Effect of smoking on prostate cancer: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2018 and Mendelian randomization analyses.

INTRODUCTION: The controversial relationship between smoking and prostate cancer (PCa) risk prompted us to conduct a cross-sectional study using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database and apply Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses in order to clarify the possible causal effect of smoking on PCa risk. METHODS: Using univariate and multivariate logistic regression methods, a secondary analysis of the pooled 2003-2018 NHANES dataset was performed to explore the association between smoking and PCa risk. Propensity-score matching was used to reduce selection bias. Then, we conducted subsequent MR analysis study to investigate the potential causal effect of smoking on PCa risk, with genetic variants of four exposure factors including the lifetime smoking index, light smoking, smoking initiation, and the amount of smoking per day obtained from genome-wide association studies, and PCa summary statistics obtained from three database populations. Inverse-variance weighting was the primary analytical method, and weighted median and MR-Egger regression were used for sensitivity analyses. The MR results for the three PCa databases were combined using meta-analysis. RESULTS: The study included 16073 NHANES subjects, comprising 554 with PCa and 15519 without PCa. Logistic regression before and after matching did not reveal any significant association. Meta-analysis of the MR results also did not support an association of PCa risk with lifetime smoking index (OR=0.95; 95% CI: 0.83-1.09), light smoking (OR=1.00; 95% CI: 0.95-1.06), smoking initiation (OR=0.99, 95% CI=0.99-1.00), or the amount of smoking per day (OR=1.00; 95% CI: 0.99-1.00) and PCa risk. CONCLUSIONS: There was no evidence for an association between smoking and the risk of PCa. Further studies are needed to determine if there are any associations of other forms of smoking with the risk of PCa at different stages.

Age-specific differences in association of glycosylated hemoglobin levels with the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among nondiabetics: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2018.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has supported the presence of an association between high glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of the present study was to determine whether increased HbA1c levels are associated with high CVD prevalence among nondiabetics. Furthermore, we aimed to explore the possible interaction of HbA1c levels and age in regard to CVD. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed data of 28,534 adult participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2018. The association between HbA1c and CVD was assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Propensity score matching was used to reduce selection bias. Subgroup analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were used to further characterize the association between HbA1c levels and CVD. We modeled additive interactions to further assess the relationship between HbA1c levels and age. RESULTS: In the multivariate logistic regression model, a positive association was found between CVD and increased HbA1c levels (highest quartile [Q4] vs. lowest quartile [Q1]: odds ratio [OR] = 1.277, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.111-1.469, P = 0.001). In the stratified analyses, the adjusted association between HbA1c and CVD was significant for those younger than 55 years (Q4 vs. Q1: OR = 1.437, 95% CI = 1.099-1.880, P = 0.008). RCS did not reveal a nonlinear relationship between HbA1c levels and CVD among nondiabetics (P for nonlinearity = 0.609). Additionally, a high HbA1c level was favorably connected with old age on CVD, with a synergistic impact. CONCLUSIONS: Increased HbA1c levels were associated with high CVD prevalence among nondiabetics. However, we still need to carefully explain the effect of age on the relationship between HbA1c and CVD in nondiabetic population. Given the correlations of HbA1c with CVDs and CV events, HbA1c might be a useful indicator for predicting CVDs and CV events in the nondiabetic population.

Individual and family factors correlated with children's fruit consumption.

Background: Fruits are essential for health, yet their consumption in children is inadequate, with unclear influencing factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students in grades 3-12 in Beijing, China, from September 2020 to June 2021. Fruit consumption in children was surveyed using a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Additionally, children's food and nutrition literacy and family food environments were assessed using the "Food and Nutrition Literacy Questionnaire for Chinese School-age Children" and the "Family Food Environment Questionnaire for Chinese School-age Children," respectively. Results: Out of 10,000 participating children, 62.5% consumed fruit daily, with a lower frequency among boys (59.3%) compared to girls (65.8%), and among senior students (48.6%) compared to junior (63.6%) and primary students (71.2%). Fruit consumption was positively associated with other healthy foods (vegetables, whole grains, etc.) and negatively with unhealthy foods (sugared soft drinks). Children with higher food and nutrition literacy consumed fruits daily more frequently (82.4% vs. 59.9%, ORs = 2.438, 95%CI: 2.072-2.868). A significant positive correlation was found between children's fruit consumption and a healthy family food environment (66.4% vs. 50.2%, OR = 1.507, 95%CI: 1.363-1.667). Conclusion: The results indicate that individual food and nutrition literacy and family food environment are key positive predictors of children's fruit consumption. Future interventions should focus on educating children and encouraging parents to foster supportive family environments.

