Prevalence of falls, injury from falls and associations with chronic diseases among community-dwelling older adults in Guangzhou, China: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: As a developing country with the largest older adult population in the world, strengthening the research on falls among the older adults is undoubtedly an urgent item in China. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and risk factors associated with falls and injury from falls among community-dwelling older adults in Guangzhou, China, particularly focusing on their associations with chronic diseases. Methods: A total of 1,629 participants aged 65 years and above were selected from 11 counties in Guangzhou by the multi-stage stratified random sampling method in 2021. Socio-demographic characteristics, health and lifestyle factors, the status of falls, and injury from falls were measured by structured questionnaires through face-to-face interviews. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis were used to identify factors associated with falls and injury from falls. Chord diagrams were used to explore their associations with chronic diseases. Results: A total of 251 participants (15.41%, 95% CI: 13.98%-17.25%) reported falls, and 162 participants (9.46%, 95% CI:7.72%-11.55%) indicated an injury from falls. Logistic regression analysis showed the results as follows: female patients (adjusted OR = 1.721, 95% CI: 1.681-1.761) aged ≥80 years (1.910, 1.847-1.975), unemployed (1.226, 1.171-1.284), uninsured (1.555, 1.448-1.671), average monthly household income of 2,001-4,000 CNY (1.878, 1.827-1.930), number of services provided by the community health center ≥13 times per year (1.428, 1.383-1.475), illness within 2 weeks (1.633, 1.595-1.672), high-intensity physical activity (2.254, 2.191-2.32), sedentary (1.094, 1.070-1.117), and number of chronic disease illnesses ≥3 (1.930, 1.870-1.993). Meanwhile, those risk factors were also associated with injury from falls. The older adults with medium-intensity physical activity were at lower risk (0.721, 0.705-0.737) of falls and higher risk (1.086, 1.057-1.117) of being injured from falls. Chord diagrams showed the correlations between chronic diseases and falls and injury from falls among community-dwelling older adults in Guangzhou, China. Conclusion: The high prevalence of falls is found among community-dwelling older adults in Guangzhou, China, which is related to multiple factors such as demographic variables, lifestyle, and health status, especially for chronic diseases. Therefore, targeted interventions should be developed and implemented urgently.

System inflammation response index: a novel inflammatory indicator to predict all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in the obese population.

AIM: This study aims to investigate the relationship between two novel inflammatory markers, namely, the Systemic Inflammatory Response Index (SIRI) and the Systemic Immune Inflammatory Index (SII), as well as the all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the obese population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study based on the data of 13,026 obese adults (age ≥ 18 years) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2014 and followed until December 2019. SIRI was calculated by the formula: (neutrophil count × monocyte count) / lymphocyte count, while that of SII was: (platelet count × neutrophil count)/lymphocyte count. The association of SIRI and SII with all-cause and CVD mortality was evaluated using Cox regression. In addition, the nomogram was performed to predict 10-year survival probability. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 137 months, 1959 and 553 all-cause and CVD deaths were recorded, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis indicated that SIRI and SII were unrelated to almost all baseline characteristics (r < 0.15). Multivariate Cox regression models displayed that each standard deviation (SD) increase in SIRI was associated with a 16% (HR 1.16; 95% CI 1.09-1.24) and 22% (HR 1.22; 95% CI 1.10-1.36) increase in the risk of all-cause and CVD mortality, respectively. Likewise, every SD increase in SII was correlated with a 9% (HR 1.09; 95% CI 1.02-1.16) and 14% (HR 1.14; 95% CI 1.04-1.26) increase in the risk of all-cause and CVD mortality, respectively. The predictive value of SIRI for all-cause and CVD mortality (AUC = 0.601 and 0.624) exceeded that of SII (AUC = 0.528 and 0.539). Moreover, the nomogram displayed a substantial predictive value for 10-year survival (AUC = 0.847) with sensitivity and specificity exceeding 75%. CONCLUSIONS: In the obese population, SIRI and SII are independent risk factors for all-cause and CVD mortality. Notably, the predictive ability of SIRI for both all-cause and CVD mortality significantly outperforms that of SII, suggesting that SIRI is a more valuable marker of inflammation.

The risk of injuries during work and its association with precipitation: New insight from a sentinel-based surveillance and a case-crossover design.

