Progress and challenges in integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine in China from 2002 to 2021.

Objective: The World Health Organization advocated for enhanced integration of traditional medicine and complementary medicine into national healthcare systems across all countries. This study aims to explore the progress and challenges in integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine (ITCWM) in China over 20 years using nationwide data. Methods: This cross-sectional study examined various facets of ITCWM in China in terms of policies, resources, services, and funding. National policy documents from 2009 onwards were retrieved from official websites of the Chinese government. Data on ITCWM resources, services and subsidies from 2002 to 2021 were extracted from the China Statistical Yearbooks of Chinese Medicine and China Health Statistical Yearbooks. Research fund projects with the ITCWM discipline were collected from the database of National Natural Science Foundation of China. A mixed method of both quantitative and qualitative approaches was employed to present a comprehensive overview of the collected data. Results: This study presented five key findings. First, despite the issuance of 17 national policies by the Chinese government since 2009 to promote the development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), only three of them were specifically tailored for ITCWM. Second, although the average annual growth rates of ITCWM institutions, beds, and practitioners reached 0.35%, 10.56%, and 10.88% from 2002 to 2021, with more equitable allocation of ITCWM resources, the overall proportion of ITCWM remained below 5% in 2021. Third, progress has been made in ITCWM practices, yet service efficiency requires further enhancement. In 2021, ITCWM hospitals accounted for 2% of outpatient and emergency visits and 1.57% of hospital admissions among all hospitals, and 9.82% of delivered services were preventive healthcare services. Fourth, ITCWM served a crucial role in primary healthcare services, but its service capabilities need improvement. From 2007 to 2021, the average growth rates of ITCWM clinics, outpatient departments, and practitioners in outpatient departments were 13.30%, 2.57%, and 12.14%, respectively, while the proportion within TCM hospitals dropped. Lastly, despite the Chinese government's emphasis on financial investment and related project funding for ITCWM, it remained lower than that allocated to TCM and western medicine. Conclusion: ITCWM played a pivotal role in China's healthcare system to advance individuals' health and well-being across the lifespan. In the future, China will provide further support to enhance ITCWM health resources and improve service capability, and the strategic integration of ITCWM into the broader healthcare system will play a crucial role in achieving universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Sleep Duration and Functional Disability Among Chinese Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The duration of sleep plays a crucial role in the development of physiological functions that impact health. However, little is known about the associations between sleep duration and functional disability among older adults in China. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the associations between sleep duration and functional disabilities in the older population (aged≥65 years) in China. METHODS: The data for this cross-sectional study were gathered from respondents 65 years and older who participated in the 2018 survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, an ongoing nationwide longitudinal investigation of Chinese adults. The duration of sleep per night was obtained through face-to-face interviews. Functional disability was assessed according to activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scales. The association between sleep duration and functional disability was assessed by multivariable generalized linear models. A restricted cubic-spline model was used to explore the dose-response relationship between sleep duration and functional disability. RESULTS: In total, 5519 participants (n=2471, 44.77% men) were included in this study with a mean age of 73.67 years, including 2800 (50.73%) respondents with a functional disability, 1978 (35.83%) with ADL disability, and 2299 (41.66%) with IADL disability. After adjusting for potential confounders, the older adults reporting shorter (≤4, 5, or 6 hours) or longer (8, 9, or ≥10 hours) sleep durations per night exhibited a notably increased risk of functional disability compared to that of respondents who reported having 7 hours of sleep per night (all P<.05), which revealed a U-shaped association between sleep duration and dysfunction. When the sleep duration fell below 7 hours, increased sleep duration was associated with a significantly lower risk of functional disability (odds ratio [OR] 0.85, 95% CI 0.79-0.91; P<.001). When the sleep duration exceeded 7 hours, the risk of functional disability associated with a prolonged sleep duration increased (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.05-1.29; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Sleep durations shorter and longer than 7 hours were associated with a higher risk of functional disability among Chinese adults 65 years and older. Future studies are needed to explore intervention strategies for improving sleep duration with a particular focus on functional disability.

