Association between plasma maresin 1 and the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in Chinese adults: A community-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: It has been reported that maresin 1 (MaR1) is able to protect against the development of atherogenesis in cellular and animal models. This study was performed to investigate whether plasma MaR1 is associated with the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) at the population level. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study included 2822 non-ASCVD participants from a community-based cohort who were followed for about 8 years. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for ASCVD events according to baseline MaR1 quartiles were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards model. During follow-up, a total of 290 new ASCVD cases were identified. The restricted cubic spline analysis indicated a linear dose-response association between plasma MaR1 and incident ASCVD. In addition, the adjusted-HR (95% CI) for ASCVD events associated with one standard deviation increase in MaR1 was 0.79 (0.68-0.91). Moreover, the adjusted-HRs (95% CIs) for ASCVD events associated with the second, third and fourth quartiles versus the first quartile of plasma MaR1 were 1.00, 1.04 (0.76, 1.42), 0.88 (0.64, 1.22) and 0.58 (0.41, 0.84), respectively. Mediation analyses showed that the association between MaR1 and incident ASCVD was partially mediated by small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, with a mediation proportion of 9.23%. Further, the net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement of ASCVD risk were significantly improved when MaR1 was added to basic model established by conventional risk factors (all p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated plasma MaR1 concentrations are associated with a lower risk of ASCVD development.

Green tea consumption and incidence of cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetic patients with overweight/obesity: a community-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Green tea has been reported to be potentially protective against the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to investigate the association between green tea consumption and incident CVD in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with overweight/obesity. METHODS: A total of 4756 Chinese overweight/obese T2D patients were recruited and followed up for 6.27 years. Information on green tea consumption was collected at baseline using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident CVD according to green tea consumption were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: Compared with non-habitual consumers, participants who consumed > 5 g/day of green tea leaves reduced the risk of CVD by 29% (95%CI: 0.55-0.92), stroke by 30% (95%CI: 0.51-0.95) and coronary heart disease (CHD) by 40% (95%CI: 0.40-0.89). Similarly, participants who consumed green tea for ≥ 40 years reduced the risk of CVD by 31% (95%CI: 0.54-0.88), stroke by 33% (95%CI: 0.50-0.90) and CHD by 39% (95%CI: 0.42-0.88). Among participants with < 5-year history of T2D, > 5 g/day of tea leaves and > 40 years of tea consumption were associated with 59% (95%CI: 0.23-0.72) and 57% (95%CI: 0.26-0.74) reduced risk of stroke, respectively. However, among participants with ≥ 5-year history of T2D, > 5 g/day of tea leaves and > 40 years of tea consumption were associated with a 50% (95%CI: 0.30-0.82) and 46% (95%CI: 0.35-0.85) reduced risk of CHD, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Green tea consumption is associated with reduced risk of CVD, stroke, and CHD in overweight/obese T2D patients.

Inverted U-Shaped Association of Plasma Resolvin D2 With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease and the Mediation Effects of Serum Cholesterol: A Chinese Community-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Resolvin D2 (RvD2) has been reported to protect against the development of atherosclerosis in animal models. The objective of this study was to examine the prospective association between plasma RvD2 and the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) at the population level. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cohort of 2633 community-dwelling individuals aged 35-60 years was followed for 8 years in this study. Adjusted hazard ratios and 95% CIs for ASCVD outcomes according to baseline RvD2 levels were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models. Mediation analysis was used to test the indirect effect of serum cholesterol indicators on the association between RvD2 and ASCVD probability. In total, 284 new cases of ASCVD were identified during follow-up. An inverted U-shaped association between natural log (ln)-transformed RvD2 and incident ASCVD was determined, and the threshold value for lnRvD2 was 3.87. Below the threshold, each unit increase in lnRvD2 was associated with a 2.05-fold increased risk of ASCVD (95% CI, 1.13-3.74; P=0.019). Above the threshold, each unit increase in lnRvD2 was associated with a 36% reduced risk of ASCVD (95% CI, 0.51-0.80; P<0.001). In addition, the association between RvD2 and ASCVD probability was partially mediated by high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (15.81%) when lnRvD2 <3.87, but by total cholesterol (30.23%) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (30.13%) when lnRvD2 ≥3.87. CONCLUSIONS: Both lower and higher RvD2 levels are associated with a reduced risk of ASCVD, forming an inverted U-shaped relationship. Furthermore, this association is partially mediated by total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Do climate policy uncertainty and investor sentiment drive the dynamic spillovers among green finance markets?