Background: Injuries during work are often exogenous and can be easily influenced by environmental factors, especially weather conditions. Precipitation, a crucial weather factor, has been linked to unintentional injuries, yet evidence of its effect on work-related injuries is limited. Therefore, we aimed to clarify the impact of precipitation on injuries during work as well as its variation across numerous vulnerability features. Methods: Records on the work-related injury during 2016-2020 were obtained from four sentinel hospitals in Guangzhou, China, and were matched with the daily weather data during the same period. We applied a time-stratified case-crossover design followed by a conditional logistic regression to evaluate the association between precipitation and work-related injuries. Covariates included wind speed, sunlight, temperature, SO 2, NO 2, and PM 2.5. Results were also stratified by multiple factors to identify the most vulnerable subgroups. Results: Daily precipitation was a positive predictor of work-related injuries, with each 10 mm increase in precipitation being associated with an increase of 1.57% in the rate of injuries on the same day and 1.47-1.14% increase of injuries on subsequent 3 days. The results revealed that precipitation had a higher effect on work-related injuries in winter (4.92%; 95%CI: 1.77-8.17%). The elderly (2.07%; 95%CI: 0.64-3.51%), male (1.81%; 95%CI: 0.96-2.66%) workers or those with lower educational levels (2.58%; 95%CI: 1.59-3.54%) were more likely to suffer from injuries on rainy days. There was a higher risk for work-related injuries caused by falls (2.63%; 95%CI: 0.78-4.52%) or the use of glass products (1.75%; 95%CI: 0.49-3.02%) on rainy days. Conclusions: Precipitation was a prominent risk factor for work-related injury, and its adverse effect might endure for 3 days. Certain sub-groups of workers were more vulnerable to injuries in the rain.

The association between wind speed and the risk of injuries among preschool children: New insight from a sentinel-surveillance-based study.

BACKGROUND: Injuries among preschool children are an important public health concern worldwide. Significant gaps remain in understanding the potential impact of wind speed on injuries among preschoolers. We aimed to clarify the association and its variation across subgroups to capture the vulnerability features. METHODS: Using a case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression model, we compared the exposure to wind speed right before the injury events (case period) with that of control periods to determine the excess rate (ER) of injury on each of 0-3 lag days in Guangzhou, 2016-2020. Results were also stratified by sociodemographic characteristics of patients, basic characteristics of injury events, and clinical features of injuries to identify the most vulnerable subgroups of preschoolers. RESULTS: Higher wind speed was significantly associated with an increased risk of injuries among preschoolers on lag 0, reaching an ER of 2.93 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] = 0.87, 5.03), but not on other lag days. The results of the stratified analyses showed that children under 3-year-old (3.41 %; 95 % CI = 0.36, 6.55), boys (3.66 %; 95 % CI = 1.04, 6.35), and non-locally registered children (3.65; 95 % CI = 0.02, 7.40) were more prone to wind-related injuries. Falls (2.67 %; 95 % CI = 0.11, 5.30) were the main cause of wind-related injuries, and taking transportation was the main activity when injuries occurred (13.16 %; 95 % CI = 4.45, 22.60). Additionally, injuries involving buildings/grounds/obstacles (4.69 %; 95 % CI = 1.66, 7.81) and the occurrence of sprain/strain (7.60 %; 95 % CI = 0.64, 15.04) showed a positive association with wind speed. CONCLUSIONS: Higher wind speed was associated with a significantly elevated rate of injuries among preschoolers without delayed effects, where children under 3-year-old, boys, and non-locally registered subgroups were more susceptible to wind-related injuries. This study may provide new insights for refining the prevention measures against wind-related injuries among preschoolers.

Association between meteorological factors and elderly falls in injury surveillance from 2014 to 2018 in Guangzhou, China.

Introduction: With rapid increase in the aging population, falls injuries have become an important public health problem. However, limited data have been reported on the associations between meteorological factors and falls injuries in the elderly. This study assessed the epidemiology of falls injuries and explored this association in the elderly in Guangzhou, China. Methods: Data on elderly falls injury cases and meteorological variables from 2014 to 2018 in Guangzhou were collected from the Guangzhou Injury Monitoring System and Guangzhou Meteorological Bureau, respectively. The monthly average data on falls injuries and meteorological factors were applied to the data analysis. These correlations were conducted using Pearson correlation analysis. A multiple linear regression model was used to estimate the effects of meteorological factors on falls injuries in the elderly in Guangzhou, China. Results: Accounting for 49.41% of causes of elderly injury were falls in the Guangzhou Injury Monitoring System from 2014 to 2018, which occupied first place for five consecutive years. The monthly number of elderly falls injury cases was lowest in April and highest in December, and had a positive correlation with monthly mean wind speed (r = 0.187, P < 0.01) and a negative correlation with monthly atmospheric pressure (r = -0.142, P < 0.05). A multiple linear regression model was constructed (F = 10.176, P < 0.01), which explained 23.7% of the variances (R 2 = 0.237). Monthly mean wind speed (ß = 76.85, P < 0.01) and monthly mean atmospheric pressure (ß = -3.162, P < 0.01) were independent factors affecting monthly elderly falls injuries. Conclusions: Falls are the primary cause of injury among elderly people in Guangzhou, China. Meteorological factors are related to falls injuries in the elderly population. Decreasing activity during high wind and low atmospheric pressure weather may help reduce the number of elderly falls injury cases.