Application of Patient-Reported Outcome Measurements in Adult Tumor Clinical Trials in China: Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: International health policies and researchers have emphasized the value of evaluating patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in clinical studies. However, the characteristics of PROs in adult tumor clinical trials in China remain insufficiently elucidated. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the application and characteristics of PRO instruments as primary or secondary outcomes in adult randomized clinical trials related to tumors in China. METHODS: This cross-sectional study identified tumor-focused randomized clinical trials conducted in China between January 1, 2010, and June 30, 2022. The ClinicalTrials.gov database and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry were selected as the databases. Trials were classified into four groups based on the use of PRO instruments: (1) trials listing PRO instruments as primary outcomes, (2) trials listing PRO instruments as secondary outcomes, (3) trials listing PRO instruments as coprimary outcomes, and (4) trials without any mention of PRO instruments. Pertinent data, including study phase, settings, geographic regions, centers, participant demographics (age and sex), funding sources, intervention types, target diseases, and the names of PRO instruments, were extracted from these trials. The target diseases involved in the trials were grouped according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual, 8th Edition. RESULTS: Among the 6445 trials examined, 2390 (37.08%) incorporated PRO instruments as part of their outcomes. Within this subset, 26.82% (641/2390) listed PRO instruments as primary outcomes, 52.72% (1260/2390) as secondary outcomes, and 20.46% (489/2390) as coprimary outcomes. Among the 2,155,306 participants included in these trials, PRO instruments were used to collect data from 613,648 (28.47%) patients as primary or secondary outcomes and from 74,287 (3.45%) patients as coprimary outcomes. The most common conditions explicitly using specified PRO instruments included thorax tumors (217/1280, 16.95%), breast tumors (176/1280, 13.75%), and lower gastrointestinal tract tumors (173/1280, 13.52%). Frequently used PRO instruments included the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire-30, the visual analog scale, the numeric rating scale, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Symptom Scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. CONCLUSIONS: Over recent years, the incorporation of PROs has demonstrated an upward trajectory in adult randomized clinical trials on tumors in China. Nonetheless, the infrequent measurement of the patient's voice remains noteworthy. Disease-specific PRO instruments should be more effectively incorporated into various tumor disease categories in clinical trials, and there is room for improvement in the inclusion of PRO instruments as clinical trial end points.

Bibliometric analysis and key messages of integrating Chinese and Western Medicine for COVID-19.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a global pandemic since it broke out, and integrated Chinese and Western medicine (ICWM) has played an important role in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. We aimed to analyze the published literature on ICWM for COVID-19 at home and abroad, and compare their differences on hotspots and research fronts. Methods: Publications before Oct 31, 2022 were retrieved from the Web of Science core database (WOS), PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure database (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (Wanfang), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), CiteSpace and VOSviewer to summarize the basic characteristics of publications, countries, institutions, keywords, and citations. Results: We included 580 English papers and 1727 Chinese papers in this study. The development trends in China and other countries are relatively asynchronous and show a smooth growth trend for the future. The most productive countries were China, India, and the United States, while the most productive domestic research institution was the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. The clustering analysis of high-frequency keywords showed that Chinese literature focused on clinical studies of ICWM for COVID-19, such as retrospective studies, clinical features, and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome analysis, while English literature focused on therapeutic mechanism studies and evidence-based medicine studies, such as systematic reviews and meta-analysis, and both of them paid attention to network pharmacological research and Qingfei Paidu Decoction. Sorting out the top 10 highly cited articles, Huang CL's article published in Lancet in 2020 was regarded as a cornerstone in the field. Conclusion: The treatment of COVID-19 by ICWM has become a worldwide research hotspot. Although there are differences in the specific contents among countries, the development trend of research types to the mechanism of action, and the development trend of research contents to the recovery period treatment and the prevention of COVID-19 by ICWM are consistent.

How well did the consensus methods apply in the guideline development of traditional Chinese medicine: a web-based survey in China.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Consensus methods are crucial in developing clinical guidelines. Different methods, such as the Delphi and nominal group techniques, are commonly used, but there is a lack of detailed instructions on how to implement them effectively. The survey aims to explore the opinions and attitudes of the chair, panel and working group on the critical elements of the consensus methods during guideline development. METHODS: We used a cross-sectional design to conduct this study and sent a structured questionnaire to stakeholders, including the chair, panel members, and working group participants, through the popular mobile phone application WeChat.We selected participants using a combination of purposive and snowball sampling. The questionnaire gathered information on demographics, experiences, opinions, and concerns regarding consensus methods and guideline development. RESULTS: The sample comprised 290 participants representing 31 provinces or municipalities. Among them, the most significant number of respondents (n = 107, 36.9%) were from Beijing. Most participants, specifically 211 (72.76%), held senior professional titles, while 186 (64.14%) adhered to ongoing guidelines. The Delphi method was the most commonly used consensus method (n = 132, 42.31%), but the respondents had only a preliminary understanding of it (n = 147, 47.12%). The consensus process also revealed the insufficiency of involving pharmacoeconomists, patients, and nurses. CONCLUSIONS: Consensus methods have to be standardised and used consistently in the guideline development process. The findings of this study offer insights into diverse roles and more effective ways to apply the consensus process during guideline development.

