Given that septic and cirrhotic patients accounted for the majority of the patients enrolled in this study and that sepsis, pulmonary disease7, cirrhosis5, 6, and diabetes21, 22 may profoundly affect the RBP4 levels, we performed subgroup analyses of the RBP4 levels according to the patients’ sepsis, pulmonary disease, cirrhosis and diabetes statuses. This evidence concerns the gene RBP4 and diabetes mellitus.