Relationship of triglyceride-glucose index and its derivatives with blood pressure abnormalities in adolescents: an analysis based on a restricted cubic spline model / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To explore the relationship of triglyceride-glucose index (TyG), triglyceride-glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI), and triglyceride-glucose-waist circumference index (TyG-WC) with blood pressure abnormalities in adolescents, providing theoretical basis for the prevention and control of hypertension in adolescents.@*METHODS@#A stratified cluster sampling method was used to select 1 572 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years in Yinchuan City for questionnaire surveys, physical measurements, and laboratory tests. Logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline analysis were employed to examine the relationship of TyG, TyG-BMI, and TyG-WC with blood pressure abnormalities in adolescents.@*RESULTS@#Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that after adjusting for confounding factors, the groups with the highest quartile of TyG, TyG-BMI, and TyG-WC had 1.48 times (95%CI: 1.07-2.04), 3.71 times (95%CI: 2.67-5.15), and 4.07 times (95%CI: 2.89-5.73) higher risks of blood pressure abnormalities compared to the groups with the lowest quartile, respectively. Moreover, as the levels of TyG, TyG-BMI, and TyG-WC increased, the risk of blood pressure abnormalities gradually increased (P<0.05). A non-linear dose-response relationship was observed between TyG-BMI and the risk of blood pressure abnormalities (P overall trend<0.001, P non-linearity=0.002). Linear dose-response relationships were found between TyG and the risk of blood pressure abnormalities (P overall trend<0.001, P non-linearit =0.232), and between TyG-WC and the risk of blood pressure abnormalities (P overall trend<0.001, P non-linearity=0.224).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Higher levels of TyG and its derivatives are associated with an increased risk of blood pressure abnormalities in adolescents, with linear or non-linear dose-response relationships.

Relationship between skeletal muscle mass index and metabolic phenotypes of obesity in adolescents / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the relationship between skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) and metabolic phenotypes of obesity in adolescents, and to provide a basis for the prevention and control of adolescent obesity and related metabolic diseases.@*METHODS@#A total of 1 352 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years were randomly selected by stratified cluster sampling in Yinchuan City from October 2017 to September 2020, and they were surveyed using questionnaires, physical measurements, body composition measurements, and laboratory tests. According to the diagnostic criteria for metabolic abnormalities and the definition of obesity based on the body mass index, the subjects were divided into four metabolic phenotypes: metabolically healthy normal weight, metabolically healthy obesity, metabolically unhealthy normal weight, and metabolically unhealthy obesity. The association between SMI and the metabolic phenotypes was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.@*RESULTS@#The SMI level in the metabolically unhealthy normal weight, metabolically healthy obesity, and metabolically unhealthy obesity groups was lower than that in the metabolically healthy normal weight group (P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for gender and age, a higher SMI level was a protective factors for adolescents to develop metabolic unhealthy normal weight, metabolically healthy obesity, and metabolically unhealthy obesity phenotypes (OR=0.74, 0.60, and 0.54, respectively; P<0.001).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Increasing SMI can reduce the risk of the development of metabolic unhealthy/obesity.

Differentiation of human embryonic stem cells to endothelial cells via improved three-dimension approach / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish an improved three-dimension (3D) and serum-free approach to differentiate human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into endothelial cells, and detect the endothelial functions of the obtained cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We cultured undifferentiated H9 human embryonic stem cell line in low-adhesion dishes to form embryonic bodies (EBs). After 12 days, EBs were harvested, re-suspended into rat tail collagen type I, and put into the incubator (37℃). After 30 minutes, EGM-2 culture medium was added to the solidified collagen, and the EBs were cultured for another 3 days to form embryonic body-sproutings (EB-sproutings). EB-sproutings were digested with 0.25% collagenase I and 0.56 U/ml Liberase Blendzyme for 20 minutes respectively, and the CD31(+) cells were sorted by FACS. The endothelial functions were tested by Dil-ac-LDL uptake assay and tube formation assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>This approach raised the efficiency of endothelial differentiation to 18%, and also avoided the contamination with animal materials. The obtained hESC-derived endothelial cells (hESC-ECs) had the similar pattern of surface biomarkers as human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and their endothelial functions were confirmed by the uptake of Dil-ac-LDL and the tube formation on Matrigel.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The improved 3D approach can enhance the efficiency of differentiation from hESCs into endothelial cells. Furthermore, serum free differentiation system may be applied in future hESC-based therapies for various ischemic diseases.</p>