Shear wave elastography of the diaphragm in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A prospective observational study.

Patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are prone to diaphragmatic dysfunction. However, dynamic assessment of diaphragmatic function is complex and difficult, and whether the assessment of diaphragmatic function can reflect clinical indicators such as lung function in AECOPD patients remains unclear. We studied diaphragm stiffness and diaphragm stiffening rate (DSR) in AECOPD patients with acute exacerbations ≥ 2 times within 1 year and their correlation with clinical data, the diaphragmatic thickening fraction (DTF), lung function, and blood gas values. In total, 112 AECOPD patients in group C and Group D who had acute exacerbations ≥ 2 times within 1 year in the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease Guideline A (low risk, few symptoms), B (low risk, many symptoms), C (High risk, few symptoms), D (High risk, many symptoms) grouping system were included in the study. Their general clinical data, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test (CAT), modified medical research council (mMRC), number of acute exacerbations in 1 year, DTF, lung function, and blood gas analysis were collected. The diaphragm shear wave elasticity at functional residual capacity (DsweFRC) and DSR were measured by ultrasound. The DsweFRC and DSR of Group D were higher than those of Group C (P < .05). DsweFRC, DSR were negatively correlated with DTF, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC (r ranged from -0.293 to -0.697, all P < .05), and positively correlated with CAT score, mMRC score, and arterial carbon dioxide pressure (r ranged from 0.274 to 0.462, all P < .05) in both groups; the correlation coefficients of DsweFRC, DSR and DTF, FEV1/FVC in group D were greater than those in group C. There was no correlation between DsweFRC, DSR and arterial oxygen partial pressure in both groups (P > .05). The DsweFRC, DSR increased with the number of acute exacerbations per year in both groups. We found that diaphragmatic stiffness in AECOPD patients increased with the number of acute exacerbations within 1 year, correlated with DTF, CAT, mMRC, lung function, and arterial carbon dioxide pressure and provides a simple and practical method for dynamically assessing diaphragmatic function and disease severity in AECOPD patients.

The association between parenteral nutrition and pancreatic injury in adult patients: a retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Patients on parenteral nutrition (PN) are at high risk of both liver and pancreatic injury. More efforts were focused on liver, however, limited data is available to evaluate the effects of PN on pancreas. Thus, we performed a retrospective observational study to evaluate the association between PN and pancreatic injury in Chinese adult patients. METHODS: Adult patients (18-80 years), who received PN for a week or longer, and with repeated measurements of pancreatic enzymes, were included in the analysis. Pancreatic injury was confirmed by serum level of pancreatic amylase (P-AMYwas 53 U/L or higher) or lipase (LP was 63 U/L or higher), which were evaluated at baseline and following every week during PN duration. Age, sex, body weight, height, diagnosis of diseases, history of diseases, surgery, white blood cell, c-reactive protein, liver and renal function, fasting blood glucose, lipid profile, and daily energy supplied by PN and enteral nutrition were abstracted from medical records. RESULTS: A total number of 190 adult patients (125 men, 65 women) were included in the study. The average age and BMI were 61.8 ± 13.0 years and 21.7±3.3 kg/m2, while medium serum level of P-AMY and LP were 29.0 U/L (quartile range: 18.0, 47.0) and 33.0 U/L (quartile range: 19.0, 58.0), respectively at baseline. The median duration of PN was 15 days (quartile range: 11.0, 21.0). The prevalence of pancreatic injury was 42.1% (80/190) while it was 28.4% (54/190), 43.3% (77/178), 47.8% (44/92) after one-, two-, and three-week or longer PN adminstration. The proportion of daily energy supplement by PN (OR = 3.77, 95%CI: 1.87, 7.61) and history of infection were positively (OR = 3.00, 95%CI: 1.23, 7.36), while disease history for diabetes mellitus (OR = 0.38, 95%CI: 0.15, 0.98) and cancer (OR = 0.46, 95%CI: 0.23, 0.95), were negetively associated with pancreatic injury. Total bile acids were associated with the increment of P-AMY (beta = 0.98, 95%CI: 0.39, 1.56) and LP (beta = 2.55, 95%CI: 0.98, 4.12) by multi-variate linear regression. CONCLUSION: PN was associated with pancreatic injury, as demonstrated by the increase of both serum P-AMY and LP.

