Objective: To investigate the rates on prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in population older than 15 years of age in Beijing, 2013-2014. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Beijing between 2013-2014. Stratified multistage random sampling method was used to select representative sample of 13 057 Chinese individuals aged over 15 years, from the general population. Blood pressure was measured for three readings at sitting position after resting for at least five minutes with an average reading recorded. A standardized structured questionnaire was developed to collect history of hypertension and antihypertensive treatment. Results: A total of 4 663 community residents aged over 15 years were hypertensive among the 13 057 individuals, with the standardized prevalence rate as 32.7%, in Beijing area. The age-standardized prevalence rates of hypertension appeared 34.6% in men and 30.8% in women. The age-and sexstandardized prevalence of hypertension rates were 33.3% in urban and 24.6% in rural areas. The prevalence of hypertension increased with age and appeared higher in men than in women, in urban than in rural residents. Among the hypertensive patients, rates of awareness, treatment and control were 66.8%, 64.6% and 31.6%, respectively. Conclusion: High prevalence of hypertension with low rates on awareness and treatment and control, appeared in the general population of Beijing. Related strategies should be developed regarding prevention, control and management of hypertension, to reduce the burden of this disease.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Antihypertensive Agents/therapeutic use* ; Asian People/statistics & numerical data* ; Awareness ; Blood Pressure ; Blood Pressure Determination ; China/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Hypertension/epidemiology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Rural Population ; Sex Distribution ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Urban Population ; Young Adult

Dyspepsia is a syndrome consisting of epigastric pain, burning, fullness, discomfort, early satiety, nausea, vomiting and belching. Functional dyspepsia (FD) is diagnosed if upper gastrointestinal endoscopy does not show structural abnormality explaining these symptoms. 8%-30% and 8%-23% of Asian people suffer from of uninvestigated dyspepsia and FD, respectively. Most patients with uninvestigated dyspepsia are found to have FD. Patients with FD are usually young and there is no predilection to any gender. Overlap of FD with other functional bowel diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome and gastroesophageal reflux disease is common in Asia. Cultural difference in reporting of symptoms of dyspepsia is well-known. Moreover, dietary factors, socio-cultural and psychological issues, gastrointestinal infection including that caused by Helicobacter pylori, frequency of organic diseases such as peptic ulcer and gastric cancer responsible for dyspeptic symptoms in the study population may also influence epidemiology of dyspepsia. There is considerable heterogeneity in the above issues among different Asian countries. More studies on epidemiology of FD are needed in Asia.
Asia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Burns ; Dyspepsia ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Eructation ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; Gastroparesis ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Nausea ; Peptic Ulcer ; Population Characteristics ; Quality of Life ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Vomiting

The situation of air pollution has become increasingly serious and its relationship with diabetes becomes a new research concern, in China. After going through a large number of epidemiological studies published in recent years, this paper reviews the relationship between major air pollutants and both blood glucose and blood lipid, related to type 2 diabetes. It also summarizes the relationships among the main pollutants of the atmosphere so as to propose the research directions in this field. Hopefully, this paper can provide reference for forming policies on air pollution, prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes in the country.
Air Pollutants/adverse effects* ; Air Pollution/adverse effects* ; China ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/chemically induced* ; Humans ; Particulate Matter ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: Because the shock wave passes through various body tissues before reaching the stone, stone composition may affect the treatment efficacy of shock wave lithotripsy (SWL). We investigated the effect of various tissue components along the shock wave path on the success of SWL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From October 2008 to August 2010, a total of 206 patients with kidney stones sized 5 to 20 mm were prospectively recruited for a study of the factors that affect the outcome of treatment with a Sonolith Vision lithotripter. Successful SWL was defined as either stone-free status or residual fragments <4 mm at 12 weeks. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the factors that predicted treatment outcomes. Potential predictors included the patient's age, shock wave delivery rate, stone volume (SV), mean stone density (MSD), skin-to-stone distance (SSD), and the mean thickness of the three main components along the shock wave path: renal cortical thickness (KT), muscle thickness (MT), and soft-tissue thickness (ST). RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 53.8 years (range, 25-82 years). The overall treatment success rate after one session of SWL was 43.2%. The mean KT, MT, and ST were 26.9, 16.6, and 40.8 mm, respectively. The logistic regression results showed that a slower shock wave delivery rate, smaller SV, a lower MSD, and a thicker KT were found to be significant predictors for successful SWL. SSD, MT, and ST were not predictors of successful treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Among the main tissue components along the shock wave path, a thicker KT was a favorable factor for successful SWL after adjustment for SV, MSD, and the shock wave delivery rate.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Calculi/*therapy ; Kidney Cortex/*radiography ; *Lithotripsy ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo obtain the polymorphic data of short tandem repeat(STR) loci of D15S657, D11S1369, D6S2420 and D6S503 in Chinese Han population and to study the association of these four STR loci with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus(IDDM).

