A Comparative Study on the Health Status and Behavioral Lifestyle of Centenarians and Non-centenarians in Zhejiang Province, China-A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The growth rate of centenarians was unusually rapid in recent decades, ushering in an era of longevity. This study aims to explore the difference between centenarians and non-centenarians using quantitative research, and to scientifically guide residents to develop the correct lifestyle and health care ways. Methods: From October 2013 to August 2017. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 271 centenarians and 570 non-centenarians by using a questionnaire to assess longevity and health issues which was developed for the needs of the study, who came from 29 counties and districts in 11 cities of Zhejiang province, China. Two hundred and fifty-five valid questionnaires were returned, with an effective response rate of 94.1%. Meanwhile, data of 526 non-centenarians from Zhejiang province was collected as a control group, with an effective response rate of 92.3%. Results: The prevalence rates of tumor, stomach and duodenal ulcer, diabetes, bronchial asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tuberculosis among centenarians were all lower than those among non-centenarians. The oral health of centenarians is better than that of non-centenarians. The consumption of coarse cereals, pasta, other staple foods and fruits among centenarians was higher than that of non-centenarians. The percentage of centenarians who smoke or engage in recreational activities every day was lower than that of non-centenarians. Conclusions: We should give full play to the role of preventive medicine and health management to safeguard the health of residents. Pay attention to oral health, and develop the good habit of loving teeth. The diet should be rich and varied, and increase the intake of grains and fruits. Give up smoking, limit alcohol, spirit-preserving with calming, follow the law of scientific regimen.

[Construction of early warning model of influenza-like illness in Zhejiang Province based on support vector machine].

OBJECTIVE: To construct a forecasting model of influenza-like illness in Zhejiang Province. METHODS: The number of influenza-like cases and related pathogens among outpatients and emergency patients were obtained from 11 sentinel hospitals in Zhejiang Province during 2012 to 2013 (total 104 weeks), and corresponding meteorological factors were also collected. The epidemiological characteristics of influenza during the period were then analyzed. Linear correlation and rank correlation analyses were conducted to explore the association between influenza-like illness and related factors. Optimal parameters were selected by cross validation. Support vector machine was used to construct the forecasting model of influenza-like illness in Zhejiang Province and verified by the historical data. RESULTS: Correlation analysis indicated that 8 factors were associated with influenza-like illness occurred in one week. The results of cross validation showed that the optimal parameters were C=3, ε=0.009 and γ=0.4. The results of influenza-like illness forecasting model after verification revealed that support vector machine had the accuracy of 50.0% for prediction with the same level, while it reached 96.7% for prediction within the range of one level higher or lower. CONCLUSION: Support vector machine is suitable for early warning of influenza-like illness.

Betulinic acid ameliorates endothelium-dependent relaxation in L-NAME-induced hypertensive rats by reducing oxidative stress.

Zizyphi Spinosi semen (ZSS) is one of the most widely used traditional Chinese herbs with protective effects on the cardiovascular system. It is not clear whether betulinic acid (BA), the key active constituent of ZSS, has beneficial cardiovascular effects on N(ω)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME)-induced hypertensive rats. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of BA on endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in isolated aortic rings from L-NAME-induced hypertensive rats and its underlying mechanisms. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with L-NAME (15 mg/kg/d, i.p.) for 4 weeks to induce hypertension. After treatment with L-NAME for 2 weeks, rats with mean blood pressure >120 mm Hg measured by tail-cuff method were considered hypertensive and then injected with BA (0.8, 4, 20 mg/kg/d, i.p.) for the last 2 weeks. The effect of BA on the tension of rat thoracic aortic rings was measured in an organ bath system. The levels of nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in aortas were assayed. We found that BA (0.1-100 µM) evoked a concentration-dependent vasorelaxation in endothelium-intact normal rat aortic rings, which was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with L-NAME (100 µM) or methylene blue (MB, 10 µM), but not by indomethacin (10 µM). Pretreatment with EC(50) (1.67 µM) concentration of BA enhanced the acetylcholine (ACh)-induced vasorelaxation, which was also markedly reversed by both L-NAME and MB. The blood pressure in hypertensive rats increased to 135.22±5.38 mm Hg (P<0.01 vs. control group), which was markedly attenuated by high dose of BA. The ACh-induced vasorelaxation in hypertensive rat aortic rings was impaired, which was markedly improved by chronic treatment with BA (20 mg/kg/d) for 2 weeks. The increase of ROS level and the decrease of NO level, SOD and eNOS activities in hypertensive rat aortas were all markedly inhibited by BA. These results indicate that BA decreased blood pressure and improved ACh-induced endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in L-NAME-induced hypertension rats, which may be mediated by reducing oxidative stress and retaining the bioavailability of NO in the cardiovascular system.