Whole genome analysis of Streptomyces sp. RerS4, a Rehmannia glutinosa rhizosphere microbe producing a new lipopeptide.

Rehmannia glutinosa, a valuable medicinal plant, is threatened by ring rot, a condition that greatly affects its yield and quality. Interactions between plant and the rhizosphere soil microbiome in the context of pathogen invasion are generally more specific, with recruitment of specialized microbes potentially antagonistic to a certain pathogen. Isolation of microorganisms from rhizosphere soil of healthy and ring rot-infected R. glutinosa was carried out to screen antifungal microbes. A strain designated RerS4 isolated from ring rot-infected R. glutinosa rhizosphere soil with strong antifungal activities was selected for further study. RerS4 was taxonomically characterized as the genus Streptomyces according to its morphology and 16S rRNA sequences that were most closely related to Streptomyces racemochromogenes NRRL B-5430T (99.72%) and Streptomyces polychromogenes NBRC 13072T (99.72%). A new lipopeptide isolated from RerS4 showed restrained proliferation, but was devoid of significant antibacterial and antioxidant activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 20.3 ± 2.5 and 70.8 ± 3.7 µg/mL and half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 23.3 ± 0.8 and 58.8 ± 2.9 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, we report the complete genome sequence of Streptomyces sp. RerS4, which consists of a 7,301,482 bp linear chromosome and a 242,139 bp plasmid. Genome analysis revealed that Streptomyces sp. RerS4 contained 25 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) for secondary metabolites, among which 68% had low similarities with known BGCs, leading us to believe that Streptomyces sp. RerS4 could produce valuable bioactive compounds.

Global disease burden attributed to unsafe sex in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.

Unsafe sex has become a public safety problem that endangers society, and research on deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) related to unsafe sex is valuable for global policy-making. We aimed to estimate the deaths and DALYs attributable to unsafe sex by country, gender, age group, and sociodemographic status from 1990 to 2019. We extracted data on disease burden from the Global Disease Burden 2019 (GBD 2019) database for unsafe sex, including deaths, DALYs and age-standardized rates (ASRs). Comparative analyses were performed on data about deaths, DALYs and the responding ASRs attributable to unsafe sex in different countries and regions using the Social Demographic Index (SDI). The global age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR) attributable to unsafe sex were 11.98 (95% uncertainty intervals (UI): 10.97-13.52) per 100,000 people and 570.78 (95% UI: 510.24-658.10) per 100,000 people, respectively. Both the ASMRs and ASDRs were the highest in southern sub-Saharan Africa and lowest in Australasia and decreased with increasing SDI levels. About unsafe-sex-related disease, HIV/AIDS has the highest ASMR [8.48 (95% UI: 7.62-9.95)/100,000 people] and ASDR [447.44 (95% UI: 394.82-533.10)/100,000 people], followed by Cervical cancer [ASMR: 3.40 (95% UI: 2.90-3.81)/100,000 people and ASDR: 107.2 (95% UI: 90.52-119.43)/100,000 people] and sexually transmitted infections excluding HIV [ASMR: 0.10 (95% UI: 0.08-0.11)/100,000 people and ASDR: 16.14 (95% UI: 10.51-25.83)/100,000 people]. The death and DALY burden caused by these three diseases were more serious in the over 75 years old age group. The 40-44 age group for men and the 35-39 age group for women had the highest population of unsafe sex-related deaths and DALYs, respectively. In addition, the burden of unsafe sex in women was more serious than those in men. Unsafe sex is an important risk factor for global disease burden and a leading cause of substantial health loss. We found that the risk of ASMRs and ASDRs attributable to unsafe sex had negative correlation with SDI levels. These results demonstrate that the need for revised policies that focus on efforts to reduce overall unsafe sex worldwide.

