Research progress on defocus technique of orthokeratology lens in the prevention and control of myopia / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

The incidence of myopia is gradually on the rise worldwide, which seriously affects the eye health of teenagers and children, causing enormous loss of socioeconomic benefits. As a result, the prevention and control of myopia is crucial and urgent. In recent years, orthokeratology lens have gradually demonstrated its superiority in the field of myopia prevention and control. At present, the principle of controlling the development of myopia by orthokeratology lens is mainly based on the theory of retinal hyperopia optical defocus, which promotes the shift of hyperopic defocus to myopic defocus in myopic patients to curb the growth of the axial length. The effect of controlling the development of myopia is related to various factors, including the total amount of defocusing, pupil diameter, optical zone design, and lens decentration. The widespread use of orthokeratology lenses will effectively reduce the incidence of myopia in teenagers and children. This paper discusses the principle of controlling the development of myopia by the defocus technique of orthokeratology lenses, and the relationship between the amount of defocusing and the position of the defocusing circle and the effect of myopia prevention and control. A specific review was conducted to clarify the research progress on defocus technique of orthokeratology lens in the prevention and control of myopia.

Research progress of artificial intelligence in the prevention and control of myopia / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Myopia is one of the main causes of visual impairment. In recent years, the incidence of myopia has been increasing. Effective prevention and control of myopia is essential for maintaining patients' visual function and quality of life. With the continuous development of computer technology and big data acquisition, artificial intelligence(AI)is developing rapidly in the field of medical and health care. Machine learning and deep learning are gradually emerging in the field of myopia prevention and control. Through the AI model formed by training the diopter, axial length, color fundus photography, optical coherence tomography and other myopia-related data, with the help of remote medical platform, AI has played a positive role in the occurrence, progress prediction and monitoring of myopia, early warning of pathological myopia, prevention and treatment of myopia and ophthalmological telemedicine. This paper mainly reviews the research progress of AI in the field of myopia prevention and control, aiming to provide a new direction for the prevention and control of myopia in the future.

