The association between maternal healthy lifestyle factors during pregnancy and the neonatal anthropometric indicators based on a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the associations between a combined healthy lifestyle during the second and third trimesters and offspring anthropometric outcomes in China. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: We examined these associations among 548 participants from nine community health centers and three hospitals in the North China cohort. A pregnant women's healthy lifestyle score (HLS) was constructed based on six lifestyle factors: smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, sedentary behavior, diet, and gestational weight gain. Anthropometric indicators at birth like birth weight (BW), head circumference (HC), and birth length (BL) were collected, and weight to head circumference ratio (WHC, kg/m), body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and Ponderal Index (PI, kg/m3) were calculated. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were used to examine the effects of HLS during the second and third trimesters on anthropometric outcomes at birth, respectively. RESULTS: In fully adjusted models, we found a negative association between second and third-trimester HLS and offspring HC and a positive relationship between second-trimester HLS and BL (p<0.05). Neonates with mothers in the highest HLS tertile had a 5.6% relatively lower HC and 2.3% relatively longer body length than women in the lowest tertile. Each additional unit in third-trimester HLS had an associated decrease in HC by 0.96 cm. None of the associations between HLS and BW, WHC, BMI, and PI of offspring were observed. CONCLUSIONS: A healthy lifestyle score may significantly impact offspring head circumference and body length, supporting the important role of healthy lifestyles in improving the health of offspring.

Association between daily screen time and risk of stroke among middle-aged and elderly people: research based on China health and nutrition survey.

Background: We aimed to explore the independent associations between screen time and the risk of stroke among Chinese adults based on the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). Methods: Data on Chinese adults aged older than 40 years from the CHNS in during 2004-2009 were selected. A total of 4,587 individuals were included in 2009, including screen time and the risk of stroke. Simultaneously, we traced the previous screen time to 2004 for those with outcome measures in 2009 (n = 2,100). Basic information, lifestyle, and screen behavior were obtained through face-to-face interviews and self-completed questionnaires. Anthropometric data collected included blood pressure, body weight, height, hip circumference, and waist circumference. Fasting blood was obtained for measurements of lipid and glucose levels. Cross-sectional analysis and cohort analysis were both performed using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Of all participants, 3,004 (65.49%) participants spent more than 2 h per day on screen time. Taking the men who spent less than 2 h on screen per day as reference, the crude odds ratio (OR) of the high risk of stroke was 1.53 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.20-1.95] for the men who spent 2-3 h per day on screen and 2.37 (95% CI, 1.78-3.16) for the men who spent more than 3 h per day on screen. This difference remained significant after adjusting for confounding factors. No association was observed among women. However, in the cohort analysis with screen time in 2006 as the independent variable, the association between screen time and stroke risk was found both in men [OR, 1.83 (95% CI, 1.19-2.82)] and women [OR, 1.48 (95% CI, 1.10-1.99)]). Conclusion: We found that the high screen time was associated with an increased stroke risk, which was pronounced in men, warranting a universal need to limit screen time in order to improve health.

Association Between Fat Mass to Lean Body Mass Ratio and All-Cause Mortality Among Middle-Aged and Elderly Cancer Patients Without Obesity: A Multi-Center Observational Study in China.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the association between fat mass to lean body mass ratio (RFL), percentage of body fat (PBF), and fat mass (FM) with mortality among middle-aged and elderly cancer patients without obesity. Methods: This prospective hospital-based cohort study comprised 3,201 patients with stage I to IV cancer aged 40 years or above (mean age: 58 years for female patients and 61 years for male patients; mean length of follow-up was 1.67 years; the maximal follow-up length was 6.42 years). FM and PBF were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Cox proportional hazard models were used, and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated. Results: We revealed a significant association between RFL and all-cause mortality among men aged ≥60 years after adjusting for confounders. Compared with those in the lowest tertile of RFL, elderly men in the medium and highest tertile had a 35 and 34% lower hazard of death from any cause, respectively. After additionally adjusted for C-reaction protein (CRP), HRs of medium and high tertile of RFL became short of statistical significance [medium tertile: adjusted HRs (95% CI) = 0.74 (0.46, 1.20); highest tertile: adjusted HRs (95% CI) = 0.84 (0.53, 1.33)]. Among elderly women, RFL was significantly related to all-cause mortality only when the additional adjustment for CRP [medium tertile: adjusted HRs (95% CI) = 2.08 (1.08, 4.01); highest tertile: adjusted HRs (95% CI) = 0.90 (0.45, 1.81)]. No significant association between RFL and all-cause mortality was observed among female participants or male participants aged less than 60 years. Conclusion: Our findings showed a significant non-linear association between RFL and all-cause mortality, which was observed only in elderly men, and might be attenuated by their inflammation state.

Smog and risk of maternal and fetal birth outcomes: A retrospective study in Baoding, China.