Impact of clomazone on bacterial communities in two soils.

Introduction: Bacterial communities are important for soil functions, but the effect of clomazone on network complexity, composition, and stability is not well studied. Method: In this study, two agricultural soils were used to test the impact of clomazone on bacterial communities, and the two soils were treated with three concentrations of clomazone (0, 0.8, 8, and 80 mg kg1) in an incubator. Results and discussion: Bacterial network nodes, links, and average degrees were all decreased by 9-384, 648-829, and 0.703-2.429, respectively. Based on keystone nodes, the topological roles of the nodes were also influenced by clomazone. Bacterial network composition was also impacted based on the analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) and network dissimilarity. Compared with control and clomazone treatments in both soils, the ANOSIM between control and all clomazone treatments was higher than 0.6, network dissimilarities were 0.97-0.98, shared nodes were 131-260, and shared links were 12-100. The bacterial network stability was decreased by clomazone, with decreased robustness by 0.01-0.016 and increased vulnerability by 0.00023-0.00147 in both soils. There were fewer bacterial network modules preserved after clomazone treatment, and the bacterial network community functions were also impacted in both soils. Based on these results, soil bacterial species connections, modularization, and network stability were significantly impacted by clomazone.

Fungal network composition and stability in two soils impacted by trifluralin.

Introduction: The composition and stability of soil fungal network are important for soil function, but the effect of trifluralin on network complexity and stability is not well understood. Methods: In this study, two agricultural soils were used to test the impact of trifluralin on a fungal network. The two soils were treated with trifluralin (0, 0.84, 8.4, and 84 mg kg-1) and kept in artificial weather boxes. Results and discussion: Under the impact of trifluralin, the fungal network nodes, edges, and average degrees were increased by 6-45, 134-392, and 0.169-1.468 in the two soils, respectively; however, the average path length was decreased by 0.304-0.70 in both soils. The keystone nodes were also changed in trifluralin treatments in the two soils. In the two soils, trifluralin treatments shared 219-285 nodes and 16-27 links with control treatments, and the network dissimilarity was 0.98-0.99. These results indicated that fungal network composition was significantly influenced. After trifluralin treatment, fungal network stability was increased. Specifically, the network robustness was increased by trifluralin with 0.002-0.009, and vulnerability was decreased by trifluralin with 0.0001-0.00032 in the two soils. Fungal network community functions were also impacted by trifluralin in both soils. Trifluralin significantly impacts the fungal network.

Clomazone impact on fungal network complexity and stability.

Introduction: Soil fungal network composition and stability are important for soil functions, but there is less understanding of the impact of clomazone on network complexity and stability. Methods: In this work, two agricultural soils were used to investigate the impact of clomazone on fungal network complexity, composition, and stability. The two soils were treated with clomazone solution (0, 0.8, 8, and 80 mg kg-1) and kept in an incubator. Results and Discussion: Under the influence of clomazone, the fungal network nodes were decreased by 12-42; however, the average degree was increased by 0.169-1.468 and fungal network density was increased by 0.003-0.054. The keystone nodes were significantly changed after clomazone treatment. Network composition was also impacted. Specifically, compared with control and clomazone treatments in both soils, the shared edges were fewer than 54 in all comparisons, and network dissimilarity was 0.97-0.98. These results suggested that fungal network composition was significantly impacted. The network robustness was increased by 0.0018-0.0209, and vulnerability was decreased by 0.00018-0.00059 in both soils, which indicated that fungal network stability was increased by clomazone. In addition, the functions of network communities were also changed in both soils. These results indicated that clomazone could significantly impact soil fungal networks.

Incidence and risk factors of suicide among patients with pancreatic cancer: A population-based analysis from 2000 to 2018.