Paternal body mass index before conception associated with offspring's birth weight in Chinese population: a prospective study.

Whether paternal epigenetic changes resulting from nutrition might be inherited by their offspring remains unknown. This study evaluated the relationship between preconception paternal body weight and their offspring's birth weight in 1,810 Chinese mother-father-baby trios. Information on paternal and maternal preconception body weight and height was collected via a self-reported questionnaire. Birth weight was collected from medical records. Paternal preconception body weight was associated with offspring's birth weight (p trend = .02) after multivariate adjustment. Each standard deviation increment of paternal body mass index was associated with an additional 29.6 g increase of birth weight (95% confident interval: 5.7 g, 53.5 g). The association was more pronounced in male neonates, and neonates with overweight mothers, and with mothers who gained excessive gestational weight, compared to their counterparts (all p interaction < .05). Sensitivity analyses showed similar pattern to that of the main analysis. Paternal preconception body weight was associated with birth weight of their offspring.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? More efforts have previously been put on the maternal contribution to birth weight, however, it is uncertain whether paternal pre-conceptional body weight, an indicator for epigenetic information, might be inherited by their offspring.What do the results of this study add? In the current study that included 1,810 Chinese mother-father-baby trios, a small but significant association was observed between paternal preconception body weight and offspring's birth weight (p trend =.02).What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Paternal epigenetic information of nutrition could be inherited by their offspring.

HPV Prevalence and Genotype Distribution Among Women From Hengyang District of Hunan Province, China.

Most cervical cancers were closely associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. Therefore, understanding the ecological diversity of HPV prevalence and genotype distribution among various populations in different geographical regions was essential for optimizing HPV vaccination and maximizing the vaccination effects. A total of 12,053 patient data from the three-level hospitals in Hengyang city were retrospectively analyzed. In this study, the HPV prevalence was 10.16% overall, and the multiple-type infection rate was 1.83%. The HR-HPV infection rate was 8.52%. The top six HPV genotypes were as follows in descending order: HPV16, HPV58, HPV52, HPV39, HPV51, and HPV53. The HPV prevalence in the group above 60 years old was the most, and their HR-HPV infection rate corresponded to the most too. The infection rates of HPV and HR-HPV among outpatients were both lower than those among the hospitalized-patients, respectively. Among the hospitalized-patients, the infection rates of HPV and HR-HPV among the 50-60 years group were the most in both. The HR-HPV ratio-in-positive among HPV-positive patients with the histopathologic examination was higher than that among those patients without. Among 52 HPV-positive patients with cervical squamous carcinoma, the ratio-in-positive of HPV16 was 61.54%. This study demonstrated that the HPV prevalence varied with age among women from Hengyang district of Hunan province in China and showed that HPV16, HPV58, HPV52, HPV39, HPV51, and HPV53 genotypes were more popularly distributed in this region, which could provide the experimental basis for Chinese public health measures on cervical cancer prevention.

