Metabolic obesity phenotypes and all-cause mortality among the Chinese oldest-old population: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The obesity paradox has been reported among older adults. However, whether the favorable effect of obesity is dependent on metabolic status remains largely unknown. We aimed to explore the association of metabolic obesity phenotypes and their changes with all-cause mortality among the Chinese oldest-old population. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 1207 Chinese oldest old (mean age: 91.8 years). Metabolic obesity phenotypes were determined by central obesity and metabolic status, and participants were classified into metabolically healthy obesity (MHO), metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO), metabolically healthy non-obesity (MHN), and metabolically unhealthy non-obesity (MUN). The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated by Cox regression models. RESULTS: During 5.3 years of follow-up, 640 deaths were documented. Compared with non-obesity, obesity was associated with a decreased mortality risk among participants with metabolically healthy (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.63-0.91) while this association was insignificant among metabolically unhealthy. Compared to MHO, MHN (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.06-1.53) and MUN (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.10-2.02) were significantly associated with an increased mortality risk. Compared to those with stable MHO, those transited from MHO to MUO demonstrated a higher mortality risk (HR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.06-3.11). CONCLUSIONS: MHO predicts better survival among the Chinese oldest-old population. These findings suggest that ensuring optimal management of metabolic health is beneficial and taking caution in weight loss based on the individual body weight for the metabolically healthy oldest-old adults.

Association between dietary diversity changes and frailty among Chinese older adults: findings from a nationwide cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Dietary diversity has been suggested as a potential preventive measure against frailty in older adults, but the effect of changes in dietary diversity on frailty is unclear. This study was conducted to examine the association between the dietary diversity score (DDS) and frailty among older Chinese adults. METHODS: A total of 12,457 adults aged 65 years or older were enrolled from three consecutive and nonoverlapping cohorts from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (the 2002 cohort, the 2005 cohort, and the 2008 cohort). DDS was calculated based on nine predefined food groups, and DDS changes were assessed by comparing scores at baseline and the first follow-up survey. We used 39 self-reported health items to assess frailty. Cox proportional hazard models were performed to examine the association between DDS change patterns and frailty. RESULTS: Participants with low-to-low DDS had the highest frailty incidence (111.1/1000 person-years), while high-to-high DDS had the lowest (41.1/1000 person-years). Compared to the high-to-high group of overall DDS pattern, participants in other DDS change patterns had a higher risk of frailty (HRs ranged from 1.25 to 2.15). Similar associations were observed for plant-based and animal-based DDS. Compared to stable DDS changes, participants with an extreme decline in DDS had an increased risk of frailty, with HRs of 1.38 (1.24, 1.53), 1.31 (1.19, 1.44), and 1.29 (1.16, 1.43) for overall, plant-based, and animal-based DDS, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Maintaining a lower DDS or having a large reduction in DDS was associated with a higher risk of frailty among Chinese older adults. These findings highlight the importance of improving a diverse diet across old age for preventing frailty in later life.

Leisure-time activities and disability among Chinese community-dwelling oldest old: evidence from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study.

With the acceleration of population aging, disability in older adults is a growing public health problem; however, little is known about the role of specific leisure-time activities in affecting disability. This study prospectively examined the association of leisure-time activities with disability among the Chinese oldest old. A total of 14 039 adults aged 80 years or older (median age of 89.8 years) were enrolled from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey from 1998 to 2014. Disability was defined as the presence of concurrent impairment in activities of daily living and physical performance. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the associations between leisure-time activities and disability. During a mean of 4.2 years (2.7 years) of follow-up, 4487 participants developed disability. Compared with participants who never engaged in leisure-time activities, participants who engaged in almost daily activities, including gardening, keeping domestic animals or pets, playing cards or mahjong, reading books or newspapers, and watching TV or listening to the radio had a lower risk of disability, with HRs of 0.78 (0.69-0.88), 0.64 (0.58-0.70), 0.74 (0.63-0.86), 0.74 (0.65-0.84), and 0.84 (0.77-0.90), respectively. Moreover, the risk of disability gradually decreased with participation in an increasing number of those leisure-time activities (P for trend <0.001). Frequent engagement in leisure-time activities was associated with a lower risk of disability among the Chinese oldest old. This study highlights the importance of incorporating a broad range of leisure-time activities into the daily lives of older adults.

