OBJECTIVE -Low levels of androgens in men may play a role in the development of diabetes; however, few studies have examined the association between androgen concentration and diabetes in men in the general population. The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that low normal levels of total, free, and bioavailable testosterone are associated with prevalent diabetes in men.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -The study sample included 1,413 adult men aged Ն20 years who participated in the morning session of the first phase of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a cross-sectional survey of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the U.S. Bioavailable and free testosterone levels were calculated from serum total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, and albumin concentrations.RESULTS -In multivariable models adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, and adiposity, men in the first tertile (lowest) of free testosterone level were four times more likely to have prevalent diabetes compared with men in the third tertile (odds ratio 4.12 [95% CI 1.25-13.55]). Similarly, men in the first tertile of bioavailable testosterone also were approximately four times as likely to have prevalent diabetes compared wth men in the third tertile (3.93 [1.39 -11.13]). These associations persisted even after excluding men with clinically abnormal testosterone concentrations defined as total testosterone Ͻ3.25 ng/ml or free testosterone Ͻ0.07 ng/ml. No clear association was observed for total testosterone after multivariable adjustment (P for trend across tertiles ϭ 0.27).CONCLUSIONS -Low free and bioavailable testosterone concentrations in the normal range were associated with diabetes, independent of adiposity. These data suggest that low androgen levels may be a risk factor for diabetes in men. Diabetes Care 30:234 -238, 2007I t has been suggested that sex steroid hormones may play a causal role in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (1,2). There is a growing amount of literature examining the role sex steroid hormones may play in the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in women, but there has been relatively less attention paid to this association in men. Men with endocrine disorders that are associated with low testosterone levels (hypogonadism), such as Klinefelter's and Wolfram's syndromes, have an elevated risk of developing insulin resistance and diabetes (3,4). However, the association between sex steroid concentrations within the normal range and diabetes risk in men in the general population has not been well characterized.Obesity, one of the most important underlying causes of insulin resistance, is associated with low testosterone levels in men (5-7) and may partially or wholly mediate the process by which endogenous sex hormones influence diabetes risk. Many previous studies have been conducted in small, highly selected populations or convenience samples and/or did not rigorously measure or control for the possible effects of adiposity. The present st...

Abstract. Dexmedetomidine (DEX), a highly specific α 2 -adrenergic agonist, which exhibits anaesthetic-sparing, analgesia and sympatholytic properties. DEX modulates gene expression, channel activation, transmitter release, inflammatory processes and apoptotic and necrotic cell death. It has also been demonstrated to have protective effects in a variety of animal models of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, including the intestine, myocardial, renal, lung, cerebral and liver. The broad spectrum of biological activities associated with DEX continues to expand, and its diverse effects suggest that it may offer a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of human diseases with I/R involvement.

Cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, is widely present in food. It has been reported that chronic cadmium exposure is associated with kidney disease, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the dietary cadmium exposure and potential health risk in different age-sex groups of the Chinese population (children aged 4–11 years, young people aged 12–17 years and adults aged over 18 years), and in the southern and northern population using a semi-probabilistic method. Cadmium was detected in 228,687 food samples from 32 food categrories by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The dietary cadmium exposures were estimated by combining the cadmium concentration data with food consumption data derived from the China National Nutrient and Health Survey 2002, and evaluated against the Provisional Tolerable Monthly Intake (PTMI) of 25 μg/kg BW/month established by the Joint FAO/WHO expert committee on food additives (JECFA). The mean dietary cadmium exposure of the general Chinese population (15.3 μg/kg BW/month) was below the PTMI. The high consumer exposures (95th percentile, P95) for the general population and different sub-groups were higher than the PTMI. The dietary cadmium exposure of the southern population was apparently higher than that of the northern population. Rice was the most important contributor to cadmium exposure for Chinese people, especially those living in the southern areas of China. These findings indicated that the health risk from dietary cadmium exposure of the general Chinese people was low, but the health risk of cadmium exposure of certain sub-groups should be of concern.