Trends in temporal and spatial changes of Japanese encephalitis in Chinese mainland, 2004-2019: A population-based surveillance study.

BACKGROUND: Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a serious health concern in China, with approximately 80 % of global infections occurring in China. To develop effective prevention and control strategies, this study explored the epidemiological characteristics of JE in China based on spatiotemporal data, to understand the patterns and trends of JE incidence in different regions and time periods. METHOD: The incidence and mortality rates of JE were extracted from the Public Health Data Center, the official website of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, and the National Notifiable Infectious Disease Surveillance System from 2004 to 2019. Joinpoint regression was applied to examine the spatiotemporal patterns and annual percentage change in incidence and mortality of the JE. RESULTS: From 2004 to 2019, a total of 43,569 cases of JE were diagnosed, including 2081 deaths. The annual incidence rate of JE decreased from 0.4171/100,000 in 2004 to 0.0298/100,000 in 2019, with an annual percentage change (APC) of -13.5 % (P < 0.001). The annual mortality rate of JE showed three stages of change, with inflection points in 2006 and 2014. The incidence and mortality rates of JE have declined in all provinces of China, and more cases were reported in 0-14 years of age, accounting for nearly 80 % of all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The morbidity and mortality rates of JE in China are generally on a downward trend, and emphasis should be placed on strengthening disease surveillance in special areas and populations, popularizing vaccination, and increasing publicity.

Effect of metacognitive therapy on depression in patients with chronic disease: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic diseases have a high prevalence worldwide, and patients with chronic diseases often suffer from depression, leading to a poor prognosis and a low quality of life. Metacognitive therapy is a transdiagnostic psychotherapy intervention focused on thinking patterns, with the advantages of reliable implementation effect, short intervention period and low cost. It can help patients change negative metacognition, alleviate depression symptoms, and has a higher implementation value compared with other cognitive interventions. Therefore, metacognitive therapy may be an effective way to improve the mental health of patients with chronic diseases. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: CNKI, Wanfang Database, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, Sinomed, PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science and PsycINFO will be used to select the eligible studies. As a supplement, websites (eg, the Chinese Clinical Registry, ClinicalTrials.gov) will be searched and grey literature will be included. The heterogeneity and methodological quality of the eligible studies will be independently screened and extracted by two experienced reviewers. All the data synthesis and analysis (drawing forest plots, subgroup analysis and sensitive analysis) will be conducted using RevMan 5.4.1. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This article is a literature review that does not include patients' identifiable information. Therefore, ethical approval is not required in this protocol. The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal as well as presentations at relevant conferences. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023411105.

Phosphorus stoichiometric homeostasis of submerged macrophytes and associations with interspecific interactions and community stability in Erhai Lake, China.

According to stoichiometric homeostasis theory, eutrophication is expected to increase the dominance of submerged macrophytes with low homeostatic regulation coefficients (H) relative to those with high H values, ultimately reducing macrophyte community stability. However, empirical evidence supporting this hypothesis is limited. In this study, we conducted a three-year tracking survey (seven sampling events) at 81 locations across three regions of Erhai Lake. We assessed the H values of submerged macrophyte species, revealing significant H values for phosphorus (P) and strong associations of HP values (range: 1.58-2.94) with species and community stability. Moreover, in plots simultaneously containing the dominant high-HP species, Potamogeton maackianus, and its low-HP counterpart, Ceratophyllum demersum, we explored the relationships among eutrophication, interspecific interaction shifts, and community dynamics. As the environmental P concentration increased, the dominance of P. maackianus decreased, while that of C. demersum increased. This shift coincided with reductions in community HP and stability. Our study underpins the effectiveness of H values for forecasting interspecific interactions among submerged macrophytes, thereby clarifying how eutrophication contributes to the decline in stability of the submerged macrophyte community.

