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YANG, WEI-SHIUNG, WEI-JEI LEE, TOHRU FUNAHASHI, SACHIYO TANAKA, YUJI MATSUZAWA, CHIA-LING CHAO, CHI-LING CHEN, TONG-YUAN TAI, AND LEE-MING CHUANG. Plasma adiponectin levels in overweight and obese Asians. Obes Res. 2002;10:1104 -1110. Objective: Hypoadiponectin has been documented in subjects with obesity, diabetes mellitus, or coronary heart disease, suggesting a potential use of plasma adiponectin in following the clinical progress in subjects with metabolic syndrome (MS). In this study, we investigated the plasma adiponectin levels in relation to the variables of MS among overweight/obese Asian subjects. Research Methods and Procedures:The plasma adiponectin, anthropometric and biochemical measurements, oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT), and modified insulin suppression tests were performed on 180 overweight/obese Asian subjects [body mass index (BMI) Ն 23 kg/m 2 ], including 47 subjects with morbid obesity (BMI Ն 40 kg/m 2 ). Results: The plasma adiponectin levels negatively correlated with BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, fasting plasma glucose, insulin, triglyceride, uric acid levels, hyperinsulinemia, and glucose intolerance in OGTT, but positively with highdensity lipoprotein-cholesterol. In contrast, they were not related to blood pressure and total cholesterol. Moreover, insulin sensitivity, measured by quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) or in insulin suppression tests, significantly correlated with the plasma adiponectin levels. Among morbidly obese subjects, only the waist-to-hip ratio correlated with the plasma adiponectin levels. Using multivariate linear regression models, the area under curve of plasma glucose in OGTT and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol among the overweight/obese subjects and WHR among the morbidly obese subjects were significantly related to the plasma adiponectin levels after adjustment for other variables. Discussion: In overweight/obese Asians, the plasma adiponectin levels significantly correlated with various indices of MS except hypertension. Whether the plasma adiponectin level could be a suitable biomarker for following the clinical progress of MS warrants further investigation.

Background SARS-CoV-2 began spreading in December 2019 and has since become a pandemic that has impacted many aspects of human society. Several issues concerning the origin, time of introduction to humans, evolutionary patterns, and underlying force driving the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak remain unclear. Method Genetic variation in 137 SARS-CoV-2 genomes and related coronaviruses as of 2/23/2020 was analyzed. Result After correcting for mutational bias, the excess of low frequency mutations on both synonymous and nonsynonymous sites was revealed which is consistent with the recent outbreak of the virus. In contrast to adaptive evolution previously reported for SARS-CoV during its brief epidemic in 2003, our analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomes shows signs of relaxation. The sequence similarity in the spike receptor binding domain between SARS-CoV-2 and a sequence from pangolin is probably due to an ancient intergenomic introgression that occurred approximately 40 years ago. The current outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 was estimated to have originated on 12/11/2019 (95% HPD 11/13/2019–12/23/2019). The effective population size of the virus showed an approximately 20-fold increase from the onset of the outbreak to the lockdown of Wuhan (1/23/2020) and ceased to increase afterwards, demonstrating the effectiveness of social distancing in preventing its spread. Two mutations, 84S in orf8 protein and 251 V in orf3 protein, occurred coincidentally with human intervention. The former first appeared on 1/5/2020 and plateaued around 1/23/2020. The latter rapidly increased in frequency after 1/23/2020. Thus, the roles of these mutations on infectivity need to be elucidated. Genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 collected from China is two times higher than those derived from the rest of the world. A network analysis found that haplotypes collected from Wuhan were interior and had more mutational connections, both of which are consistent with the observation that the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak originated in China. Conclusion SARS-CoV-2 might have cryptically circulated within humans for years before being discovered. Data from the early outbreak and hospital archives are needed to trace its evolutionary path and determine the critical steps required for effective spreading.

BackgroundNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is independently associated with QT prolongation among patients with diabetes. It has not yet been determined whether this association remains valid in the general population. We designed an observational study to explore this association.Methods and ResultsWe conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 31 116 consecutive participants in our health management program. Heart rate–corrected QT (QTc) interval was derived from 12-lead electrocardiography and by Bazett’s formula. NAFLD was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography and classified as none, mild, moderate, or severe, according to the ultrasonographic criteria. A multivariable linear regression model was fitted for the association between QTc interval and potential predictors (including demographic, anthropometric, biochemical factors, and comorbidities). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were fitted to assess the association between the severity of NAFLD and QTc prolongation, with the adjustment of significant predictors derived from multivariable linear regression. The mean QTc interval was 421.3 ms (SD 45.4 ms). In the multivariable linear regression analyses, mild, moderate, and severe NAFLD were associated with increases of 2.55, 6.59, and 12.13 ms, respectively, in QTc interval compared with no NAFLD (all P<0.001). In the multivariable logistic regression analyses, mild, moderate, and severe NAFLD were associated with an increased risk for QTc prolongation, with odds ratios of 1.11 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.21, P<0.05), 1.61 (95% CI: 1.36 to 1.9, P<0.001), and 1.31 (95% CI: 1.16 to 2.24, P<0.01), respectively, in women, and 1.11 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.21, P<0.05), 1.39 (95% CI: 1.22 to 1.59, P<0.001), and 1.87 (95% CI: 1.16 to 2.24, P<0.001), respectively, in men, after adjusting for predictors known to be associated with the QTc interval. The association remained significant among subgroups with or without diabetes.ConclusionsThe severity of NAFLD was associated with a higher risk for QTc prolongation in the general population with and without diabetes.