A cross-sectional study on the application of patient-reported outcome measurements in clinical trials of traditional Chinese medicine in mainland China.

Objectives: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) provide a global perspective of patient health status which plays an enormous role in evaluating clinical efficacy. However, the application of PROs in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was still insufficiently studied in mainland China. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed based on interventional clinical trials of TCM that were conducted in mainland China from 1 January 2010, to 15 July 2022. Data was retrieved from the ClinicalTrials.gov and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. We included interventional clinical trials of TCM for which the country of the primary sponsors or recruitment settings in mainland China. For each included trial, data including clinical trial phases, study settings, participant's age, sex, diseases, and the patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were extracted. Trials were categorized into four categories according to 1) listed PROs as primary endpoints, 2) listed PROs as secondary endpoints, 3) listed PROs as coprimary outcomes (both primary and secondary endpoints), and 4) did not mention any PROMs. Results: Among a total of 3,797 trials, 680 (17.9%) trials listed PROs as primary endpoints, 692 (18.2%) trials listed PROs as secondary endpoints, and 760 (20.0%) trials listed PROs as coprimary endpoints. Among 675,787 participants included in the registered trials, 448,359 (66.3%) patients' data were scientifically collected by PRO instruments. Neurological diseases (11.8%), musculoskeletal symptoms (11.5%), mental health conditions (9.1%) were the most common conditions evaluated by PROMs. Disease-specific symptoms related concepts were used most frequently (51.3%), followed by health-related quality of life concepts. Visual analog scale, 36-item Short-Form Health Questionnaire, and TCM symptom score were the most common PROMs in these trials. Conclusion: In this cross-sectional study, the use of PROs increased in the past decades according to clinical trials of TCM conducted in mainland China. Considering that the application of PROs in clinical trials of TCM has some existing issues including uneven distribution and lack of normalized PROs of TCM, further study should be focused on the standardization and normalization of TCM-specific scales.

Evidence synthesis of Chinese medicine for monkeypox: Suggestions from other contagious pox-like viral diseases.

Background: Monkeypox, a zoonotic disease caused by an Orthopoxvirus, presents an etiology similar to smallpox in humans. Currently, there are no licensed treatments for human monkeypox, so clear and urgent research on its prophylaxis and treatment is needed. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the evidence of Chinese medicine for contagious pox-like viral diseases and provide suggestions for the multi-country outbreak management of monkeypox. Methods: The review was registered on INPLASY (INPLASY202270013). Ancient classics in China and clinical trials involving randomized controlled trials , non-RCTs, and comparative observational studies of CM on the prevention and treatment of monkeypox, smallpox, measles, varicella, and rubella were retrieved from the Chinese Medical Code (fifth edition), Database of China Ancient Medicine, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chongqing VIP, Wanfang, Google Scholar, International Clinical Trial Registry Platform, and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry until 6 July 2022. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were applied to present the data collected. Results: The use of CM to control contagious pox-like viral diseases was traced back to ancient Chinese practice cited in Huangdi's Internal Classic, where the pathogen was recorded nearly two thousand years back. There were 85 articles (36 RCTs, eight non-RCTs, one cohort study, and 40 case series) that met the inclusion criteria, of which 39 studies were for measles, 38 for varicella, and eight for rubella. Compared with Western medicine for contagious pox-like viral diseases, CM combined with Western medicine showed significant improvements in fever clearance time (mean difference, -1.42 days; 95% CI, -1.89 to -0.95; 10 RCTs), rash/pox extinction time (MD, -1.71 days; 95% CI, -2.65 to -0.76; six RCTs), and rash/pox scab time (MD, -1.57 days; 95% CI, -1.94 to -1.19; five RCTs). When compared with Western medicine, CM alone could reduce the time of rash/pox extinction and fever clearance. Chinese herbal formulas, including modified Yinqiao powder, modified Xijiao Dihaung decoction, modified Qingjie Toubiao decoction, and modified Shengma Gegen decoction, were frequently applied to treat pox-like viral diseases and also showed significant effects in shortening the time of fever clearance, rash/pox extinction, and rash/pox scabs. Compared with Western medicine (placental globulin) or no intervention, eight non-randomized trials and observational studies on the prevention of contagious pox-like viral diseases showed a significant preventive effect of Leiji powder among high-risk populations. Conclusion: Based on historical records and clinical studies of CM in managing contagious pox-like viral diseases, some botanical drugs could be an alternative approach for treating and preventing human monkeypox. Prospective, rigorous clinical trials are urgently needed to confirm the potential preventive and treatment effect of Chinese herbal formulas. Systematic Review Registration: [https://inplasy.com/], identifier [INPLASY202270013].