Comparative analysis of pressure ulcer development in stroke patients within and outside healthcare facilities: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The risk of pressure ulcers in stroke patients is a significant concern, impacting their recovery and quality of life. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigate the prevalence and risk factors of pressure ulcers in stroke patients, comparing those in healthcare facilities with those in home-based or non-clinical environments. The study aims to elucidate how different care settings affect the development of pressure ulcers, serving as a crucial indicator of patient care quality and management across diverse healthcare contexts. Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies on stroke patients in various settings, reporting on the incidence or prevalence of pressure ulcers. Exclusion criteria included non-stroke patients, non-original research and studies with incomplete data. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used for quality assessment, and statistical analyses involved both fixed-effect and random-effects models, depending on the heterogeneity observed. A total of 1542 articles were initially identified, with 11 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The studies exhibited significant heterogeneity, necessitating the use of a random-effects model. The pooled prevalence of pressure injuries was 9.53% in patients without family medical services and 2.64% in patients with medical services. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of these results, and no significant publication bias was detected through funnel plot analysis and Egger's linear regression test. The meta-analysis underscores the heightened risk of pressure injuries in stroke patients, especially post-discharge. It calls for concerted efforts among healthcare providers, policymakers and caregivers to implement targeted strategies tailored to the specific needs of different care environments. Future research should focus on developing and evaluating interventions to effectively integrate into routine care and reduce the incidence of pressure injuries in stroke patients.

Combination of an Autoantibody Panel and Alpha-Fetoprotein for Early Detection of Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

The purpose of this study was to identify biomarkers associated with hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC) and to develop a new combination with good diagnostic performance. This study was divided into four phases: discovery, verification, validation, and modeling. A total of four candidate tumor-associated autoantibodies (TAAb; anti-ZIC2, anti-PCNA, anti-CDC37L1, and anti-DUSP6) were identified by human proteome microarray (52 samples) and bioinformatics analysis. Subsequently, these candidate TAAbs were further confirmed by indirect ELISA with two testing cohorts (120 samples for verification and 663 samples for validation). The AUC for these four TAAbs to identify patients with HBV-HCC from chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients ranged from 0.693 to 0.739. Finally, a diagnostic panel with three TAAbs (anti-ZIC2, anti-CDC37L1, and anti-DUSP6) was developed. This panel showed superior diagnostic efficiency in identifying early HBV-HCC compared with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), with an AUC of 0.834 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.772-0.897] for this panel and 0.727 (95% CI, 0.642-0.812) for AFP (P = 0.0359). In addition, the AUC for this panel to identify AFP-negative patients with HBV-HCC was 0.796 (95% CI, 0.734-0.858), with a sensitivity of 52.4% and a specificity of 89.0%. Importantly, the panel in combination with AFP significantly increased the positive rate for early HBV-HCC to 84.1% (P = 0.005) and for late HBV-HCC to 96.3% (P < 0.001). Our findings suggest that AFP and the autoantibody panel may be independent but complementary serologic biomarkers for HBV-HCC detection. PREVENTION RELEVANCE: We developed a robust diagnostic panel for identifying patients with HBV-HCC from patients with CHB. This autoantibody panel provided superior diagnostic performance for HBV-HCC at an early stage and/or with negative AFP results. Our findings suggest that AFP and the autoantibody panel may be independent but complementary biomarkers for HBV-HCC detection.

Research development on gut microbiota and vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque.

The relationship between gut microbiota and its metabolites with cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been proven. In this review, we aim to conclude the potential mechanism of gut microbiota and its metabolites on inducing the formation of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque, and to discuss the effect of intestinal metabolites, including trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), phenylacetylglutamine (PAG), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) on plaque stability. Finally, we include the impact of gut microbiota and its metabolites on plaque stability, to propose a new therapeutic direction for coronary heart disease. Gut microbiota regulation intervenes the progress of arteriosclerosis, especially on coronary atherosclerosis, by avoiding or reducing the formation of vulnerable plaque, to lower the morbidity rate of myocardial infarction.

Risk assessment and pathogen profile of surgical site infections in traumatic brain injury patients undergoing emergency craniotomy: A retrospective study.

