BACKGROUND: Previous evidence showed that ambient air pollution and cardiovascular mortality are related. However, there is a lack of evidence towards the modification effect of long-term lifestyle on the association between short-term ambient air pollution and death from cardiovascular events. METHOD: A total of 14,609 death from major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were identified among the China Kadoorie Biobank participants from 2013 to 2018. Ambient air pollution exposure including particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5), SO₂, NO₂, CO, and O₃ from the same period were obtained from space-time model reconstructions based on remote sensing data. Case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression was applied to estimate the effect of short-term exposure to air pollutants on MACE mortality. RESULTS: We found MACE mortality was significantly associated with PM_2.5 (relative percent increase 2.91% per 10 µg/m³ increase, 95% CI 1.32-4.53), NO₂ (5.37% per 10 µg/m³ increase, 95% CI 1.56-9.33), SO₂ (6.82% per 10 µg/m³ increase, 95% CI 2.99-10.80), and CO (2.24% per 0.1 mg/m³ increase, 95% CI 1.02-3.48). Stratified analyses indicated that drinking was associated with elevated risk of MACE mortality with NO₂ and SO₂ exposure; physical inactivity was associated with higher risk of death from MACE when exposed to PM_2.5; and people who had balanced diet had lower risk of MACE mortality when exposed to CO and NO₂. CONCLUSIONS The study results showed that short-term exposure to ambient PM_2.5, NO₂, SO₂, and CO would aggravate the risk of cardiovascular mortality, yet healthy lifestyle conduct might mitigate such negative impact to some extent.
Humans ; Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Air Pollution/adverse effects* ; Middle Aged ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Life Style ; Aged ; Adult ; Risk Factors ; Cross-Over Studies ; East Asian People

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between physical activity and genetic risk and their combined effects on the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 318,085 biobank participants from the UK. Physical activity was assessed using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The participants were stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-genetic-risk groups based on their polygenic risk scores. Multivariate Cox regression models and multiplicative interaction analyses were used. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 13 years, 9,209 participants were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For low genetic risk, compared to low physical activity, the hazard ratios ( HRs) for moderate and high physical activity were 0.853 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: 0.748-0.972) and 0.831 (95% CI: 0.727-0.950), respectively. For intermediate genetic risk, the HRs were 0.829 (95% CI: 0.758-0.905) and 0.835 (95% CI: 0.764-0.914), respectively. For participants with high genetic risk, the HRs were 0.809 (95% CI: 0.746-0.877) and 0.818 (95% CI: 0.754-0.888), respectively. A significant interaction was observed between genetic risk and physical activity. CONCLUSION Moderate or high levels of physical activity were associated with a lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease across all genetic risk groups, highlighting the need to tailor activity interventions for genetically susceptible individuals.
Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology* ; Exercise ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Aged ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Risk Factors ; United Kingdom/epidemiology* ; Incidence ; Adult

Objective:To analyze the association between waist circumference (WC) and ischemic stroke (IS).Methods:The data for the present study were from the prospective cohort study of China Kadoorie Biobank in Qingdao. Using baseline information and IS events of the participants, the Cox proportional hazard regression model and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were used to analyze the association between WC and IS.Results:A total of 33 355 participants were included in the study, with 302 008.88 person-years of follow-up. A total of 1 093 new cases of IS were observed. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model analysis showed that compared to the respondents with normal WC (male <85.0 cm, female <80.0 cm), respondents with excessive WC (male ≥85.0 cm, female ≥80.0 cm) had a 78% higher risk of IS incidence [hazard ratio( HR)=1.78, 95% CI: 1.51-2.10], and the risk increased by 72% ( HR=1.72, 95% CI: 1.40-2.12) and 83% ( HR=1.83, 95% CI: 1.40-2.39) in men and women. According to the RCS, the increase in WC and the risk of IS showed an "S" trend of nonlinear dose-response relationship. Conclusions:The risk of IS would increase with the WC. Keeping a normal WC is important for preventing IS.