Seroepidemiological survey of Toxoplasma gondii infections in patients with diabetes mellitus in Hangzhou City / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To investigate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infections among patients with diabetes mellitus in Hangzhou City. Methods A total of 337 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, 624 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 384 patients with gestational diabetes mellitus living in Hangzhou City during the period from March 2017 through May 2020 were recruited as the study subjects, while age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers and pregnant women without gestational diabetes mellitus served as controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to detect serum IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii in patients with diabetes mellitus and controls, and the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibody was compared between diabetes mellitus patients and controls. Results The overall seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibody (18.10% vs. 4.45%, χ2 = 31.38, P < 0.01) and the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody (14.54% vs. 2.97%, χ2 = 28.28, P < 0.01) were both significantly higher in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus than in healthy controls, while no significant difference was seen in the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgM antibody between patients and controls (3.56% vs. 1.48%, χ2 = 2.96, P > 0.05). The seroprevalence rates of serum anti-T. gondii (23.56% vs. 6.57%, χ2 = 70.37, P < 0.01) and anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies (21.15% vs. 5.45%, χ2 = 66.73, P < 0.01) were significantly higher in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus than in healthy controls, while no significant difference was seen in the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgM antibody between patients and controls (2.40% vs. 1.12%, χ2 = 2.96, P > 0.05). In addition, the overall seroprevalence of serum anti-T. gondii antibody (26.30% vs. 19.53%, χ2 = 4.98, P < 0.05) and the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody (23.70% vs. 17.71%, χ2 = 4.20, P < 0.05) were both significantly higher in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus than in pregnant women without gestational diabetes mellitus, while no significant difference was seen in the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgM antibody between pregnant women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus (2.60% vs. 1.82%, χ2 = 0.54, P > 0.05). Conclusions The patients with diabetes mellitus present a higher seroprevalence rate of anti-T. gondii antibody than controls in Hangzhou City. Screening of T. gondii infections and health education pertaining to toxoplasmosis prevention and control knowledge should be reinforced in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Association of cardiovascular diseases with milk intake among general Chinese adults / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#The association of milk intake with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cause-specific mortality remained controversial and evidence among the Chinese population was limited. We aimed to study the relationship between milk intake and CVDs among general Chinese adults.@*METHODS@#A total of 104,957 participants received questionnaire survey. Results of physical examination such as anthropometric measurements and biochemical tests during 2007 to 2008, demographic data and their information on milk intake were collected through standardized questionnaires. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of CVD incidence, cause-specific mortality and all-cause mortality related to milk intake. Restricted cubic splines (RCSs) were applied to examine dose-response associations.@*RESULTS@#Among the 91,757 participants with a median follow-up period of 5.8 years, we documented 3877 CVD cases and 4091 all-cause deaths. Compared with participants who never consumed milk, the multivariate-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) of CVD incidence for 1 to 150 g/day, 151 to 299 g/day, and ≥300 g/day were 0.94 (0.86-1.03) (P > 0.05), 0.77 (0.66-0.89) (P < 0.05), and 0.59 (0.40-0.89) (P < 0.05), respectively; each 100 g increase of daily milk intake was associated with 11% lower risk of CVD incidence (HR, 0.89; 95% CI: 0.85-0.94; P < 0.001), and 11% lower risk of CVD mortality (HR, 0.89; 95% CI: 0.82-0.97; P = 0.008) after adjustment for age, sex, residential area, geographic region, education level, family history of CVD, smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity level, body mass index, and healthy diet status (ideal or not). RCS analyses also showed a linear dose-response relationship with CVD (P for overall significance of the curve <0.001; P for non-linearity = 0.979; P for linearity <0.001) and stroke (P for overall significance of the curve = 0.010; P for non-linearity = 0.998; P for linearity = 0.002) incidence, and CVD mortality (P for overall significance of the curve = 0.045; P for non-linearity = 0.768; P for linearity = 0.014) within the current range of daily milk intake.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Daily milk intake was associated with lower risk of CVD incidence and mortality in a linear inverse relationship. The findings provide new evidence for dietary recommendations in CVD prevention among Chinese adults and people with similar dietary pattern in other countries.

Cardiovascular disease risk in diabetes patients aged 40 years old and above in China / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), ischemic and hemorrhagic cardiovascular events among Chinese diabetic patients aged 40 years and above with different CVD risk levels. Methods: This study enrolled participants aged 40 years and above in 15 provinces from a prospective cohort study, the China-PAR project (Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China). Participants were categorized into two groups according to the presence or absence of diabetes at baseline. Individuals were further classified into low (0-4.9%), moderate (5%-9.9%) and high risk groups (≥10%), based on predicted ten-year CVD risk using the China-PAR equations. Two followed-up surveys were conducted between 2007 and 2015 to identify CVD events, which were defined as nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, or death due to coronary heart disease, or stroke. Ischemic cardiovascular events included nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, or death due to coronary heart disease, or ischemic stroke. Hemorrhagic cardiovascular events included subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracerebral hemorrhage. The incidences of CVD, ischemic and hemorrhagic cardiovascular events were compared in diabetes and non-diabetes population with different CVD risk levels. Results: This study included 89 209 participants aged 40 years and above, the average follow-up period was 8.5 years. The age was (54.8±9.4) years, and 36 794 (41.2%) were men, and 5 730 (6.4%) were diabetic patients. In diabetes patients aged 40 years and above, 53.7% (3 075/5 730) were at high risk of CVD. Age-and sex-adjusted incidence of CVD, ischemic and hemorrhagic cardiovascular events (1 066.93/100 000 person-years, 824.23/100 000 person-years, and 211.56/100 000 person-years) were significantly lower in diabetes patients than those in non-diabetes population with high CVD risk (1 773.73/100 000 person-years, 1 228.18/100 000 person-years, and 446.49/100 000 person-years) (all P<0.001). Among high CVD risk populations, incidence of ischemic events was significantly higher in diabetic patients than in non-diabetes population (1 638.47/100 000 person-years vs. 1 228.18/100 000 person-years, P<0.001), but incidence of hemorrhagic events tended to be lower in diabetic patients than in non-diabetes population (415.70/100 000 person-years vs. 446.49/100 000 person-years, P=0.635). Incidence of ischemic and hemorrhagic events were similar between diabetes patients and non-diabetes population at low or moderate CVD risk groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: More than half of diabetes patients aged 40 years and above in China have high CVD risk. The incidence of CVD, ischemic and hemorrhagic cardiovascular events are different in diabetic patients with different CVD risk levels.

