Stronger Associations of Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference with Diabetes than Waist-Height Ratio and Triglyceride Glucose Index in the Middle-Aged and Elderly Population: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: It remains controversial whether body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), or triglyceride glucose (TyG) index has a stronger association with diabetes. The aims of the study were to compare the magnitude of associations of four indicators with diabetes risk. Methods: Data collected from annual health examination dataset in the Xinzheng during 2011 and 2019. A total of 41,242 participants aged ≥ 45 years were included in this study. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to examine associations between the four indicators and diabetes risk. Results: After 205,770 person-years of follow up, diabetes developed in 2,472 subjects. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of diabetes (highest vs reference group) were 1.92 (1.71-2.16) for BMI, 1.99 (1.78-2.23) for WC, 1.65 (1.47-1.86) for WHtR, and 1.66 (1.47-1.87) for TyG, respectively. In addition, the risk of diabetes increased with baseline BMI (HR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.25, 1.35) and TyG (HR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.20, 1.30), but the lowest HR was 0.78 (95% CI 0.65-0.92) when WC was approximately 72 cm, and 0.85 (95% CI 0.72-0.99) when WHtR was approximately 0.47 in women. In joint analyses, the highest risk was observed in participants with a high BMI combined with a high WC (HR: 2.26; 95% CI: 1.98, 2.58). Conclusions: In middle-aged and elderly Chinese population, BMI and WC were more strongly associated with diabetes than WHtR or TyG, especially the combined effect of BMI and WC.

Surface soil metal elements variability affected by environmental and soil properties.

Identifying the factors controlling the spatial variability of soil metal elements could be a challenge task due to the interaction of environmental attributes and human activities. This study aimed to investigate the critical explanatory variables controlling total Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Mg, Pb, and Zn variations in the arable topsoil using classical statistics, principal component analysis, and random forest techniques. The work was conducted in the core region of the Three Gorges Reservoir of China. The explanatory variables included soil, topography, climate, vegetation, land use type, and distance-related parameters. Average concentrations of the metal elements were in order of Fe > Mg > Ca > Mn > Zn > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cu > Cd. Soil Cr, Fe, and Pb showed low variability while others presented medium variability. Average concentrations of Cr, Fe, Cd, and Mg exceeded their corresponding background values. There were highly positive correlations between all metal elements except Pb, Cd and Cr. The principal component analysis further demonstrated that the sources of Pb, Cd, and Cr differed with other elements. The results of random forest suggested that soil properties followed by topography were critical parameters affecting the variations of Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn, and Cu. Agricultural activities and soil properties were major factors controlling the variations of Pb, Cr, and Cd. Further study should be conducted to understand the relations between the metal elements and soil properties.

Long-term solid fuel use and risks of major eye diseases in China: A population-based cohort study of 486,532 adults.