Background: The rate of suicide within one year after diagnosis in pancreatic cancer patients are high, but suicide studies based on the current large-scale data are still a vacancy. Our study aimed to determine, compared to the general population, the standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) of suicide and risk factors associated with pancreatic cancer patients committing suicide to provide clues for prevention. Methods: We collected 199,604 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between 2000 and 2018 from the SEER database. Multivariate logistic regression and multivariate Cox regression were applied to determine the risk factors independently affecting the suicide outcome of pancreatic cancer patients. Results: A total of 180 suicide deaths were observed in the cohort, yielding an overall suicide rate of 88.05 per 100,000 person-years and an SMR of 6.43. In multivariate analyses, males (HR: 12.798, 95% CI: 7.471-21.923), unmarried (HR: 1.826, 95% CI: 1.205-2.767), and divorced, separated or widowed (HR: 1.779, 95% CI: 1.230-2.572) were found associated with a higher risk of suicide. While race black (HR: 0.250, 95% CI: 0.110-0.567), diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (HR: 0.487, 95% CI: 0.276-0.859), received chemotherapy (HR: 0.456, 95% CI: 0.323-0.646), and received surgical procedures (HR: 0.553, 95% CI: 0.342-0.895) were indicated might protective factors. Conclusions: The 199,604 pancreatic cancer patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2018 had an overall suicide rate of 88.05 per 100,000 person-years and an SMR of 6.43 compared to the U.S. general population. Male, white, unmarried, and diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients were associated with a higher risk of suicide, while cancer-directed surgery and chemotherapy might indicate protective factors. The screening and prevention process should be enhanced for pancreatic cancer patients with adverse risk factors. Moreover, it is reasonable to assume that timely cancer-directed treatment might help reduce the subsequent suicide risk of pancreatic cancer patients.

Broadband mid-infrared metalens with polarization-controlled at-will chromatic dispersion.

Mid-infrared metalenses are promising for potential applications in a range of fields, including molecular detection, imaging, and optical sensing. To fulfil the different requirements of these diverse application scenarios, engineering of the ability to control the chromatic dispersion of these lenses at will is vitally important. Herein, we demonstrate broadband mid-infrared metalenses with polarization-controlled at-will chromatic dispersion capability based on all-silicon metasurfaces. Both polarization-insensitive and polarization-sensitive mid-infrared metalenses with at-will chromatic dispersion capabilities are demonstrated numerically for operation at wavelengths ranging from 3.75 µm to 4.75 µm. The average focusing efficiency of all these metalenses exceeds 40% in the wavelength range of interest, and the highest focusing efficiency ranges up to 67%. The mid-infrared metalenses with at-will chromatic dispersion proposed here may be beneficial for mid-infrared sensing, communications, and imaging applications in the future.

Habitual Total Drinking Fluid Intake Did Not Affect Plasma Hydration Biomarkers among Young Male Athletes in Beijing, China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The purposes of this study were to explore the drinking patterns, and urinary and plasma hydration biomarkers of young adults with different levels of habitual total drinking fluid intake. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 111 young male athletes in Beijing, China. Total drinking fluids and water from food were assessed by a 7-day, 24-h fluid intake questionnaire and the duplicate portion method, respectively. The osmolality and electrolyte concentrations of the 24-h urine and fasting blood samples were tested. Differences in groups LD1 (low drinker), LD2, HD1, and HD2 (high drinker), divided according to the quartiles of total drinking fluids, were compared using one-way ANOVA, Kruskal−Wallis H-tests, and chi-squared tests. A total of 109 subjects completed the study. The HD2 group had greater amounts of TWI (total water intake) and higher and lower contributions of total drinking fluids and water from food to TWI, respectively, than the LD1, LD2, and HD1 groups (p < 0.05), but the amounts of water from food did not differ significantly among the four groups (all p > 0.05). Participants in the HD2 group had higher amounts of water than participants in the LD1, LD2, and HD1 groups (p < 0.05); SSBs were the second top contributor of total drinking fluids, ranging from 24.0% to 31.8%. The percentage of subjects in optimal hydration status increased from 11.8% in the LD1 group to 58.8% in the HD2 group (p < 0.05). The HD2 and HD1 groups had 212−227 higher volumes of urine than the LD1 and LD2 groups (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found in the plasma biomarkers (p > 0.05), with the exception of higher concentrations of K in the HD1 group than in the LD1 group (p < 0.05). Subjects with higher amounts of total drinking fluids had better hydration status than those with lower total drinking fluids, but not better drinking patterns. Habitual total drinking fluids did not affect the plasma biomarkers.