Three-dimensional spatial measurement versus conventional CT planning in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for renal tumors / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the advantages of spatial measurement of anatomical parameters in a 3D model in surgical planning for laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From February, 2016 to October, 2017, 37 patients diagnosed with T1 renal mass underwent LPN based on 3D reconstruction after enhanced CT scanning using the Uromedix-3D system (group A), and another 38 patients received LPN with conventional CT planning (group B). The anatomical parameters were measured in the reconstructed 3D model and the demographic data, surgical outcome and postoperative data were compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In group A, the average time for 3D model reconstruction was (29.3∓9.7) min; the length, width and depth of the renal defect in 3D model were 3.2∓1.1 cm, 2.6∓0.9 cm and 1.7∓0.7 cm, respectively; The distance of the tumor from the collecting system was 3.8∓2.2 mm; The mean R.E.N.A.L score of the patients was 7∓1.5, and 3 patients had accessory renal artery and 2 had early branching of the renal artery. LPNs were completed via the retroperitoneal approach in all the 75 patients without conversion to open or total nephrectomy. Group A and group B showed significant differences in warm ischemic time (26.7∓6.4 vs 31.9∓7.0 min), tumor-excision time (8.4∓2.6 vs 10.4∓2.8 min), renal defect suture time (18.3∓3.9 vs 21.5∓3.4 min), 24-h volume of retroperitoneal drainage (88.6∓40.2 vs 134.3∓58.3 mL) and 48-h volume of retroperitoneal drainage (127.9∓54.5 vs 198.1∓86.3 mL), but not in the demographic data, operation time, intraoperative blood loss or postoperative hospital stay.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>3D reconstruction of the renal masses can be completed efficiently and accurately using this system. Compared with conventional CT-based measurement, 3D spatial measurement of the anatomical structures helps to increase the precision in the performance of LPN and reduce the warm ischemia time.</p>

Investigation on Toxoplasma gondii infection in liver disease patients in Hangzhou City / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To understand the Toxoplasma gondii infection in liver disease patients in Hangzhou City.Methods A total of 1 200 patients with liver diseases were enrolled,including 300 patients with liver cancer,300 cases with hepatitis B,300 cases with hepatic fibrosis and 300 cases with fatty degeneration of the liver,while 1 200 healthy people served as controls.The serum anti-T.gondii IgG and IgM antibodies were detected in the subjects using ELISA assay.Results The seropositive rates of anti-T.gondii IgG and IgM antibodies were 24.00％(288/1 200)and 1.17％(14/1 200)in the liver disease patients,and 11.42％(137/1 200)and 1.08％(13/1 200)in the healthy controls,respectively.There was a significant difference in the seropositive rate of anti-T.gondii IgG antibody between the liver disease patients and controls(Χ 2=65.19,P<0.01),and no significant difference was seen in the seropositive rate of anti-T.gondii IgM antibody between the liver disease patients and con-trols(Χ 2=0.04,P>0.05).The seropositive rates of anti-T.gondii IgG antibody were 26.00％,25.00％,23.33％and 21.67％in the patients with liver cancer,hepatitis B,hepatic fibrosis and fatty degeneration of the liver,respectively,and no significant difference was detected among these patients with four types of liver diseases(Χ2=1.79,P>0.05).Conclusion The seroposi-tive rate of anti-T.gondii IgG antibody is high in liver disease patients in Hangzhou City,and the management and health educa-tion of toxoplasmosis should be given to patients with liver diseases.