Parental preference for influenza vaccine for children in China: a discrete choice experiment.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate what factors affect parents' influenza vaccination preference for their children and whether there exists preference heterogeneity among respondents in China. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. A discrete choice experiment was conducted. Five attributes were identified based on literature review and qualitative interviews, including protection rate, duration of vaccine-induced protection, risk of serious side effects, location of manufacturer and out-of-pocket cost. SETTING: Multistage sampling design was used. According to geographical location and the level of economic development, 10 provinces in China were selected, and the survey was conducted at community healthcare centres or stations. PARTICIPANTS: Parents with at least one child aged between 6 months and 5 years old were recruited and the survey was conducted via a face-to-face interview in 2019. In total, 600 parents completed the survey, and 449 who passed the internal consistency test were included in the main analysis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: A mixed logit model was used to estimate factors affecting parents' preference to vaccinate their children. In addition, sociodemographic characteristics were included to explore the preference heterogeneity. RESULTS: In general, respondents preferred to vaccinate their children. All attributes were statistically significant and among them, the risk of severe side effects was the most important attribute, followed by the protection rate and duration of vaccine-induced protection. Contrary to our initial expectation, respondents have a stronger preference for the domestic than the imported vaccine. Some preference heterogeneity among parents was also found and in particular, parents who were older, or highly educated placed a higher weight on a higher protection rate. CONCLUSION: Vaccination safety and vaccine effectiveness are the two most important characteristics that influenced parents' decision to vaccinate against influenza for their children in China. Results from this study will facilitate future policy implementations to improve vaccination uptake rates.

Associations Between Sleep Duration and Sensory Impairments Among Older Adults in China.

Objective: Studies of sleep duration in relation to the risk of sensory impairments other than dementia are scarce. Little is known about the associations between sleep duration and sensory impairments in China. This study aims to explore the associations between sleep duration and single or dual sensory impairments (visual and/or hearing). Methods: This cross-sectional study used the data from 17,668 respondents were drawn from the 2018 survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), an ongoing national longitudinal study of Chinese adults aged 45 years and above. The duration of sleep per night was obtained from face-to-face interviews. The presence of sensory impairments was measured by self-reported visual and hearing functions. Multivariable generalized linear models (GLM) with binomial family and log link to assess the associations between sleep duration and sensory impairments. Results: Of the 17,668 respondents, 8,396 (47.5%) were men. The mean (SD) age was 62.5 (10.0) years old. Respondents with short (≤ 4, 5 h per night) sleep duration had a significantly higher risk of visual, hearing and dual sensory impairments than those who slept for 7 h per night after adjusting for covariates (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, respondents who slept for 6 h per night had a higher risk of hearing impairment (P = 0.005). Further analysis suggested a U-shaped association between sleep duration and sensory impairments. When sleep duration fell below 8 h, increased sleep duration was associated with a significantly lower risk of visual (OR, 0.93; 95%CI, 0.88-0.98; P = 0.006), hearing (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.86-0.93; P < 0.001), and dual (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.87-0.94; P < 0.001) impairments. When sleep duration exceeded 8 h, the risk of visual (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.00-1.19; P = 0.048), hearing (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.97-1.11; P = 0.269), and dual (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.00-1.14; P = 0.044) impairments would increase facing prolonged sleep duration. Women and the elderly aged over 60 years old were more sensitive to short sleep duration and experienced a higher risk of sensory impairments. Conclusion: In this study, short sleep duration was associated with a higher risk of visual and hearing impairments. Future studies are needed to examine the mechanisms of the associations between sleep duration and sensory impairments.

