[Construction of IPA decision model for diabetes prevention and control based on economy and importance].

Objective: To determine the priority of diabetes prevention and control measures in the perspective of the economy and importance, and provide theoretical support for guiding relevant departments to implement measures based on actual economic level. Methods: An online survey was conducted on the importance, feasibility and implementation of major chronic disease prevention and control measures in 488 national demonstration areas for comprehensive chronic disease prevention and control. The content of the survey was divided into individual and group levels, with 10 dimensions and 44 measures, to obtain the scores of the economy and importance. IPA model was used to divide the dimension index of diabetes prevention and control into quadrants. The standardized factor load coefficient of the second-order confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine the priority of dimension index in the same quadrant. The priority of prevention and control measures in each dimension was determined by the discriminant parameter of project response theory. Results: The mean scores of economy and importance were 66.50 and 89.94, respectively, and the matrix was divided into four quadrants. The first quadrant was the "highest priority" with high importance and economy, including medical insurance and family doctors, health education, high-risk detection and intervention, patient management and community action. The second quadrant was characterized as high importance but low economy, which was the priority for improvement, including only one dimension of complication screening. The third quadrant was the lowest priority due to low importance and economy, including personal health service evaluation and follow-up, environmental support, diabetes co-infection prevention and glycemic policy. The last quadrant had low importance but high economy, which was the second improvement level. The priority measures in different quadrants were: (1) the highest priority: blood lipid control, occupational site, prevention and control work plan, blood glucose testing, family doctor contract service; (2) the priority improvement: annual neuropathy screening; (3)the lowest priority: universal access to risk scoring, healthy eating, healthy dining innovations and tuberculosis screening. Conclusion: IPA model can be used to construct a decision-making model for diabetes prevention and control and determine the priority of corresponding measures.

pLARmEB: integration of least angle regression with empirical Bayes for multilocus genome-wide association studies.

Multilocus genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become the state-of-the-art procedure to identify quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) associated with complex traits. However, implementation of multilocus model in GWAS is still difficult. In this study, we integrated least angle regression with empirical Bayes to perform multilocus GWAS under polygenic background control. We used an algorithm of model transformation that whitened the covariance matrix of the polygenic matrix K and environmental noise. Markers on one chromosome were included simultaneously in a multilocus model and least angle regression was used to select the most potentially associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), whereas the markers on the other chromosomes were used to calculate kinship matrix as polygenic background control. The selected SNPs in multilocus model were further detected for their association with the trait by empirical Bayes and likelihood ratio test. We herein refer to this method as the pLARmEB (polygenic-background-control-based least angle regression plus empirical Bayes). Results from simulation studies showed that pLARmEB was more powerful in QTN detection and more accurate in QTN effect estimation, had less false positive rate and required less computing time than Bayesian hierarchical generalized linear model, efficient mixed model association (EMMA) and least angle regression plus empirical Bayes. pLARmEB, multilocus random-SNP-effect mixed linear model and fast multilocus random-SNP-effect EMMA methods had almost equal power of QTN detection in simulation experiments. However, only pLARmEB identified 48 previously reported genes for 7 flowering time-related traits in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Linkage group correction using epistatic distorted markers in F2 and backcross populations.

Epistasis has been frequently observed in all types of mapping populations. However, relatively little is known about the effect of epistatic distorted markers on linkage group construction. In this study, a new approach was proposed to correct the recombination fraction between epistatic distorted markers in backcross and F2 populations under the framework of fitness and liability models. The information for three or four markers flanking with an epistatic segregation distortion locus was used to estimate the recombination fraction by the maximum likelihood method, implemented via an expectation-maximisation algorithm. A set of Monte Carlo simulation experiments along with a real data analysis in rice was performed to validate the new method. The results showed that the estimates from the new method are unbiased. In addition, five statistical properties for the new method in a backcross were summarised and confirmed by theoretical, simulated and real data analyses.

Total energy expenditure of elite synchronized swimmers measured by the doubly labeled water method.

To determine the daily energy requirement of elite synchronized swimmers during moderate-intensity training, the average daily energy expenditure measured by the doubly labeled water method, was calculated for nine female Japanese national team synchronized swimmers [four senior; mean (SD) 22.5 (1.0) years old, 52.2 (3.6) kg, and five junior; 17.6 (1.1) years old, 52.8 (2.3) kg]. Their total energy expenditure (TEE) was 11.5 (2.8) MJ x day(-1) [2738 (672) kcal day(-1)]. When compared with estimated energy requirements derived from "Recommended Dietary Allowances for the Japanese", 12.1 (0.6) MJ day(-1) [2897 (139) kcal day(-1)], there was no difference between mean actual and estimated energy requirements. However, there were considerable differences observed on an individual basis. Their energy intake, estimated from 7- day self-reported dietary records, was 8.9 (1.7) MJ day(-1) [2128 (395) kcal x day(-1)], which was significantly lower than their TEE (P<0.05). Resting energy expenditure (REE), as determined by indirect calorimetry, was 5.2 (0.3) MJ x day(-1) [1247 (75) kcal x day(-1)]. Their physical activity level (TEE/REE) was 2.18 (0.43). These results demonstrate that the TEE values of elite female synchronized swimmers are not dissimilar to those reported for athletes participating in other sports, especially competitive swimmers during moderate-intensity training.