Risk factors of falls in rural elderly of Ningxia in China: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To identify risk factors associated with falls in older people in rural China. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted across 27 villages in the rural areas of Ningxia, China. After excluding individuals younger than 60 years, a total of 758 out of the initial 822 participants were ultimately included for the collection of baseline information. Participants were followed up through telephone calls or face-to-face interviews at 3rd, 6th and 12th months following the baseline investigation. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to examine risk factors of falls. RESULTS: A total of 758 participants underwent baseline information surveys, and all samples were included in the Cox model analysis. The study found that being woman (RR=1.879, 95% CI: 1.313 to 2.668), smoking (RR=1.972, 95% CI: 1.238 to 3.143), use of painkillers (RR=1.700, 95% CI: 1.226 to 2.356) and higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) (RR=1.081, 95% CI: 1.013 to 1.154) were associated with higher risk of falls among the elderly in rural China. After excluding those who were lost to follow-up or deceased, 738 participants completed the follow-up. There were 341 men (46.2%) and 397 women (53.8%), with an average age of 66.8±5.0 years. The fall rate in study area was 23.8% during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: The fall rate among the elderly in rural China was higher than other areas. Our findings revealed that being woman, smoking, medication usage, elevated SBP and people with a higher body mass index were risk factors for developing falls.

Functional interaction between plasma phospholipid fatty acids and insulin resistance in leucocyte telomere length maintenance.

BACKGROUND: Previous evidence suggests that plasma phospholipid fatty acids (PPFAs) and HOMA insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) are independently related to leukocyte telomere length (LTL). However, there is limited evidence of regarding the effect of their interaction on relative LTL (RLTL). Therefore, here, we aimed to determine the effect of the interaction between PPFAs and HOMA-IR on RLTL. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study, involving a total of 1246 subjects aged 25-74 years. PPFAs and RLTL were measured, and HOMA-IR was calculated. The effect of the interaction between PPFAs and HOMA-IR on RLTL was assessed by univariate analysis, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: In age-adjusted analyses, multivariate linear regression revealed a significant association of the levels of elaidic acid, HOMA-IR, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) with RLTL. After adjustment of age and gender, race, smoking, drinking, tea, and exercise, elaidic acid, and omega-3 (n-3) PUFA were negatively associated with RLTL, and HOMA-IR and n-6 PUFA were positively associated with RLTL. These associations were not significantly altered upon further adjustment for anthropometric and biochemical indicators. Meanwhile, the effect of the interaction of elaidic acid and HOMA-IR on RLTL was significant, and remained unchanged even after adjusting for the aforementioned potential confounders. Interestingly, individuals who had the lowest HOMA-IR and the highest elaidic acid levels presented the shortest RLTL. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that shorter RLTL was associated with lower HOMA-IR and higher elaidic acid level. These findings might open a new avenue for exploring the potential role of the interaction between elaidic acid and HOMA-IR in maintaining RLTL.

Association Between Blood Pressure and Branched-Chain/Aromatic Amino Acid Excretion Rate in 24-Hour Urine Samples from Elderly Hypertension Patients.

BACKGROUND: Recently, the association between lifestyle-related diseases and free amino acids in the blood plasma-especially branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and aromatic amino acids (AAAs)-has been highlighted. However, few studies have been carried out on 24-hour urine samples. Therefore, we aimed to explore the relationships between 24-hour urinary BCAAs and AAAs excretion rate and blood pressure (BP) in elderly patients with hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS: Each of the 322 elderly patients with hypertension completed an in-person questionnaire interview, underwent a physical examination, and provided a 24-hour urine specimen. We measured their BCAAs and AAAs excretion rate, and used multiple linear regression analysis with variable selection to construct models describing the relationships between their BCAAs and AAAs excretion rate and BP. After adjusted for age, gender, height, and weight, valine was inversely associated with both systolic blood pressure (SBP) (ß: -0.232, 95% CI: -0.16, -0.006) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (ß: -0.144, 95% CI: -0.089, -0.005). These findings were invariant even following adjustment for urine volume and drugs history, and Ile was positively associated with DBP (ß: 0.170, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.066). CONCLUSION: The data revealed that the excretion rate of 24-hour urinary BCAAs was closely related to BP in elderly hypertension patients, and these findings will provide new insights into the association between BACC metabolism and BP.

Manganese-based layered double hydroxide nanoparticles as highly efficient ozone decomposition catalysts with tunable valence state.

Manganese oxides are well explored effective ozone decomposition catalysts, but the accumulation of oxygen trapped on their surfaces and high valence state restrict their catalyst efficiency. Herein, we report manganese based layered double hydroxide (LDH) catalysts with different average oxidation states (AOS) of Mn. MgMnAl-LDH catalysts show large specific surface area, abundant oxygen vacancies, stable structure and excellent catalytic ozone decomposition performance. The valence state of Mn can be tuned by adjusting the metallic element ratio in the LDH matrix, and a catalyst with AOS of only 2.3 is acquired. The impacts of the valence states of Mn on the catalytic ozone decomposition process were further studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It is found that the Mn2+ facilitates the desorption of generated oxygen on the surface of LDHs, while Mn3+ and Mn4+ contribute to the dissociation of adsorbed ozone.

Correction: Manganese-based layered double hydroxide nanoparticles as highly efficient ozone decomposition catalysts with tunable valence state.

Correction for 'Manganese-based layered double hydroxide nanoparticles as highly efficient ozone decomposition catalysts with tunable valence state' by Siyu Wang et al., Nanoscale, 2020, 12, 12817-12823, DOI: 10.1039/D0NR02796K.

The association between ambient temperature and clinical visits for inflammation-related diseases in rural areas in China.

BACKGROUND: The association between temperature and mortality has been widely reported. However, it remains largely unclear whether inflammation-related diseases, caused by excessive or inappropriate inflammatory reaction, may be affected by ambient temperature, particularly in low-income areas. OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between ambient temperature and clinical visits for inflammation-related diseases in rural villages in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, during 2012─2015. METHODS: Daily data on inflammation-related diseases and weather conditions were collected from 258 villages in Haiyuan (161 villages) and Yanchi (97 villages) counties during 2012─2015. A Quasi-Poisson regression with distributed lag non-linear model was used to examine the association between temperature and clinical visits for inflammation-related diseases. Stratified analyses were performed by types of diseases including arthritis, gastroenteritis, and gynecological inflammations. RESULTS: During the study period, there were 724,788 and 288,965 clinical visits for inflammation-related diseases in Haiyuan and Yanchi, respectively. Both exposure to low (RR: 2.045, 95% CI: 1.690, 2.474) and high temperatures (RR: 1.244, 95% CI: 1.107, 1.399) were associated with increased risk of total inflammation-related visits in Haiyuan county. Low temperatures were associated with increased risks of all types of inflammation-related diseases in Yanchi county (RR: 4.344, 95% CI: 2.887, 6.535), while high temperatures only affected gastroenteritis (RR: 1.274, 95% CI: 1.040, 1.561). Moderate temperatures explained approximately 26% and 33% of clinical visits due to inflammation-related diseases in Haiyuan and Yanchi, respectively, with the burden attributable to cold exposure higher than hot exposure. The reference temperature values ranged from 17 to 19 in Haiyuan, and 12 to 14 in Yanchi for all types of clinical visits. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings add additional evidence for the adverse effect of suboptimal ambient temperature and provide useful information for public health programs targeting people living in rural villages.