Transition from metabolically healthy to unhealth status associated with risk of carotid artery plaque in Chinese adults.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the association between the shift of metabolic status and future risk of carotid artery plaque (CAP) in community-based Chinese adults. METHODS: The current study included 9836 Chinese adults (4085 males and 5751 females, mean age 35.8 years) with metabolically healthy status at baseline (2013). Metabolically healthy status was defined as no self-reported history of metabolic diseases and cancer, and normal blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin A1c level, and lipid profiles. Metabolically unhealthy status was defined if any of the following metabolic abnormalities were confirmed twice during follow up: high blood pressure, impaired glucose regulation, high triglycerides, high total cholesterol, high low-density lipoprotein cholesterols, or low high-density lipoprotein cholesterols. The transition was confirmed if participants' metabolic status shifted from baseline healthy to unhealthy status during follow up (2014-2018). RESULTS: We have identified 133 incident cases of CAP during follow up. Compared to those who remained metabolically healthy, the transition to high blood pressure, high total cholesterol, and high low-density lipoprotein cholesterols, were associated with high risk of developing carotid artery plaque (Hazards ratios (HRs) ranged from 1.69 to 2.34; p < 0.05 for all). The transition to impaired glucose regulation, high total triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterols, were associated with high risk of carotid artery plaque only in participants with metabolically healthy overweight at baseline (HR ranged from 1.95 to 4.62; p < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSION: The transition from baseline metabolically healthy status to unhealth status was associated with high risk of incident CAP.

Influence of alternated drying and wetting on the characteristics of soil preferential flow formation in Honghe Arid Valley.

To clarify the effects of alternation of drying and wetting on the formation of soil preferential flow in arid valley, taking the wasteland in the arid valley of Honghe River as the research object, we analyzed the soil preferential flow characteristics before and after the simulation of drying and wetting alternation based on dyeing tracer method, water breakthrough curve, and image processing technology. The results showed that, under the simulated alternation of drying and wetting, the matrix flow occurred in the 0-10 cm soil layer, the dyeing depth reached 35 cm, the horizontal width of the preferred path was only 3-10 cm, and the dyeing area curve fluctuated little. Simulated alternation of drying and wetting led to significant increases in the steady effluent, macropores number, and macroporosity. In the 0-20 cm soil layer, the steady effluent after alternation of drying and wetting was about 0.27 cm3·s-1 higher than that non-alternation of drying and wetting, macropores number in dyeing area was about 1.4 times higher, and the macroporosity was 13.4% higher. The macropores number was positively correlated with stable flow rate. After simulated alternation of drying and wetting, the number of macropores from large to small was 0.6-0.8 mm＞0.8-1.0 mm＞1.0-1.5 mm＞1.5-2.0 mm＞2.0-3.7 mm, while under non-alternation of drying and wetting, it was 0.8-1.0 mm＞0.6-0.8 mm＞1.0-1.5 mm＞2.0-3.7 mm＞1.5-2.0 mm. The macropores number in each pore size range was significantly correlated with the dyeing area ratio. After simulated alternation of drying and wetting, the correlation increased, and the dominant factor affecting the occurrence of preferential flow changed from the macropores number in the pore size range of 1.5-2.0 mm to that of 0.8-1.0 mm. Therefore, the alternation of drying and wetting would affect the characteristics of macropores, which caused the soil to be more prone to preferential flow and with higher magnitude.

Metabolically healthy obesity is associated with longitudinal changes in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in Chinese adults.

PURPOSE: Whether metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) is associated with longitudinal changes in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) remains unclear. METHODS: MHO was defined as participants with overweight and obesity (BMI ≥ 24.0 kg/m2, n = 2921), free of history of metabolic diseases, and without abnormalities of blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c, lipid profile, carotid artery and liver ultrasonographic findings at baseline. Metabolically healthy normal weight (MHN) was defined as participants with normal weight (BMI < 24.0 kg/m2, n = 9578) and without above-mentioned abnormalities. HDL-C, fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c, and blood pressure were assessed annually. Glucose abnormality was considered if either FBG ≥ 5.6 mmol/L or HbA1c ≥ 5.7%; while, high blood pressure (HBP) was considered if either systolic blood pressure ≥ 130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 80 mmHg during 5 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Compared with the MHN group, the adjusted mean difference in HDL-C change rate was - 0.005 mmol/L per year [95% confidence interval (CI) - 0.007, - 0.003] for MHO after adjustment for a series of potential confounders. Furthermore, transiting to abnormality of blood glucose, but not high blood pressure, was associated with lower cumulative average of HDL-C in MHN group, compared with those remained in metabolically healthy status. CONCLUSIONS: MHO and transiting from metabolically healthy to abnormality of blood glucose were associated with HDL-C in Chinese adults. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III, cohort study.