BACKGROUND: Over 3.5 billion individuals worldwide are exposed to household air pollution from solid fuel use. There is limited evidence from cohort studies on associations of solid fuel use with risks of major eye diseases, which cause substantial disease and economic burden globally. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The China Kadoorie Biobank recruited 512,715 adults aged 30 to 79 years from 10 areas across China during 2004 to 2008. Cooking frequency and primary fuel types in the 3 most recent residences were assessed by a questionnaire. During median (IQR) 10.1 (9.2 to 11.1) years of follow-up, electronic linkages to national health insurance databases identified 4,877 incident conjunctiva disorders, 13,408 cataracts, 1,583 disorders of sclera, cornea, iris, and ciliary body (DSCIC), and 1,534 cases of glaucoma. Logistic regression yielded odds ratios (ORs) for each disease associated with long-term use of solid fuels (i.e., coal or wood) compared to clean fuels (i.e., gas or electricity) for cooking, with adjustment for age at baseline, birth cohort, sex, study area, education, occupation, alcohol intake, smoking, environmental tobacco smoke, cookstove ventilation, heating fuel exposure, body mass index, prevalent diabetes, self-reported general health, and length of recall period. After excluding participants with missing or unreliable exposure data, 486,532 participants (mean baseline age 52.0 [SD 10.7] years; 59.1% women) were analysed. Overall, 71% of participants cooked regularly throughout the recall period, of whom 48% used solid fuels consistently. Compared with clean fuel users, solid fuel users had adjusted ORs of 1.32 (1.07 to 1.37, p < 0.001) for conjunctiva disorders, 1.17 (1.08 to 1.26, p < 0.001) for cataracts, 1.35 (1.10 to 1.66, p = 0.0046) for DSCIC, and 0.95 (0.76 to 1.18, p = 0.62) for glaucoma. Switching from solid to clean fuels was associated with smaller elevated risks (over long-term clean fuel users) than nonswitching, with adjusted ORs of 1.21 (1.07 to 1.37, p < 0.001), 1.05 (0.98 to 1.12, p = 0.17), and 1.21 (0.97 to 1.50, p = 0.088) for conjunctiva disorders, cataracts, and DSCIC, respectively. The adjusted ORs for the eye diseases were broadly similar in solid fuel users regardless of ventilation status. The main limitations of this study include the lack of baseline eye disease assessment, the use of self-reported cooking frequency and fuel types for exposure assessment, the risk of bias from delayed diagnosis (particularly for cataracts), and potential residual confounding from unmeasured factors (e.g., sunlight exposure). CONCLUSIONS: Among Chinese adults, long-term solid fuel use for cooking was associated with higher risks of not only conjunctiva disorders but also cataracts and other more severe eye diseases. Switching to clean fuels appeared to mitigate the risks, underscoring the global health importance of promoting universal access to clean fuels.

[Characteristics of Cadmium Enrichment and Pollution Evaluation of a Soil-Crop System in a Typical Karst Area].

In order to study the characteristics and factors influencing Cd accumulation in surface soils and crops in karst areas, and to provide a theoretical basis for safe land use, 360 surface soil samples, 7 deep soil samples, and 85 rice samples were collected from central Qianjiang District, Chongqing. The samples and 73 corn samples (corresponding to root-zone soil samples), were analysed to determine the content of Cd, TFe2 O3, Mn, organic matter (Corg), Se, and pH. Based on geostatistical analyses, the spatial distribution and Cd enrichment of the surface soils were determined and a safety evaluation for the soil and crops was carried out. The results showed that the spatial distribution of Cd in the surface soil was uneven, with the surface layer showing significant enrichment. This pattern was controlled by the soil parent material and human activities. The enrichment of surface layer was mainly affected by iron manganese oxides and organic matter (Corg). Soil Cd was mainly found at 'non-polluted' and 'lightly polluted' levels, although some areas present strong ecological risks. The main contaminated area occurs in association with Permian strata, demonstrating a geological control on soil Cd pollution. Slight-to-severe Cd pollution was identified in bulk crops; the recommended daily consumption limit for rice is 0.87 kg·d-1 and corn is 1.53 kg·d-1. The bioavailability of Cd is affected by soil pH and Se content. Under acidic conditions, Cd bioavailability is high, and crops in areas with high soil Se are safer. It is recommended that crops with low Cd accumulation are planted in the Permian outcrop area of Shuitian Township, or alternatively, soil pH should be adjusted to control the risk of Cd pollution and ensure safe land use. In addition, planting crops in areas with high soil Se content is preferable.

Potential ecological and health risk assessment of different kiwifruit orchards in Qianjiang district, Chongqing city, China.