Trends in Serum Total Cholesterol During 1998 to 2015 Among the Population-based Cohorts of China / 中国循环杂志

Objectives: To explore the trends of serum total cholesterol (TC) among Chinese adult cohorts from 1998 to 2015. Methods: The subjects of this study came from China Multicenter Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Epidemiology and International Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Disease in Asia. The baseline investigations were completed during 1998-2001, and the two follow-ups were conducted during 2007-2008 and 2013-2015, respectively. A total of 9 477 participants aged 35-74 years with complete serum TC data from three surveys were included in this study. Analysis on variance of data regarding repeated measurements were used to investigate the variation of serum TC in different subgroups. The serum TC levels were represented by mean (standard errors). Results: During 1998-2015, the mean level of serum TC of all participants significantly elevated from 4.81(0.01) mmol/L to 4.91(0.01) mmol/L, and to 4.98(0.01) mmol/L, growth rates of which were 2.08% and 3.53% in the first and second follow-up, respectively (Ptrend<0.001), especially for females. The fastest growth was noted in the group of young women aged 35-45 years over time, with a growth rate of 11.43%. No such a significant change in the male group during follow-up. The serum TC level and its growth rate in urban residents was significantly higher than those in rural residents. Conclusions: Longitudinal data demonstrated that the mean serum TC level among Chinese adults was continuously increased during 1998~2015. Prevention strategy for hypercholesterolemia should focus more on young women and urban residents.

2011 Status Survey for Physical Activity and Regular Exercise in Adult Residents of Beijing / 中国循环杂志

Objective: To explore the physical activity (PA) and regular exercise in adult residents of Beijing in order to provide the basis for guiding regular exercise and chronic disease prevention. Methods: A multi stage, random cluster investigation was conducted in 20242 residents from (18-79) years in Beijing area. Based on International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) published in USA (2000), the metabolic equivalent (MET) was calculated; according to the standard by General administration of sport of China, regular exercise rate was assessed. Weighting adjustment was conducted on the basis of 2010 Beijing population census data and sampling design. Results: 19584 participants with complete information were enrolled for final analyses. The median weekly MET of occupational PA, domesticity, transport-related PA and leisure exercise were (1918, 839, 922 and 928) MET-minute/week respectively. Female had the lower MET in occupational PA and leisure exercise than male (1436 vs 2156) MET-minute/week and (827 vs 944) MET-minute/week, both P<0.001. Elderly adults had the higher MET in leisure exercise than young and middle aged adults (1490 vs 718) MET-minute/week and (1490 vs 1162) MET-minute/week, both P<0.001. Regular exercise rate was only 31.5％ (95％ CI 30.7％-32.4％); multivariate analysis indicated that compared with male, female had the higher risk of insufficient regular exercise, OR=1.26 (95％ CI 1.14-1.40), compared with young adults, middle and elderly adults had the lower risk of insufficient regular exercise, OR=0.54 (95％ CI 0.50-0.59) and OR=0.46 (95％ CI 0.39-0.54). Compared to residents with education≤6 years, those with education at (7-12) years and with education>12 years had the lower risk of insufficient regular exercise, OR=0.66 (95％ CI 0.57-0.77) and OR=0.46 (95％ CI 0.39-0.54). Conclusion: Sampling residents in Beijing had insufficient leisure exercise with the low rate of regular exercise in 2011. Health policy and environment especially beneficial to female, youth and lower educated adults should be established to improve the healthy Beijing construction.