Analysis of changes in social isolation, loneliness, or both, and subsequent cognitive function among older adults: Findings from a nationwide cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: The study aimed to investigate the associations of changes in social isolation, loneliness, or both, with cognitive function. METHODS: Data were from 7299 older adults in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. We defined four change patterns (no, incident, transient, and persistent) for social isolation and loneliness, and created nine-category variable to represent the joint changes. Tobit regression models and Cox models were performed. RESULTS: Incident, transient, and persistent social isolation or loneliness may accelerate cognitive decline (p < 0.05). Incident, transient, and persistent social isolation were associated with higher cognitive impairment risk, while only persistent loneliness was associated with higher cognitive impairment risk (p < 0.001). Notably, short-term or persistent social isolation was associated with accelerated cognitive decline and incident cognitive impairment, regardless of different loneliness change status (p < 0.05). DISCUSSION: Short-term or persistent social isolation and persistent loneliness may be a salient risk factor for cognitive decline and cognitive impairment. HIGHLIGHTS: Incident, transient, and persistent social isolation were associated with accelerated cognitive decline and higher cognitive impairment risk. Persistent loneliness was associated with accelerated cognitive decline and higher cognitive impairment risk. Short-term or persistent social isolation with concurrent different loneliness change status accelerated cognitive decline and higher cognitive impairment risk.

Association between single nucleotide polymorphism of rs1937 in TFAM gene and longevity among the elderly Chinese population: based on the CLHLS study.

BACKGROUND: To investigate whether the mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) rs1937 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is associated with longevity. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study among Chinese long-lived individuals (≥90 years). Data were obtained on 3294 participants who were able to voluntarily provided a saliva sample during 2008-2009 from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). In this study, 1387 young elderly (65-74 years) were allocated to the control group, and 1907 long-lived individuals were recruited as the case group. SNP rs1937 on TFAM were genotyped. Logistic regression models were applied to evaluate the association between rs1937 SNP and longevity. RESULTS: The genotype frequency of the SNP of rs1937 in the two groups had a significant difference (p = 0.003). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that compared to younger elderly, the long-lived individuals with "CC genotype" of rs1937 were more closely related to increased longevity than those with "GG genotype" (OR: 1.989, 95% CI: 1.160-3.411). The positive association between rs1937 SNP and longevity was robust in stratified analyses and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: We found the SNP of rs1937 may be a potential biomarker for longer human life span. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the biological mechanism of rs1937 on TFAM with promoting longevity.

Differentially expressed circular RNAs in maternal and neonatal umbilical cord plasma from SGA compared with AGA.

Small for gestational age (SGA) has a high risk of mortality and morbidity and is common in obstetrics. To date, no effective prediction and treatment tools are available. Acting as microRNA (miRNA) sponges and disease biomarkers are clear functions of circular RNAs (circRNAs). However, it is still unknown what role circRNAs act in SGA. To explore the role of circRNAs in SGA, circRNA expression patterns of the umbilical cord and maternal plasma in SGA was assessed. We first evaluated circRNAs in umbilical cord blood of the SGA and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) groups by microarray sequencing. In total, 170 340 circRNAs were sequenced, and 144 circRNAs were significantly upregulated while 977 were markedly downregulated. Has_circRNA15994-13, has_circ_0001359, and has_circ_0001360 were abundant and differentially expressed between the SGA and AGA groups, and confirmed in the umbilical cord and maternal blood specimens by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. By combining miRNA microarray data of the SGA placenta tissue in NCBI, it was found that two miRNAs were both hsa_circRNA15994-13 targets and differentially expressed, including hsa-miR-3619-5p and hsa-miR-4741. Further KEEG analysis revealed that the most significant pathway enriched by hsa-miR-3619-5p was Wnt signaling that is closely related to SGA; meanwhile, previous reports demonstrated that hsa-miR-3619-5p directly binds to ß-catenin to accommodate the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, whereby the suggestive hsa_circRNA15994-13 → hsa-miR-3619-5p → ß-catenin signaling pathway may play an important part in SGA.

