Association between cardiometabolic diseases and quality of life and the mediation effect of perceived stress / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To explore the association between cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) and quality of life, the association between CMD and perceived stress, and the mediation effect of perceived stress on the association between CMD and quality of life, and to provide evidence for the prevention and treatment of CMD and the improvement of quality of life in these patients. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Data were collected by the employees' physical examination of a company in Xi'an in 2021. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the association between the status of CMD (divided into three categories: no CMD, presence of one kind of CMD, and with≥2 kinds of CMD (≥2 kinds of CMD were defined as cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM)), quality of life, and perceived stress. Mediation analysis with a multi-categorical independent variable was conducted to determine the mediation effect of perceived stress on the association between CMD and quality of life. Results: Among all 4 272 participants, 1 457 (34.1%) participants had one kind of CMD and 677 (15.8%) participants had CMM. The average scores for quality of life and perceived stress were (57.5±15.7) and (16.9±7.9), respectively. Compared with participants without CMD, after adjusting for demographic and lifestyle factors, no statistically significant associations were observed between one kind of CMD and perceived stress or quality of life (both P>0.05). Perceived stress did not mediate the association between one kind of CMD and quality of life. However, participants with CMM had lower quality of life and higher perceived stress than participants without CMD. The relative total effect coefficient c (95%CI) and the relative direct effect coefficient c' (95%CI) between CMM and quality of life were -3.71 (-5.04--2.37) and -2.52 (-3.81--1.24) (both P<0.05), respectively. The relative indirect effect coefficient a2b (95%CI) of perceived stress on the association between CMM and quality of life was -1.18 (-1.62--0.77) (P<0.05). The mediation effect size was 31.8%. Conclusions: CMM is negatively associated with quality of life and positively associated with perceived stress. Perceived stress partially mediates the association between CMM and quality of life. Our results suggest that, in addition to preventing and treating CMM actively, efforts should be taken to relieve the perceived stress of people with CMM to improve their quality of life.

Pu-erh tea's anti-atherosclerosis mechanism by reducing the expression and activity of NF-κB and promoting macrophage apoptosis / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective: To explore the anti-atherosclerosis mechanism of pu-erh tea by reducing the expression and activity of NF-κB and promoting macrophage apoptosis. Methods: ① ApoE-/- mice were fed with pu-erh tea extract for 8 and 16 weeks to observe the positive rate of CD68 and the area of lipid plaque. ② Apoptosis detection kit was used to detect the apoptosis of macrophages. ③ P65 and IkB-β expressions in aortic plaque and macrophages were detected by Real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot; the expressions of inflammatory factors in aortic plaque were detected. Electrophoretic mobility change assay (EMSA) was used to analyze the binding activity of NF-κB DNA. Results: ① The area fraction of lipid plaque in ApoE-/- mice in the 16-week intervention group was significantly reduced (vs. control group, P0.05). The average gray value of NF-κB DNA binding activity in the 8- and 16-week intervention groups decreased respectively (vs. control group, P<0.05). Conclusion: Pu-erh tea may play an anti-atherosclerosis role by inhibiting the expression and activity of NF-κB, promoting the apoptosis of macrophages and reducing the level of inflammation in vivo. This mechanism may not be mediated by I κB.