Circ_0068481 Affects the Human Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells' Progression by miR-361-3p/KLF5 Axis.

BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) contributes to the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). In this work, we defined the precise part of circ_0068481 in PASMC proliferation and migration induced by hypoxia. We hypothesized that circ_0068481 enhanced hypoxia-induced PASMC proliferation, invasion, and migration through the microRNA (miR)-361-3p/Krüppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) pathway. METHODS: Human PASMCs (hPASMCs) were exposed to hypoxic (3% O2) conditions. Circ_0068481, miR-361-3p, and KLF5 levels were gauged by qRT-PCR and western blot. Cell viability, proliferation, invasion, and migration were detected by XTT, EdU incorporation, transwell, and wound-healing assays, respectively. Dual-luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation, and RNA pull-down assays were performed to confirm the direct relationship between miR-361-3p and circ_0068481 or KLF5. RESULTS: Circ_0068481 expression was increased in the serum of PAH patients and hypoxia-induced hPASMCs. Downregulation of circ_0068481 attenuated hypoxia-induced promotion in hPASMC proliferation, invasion, and migration. Circ_0068481 directly targeted miR-361-3p, and miR-361-3p downregulation reversed the inhibitory effects of circ_0068481 silencing on hypoxia-induced hPASMC proliferation, invasion, and migration. KLF5 was a direct miR-361-3p target, and miR-361-3p upregulation mitigated hypoxia-induced hPASMC proliferation, invasion, and migration by inhibiting KLF5 expression. Moreover, circ_0068481-induced KLF5 expression by binding to miR-361-3p in hypoxic hPASMCs. CONCLUSIONS: Circ_0068481 knockdown ameliorated hypoxia-induced hPASMC proliferation, invasion, and migration at least in part through the miR-361-3p/KLF5 axis.

Targeted genome mining for microbial antitumor agents acting through DNA intercalation.

Microbial natural products have been one of the most important sources for drug development. In the current postgenomic era, sequence-driven approaches for natural product discovery are becoming increasingly popular. Here, we develop an effective genome mining strategy for the targeted discovery of microbial metabolites with antitumor activities. Our method employs uvrA-like genes as genetic markers, which have been identified in the biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) of several chemotherapeutic drugs of microbial origin and confer self-resistance to the corresponding producers. Through systematic genomic analysis of gifted actinobacteria genera, identification of uvrA-like gene-containing BGCs, and targeted isolation of products from a BGC prioritized for metabolic analysis, we identified a new tetracycline-type DNA intercalator timmycins. Our results thus provide a new genome mining strategy for the efficient discovery of antitumor agents acting through DNA intercalation.

Does social capital aid in leveling the income gradient in child mental health? A structural analysis of the left-behind and not-left-behind Chinese children.

BACKGROUND: Few prior studies have investigated the income gradient in child mental health from a socio-environmental perspective. In an age when child mental health problems in a rapidly changing social environment have become a worldwide issue, an understanding of the socio-environmental mechanisms of the income disparities in child mental health outcomes is imperative and cost-effective. METHODS: By conducting structural equation analyses with Chinese nationally representative survey data, this study explored the family income gradient in child depression and its potential socio-environmental pathways at the neighborhood, family and school levels, differentiating left-behind and not-left-behind children. RESULTS: We found a robust family income gradient in depressive symptoms. Neighborhood cohesion mitigated the income gradient in depressive symptoms by playing a suppression role. School social capital acted as a mediator. Neighborhood trust, neighborhood safety and family social capital played no significant impact. The mitigating and mediating roles of social capital components were significant among only the not-left-behind children. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce income-related inequalities in child mental health in the long run, integrating policies that directly reduce poverty with policies that improve distal socio-environments is necessary.

The Reasonableness and Spatial Differences of the Food Consumption Structure of Urban and Rural Residents in China, 2015-2021.

Based on residents' food consumption data from 31 provinces in China from 2015-2021, this study analyzes the deviation in food consumption from nutrition targets and the spatial distribution characteristics of urban and rural residents in China from 2015-2021, and finds that there are irrationalities in the structure of food consumption of Chinese residents as well as regional differences in consumption. The food consumption of Chinese residents deviates from the recommended values of the Chinese Food Guide Pagoda to a certain extent, with large differences between urban and rural areas and provinces. Therefore, a new concept of food security with nutrition as the target should be established to guide residents' food consumption scientifically and rationally, and to adopt focused attention and targeted measures for regions with serious imbalances in food consumption.