Associations of regular glucosamine use with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a large prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the associations of regular glucosamine use with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a large prospective cohort. METHODS: This population-based prospective cohort study included 495 077 women and men (mean (SD) age, 56.6 (8.1) years) from the UK Biobank study. Participants were recruited from 2006 to 2010 and were followed up through 2018. We evaluated all-cause mortality and mortality due to cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, respiratory and digestive disease. HRs and 95% CIs for all-cause and cause-specific mortality were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models with adjustment for potential confounding variables. RESULTS: At baseline, 19.1% of the participants reported regular use of glucosamine supplements. During a median follow-up of 8.9 years (IQR 8.3-9.7 years), 19 882 all-cause deaths were recorded, including 3802 CVD deaths, 8090 cancer deaths, 3380 respiratory disease deaths and 1061 digestive disease deaths. In multivariable adjusted analyses, the HRs associated with glucosamine use were 0.85 (95% CI 0.82 to 0.89) for all-cause mortality, 0.82 (95% CI 0.74 to 0.90) for CVD mortality, 0.94 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.99) for cancer mortality, 0.73 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.81) for respiratory mortality and 0.74 (95% CI 0.62 to 0.90) for digestive mortality. The inverse associations of glucosamine use with all-cause mortality seemed to be somewhat stronger among current than non-current smokers (p for interaction=0.00080). CONCLUSIONS: Regular glucosamine supplementation was associated with lower mortality due to all causes, cancer, CVD, respiratory and digestive diseases.

Association of cognitive impairment and elderly mortality: differences between two cohorts ascertained 6-years apart in China.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment is a major contributor to mortality among the elderly. However, the relationship between cognitive impairment evaluated by educational levels and mortality and the trend between cognitive impairment and mortality with time are unclear. We aim to evaluate the differences in associations of cognitive impairment, taking the stratification by educational levels into account, with all-cause mortality and further explore the relationship of cognitive impairment with mortality in different age and sex groups in two cohorts ascertained 6 years apart in China. METHODS: A total of 13,906 and 13,873 Chinese elderly aged 65 years and older were included in the 2002-2008 and 2008-2014 cohorts from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Mortality data was ascertained from interviews with family members or relatives of participants. Cognitive function, evaluated by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), were defined by different cut-offs taking educational background into account. Cox models were used to explore the relationship of cognitive impairment with mortality. RESULTS: For the 2002-2008 and 2008-2014 cohorts, 55,277 and 53,267 person-years were followed up, and the mean (SD) age were 86.5 (11.6) and 87.2 (11.3) years, respectively. Compared to normal cognition, cognitive impairment was independently associated with higher mortality risk after controlling for potential confounders, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.32 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25-1.39) in 2002-2008 cohort and 1.26 (95% CI, 1.19-1.32) in 2008-2014 cohort, stratified by educational levels. The trend of cognitive impairment with all-cause mortality risk decreased from 2002 to 2008 to 2008-2014 cohort, while no significant interaction of cognitive impairment with cohort for all-cause mortality was observed. The associations of cognitive impairment and mortality were decreased with age in the two cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive impairment evaluated by different cut-offs were associated with increased risk of mortality, especially among those aged 65-79 years in the two cohorts; this advocates that periodic screening for cognitive impairment among the elderly is warranted.

