Prevalences of metabolic syndrome and its sex-specific association with socioeconomic status in rural China: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have reported the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and examined relationships between socioeconomic status and MS in rural China. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of MS and MS components as well as their associations with socioeconomic status among rural Chinese adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 26,836 participants aged 20 years and older was conducted from June to December 2012 in Yuhuan City, Zhejiang Province, China, which is located on Yuhuan Island. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify risk factors for MS and their possible interactions. RESULTS: Among 26,836 subjects with an average age of 53.4 ± 14.0 years, 59% were female. The overall prevalence of MS was 20.5%, and there was a significant sex difference in the prevalence (15.1% for males vs. 24.2% for females, P < 0.001). Compared with males, females also showed a significantly higher proportion of most MS components. A significantly higher prevalence of MS was found among subjects who were elderly, had a lower income level, had a lower level of education, or were unemployed. Multiple significant interactions were observed between the prevalence of MS and sex, age or socioeconomic status (P < 0.001). The risk of MS increased significantly with age in females but not in males. Additionally, a lower income level and a lower level of education were significantly related to an increased risk only in females, and unemployed males had a higher risk of MS than unemployed females. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of MS and its components was relatively high in a rural island Chinese population with rapid urbanization, and sex-specific associations between socioeconomic factors and MS were found. Targeted preventive interventions should be developed and implemented to prevent and control MS among those with low socioeconomic status, especially females.

Twist-mediated PAR1 induction is required for breast cancer progression and metastasis by inhibiting Hippo pathway.

Breast cancer is considered to be the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide, and metastasis is the primary cause of death. Protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1) is a GPCR family member involved in the invasive and metastatic processes of cancer cells. However, the functions and underlying mechanisms of PAR1 in breast cancer remain unclear. In this study, we found that PAR1 is highly expressed in high invasive breast cancer cells, and predicts poor prognosis in ER-negative and high-grade breast cancer patients. Mechanistically, Twist transcriptionally induces PAR1 expression, leading to inhibition of Hippo pathway and activation of YAP/TAZ; Inhibition of PAR1 suppresses YAP/TAZ-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, migration, cancer stem cell (CSC)-like properties, tumor growth and metastasis of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggest that PAR1 acts as a direct transcriptionally target of Twist, can promote EMT, tumorigenicity and metastasis by controlling the Hippo pathway; this may lead to a potential therapeutic target for treating invasive breast cancer.

A U-shaped Association of Breastfeeding Duration with Cognitive Impairment in Chinese Postmenopausal Women.

Breastfeeding is related to maternal health. However, the association of women's breastfeeding duration with cognitive function in their later life is limited and inconsistent. The aim of this study was to accurately evaluate the association in Chinese postmenopausal women. We analyzed the data from Zhejiang Ageing and Health Cohort Study including 5487 postmenopausal women. Cognitive impairment was assessed via the Mini-Mental State Examination. Data on breastfeeding duration was collected in the reproductive history section within the questionnaire. Generalized additive models (GAMs) and logistic regression models, controlled for an extensive range of potential confounders, were generated to examine the associations. A U-shaped association was identified between breastfeeding duration and cognitive impairment based on GAM. The nadir with lowest odds of cognitive impairment was ascertained by quadratic model as 12 months. The logistic models showed that compared with women breastfeeding 12 months per child, the fully adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were 1.50 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.20-1.88), 1.58 (95% CI: 1.29-1.93), 1.33 (95% CI: 1.06-1.68), 2.08 (95% CI: 1.64-2.65) for those averagely breastfeeding <6, 6-<12,>12-18,>18 months, respectively. Furthermore, we did not observe significant effect modification of the association. Future longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the association.

Horizontal Gene Transfer of Short-Chain Dehydrogenase Coding Genes Contribute to the Biofilm Formation and Pathogenicity on Mycobacterium grossiae sp. nov. PB739T (=DSM 104744T).