The spatial-temporal pattern of Japanese encephalitis and its influencing factors in Guangxi, China.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a major global public health threat. Using Japanese encephalitis incidence data from 2004 to 2010 in Guangxi Province, China, this study comprehensively explored the driving forces and the interactive effects between environmental and social factors of Japanese encephalitis using the Geo-detector method. The results indicated that the incidence of Japanese encephalitis showed a fluctuating downward trend from 2004 to 2010. The onset of JE was seasonal, mainly concentrated in June-July, and highly aggregated in northwestern Guangxi. Among the factors associated with Japanese encephalitis, days with temperatures >30 °C, accumulated temperatures >25 °C, slope, the normalized difference vegetation index, the gross domestic product of tertiary industries, the gross domestic product of primary industries and the number of pigs slaughtered showed higher contributions to Japanese encephalitis incidence. An enhanced interactive effect was found between environmental and social factors, and the interaction between days with humidity levels >80% and the gross domestic product of tertiary industries had the greatest combined effect on JE. These findings enhanced the understanding of the combined effect of social and environmental factors on the incidence of Japanese encephalitis and could help improve Japanese encephalitis transmission control and prevention strategies.

Organic room-temperature phosphorescence materials for bioimaging.

Organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials are currently the focus of research in the field of bioimaging. In comparison with the conventional imaging modalities based on organic fluorescent dyes, RTP materials with long lifetime enable time-resolved imaging to improve the imaging resolution by avoiding autofluorescence. In this review, we will start with summarizing strategies for achieving high performance RTP materials for bioimaging, including the development of RTP-compounds, host-guest doping materials, and supramolecular assemblies. We then discuss the optimization of nanonization processes to obtain RTP nanoparticles with controllable size, high dispersibility, and improved stability. The differences between top-down and bottom-up approaches are further described. Finally, we briefly introduce the emerging methods for preparing RTP materials for bioimaging.

Selenium and Zinc Intakes of Staple Grains and Their Correlation with Urine Selenium and Zinc in the Tibetan Rural Residents along the Yarlung Zangbo River.

Grains account for a large proportion of the diet of rural residents in Tibet. The lack of selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) threatens the population's nutrition and health. However, the intakes of selenium and zinc in grains remains unclear. To clarify the nutritional status of selenium and zinc consumed from staple grains of residents along the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet, 341 grain samples and 242 urine samples were collected, and 244 food frequency questionnaires were completed along the Yarlung Zangbo River in 2020-2021. The results showed that the selenium concentrations of 88.5% of self-produced tsampa and 80.8% of self-produced flour were lower than the grain selenium threshold (<25 µg·kg-1). The intake of selenium and zinc from staple grains (tsampa, flour, and rice) contributed 15.0% and 43.5% to the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) on average, respectively. A geographical detector model analyzed factors affecting urinary selenium and zinc levels. Selenium and zinc intakes in rice and flour, and dietary diversity score (DDS) were the main factors affecting urinary selenium and zinc (p < 0.01). Their interaction effects on urinary selenium and zinc were greater than those of a single factor. The staple grains of rural residents along the Yarlung Zangbo River were in a state of selenium deficiency. The zinc content of the staple grain purchased was lower than that of the main grain produced by rural residents. Changing the grain consumption pattern and adjusting the proportion of exogenous grains can improve selenium and zinc nutrition in residents.

Case report: Mild leukoencephalopathy caused by a new mutation of NOTCH3 gene.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriosis with subcortical infarction and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a single-gene small-vessel disease of the brain characterized by migraine, recurrent ischemic stroke, psychiatric disorders, progressive cognitive decline, and occasional intracerebral hemorrhage.[1]NOTCH3 was identified as a pathogenic gene for CADASIL.[2] The NOTCH3 gene encodes a membrane-bound receptor protein, and to date, several different NOTCH3 gene mutations have been identified.[3] Here, we report a case of CADASIL with a heterozygous mutation c.931T > G (thymine > guanine) on the exon region of the NOTCH3 gene, resulting in an amino acid change p.C311G (cysteine > glycine). CASE REPORT: We report a case of a female patient with CADASIL whose genetic sequencing revealed a mutation in the NOTCH3 gene. However, this patient did not exhibit any of the typical clinical findings of CADASIL but the patient's cerebral magnetic resonance imaging was consistent with the characteristic findings of CADASIL. CONCLUSIONS: This case reminds us that mutations caused by different mutation sites present different clinical symptoms.

Factors influencing the spatial distribution and individual variation in urinary fluoride levels in Tibet, China.