Green finance is an essential instrument for improving the environment and addressing climate change. This study investigates the dynamic spillovers among green finance markets using time-varying parameter vector autoregression (TVP-VAR) spillover indices, and further investigates the impact of climate policy uncertainty and investor sentiment on spillovers based on the generalised autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity mixed data sampling (GARCH-MIDAS) model. The results indicate that: (i) environmental, social and governance (ESG), clean energy and water markets are information transmitters in the green finance system, whereas green building, green transportation, green bond and carbon markets are mainly information receivers; (ii) green stock markets including clean energy, non-energy and ESG markets transmit and receive greater information in the green finance system, while green bond and carbon markets do less; (iii) the green bond market is more interconnected with other green finance markets after the COVID-19 outbreak; (iv) investor sentiment contributes more to the net total directional spillovers of green resource markets (water and clean energy), while climate policy uncertainty contributes more to total spillovers and the net total directional spillovers of other green finance markets. These findings offer invaluable guidance for both policymakers and environmental investors.

The protective effects of lipoxin A4 on type 2 diabetes mellitus: A Chinese prospective cohort study.

Background: Several cellular and animal studies have suggested that lipoxin A4 (LXA4) has a protective effect on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) development. However, little is known about whether LXA4 influences T2DM development at the population level. Methods: We included 2755 non-diabetic participants from a cohort study in China who were followed for about seven years. Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between LXA4 and incident T2DM. Mediation models were used to examine how serum lipids as mediators impact the association between LXA4 and T2DM. Results: In total, 172 newly diagnosed T2DM cases were identified. Multivariate-adjusted HR for T2DM in the fourth compared with the first quartile of LXA4 was 0.62 (95% CI: 0.40-0.96). When used the optimal cutoff value determined by the receiver operating characteristic curve, the results showed participants with LXA4 > 2.84 ng/mL had a decreased T2DM risk compared to those with LXA4 ≤ 2.84 ng/mL (HR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.45-0.89). The effect of LXA4 on incident T2DM was significantly modified by gender (P -interaction = 0.024) and family history of diabetes (P -interaction = 0.025). Additionally, the association between LXA4 and incident T2DM was partially suppressed by the TyG and TG/HDL-c ratio, with a suppression proportion of 22.2% and 16.0%, respectively. Conclusions: Higher LXA4 levels are significantly associated with a lower risk of T2DM development. The present findings would be helpful in understanding the effect of LXA4 on T2DM development at the population level.

Metagenomic surveillance of antibiotic resistome in influent and effluent of wastewater treatment plants located on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

As hotspots for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have attracted global attention. However, there lacks a sufficient metagenomic surveillance of antibiotic resistome in the WWTPs located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Here, metagenomic approaches were used to comprehensively investigate the occurrence, mobility potential, and bacterial hosts of ARGs in influent and effluent of 18 WWTPs located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The total ARG relative abundances and diversity were significantly decreased from influent to effluent across the WWTPs. Multidrug, bacitracin, sulfonamide, aminoglycoside, and beta-lactam ARGs generally consisted of the main ARG types in effluent samples, which were distinct from influent samples. A group of 72 core ARGs accounting for 61.8-95.8 % of the total ARG abundances were shared by all samples. Clinically relevant ARGs mainly conferring resistance to beta-lactams were detected in influent (277 ARGs) and effluent (178 ARGs). Metagenomic assembly revealed that the genetic location of an ARG on a plasmid or a chromosome was related to its corresponding ARG type, demonstrating the distinction in the mobility potential of different ARG types. The abundance of plasmid-mediated ARGs accounted for a much higher proportion than that of chromosome-mediated ARGs in both influent and effluent. Moreover, the ARGs co-occurring with diverse mobile genetic elements in the effluent exhibited a comparable mobility potential with the influent. Furthermore, 137 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) assigned to 13 bacterial phyla were identified as the ARG hosts, which could be effectively treated in most WWTPs. Notably, 46 MAGs were found to carry multiple ARG types and the potential pathogens frequently exhibited multi-antibiotic resistance. Some ARG types tended to be carried by certain bacteria, showing a specific host-resistance association pattern. This study highlights the necessity for metagenomic surveillance and will facilitate risk assessment and control of antibiotic resistome in WWTPs located on the vulnerable area.

[Ecological industry chain designing of making paper industry: turning pollution industry into ecological industry].

This paper gave a definition of ecological industry chain of renewal resources, and according to this definition designed the ecological industry chain of paper making industry of China; presented a basic principle of designing and ecological industry chain of renewal resources and five necessary conditions to establish an ecological industry chain of renewal resources, i.e. imitating the ecological closed-circuit system, increasing stock of renewal resources, getting benefits from resource productivity, developing long-run social demand and engaging in systematic innovation. It was found that the ecological industry chain of paper making industry was a representative example of ecological industry chain of renewal resources. The ecological industry chain of paper making industry solved three difficult constrain problems and offered an effective way to change the paper making industry of China from pollution industry into ecological industry.