Number of natural teeth, denture use and mortality in Chinese elderly: a population-based prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The associations between the number of natural teeth/denture use and all-cause mortality remain unclear due to lake of investigation for the potential interaction between tooth loss and denture use and for the potential changes in these exposures over time in older adults. We undertake this study to evaluate the associations of the number of natural teeth and/or denture use with mortality in Chinese elderly. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study of 36,283 older adults (median age: 90). The number of natural teeth and denture use were collected with structured questionnaire. We evaluated hazard ratios (HRs) and confidence intervals (CIs) using a Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for demographic factors, education, income, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. RESULTS: We documented 25,857 deaths during 145,947 person-years of observation. Compared to those with 20+ teeth, tooth loss was associated with a gradual increase in mortality, with an adjusted HR of 1.14 (95% CI, 1.06 to 1.23) for those with 10-19 teeth, 1.23 (95% CI, 1.15 to 1.31) for those with 1-9 teeth, and 1.35 (95% CI, 1.26 to 1.44) for those without natural teeth. Denture use was associated with lower risk of mortality (adjusted HR 0.81; 95% CI, 0.77 to 0.84). Subgroup analyses indicated that the benefit of denture use was greater in men than in women (P = 0.02) and tended to decrease with age (P < 0.001). The effects of denture use did not differ among various degrees of tooth loss (P = 0.17). CONCLUSIONS: Tooth loss was associated with an increased risk of mortality in older adults. Denture use provided a protective effect against death for all degrees of tooth loss however, this effect appeared to be modified by sex and age.

Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations Are Inversely Associated with All-Cause Mortality among a Prospective Cohort of Chinese Adults Aged ≥80 Years.

BACKGROUND: High concentrations of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], a marker of circulating vitamin D, have been associated with a lower risk of mortality in epidemiologic studies of multiple populations, but the association for Chinese adults aged ≥80 y (oldest old) remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association between plasma [25(OH)D] concentration and all-cause mortality among Chinese adults aged ≥80 y. DESIGN: The present study is a prospective cohort study of 2185 Chinese older adults (median age: 93 y). Prospective all-cause mortality data were analyzed for survival in relation to plasma 25(OH)D using Cox proportional hazards regression models, with adjustments for potential sociodemographic and lifestyle confounders and biomarkers. The associations were measured with HR and 95% CIs. RESULTS: The median plasma 25(OH)D concentration was 34.4 nmol/L at baseline. Over the 5466 person-year follow-up period, 1100 deaths were identified. Men and women were analyzed together as no effect modification by sex was found. After adjusting for multiple potential confounders, the risk of all-cause mortality decreased as the plasma 25(OH)D concentration increased (P-trend <0.01). Compared with the lowest age-specific quartile of plasma 25(OH)D, the adjusted HRs for mortality for the second, third, and fourth age-specific quartiles were 0.72 (95% CI: 0.57, 0.90), 0.73 (95% CI: 0.58, 0.93), and 0.61 (95% CI: 0.47, 0.81), respectively. The observed associations were broadly consistent across age and other subgroups. Sensitivity analyses generated similar results after excluding participants who died within 2 y of follow-up or after further adjustment for ethnicity and chronic diseases. CONCLUSIONS: A higher plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality among Chinese adults aged ≥80 y. This observed inverse association warrants further investigation in randomized controlled trials testing vitamin D supplementation in this age group.

Associations of plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentrations with all-cause and cause-specific mortality among middle-aged and elderly individuals.

BACKGROUND: The association of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) with mortality is controversial. We aimed to investigate the associations of hsCRP concentrations with the risks of all-cause and cause-specific mortality and identify potential modifying factors affecting these associations among middle-aged and elderly individuals. METHODS: This community-based prospective cohort study included 14,220 participants aged 50+ years (mean age: 64.9 years) from the Health and Retirement Study. Cox proportional hazard models were employed to estimate the associations between the hsCRP concentrations and the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality with adjustment for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, self-reported medical history, and other potential confounders. RESULTS: In total, 1730 all-cause deaths were recorded, including 725 cardiovascular- and 417 cancer-related deaths, after an 80,572 person-year follow-up (median: 6.4 years; range: 3.6-8.1 years). The comparisons of the groups with the highest (quartile 4) and lowest (quartile 1) hsCRP concentrations revealed that the adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were 1.50 (1.31-1.72) for all-cause mortality, 1.44 (1.13-1.82) for cardiovascular mortality, and 1.67 (1.23-2.26) for cancer mortality. The associations between high hsCRP concentrations and the risks of all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality were similar in the men and women (P for interaction > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among middle-aged and older individuals, elevated hsCRP concentration could increase the risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality in men and women.