Mycobacterium grossiae sp. nov. of type strain PB739T is a Gram-positive acid-alcohol-fast rod-shaped bacterium, which was recently isolated from a 76-year-old male who suffered from a 1-year history of hemoptysis. This strain was described as novel species in Mycobacterium genus. In this study, its genome was completely sequenced by PacBio technology, analyzed, and compared with other selected complete genome sequences of Mycobacterium to elucidate the distinct pathogenic features of the strain. The genomic analysis revealed that the genome of PB739T consists of one circular DNA chromosome of 5,637,923 bp with a GC content of 70.48% and one plasmid of 43,679 bp with a GC content of 66.24%. The entire genome contains 5434 predicted coding genes, 48 tRNAs, and 6 rRNA genes. Genome and comparative genomics against M. grossiae SCH identified three tandem short-chain dehydrogenase (SDR) genes which only exist in PB739T. These three tandem SDR genes locate in a Genomic island which was identified by Island Viewer. These SDR genes were predicted to be horizontally transferred from a Streptomyces ancestor based on phylogeny. Analysis of the mutant ΔSDR confirmed the relationship between these tandem genes with biofilm and pathogenicity. This report will provide us with an extended understanding of M. grossiae at the genomic level and would be helpful for understanding the evolution of Mycobacterium genus.

Body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio and cognitive function among Chinese elderly: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the associations between body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and cognitive function among Chinese elderly. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Data were obtained from the baseline survey of a community-based cohort in Zhejiang Province, and 9326 persons aged 60 years and older were enrolled. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: We investigated the association between BMI and cognition, and then explored the association between WHR and cognition across different quartiles of BMI. RESULTS: A sample of 9087 persons was used in this study, including 4375 men and 4712 women. Higher WHR increased cognitive impairment risk in those with BMI >25.3 kg/m2 (OR (per 0.1 increase) 1.39; 95% CI 1.13 to 1.70). No statistically significant association was found in other BMI categories. CONCLUSIONS: Higher WHR could increase the risk of cognitive impairment among elderly with BMI >25.3 kg/m2. Our results suggest that it could be of benefit to the elderly with high BMI to control WHR.

UCP2 and UCP3 variants and gene-environment interaction associated with prediabetes and T2DM in a rural population: a case control study in China.

BACKGROUND: There are disparities for the association between uncoupling proteins (UCP) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The study was to examine the associations of genetic variants of UCP2 and UCP3 with prediabetes and T2DM in a rural Chinese population. METHODS: A population-based case-control study of 397 adults with T2DM, 394 with prediabetes and 409 with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) was carried out in 2014 in a rural community in eastern China. Three groups were identified through a community survey and the prediabetes and NGT groups were frequently matched by age and gender with the T2DM group and they were not relatives of T2DM subjects. With r2 ≥ 0.8 and minor allele frequency (MAF) ≥0.05 for tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with potential function, three (rs660339, rs45560234 and rs643064) and six (rs7930460, rs15763, rs647126, rs1800849, rs3781907 and rs1685356) SNPs were selected respectively for UCP2 and UCP3 and genotyped in real time using the MassARRAY system (Sequenom; USA). The haplotypes, gene-environmental interaction and association between genetic variants of UCP2 and UCP3 and prediabetes or T2DM were explored. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age and sex among three study groups. After the adjustment for possible covariates, the A allele of rs1800849 in UCP3 was significantly associated with prediabetes (aORAA vs GG = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.02-2.78), and the association was also significant under the recessive model (aOR AA vs GA + GG = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.02-2.66). Also, rs15763 was found to be marginally significantly associated with T2DM under dominant model (ORGA + AA vs GG = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.52-1.03, P = 0.072). No haplotype was significantly associated with prediabetes or T2DM. Multiplicative interactions for rs660339-overweight on T2DM were observed. In addition, the AA genotype of rs660339 was associated with an increased risk of T2DM in overweight subjects (OR = 1.48, 95%CI: 0.87-2.52) but with a decreased risk in those with normal weight (OR = 0.54, 95%CI: 0.28-1.05). CONCLUSIONS: Rs1800849 in UCP3 was significantly associated with prediabetes. Overweight might modify the effects of rs660339 of UCP2 on T2DM.

Doxorubicin-loaded redox-responsive micelles based on dextran and indomethacin for resistant breast cancer.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) against chemotherapeutic agents has become one of the major obstacles to successful cancer therapy and MDR-associated proteins (MRPs)-mediated drug efflux is the key factor for MDR. In this study, a redox-responsive polymer based on dextran (DEX) and indomethacin (IND), which could reduce MRPs-mediated efflux of chemotherapeutics, was synthesized, and the obtained polymer could spontaneously form stable micelles with well-defined core-shell structure and a uniform size distribution with an average diameter of 50 nm and effectively encapsulate doxorubicin (DOX); the micelles contain a disulfide bridge (cystamine, SS) between IND and DEX (DEX-SS-IND). In vitro drug release results indicated that DEX-SS-IND/DOX micelles could maintain good stability in a stimulated normal physiological environment and promptly depolymerized and released DOX in a reducing environment. After incubating DEX-SS-IND/DOX micelles with drug-resistant tumor (MCF-7/ADR) cells, the intracellular accumulation and retention of DOX were significantly increased under the synergistic effects of redox-responsive delivery and the inhibitory effect of IND on MRPs. In vitro cytotoxicity showed that DEX-SS-IND/DOX micelles exhibited higher cytotoxicity against MCF-7/ADR cells. Moreover, DEX-SS-IND/DOX micelles showed significantly enhanced inhibition of tumor in BALB/c nude mice bearing MCF-7/ADR tumors and reduced systemic toxicity. Overall, the cumulative evidence indicates that DEX-SS-IND/DOX micelles hold significant promise for overcoming MDR for cancer therapy.