Emergency craniotomy in patients with traumatic brain injury poses a significant risk for surgical site infections (SSIs). Understanding the risk factors and pathogenic characteristics of SSIs in this context is crucial for improving outcomes. This comprehensive retrospective analysis spanned from February 2020 to February 2023 at our institution. We included 25 patients with SSIs post-emergency craniotomy and a control group of 50 patients without SSIs. Data on various potential risk factors were collected, including demographic information, preoperative conditions, and intraoperative details. The BACT/ALERT3D Automated Bacterial Culture and Detection System was utilized for rapid bacterial pathogen identification. Statistical analyses included univariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify significant risk factors for SSIs. The study identified Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus as the most prevalent pathogens in SSIs. Significant risk factors for SSIs included the lack of preoperative antibiotic use, postoperative drainage tube placement, diabetes mellitus, and the incorporation of invasive procedures, all of which showed a significant association with SSIs in the univariate analysis. The multivariate analysis further highlighted the protective effect of preoperative antibiotics and the increased risks associated with anaemia, diabetes mellitus, postoperative drainage tube placement, and the incorporation of invasive procedures. Our research underscores the critical role of factors like insufficient preoperative antibiotics, postoperative drainage, invasive techniques, anaemia, and diabetes mellitus in elevating the risk of surgical site infections in traumatic brain injury patients undergoing emergency craniotomy. Enhanced focus on these areas is essential for improving surgical outcomes.

The association between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D and pancreatic cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

PURPOSE: The relationship between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and pancreatic cancer has been well studied but remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the association between circulating 25(OH)D and pancreatic cancer by using a meta-analytic approach. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Wed of Science databases were searched through October 15, 2022. A random or fixed-effects model was used to estimate the pooled odds ratio (OR), risk ratio (RR), hazard ratio (HR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: A total of 16 studies including 529,917 participants met the inclusion criteria, of which 10 reported incidence and 6 reported mortality. For the highest versus lowest categories of circulating 25(OH)D, the pooled OR of pancreatic cancer incidence in case-control studies was 0.98 (95% CI 0.69-1.27), and the pooled HRs of pancreatic cancer mortality in cohort and case-control studies were 0.64 (95% CI 0.45-0.82) and 0.78 (95% CI 0.62-0.95), respectively. The leave-one-out sensitivity analyses found no outliers and Galbraith plots indicated no substantial heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: Evidence from this meta-analysis suggested that high circulating 25(OH)D levels may be associated with decreased mortality but not incidence of pancreatic cancer. Our findings may provide some clues for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and remind us to be cautious about widespread vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of pancreatic cancer.

Dilemmas and options for COVID-19 vaccination in children.

Over 16 million children have been detected positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States since the outbreak of the pandemic. In general, children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 tend to have lighter symptoms than adults. However, in some cases, the infection can develop into severe forms, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Moreover, long-term public health preventive interventions have had some negative effects on the physical and mental health of children. Given the important role that vaccination plays in reducing severe illness and mortality, it is essential for the efficient implementation of vaccination in the pediatric population. Nevertheless, parental distrust of vaccination, especially with regard to its safety and efficacy, hinders this process. Herein, we comprehensively summarize the available data on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine in children. The results show that the currently approved COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for children. Although two doses of vaccine in children seem insufficient to prevent Omicron infection, the booster dose provides enhanced protection against infection and severe illness. Most importantly, the bivalent vaccine has been approved for use in the pediatric population to extend the immune response to currently circulating Omicron variant. And the immune protection afforded to newborns after maternal vaccination appears to last only 6 months. Therefore, in the current situation where the rate of virus mutation is accelerating and the COVID-19 pandemic is still severe, it is crucial to extend vaccine protection to children over 6 months of age to weave a tighter safety net.

Association of Unhealthy Lifestyle and Genetic Risk Factors With Mild Cognitive Impairment in Chinese Older Adults.