BMI, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and the conversion from metabolically healthy to unhealthy phenotype in Chinese adults: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: We performed the cohort study to evaluate the association between BMI, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and the conversion from metabolically healthy to unhealthy phenotype in Chinese adults. DESIGN: Metabolically healthy was defined as participants without history of metabolic diseases and with normal fasting blood glucose level, glycated Hb A1c level, blood pressure, lipid profile, serum uric acid level and liver ultrasonographic findings at baseline. Participants were either classified into normal weight (18·5 ≤ BMI < 24·0 kg/m2) and overweight (BMI ≥ 24·0 kg/m2) based on baseline BMI, or low (<1 mg/l) and high (≥1 mg/l) groups based on baseline hs-CRP. The conversion from metabolically healthy to unhealthy phenotype was deemed if any of the metabolic abnormalities had been confirmed twice or more during 5 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Included were 4855 (1942 men and 2913 women, aged 36·0 ± 8·9 years) metabolically healthy Chinese adults. We identified 1692 participants who converted to metabolically unhealthy phenotype during the follow-up. Compared with their counterparts, the adjusted hazards ratio of the conversion was 1·19 (95 % CI 1·07, 1·33) for participants with overweight, while it was 1·15 (95 % CI 1·03, 1·29) for those with high hs-CRP level (≥1 mg/l). Further adjustment of hs-CRP did not materially change the association between BMI and the conversion. However, the association between hs-CRP and the conversion was not significant after further adjustment of BMI. The sensitivity analysis generated similar results to main analysis. CONCLUSION: BMI was associated with the risk of the conversion from metabolically healthy to unhealthy status in Chinese adults.

The change in kidney function was associated with carotid artery plaque in a community-based population: A cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: We performed the current study to evaluate the association between dynamic change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the risk of carotid artery plaque (CAP) in a community-based population. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total number of 37,093 Chinese adults (21,790 men and 15,303 women, aged 42.6 ± 11.6 years) free of chronic kidney diseases were enrolled. The change in eGFR was calculated based on two measurements in 2013 and 2014 (mean interval: 1.2 y). Participants were further classified into three groups based on the change in eGFR: fast-decrease (<-3.3%), stable (from -3.3% to 3.3%), and fast-increase (≥3.3%). CAP was annually assessed by ultrasound B model throughout the study (2013-2018). We have identified 1,624 new cases of CAP (16.0 per 1000 person-year) during follow up. Compared to participants with stable eGFR, participants in both fast-decrease and fast-increase groups were associated with 1.99 folds (HR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.54, 2.57) and 3.15 folds (HR = 3.15, 95% CI: 2.38, 4.16) higher likelihood of developing CAP. The association between continuous change in eGFR and the risk of CAP demonstrate a "U" shape. Sensitivity analysis generated similar results with main analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Both fast decrease and increase in eGFR were associated with the risk of developing CAP in Chinese adults.

Effects of HPV16 E6 protein on Daxx-induced apoptosis in C33A cells.

AIMS: Daxx is a highly conserved nuclear protein with an important role in transcription, apoptosis and other cell processes. We investigated the role of HPV16 E6 in Daxx-induced apoptosis through their interactions in C33A cells. METHODS: The binding of HPV16 E6 and Daxx was confirmed in C33A cells using co-immunoprecipitation and indirect immunofluorescence assays. Quantitative PCR and western blotting were performed to determine the RNA and protein expressions of Daxx, respectively. Automatic cell count and MTT assays were performed to investigate the proliferation of C33A cells. The apoptosis rate of C33A cells was determined via flow cytometry using Annexin V-FITC/PI staining. The relative activity of caspase-8 was tested using ELISA. RESULTS: HPV16 E6 can bind with Daxx and cause its translocation in C33A cells. The transfected HPV16 E6 can cause a decrease in relative quantification for Daxx in Daxx-overexpressing cells. After Daxx transfection, cell proliferation was found to decrease sharply and cell apoptosis to increase sharply. However, when HPV16 E6 was co-transfected with Daxx, this decrease and increase both became gentle. Similarly, HPV16 E6 made the Daxx-induced increase in caspase-8 activity milder. CONCLUSIONS: HPV16 E6 is involved in inhibiting apoptosis through deregulation of Daxx-induced caspase-8 activities.

