This cross-sectional study aimed at measuring the correlation and association between serum levels of cortisol, inflammatory cytokines, and depression and to measure the detection accuracy of serum levels of cortisol in serum samples. In total, 89 male participants were recruited into this study from June 15, 2017, to September 31, 2017. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used to investigate the mental health status of the participants. Serum concentrations of cortisol and inflammatory cytokines were determined. The serum cortisol concentration, anxiety level, and sleep quality were included in the final logistic regression model. Serum cortisol was able to accurately distinguish between patients with depression and those without depression. There was a significant positive correlation between serum cortisol levels and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores.

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The target of the current research was to investigate the anticancer activity of sitagliptin on diethylnitrosamine (DENA)-induced cancer in the liver. Wistar rats were treated with or without sitagliptin before DENA treatment. We detected liver weight, blood glucose, and histopathology of the liver. Serum biochemical markers like serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum alkaline phosphatase (SALP), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP), total bilirubin (TBR), total protein (TPR), and albumin (ALB) were also evaluated. In addition, lipid profile parameters comprising total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein were also measured. Inflammatory mediators like interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were determined in liver homogenate. Furthermore, the activity of nuclear factor (NF-κB) was also measured. Our results showed that sitagliptin (10 and 20 mg/kg) in a dose-dependent manner expressively decreased the DENA-induced elevation of SGPT, SGOT, SALP, and GGTP. Whereas sitagliptin (10 and 20 mg/kg) in a dose-dependent mode reduced the level of TBR and increased the TPR and ALB as well as improved the liver histopathology alterations in DENA-exposed rats. Lipid profile was also restored by the sitagliptin (10 and 20 mg/kg) in a DENA-treated rats. The level of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were suggestively suppressed. Moreover, pretreatment with sitagliptin (10 and 20 mg/kg) prevented the activation of NF-κB. In conclusion, sitagliptin (10 and 20 mg/kg) has a potential protective effect against DENA-induced liver cancer by inhibition of inflammation and NF-κB activation.

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As one of the most common neuropsychiatric complications after stroke, post-stroke depression can significantly affect the initiative of rehabilitation exercise and the rehabilitation of neurological function of patients. Virtual reality (VR) has been widely used in health-related fields in recent years. There is some evidence that VR-based interventions have benefits for depression. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of VR-based intervention on depression in stroke patients. A total of 752 patients with stroke from 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studies were included in this meta-analysis and the studies derived from seven electronic databases searched from database inception to August 2021. Different tools were used to measure depression. For continuous results, the standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to synthesize the effects. We assessed the risk of bias by using the Cochrane Collaboration criteria. The results showed that compared to the control group, VR-based interventions significantly decreased the depression scale score (SMD =  − 0.75, 95% CI − 1.35, − 0.15). The meta-analysis indicated that VR-based intervention had a moderate effect on depression in stroke patients compared to control group. There was no evidence of potential publication bias as assessed by visual inspection of funnel plots in Egger and Begg tests. Substantial heterogeneity between studies was observed, meta-regression analysis showed that mean age might be the source of heterogeneity.