METHODSThe polymorphisms of the four STRs were studied by polymerase chain reaction-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(PCR-PAGE) followed by direct sequencing of PCR products in 105 normal Chinese Hans and 48 patients with IDDM.

RESULTSSeven alleles at D15S657 locus, 5 alleles at D11S1369 locus, 7 alleles at D6S2420 locus and 4 alleles at D6S503 locus were found. No deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was observed. The heterozygosities of these loci were 0. 7524, 0.6000, 0.6286, 0.6571 and the polymorphic information contents(PIC) 0.7616, 0.4430, 0.5345 and 0.5932, respectively. The allele frequencies of allele A(5) at D15S657 locus, allele A(5) at D11S1369 locus and allele A(4) at D6S2420 locus were increased significantly in patients with IDDM, compared to those in the control group.

CONCLUSIONThe four STRs, used as genetic markers, were suitable for case-control study, forensic medicine identification and population genetic study. There is an association between the polymorphisms of D15S657, D11S1369, D6S2420 and IDDM.

Adult ; Aged ; China ; ethnology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Tandem Repeat Sequences

INTRODUCTIONIn order to commit to their mission and placement requirements, medical education policy-makers are required to understand the background and character of students in order to admit, cultivate and support them efficiently and effectively.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThis study sample consisted of 408 homogeneous medical students with the same level of education, occupation, school and societal environment. They differed mainly in their family background. Therefore, this study used part of a multidimensional "student portfolio system" database to assess the correlation between family status (indexed by parental education and occupation) and medical students' mental health status and characters. The controls were a group of 181 non-medical students in another university.

RESULTSThe parents of the medical students were from a higher socioeconomic status (SES) than the parents of those in the control group. This showed the heritability of genetic and environment conditions as well as the socioeconomic forces at play in medical education. Students' personal and professional development were associated with their parents' SES. The mother's SES was associated with the student's selfreported stress, mental disturbances, attitude towards life, personality, health, discipline, internationalisation and professionalism. The fathers' SES did not show a statistically significant association with the above stress, physical and mental health factors, but showed an association with some of the personality factors. The greater the educational difference between both parents, the more stress, hopelessness and pessimism the student manifested.

CONCLUSIONSMedical educators need to be aware that socioeconomic factors have meaningful patterns of association with students' mental and physical health, and their characters relating to personal and professional development. Low maternal SES negatively influences medical students' personal and professional development, suggesting that medical education policy-makers need to initiate support mechanisms for those with latent vulnerability.

Education, Medical ; methods ; Family Relations ; Female ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Male ; Mental Health ; Retrospective Studies ; Social Class ; Students, Medical ; psychology ; Taiwan

Background and Objective: There is a lack of international collaborative studies on young adults with ischaemic stroke in Asia. The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors, aetiology and outcome at hospital discharge of these patients across 8 participating countries in Asia. Methods: This was a prospective, observational, multicentre, hospital based cohort study. Consecutive young stroke patients with confirmed cerebral infarction between the ages of 18-49 were recruited from December 2011 to May 2012. Data was collected for patient demography, risk factors, investigations, clinical profile and TOAST classification. Outcome measures were death and independence (modified Rankin score≤ 2) at hospital discharge. Results: Two hundred and eighteen patients with the mean age was 40.8±6.7 years were recruited. There was a larger proportion of male patients with a ratio of 1.9:1. Traditional risk factors observed were hypertension (n=103; 47.3%), dyslipidaemia (n=93; 42.4%), smoking (n=85; 38.8%), diabetes (n=53; 24.3%), alcohol use (n=33; 15.0%), a previous history of stroke and transient ischaemic attacks (6.4%), family history (n=12; 5.5%), migraine (n=6;2.8%), pregnancy related (n=5; 2.3%) and numerous cardiac risk factors (0.9-5.5%). The majority suffered arterial infarction; n=216 (99.4%) while n=2 (0.6%) had venous strokes. The predominant stroke subtypes were large artery atherosclerosis (LAA); 29.8% and small vessel occlusion (SVO); 20.2%. LAA and SVO accounted for 37.5% of all stroke subtypes in the ≤36 year age-group. Cardioembolism (15.1%) and stroke of determined aetiology (14.7%) contributed to the other categories of identified stroke subtypes. Mortality on hospital discharge was 3.1% while 65.1% of patients were independent on discharge. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the substantial presence of premature atherosclerosis and conventional risk factors in young ischaemic stroke patients from 8 Asian cities. Venous infarction from cerebral venous thrombosis was rare in this study. Outcome on hospital discharge was poorer compared to Western studies. Detection of vascular risk factors and primary prevention measures should be initiated during late adolescence or early adulthood in urban Asia.