The trajectory of high sensitivity C-reactive protein is associated with incident diabetes in Chinese adults.

BACKGROUND: We performed a cohort study to evaluate the association between the CRP trajectory and incident diabetes in Chinese adults. METHODS: Included were 6439 adults (4111 men and 2249 women; aged 46.6 ± 11.9 years). The concentration of high sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) was measured in 2013 (baseline), 2014, and 2015. The hs-CRP trajectory was identified based the above three measurements by latent mixture modeling. Incident diabetes cases were diagnosed by fasting blood glucose (≥126 mg/dl) or Hb A1c (≥6.5%) during subsequent 3 years (2016-2018). RESULTS: Hs-CRP concentration during 2013-2015 was classified into 3 levels: low (< 1.0 mg/L), moderate (1.0-3.0 mg/L), and high (≥3.0 mg/L) based on a statement by American Heart Association. We named four hs-CRP trajectories as following: "low-stable" (low in 2013 and maintained at low concentration in 2014 and 2015), "moderate-fluctuated" (moderate in 2013, then increased to high concentration in 2014, and decreased to low concentration in 2015), "high-decreased" (high in 2013 but decreased to moderate concentration in 2014 and 2015), and "moderate-increased (moderate in 2013 and increased to high concentration in 2014 and 2015)". We identified 235 incident diabetes during subsequent 3 years. The adjusted HR for incident diabetes was 1.71 (95% CI: 1.02, 2.87) comparing the moderate-increased and the low-stable group, after adjusting for potential confounders. In the secondary analyses, two single-measured hs-CRP concentration (in 2013 or in 2015) and the average of hs-CRP were associated with high risk of diabetes (P-trend< 0.01 for all). CONCLUSIONS: The hs-CRP trajectory pattern was associated with altered incident diabetes in Chinese adults.

[Effects of plant roots on soil preferential flow in typical forest and grassland in the dry-hot valley of Jinsha River, China]. / é‡‘æ²™æ±Ÿå¹²çƒ­æ²³è°·å ¸åž‹æž—è‰åœ°æ¤ç‰©æ ¹ç³»å¯¹åœŸå£¤ä¼˜å ˆæµçš„å½±å“.

To clarify the morphological characteristics of soil preferential flow and the effect of plant roots on its formation, plants from the typical vegetation types of an artificial woodland (Leucaena acacia) and a dry watershed grassland (Heteropogon contortus) of Yuanmou County, Jinsha River were selected as the experimental objects. Based on the staining and tracing method combined with Photoshop CS5 and the Image-Pro Plus 6.0 image processing technology, we analyzed the morphological and distribution characteristics of soil preferential flow under the two planting types and examined the effects of plant roots. We found significant difference in soil preferential flow dyeing area between the woodland and grassland species, and the overall variation trend of the forestland dyeing area ratio decreased with increasing soil depth. The dyeing area of the grassland decreased monotonously with the increases of soil depth. The occurrence degree of soil preferential flow in forest was higher than that of grassland. Root systemaffected the formation of soil preferential flow. At the root diameter ranges of 0≤d≤5 mm and d>10 mm, root length density of the woodland showed a monotonous decreasing trend with increasing soil depth, while in the root diameter range of 5 mm5 mm. The overall change trend of soil preferential flow dyeing area of two vegetation types in the study area decreased with increasing soil depth. Plant root system was closely related to the formation of soil preferential flow. Fine roots could promote while coarse roots may retard the formation of preferential flows.

Psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-10 in breast cancer patients.