The Economic Burden of Influenza-Like Illness among Children, Chronic Disease Patients, and the Elderly in China: A National Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: The disease burden of seasonal influenza is substantial in China, while there is still a lack of nationwide economic burden estimates. This study aims to examine influenza-like illness (ILI) prevalence, healthcare-seeking behaviors, economic impact of ILI, and its influencing factors among three priority groups during the 2018-19 influenza season. Methods: From August to October 2019, 6668 children's caregivers, 1735 chronic disease patients, and 3849 elderly people were recruited from 10 provinces in China to participate in an on-site survey. The economic burden of ILI consisted of direct (medical or non-medical) and indirect burdens, and a two-part model was adopted to predict the influencing factors of total economic burden. Results: There were 45.73% children, 16.77% chronic disease patients, and 12.70% elderly people reporting ILI, and most participants chose outpatient service or over-the-counter (OTC) medication after ILI. The average economic burden was CNY 1647 (USD 237.2) for children, CNY 951 (USD 136.9) for chronic disease patients, and CNY 1796 (USD 258.6) for the elderly. Two-part regression showed that age, gender, whether the only child in the family, region, and household income were important predictors of ILI economic burden among children, while age, region, place of residence, basic health insurance, and household income were significant predictors of ILI economic burden among chronic disease patients and the elderly. Conclusions: A large economic burden of ILI was highlighted, especially among the elderly with less income and larger medical burdens, as well as children, with higher prevalence and higher self-payment ratio. It is important to adopt targeted interventions for high-risk groups, and this study can help national-level decision-making on the introduction of influenza vaccination as a public health project.

Exposure to Chinese famine in early life and the risk of sensory impairment in adulthood.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that malnutrition in early life has a negative effect on midlife cognitive functions. Little is known, however, about the relationship between early-life malnutrition and visual, hearing or dual sensory impairments in adulthood. This study aims to investigate the association between exposure to the 1959-1961 Chinese famine in early life and sensory impairments in adulthood. METHODS: A total of 6347 adults born between 1952 and 1964 surveyed in the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were included in this study. The presence of sensory impairments was identified by self-reported assessment of visual and hearing functions. The associations between multi-stage early-life famine exposure and sensory functions were estimated using the multiple generalised linear model. RESULTS: Compared with the unexposed group, respondents exposed to famine in the fetal period and late childhood had a significantly higher risk of hearing impairment (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.24; OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.50) and dual sensory impairments (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.11; OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.21), respectively. Furthermore, in severely famine-affected areas, the early, mid and late childhood-exposed groups were more likely to have hearing and dual sensory impairments than the unexposed group. Those associations were not observed in less famine-affected areas. However, no significant association was found between famine exposure and visual impairment in early-life famine-exposed group. CONCLUSION: Exposure to Chinese famine in the fetal period and late childhood was linked to hearing and dual sensory impairments in adulthood.

Parental Vaccine Preferences for Their Children in China: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

Background: Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective health investments to prevent and control communicable diseases. Improving the vaccination rate of children is important for all nations, and for China in particular since the advent of the two-child policy. This study aims to elicit the stated preference of parents for vaccination following recent vaccine-related incidents in China. Potential preference heterogeneity was also explored among respondents. Methods: A discrete choice experiment was developed to elicit parental preferences regarding the key features of vaccines in 2019. The study recruited a national sample of parents from 10 provinces who had at least one child aged between 6 months and 5 years old. A conditional logit model and a mixed logit model were used to estimate parental preference. Results: A total of 598 parents completed the questionnaire; among them, 428 respondents who passed the rational tests were analyzed. All attributes except for the severity of diseases prevented by vaccines were statistically significant. The risk of severe side effects and protection rates were the two most important factors explaining parents' decisions about vaccination. The results of the mixed logit model with interactions indicate that fathers or rural parents were more likely to vaccinate their children, and children whose health was not good were also more likely to be vaccinated. In addition, parents who were not more than 30 years old had a stronger preference for efficiency, and well-educated parents preferred imported vaccines with the lowest risk of severe side effects. Conclusion: When deciding about vaccinations for their children, parents in China are mostly driven by vaccination safety and vaccine effectiveness and were not affected by the severity of diseases. These findings will be useful for increasing the acceptability of vaccination in China.

