Cardiovascular Disease Burden Attributable to High Sodium Intake in China: A Longitudinal Study from 1990 to 2019.

BACKGROUND: Overconsumption of sodium has been identified as a key driving factor for diet-related cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). China, being a country bearing a hefty burden of CVD, has a large population with diverse cultural traditions and ethnic beliefs, which complicates the patterns of dietary sodium intake, necessitating a systematic investigation into the profile of the high sodium intake (HSI)-related burden of CVD within its subregions. This study aims to estimate the evolving patterns of HSI-induced CVD burden across China from 1990 to 2019. METHODS: The methodology used in the Global Burden of Disease Study was followed to assess deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) by age, sex, region, and socio-demographic index (SDI). The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated to quantify the secular changes in the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR). RESULTS: In 2019, 0.79 million deaths and 1.93 million DALYs of CVD were attributed to HSI, an increase of 53.91% and 39.39% since 1990, respectively. Nevertheless, a downward trend in ASMR (EAPC: -1.45, 95% CI: -1.55, -1.35) and ASDR (EAPC: -1.61, 95% CI: -1.68, -1.53) was detected over time. ASMR and ASDR were higher for males, individuals aged ≥60 years, and regions with low-middle SDI. A markedly negative association between the EAPC in both ASMR and ASDR and the SDI was found in 2019 (ρ = -0.659, p < 0.001 and ρ = -0.558, p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The HSI-induced CVD burden is gender-, age-, and socioeconomic-dependent. Integrated and targeted strategies for CVD prevention are anticipated in the future throughout China.

Construction and assessment of a joint prediction model and nomogram for colorectal cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common tumors in the digestive system, and all its risk factors are not yet known. It is important to identify valuable clinical indicators to predict the risk of CRC. Methods: A total of 227 participants, comprising 162 healthy adults and 65 patients diagnosed with CRC at Tianjin Hospital from January 2017 to March 2022, were included in this study. Electrochemiluminescence was adopted to test the expression levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA199). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for CRC, and a joint prediction model was then constructed. A nomogram was prepared, and the model was later assessed using the receiver operating characteristic curve and calibration curve. Results: The univariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of smoking (χ2=8.67), fecal occult blood (χ2=119.41), Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection (χ2=30.87), a history of appendectomy (χ2=5.47), serum total bile acid levels (t=19.80), serum CEA levels (t=37.82), serum CA199 levels (t=6.82), and serum ferritin levels (t=54.31) (all P<0.05). The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that smoking, fecal occult blood, H. pylori infection, a history of appendectomy, serum CEA levels, and serum CA199 levels were independent risk factors for CRC (all P<0.05). Based on the above findings, a joint prediction model was constructed, and the area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve of the model was 0.842. A nomogram and calibration curve was drawn, and the internal validation results indicated that the model had good diagnostic value. Conclusions: Smoking, fecal occult blood, H. pylori infection, a history of appendectomy, serum CEA levels, and serum CA199 levels are independent risk factors for CRC, and the prediction model based on these factors had good predictive ability.

A preliminary cumulative risk assessment of Diethylhexyl phthalate and Dibutyl phthalate based on the inhibition of embryonic development via the PPARγ pathway.

BACKGROUND: Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) are the two most widely used plasticizers (PAEs) that may act as endocrine disruptors and cause developmental toxicity. METHODS: We measured intrauterine exposure to DEHP and DBP which are the two most widely used phthalates (PAEs) in the cord blood of 50 postpartum women using ultra-HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry and solid-phase extraction. The embryotoxicity of DEHP and DBP was evaluated using the human embryonic stem cell test (hEST). Based on the intrauterine exposure concentration of DEHP and DBP in pregnant women and the reference point of toxic effects in hEST, we used the reference point index (RPI) method to assess the cumulative risk of DBP and DEHP. RESULTS: The mean concentrations of DEHP and DBP were 99.9 µg/L and 24.7 µg/L, respectively. DEHP and DBP were weakly embryotoxic, and the benchmark dose lower confidence intervals were 29.99 and 0.99 µg/mL, respectively, as determined using hEST. Both DEHP and DBP inhibited embryonic development via PPAR/PTEN/Akt signal pathway. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the cumulative risk in pregnant women with a high level of exposure should receive more attention in the future.