Impact factors for efficacy of specific immunotherapy in children with dust mite allergic asthma / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate impact factors for the efficacy of specific immunotherapy (SIT) in children with dust mite allergic asthma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety-nine children with house dust mite allergic asthma received standardized SIT, and the level of asthma control was evaluated after 6 months (S1 stage), 12 months (S2 stage), 18 months (S3 stage), and 24 months (S4 stage) of treatment. The age of first visit, course of asthma, level of asthma severity, initial serum specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) level, combination with allergic rhinitis or atopic dermatitis, use of inhaled corticosteroids, and local or systemic side effects during treatment were recorded, and their impacts on the level of asthma control were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>As the SIT proceeded, the number of clinically controlled cases increased significantly (P<0.01). The level of asthma control was significantly affected by the age of patients at first visit in S1 and S3 stages, and combination with allergic rhinitis or atopic dermatitis in S1 stage (P<0.05). In all stages of SIT, the controlled cases had significantly higher initial serum sIgE levels than the uncontrolled cases (P<0.05). In S1 and S2 stages, there was a significantly higher proportion of controlled cases among children with a high level of asthma severity than among those with a low level of asthma severity (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There is a positive correlation between long-term efficacy of SIT and the course or the total dose of treatment. Patients with higher initial serum sIgE levels achieve clinical control earlier than those with lower initial serum sIgE levels during SIT.</p>

Relationship between physical activity and the incidence of metabolic syndrome in Chinese adults: a prospective cohort study / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the association between physical activity (PA) and the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Chinese adults.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Data on PA and other variables were obtained at the baseline examination of China Multi-center study of Cardiovascular Epidemiology in 1998 and of International Collaborative study of Cardiovascular Disease in Asia(InterASIA) during 2000 - 2001. Follow-up study was conducted in 2007 - 2008. A total of 11 512 Chinese adults aged 35 - 74 years (5563 men and 5949 women) were included in the final data analysis. Information on demographics, PA, smoking and alcohol consumption were obtained and components of MS were examined. Participants were divided into four groups according to quartile of total metabolic equivalent (MET) values per day. In addition, subjects were grouped into the following categories according to occupational PA: inactive, light, moderate and vigorous. Binary logistic model was used to examine the association between PA and the incidence of MS.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 2527 cases with MS were documented during an average following up of 8.1 years. The annual incidence rate of MS was 2.71% (2527/93 178.68). After multivariate logistic regression analysis, compared with participants with total PA volume < 32.0 MET×h×d(-1) (annual incidence rate was 3.19% (697/21 830.74)), the RR (95%CI) value of participants with total PA volume during 32.00 - 37.85, 37.86 - 52.29, and ≥ 52.30 MET×h×d(-1) was 1.05(0.92 - 1.19), 0.98(0.86 - 1.12), and 0.68(0.59 - 0.80), respectively (χ(2)trend = 34.23, P < 0.05), with corresponding annual incidence rates of 2.82% (690/24 504.25), 2.73% (661/24 179.36) and 2.11% (479/22 664.33). In addition, compared to inactive occupational PA (annual incidence rate was 2.76% (402/14 588.33)), the corresponding RR (95%CI) value was 0.80 (0.69 - 0.92), 0.70 (0.59 - 0.82), and 0.54 (0.45 - 0.65) (χ(2)trend = 42.34, P < 0.05), and the annual incidence rates were 2.86% (648/22 663.41), 2.40% (455/18 956.14) and 1.89% (344/18 173.86) in participants with light, moderate and vigorous occupational PA, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Both increased total PA volume and occupational PA intensity are significantly associated with decreased risk of incidence of MS.</p>

Comparative study of ambulatory blood pressure between renovascular hypertensive and essential hypertensive patients / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare 24 h ambulatory blood pressure changes between patients with renovascular hypertension and essential hypertension.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The 24 h ambulatory blood pressure of patients with age and gender matched renovascular hypertension (RVH, n = 51) was compared with that of patients with essential hypertension (EH, n = 51).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The 24 h, daytime and nighttime systolic blood pressures (SBP), diastolic blood pressures (DBP) and pulse pressures (PP) in RVH were significantly higher than in EH (all P < 0.05), especially the nocturnal SBP (P < 0.05). The SBP and DBP loads in RVH were 58.96% and 35.98% respectively, while blood pressure loads were around 20.00% in EH (P < 0.05). In patients with RVH, The nocturnal blood pressure fall was 5.39%, and only 27.50% patients were dippers, while the nocturnal blood pressure fall was 10.36% and 60.8% patients were dippers in EH.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>RVH patients have higher dynamic BP, PP, BP loads and blunted diurnal rhythm compared to those with EH.</p>