Heavy metal (HM) pollution in orchards is becoming serious in many countries, and some fruit HMs exceed the safety limits. In this study, contents of 8 HMs (Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn) in 5 kiwifruit orchard soils and the tissues (roots, twigs, leaves, fruits) of 4 kiwifruit varieties collected from Qianjiang district, Chongqing city, China, were determined. Seven HMs could meet priority protection class I, except for Cd with slightly poor environmental quality, including 4% and 53% of the samples belonging to the strict control class III and safe utilization class II, respectively. The potential ecological risk index (235.30) indicated that the HMs in the orchard soil were of medium potential ecological risk. The HMs' migration from rock to soil was very obvious. Kiwifruit was easy to accumulate Cu from soil and it had high Zn and Ni translocations to above-ground parts from roots. Compared with other tissues, HMs' concentrations in fruits were the lowest. From the perspective of human health, about 8.3% and 0.83% of the fruit samples for Cr and Cu exceeded the national maximum permissible levels, respectively; fortunately, the health risk index (HRI) values for all the fruit samples were within the safe limits.

[Distribution Characteristics of Selenium in a Soil-Crop System and the Threshold of Selenium-Rich Soils].

In order to determine the distribution characteristics of Se in soil-crop systems, we carried out a study on the Se-rich soil threshold by collecting 8789 surface soils and 155 deep soils in the Qianjiang District of Chongqing City, China, and 141 corn seeds and 159 rice seeds (simultaneously collecting 141 and 159 corresponding root soil samples, respectively). We then analyzed the Se content, organic matter, S, Mn, TFe2O3, Al2O3, and K2O in soils and crops, and soil pH. We also analyzed the surface layer using geostatistical methods and the distribution characteristics of Se in deep soils using multiple regression analysis to study the factors influencing the bioavailability of Se. Based on the contents of each component of root soil and the Se contents of crops, the Se rich threshold was examined. The results showed that the high-Se soils in the study area account for 32.72% of the total area; the distribution of Se contents in the surface and deep soils is mainly controlled by the parent material, the source of soil Se is stable, and the surface enrichment is obvious. The Se-rich rates of corn and rice were 75.35% and 46.81%, respectively, and soil organic matter and S content will limit the bioavailability of Se. If the planted crop is corn, it is recommended to use 0.3 mg·kg-1 as the Se-rich soil threshold; if the planted crop is rice, when the soil pH is ≤ 7.5, it is recommended to use 0.3 mg·kg-1 as the Se-rich soil threshold, while at a soil pH>7.5, it is recommended to use 0.4 mg·kg-1 as the threshold. Similarly, if other large crops are planted in the study area, this method can also be used to carry out a study on the proposed Se-rich soil threshold.

[Assessment and Source Analysis of Heavy Metal Pollution in Farmland Soils in Southern Youyang County, Chongqing].

To investigate the impact of mining activities and geological background on the soil environment, 156 soil samples were collected from an agricultural land in southern Youyang County, Chongqing. The content and pH of heavy metals in the soil were analyzed, and the Nemerow index method was used to evaluate the pollution status of soil heavy metals. The source of soil heavy metals was discussed using the principal component analysis/absolute principal component score (PCA/APCS) receptor model. The results showed that the soil Cd pollution was distributed in a planar shape, while soil Hg mainly appeared as point pollution. The medium-severe soil pollution was mainly distributed at the junction of Tushi Town, Mawang Town, and Longtan Town, where the soil was predominantly acidic and there was a higher risk of crop contamination; the indicator Kriging evaluation results showed that there was a higher probability of soil contamination at the junction of the three towns and the northern part of Tushi Township. The results of the PCA/APCS receptor model analysis showed that the sources of soil As, Cd, Cr, and Ni were mainly controlled by geological background; soil Hg, Pb, and Zn were mainly controlled by mining activities; further, soil Cu was affected by both geological background and mining activities. In addition, the agricultural activities were also one of the sources of soil As, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn. The medium-heavy pollution of the soil in the study area was mainly caused by mining activities, while the heavy metal pollution of the soil caused by geological background was mainly light pollution. This study can provide a theoretical basis for the safe use of land and the prevention and control of soil pollution in typical regions.