Objective:To investigate the relationship between serum level of Apelin-13 and bone mineral density (BMD) as well as other parameters, and determine the influence of Apelin-13 on osteoporosis in patients with Type-2 diabetes mellitus.Methods:Seventy-six patients with Type-2 diabetes mellitus were recruited from Department of Endocrinology of our hospital between January 2013 and July2017. The clinical data, including age, gender, height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and disease duration were recorded for all patients. Blood sample was collected for measurement of Apelin-13, Procollagen type-I N propeptide (PINP) and Cross-linked carboxy terminal telopeptide of type-I collagen (ICTP), and BMD was tested with a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanner.Results:The patients were divided into three groups, in which 19 patients were assigned in osteoporosis group, 25 in osteopenia group and 32 in normal group. The level of Apelin-13 in osteoporosis group was significantly lower than that in osteopenia and normal groups (p<0.05), and the value in osteopenia group was significant lower than that in normal group (p<0.05). Correlation analysis showed in the included patients the level of Apelin-13 was positively correlated to the value of BMD and PINP (p<0.05), but negatively correlated to age and ICTP (p<0.05).Conclusion:In conclusion, this study demonstrated that there was a close relationship among Apelin-13, BMD, ICTP and PINP, and Apelin-13 plays an important role in the occurrence of osteoporosis in patients with Type-2 diabetes mellitus.

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Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is one of the common infections in hospitalized patients. Early and prompt diagnosis of HAP is important because it aids in the appropriate selection of antibiotics and decreases the mortality and morbidity of patients. The investigation on serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels in pediatric patients is limited. Herein we aimed to evaluate the role of PCT in the early diagnosis of children with bacterial HAP. The study enrolled 264 children (< 14 years old) who were radiographically detected by pulmonary condensation chest X-rays. The HAP patients were stratified by patterns of microbiological detection of pathogens. Baseline white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophil proportion, PCT, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured on admission. The laboratory findings and microbiological findings were analyzed and compared among groups. The median PCT concentration of patients with typical bacterial pathogens (3.95 ± 3.75 ng/mL) was significantly higher than the one of the patients with other pathogen types (median lower than 1.20 ng/mL). Correlation analysis indicated a significant correlation between PCT concentrations and the main inflammation makers including WBC count, neutrophil proportion, and CRP. PCT level was significantly decreased to 0.86 ± 1.46 ng/mL in post-treatment patients (p < 0.001). This cohort study with 264 pediatric HAP patients demonstrated the reliability of PCT level as a biomarker in patients with typical bacterial pathogens. Specifically, PCT cutoffs of 2 ng/mL accurately identified HAP children with typical bacterial pathogens. This finding suggested that PCT may serve as a reliable biomarker for the early diagnosis and treatment indicator of children with HAP.