Motion Analysis of Football Kick Based on an IMU Sensor.

A greater variety of technologies are being applied in sports and health with the advancement of technology, but most optoelectronic systems have strict environmental restrictions and are usually costly. To visualize and perform quantitative analysis on the football kick, we introduce a 3D motion analysis system based on a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) to reconstruct the motion trajectory, in the meantime analyzing the velocity and the highest point of the foot during the backswing. We build a signal processing system in MATLAB and standardize the experimental process, allowing users to reconstruct the foot trajectory and obtain information about the motion within a short time. This paper presents a system that directly analyzes the instep kicking motion rather than recognizing different motions or obtaining biomechanical parameters. For the instep kicking motion of path length around 3.63 m, the root mean square error (RMSE) is about 0.07 m. The RMSE of the foot velocity is 0.034 m/s, which is around 0.45% of the maximum velocity. For the maximum velocity of the foot and the highest point of the backswing, the error is approximately 4% and 2.8%, respectively. With less complex hardware, our experimental results achieve excellent velocity accuracy.

Large-Scale Characterization of the Soil Microbiome in Ancient Tea Plantations Using High-Throughput 16S rRNA and Internal Transcribed Spacer Amplicon Sequencing.

There is a special interaction between the environment, soil microorganisms, and tea plants, which constitute the ecosystem of tea plantations. Influenced by environmental factors and human management, the changes in soil microbial community affected the growth, quality, and yield of tea plants. However, little is known about the composition and structure of soil bacterial and fungal communities in 100-year-old tea plantations and the mechanisms by which they are affected. In this regard, we characterized the microbiome of tea plantation soils by considering the bacterial and fungal communities in 448 soil samples from 101 ancient tea plantations in eight counties of Lincang city, which is one of the tea domestication centers in the world. 16S and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) rRNA high-throughput amplicon sequencing techniques were applied in this study. The results showed that the abundance, diversity, and composition of the bacterial and fungal communities have different sensitivity with varying pH, altitude, and latitude. pH and altitude affect soil microbial communities, and bacterial communities are more sensitive than fungi in terms of abundance and diversity to pH. The highest α-diversity of bacterial communities is shown in the pH 4.50-5.00 and 2,200-m group, and fungi peaked in the pH 5.00-5.50 and 900-m group. Because of environmental and geographical factors, all microbes are similarly changing, and further correlations showed that the composition and structure of bacterial communities are more sensitive than fungal communities, which were affected by latitude and altitude. In conclusion, the interference of anthropogenic activities plays a more important role in governing fungal community selection than environmental or geographical factors, whereas for the bacterial community, it is more selective to environment adaptation than to adaptation to human activities.

Prevalence and related factors of depression and falls among the elderly living in rural communities of Guangzhou.

Few studies have concentrated on the prevalence and related factors of depression and falls among the elderly living in rural communities of Guangzhou. A total of 335 participants aged ≥60 years were recruited by simple random sampling method. A structural equation model was applied to determine interrelationships between depression, falls and other variables. As high as 27.5% and 23.3% participants had reported depressive symptoms and falls, respectively. The path analysis showed the total effect (ß = -0.58) of depression on quality of life (QOL) consisted of a direct effect (ß = -0.51) and an indirect effect (ß = -0.07), which was mediated by family function and number of falls, and the R2 was 0.36. The model fit indices were χ2/df = 1.096, P > 0.05, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.017, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.998 and Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.999. Depression and falls were prevalent among the elderly living in rural communities of Guangzhou city. Pay attention to strengthen family function and prevent falls may prevent depression and improve the QOL among the elderly.

YY1 Positively Regulates Transcription by Targeting Promoters and Super-Enhancers through the BAF Complex in Embryonic Stem Cells.