Objectives: Fatigue is very common in patients with breast cancer. Developing appropriate measurement tools to assess fatigue is critical. The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-10 (MFI-10) in patients with breast cancer. Design: A cross-sectional validation study. Methods: The MFI-10 was translated in Chinese using a combination of expert assessment and cross-cultural adaptations. The Chinese version of MFI-10 was then administered to 402 patients with breast cancer from three affiliated hospitals. Results: Principal component analysis extracted three factors that explained 78.197% of the total variance. The internal consistency reliability coefficient of MFI-10 scale was 0.864. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit to data (χ 2 = 51.638, df = 35, NFI = 0.943, CFI = 0.981, AGFI = 0.924, TLI = 0.975 and RMSEA = 0.049), which represents good construct validity. Conclusions: The MFI-10 is a reliable and valid tool to measure fatigue in Chinese patients with breast cancer.

The Relationship between Red Blood Cell Distribution Width and Incident Diabetes in Chinese Adults: A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies reported the controvertible association between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and diabetes. The aim of this study is to explore whether RDW is associated with incident diabetes. METHODS: We performed this cohort study in 16,971 Chinese adults (9,956 men and 7,015 women, aged 43.3 ± 12.8 years). The level of RDW was measured at baseline (2014). All the participants were further classified into four quartile groups based on baseline RDW. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were measured annually during follow-up (2014-2019). Diabetes was diagnosed if either FBG ≥ 7.0 mmol/L or HbA1c ≥ 6.5%. We used the Cox proportional hazards regression model to evaluate the association between baseline RDW and incident diabetes. RESULTS: We identified 2,703 new cases of diabetes during five-year follow-up. The incidence was 15.9%. Comparing with participants in the lowest quartile group (reference group), the adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for the risk of diabetes were 1.31 (95% CI: 1.16, 1.48) for the highest quartile group (p trend < 0.001), after adjustment for potential confounders. Further adjusting baseline FBG and HbA1c did not materially change the association between RDW and incident diabetes. Each unit increase of RDW was associated with a 16% higher risk of incident diabetes (HR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.26) in a fully adjusted model. Sensitivity analysis generated similar results with prospective analyses after excluding aged participants, participants who are overweight and with obesity, participants with elevated blood pressure, participants with decreased eGFR, and those with anemia at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: High RDW was associated with high risk of developing diabetes in Chinese adults. As RDW is an inexpensive, noninvasive, and convenient indicator, RDW might be considered for inclusion in the risk assessment of high-risk groups of diabetes.

Knockdown of annexin VII enhances nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell radiosensitivity in vivo and in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Radioresistance leads to treatment failure in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Thus, enhancing the radiosensitivity of NPC cells would likely increase the effectiveness of radiotherapy. Annexin VII (Annexin A7, ANXA7) might be a tumor promoter in NPC but its functions in radiosensitivity remain unclear. METHODS: NPC cell lines CNE2-shANXA7 and CNE2-pLKO.1 were generated and CNE2-shANXA7 nude mice xenograft tumor models were established. The main effects and molecular mechanisms of ANXA7 knockdown in NPC radiosensitivity were studied in vitro and in vivo by analyzing cell viability, clonogenicity, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, tumor radioresponse and immunohistochemistry assay. RESULTS: ANXA7 knockdown revealed potentially enhanced NPC cell radiosensitivity via apoptosis and increased the cell number at the G2/M phase. In the xenograft model, NPC cells with ANXA7 knockdown were dramatically sensitive to irradiation and tumor growth was significantly suppressed. Compared to CNE2-pLKO.1 xenografts, CNE2-shANXA7 showed more γ-H2AX foci and less phospho-DNA PKcs. CONCLUSIONS: ANXA7 knockdown increased the radiosensitivity of NPC by enhancing apoptosis, modulating the cell cycle distribution into more radiosensitive phases, promoting DNA damage, and inhibiting repair. We showed that decreased ANXA7 levels enhanced radiosensitivity and provided insights into the therapeutic targets for NPC radiotherapy.