Importance: Apolipoprotein E polymorphism ε4 (APOE ε4) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) TT genotype are genetic risk factors of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but whether this risk can be changed by modifiable lifestyle factors is unknown. Objective: To explore whether unhealthy lifestyle (unhealthy dietary intake, current smoking, nonlimited alcohol consumption, and irregular physical activities) is associated with a higher risk of age-related MCI considering genetic risk. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based cohort study used data from Tianjin Elderly Nutrition and Cognition (TENC) study participants, recruited from March 1, 2018, through June 30, 2021, and followed up until November 30, 2022. Participants were Chinese adults aged 60 years or older who completed the neuropsychological assessments, general physical examinations, and a personal interview. Exposures: Healthy lifestyle was defined according to the Chinese Dietary Guidelines 2022, including healthy diet, regular physical activity, limited alcohol consumption, and no current smoking, categorized into healthy and unhealthy lifestyles according to weighted standardized lifestyle score. Genetic risk was defined by MTHFR TT genotype and APOE ε4, categorized into low and high genetic risk according to weighted standardized genetic risk score. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was newly diagnosed MCI as identified using a modified version of Petersen criteria. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression models. Results: A total of 4665 participants were included (mean [SD] age, 67.9 [4.9] years; 2546 female [54.6%] and 2119 male [45.4%]); 653 participants with new-onset MCI (mean [SD] age, 68.4 [5.4] years; 267 female [40.9%] and 386 male [59.1%]) were identified after a median follow-up of 3.11 years (range, 0.82-4.61 years). Individuals with a low genetic risk and an unhealthy lifestyle (HR, 3.01; 95% CI, 2.38-3.79), a high genetic risk and a healthy lifestyle (HR, 2.65; 95% CI, 2.03-3.44), and a high genetic risk and an unhealthy lifestyle (HR, 3.58; 95% CI, 2.73-4.69) had a higher risk of MCI compared with participants with a low genetic risk and a healthy lifestyle. There was a synergistic interaction between lifestyle categories and genetic risk (ß = 3.58; 95% CI, 2.73-4.69). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of TENC participants, the findings show that unhealthy lifestyle and high genetic risk were significantly associated with a higher risk of MCI among Chinese older adults. Unhealthy lifestyle factors were associated with a higher risk of MCI regardless of genetic risk, and lifestyle and genetic risk had synergistic interactions. These findings could contribute to the development of dietary guidelines and the prevention of early-stage dementia.

The interaction effect of transfusion history and previous stroke history on the risk of venous thromboembolism in stroke patients: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion and previous stroke history are two independent risk factors of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in stroke patients. Whether the potential interaction of transfusion history and previous stroke history is associated with a greater risk of VTE remains unclear. This study aims to explore whether the combination of transfusion history and previous stroke history increases the risk of VTE among Chinese stroke patients. METHODS: A total of 1525 participants from the prospective Stroke Cohort of Henan Province were enrolled in our study. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the associations among transfusion history, previous stroke history and VTE. The interaction was evaluated on both multiplicative and additive scales. The odds ratio (95% CI), relative excess risk of interaction (RERI), attributable proportion (AP), and synergy index (S) of interaction terms were used to examine multiplicative and additive interactions. Finally, we divided our population into two subgroups by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and re-evaluated the interaction effect in both scales. RESULTS: A total of 281 (18.4%) participants of 1525 complicated with VTE. Transfusion and previous stroke history were associated with an increased risk of VTE in our cohort. In the multiplicative scale, the combination of transfusion and previous stroke history was statistically significant on VTE in both unadjusted and adjusted models (P<0.05). For the additive scale, the RERI shrank to 7.016 (95% CI: 1.489 ~ 18.165), with the AP of 0.650 (95% CI: 0.204 ~ 0.797) and the S of 3.529 (95% CI: 1.415 ~ 8.579) after adjusting for covariates, indicating a supra-additive effect. In subgroups, the interaction effect between transfusion history and previous stroke history was pronouncedly associated with the increased risk of VTE in patients with NIHSS score > 5 points (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that there may be a potential synergistic interaction between transfusion history and previous stroke history on the risk of VTE. Besides, the percentage of VTE incidence explained by interaction increased with the severity of stroke. Our findings will provide valuable evidence for thromboprophylaxis in Chinese stroke patients.

A network analysis of anxiety and depression symptoms in Chinese disabled elderly.