Nowadays, fluorosis is the most prevalent endemic disease in Tibet and one of the most concerned public health problems in China; urinary fluoride is a common diagnostic indicator of endemic fluorosis. However, the spatial distribution and influencing factors of urinary fluoride content in Tibet remain unclear. This study aims to bridge this gap by geographically weighted regression (GWR), analyses of variance (ANOVAs), Geodetector, and stepwise multiple linear regression (MLR). To achieve this goal, this study first investigated fluoride levels in the fasting urine among 637 Tibetan residents from 73 counties in Tibet, the urinary fluoride level was chosen as an indicator of fluorosis, which can reflect the health impairment. Then we identified the potential factors that could influence the spatial distribution and individual variation of urinary fluoride levels from physical environmental and socioeconomic perspective, respectively. The results showed that urinary fluoride levels in Tibet were slightly exceeding the average value for adult urinary fluoride in China, and that residents with high urinary fluoride were mainly found in the west and east; those with low urinary fluoride were mainly found in the central-southern regions. And the urinary fluoride levels had a significantly positive correlation with water fluoride and a significantly negative correlation with average annual temperature. Urinary fluoride levels increased until age 60 and followed an inverted "U"-shaped trajectory according to annual household income (80,000 renminbi (RMB) was the inflection point); pastoralists had greater exposure to fluoride than farmers. Furthermore, the Geodetector and MLR showed that the urinary fluoride level was influenced by both physical environmental and socioeconomic factors. The socioeconomic factors such as age, annual household income and occupation had a greater impact than the physical environment on urinary fluoride concentration. These findings can provide scientific basis for preventing and controlling endemic fluorosis in the Tibetan Plateau and adjacent areas.

Does Neighborhood Social Capital Longitudinally Affect the Nutritional Status of School-Aged Children? Evidence from China.

Previous research linking social capital to child nutritional status primarily constitutes cross-sectional studies. To investigate whether a longitudinal relationship exists, by conducting fixed-effects analyses with 16,977 repeatedly measured observations of 6193 children from the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 China Family Panel Studies, this study explored the longitudinal effects of neighborhood participation, bonding trust, and bridging trust on the BMI-for-age z-score (BAZ) and BMI categories of school-aged children, differentiating between urban and rural residence. We found an increasing average BAZ, a decreasing prevalence of underweight, an increasing prevalence of overweight/obesity, and a reducing urban/rural gap in nutritional status. The levels of social capital components descended faster in the urban area. Bonding trust was predictive of a lower BAZ, a higher likelihood of being underweight, and a lower likelihood of being overweight/obese. Bridging trust was predictive of a higher BAZ. The longitudinal effects of bonding trust were significant among only the rural children. Our findings indicate that neighborhood social capital may impose causal impacts on the nutritional status of children. To effectively improve child nutritional status, a more empathetic governmental approach that promotes a more supportive distal social environment is needed.

Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Bio-elements in the Human Hair of Uyghur Communities in an Oasis Area of Xinjiang, China.

Located in central Asia, Xinjiang is characterized as a diverse environment in China, consisting of vast deserts, dotted oases, and high mountains. Due to the combined effect of climate conditions under such a diverse environment, there are large differences in human activities, living styles, and eating habits in farmland and grazing pastures between Xinjiang and other regions of China. This study aimed to investigate the variations and mechanisms of elemental distribution in the hair of Uyghur communities among different ages and genders and under different land use backgrounds in an oasis region in Xinjiang. Hair samples from 524 residents from four traditional farmland areas and two grazing pasture areas in Bai Cheng County in Xinjiang were collected, and the levels of thirteen elements were analyzed. The results indicated that the average levels of Cu, Mg, Mn, Zn, Ni, Co, Pb, Fe, Ca, Cd, Cr, As, and Se in the hair of Uyghur communities were within the background levels of Chinese and global residents' hair. Overall, the levels of elements in the hair of women residents were higher than those of men residents. The levels of elements in the human hair of the middle-aged group were higher than those of child and older-aged groups. Elements Cr and Se in the hair of grazing pastures were higher than those of farmland areas. The levels of Cd, Pb, As, and Zn in the hair of farmland areas were higher than those of grazing pasture areas. The levels of Ca, Mg, Cu, and Fe in the hair of Uyghur communities were higher than those of other ethnic groups, while the toxic elements in the hair of residents in Bai Cheng were lower than those in other regions of China. Middle-aged people were exposed to higher levels of toxic elements in their daily activities compared to elderly and child groups. Also, adult groups need much more nutrients for their growth and intellectual development compared to child and elderly groups. The change in land use from grazing pastures to farmland increased the toxic trace element concentration levels in human hair. The significant differences in the overall concentration levels of elements in human hair among the different ethnic groups and regions can be attributed to the differences in lifestyles, cultural customs, dietary habits, and internal and external exposure routes.