Longitudinal Association Between Sleep Duration and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Elderly.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the longitudinal association between sleep duration and depressive symptoms among the elderly in China. METHODS: A data set from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2011, 2013 and 2015 was adopted with a total of 22,847 respondents aged ≥60-years-old. A linear regression analysis with generalized estimating equations was employed to examine the longitudinal associations between duration of total sleep, nighttime sleep and daytime nap, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: An extra hour of total sleep including nighttime sleep and daytime nap was associated with lower incidence of depressive symptoms among the elderly after adjusting all confounders (OR=0.83, 95% CI: 0.82-0.84). In addition, an extra hour of nighttime sleep (OR=0.82, 95% CI: 0.80-0.83) or daytime nap (OR=0.93, 95% CI: 0.89-0.97) was also negatively associated with depressive symptoms among the elderly. After controlling the total sleep time, an extra hour of nighttime sleep was negatively associated with depressive symptoms (OR=0.88, 95% CI: 0.84 to 0.92), while an extra hour of daytime nap displayed a positive association with depressive symptoms (OR=0.88, 95% CI: 0.84 to 0.92). Compared with the moderate nappers, only extended nappers had significantly higher incidence of depressive symptoms (OR=1.32, 95% CI: 1.19 to 1.45). CONCLUSION: For the elderly in China, increasing their total sleep, nighttime sleep, and/or daytime nap duration would reduce the incidence of depressive symptoms. Moreover, after fixing the total sleep time, increasing nighttime sleep was more beneficial to the decrease of the incidence of depressive symptoms than daytime nap.

Association of Sensory Impairments With Cognitive Decline and Depression Among Older Adults in China.

Importance: Sensory impairments may heighten the risk of premature brain aging. Little is known regarding the association of sensory impairments with cognitive function and depression in China. Objective: To examine the association of visual and/or hearing impairments with cognitive decline and depression. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study used the data from 18 038 respondents to the 2015 survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative survey of adults aged 45 years or older and their spouses. Exposures: The presence of sensory impairments was identified by self-reported assessment of visual and/or hearing functions. Main Outcomes and Measures: Overall, 3 composite measures were used to assess the respondents' cognitive performance, including episodic memory, mental intactness, and global cognitive function. Depression was examined using the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale score. Multiple generalized linear regression models, adjusting for self-reported sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, chronic conditions, and participants' overall health, were used. Results: Of 18 038 respondents, 9244 (51.2%) were women. The mean (SD) age was 59.9 (9.7) years. Respondents with visual impairment had poorer episodic memory (ß = -0.12; 95% CI, -0.19 to -0.05) and global cognition (ß = -0.16; 95% CI, -0.31 to -0.02) and a greater risk of depression (odds ratio, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.59 to 1.99) than those without visual impairment. Respondents with hearing impairment had poorer episodic memory (ß = -0.24; 95% CI, -0.30 to -0.18), mental intactness (ß = -0.19; 95% CI, -0.28 to -0.10), and global cognition (ß = -0.43; 95% CI, -0.55 to -0.31) as well as a greater risk of depression (odds ratio, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.44 to 1.70) than those without hearing impairment. People who reported dual sensory impairment performed worse on all of the aforementioned outcome measures (episodic memory: ß = -0.23; 95% CI, -0.31 to -0.14; mental intactness: ß = -0.13; 95% CI, -0.27 to -0.0003; global cognition: ß = -0.37; 95% CI, -0.55 to -0.19; depression: odds ratio, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.90 to 2.52). Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, visual and hearing impairments were independently and together associated with poorer cognitive and depression outcomes. A more comprehensive and integrated system of care, covering vision, hearing, and cognition, is needed in China's health care system to address age-related sensory impairments.

