAFLD was identified in 58 children with obesity (47.2%). Serum Nrg4 levels were significantly lower in the NAFLD group (2.24 [1.20, 3.22] ng/mL) than in the control group (5.50 [2.45, 10.85] ng/mL) (p < 0.001). Serum Nrg4 levels were negatively correlated with most of the anthropometric and biochemical parameters (p < 0.05) but were positively correlated with high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.05). In multiple stepwise regression analyses, serum Nrg4 levels were independently related with WHtR (β = −2.009, p = 0.048) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (β = −0.524, p = 0.005). Furthermore, a multivariable logistic regression analysis of NAFLD prediction by Nrg4 revealed an odds ratio of 0.129 (95% confidence interval: 0.028–0.587, p < 0.01). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the diagnostic value of using serum Nrg4 levels to differentiate NAFLD in children with obesity showed that the area under the curve was 0.723; the cutoff for serum Nrg4 levels to have diagnostic value for predicting NAFLD in children with obesity was 3.39 ng/mL. Elevated Nrg4 is associated with a decreased risk of NAFLD in children with obesity.

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The objective of this research is to investigate the plasma pharmacokinetics and bio-distribution of liposomal daunorubicin plus tamoxifen in breast cancer murine models through intravenous administration. Daunorubicin and tamoxifen plasma levels in pharmacokinetics studies were determined using HPLC. Biodistributions of various carriers loaded with a cyanine dye (cy7) were evaluated using in vivo imaging. After administration, free daunorubicin and tamoxifen were rapidly cleared out from the blood following a two-compartment kinetic model. The clearances and AUC (0-N) of daunorubicin were (means AE SD): 0.028 AE 0.005 L h À1 kg À1 and 367.489 AE 56.979 mg mL À1 h À1 (liposomes), and 2.235 AE 0.347 L h À1 kg À1 and 4.546 AE 0.704 mg mL À1 h À1 (free drug). By ex vivo imaging 24 h after injection, the fluorescence intensity of liposomal cy7 plus tamoxifen in tumor region was obviously higher than that of free liposomal cy7. In conclusion, tamoxifen can improve pharmacokinetics profile of liposomal daunorubicin with enhanced therapy for breast cancer. Materials and methods MaterialsDaunorubicin hydrochloride was purchased from Nanjing Tianzun Zezhong Chemicals, Co. Ltd, (Nanjing, China).

Introduction: At the end of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 78 million known survivors were recorded. The long-term pulmonary sequelae of COVID-19 remain unknown. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of a post-COVID follow-up service to