Possible association between Helicobacter pylori infection and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Possible association between Helicobacter pylori infection (HPI) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been proposed by several studies with inconsistent conclusions. Here, we studied the association between HPI and NAFLD at 3 levels: (i) genetic level; (ii) small molecular level; and (iii) clinical level. Relation data between diseases, genes, and small molecules were acquired from Pathway Studio ResNet Mammalian database. Clinical data were acquired from 2263 elderly South Chinese subjects, including 603 NAFLD patients and 1660 subjects without NAFLD. Results showed that HPI and NAFLD present significantly shared genetic bases (95 genes, p value = 2.5E-72), demonstrating multiple common genetic pathways (enrichment p value ≤ 4.38E-20 for the top 10 pathways). Genetic network analysis suggested that mutual regulation may exist between HPI and NAFLD through 21 out of 95 genes. Furthermore, 85 out of the 95 genes manifested strong interaction with 12 small molecules/drugs that demonstrate effectiveness in treating both diseases. Clinical results showed that HPI rate in the NAFLD group was significantly higher than that in the group without NAFLD (51.9% vs. 43.6%; p value = 4.9E-4). Multivariate logistic regression results supported the observations and suggested that HPI served as a risk factor for NAFLD in the experiment data studied (odds ratio: 1.387, p value = 0.018). Results from this study support the hypothesis that complex biological association may exist between HPI and NAFLD, which partially explains the significant clinical co-incidence in the elderly population of south China.

Prevalence and risk factors of gallbladder polypoid lesions in Chinese petrochemical employees.

AIM: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of polypoid lesions of the gallbladder (PLGs) in petrochemical employees in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China. METHODS: All active and retired employees aged 20-90 years (n = 11098) of a refinery and chemical plant in eastern China were requested to participate in a health survey. The participants were subjected to interview, physical examination, laboratory assessments and ultrasonography. All the participants were invited to have a physical examination after a face-to-face interview. Fasting blood samples were obtained from the antecubital vein, and the samples were used for the analysis of biochemical values. Abdominal ultrasonography was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 10461 (7331 men and 3130 women) current and former petrochemical employees attended for screening. The overall prevalence of post-cholecystectomy, gallstones and PLGs was 0.9%, 5.2% and 7.4%, respectively. Compared with the increased prevalence of either gallstones or post-cholecystectomy in older persons, PLGs were more common in the middle-aged, peaking in those aged 40-59 years. Excluding the patients with gallstones, gallstones mixed with PLGs, or those who had undergone cholecystectomy, in the remaining 9828 participants, the prevalence of PLGs in men (8.9%) was significantly higher than that in women (5.5%, P < 0.001). The analyzed risk factors with increased OR for the development of PLGs were male gender (OR = 1.799, P < 0.001), age ≥ 30 years (OR = 2.699, P < 0.001) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity (OR = 1.374, P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: PLGs are not rare among Chinese petrochemical employees. Male gender, HBsAg positivity, and middle age are risk factors for developing PLGs.

Ningbo thyroid dysfunction prevalence study: a cross-sectional survey in an employees-cohort.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence and the spectrum of thyroid dysfunction in the mainland of China are not adequately understood. We performed a population-based study to determine the prevalence of major thyroid dysfunctions including overt and subclinical hyper- and hypothyroidism in a stable cohort. METHODS: All active and retired employees aged 20 years and older (11 067) of Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Company in Ningbo participated in the cross-sectional survey with a questionnaire and blood samples. RESULTS: A total of 10 405 individuals attended for screening. Using biochemical definitions 95.5% were euthyroid. The prevalence of former diagnosed hyperthyroidism was 1.1% in females and 0.4% in males, hypothyroidism 1.7% and 0.3%, and thyroid surgery 1.2% and 0.3%, respectively. In both sex the prevalence increased with age. Twenty-four percent of individuals with thyroid surgery or medications had abnormal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. In individuals without a history of thyroid disease, the prevalence of pathological TSH values in females and males were TSH > or = 10 mU/L 0.60% and 0.29%; TSH 4.8-9.9 mU/L 5.71% and 2.25%; TSH < 0.3 mU/L 0.87% and 0.41%, respectively. Overt hyper- and hypothyroidism were uncommon (0.2%, 0.3%, respectively). The prevalence of subclinical hyper- and hypothyroidism was 0.4% and 3.4%, respectively. Subclinical hypothyroidism was more common in females (male 2.4% vs. female 5.8%, P < 0.001) and with increasing age (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction is 4.5% in the cohort. Among individuals with thyroid medications or surgery, only 75.7% were within the normal range of TSH. These results indicate that thyroid dysfunction is common in Chinese adults.