Associations between superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde and all-cause mortality in older adults: a community-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress is an important theory of aging but population-based evidence has been lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between biomarkers of oxidative stress, including plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA), with all-cause mortality in older adults. METHODS: This is a community-based cohort study of 2224 participants (women:1227, median age: 86 years). We included individuals aged 65 or above and with plasma SOD activity and/or MDA tests at baseline. We evaluated the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by multivariable Cox models. RESULTS: We documented 858 deaths during six years of follow-up. There was a significant interaction effect of sex with the association between SOD activity and mortality (P < 0.001). Compared with the lowest quintile, the risk of all-cause mortality was inversely associated with increasing quintiles of plasma SOD activity in women(P-trend< 0.001), with adjusted HRs for the second through fifth quintiles of 0.73 (95% CI 0.53-1.02), 0.52(95% CI 0.38-0.72), 0.53(95% CI 0.39-0.73), and 0.48(95% CI 0.35-0.66). There were no significant associations between SOD activity and mortality in men (P-trend = 0.64), and between MDA and mortality in all participants (P-trend = 0.79). CONCLUSIONS: Increased activity of SOD was independently associated with lower all-cause mortality in older women but not in men. This epidemiological study lent support for the free radical/oxidative stress theory of aging.

Gender Differences in the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity, Associated Behaviors, and Weight-related Perceptions in a National Survey of Primary School Children in China.

OBJECTIVE: To in vestigate potential gender differences in the odds of overweight/obese, weight-related perceptions, and behaviors among Chinese school children. METHODS: Height, weight, and a survey of weight-related perceptions and behaviors were measured in a nationally representative survey of 12,811 children in primary schools in China. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess gender differences, adjusting for confounders. RESULTS: Boys had higher odds of being overweight/obese compared to girls within both urban [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.30, 95% CI 2.00 to 2.65] and rural areas (OR = 1.85, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.20). Girls reported healthier diets (e.g., daily vegetables OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.85) whereas boys consumed fried food (OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.38) and sugar-sweetened drinks more often (OR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.34 to 1.65). Gender differences included higher odds of boys perceiving themselves as overweight if they had more highly educated mothers (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.68), less educated fathers (OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.99), and if they frequently consumed carbonated drinks (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.05). CONCLUSION: Childhood obesity prevention in China should be gender-focused, particularly for boys who reported an unhealthier diet but were less likely to see they were fat, even though more boys were overweight or obese than girls.

[Expression of LOX in Colorectal Cancer Tissues and Its Relationship with Progress and Prognosis].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the expression of lysyl oxidase (LOX) in colorectal cancer and its relationship with clinicopathological characteristics, prognosis, and its progress. METHODS: 82 cases of colorectal tumor paraffin-embedded specimens and paired tumor-adjacent tissues were collected, and data of clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of these patients were also recorded from 2009.1 to 2010.5. Expressions of LOX, hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-7 were determined by immunohistochemistry. Then relationship between LOX and clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis was explored, and relationship between LOX and HIF-1α, MMP-2, MMP-7 were investigated. RESULTS: Expressions of LOX was stronger in tumors than in tumor-adjacent tissues (P<0.05). Cancer tissues with overexpressed LOX had later clinical stages, deeper tumor invasion, and more metastatic lymph nodes (all P<0.05). The result also showed that patients with overexpression of LOX had poorer prognosis, and overexpression of LOX was independent factor for prognosis in COX survival analysis. Expression of HIF-1α, MMP-2, MMP-7 in colorectal cancer was stronger than in tumor-adjacent tissues (P<0.05). Positive relationship was found between LOX and HIF-1α, MMP-2, MMP-7 proteins (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: LOX was overexpressed in colorectal cancer tissues, and was associated with the progression of colorectal cancer. LOX may be involved in the progress of colorectal cancer by regulating HIF-1α, MMP-2, MMP-7 protein expression.