Family Food Environments and Their Association with Primary and Secondary Students' Food Consumption in Beijing, China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Family is the most fundamental and proximal context for children, and children's eating behavior occurs mostly in the home or together with family members. With this study, we aimed to evaluate the distribution of family food environment dimensions and their relationship with healthy and unhealthy food consumption in primary and secondary students in order to provide evidence in the Chinese context and explore environmental solutions for improved child nutrition. Multi-stage stratified cluster sampling was used to conduct a cross-sectional survey among students in Beijing, China, from September 2020 to June 2021. Family food environment (FFE) was measured by the validated Family Food Environment Questionnaire for Chinese School-age Children, which was self-administered by the children's caregivers. The students were asked to answer questions about food consumption frequencies in the past 7 days. Binary logistic regression models were used to investigate the relationships between food consumption frequency and FFE, and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed for independent variables. Among the study population, 9686 students in grades 3−12 and their caregivers completed the survey. The mean score of FFE was 65.7 (±8.4) out of a total possible score of 100, with 76.6% of students categorized as relatively healthier according to their FFE score (≥ 60). Compared with the reference group, students in primary schools and those cared for principally by parents were more likely to be in a healthy FFE category (p < 0.05). Daily consumption of fruits and vegetables was reported by 62.6% and 71.6% of students, respectively, and weekly sugared soft drink consumption was reported by 70.9% of the students. Students with a healthier FFE score (≥60) were more likely to consume fruits (OR = 1.578, 95% CI: 1.428~1.744) and vegetables (OR = 1.402, 95% CI: 1.263~1.556) but less likely to consume sugared soft drinks (OR = 0.592, 95% CI: 0.526~0.667). Family food availability (ß = 0.137), caregivers' nutritional literacy (ß = 0.093), meal practices (ß = 0.079) and food rules (ß = 0.050) were positively correlated with food consumption behavior (p < 0.05). The students with healthier FFE scores (OR = 1.130, 95% CI: 1.014~1.258) and whose caregiver was obese (OR = 2.278, 95% CI: 1.973~2.631) were more likely to be overweight. The family food environment plays an important role in shaping food consumption in children. Provision of healthy foods instead of unhealthy foods, positive meal practices and food rules, and nutrition education for parents can promote healthy eating in children.

A novel nomogram for predicting cancer-specific survival in women with uterine sarcoma: a large population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Uterine sarcoma (US) is a rare malignant uterine tumor with aggressive behavior and rapid progression. The purpose of this study was to constructa comprehensive nomogram to predict cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients with US-based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. METHODS: A retrospective population-based study was conducted using data from patients with US between 2010 and 2015 from the SEER database. They were randomly divided into a training cohort and a validation cohort ata 7-to-3 ratio. Multivariate Cox analysis was performed to identify independent prognostic factors. Subsequently, a nomogram was established to predict patient CSS. The discrimination and calibration of the nomogram were evaluated by the concordance index (C-index) and the area under the curve (AUC). Finally, net reclassification improvement (NRI), integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), calibration plotting, and decision-curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the benefits of the new prediction model. RESULTS: A total of 3861 patients with US were included in our study. As revealed in multivariate Cox analysis, age at diagnosis, race, marital status, insurance record, tumor size, pathology grade, histological type, SEER stage, AJCC stage, surgery status, radiotherapy status, and chemotherapy status were found to be independent prognostic factors. In our nomogram, pathology grade had strongest correlation with CSS, followed by age at diagnosis and surgery status. Compared to the AJCC staging system, the new nomogram showed better predictive discrimination with a higher C-index in the training and validation cohorts (0.796 and 0.767 vs. 0.706 and 0.713, respectively). Furthermore, the AUC value, calibration plotting, NRI, IDI, and DCA also demonstrated better performance than the traditional system. CONCLUSION: Our study validated the first comprehensive nomogram for US, which could provide more accurate and individualized survival predictions for US patients in clinical practice.