Yin Yang 1 (YY1) regulates early embryogenesis and adult tissue formation. However, the role of YY1 in stem cell regulation remains unclear. YY1 has a Polycomb group (PcG) protein-dependent role in mammalian cells. The PcG-independent functions of YY1 are also reported, although their underlying mechanism is still undefined. This paper reports the role of YY1 and BAF complex in the OCT4-mediated pluripotency network in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). The interaction between YY1 and BAF complex promotes mESC proliferation and pluripotency. Knockdown of Yy1 or Smarca4, the core component of the BAF complex, downregulates pluripotency markers and upregulates several differentiation markers. Moreover, YY1 enriches at both promoter and super-enhancer regions to stimulate transcription. Thus, this study elucidates the role of YY1 in regulating pluripotency through its interaction with OCT4 and the BAF complex and the role of BAF complex in integrating YY1 into the core pluripotency network.

Hypoxia attenuates Hsp90 inhibitor 17-DMAG-induced cyclin B1 accumulation in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Hypoxia stress plays a pivotal role in tumor formation, proliferation, and invasion. Conventional chemotherapy is less effective in the hypoxia microenvironment of solid tumor. Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is an important molecular chaperone in cancer cells and has been a pharmaceutical target for decades. However, Hsp90 inhibitors demonstrate limited effect on solid tumor and the mechanism underlying is not clear. To determine whether hypoxia impairs the therapeutic effect of Hsp90 N-terminal inhibitor, 17-demethoxygeldanamycin hydrochloride (17-DMAG), in live cancer cells, we measured cell proliferation and cell cycle distribution. Cell proliferation assay indicates that hypoxia obviously promotes the proliferation of HepG2 and Huh7 cells after 24, 48, and 72 h and impairs 17-DMAG-induced G2/M arrest in liver cancer cells. As a client protein of Hsp90, cyclin B1 is critical for the transition from G2 to M phase and is related to the prognosis of the patients. We further checked the cyclin B1 messenger RNA (mRNA) level, protein level, ubiquitination of cyclin B1, nuclear translocation, and degradation of cyclin B1 affected by hypoxia after 17-DMAG treatment. The results demonstrate that hypoxia decreases the transcription of cyclin B1 and accelerates the ubiquitination, nuclear translocation, and degradation of cyclin B1. Taken together, our results suggest that hypoxia attenuates cyclin B1 accumulation induced by 17-DMAG and, hence, alleviates 17-DMAG-induced G2/M arrest.

Expression of Hsp90α and cyclin B1 were related to prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and keratin pearl formation.

Hsp90α (heat shock protein 90α), one of the important molecular chaperones in cancer cell signal transduction, has been a new candidate target for cancer therapy. Cyclin B1, the client protein of Hsp90α, plays a key role as a mitotic cyclin in the G2-M phase transition during the cell cycle progression. However, the relationship between the level of HSP90α and cyclin B1, the location of Hsp90α and cyclin B1 in prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has not been examined. Here, we demonstrate that the diagnostic significance of Hsp90α and cyclin B1 by immunohistochemistry and the association of Hsp90α and cyclin B1 expression in ESCC. In the specimens from 105 ESCC patients (81 stained with Hsp90α antibody by Immunohistochemistry, 65 with cyclin B1 antibody, and among them, 41 paired specimens were stained with Hsp90α and cyclin B1 respectively, and then checked for the correlation of the level and location of Hsp90α and cylcin B1. The positivity rate of Hsp90α and cyclin B1 expression were 96.3% (78 of 81) and 84.6% (55 of 65) respectively. Both of them, the expression levels are associated with the clinical pathological stage (Hsp90α, p=0.027; cyclin B1, p=0.007). No association was found between Hsp90α or cyclin B1 and gender, age, tumor location. As to TMN stage, there is no association with the level of Hsp90α, However, cyclin B1 expression is significantly related to tumor status (p=0.002). Interestingly, Hsp90α expression was negatively correlated to cyclin B1 expression (Gamma=-0.692, p=0.007) in the keratin pearls though there is a positive correlation in the other areas of tumor (Gamma=0.503, p=0.015), which suggest Hsp90α might play diverse roles in the cyclin B1 expression and cyclin B1 related cell cycle regulation in the different area of tumor. These findings demonstrated that the expression of Hsp90α, cyclin B1 protein is associated with tumor malignancy and prognosis for patients with human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and Hsp90α might be involved in cyclin B1 expression regulation and cell cycle regulation in keratin peal formation of ESCC.