Incorporating Exercise Efficiency to Evaluate the Accessibility and Capacity of Medical Resources in Tibet, China.

Accessibility and capacity of medical resources are key for the health care and emergency response, while the efficiency of the medical resources is very much limited by hypoxia in Tibet, China. Through introducing exercise efficiency, this study explores the accessibility of township residence to county-ship medical resources in Tibet using weighted mean travel time (WMT), and evaluates the medical capacity accordingly. The results show that: 1) the average travel time of township residence to county-level hospital is around 2 h by motor vehicle in Tibet. More than half of the population can not reach the county-ship hospital within 1 h, 33.24% of the population can not reach within 2 h, and 3.75% of the population can not reach within 6 h. 2) When considering the catchment of the medical resources and the population size, the WMT of the county-ship medical resources ranges from 0.25 h to 10.92 h. 3) After adjusted by travel time and exercise efficiency, the county-ship medical capacity became more unequal, with 38 out of 74 counties could not meet the national guideline of 1.8 medical beds per 1000. 4) In total, there are 17 counties with good WMT and sufficient medical resources, while 13 counties having very high WMT and low capacity of medical resources in Tibet. In the end, suggestions on medical resources relocation and to improve the capacity are provided. This study provides a method to incorporate exercise efficiency to access the accessibility and evaluate medical capacity that can be applied in high altitude ranges. Electronic Supplementary Material: Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s11769-022-1321-1.

A prospective cohort study of starchy and non-starchy vegetable intake and mortality risk.

Whether starchy and non-starchy vegetables have distinct impacts on health remains unknown. We prospectively investigated the intake of starchy and non-starchy vegetables in relation to mortality risk in a nationwide cohort. Diet was assessed using 24-h dietary recalls. Deaths were identified via the record linkage to the National Death Index. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI were calculated using Cox regression. During a median follow-up of 7·8 years, 4904 deaths were documented among 40 074 participants aged 18 years or older. Compared to those with no consumption, participants with daily consumption of ≥ 1 serving of non-starchy vegetables had a lower risk of mortality (HR = 0·76, 95 % CI 0·66, 0·88, Ptrend = 0·001). Dark-green and deep-yellow vegetables (HR = 0·79, 95 % CI 0·63, 0·99, Ptrend = 0·023) and other non-starchy vegetables (HR = 0·80, 95 % CI 0·70, 0·92, Ptrend = 0·004) showed similar results. Total starchy vegetable intake exhibited a marginally weak inverse association with mortality risk (HR = 0·89, 95 % CI 0·80, 1·00, Ptrend = 0·048), while potatoes showed a null association (HR = 0·93, 95 % CI 0·82, 1·06, Ptrend = 0·186). Restricted cubic spline analysis suggested a linear dose-response relationship between vegetable intake and death risk, with a plateau at over 300 and 200 g/d for total and non-starchy vegetables, respectively. Compared with starchy vegetables, non-starchy vegetables might be more beneficial to health, although both showed a protective association with mortality risk. The risk reduction in mortality plateaued at approximately 200 g/d for non-starchy vegetables and 300 g/d for total vegetables.

Effects of intermittent fasting on cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Evidence showed that intermittent fasting may have beneficial effects on metabolic syndrome. However, the results are controversial and indefinite. This study intends to investigate and assess the effects of intermittent fasting (IF) on cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with metabolic syndrome. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases up to July 31, 2022. Primary outcomes included body mass index, fat mass, fat free mass, body weight, blood pressure, the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (IR), fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, and lipid profiles. RESULTS: Of 4997 retrieved records, 6 met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed that IF can significantly reduce BMI (mean difference=-1.56 kg/m2, 95% CI: -2.62 to -0.51), fat mass (mean difference=-1.35%, 95% CI: -2.03 to -0.67), fat free mass (mean difference=-0.63%, 95% CI: -1.22 to -0.04), body weight (mean difference=-2.49 kg, 95% CI: -3.11 to -1.88), waist circumference (mean difference=-3.06 cm, 95% CI: -4.21 to -1.92), and HOMA-IR (mean difference=-0.62, 95% CI: -0.84 to -0.40) compared with non-fasting. However, no statistical difference was found in the SBP, DBP, TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C, fasting blood glucose, and fasting insulin comparing fasting and non-fasting group. Subgroup analyses suggested that study duration and sample size may be the source of heterogeneity for LDL-C. Sensitivity analysis indicated that our results are reliable and robust. CONCLUSIONS: IF could be used for patients with metabolic syndrome. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed to verify the effectiveness and safety of IF in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Exposure Routes and Health Risks Associated with Pesticide Application.