The Status and Associated Factors of Successful Aging among Older Adults Residing in Longevity Areas in China.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the status of successful aging (SA) in longevity areas in China and explore multiple factors associated with SA among the young-old and oldest-old. METHODS: A total of 2296 elderly people aged 65 and older were interviewed in the longevity areas sub-sample of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) in 2012. Baseline assessments included a researcher-administered questionnaire, physical examination, and laboratory testing. A logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with SA. RESULTS: The prevalence of SA was 38.81% in the CLHLS in 2012. There were significant differences between ages groups, with SA compromising 56.85% among ⋝65 years group and 20.31% among ⋝100 years group (χ2trend=126.73, P<0.01). The prevalence of SA among females was 33.59%, which was significantly lower than that among males (45.58%) (χ2gender=33.65, P<0.05). In the regression analysis, having anemia (OR=0.744, 95% CI: 0.609-0.910), poor lifestyle (OR=0.697, 95% CI: 0.568-0.854), poor sleep quality (OR=0.558, 95% CI: 0.456-0.682), and central obesity (OR=0.684, 95% CI: 0.556-0.841) were the main factors associated with SA. The promoting SA rate decreased as age increased, and the group of 65-79 years had higher odds than the other age group. CONCLUSION: Preventing central obesity, improving sleep quality and promoting healthy lifestyle may contribute to achieve SA among the elderly.

Prevalence and Correlates of Elevated Blood Pressure in Chinese Children Aged 6-13 Years: a Nationwide School-Based Survey.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of elevated blood pressure (EBP) in Chinese children and identify individual and family factors associated with EBP. METHODS: A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted in 2010 using stratified cluster sampling. Participants' blood pressure was measured, and their parents completed a questionnaire on personal and family characteristics. Prevalence and correlates of EBP were assessed. RESULTS: Among a total of 24,333 participants, 20.2% of boys and 16.3% of girls had EBP. The prevalence of EBP increased with the ascending trend of waist circumference, Waist-to-height ratio, and body mass index. The adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) for obese boys and girls were 2.50 and 2.97, respectively. Fewer urban boys (16.2%) had EBP than rural boys (21.7%). Boys with a family history of hypertension were 12% more likely to have EBP. Children whose mothers received a college education tended to have lower likelihood of EBP; with an aPR was 0.85 among boys and 0.78 among girls. CONCLUSION: EBP is common among obese students and those who have a family history of hypertension. A negative association between mothers' education levels and EBP risk in children was found.

Inaccuracy of Self-reported Low Sodium Diet among Chinese: Findings from Baseline Survey for Shandong & Ministry of Health Action on Salt and Hypertension (SMASH) Project.

This study was aimed to evaluate the agreement between the self-reported sodium intake level and 24-h urine sodium excretion level in Chinese. The 24-h urine collection was conducted among 2112 adults aged 18-69 years randomly selected in Shandong Province, China. The subjects were asked whether their sodium intake was low, moderate, or high. The weighted kappa statistics was calculated to assess the agreement between 24-h urine sodium excretion level and self-reported sodium intake level. One third of the subjects reported low sodium intake level. About 70% of the subjects had mean 24-h sodium excretion>9 g/d, but reported low or moderate sodium intake. The agreement between self-reported sodium intake level and 24-h urine sodium excretion level was low in both normotensive subjects and hypertensive subjects. These findings suggested that many subjects who reported low sodium intake had actual urine sodium excretion>9 g/d. Sodium intake is often underestimated in both hypertensive and normotensive participants in China.