Determination of the energy expenditure, sources, and loss of water among young adults.

BACKGROUND: Few studies on measuring human energy expenditure with the doubly labeled water method has been conducted in China. The sources and loss of water among human body have never been systematically evaluated. Less data can be available for the development of the recommendation on energy expenditure and water intake. The objective of this study was to determine the energy expenditure, water sources, and loss among young adults. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 25 participants were recruited. Double-labeled water was used to determine their energy expenditure. Water loss through skin evaporation and respiration of the lungs and water sources from metabolic water were calculated using corresponding formula, respectively. Water loss through excretion of urine was recorded and evaluated using "3-day, 24-h, real-time urine excretion record" method. All urine samples were collected and weighed in the 3 days. Water loss through excretion of feces was evaluated using "3-day, 24-h, real-time fecal-excretion record" method. All fecal samples were collected and tested by the direct drying method. Water sources from fluid intake were recorded by "7-day, 24-h, real-time fluid intake record" method. Water intake from food was calculated and tested by the weighing method combined with the duplicate portion method and the direct drying method in the 3 days. RESULTS: The energy expenditure of males was 2187 kcal/d, and that of females was 1987 kcal/d. The median fluid intake, water intake from food, and metabolic water were 887, 1173 and 246 mL, respectively, which accounted for 38.8%, 50.3%, and 11.2% of total water sources. There was a gender difference in the percentage of metabolic water (Z = - 2.135, P = 0.033). The water loss through urine excretion, skin evaporation, respiration, and feces excretion was 1295, 172, 149 and 64 mL, respectively, which accounted for 76.5%, 10.3%, 9.5%, and 3.6% of the total water losses. Gender differences in the amount of water loss through respiration and skin evaporation were found (Z = - 4.125, P < 0.001; Z = - 3.723, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Energy expenditure of male was higher than that of female. The first major water sources was water intake from food in this study, and the first major water loss was urine excretion. Trial registration The study was registered on the website of Chinese clinical trial registry, and the code of identification is ChiCTR1900028746.

Transcriptome-guided identification of a four-component system, SbrH1-R, that modulates milbemycin biosynthesis by influencing gene cluster expression, precursor supply, and antibiotic efflux.

Streptomyces can produce numerous antibiotics and many other bioactive compounds. Recently, the molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulators in control of antibiotic production by influencing the expression of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) have been extensively studied. However, for regulators that affect both antibiotic production and cell growth, the way to influence antibiotic production may be diverse, but related studies are limited. Here, based on time-course transcriptome analysis, a four-component system, SbrH1-R, consisting of the two-component system SbrKR (SBI_03479/3478) and two hypothetical proteins SbrH1 (SBI_03481) and SbrH2 (SBI_03480) potentially related with the biosynthesis of milbemycins was identified in Streptomyces bingchenggensis BC-101-4. Deletion of sbrH1-R resulted in weakened cell growth but a 110% increase of milbemycin production compared with that in BC-101-4. Comparative transcriptome analyses of the sbrH1-R mutant and BC-101-4 revealed that SbrH1-R not only indirectly represses milbemycin BGC expression, but also inhibits milbemycin production by modulating expression levels of genes related to precursor supply and antibiotic efflux. Further genetic experiments identified several new targets, including five precursor supply-associated reactions/pathways (e.g., the reaction from pyruvate to acetyl-CoA, the reaction from acetyl-CoA to citrate, the fatty acid ß-oxidation process, and the branched chain amino acid and phenylalanine acid degradation pathways) and a milbemycin exporter system (MilEX2) that can be engineered for milbemycin overproduction. These results shed new light on the understanding of regulation of milbemycin biosynthesis and provide useful targets for future metabolic engineering of the native host to improve milbemycin production.

Different Trends in the Incidence and Mortality Rates of Prostate Cancer Between China and the USA: A Joinpoint and Age-Period-Cohort Analysis.