The association between parental weight status and risk of hypertension in children aged 6 to 12 years.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Parents may play important roles in the regulation of children's weight status and consequently the development of childhood hypertension. Thus, this study aimed to examine parental weight status, as a marker of parents' diet and lifestyle, in relation to risk of hypertension in their children. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A total of 1,949 children aged 6 to 12 years (1,012 girls, 52%) and their parents were included. Information on demographics, anthropometrics, lifestyle, diet, and medical history were obtained from the participants and their parents through self-administered questionnaires. Childhood hypertension and elevated blood pressure were defined as SBP and/or DBP ≥95th and ≥90th age- and gender-specific percentile, respectively. Parental overweight was defined as BMI ≥24.0 kg/m2. RESULTS: The prevalence of childhood hypertension was 8.4%, with no significant gender difference (p=0.36). Parents' weight status, especially maternal, was associated with childhood hypertension. After adjustment for potential confounders, children with two parents being overweight were two times more likely to have hypertension as compared with children who had both parents being of normal weight [multivariable-adjusted odds ratio=2.09; 95% confidence interval: (1.26, 3.46)]. After further adjustment for children's body mass index, the observed association was substantially attenuated and became statistically non-significant. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study suggest that parental weight status is associated with the prevalence of hypertension in children presumably through influencing children's weight. Further studies are needed to establish causal inference. This study highlights the importance of parental lifestyle in children's health.

Prospective study of hemoglobin A1c and incident carotid artery plaque in Chinese adults without diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes has been reported to be associated with carotid artery plaque (CAP). However, it remains unclear whether hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level, a marker for long-term glycemic status, is associated with altered CAP risk in individuals with fasting blood glucose (FBG) concentrations below the current cutoff for diabetes. METHODS: Included were 16,863 Chinese adults (aged 18 years or more; 9855 men and 7008 women) with fasting blood glucose < 7.0 mmol/L at baseline (2013). Both HbA1c level and CAP (assessed via ultrasound B-mode imaging) were annually assessed during 2014-2018. All the participants were further classified into three groups based on baseline HbA1c level: ≤ 5.6%, 5.7-6.4%, and ≥ 6.5%. We used Cox proportional-hazards model to evaluate the association between HbA1c level and incident CAP, adjusting for a series of potential confounders. RESULTS: During 5 years of follow up, 3942 incident CAP cases were identified. Individuals with higher baseline HbA1c had higher future risk of CAP (p-trend < 0.001). In the full-adjusted model, each percent increase of HbA1c was associated with a 56% (HR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.37, 1.78) higher risk of CAP. Excluding participants with chronic inflammation, as assessed by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and white blood cell, and those with FBG ≥ 5.6 mmol/L at baseline generated similar results. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated HbA1c level was associated with high risk of developing CAP in Chinese adults without FBG defined diabetes.

Association of Metabolically Healthy Overweight Phenotype With Abnormalities of Glucose Levels and Blood Pressure Among Chinese Adults.

Importance: Whether the metabolically healthy overweight (MHO) phenotype is resistant to metabolic abnormalities remains unknown. Objective: To evaluate the association of MHO with glucose level abnormalities and high blood pressure (BP) in Chinese adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: This prospective cohort study was conducted from January 1, 2013, to October 31, 2018, in the Health Management Center at Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai, China, using data from 55 155 recruited Chinese adults. Body weight, fasting blood glucose (FBG) level, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level, and BP were measured annually. Exposures: Metabolically healthy overweight was defined as a body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) of 24.0 in 2013 (baseline) and 2014, no history of metabolic diseases, and normal FBG level, HbA1c level, BP, lipid profile, serum uric acid level, and liver ultrasonographic findings at baseline; the remaining participants were defined as being metabolically healthy normal. Main Outcomes and Measures: Glucose level abnormality was confirmed if the FBG level was 101 mg/dL or greater or the HbA1c level was 5.7%, and high BP was confirmed if the systolic BP was 130 mm Hg or higher or the diastolic BP was 80 mm Hg or higher at least twice during the subsequent 4 years of follow-up. Results: A total of 3204 metabolically healthy Chinese adults (mean [SD] age, 39.8 [10.9] years; 1940 women [60.5%]) were included in the study. The prevalence of MHO was 7.0%. A total of 146 incident cases of glucose level abnormality and 220 cases of high BP during 4 years of follow-up were identified. Compared with the metabolically healthy normal group, the MHO group had a higher risk of glucose level abnormality (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.52-3.64) and high BP (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.18-2.53) after adjusting for several potential confounders. Conclusions and Relevance: Metabolically healthy overweight may be associated with a high future risk of glucose abnormality and high BP in Chinese adults. If the individuals are confirmed with MHO, early interventions, including diet and exercise, should be recommended to decrease the risk of developing abnormalities of glucose and BP.