Diversity, evolution and population dynamics of avian influenza viruses circulating in the live poultry markets in China.

Live poultry markets (LPMs) are an important source of novel avian influenza viruses (AIV). During 2015-2016 we surveyed AIV diversity in ten LPMs in Hubei, Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces, China. A high diversity and prevalence of AIVs (totaling 12 subtypes) was observed in LPMs in these provinces. Strikingly, however, the subtypes discovered during 2015-2016 were markedly different to those reported by us in these same localities one year previously, suggesting a dynamic shift in viral genetic diversity over the course of a single year. Phylogenetic analyses revealed frequent reassortment, including between high and low pathogenic AIV subtypes and among those that circulate in domestic and wild birds. Notably, the novel H5N6 reassortant virus, which contains a set of H9N2-like internal genes, was prevalent in all three regions surveyed. Overall, these data highlight the profound changes in genetic diversity and in patterns of reassortment in those AIVs that circulate in LPMs.

[Related factors for early-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus of rural adults in Yuhuan County of Zhejiang Province in 2012].

OBJECTIVE: To explore related factors for early-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus( EOD) in rural Chinese adults. METHODS: Totally, 1695 newly diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus( T2DM) were recruited from baseline survey of Yuhuan Rural Adults Cohort for Diabetes during June to December 2012 in Yuhuan County, Zhejiang Province, China, and divided into EOD or late-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus( LOD) with their diagnosis age at ≤ 40 or > 40 years, respectively. Diagnosis age was compared among different characteristics. Logistic regression was used to analyze related factors in EOD. RESULTS: Among 1695 new T2 DM cases, near half( 47. 3%) were men and 85( 5. 0%) were grouped into EOD. Their mean age at diagnosis of T2 DM was( 60. 39 ±12. 49) years overall. Men or those with more than 9 education years, family average personal income ≥2000 Yuan per month, less occupational physical activities, smoking, drinking, overweight and family history of T2 DM had lower average age at diagnosis than women or those without them, while those with regular physical exercise had higher that than those without that. After the adjustment for other covariates, multiple logistic regression showed that more than 9 education years( OR = 6. 62, 95% CI 3. 87-11. 32), family average personal income ≥2000 Yuan per month( OR = 6. 60, 95% CI 3. 32-13. 12), and regular physical exercise( OR = 0. 37, 95% CI 0. 17-0. 80) were independently correlated to EOD. CONCLUSION: Education level, income, and regular exercise are significantly correlated to EOD in rural Chinese adults.

Anti-cancer effects of curcumin on lung cancer through the inhibition of EZH2 and NOTCH1.

Curcumin is potentially therapeutic for malignant diseases. The mechanisms of this effect might involve a combination of antioxidant, immunomodulatory, proapoptotic, and antiangiogenic activities. However, the exact mechanisms are not fully understood. In the present study, we provided evidences that curcumin suppressed the expression of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) in lung cancer cells both transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally. Curcumin inhibited the expression of EZH2 through microRNA (miR)-let 7c and miR-101. Curcumin decreased the expression of NOTCH1 through the inhibition of EZH2. There was a reciprocal regulation between EZH2 and NOTCH1 in lung cancer cells. These observations suggest that curcumin inhibits lung cancer growth and metastasis at least partly through the inhibition of EZH2 and NOTCH1.

Twist-mediated Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition Promotes Breast Tumor Cell Invasion via Inhibition of Hippo Pathway.

