Figure 3

Differential expression of serum miRNAs in male and female subjects with and without MetS. The sample sizes of the male and female subjects were the following: MS(-) n = 36, MS(+) n = 16 in men and MS(-) n = 35, MS(+) n = 15 in women. (Left section) The comparisons between the individuals without or with MetS were conducted through non-parametric Mann–Whitney U tests. The box plots depict the 25th-75th percentile, and the white line represents the median of each contribution. (Right section) The relationships between the number of MetS risk components and the miRNA levels were analyzed by Jonckheere-Terpstra tests. The status of MetS was converted into an ordinal variable: MS score 0–2 (n = 36 in men and n = 35 in women), MS score 3 (n = 12 in men and n = 10 in women), and MS score 4–5 (n = 4 in men and n = 5 in women). Differences with p < 0.05 were statistically significant.