Objective:To investigate the association between solid fuel use for heating, smoking, and respiratory diseases.Methods:This study is based on the Qingdao project of the China Kadoorie Biobank. After screening, 26 165 individuals were included in the study. We employed Cox proportional hazards regression models, stratified by risk age (in 5-year intervals) and sex while adjusting for confounding variables such as occupation and physical activity level to analyze the association between solid fuel use for heating, smoking, and increased risk of respiratory diseases.Results:Among the 26 165 participants, the average age of those using solid fuel for heating was (52.57±10.31) years, with females constituting 58.04% and former/current smokers accounting for 65.38%. The results indicated that both the solid fuel group and the former/current smoking group had a higher risk of respiratory diseases, with hazard ratios ( HR) (95% CI) of 1.21 (1.04-1.41) and 1.41 (1.16-1.71), respectively. For the duration of solid fuel use, the HR (95% CI) for 20 years or more, it was 1.27 (1.07-1.51). The multiplicative interaction term between solid fuel use and smoking was statistically significant. Conclusions:The use of solid fuel for heating and smoking significantly increases the risk of respiratory diseases, and there may be a multiplicative interaction between solid fuel use and smoking.

OBJECTIVE To screen and quantitatively analyze differential quality markers （Q-Marker） in Zingiber officinale mixed and triturated with Schisandra chinensis （ZMTS） before and after processing. METHODS HPLC fingerprints of before processing [Z. officinale complicated with S. chinensis （ZWS）] and after processing （ZMTS） （10 batches each） were established. The differences of Q-Markers before and after processing were screened by the chemical pattern recognition method and Q-Marker “five principles”， and the contents were determined. RESULTS A total of 14 common peaks were identified in the fingerprints of ZWS， 22 common peaks were identified in the fingerprints of ZMTS， and 8 components were identified. Differential Q-Marker were screened by chemical pattern recognition and Q-Marker “five principles”， i. e. 6-gingerol， schisandrol A schisandrol B， 8-gingerol， 10-gingerol， schisandrin A， schisandrin B， schizandrin C. The average contents of the 8 differential Q-Markers in ZMTS were 229.46， 244.48， 39.96， 44.12， 61.17， 47.82， 100.11 and 9.70 μg/g， respectively. The average contents of the 4 differential Q-Markers （6-gingerol， schisandrol A， schisandrol B， 8-gingerol） in ZWS were 112.58， 19.01， 26.74 and 5.98 μg/g， respectively. CONCLUSIONS In this study， the differential Q-Markers before and after ZMTS processing are screened. The contents of the Q-Markers in ZMTS after processing are higher than those before processing.

The assessment of adverse drug events is an important basis for clinical safety evaluation and post-marketing risk control of drugs,and its causality assessment is gaining increasing attention.The existing methods for assessing the causal relationship between drugs and the occurrence of adverse reactions can be broadly classified into three categories:global introspective methods,standardized methods,and probabilistic methods.At present,there is no systematic introduction of the operational details of the various methods in the domestic literature.This paper compares representative causality assessment methods in terms of definition and concept,methodological steps,industry evaluation and advantages and disadvantages,clarifies the basic process of determining the causality of adverse drug reactions,and discusses how to further improve the adverse drug reaction monitoring and evaluation system,with a view to providing a reference for drug development and pharmacovigilance work in China.