Willingness to Pay for Seasonal Influenza Vaccination among Children, Chronic Disease Patients, and the Elderly in China: A National Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: The disease burden of seasonal influenza is substantial in China, while the vaccination rate is extremely low, and most people have to pay 100% for vaccination. This study aims to examine willingness to pay (WTP) and recommended financing sources for influenza vaccination among children, chronic disease patients, and the elderly in China and determine feasible measures to expand vaccination coverage. Methods: From August to October 2019, 6668 children's caregivers, 1735 chronic disease patients, and 3849 elderly people were recruited from 10 provinces in China. An on-site survey was conducted via a especially designed PAD system. Tobit regression was adopted to predict the influencing factors of WTP. Results: The average WTP was 127.5 yuan (USD18.0) for children, 96.5 yuan (USD13.7) for chronic disease patients, and 88.1 yuan (USD12.5) for the elderly. Most participants in the three groups thought government subsidies (94.8%, 95.8%, and 95.5%) or health insurance (94.3%, 95.3%, and 94.5%) should cover part of the cost, and nearly four-fifths (80.1%, 79.5%, and 76.8%) believed that individuals should also pay for part. Tobit regression showed that a higher perceived importance of vaccination, knowing about priority groups, and considering that individuals should co-pay were promoters of WTP, while considering price as a hindrance lowered WTP. Conclusions: The WTP for influenza vaccination among children, chronic disease patients, and the elderly in China is fairly high, suggesting that price is not the primary hindrance and there is room to expand immunization. Most participants expected the government and/or health insurance to pay part of the cost, and such supportive funding could act as a promotive policy "signal" to improve vaccine uptake. Influenza-related health education is also needed to expand vaccine coverage.

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination and Recommendation: The Difference between General Practitioners and Public Health Workers in China.

Seasonal influenza vaccination for healthcare workers (HCWs) is critical to the protection of HCWs and their patients. This study examined whether the separation of public health workers and general practitioners could affect the influenza vaccine uptake and recommendation behaviors among HCWs in China. A survey was conducted from August to October 2019, and HCWs from 10 provinces in China were recruited. A self-administered and anonymous questionnaire was used to assess HCWs' demographic information, knowledge, and attitudes toward influenza vaccination, as well as vaccine uptake and recommendation behaviors. The primary outcome was HCWs' vaccination and recommendation status of seasonal influenza vaccine. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify the influence factors of influenza vaccine uptake and recommendation among HCWs. Of the 1159 HCWs in this study, 25.3% were vaccinated against influenza in the previous season. "No need to get vaccinated" was the primary reason for both unvaccinated public health workers and general practitioners. Multivariate logistic regression showed that public health workers were more likely to get vaccinated against influenza (OR = 2.20, 95% CI 1.59-3.05) and recommend influenza vaccination to children (OR = 2.10, 95% CI 1.57-2.80) and the elderly (OR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.26-2.25) than general practitioners. Besides, the knowledge and perceived risk of influenza can give rise to HCWs' vaccination and recommendation behaviors, and HCWs who got vaccinated in the past year were more likely to recommend it to children and the elderly in their work. The influenza vaccine coverage and recommendation among HCWs are still relatively low in China, especially for general practitioners. Further efforts are needed to improve the knowledge and attitudes toward influenza and influenza vaccination among HCWs, and coherent training on immunization for both public health workers and general practitioners might be effective in the face of separated public health and clinical services in China.

Early-Life Exposure to the Chinese Famine and Risk of Cognitive Decline.

Previous studies on the Chinese famine suggested long-term effects of early-life famine exposure on health conditions. This study aims to investigate the association between exposure to the Chinese famine of 1959-1961 at different early-life stages and the risk of cognitive decline in adulthood. A total of 6417 adults born between 1952 and 1964 in the 2015 survey data of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were included in this study. Cognitive performance was estimated through a series of comprehensive neuropsychological tests, including the Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status (TICS-10), word recall, and pentagon drawing. Multiple generalized linear model (GLM) was employed to detect the association between multi-stage early-life famine exposure and late-life cognitive performance. Compared with the unexposed group, respondents exposed to famine in the fetal period performed worse in the TICS (difference -0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.93 to -0.10), word recall (difference -0.46, 95% CI: -0.74 to -0.19), and general cognition (difference -1.05, 95% CI: -1.64 to -0.47). Furthermore, we also found negative effects of famine exposure on performance of word recall and pentagon drawing in the early (word recall difference -0.56, 95% CI: -1.00 to -0.11; pentagon drawing difference -0.76, 95% CI: -1.40 to -0.12), mid (word recall difference -0.46, 95% CI: -0.81 to -0.11; pentagon drawing difference -0.66, 95% CI: -1.16 to -0.16), and late (word recall difference -0.30, 95% CI: -0.55 to -0.04; pentagon drawing difference -0.75, 95% CI: -1.13 to -0.37) childhood-exposed groups. Early-life famine exposure in different stages is positively associated with late-life cognitive decline. Fetal famine exposure might affect the overall cognitive status in adulthood, and childhood famine exposure has potential adverse effects on visuospatial episodic memory.