A multicenter study of the effectiveness of interferon alpha-1b (Hapgen) in treating HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B patients / 中华肝脏病杂志

To compare the efficacy and safety of interferon a-1b and interferon a-1b combined with lamivudine in the treatment of HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB), to analyze the impact of variable factors on the efficacy, and to investigate the individualized anti-viral regimen for CHB patients. 111 CHB patients were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups. Group A: patients received interferon a-1b (49 patients, 50mug I. M. , qod. ) , Group B: interferon a-1b (idem) combined with lamivudine for 6-12 months or longer(62 patients, 100 mg, P.O. , q.d. ). (1) The HBeAg seroconversion rates of treatment by 12 and 18 months were 28.6% and 36.7% in group A, 29.0% and 38.7% in group B, respectively, no significant difference found between the two groups at the end of treatment (x2=0.003, P value is more than 0.05; x2=1.500, P value is more than 0.05). (2) The HBV DNA undetectable rates of treatment by 6 months, 12 months and 18 months were 8.2%, 53.1% and 57.1% in group A, 66.1%, 83.9% and 88.7% in group B, respectively, still no significant difference existed between the two groups (x2=38.150, P value is less than 0.05; x2=12.073, P value is less than 0.05, x2=14.459, P value is less than 0.05). (3) In group A, the HBeAg seroconversion rates for male and female patients were 34.5% and 40.0% respectively, no significant difference found between. As regard ages the rates were 34.9% and 50.0% for patients younger or more than 40 years of age, no significant difference existed between. The HBeAg seroconversion rate was higher in patients with lower baseline serum HBV DNA loads ( less than 6 log10 copies/ml) . (4) The rates of patients with fever and blood abnormality were 36.7% and 34.7% in group A, 32.3% and 27.4% in group B, respectively. The total incidences of adverse events were similar between group A and B (x2=0.244, P value is more than 0.05; x2=0.682, P value is more than 0.05). (5) The ratio of drug resistance in group B was only 1.6%. The adverse events of interferon a-1b treatment for CHB are low and mild. The HBeAg seroconversion rate persistently raises with the extension of interferon a-1b treatment course. The HBV DNA undetectable rate of interferon a-1b combined with lamivudine is significantly higher than that of interferon a-1b and the drug resistance of lamivudine can be reduced obviously by combination therapy.

Effects of combined therapy of Xuezhikang Capsule and Valsartan on hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy and heart rate turbulence / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of combined therapy with Xuezhikang Capsule (XZK) and Valsartan on left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and heart rate turbulence (HRT) in hypertensive patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety primary hypertensive patients with LVH were randomly assigned to three groups. Basic treatment, including aspirin, beta-blockers, calcium antagonists, etc. were administered to all patients. Additionally, Valsartan (VS, 80 mg once a day) was given to the 30 patients in the VS group. Valsartan (in the same dosage) and XZK (600 mg, twice a day) were given to the 32 patients in the Chinese medicine (CM) group, while none was given to the 28 patients in the control group. The therapeutic course lasted for 24 months. Changes in left ventricular mass index (LVMI) measured by cardiac ultrasonic indices, HRT parameters, including the original heart rate (TO) and slope coeffificient (TS), systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP), as well as blood cholesterol level (TC) were measured before and after treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After treatment, TO and LVMI were lowered, while TS increased in both the VS group and the CM group (P<0.01), but changed insignificantly in the control group. Significant differences between the CM group and the control group were shown in terms of TO, LVMI, SBP, DBP and TS (P<0.01); and between the CM group and the VS group in terms of TO, LVMI and TS (P<0.01). Moreover, HRT parameters showed an evident correlation with LVMI (r=0.519-0.635, P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Combined therapy with XZK and Valsartan can improve hypertensive LVH and HRT parameters, and lessen the damage on the autonomous nervous system.</p>

