Cardiovascular disease risk prediction models in the Chinese population- a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in China, which represents the leading cause of mortality. Precise CVD risk identification is the fundamental prevention component. This study sought to systematically review the CVD risk prediction models derived and/or validated in the Chinese population to promote primary CVD prevention. METHODS: Reports were included if they derived or validated one or more CVD risk prediction models in the Chinese population. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP database, etc., were searched. The risk of bias was assessed with the Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST). Meta-analysis was performed in R using the package metamisc. RESULTS: From 55,183 records, 22 studies were included. Twelve studies derived 18 CVD risk prediction models, of which seven models were derived based on a multicentre cohort including more than two provinces of mainland China, and one was a model developed based on a New Zealand cohort including Chinese individuals. The number of predictors ranged from 6 to 22. The definitions of predicted outcomes showed considerable heterogeneity. Fourteen articles described 29 validations of 8 models. The Framingham model and pooled cohort equations (PCEs) are the most frequently validated foreign tools. Discrimination was acceptable and similar for men and women among models (0.60-0.83). The calibration estimates changed substantially from one population to another. Prediction for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease Risk in China (China-PAR) showed good calibration [observed/expected events ratio = 0.99, 95% PI (0.57,1.70)] and female sex [1.10, 95% PI (0.23,5.16)]. CONCLUSIONS: Several models have been developed or validated in the Chinese population. The usefulness of most of the models remains unclear due to incomplete external validation and head-to-head comparison. Future research should focus on externally validating or tailoring these models to local settings. TRAIL REGISTRATION: This systematic review was registered at PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, CRD42021277453).

"Under the Same Quilt": The Paradoxes of Sex Between Men in the Cultural Revolution.

This article describes the paradoxes experienced by homosexual men during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Interviews with 31 elderly Chinese gay men were carried out in four cities in China in 2011. Although homosexual men were terribly persecuted, chaotic situations and dislocations of youth from their families provided young homosexual men with a remarkable degree of personal freedom and the opportunity to explore same-sex relations. Analysis of this seemingly contradictory conflation of persecution and freedom will allow us to explore the conditions and effects of the coming of age of homosexual men in a unique epoch in Chinese history.

The role and potential mechanisms of LncRNA-TATDN1 on metastasis and invasion of non-small cell lung cancer.

The invasion and metastasis of malignant tumor cells lead to normal tissue destruction and are major prognostic factors for many malignant cancers. Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) is associated with occurrence, development and prognoses of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but its mechanisms of action involved in tumor invasion and metastasis are not clear. In this study, we screened and detected the expression of LncRNA in two NSCLC lines 95D and 95C by using high throughput LncRNA chip. We found that TATDN1 (Homo sapiens TatD DNase domain containing 1, TATDN1), one of LncRNAs, was highly expressed in 95D cells and NSCLC tumor tissues compared to 95C cells. Knockdown of TATDN1-1 by shRNA significantly inhibited cell proliferation, adhesion, migration and invasion in 95D cells. Further mechanism study showed that TATDN1 knockdown suppressed the expression of E-cadherin, HER2, ß-catenin and Ezrin. Moreover, knockdown TATDN1 also inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in a 95D mouse model in vivo by inhibiting ß-catenin and Ezrin. These data indicate that TATDN1 expression is associated with 95D cells' higher potential of invasion and metastasis, and suggest that TATDN1 may be a potential prognostic factor and therapeutic target for NSCLCs.

Antioxidant homoisoflavonoids from Polygonatum odoratum.

Polygonatum odoratum is widely used as a traditional food supplement and herbal medicine with strong antioxidant activity. However, systematic investigation of its antioxidants was limited. Ethanol extract of P. odoratum was fractioned on macroporous absorptive resin (D101) column. A bioassay-guided purification of flavonoid-rich fraction (IC50 value at 74.1 ± 11.9 µg/mL for DPPH scavenging) was realised via high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) using petroleum ether-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (2:3:3:2, v/v/v/v) as the solvent system combination with Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography (CC) eluting with MeCN-MeOH (1:1, v/v). Three novel homoisoflavonoids (1-3), along with eight homoisoflavonoids (4-11), were isolated. Their structures were elucidated by interpretating various spectroscopic data. All the isolated homoisoflavonoids showed potent antioxidant activities, while compounds 1, 4, and 6 with dihydroxylated B-rings exhibited stronger antioxidant activities (IC50 values at 3.8 ± 0.5, 4.9 ± 0.3 and 3.9 ± 0.4 µg/mL) than ascorbic acid (IC50 value at 5.3 ± 0.6 µg/mL).