Trace elements play a critical role in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The aim of this study was to investigate the serum levels of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) in Chinese children with ASD. Sixty patients (48 males, 12 females) diagnosed with ASD and 60 healthy sex-matched and age-matched control participants were assessed for serum Zn and Cu content at admission. The severity of ASD was also evaluated using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) score. The results indicated that the mean serum Zn levels and Zn/Cu ratio were significantly lower in children with ASD compared with normal cases (P<0.001, respectively), whereas serum Cu levels were significantly higher (P<0.001). There was a significant negative association between Zn/Cu and CARS scores (r=-0.345, P=0.007). On the basis of the receiver operating characteristic curve, the optimal cut-off value of serum levels of Zn/Cu as an indicator for an auxiliary diagnosis of autism was projected to be 0.665, which yielded a sensitivity of 90.0% and a specificity of 91.7%; the area under the curve was 0.968 (95% confidence interval, 0.943-0.993). In conclusion, these results suggested an association between serum levels of Zn and Cu and ASD among Chinese patients, and the Zn/Cu ratio could be considered a biomarker of ASD.

Whether insulin resistance (IR) predicts worse functional outcome in ischemic stroke is still a matter of debate. The aim of the present study is to determine the association between IR and risk of poor outcome in 173 Chinese nondiabetic patients with acute ischemic stroke. This is a prospective, population-based cohort study. Insulin sensitivity, expressed by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of insulin sensitivity (HOMA index = (fasting insulin × fasting glucose)/22.5). IR was defined by HOMA-IR index in the top quartile (Q4). Functional impairment was evaluated at discharge using the modified Rankin scale (mRS). The median (interquartile range) HOMA-IR was 2.14 (1.17–2.83), and Q4 was at least 2.83. There was a significantly positive correlation between HOMA-IR and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (r = 0.408; P<0.001). In multivariate analyses, patients in IR group were associated with a higher risk of poor functional outcome (odds ratio (OR) = 3.23; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.75–5.08; P=0.001). In multivariate models comparing the third and fourth quartiles against the first quartile of the HOMA-IR, levels of HOMA-IR were associated with poor outcome, and the adjusted risk of poor outcome increased by 207% (OR = 3.05 (95% CI 1.70–4.89), P=0.006) and 429% (5.29 (3.05–9.80), P<0.001). In a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis of poor outcome, the area under the curve (AUC) increased from 0.80 to 0.84 (95% CI: 0.79–0.88) by adding HOMA-IR to clinical examination variables (P=0.02). High HOMA-IR index is associated with a poor functional outcome in nondiabetic patients with acute ischemic stroke.

The role of fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) in atherosclerosis has been investigated. The aim of this study was to verify the hypothesis that higher levels of serum fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) could be a prognostic factor in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and acute ischemic stroke (AIS). From September 2015 to August 2016, consecutive first-ever AIS patients combined with T2DM were included in this study. FABP4, NIH stroke scale (NIHSS), and conventional risk factors were evaluated to determine their value to predict functional outcomes within 3 months. Multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression models. We measured FABP4 in 329 patients. The median age of patients included in this study was 63 (IQR, 56-72) years and 45.9% were women. FABP4 serum levels were obtained at a median of 8.5 h (IQR, 4.0-14.0 h) after the stroke onset with a median value of 21.4 ng/ml (IQR, 15.6-28.2 ng/ml). In multivariable models, FABP4 remained an independent stroke severity predictor with an adjusted OR of 1.05 (95% CI, 1.02-1.09). In multivariate models comparing the third (odd ratio (OR), 2.25; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.59-3.54) and fourth quartiles (OR, 3.75; 95% CI, 2.48-5.03) against the first quartile of the FABP4, levels of FABP4 were associated with poor functional outcome. At 3 months, 38 patients (11.6%; 95%CI, 8.1-15.0%) had died. The mortality distribution across the FABP4 quartiles ranged between 3.7% (first quartile) and 20.7% (fourth quartile). Elevation of FABP4 is associated with an increased risk of death and poor functional outcome events in patients with type 2 diabetes and acute ischemic stroke and is independent of other established clinical risk predictors and biomarkers.

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