Association between early life exposure to famine and risk for subtype and classification of hypertension in middle and old age / 公共卫生与预防医学

Objective To investigate the relationship between exposure to famine in early life stage and hypertension phenotype and grade in middle and old age. Methods People born between 1951 and 1965 in the 2015 China Health and Elderly Care Follow-up Survey were included in the study, and were divided into unexposed group, fetal exposed group, childhood exposed group and adolescent exposed group according to the time of famine occurrence and birth year of the participants. Logistic regression model was used to explore the effects of different famine exposure periods in early life stage on hypertension classification （including normal high value, grade I, grade II and grade III） and phenotype （including isolated systolic hypertension[ISH], isolated diastolic hypertension [IDH] and combined systolic and diastolic hypertension [SDH]）. Results Compared with unexposed group, fetal famine exposure （OR=1.59, 95% CI :1.10-2.30）, childhood famine exposure （OR=1.67, 95% CI :1.04-2.70） and adolescent famine exposure （OR=3.42, 95% CI : 2.51-4.66） were the risk factors for ISH. Only famine exposure during adolescence （OR=1.54, 95% CI: 1.07-2.21） was a risk factor for SDH. In addition, fetal famine exposure （OR=1.41, 95% CI: 1.05-1.89） and adolescent famine exposure （OR=2.22 , 95% CI: 1.71-2.88） were risk factors for developing grade I hypertension. Famine exposure in childhood （OR=2.45, 95% CI: 1.21-4.94） and famine exposure in adolescence （OR=2.45, 95% CI: 1.44-4.19） were risk factors for grade 2 hypertension. Conclusion Famine exposure in early life stage was associated with the phenotype and grade of hypertension. Therefore, balanced nutrition in early life is important to prevent hypertension in adulthood.

Factors Associated with the Acceptance and Willingness of COVID-19 Vaccination among Chinese Healthcare Workers

BackgroundThe COVID-19 vaccines have been developed in a wide range of countries. This study aims to examine factors influencing vaccination rate and willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 among Chinese healthcare workers (HCWs). MethodsFrom 3rd February to 18th February, 2021, an online cross-sectional survey was conducted among HCWs to investigate factors associated with the acceptance and willingness of COVID-19 vaccination. Socio-demographic characteristics and the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination among Chinese HCWs were evaluated. ResultsA total of 2156 HCWs from 21 provinces in China responded to this survey (response rate: 98.99%)), among whom 1433 (66.5%) were vaccinated at least one dose. Higher vaccination rates were associated with older age (40-50 years vs. less than 30 years, OR=1.63, 95%CI: 1.02-2.58; >50 years vs. 30 years, OR=1.90, 95%CI: 1.02-3.52), working as a clinician (OR=1.54, 95% CI: 1.05-2.27), having no personal religion (OR=1.35, 95%CI: 1.06-1.71), working in a fever clinic (OR=4.50, 95%CI:1.54-13.17) or higher hospital level (Municipal vs. County, OR=2.01, 95%CI: 1.28-3.16; Provincial vs. County, OR=2.01, 95%CI: 1.25-3.22) and having knowledge training of vaccine (OR=1.67, 95%CI:1.27-2.22), family history for influenza vaccination (OR=1.89, 95%CI:1.49-2.35) and strong familiarity with the vaccine (OR=1.43, 95%CI:1.05-1.95) (All P<0.05). Strong willingness for vaccination was related to having a working in midwestern China (OR=1.89, 95%CI:1.24-2.89), considerable knowledge of the vaccine (familiar vs. not familiar, OR=1.67, 95%CI: 1.17-2.39; strongly familiar vs. not familiar, OR=2.47, 95%CI: 1.36-4.49), knowledge training of vaccine (OR=1.61, 95%CI: 1.05-2.48) and strong confidence in the vaccine (OR=3.84, 95%CI: 2.09-7.07). ConclusionPersonal characteristics, working environments, familiarity and confidence in the vaccine were related to vaccination rates and willingness to get vaccinated among healthcare workers. Results of this study could provide evidence for the government to improve vaccine coverage by addressing vaccine hesitancy in the COVID-19 pandemic and future public health emergencies.

The Effectiveness of Green Tea or Green Tea Extract on Insulin Resistance and Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis

Green tea or green tea extract (GT/GTE) has been demonstrated to reduce insulin resistance and improve glycemic control. However, evidence for this health beneficial effect is inconsistent. This systematic review evaluated the effect of GT/GTE on insulin resistance and glycemic control in people with pre-diabetes/type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, AMED, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched up to April 2017 for randomised controlled trials of participants with pre-diabetes or T2DM, where the intervention was GT/GTE. Meta-analysis was performed to assess the standardised mean difference (SMD) in biomarkers of insulin resistance and glycemic control between GT/GTE and placebo groups. Six studies (n=382) were pooled into random-effects meta-analysis. Overall, no differences were found between GT/GTE and the placebo for glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c: SMD, −0.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.86 to 0.23), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR: SMD, 0.10; 95% CI, −0.17 to 0.38), fasting insulin (SMD, −0.25; 95% CI, −0.64 to 0.15), and fasting glucose (SMD, −0.10; 95% CI, −0.50 to 0.30). No evidence support the consumption of GT/GTE could reduce the levels of HbA1c, HOMA-IR, fasting insulin, or fasting glucose in people with pre-diabetes/T2DM. However, the studies included were small and of varying quality.