Pesticides play an important role in agricultural development. However, pesticide application can result in both acute and chronic human toxicities, and the adverse effects of pesticides on the environment and human health remain a serious problem. There is therefore a need to discuss the application methods for pesticides, the routes of pesticide exposure, and the health risks posed by pesticide application. The health problems related to pesticide application and exposure in developing countries are of particular concern. The purpose of this paper is to provide scientific information for policymakers in order to allow the development of proper pesticide application technics and methods to minimize pesticide exposure and the adverse health effects on both applicators and communities. Studies indicate that there are four main pesticide application methods, including hydraulic spraying, backpack spraying, basal trunk spraying, and aerial spraying. Pesticide application methods are mainly selected by considering the habits of target pests, the characteristics of target sites, and the properties of pesticides. Humans are directly exposed to pesticides in occupational, agricultural, and household activities and are indirectly exposed to pesticides via environmental media, including air, water, soil, and food. Human exposure to pesticides occurs mainly through dermal, oral, and respiratory routes. People who are directly and/or indirectly exposed to pesticides may contract acute toxicity effects and chronic diseases. Although no segment of the general population is completely protected against exposure to pesticides and their potentially serious health effects, a disproportionate burden is shouldered by people in developing countries. Both deterministic and probabilistic human health risk assessments have their advantages and disadvantages and both types of methods should be comprehensively implemented in research on exposure and human health risk assessment. Equipment for appropriate pesticide application is important for application efficiency to minimize the loss of spray solution as well as reduce pesticide residuals in the environment and adverse human health effects due to over-spraying and residues. Policymakers should implement various useful measures, such as integrated pest management (IPM) laws that prohibit the use of pesticides with high risks and the development of a national implementation plan (NIP) to reduce the adverse effects of pesticides on the environment and on human health.

Environmental effects on trace elements in the fingernails of centenarians and their offspring.

Bio-monitoring is commonly used to investigate trace elements, and the human nail provides an ideal medium for such testing. Toxic and essential trace metals (Cd, Pb, Fe, and Se) in the fingernails of participants from the Hainan Province were investigated. Samples included 136 centenarians and 197 offspring (101 older adult children and 96 middle-aged grandchildren) who were also sampled for comparison. As a hotspot for longevity, participants in the Hainan Province were found to have high essential nutrients of Fe and Se, and lacked the toxic element Pb. A similar trend was found for trace elements in soil and rice in the Hainan Province. The trace elements preserved in nails revealed dietary and environmental influences that varied among different generations. For the grandchildren's generation, the environment played an important role in elements in their nails, and a significant correlation and linear relationships were found, especially for Fe and Se. As the participants increased in age (from the grandchildren to the centenarians), the correlation between various elements decreased. For centenarians, the influence of beneficial or harmful properties of the elements became more important than their environment. The results also pointed to the important role of trace elements in human health, especially Fe and Se as essential elements. This study can provide information on the factors that influence the existence of trace elements in the human body and demonstrate the advantage of using the human fingernail in bio-monitoring.

Bioaccumulation characteristics, transfer model of heavy metals in soil-crop system and health assessment in plateau region, China.

This study investigated the bioaccumulation and transfer of heavy metals including Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in soil-crop system in Lhasa, and assessed the health risks of the edible part of the crops. The results showed that the average values of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were 0.15, 44.55, 24.68, 532.40, 22.47, 38.18 and 73.99 mg kg-1 in natural soil, and 0.16, 46.93, 38.45, 559.13, 23.23, 40.03 and 83.29 mg kg-1 in cultivated soil, respectively. Highland barley and wheat had the strongest ability to accumulate Zn in grain, the BCF values were 0.24 and 0.27, respectively, significant differences in the distribution of metal contents in crop root, stem, leaf and grain were observed. Root presented larger accumulation capacity in most metals, Zn and Cu was easily transferred in the plant organs, most metals in this study presented difficult to migrate from root to grain. The transfer peak of most metals in soil-crop system appeared from stem to leaf. The concentrations of Cr and Mn in crop grains could be predicted according to the multiple linear regression models. THQ and HI values of heavy metals in edible parts of both highland barley and wheat were below the safety threshold of 1, indicating no detrimental effects posed to adults health. This study helps to understand the accumulation and transfer of heavy metals in soil-crop system in plateau region.