Pregnant women are more susceptible to smog pollution than the general population. This study focused on the association between smog and birth outcomes, considering both pregnant mothers and their offspring. In this retrospective study, conducted in Baoding between 2013 and 2016, we enrolled 842 participants. Birth outcomes were low birth weight (LBW), pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and premature rupture of membranes (PROM). The overall prevalence of LBW, PIH, GDM, and PROM was 8.2%, 14.8%, 16.5%, and 12.1%, respectively. Compared with lower pollution level, higher pollution level of fine particulate matter (particulate matter with aerodynamics diameter <2.5 µm) (PM2.5), inhalable particle (particulate matter with aerodynamics diameter <10 µm) (PM10), and CO increased the risk of term with LBW. PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 increased the risk of PIH during different trimesters, while PM10 increased the risk of PROM during trimester 3. In conclusion, smog significantly affects the risk of adverse birth outcomes by different exposure time windows.

Association of dietary diversity with uterine fibroids among urban premenopausal women in Shijiazhuang, China: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Uterine fibroids (UFs) are the most common neoplasm affecting reproductive-age women. The purpose of the present study is to explore the association between dietary diversity and risk of UFs in a cross-sectional study of urban premenopausal women. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A total of 248 urban premenopausal women with age of 20-45 were recruited in 3 randomly chosen hospitals in Shijiazhuang, China. Dietary diversity was assessed from food frequency intake data using dietary diversity score (DDS), Prime Diet Quality Score (PDQS) and food variety score (FVS). UFs were diagnosed by the methods of ultrasound, pelvic exam, or surgery. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate the relationship between dietary diversity and risk of UFs. RESULTS: 37 of the study subjects (14.9%) had UFs. Participants with a low education level and single marital status participants had a lower DDS and PDQS, respectively. After adjustment for confounding factors, a higher DDS 24 was associated with decreased UF risk (OR=0.22, 95% CI=0.05-1.01). Similar trends were observed for the plantbased FVS (ptrend=0.025). Carrot (OR=0.04, 95% CI=0.00-0.48) and kiwi fruit (OR=0.03, 95% CI=0.00-0.47) were also inversely associated with risk of UFs after adjustment for confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: Multifarious food groups and the increase of variety of plant-based food, especially carrot and kiwi fruit, may be associated with the lower risk of UFs; they may play an important role in inhibiting the formation of UFs.

Determination of sulfa antibiotic residues in river and particulate matter by field-amplified sample injection-capillary zone electrophoresis.

In the present research, field-amplified sample injection-CZE (FASI-CZE) coupled with a diode array detector was established to determine trace level sulfa antibiotic. Sulfathiazole, sulfadiazine, sulfamethazine, sulfadimethoxine, sulfamethoxazole, and sulfisoxazole were selected as analytes for the experiments. The background electrolyte solution consisted of 70.0 mmol/L borax and 60.0 mmol/L boric acid (including 10% methanol, pH 9.1). The plug was 2.5 mmol/L borax, which was injected into the capillary at a pressure of 0.5 psi for 5 s. Then the sample was injected into the capillary at an injection voltage of -10 kV for 20 s. The electrophoretic separation was carried out under a voltage of +19 kV. The capillary temperature was maintained at 20˚C throughout the analysis, and six sulfonamides were completely separated within 35 min. Compared with pressure injection-CZE, the sensitivity of FASI-CZE was increased by 6.25-10.0 times, and the LODs were reduced from 0.2-0.5 to 0.02-0.05 µg/mL. The method was applied to the determination of sulfonamides in river water and particulate matter samples. The recoveries were 78.59-106.59%. The intraday and interday precisions were 2.89-7.35% and 2.77-7.09%, respectively. This provides a simpler and faster method for the analysis of sulfa antibiotic residues in environmental samples.

Magnetic solid-phase extraction of four ß-lactams using polypyrrole-coated magnetic nanoparticles from water samples by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography analysis.

In the present research, the application of a polypyrrole coating on Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (PPy/Fe3O4 MNPs) as a sorbent was confirmed. The synthesized magnetic composites were characterized by TEM, FTIR spectroscopy, and XRD. Four ß-lactams (oxacillin (OXA), cloxacillin (CLOX), dicloxacillin (DIC), and flucloxacillin (FLU)) were selected as analytes for the experiment. The extracted ß-lactams were determined by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography-diode array detector (MEKC-DAD). The crucial parameters influencing the extraction efficiency and separation were studied and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection are 1.0 µg L-1 for OXA, CLOX, FLU, and 0.8 µg L-1 for DIC. The calibration curves are linear in the range of 2.5-200.0 µg L-1. The proposed method was applied for the determination of the ß-lactams in water samples with satisfactory results. The intra-day relative standard deviations and the inter-day relative standard deviations range from 1.09% to 4.58% and from 2.95% to 7.80%, respectively. It can be concluded that this method is sensitive, convenient, and feasible for the determination of the ß-lactams in water samples.