Relationship between cystathionine gamma-lyase gene polymorphism and essential hypertension in Northern Chinese Han population / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) plays an important role in the smooth muscle cell relaxation and thereby participates in the development of hypertension. Cystathionine gamma-lyase is the key enzyme in the endogenous production of H(2)S. Up to now, the reports on the relationship between the polymorphisms of cystathionine gamma-lyase gene (CTH) and essential hypertension (EH) are limited. This study was designed to assess their underlying relationship.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 503 hypertensive patients and 490 age-, gender- and area-matched normotensive controls were enrolled in this study. Based on the FASTSNP, a web server to identify putative functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genes, we selected two SNPs, rs482843 and rs1021737, in the CTH gene for genotyping. Genotyping was performed by the polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism method (PCR-RFLP). The frequencies of the alleles and genotypes between cases and controls were compared by the chi-square test. The program Haplo. stats was used to investigate the relationship between the haplotypes and EH.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>These two SNPs were in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium in both cases and controls. The genotype distribution and allele frequencies of them did not significantly differ between cases and controls (all P > 0.05). In the stepwise logistic regression analysis we failed to observe their association with hypertension. In addition, none of the four estimated haplotypes or diplotypes significantly increased or decreased the risk of hypertension before or after adjustment for several known risk factors.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The present study suggests that the SNPs rs482843 and rs1021737 of the CTH gene were not associated with essential hypertension in the Northern Chinese Han population. However, replications in other populations and further functional studies are still necessary to clarify the role of the CTH gene in the pathogenesis of EH.</p>

Influence of fibrinogen beta-chain gene variations on risk of myocardial infarction in a Chinese Han population / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Although the role of fibrinogen as a predictor of acute myocardial infarction (MI) has been well-established, the association of genetic polymorphisms in the fibrinogen gene with MI is still controversial. This study was conducted to elucidate the association between the genetic polymorphisms of the fibrinogen beta-chain (FGB) gene and MI in Chinese Han population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The occurrence of 3 common polymorphisms (i.e., -455G/A, R448K and 8558C/G) in a case-control study including 508 patients with MI and 503 healthy controls was investigated. Results Analyses of single polymorphisms showed that individuals carrying the rare alleles for the 3 polymorphisms were significantly associated with a decreased risk of MI. Logistic regression analysis indicated that R448K remained independently associated with MI after adjustment for environmental risk factors (adjusted odds ratio(OR) = 0.71 for KK/RK versus RR, P = 0.023). The three polymorphisms were found to be in strong linkage disequilibrium. Haplotype analyses showed that the A-K-G haplotype (-455A, 448K, 8558G) was associated with a protective effect against MI. Compared with the common haplotype G-R-C, the adjusted OR for A-K-G was 0.68 (95% CI, 0.51-0.90; P = 0.006).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These data indicate that individuals carrying the FGB 448K allele may be protective against having MI in this population.</p>

The white coat effect during the first hour of ambulatory blood pressure / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To investigate the white coat effect during the first hour of ambulatory blood pressure and its effect on the ABPM.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 626 outpatients and inpatients (257 were male, 369 were female), whose ages ranged from 13 to 90 (average age: 55 years) were entered into this study. All subjects were taken measurements of clinic blood pressure. Ambulatory BP monitoring was applied to the nondominant arm between 8:30 to 9:29, and set the average BP value of this interval as the first hour blood pressure.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was an obvious elevation of the first hour measurement than that of the other intervals of 24ABPM. The white coat effect (WCE) was greater in women than in men (average BP of 1(st) hour-average BP in daytime: (9.5 +/- 13.4)/(6.0 +/- 7.8) mm Hg (1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa) vs. (5.5 +/- 11.9)/(4.2 +/- 7.8) mm Hg, P < 0.01), and there was no statistic significant difference was founded among different age groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The first hour of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is associated with significantly elevated blood pressure. We propose that improved ambulatory blood pressure monitoring recordings would be obtained in clinical practice, and more particularly in research applications, if 25 hours ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was carried out, excluding the first hour from the summary analyses.</p>