BACKGROUND: Mental health is an essential dimension of healthy aging. The number and severity of disabled elderly in China show an increasing tendency year by year. Due to their impaired ability of daily activities, reduced social participation and reduced self-care ability, they are more prone to depression and anxiety. METHOD: We included 2131 individuals aged 65 and older from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS 2017-2018). We used the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale-7 (GAD-7) to assess depression and anxiety, respectively. The structure of depressive and anxiety symptoms was characterized using "Expected Influence" and "Bridge Expected Influence" as centrality indices in the symptom network. Network stability was tested using a case-dropping bootstrap procedure. Finally, a Network Comparison Test (NCT) was conducted to examine whether network characteristics differed by gender. RESULTS: Network analysis revealed that nodes CESD3 (Felt sadness), GAD2 (Uncontrollable worry), and GAD4 (Trouble relaxing) were the primary symptoms of the anxiety-depression network. Anxiety and depression were united by the symptoms of CESD9 (Could not get going), GAD1 (Nervousness or anxiety), CESD10 (Sleep quality), and GAD4 (Trouble relaxing). Additionally, Gender did not significantly affect the network structure. CONCLUSION: Central symptoms (e.g., felt sadness, uncontrollable worry and trouble relaxing) and key bridge symptoms (e.g., could not get going, nervousness and anxiety) in the depressive and anxiety symptoms network may be used as potential targets for intervention among disabled elderly who is at risk for or suffer from depressive and anxiety symptoms.

TLR8 agonist Motolimod-induced inflammatory death for treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.

The clinical treatment of AML is dominated by "7 + 3" therapy, but it often shows great toxicity and limited therapeutic efficacy in application. Therefore, it is urgent to develop novel therapeutic strategies to achieve safe and efficient treatment of AML. Small-molecule inhibitors have the characteristics of high specificity, low off-target toxicity and remarkable therapeutic effect, and are receiving more and more attention in tumor therapy. In this study, we screened a library of 1972 FDA-approved small molecular compounds for those that induced the inflammatory death of AML cells, among which the TLR8 agonist Motolimod (MTL) showed stronger anti-AML activity in the animal model but slight affection on normal lymphocytes in control mice. In terms of mechanism, cellular experiments in AML cell lines proved that TLR8 and LKB1/AMPK are the key distinct mechanisms for MTL triggered caspase-3-dependent cell death and the expression of a large number of inflammatory factors. In conclusion, our findings identified the immunoactivator MTL as a single agent exerting significant anti-AML activity in vitro and in vivo, with strong potential for clinical translation.

The effects of capsaicin intake on weight loss among overweight and obese subjects: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Animal studies have shown that capsaicin plays a positive role in weight management. However, the results in human research are controversial. Therefore, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of capsaicin on weight loss in adults. We searched PubMed, Embase, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Cochrane library and clinical registration centre, identifying all randomised controlled trials (RCT) published in English and Chinese to 3 May 2022. A random-effect model was used to calculate the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95 % CI. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed by the Cochran Q statistic and I-squared tests (I 2 ). Statistical analyses were performed using STATA version 15.1. P-values < 0·05 were considered as statistically significant. From 2377 retrieved studies, fifteen studies were finally included in the meta-analyses. Fifteen RCT with 762 individuals were included in our meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, the supplementation of capsaicin resulted in significant reduction on BMI (WMD: -0·25 kg/m2, 95 % CI = -0·35, -0·15 kg/m2, P < 0·05), body weight (BW) (WMD: -0·51 kg, 95 % CI = -0·86, -0·15 kg, P < 0·05) and waist circumference (WC) (WMD: -1·12 cm, 95 % CI = -2·00, -0·24 cm, P < 0·05). We found no detrimental effect of capsaicin on waist-to-hip ratio (WMD: -0·05, 95 % CI = -0·17, 0·06, P > 0·05). The current meta-analysis suggests that capsaicin supplementation may have rather modest effects in reducing BMI, BW and WC for overweight or obese individuals.

Fetal bovine serum, an important factor affecting the reproducibility of cell experiments.

Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is a natural medium used in cell cultures containing the large amount of nutrients necessary for cell growth and is often used for in vitro cultures of animal cells. Although FBS plays a vital role in cell cultures, there are small molecules contained within FBS that remain unidentified, and their effects on cultured cells is poorly understood. Here, we report that different brands of FBS have varying influences on the background expression of IL-8, not TNFα and IL1ß in epithelial cells. The endogenous small molecules in FBS and ERK pathways may contribute to these effects. In addition, FBS form the IL-8 stimulation and IL-8 non-responsive groups have different metabolome profiles. Overall, our study suggests that metabolites in FBS should be included in the quantitative considerations when conducting cell experiments, especially immune-related experiments, to improve the repeatability of experimental results in scientific papers; IL-8 could thus be an important factor in selecting FBS.

Telomere and mitochondria mediated the association between dietary inflammatory index and mild cognitive impairment: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Diet and chronic inflammation might play a major role in the pathogenesis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In addition, peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) might mediate the relationship between inflammation and MCI risk. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate whether inflammatory potential of diet assessed by dietary inflammatory index (DII), chronic inflammation, peripheral blood LTL, and mtDNAcn were associated with the risk of MCI. RESULTS: A population-based cohort study was conducted with a total of 2944 participants. During a median follow-up of 2 years, 438 (14.90%) individuals were new-onset MCI. After adjustment, a higher score of DII (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.056, 95% CI: 1.005, 1.109), a higher log systemic immune inflammation index (SII) (HR: 1.333, 95% CI: 1.089, 1.633) and log system inflammation response index (SIRI) (HR: 1.487, 95% CI: 1.024, 2.161) predicted elevated risk of MCI. An increased mtDNAcn (HR: 0.843, 95% CI: 0.712, 0.997), but not LTL, predicted a decreased risk of MCI. Negative associations of log SII with LTL (ß:-0.359, 95% CI: -0.445, -0.273) and mtDNAcn (ß:-0.048, 95% CI: -0.090, -0.006) were found. Additionally, negative associations of log SIRI with LTL (ß: -0.035, 95% CI: -0.052, -0.017) and mtDNAcn (ß:-0.136, 95% CI: -0.216, -0.056) were also found. Path analysis suggested that SIRI, LTL, and mtDNAcn, in series, have mediation roles in the association between DII score and MCI risk. CONCLUSIONS: Higher DII, SII, and SIRI might predict a greater risk of MCI, while a longer LTL and an increased mtDNAcn were linked to a reduced risk of MCI among the older population. LTL and mtDNAcn could play mediation roles in the association between DII and MCI risk.

Acute Coronary Syndrome May be Associated with Decreased Resolvin D1-to-Leukotriene B4 Ratio.

An imbalance between inflammation-resolving lipid mediators and proinflammatory leukotrienes with the instability of atherosclerotic plaques in experimental models has been reported. However, the contribution of the balance of Resolvin D1 (RvD1) to Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) in predicting acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains unknown. This study investigated the association of RvD1-to-LTB4 ratio with ACS.Eighty-one patients with ACS and 90 stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) patients were included in this study. Plasma RvD1 and LTB4 levels were measured with commercial kits.Patients with ACS had higher LTB4 levels, lower RvD1 levels, and a lower RvD1-to-LTB4 ratio than patients with SCAD. History of diabetes mellitus, elevated Troponin I, LTB4, and decreased RvD1-to-LTB4 ratio (odds ratio [OR]: 1.025; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.014-1.040; P < 0.001) were independently correlated with ACS. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that RvD1-to-LTB4 ratio was a potential biomarker for the risk of ACS.A circulating proinflammatory lipid profile, characterized by a low RvD1-to-LTB4 ratio may be associated with ACS in patients with ischemic heart disease.