Increased Levels of 27-Hydroxycholesterol Induced by Dietary Cholesterol in Brain Contribute to Learning and Memory Impairment in Rats.

SCOPE: Dietary cholesterol has been shown to play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is proposed that oxysterol especially 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) may play a potential role in ß-amyloid peptides (Aß) production and accumulation during AD progression. METHODS AND RESULTS: To investigate the mechanisms of dietary cholesterol and 27-OHC on learning and memory impairment, male Sprague-Dawley rats are fed with cholesterol diet with or without 27-OHC synthetase inhibitor (anastrozole) injection. The levels of cholesterol, 27-OHC, 24-hydroxycholesterol (24S-OHC), 7α-hydroxycholesterol, and 7ß-hydroxycholesterol in plasma are determined; apolipoprotein A (ApoA), apolipoprotein B (ApoB), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) in plasma or brain; CYP27A1 and CYP7A1 in liver and CYP46A1 and CYP7B1 in brain; cathepsin B, cathepsin D, and acid phosphatase in lysosome; and Aß1-40 and Aß1-42 in brain. Results show increased levels of 27-OHC (p < 0.01), LDL-C (p < 0.01), and ApoB (p < 0.01), and decreased level of HDL-C (p < 0.05) in plasma, upregulated CYP27A1 (p < 0.01) and CYP7A1 (p < 0.01) expression in liver, altered lysosomal function, and increased level of Aß in brain (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the mechanisms of dietary cholesterol on learning and memory impairment may be involved in cholesterol metabolism and lysosome function with the increase of plasma 27-OHC, thus resulting in Aß formation and accumulation.

Sex-specific nonlinear associations between serum lipids and different domains of cognitive function in middle to older age individuals.

To examine how serum lipids relates to specific cognitive ability domains between the men and women in Chinese middle to older age individuals. A complete lipid panel was obtained from 1444 individuals, ages 50-65, who also underwent a selection of cognitive tests. Participants were 584 men and 860 women from Linyi city, Shandong province. Multiple linear regression analyses examined serum lipids level as quadratic predictors of sex-specific measure of performance in different cognitive domains, which were adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics. In men, a significant quadratic effect of total cholesterol (TC) was identified for Digit Symbol (B = -0.081, P = 0.044) and also quadratic effect of low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) was identified for Trail Making Test B (B = -0.082, P = 0.045). Differently in women, there were significant quadratic associations between high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and multiple neuropsychological tests. The nonlinear lipid-cognition associations differed between men and women and were specific to certain cognitive domains and might be of potential relevance for prevention and therapy of cognitive decline.

The Correlation between Early Stages of Life Exposed to Chinese Famine and Cognitive Decline in Adulthood: Nutrition of Adulthood Plays an Important Role in the Link?

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether people exposed to the Chinese Famine in fetal period or in multiple stages of childhood are associated with cognitive decline in adulthood. Furthermore, the nutritional environment of adulthood was explored as an important factor in this correlation. Methods: 1162 adults born between 1952 and 1964 were recruited. They were divided into five groups which were non-exposed group, fetal-exposed group, early childhood-exposed group, mid childhood-exposed group and late childhood-exposed group. Cognitive function was measured by using a comprehensive neuropsychological battery test, including Montreal cognitive assessment-Beijing version, mini-mental state examination, auditory verbal learning test, digit span forward, digit span backward, trail making test, and digit symbol test. Semi-quantified food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess the dietary nutrition in their adulthood. The dietary nutrient consumption pattern was identified by Two-step and K-means cluster analysis. Results: The significant differences in cognitive function were manifested in different groups. Compared with non-exposed group, subjects in fetal-exposed group had a higher risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (OR 1.51 95% CI 1.02-2.23, P = 0.039) and global cognitive decline (OR 1.68 59% CI 1.02-2.77, P = 0.044). The similar result was also observed in subjects of early childhood-exposed group. Otherwise, subjects who were classified in high nutrient consumption pattern had higher risk of cognitive decline. Moreover, the higher consumption of several nutrients such as fat, carbohydrate and manganese were associated with worse performance on digit span forward, digit span backward, trail making test A, trail making test B and digit symbol. Conclusion: Early stages of life exposed to the Chinese Famine were associated with higher risk of cognitive decline in adulthood. The stronger associations were manifested in the people with high nutrient consumption pattern. The consumption of fat, carbohydrate and manganese were associated with multiple domains cognitive decline.