High-Sensitivity CRP (C-Reactive Protein) Is Associated With Incident Carotid Artery Plaque in Chinese Aged Adults.

Background and Purpose- CRP (C-reactive protein) is an inflammatory biomarker which predicts the risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, whether CRP is associated with carotid artery plaque (CAP) remains unclear. Methods- The current retrospective study was performed in 8229 Chinese aged adults (aged 65-99 years; 4677 men and 3552 women). hs-CRP (high-sensitivity CRP) concentrations were measured at baseline (2013), and further classified into 3 groups: low risk (<1.0 mg/L), intermediate risk (1.0-3.0 mg/L), and high risk (≥3.0 mg/L). Ultrasound B-mode imaging was repeatedly performed annually to detect CAP during 5-year follow-up (2013-2018). Potential confounders, including body mass index, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, alanine transferase, aspartate transferase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and uric acid, lipid profiles, were also collected at baseline. White blood cell was collected as well. We used a logistic regression model for the cross-sectional relation between CRP concentration and CAP status and proportional hazardous Cox model for prospective analyses. Results- Comparing to the low-risk group, the adjusted odds ratios for CAP was 1.66 (95% CI, 1.43-1.92) in the intermediate-risk group and 1.72 (95% CI, 1.39-2.13) in the high-risk group, after adjustment for potential confounders. We identified 512 incident CAP cases during 5-year follow-up. Each mg/L increase of hs-CRP was associated with a hazard ratio of 1.1 (95% CI, 1.03-1.17) to developing CAP. Sensitivity analysis generated similar results with prospective analyses after excluding participants with overweight and obesity, with elevated fasting blood glucose, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, and white blood cell. The association lost significant when we excluded participants with elevated blood pressure, however, few cases of CAP (n=41) was recruited in participants with normal blood pressure during follow-up. Conclusions- High hs-CRP concentration was associated with the high risk of developing CAP in Chinese aged adults.

Parental overweight and hypertension are associated with their children's blood pressure.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the association between parental factors (overweight, history of hypertension, and education level) and children's blood pressure status. Further, we evaluated to what extent the potential association could be interpreted by children's adiposity indices. METHODS: The current study included 3316 Chinese school students (1579 girls and 1737 boys, aged 6-14 years) and their parents. Parents reported information on their height, body weight, history of hypertension, and the highest education level. Trained medical staff measured children's blood pressure, height, body weight, waist circumference (WC), and percentage of body fat (PBF, assessed by bio-impedance method). Z-score of all three indices were calculated and used in the analysis. We used generalized linear model to evaluate the association between parental information and z-score of children's blood pressure. Meditation analysis was used to evaluate the proportion contributed by z-score of children's adiposity indices (BMI, WC, and PBF). RESULTS: We found that parental overweight and hypertension, but not parental education level, were significantly associated with children's systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.05 for all). Approximately 30.4-92.2% of the association between these two parental factors and children's systolic blood pressure were mediated by children's adiposity indices, and 22.3-55.6% for children's diastolic blood pressure. The strongest meditative factor, among the three obesity indices, was children's BMI z-score. CONCLUSIONS: The association between parental factors and children's blood pressure was mainly mediated by children's adiposity indices.