Risk-Benefit Assessment of Consumption of Rice for Adult Men in China.

Objective: To evaluate the health impact of current and alternative patterns of rice consumption in Chinese adult men (40-79 years of age). Methods: We applied a risk-benefit assessment (RBA) model that took into account the health effects of selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), and inorganic arsenic (i-As). The health effects included the prevention of prostate cancer associated with exposure to Se, and an increased risk of lung, bladder, and skin cancer for i-As and chronic kidney disease (CKD) for Cd. We defined the baseline scenario (BS) as the current individual mean daily consumption of rice in the population of interest and two alternative scenarios (AS): AS1 = 50 g/day and AS2 = 200 g/day. We estimated the health impact for different age groups in terms of change in Disability-Adjusted Life Years (ΔDALY). Results: The BS of rice consumption was 71.5-105.4 g/day in different age groups of adult men in China. We estimated that for AS1, the mean ΔDALY was -2.76 to 46.2/100,000 adult men of 40-79 years old. For AS2, the mean ΔDALY was 41.3 to 130.8/100,000 individuals in this population group. Conclusion: Our results showed that, based on associated exposure to selenium, cadmium, and i-As in rice, the current consumption of rice does not pose a risk to adult men in China. Also, a lower (50 g/day) or higher (200 g/day) rice consumption will not bring larger beneficial effects.

Assessment of dietary exposure of young Chinese children to aluminium residues.

The aim of this study was to assess the Al dietary exposure of young Chinese children aged 0-3 years via formulae, complementary foods and wheat-based foods. Al residue data were obtained from the national food contamination monitoring programme from 2013 to 2016, encompassing 13,833 samples of 12 food items with a detection rate of 76.0%. Food consumption data were gathered from the China National Food Consumption Survey conducted in 2015, comprising 20,172 children aged 0-3 years old. The mean dietary exposure to Al for the general population of young Chinese children was estimated at 0.76 mg/kg bw/week, which does not exceed the PTWI. The 97.5th percentile intakes of Al reached 3.42 mg/kg bw/week, more than 1.7 times the PTWI. Wheat-based foods contributed 80.5% of the Al intake for the general population of young Chinese children, while formulae and complementary foods accounted for 19.5% of the total intake. The dietary intake of Al from formulae and complementary foods accounted for 6.0% and 1.6% of PTWI, respectively. These findings suggested that dietary exposure to Al among the general population of young Chinese children was lower than the PTWI and that there are no health concerns related to this level of Al intake. However, more attention should be placed on the health risks associated with Al exposure from wheat-based foods for young consumers with high food consumption in China (97.5th percentile).

[Status of anemia among children under 5 years of age in the economically less developed rural areas from the 6 western provinces of China, in 2009].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the status of anemia among children under 5 years of age in the economically less developed rural areas from 6 western provinces of China in 2009. METHODS: 8141 study subjects were from the program- 'Study on Appropriate Technology of Children Under-nutrition Improvement in Poor Rural Areas'. RESULTS: In 2009, the prevalence of anemia among children under 5 years of age in the above said rural areas from 6 western provinces was 24.1%. The prevalence of anemia among male children was much higher than that among female children. The peak of anemia prevalence (38.5%) was among children of 6 - 11 months. The prevalence of anemia decreased along with the increase of age. CONCLUSION: Results from the study demonstrated that anemia among the preschool children was a public health problem in poor rural areas of western China. Improving the knowledge on reasonable feeding seemed a better way for the prevention and control of anemia plus providing complementary nutrients sprinkle to the affected children.