Twist is a key transcription factor for Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is a cellular de-differentiation program that promotes invasion and metastasis, confers tumor cells with cancer stem cell (CSC)-like characteristics, and increases therapeutic resistance. However, the mechanisms that facilitate the functions of Twist remain unclear. Here we report that Twist overexpression increased expression of PAR1, an upstream regulator of the Hippo pathway; PAR1 promotes invasion, migration, and CSC-like properties in breast cancer by activating the transcriptional co-activator TAZ. Our study indicates that Hippo pathway inhibition is required for the increased migratory and invasiveness ability of breast cancer cells in Twist-mediated EMT.

[Repeated cross-sectional studies on urinary iodine and iodine content of salt among school-aged children from 2012 to 2014 in Yuhuan County, Zhejiang Province].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the iodine status and its change among school-aged children in their morning urine and eating salt from 2012 to 2014 in Yuhuan County, Zhejiang Province, China. METHODS: Three repeated cross-sectional studies were carried out at a same primary school in 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. Three classes were randomly selected from each of 3 to 5 grade by the cluster-stratified sampling every year. Totally, 1343 out of 1350 eligible children aged 8 to 10 years old were involved into this study. Their morning urine and salt eating at home were collected and tested. RESULTS: The overall median of urine iodine was 116.0 µg/L, and no significant change was found over year. The overall proportions of subjects with urine iodine < 50 µg/L, < 100 µg/L, and ≥ 300 µg/L were 4.8%, 38.6% and 3.5%, respectively, and there were little differences over year, gender and grade of children. An overall median of iodine from 1343 salt samples was 0.0 mg/kg and no year difference was statistically observed. The proportions of subjects consumed iodized salt significantly decreased from 25.1% in 2012 to 21.8% in 2013 and to 14.2% in 2014. There was a significant difference in urine iodine between subjects taken iodized salt or not and also a weak positive correlation between salt iodine and urine iodine. CONCLUSION: The nutritional status of iodine is overall stable, proper and safety in recent 3 years among school children in Yuhuan County. The coverage rate of iodized salt is very low.

Diversity and evolution of avian influenza viruses in live poultry markets, free-range poultry and wild wetland birds in China.

The wide circulation of novel avian influenza viruses (AIVs) highlights the risk of pandemic influenza emergence in China. To investigate the prevalence and genetic diversity of AIVs in different ecological contexts, we surveyed AIVs in live poultry markets (LPMs), free-range poultry and the wetland habitats of wild birds in Zhejiang and Hubei provinces. Notably, LPMs contained the highest frequency of AIV infection, and the greatest number of subtypes (n = 9) and subtype co-infections (n = 14), as well as frequent reassortment, suggesting that they play an active role in fuelling AIV transmission. AIV-positive samples were also identified in wild birds in both provinces and free-range poultry in one sampling site close to a wetland region in Hubei. H9N2, H7N9 and H5N1 were the most commonly sampled subtypes in the LPMs from Zhejiang, whilst H5N6 and H9N2 were the dominant subtypes in the LPMs from Hubei. Phylogenetic analyses of the whole-genome sequences of 43 AIVs revealed that three reassortant H5 subtypes were circulating in LMPs in both geographical regions. Notably, the viruses sampled from the wetland regions and free-range poultry contained complex reassortants, for which the origins of some segments were unclear. Overall, our study highlights the extent of AIV genetic diversity in two highly populated parts of central and south-eastern China, particularly in LPMs, and emphasizes the need for continual surveillance.

Evidence for transcriptional interference in a dual-luciferase reporter system.

The dual-luciferase reporter assay is widely used for microRNA target identification and the functional validation of predicted targets. To determine whether curcumin regulates expression of the histone methyltransferase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) by targeting its 3'untranslated region (3'UTR), two luciferase reporter systems containing exactly the same sequence of the EZH2 3'UTR were used to perform dual-luciferase reporter assays. Surprisingly, there were certain discrepancies between the luciferase activities derived from these two reporter constructs. We normalized luciferase activity to an internal control to determine the amount of the reporter construct successfully transfected into cells, induced a transcriptional block with flavopiridol, quantified renilla luciferase mRNA levels, and compared the absolute luciferase activity among the different groups. The results suggested that curcumin promoted the transcription of the luciferase genes located downstream of the simian vacuolating virus 40 (SV40) early enhancer/promoter, but not those located downstream of the human cytomegalovirus (CMV) immediate-early or the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) promoters. These results explain the discrepancies between the two luciferase reporter systems. The current study underscores the importance of taking caution when interpreting the results of dual-luciferase reporter assays and provides strategies to overcome the potential pitfall accompanying dual-luciferase reporter systems.