Understanding the spatial diffusion dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the city system in China.

Investigating the spatial epidemic dynamics of COVID-19 is crucial in understanding the routine of spatial diffusion and in surveillance, prediction, identification and prevention of another potential outbreak. However, previous studies attempting to evaluate these spatial diffusion dynamics are limited. Using city as the research unit and spatial association analysis as the primary strategy, this study explored the changing primary risk factors impacting the spatial spread of COVID-19 across Chinese cities under various diffusion assumptions and throughout the epidemic stage. Moreover, this study investigated the characteristics and geographical distributions of high-risk areas in different epidemic stages. The results empirically indicated rapid intercity diffusion at the early stage and primarily intracity diffusion thereafter. Before countermeasures took effect, proximity, GDP per capita, medical resources, outflows from Wuhan and intercity mobility significantly affected early diffusion. With speedily effective countermeasures, outflows from the epicenter, proximity, and intracity outflows played an important role. At the early stage, high-risk areas were mainly cities adjacent to the epicenter, with higher GDP per capita, or a combination of higher GDP per capita and better medical resources, with more outflow from the epicenter, or more intercity mobility. After countermeasures were effected, cities adjacent to the epicenter, or with more outflow from the epicenter or more intracity mobility became high-risk areas. This study provides an insightful understanding of the spatial diffusion of COVID-19 across cities. The findings are informative for effectively handling the potential recurrence of COVID-19 in various settings.

Dietary and Food Consumption Patterns and Their Associated Factors in the Tibetan Plateau Population: Results from 73 Counties with Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in Tibet, China.

Dietary imbalances are an important cause of morbidity and mortality, both in China and globally. Abnormal element content in the natural environment and the unbalanced dietary structure of populations coexist in the Tibetan Plateau. This study analyzed the dietary and food consumption patterns of 617 Tibetan residents and their associated factors. Cluster analysis revealed three modes of dietary pattern; the food consumption scores (FCSs) of subjects in modes with relatively high consumption frequency of staple food and relatively singular dietary structure were the lowest. Although the FCSs of most subjects were acceptable (FCS > 35), subjects with relatively low FCSs were more dependent on locally cultivated highland barley that is probably low in selenium. Hierarchical linear models revealed both individual−family and regional factors were significantly related (p values < 0.05) with the food consumption of subjects as follows: age, travel time from township to county, and cultivation area of highland barley were negatively related; numbers of individuals aged 40−60 years and pork, beef, and mutton production were positively related. Individuals with secondary or higher education had higher FCSs. A single indicator may be incomprehensive in dietary and food consumption studies. For people with a relatively unbalanced diet, an analysis of the main foods they consume is critical. Dietary and food consumption patterns might have relatively large inter-regional and intra-regional variations; therefore, factors that influence it might be multi-level and multi-scale.

A prospective study of carbohydrate intake and risk of all-cause and specific-cause mortality.

PURPOSE: To investigate the associations between carbohydrate intake and the risk of overall and specific-cause mortality in a prospective cohort study. METHODS: Diet was measured using 24 h dietary recalls. Underlying cause of death was identified through linkage to the National Death Index. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 7.1 years among 35,692 participants who aged 20-85 years, a total of 3854 deaths [783 cardiovascular disease (CVD)-specific and 884 cancer-specific death] were identified. Carbohydrate intake was not associated with risk of overall mortality (multivariable-adjusted HR comparing extreme quartiles 1.03, 95% CI 0.94, 1.13, ptrend = 0.799), while higher fiber intake was associated with lower mortality risk (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77, 0.95, ptrend = 0.004). Replacing 5% of energy from carbohydrate with both plant fat and plant protein was associated with 13% (95% CI 8%, 17%) and 13% (95% CI 3%, 22%) lower risk of total and CVD mortality, respectively. Whereas a positive or null association was found when replacing carbohydrate with both animal fat and animal protein. Higher carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio was associated with increased risk of overall (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.09, 1.33, ptrend < 0.001) and cancer-specific (HR 1.17, 95% CI 0.95, 1.44, ptrend = 0.031) mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that high fiber diet or diet with low carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio was associated with lower long-term death risk, and provided evidence for the health benefit from dietary substitution of both plant fat and plant protein for carbohydrate.