Variations in the calpain-10 gene are associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes and hypertension in northern Han Chinese population / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Calpain-10 (CAPN10) has been identified as a susceptibility gene in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and insulin resistance. The present study aimed to identify the effects of genetic variations in the CAPN10 gene on the development of type 2 diabetes and hypertension in northern Han Chinese population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We performed a case-control study and genotyped single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-44, -43, -19 and -63 of CAPN10 gene in 1046 subjects from the northern China, including 493 patients with T2DM and hypertension and 553 age- and gender-matched normal healthy controls.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Univariate analysis showed that the four polymorphisms were not independently associated with T2DM and hypertension. However, the frequency distributions of SNP-44 allele C (allele 2) (17.89% vs 9.80%, P = 0.0016) and genotype CC (22) (4.21% vs 1.01%, P = 0.0059) in obese patients (body mass index > or = 30 kg/m2) were different from those in non-obese patients. Logistic regression analyses revealed that carriers of the 1112/1221 diplotype had a significantly lower odds ratio for diabetes and hypertension (OR = 0.399, 95% CI, 0.196 - 0.814, P = 0.0115). The 1112/1121 diplotype associated with significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes in Mexican-American was not associated with the increased risk in Chinese.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results suggested that CAPN10 gene variations might play roles in the risk of diabetes and hypertension in northern Han Chinese population.</p>

Association of the apolipoprotein B gene polymorphisms with essential hypertension in Northern Chinese Han population / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the association of the apolipoprotein B gene polymorphisms with essential hypertension in Northern Chinese Han population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>XbaI and EcoRI polymorphisms of the apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) method in 503 unrelated hypertensive patients and 490 healthy controls recruited from international collaborative study of cardiovascular disease in Asia (InterAsia).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The difference in the genotypic distributions could be neglected across the groups. The prevalence of X+ allele in healthy controls (4.8%) was less frequent in Chinese, and there was no significant difference in the frequency of the X+ allele between cases (5.7%) and controls (P = 0.38). The observed E- allele frequencies were closely similar among groups (5.9% in cases vs 5.0% in controls, P = 0.39). Logitstic regression analyses revealed that the lack of association still persisted after adjustment of other environmental factors. Haplotype analysis showed that X-E+ was most frequent and no haplotype could significantly contribute to essential hypertension.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The APOB gene XbaI and EcoRI polymorphisms are not associated with essential hypertension in the Northern Chinese Han population. Future studies on single nucleotide polymorphisms in larger samples are needed to further investigate the possible contribution of the APOB gene to essential hypertension.</p>

Common SNPs of APM1 gene are not associated with hypertension or obesity in Chinese population / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate whether the common variants 45T/G and 276G/T in APM1 gene were associated with hypertension combined with obesity (HO) and related clinical features in Chinese Han population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A case-control study design was applied. Common polymorphisms of 45T/G and 276G/T were genotyped by PCR product sequencing in 484 cases with HO and 502 controls with normal blood presure and BMI < 25.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The genotype and allele frequencies of 45T/G, 276G/T, and haplotype defined by the two variants in cases did not differ from those in controls. The means of blood pressure, BMI and waist-hip ratio did not differ among genotypes of the two polymorphisms and haplotypes. Among lipid profiles, only serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were significantly lower in T allele carriers than that in non-T carriers after adjusting possible confounding factors (1.21 vs 1.32 mmol/L, P=0.0001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Polymorphisms of 45T/G and 276G/T in APM1 gene are not associated with hypertension or obesity, or their clinical features in Chinese Han population. Common polymorphism of 45T/G might be associated with serum HDL-C levels in Chinese.</p>