Tea Consumption and Cognitive Impairment: A Cross-Sectional Study among Chinese Elderly.

BACKGROUND: Laboratorial and epidemiological researches suggested that tea exhibited potential neuroprotective effect which may prevent cognitive impairment, but there were few data among the elderly aged 60 years and above in China. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to explore the relationship between characteristics of tea consumption and cognitive impairment. DESIGN: We analyzed the baseline data from Zhejiang Major Public Health Surveillance Program (ZPHS) which was conducted in 2014. Totally 9,375 residents aged 60 years and above were recruited in this study. Face-to-face interview based on a self-developed questionnaire was performed for each participant. Detailed tea consumption habits were included in the questionnaire. Cognitive impairment screening was performed by using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Education-specific cut-off points for Chinese were applied to determine the status of cognitive impairment. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) of cognitive impairment associated with tea consumption. RESULTS: The means (SD) of MMSE scores for the subjects who did not consume tea and consumed <2 cups/d, 2-4 cups/d, ≥4 cups/d were 23.3 (SD = 5.61), 23.8 (SD = 5.60), 24.5 (SD = 5.63) and 25.0 (SD = 5.08), respectively. An inverse correlation was found between tea consumption (of all types) and prevalence of cognitive impairment. Volume of tea consumption was significantly associated with cognitive impairment: compared with non-consumption participants, those who consumed < 2 cups/d, 2-4 cups/d, and ≥4 cups/d were observed ORs of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.56, 1.07), 0.62 (95% CI: 0.47, 0.81), and 0.49 (95% CI: 0.36, 0.66), respectively. Compared with non-consumption, black tea presented a positive correlation with cognitive function after controlling for potential confounders (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.28, 0.95), while green tea showed no significant difference (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.72, 1.51). Participants who consumed weak tea, moderate tea or strong tea more often were observed a better cognitive status when compared with those who did not have tea, with an OR of 0.51 (95% CI: 0.28, 0.92), 0.32 (95% CI: 0.19, 0.56) and 0.42 (95% CI: 0.22, 0.78) after adjusting for the potential confounders. But there was no statistically significant difference between any two of these ORs. CONCLUSION: Black tea consumption was association with better cognitive performance among the elderly aged 60 years and above in China, while green tea presented no correlation. The positive association of cognitive status with tea consumption was not limited to particular type of concentration.

Myricanol induces apoptotic cell death and anti-tumor activity in non-small cell lung carcinoma in vivo.

This study explored the inhibiting effect and mechanism of myricanol on lung adenocarcinoma A549 xenografts in nude mice. Forty nude mice with subcutaneous A549 xenografts were randomly divided into five groups: high-dose myricanol (40 mg/kg body weight) group; middle-dose myricanol (20 mg/kg body weight) group; low-dose myricanol (10 mg/kg body weight) group; polyethylene glycol 400 vehicle group (1 mL/kg); and tumor model group. Nude mice were sacrificed after 14 days of treatment and the tumor inhibition rate (TIR, %) was then calculated. The relative mRNA expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, VEGF, HIF-1α, and survivin in the tumor tissues were determined by real-time PCR. TUNEL assay was applied to determine cellular apoptosis, while IHC test was performed to detect the protein expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, VEGF, HIF-1α, and survivin. The TIR of the three myricanol-treated groups ranged from 14.9% to 38.5%. The IHC results showed that the protein expression of Bcl-2, VEGF, HIF-1α, and survivin were consistently downregulated, whereas that of Bax was upregulated after myricanol treatment. Myricanol also significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of Bax and downregulated that of Bcl-2, VEGF, HIF-1α, and survivin in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05 to 0.001). These results are consistent with those of IHC. The TUNEL assay results indicated that apoptotic-positive cells significantly increased in the myricanol-treated tumor tissues compared with the cells of the vehicle control group (p < 0.01 to 0.001). These data suggest that myricanol could significantly decelerate tumor growth in vivo by inducing apoptosis.