A tetramethylpyrazine piperazine derivate CXC137 prevents cell injury in SH-SY5Y cells and improves memory dysfunction of rats with vascular Dementia.

We investigated the effects of CXC137, a tetramethylpyrazine piperazine derivate, on cell damage induced by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) in human derived neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) and its effect on memory dysfunction of rats with vascular dementia. It was found that the presence of CXC137 increased SH-SY5Y cells viability by inhibition of cell apoptosis induced by NMDA. These effects of CXC137 were accompanied by increases of the antioxidant superoxide dismutase activity and the level of reduced glutathione, and a decrease of lipid peroxidation product, malondialdehyde. The presence of CXC137 also showed to produce strong inhibition of cellular lactate dehydrogenase leakage, cell apoptosis and intracellular calcium overload. In a vascular dementia rat model established by bilateral common carotid arteries occlusion, treatment with CXC137 from 2 to 35 day of post-operation significantly improves the motor performance, spatial learning and memory capability of rats in both the prehensile traction test and Morris water maze test, an effect that was companied by reductions of the animal glutamic acid levels and the degree of brain mitochondrial swelling. These results suggest that CXC137 can improve the memory dysfunction in dementia and thus has important therapeutic potential for the treatment of dementia.

[The relationship between socioeconomic status and overweight and obesity among elementary school children in China].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and overweight and obesity among elementary school children. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September to November, 2010. A stratified random cluster sampling was used from sampling frame of eight provinces by the geographical and economic development distributions in mainland China. A total of 19 934 students aged 7-12 years old participated in this study. All subjects were evaluated the status of overweight and obesity. Green's scoring SES was used to evaluate the SES of the participants. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between SES and overweight and obesity among children. RESULTS: According to the scores of Green's SES, the participants' SES were divided into three levels, the prevalence of overweight were 7.4% (538/7295), 9.3% (560/6013) and 12.6% (832/6626), and the prevalence of obesity were 4.4% (321/7295) , 6.4% (387/6013) and 10.2% (677/6626) from low to high SES level, respectively (χ(2) value were 133.82, 180.27, respectively, P < 0.01). After adjusted by age, urban and rural and economic regions, compared with the participants with low SES, the OR (95%CI) of having overweight and obesity among participants with high SES were 1.83(1.61-2.08) for boys and 1.67(1.42-2.00) for girls; the OR (95%CI) with middle SES were 1.30(1.15-1.48) for boys and 1.23(1.04-1.46) for girls. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of overweight and obesity rises with the family's SES levels. There was a positive correlation between SES and overweight and obesity among school-aged children.

The Proteome Landscape of Human Placentas for Monochorionic Twins with Selective Intrauterine Growth Restriction.

In perinatal medicine, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is one of the greatest challenges. The etiology of IUGR is multifactorial, but most cases are thought to arise from placental insufficiency. However, identifying the placental cause of IUGR can be difficult due to numerous confounding factors. Selective IUGR (sIUGR) would be a good model to investigate how impaired placentation affects fetal development, as the growth discordance between monochorionic twins cannot be explained by confounding genetic or maternal factors. Herein, we constructed and analyzed the placental proteomic profiles of IUGR twins and normal cotwins. Specifically, we identified a total of 5481 proteins, of which 233 were differentially expressed (57 up-regulated and 176 down-regulated) in IUGR twins. Bioinformatics analysis indicates that these differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) are mainly associated with cardiovascular system development and function, organismal survival, and organismal development. Notably, 34 DEPs are significantly enriched in angiogenesis, and diminished placental angiogenesis in IUGR twins has been further elaborately confirmed. Moreover, we found decreased expression of metadherin (MTDH) in the placentas of IUGR twins and demonstrated that MTDH contributes to placental angiogenesis and fetal growth in vitro. Collectively, our findings reveal the comprehensive proteomic signatures of placentas for sIUGR twins, and the DEPs identified may provide in-depth insights into the pathogenesis of placental dysfunction and subsequent impaired fetal growth.