The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of orlistat or metformin combined with Diane-35 on anthropometric, hormonal and metabolic parameters in overweight and obese polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients with insulin resistance (fasting insulin > 10 mIU/L). A total of 240 PCOS women were randomly allocated to orlistat plus Diane-35(OD group), metformin plus Diane-35(MD group), orlistat plus metformin plus Diane-35(OMD group) or Diane-35 (D group). Body weight, BMI, waist and hip circumference, blood pressure, endocrine profile, lipid profile and insulin resistance were assessed at baseline and after 3 months. Significant reductions in waist and hip circumference, serum LH, total testosterone and uric acid were observed in all groups compared with baseline. TG and TC significantly decreased in the OD group. Homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index was reduced in the OD (p = .015), MD (p = .001) and OMD (p = .004) groups. Body weight, BMI, systolic BP and HDL-C significantly changed in the OD and OMD group compared with the D group (p < .05). Side effects were less with orlistat than metformin. This study demonstrated that orlistat is more effective in reducing weight and lipid profile than metformin. Besides, orlistat has mild side-effects and is better tolerated compared with metformin.

Diane-35 in combination with orlistat or metformin is more effective in reducing androgen than Diane-35 alone. Orlistat is more effective in reducing body fat percentage than metformin. In addition, orlistat has mild side-effects and is better tolerated compared with metformin.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) results in high rates of mortality and lasting disability. Hydrogen gas (H 2 ) is an antioxidant with demonstrated neuroprotective efficacy. The present study examined the therapeutic efficacy of H 2 inhalation on early brain injury following experimental SAH in rats and the potential underlying molecular mechanisms. The rats were randomly separated into three groups (n=36 per group): Sham, SAH and SAH + H 2 . Endovascular perforation of the right internal carotid artery was used to establish SAH. After perforation, rats in the SAH + H 2 group inhaled 2.9% H 2 with regular oxygen for 2 h. Then, 24 h post-SAH, TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptotic neurons, and both immunostaining and western blotting were conducted to examine changes in p38 MAPK activity and the expression levels of apoptotic regulators (Bcl-2, Bax and cleaved caspase-3) in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Then, 30 day post-SAH, Nissl staining was performed to detect neuronal injury, brain MRI was conducted to detect gross changes in brain structure and metabolism, the open field test was used to assess anxiety and the novel object recognition test was performed to assess memory. H 2 inhalation following experimental SAH stabilized brain metabolites, improved recognition memory and reduced anxiety-like behavior, the neuronal apoptosis rate, phosphorylated p38 MAPK expression, cleaved caspase-3 expression and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Collectively, the present results suggested that H 2 inhalation can alleviate SAH-induced cognitive impairment, behavioral abnormalities and neuronal apoptosis in rats, possibly via inhibition of the p38 MAPK signal pathway.