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Objective@#To evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of aortic valve calcification among the elderly (≥65 years old) resident of Wuxi city, Jiangsu province.@*Methods@#The household registration population aged ≥65 years old in Wuxi city was selected as the research subject by stratified sampling method from August 2017 to December 2018. Echocardiography was performed to assess the aortic valve calcification, and the participants were divided into calcification group and non-calcification group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the related risk factors of aortic valve calcification.@*Results@#The age of the respondents was (73.6±7.1) years old, of which 48.8% (461 cases) were males.The prevalence rate of aortic valve calcification was 22.0% (208/944) in the elderly (≥ 65 years old) residents in Wuxi city. The prevalence rate in 65-69 years old, 70-74 years old, 75-79 years old, 80-84 years old and ≥85 years old was 16.7% (58/347),16.7% (41/245),16.2% (26/161),23.3% (24/103), and 67.0% (59/88),respectively. There were significant differences in age, weight, abdominal circumference, hip circumference, high-salt diets, exercise, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and carotid atherosclerosis between the non-calcified group (736 cases) and the calcified group (208 cases) (P<0.01 or 0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (OR=1.077, 95%CI 1.053-1.101, P<0.001), diabetes mellitus (OR=1.697, 95%CI 1.174-2.453, P=0.005), and coronary heart disease (OR=1.964, 95%CI 1.378-2.799, P<0.001) were the risk factors of aortic valve calcification.@*Conclusions@#The prevalence of aortic valve calcification in the elderly (≥65 years old) residents in Wuxi city of Jiangsu province increases with aging. Age, diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease are the risk factors of aortic valve calcification in this population cohort.
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Objective To investigate the change in ventricular repolarization at different altitudes and time courses among healthy young males .Methods A total of 143 healthy young men living on the plains were randomly selected as subjects.Their change in relative parameters of ventricular repolarization was measured by the same person at 500 m above sea level,24 hours their ascent to the plateau at an altitude of 3700 m was,after one week′s acclimatization on the 4400 m plateau and after 50 days acclimatization on the 4400 m plateau.Results Compared with 500 m,at 3700 m above sea level in 24 hours and after one week′s acclimatization on the 4400 m plateau,the heart rate(HR),systolic blood pressure(SBP), diastolic blood pressure(DBP), heart rate-corrected-QT (QTc)interval and heart rate-corrected T-peak to T-end (TpTec) on V3 lead were significantly increased(P0.05) after 50 days acclimatization on the 4400 m plateau.Conclusion The ventricular repolarization duration of these young healthy men was significantly increased when they rapidly ascentded to high altitude .With prolonging residence at high alti-tude,the ventricular repolarization duration gradually returned to the level on the plains ,suggesting that the the ventricular repolarization duration will be restored to its level on the sea level by the adaptation and adjustment mechanism of the body .
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Objective To explore that whether the normoxic low altitude measurement of arterial blood pressure would predict subsequent susceptibility to acute mountain sickness ( AMS) during rapid ascent to high altitude .Methods Arterial blood pressure ( using a wrist sphygmomanometer ) was determined in two hundred and four healthy lowlanders first exposed to 3700 m-altitude (Lhasa) from plain (500 m) by air, and the Lake Louise self-report questionnaire(LLS) was used to assess AMS.We compared the low altitude blood pressure related indicators of two groups ( AMS and non-AMS ) and analyzed the relationship of diagnostic score and blood pressure related indicators .Results ①The incidence of AMS in the selected subjects was 53.92% by LLS.AMS scores increased markedly at high-altitude (P<0.05 versus low altitude).②Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial BP (MABP) in the AMS group were higher than those in the non-AMS group(P<0.05).The low altitude DBP levels for diagnosis of AMS at high-altitude (3700 m) had an area under curve(AUC) =0.598, P<0.05, with sensitivity of 56.3%, specificity of 63.2%, and cut-off point of 72.5 mmHg. Conclusion ①After acute exposure to high altitude , the incidence of AMS increases significantly .②A higher baseline DBP may be considered a potential risk factor for AMS , and is positively associated with LLS .DBP may serve as a predic-tive parameter for diagnosis of AMS .However , the clinical application of DBP as a predictive criterion is limited because of its poor specificity or sensitivity .The use of DBP as a predictive criterion should be combined with other indicators for the better predictive value of AMS .