Distribution curve of waist-to-height ratio and its association with blood pressure among children and adolescents: study in a large population in an eastern coastal province, China.

Several studies have suggested that waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) is an accurate and easier index for evaluating abdominal obesity in both children and adults. The present study examined the distribution of WHtR and its association with blood pressure (BP) levels among children and adolescents in a large population in Shandong, China. A total of 38,810 students (19,453 boys and 19,357 girls) aged 7-17 years participated in this study. Height, waist circumference (WC), and BP of all subjects were measured, and WHtR was calculated. Abdominal obesity was defined as WHtR ≥0.5; high BP status was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥95th percentile for age and gender. Overall, 16.45% (95%CI: 15.93-16.97) and 7.80% (95%CI: 7.42-8.17) of boys and girls had a WHtR ≥0.5. WHtR was positively correlated with SBP and DBP in both boys and girls. The mean values of SBP and DBP for both boys and girls were all significantly higher in the WHtR ≥0.5 group than in the WHtR<0.5 group. Z-scores of BP and the prevalence of high BP increased with WHtR. The prevalence of high BP increased from 10.61 (boys) and 9.64% (girls) in the WHtR <0.34 group to 55.11 (boys) and 51.97% (girls) in the WHtR ≥0.58 group, an increase of 4.2- and 4.4-times. We conclude that children and adolescents with high WHtR might have an increased risk of elevated BP. These findings highlight the importance of the prevention of abdominal obesity in order to prevent future-related problems such as hypertension in children and adolescents.

Glycyrrhizin administration ameliorates coxsackievirus B3-induced myocarditis in mice.

In this study, the authors explored the therapeutic effect of glycyrrhizin (GL) on Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis and its possible mechanisms involved. The results of this study showed that GL exhibited a profound amelioration of CVB3-induced myocarditis, as evidenced by improved weight loss profile, less increased serological levels of cardiac enzymes, less myocardial inflammation and increased survival rate. Further study showed that this effect was not due to the viral clearance but ascribed to weakened proinflammatory responses, as evidenced by significantly reduced expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1ß and interleukin-6. Moreover, the authors demonstrated that GL administration inhibited CVB3-induced nuclear factor-κB activity efficiently by blocking the degradation of nuclear factor -κB inhibitor IκBκ. These data suggest that GL can effectively attenuate the severity of CVB3-induced myocarditis and may present as a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of viral myocarditis.