[Role of insulin resistance and ß cell function in the development of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the possible role of insulin resistance (IR) and ß cell function in the pathophysiology of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics (T2DM). METHODS: An oral glucose tolerance test was obtained at the health cohort baseline. Subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT, n = 269), impaired glucose regulation (IGR, n = 269) and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics (T2DM, n = 269) were defined by ADA criteria. Subjects with NGT and IGR were selected from residents living in the same community of diabetic patients with the same gender and age (± 3 years old). The T2DM group was sub-classified as isolated fasting hyperglycemia (IFH), isolated post-challenge hyperglycemia (IPH) and combined hyperglycemia (CH). The IGR group was sub-classified as impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and combined glucose intolerance (CGI). Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), ß cell function (HOMA-ß) and deposition index (DI) were to evaluate the insulin resistance or sensitivity, islet ß cell function and that when insulin compensated respectively. RESULTS: From NGT to T2DM, HOMA-IR increased while HOMA-ß and DI decreased significantly (P < 0.05). After the adjustment of age, gender, obesity and hypertension, IFG and CGI subgroup had statistically higher HOMA-IR and lower HOMA-ß and DI, and IGT subgroup only had lower HOMA-ß and DI than NGT subgroup (P < 0.05). Compared to IGT subgroup, IFG and CGI subgroup had significantly higher HOMA-IR and lower HOMA-ß and DI (P < 0.05). IFH and CH subgroup had statistically higher HOMA-IR and lower HOMA-ß and DI than IFH subgroup (P < 0.05), DI of CH subgroup significantly decreased than that of IPH subgroup (P < 0.05). IFH and CH subgroup had statistically higher HOMA-IR and lower HOMA-ß and DI than IFG and CGI subgroup respectively. HOMA-ß and DI decreased of IPH subgroup compared to IGT subgroup, and multiple linear regression analysis showed that HOMA-IR had significant influence on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in NGT (P < 0.05), whereas two-hour plasma glucose and FPG were influenced by DI (P < 0.05) in the progression. CONCLUSIONS: Both basic ß cell dysfunction and IR exist in IFG and CGI, while only basic ß cell dysfunction exist in IGT. The basic ß cell dysfunction and IR are the primary features of fasting hyperglycemia, and basic ß cell dysfunction also contribute to post- challenge hyperglycemia.

Biodiversity and evolution of Imjin virus and Thottapalayam virus in Crocidurinae shrews in Zhejiang Province, China.

The recent discovery of numerous hantaviruses in insectivores has provided a new view of hantavirus biodiversity and evolution. To determine the presence and genetic diversity of Imjin virus (MJNV) and Thottapalayam virus (TPMV) in insectivores in Zhejiang Province, China, we captured and performed virus screening of 32 Ussuri white-toothed shrews (Crocidura lasiura) and 105 Asian house shrews (Suncus murinus) in different coastal regions. Hantavirus genome (S, M, and L segments) sequences were successfully recovered from one Ussuri white-toothed shrew and seven Asian house shrews. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the virus carried by the Ussuri white-toothed shrew was most closely related to MJNV, but with >15% nucleotide sequence difference, suggesting that it represents a new subtype. The hantaviruses carried by Asian house shrews were closely related to the TPMV variants found in the same geographic area, but more distantly related to those sampled in India and Nepal. Additionally, the TPMV sequences obtained in this study, as well as those found previously in this area, could be divided into three lineages reflecting their geographic origins, indicative of largely allopatric evolution. Overall, our data highlights the high genetic diversity of insectivore-borne hantaviruses in China, suggesting that more may be discovered in the future.

[Prevalence of hyperglycemia and related factors among rural adults aged 35 years old and above in Yuhuan County, Zhejiang Province].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of hyperglycemia among rural adults aged 35 years old and above in Yuhuan, China. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out as a baseline study of Rural Yuhuan Health Population Cohort in all communities in Yuhuan County, Zhejiang Province, China. A total of 125 479 subjects aged 35 years old or above participated in this study to collect the general demographics and measure hypertension, fast glucose and etc. In SPSS 16.0, non-conditional Logistic regression model was used for related factors analysis. RESULT: Among 118 274 eligible subjects, the average fasting glucose was (5.4 ± 1.8) mmol/L and the average for men was higher than that for women. The crude prevalences of diabetes, impaired fasting glucose and hyperglycemia were 10.1%, 19.4% and 29.5%(the age and sex standardized one was 9.3%, 19.8% and 29.1%), respectively. There were significant gender differences in both the average level of fasting glucose and the prevalence of hyperglycemia (P < 0. 001). The prevalences of hyperglycemia varied statistically over different age groups from 19.9% in the lowest group of 35 - 39 years old to 36.4% in the highest group of 60 - 64 years old. In the non-conditional logistic regression model, age, sex, farmer, regular exercise, smoking, alcohol drinking and body mass index were related to hyperglycemia after the adjustment of other covariates. CONCLUSION: Hyperglycemia was common in adults aged 35 years old and above living in rural China.