PURPOSE: This study used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019) to determine the differences in the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer (PCa) between China and the USA from 1990 to 2019. METHOD: The age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) and age-standardized death rates (ASDRs) in China and the USA from 1990 to 2019 were extracted from GBD 2019. Annual percentage changes and relative risks of ASIR and ASDR were calculated using joinpoint regression analysis and age-period-cohort models, respectively. RESULTS: The ASIR of PCa in China continually increased from 1990 to 2019, while in the USA it increased from 1990 to 1994 and then continually decreased until 2015, and then slightly increased again until 2019. The ASDR in China did not change, and the trend of ASDR in the USA was similar to the trend of the ASIR in the USA. The incidence of PCa increased with age in China, but decreased after the age of 75 years in the USA. A period effect was present, with the risk of developing PCa increasing continuously over longer time periods. Those born later had a lower risk of PCa or death, indicating a cohort effect. CONCLUSION: PCa is becoming more problematic for Chinese males. Disease trends in the USA indicate that large-scale screening may be beneficial and should be immediately implemented among high-risk groups in China.

Red Cell Distribution Width to Platelet Ratio Is Associated with Increasing In-Hospital Mortality in Critically Ill Patients with Acute Kidney Injury.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation plays a key role in the pathophysiology and progression of acute kidney injury (AKI). Red cell distribution width (RDW) to platelet ratio (RPR) is a novel inflammatory index, and its prognostic effect on critically ill patients with AKI is rarely investigated. This work is aimed at investigating the association between RPR and in-hospital mortality in these patients. METHODS: Data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database. All-cause death during hospitalization was selected as the primary outcome. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cut-off value, and the area under the curve (AUC) was applied to compare predictive ability among different indices. Cox proportional hazard models were utilized to assess the association between RPR and in-hospital mortality. Restricted cubic spline analysis for multivariate Cox model was performed to explore the shape of the relationship between RPR and mortality. RESULTS: A total of 24,166 critically ill patients with AKI were included. The relationship of RPR and in-hospital mortality was nonlinear with a trend to rise rapidly and then gradually. For mortality prediction, RPR had the optimal cut-off value of 0.093, of which the AUC was 0.791 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.773-0.810), which was higher than those of RDW, platelet, sequential organ failure assessment score, simplified acute physiology score II, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, and platelet to lymphocytes ratio. After adjustments for various confounders, high RPR showed a significant association with increased mortality with hazard ratios of 1.46 (95% CI: 1.40-1.55) for categorical variable and 1.88 (95% CI: 1.80-1.97) for continuous variables in the fully adjusted model. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated RPR on admission is substantially associated with high risk of in-hospital mortality in critically ill patients with AKI and thus may serve as a novel predictor of prognosis for these patients.

Secular trends in the incidence of eating disorders in China from 1990 to 2017: a joinpoint and age-period-cohort analysis.

BACKGROUND: Eating disorders (ED) have increasingly become a global topic of concern for public health. A better understanding of ED incidence is a basic requirement for improving its management. However, the temporal trend of ED incidence in China is still unknown. METHODS: The incidence rates of ED from 1990 to 2017 were collected from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 database according to the following: subtype, i.e. anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN); sex; and age group. The average annual percent changes and relative risks were calculated using joinpoint regression and the age-period-cohort model, respectively. RESULTS: From 1990 to 2017, age-standardized incidence rates of ED continued to increase in males and females, and this variation trend was observed in AN and BN. Joinpoint regression analysis showed that the incidence rates increased in all age groups. Adolescents had the highest risk of developing ED, followed by young adults. Age effects were the most influential risk factor for ED incidence. Period effects showed that the risk of developing ED continuously increased with increasing time periods in BN, but not in ED and AN. Concerning the cohort effects, people born after the 1990s presented a higher risk of ED, though they presented a lower risk of BN as compared to the whole cohort. CONCLUSIONS: ED incidence rates continue to increase in China, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Further etiological studies are needed to explain these increases and to facilitate the early identification of high-risk individuals.