Causal relationships between birth weight, childhood obesity and age at menarche: A two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Observational studies suggest birth weight and childhood obesity are closely associated with age at menarche. However, the relationships between them are currently inconsistent and it remains elusive whether such associations are causal. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate whether there existed causal relationships between birth weight, childhood obesity and age at menarche. DESIGN, PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study. The standard inverse variance weighted MR analyses were adopted to evaluate the causal effects of birth weight (n = 143,677), childhood body mass index (BMI) (n = 39,620) on age at menarche (n = 182,416) with summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Meanwhile, we validated our MR results with some sensitivity analyses including maximum likelihood, weighted-median and MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier methods. RESULTS: The present study showed that each one standard deviation (1-SD) lower birth weight was predicted to result in a 0.1479 years earlier of age at menarche (ß = .1479, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.0422-0.2535; p = 0.0061). We also found that genetically predicted 1-SD increase in childhood BMI was causally associated with early age at menarche (ß = -.3966, 95% CI = -0.5294 to -0.2639; p = 4.73E-09). CONCLUSIONS: Our MR study suggests the causal effect of lower birth weight and higher childhood BMI on the increased risk of earlier menarche. It may be the opportune time to carry out weight control intervention in prenatal and early childhood development periods to prevent early menarche onset, thus decreasing the future adverse consequences.

Association of dietary inflammatory index and leukocyte telomere length with mild cognitive impairment in Chinese older adults.

BACKGROUND: There are minimal data on the relationship between DII and MCI in an elderly Chinese population and no research has assessed the potential effect of LTL. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association between DII and MCI while taking into account the potential effect of LTL. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 3,386 participants aged ≥ 60 years of age from the Tianjin Elderly Nutrition and Cognition Cohort study. DII score was constructed based on a validated self-administered food frequency questionnaire was calculated based on the method developed by Shivappa et al. LTL was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between DII, LTL and MCI. Moreover, mediation analysis was employed to test the mediation effect of LTL on the total effect of DII on MCI. RESULTS: Compared with the participants in the lowest tertiles of LTL and DII score, the odds ratios (ORs) of MCI in the highest tertiles were 0.386(95% CI: 0.281-0.529) and 1.650 (95% CI: 1.232-2.209), respectively. The significant association between DII score and MCI persisted after further adjusting for LTL (OR: 1.595; 95% CI: 1.189-2.140). The link between DII score and MCI was mediated partially by LTL (ßindirect effect= -0.008, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: High DII score was positively associated with MCI prevalence in an elderly Chinese population and the link between DII scores and MCI seemed to be mediated partially by LTL.

Identification of potentially common loci between childhood obesity and coronary artery disease using pleiotropic approaches.

Childhood obesity remains one of the most important issues in global health, which is implicated in many chronic diseases. Converging evidence suggests that a higher body mass index during childhood (CBMI) is significantly associated with increased coronary artery disease (CAD) susceptibility in adulthood, which may partly arise from the shared genetic determination. Despite genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have successfully identified some loci associated with CBMI and CAD individually, the genetic overlap and common biological mechanism between them remains largely unexplored. Here, relying on the results from the two large-scale GWASs (n = 35,668 for CBMI and n = 547,261 for CAD), linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) was used to estimate the genetic correlation of CBMI and CAD in the first step. Then, we applied different pleiotropy-informed methods including conditional false discovery rate ([Formula: see text]) and genetic analysis incorporating pleiotropy and annotation (GPA) to detect potentially common loci for childhood obesity and CAD. By integrating the genetic information from the existing GWASs summary statistics, we found a significant positive genetic correlation ([Formula: see text] = 0.127, p = 2E-4) and strong pleiotropic enrichment between CBMI and CAD (LRT = 79.352, p = 5.2E-19). Importantly, 28 loci were simultaneously discovered to be associated with CBMI, and 13 of them were identified as potentially pleiotropic loci by [Formula: see text] and GPA. Those corresponding pleiotropic genes were enriched in trait-associated gene ontology (GO) terms "amino sugar catabolic process", "regulation of fat cell differentiation" and "synaptic transmission". Overall, the findings of the pleiotropic loci will help to further elucidate the common molecular mechanisms underlying the association of childhood obesity and CAD, and provide a theoretical direction for early disease prevention and potential therapeutic targets.