Objective To explore the effects of oral voriconazole(VRC)on the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus(TAC)in renal transplant patients.Methods Renal transplant patients who had taken TAC orally for more than 2 days and achieved steady-state plasma concentration before taking VRC.The trough concentration of TAC was measured on the 3rd,5th and 10th days after VRC 200 or 400 mg·d-1 administration.The trough concentration(C0)of TAC was determined by high performance liquid chromatography.The genotypes of TAC were determined by polymerase chain reaction and the pharmacokinetics of TAC after combined use of VRC were compared.Results After the use of VRC,the TAC C0 of 11 renal transplant patients was 3-8 μg·L-1,and the concentration of TAC ranged from 50.00％to 87.50％of the original dose.Additionally,the impact of VRC on TAC varied significantly among individuals.The mean TAC C0 value after VRC administration was significantly higher than the value before VRC[(12.14±3.89)vss(5.20±2.79)μg·L-1].Eleven renal transplant patients were grouped according to cytochrome P450(CYP)2C19-CYP3A5 gene polymorphism,under the condition of combined administration,the C0/dose of TAC in the slow metabolizer group was higher than that in the fast metabolizer group on the 3rd,5th and 10th days[(582.10±252.30)vs(439.03±166.08),(873.71±449.22)vs(666.60±168.00),(852.10±505.73)vs(261.50±81.98)μg·L-1·mg-1·kg;all P＜0.01].Conclusion TAC pharmacokinetics was significantly affected by the VRC in renal transplant recipients,and the principle that TAC dose needed to be reduced by one-third of the original dose was no longer applicable,which may be related to the pharmacokinetics of the VRC itself and the gene polymorphism of CYP2C19/CYP3A5 enzyme.It is recommended to regularly monitor the concentration of TAC when VRC and TAC are used in combination.

Objective:To investigate the expression level of transcription factor dimerization partner 2 (TFDP2) in the placentas of women with preeclampsia, and analyze its effect on the apoptosis of trophoblast cells.Methods:Placental tissues from thirty puerperae with preeclampsia who gave birth by cesarean section in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School between January 2018 and December 2022 (preeclampsia group) and 30 healthy puerperae undergoing cesarean section during the same period (control group) were retrospectively selected. Immunohistochemistry was used to localize TFDP2 in the placental tissues. Real-time quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were used to detect the differences in expression of TFDP2 at mRNA and protein levels in placental tissues between the two groups. Forskolin-exposed BeWo cells were transfected with small interfering RNA (siRNA) to knockdown TFDP2 and the changes in the expression of apoptosis-related indicators, B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) and Bcl2 associated X (Bax), at protein and mRNA levels were analyzed by Western blot and qRT-PCR, respectively. Besides, the change in the apoptosis level of BeWo cells was detected using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining and flow cytometry. Downstream signaling pathways were analyzed to understand the involved molecular mechanisms. Two independent samples t-test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results:TFDP2 was mostly localized in the syncytiotrophoblasts and the extravillous trophoblasts in the normal placentas. TFDP2 expression in the syncytiotrophoblasts was lower in the preeclampsia group than in the control group at both mRNA (0.722±0.239 vs. 1.000±0.348, t=3.61, P=0.001) and protein (0.728±0.185 vs. 1.000±0.206, t=2.41, P=0.037) levels. Comparing the group without knockdown of TFDP2, the knockdown of TFDP2 in BeWo cells elevated the Bax/Bcl2 ratio (mRNA: 1.755±0.452 vs. 1.000±0.279, t=3.48, P=0.006; protein: 3.206±0.922 vs. 1.000±0.290, t=3.95, P=0.017), and increased cell apoptosis both in number and ratio (TUNEL staining: 4.556±1.740 vs. 2.444±1.130, t=3.05, P=0.008; flow cytometry: 21.37%±1.66% vs. 12.61%±0.38%, t=8.92, P=0.001). Furthermore, following TFDP2 knockdown, a decrease in the phosphorylation activity of catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (PKAc) at the Thr197 site was observed in the cytoplasm of BeWo cells (0.466±0.035 vs. 1.000±0.075, t=11.19, P<0.001) and a reduction in the expression of β-catenin in the cell nucleus was also detected (0.250±0.093 vs. 1.000±0.269, t=4.57, P=0.010). Conclusion:The expression of TFDP2 decreased significantly in the placentas of patients with preeclampsia, which may promote the apoptosis of syncytiotrophoblasts by inhibiting the PKAc/β-catenin signaling pathway.