Background: and Purpose Intracranial vertebrobasilar atherosclerotic stenosis (IVBAS) is a major cause of posterior circulation stroke. Some patients suffer from stroke recurrence despite receiving medical treatment. This study aimed to determine the prognostic value of a new score for the posterior communicating artery and the P1 segment of the posterior cerebral artery (PCoA-P1) for predicting stroke recurrence in IVBAS. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled patients with severe IVBAS (70%–99%). According to the number of stroke recurrences, patients were divided into no-recurrence, single-recurrence, and multiple-recurrences groups. We developed a new 5-point grading scale, with the PCoA-P1 score ranging from 0 to 4 based on magnetic resonance angiography, in which primary collaterals were dichotomized into good (2–4 points) and poor (0 or 1 point). Stroke recurrences after the index stroke were recorded. Patients who did not experience stroke recurrence were compared with those who experienced single or multiple stroke recurrences. Results: From January 2012 to December 2019, 176 patients were enrolled, of which 116 (65.9%) had no stroke recurrence, 35 (19.9%) had a single stroke recurrence, and 25 (14.2%) had multiple stroke recurrences. Patients with single stroke recurrence (odds ratio [OR]= 4.134, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.822–9.380, p=0.001) and multiple stroke recurrences (OR=6.894, 95% CI=2.489–19.092, p<0.001) were more likely to have poor primary collaterals than those with no stroke recurrence. Conclusions The new PCoA-P1 score appears to provide improve predictions of stroke recurrence in patients with IVBAS.

Objective:To investigate the effect of resveratrol on the expression of inflammatory cytokines and related genes in human SZ95 sebocytes induced by benzo (a) pyrene.Methods:Human SZ95 sebocytes were cultured in vitro, and divided into 4 groups: control group treated with 1‰ dimethyl sulfoxide for 27 hours, resveratrol group treated with 1 × 10 -5 mol/L resveratrol for 24 hours, benzo (a) pyrene group treated with 1 × 10 -5 mol/L benzo (a) pyrene for 3 hours, resveratrol+benzo (a) pyrene group treated with 1 × 10 -5 mol/L resveratrol for 24 hours followed by 1 × 10 -5 mol/L benzo (a) pyrene for 3 hours. Real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR was performed to determine the mRNA expression of interleukin (IL) -1α, IL-6, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) , cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) and cytochrome P4501B1 (CYP1B1) in SZ95 sebocytes in the above groups; Western blot analysis was conducted to determine the phosphorylation level of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK, expressed as the ratio of phosphorylated to total p38 MAPK) and AhR protein expression; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to detect levels of IL-1α and IL-6 in the cell culture supernatant in each group. One-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of means among multiple groups, and least significant difference- t test was used for multiple comparisons. Results:The mRNA and protein expression of IL-1α in SZ95 sebocytes significantly differed among the control group, resveratrol group, benzo (a) pyrene group and resveratrol+benzo (a) pyrene group (mRNA: 2.045 ± 0.272, 2.058 ± 0.154, 3.124 ± 0.094, 2.185 ± 0.337, protein: 9.132 ± 1.181, 9.429 ± 0.771, 20.361 ± 0.907, 9.917 ± 0.897, F=14.662, 101.705, P < 0.01, < 0.001, respectively) , and were significantly lower in the resveratrol+benzo (a) pyrene group than in the benzo (a) pyrene group (both P < 0.01) . In addition, the phosphorylation level of p38 was significantly higher in the benzo (a) pyrene group than in the control group, resveratrol group and resveratrol+benzo (a) pyrene group ( F=303.129, P < 0.000 1) . The mRNA expression of AhR, CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 was significantly lower in the resveratrol+benzo (a) pyrene group than in the benzo (a) pyrene group ( t=10.64, 33.599, 18.327, respectively, all P < 0.001) . The benzo (a) pyrene group showed significantly decreased protein expression of AhR compared with the resveratrol+benzo (a) pyrene group ( P < 0.001) . Conclusion:Resveratrol can inhibit the environmental pollutant benzo (a) pyrene-induced expression of inflammatory factor IL-1α in SZ95 sebocytes, which is likely mediated by the AhR and p38MAPK pathways.

Objective This study aimed to better examine the relationship between hyperglycemia and outcome after traumatic diffuse axonal injury (TDAI). Methods We prospectively studied 118patients with moderate or severe TDAI [Glasgow Coma Scale scores (GCS), 3～12] who were treated conservatively in the surgical intensive care unit of zhuhai hospital between January 2000 and December 2004. Serum glucose, GCS and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) of all the patients were measured: serum glucose, GCS score was recorded on admission, on days 3, 7 and 2 weeks; Outcome was determined by GOS score at discharge and after 3 months , respectively and the data were analyzed statistically to determine the relationship between serum glucose levels, severity of injury, and neurological outcome.Results Patients who died had significantly higher admission serum glucose values than those patients who survived (230 mg/dL vs 130 mg/dL, P＜0.005). Admission serum glucose ≥210 mg/dL was uniformly associated with a worse outcome. Conclusion Early hyperglycemia is a significant indicator of its severity, and a reliable predictor of outcome to TDAI.