Objective To investigate certain risk factors for and their impact on abnormal liver function in middle-aged and elderly adults.Methods A case-control study was constructed based on the SAGE cohort of 8642 registered residents aged 50 years or over in Shanghai.Of them,137 individuals with abnormal liver function,defined as aspartate transaminase (AST)＞ 40 U/L or alanine aminotransferase (ALT)＞ 40 U/L,were randomly selected as the observation group,while 411 healthy controls were 3 ∶ 1 matched with the cases in the observation group by gender and age (1 year).Face-to-face administered questionnaires and physical examinations were conducted and serum samples were tested for ALT,AST,glucose (GLU),total cholesterol (TC),triglycreide (TG),hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) and anti-hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV Ab).Chi square test and rank sum test were used for single factor analysis,and logistic regression analysis was used for multiple factors.Results The prevalence of HBsAg positive patients was 12.4 ％ (68/548) Univariate analysis showed that hepatitis virus infection and body mass index (BMI) were associated with abnormal liver function (both P＜0.000).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that hepatitis virus infection (OR=1.85,95％ CI:1.04 3.29,P-0.036) and obesity (OR=3.60,95％CI:1.92-6.73,P＜0.001) increased the risk of abnormal liver function,whereas chronic medication (OR=0.51,95％ CI:0.32-0.80,P =0.004) decreased the risk of abnormal liver function.Conclusions Among the study population,hepatitis virus infection and obesity are risk factors for abnormal liver function in middle-aged and elderly people.After adjustment for potential confounders,chronic medication is negatively correlated with abnormal liver function and may be a protective factor for liver function.

Objective:To investigate the value of pulmonary perfusion defect index (PPDI), pulmonary artery obstruction index (PAOI) and right heart function parameters in the evaluation of severity of pulmonary embolism.Methods:The clinical data of 108 patients with pulmonary embolism who received treatment in The Second Hospital of Jiaxing from January 2019 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were divided into high-risk ( n = 25), moderate-risk ( n = 32), and low-risk ( n = 51) groups according to the severity of pulmonary embolism. PAOI, PPDI, right ventricular short axis maximum diameter (RV), left ventricular short axis maximum diameter (LV), ratio of right/left right ventricular short axis maximum diameter (RV/LV) were determined in each group. PPDI, PAOI and right ventricular function parameters were correlated with the severity of pulmonary embolism. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, specificity and severity of PPDI, PAOI, RV, LV, RV/LV used alone and in combination to predict the severity of pulmonary embolism were analyzed. Results:PPDI, PAOI, RV, and RV/LV in the high-risk group were (32.52 ± 10.85)%, (45.01 ± 15.02)%, (50.32 ± 12.32) mm, (1.42 ± 0.45), respectively, which were significantly lower than (5.32 ± 1.85)%, (12.52 ± 3.25)%, (37.25 ± 8.52) mm, (0.96 ± 0.21) in the low-risk group, and LV was significantly lower in the high-risk group than that in the low-risk group [(35.14 ± 10.52) mm vs. (44.02 ± 15.21) mm, t = 13.95, 11.91, 2.62, 6.09, 5.44, all P < 0.05]. PPDI, PAOI, RV, and RV/LV in the moderate-risk group were (18.62 ± 6.02)%, (28.65 ± 8.65)%, (45.85 ± 10.02) mm, and (1.20 ± 0.32), respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the low-risk group ( t = 14.75, 12.06, 4.18, 4.13, all P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in LV between moderate-risk and low-risk groups ( t = 1.51, P > 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that PPDI, PAOI, RV, RV/LV were positively correlated with the severity of pulmonary embolism ( r = 0.87, 0.84, 0.45, 0.41, all P < 0.001). LV was negatively correlated with the severity of pulmonary embolism ( r = -0.27, P < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) showed that the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of PPDI, PAOI, RV, LV, RV/LV used alone or in combination to predict the severity of pulmonary embolism were 0.941, 0.911, 0.721, 0.693, 0.726, and 0.951, respectively (all P < 0.001). Conclusion:PPDI, PAOI and right heart function parameters can be used as effective indexes to dynamically monitor the severity of pulmonary embolism.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of allergic rhinitis (AR) in urban and rural areas of Ningbo and Yongzhou. METHOD: Fifteen fields in the two cities from October 2006 to June 2007 were randomly selected. Cases suspected with symptoms of AR by a self-administered and interview questionnaire were recommended to special examinations for confirmed diagnosis. RESULT: 1. A total of 9969 individuals from 3803 families were surveyed, of whom 303 suffered with AR. 2. The prevalence rate was 4.10% in Ningbo and 1.65% in Yongzhou (the sex-adjusted rate was 4.10% and 1.64% respectively, and the age-adjusted rate was 4.33% and 1.58%); the population of island inhabitants had the lowest prevalence rate of 0.73%. 3. The prevalence rate in patients with asthma and that with family genetic history was 8% and 12% respectively. CONCLUSION It demonstrates that the prevalence rate is higher in Ningbo than in Yongzhou, in urban than in rural and in adolescent than in other ages. Allergic rhinitis may be associated with asthma and related to genetic factors. Allergic rhinitis may be curable.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asthma ; epidemiology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; epidemiology ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal ; epidemiology ; Rural Population ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Urban Population ; Young Adult

ObjectiveTo explore the risk of different levels of pre-pregnancy obesity on trimester-specific thyroid dysfunction. MethodsQuestionnaire information， blood samples， and urine samples from a 2017 pregnancy cohort study in Shanghai， China were collected. A total of 2 455 pregnant women were included in the analysis. Pre-pregnancy BMI was calculated based on the height and self-reported pre-pregnancy weight. Serum TSH， total thyroxine （TT4）， free thyroxine （FT4）， total triiodothyronine （TT3）， free triiodothyronine （FT3）， thyroid globulin antibody（TgAb）， and Thyroid peroxidase antibody （TPOAb） were measured using the electrochemiluminescence method. Urine iodine levels were measured using the acid digestion method. Levels of thyroid function indexes of pregnant women with different degrees of obesity during pre-pregnancy were compared， and trimester-specific thyroid dysfunction was evaluated according to the reference range of trimester-specific thyroid hormone established by this cohort. Multivariate logistic regressions analysis was used to assess the correlation between pre-pregnancy obesity and trimester-specific thyroid dysfunction. ResultsAs the degree of obesity increased， maternal levels of FT3 and TT3 gradually increased during pregnancy （P<0.001， P=0.001）， while FT4 levels gradually decreased （P=0.001）. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with the normal weight group， pregnant women who were overweight or obesity before pregnancy had a significantly higher risk of hypothyroxinemia （OR=3.85， 95%CI： 2.08‒7.14， P<0.001） and high TT3 （OR=2.78， 95%CI： 1.45‒5.26， P=0.002） during pregnancy. ConclusionPre-pregnancy overweight or obesity can increase the risk of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy.

Background Multiple studies have shown a close relationship between changes in gut microbiota composition and obesity, and research results are influenced by factors such as race and geographical location, but there are few studies on children. Objective To analyze the diversity of gut microbiota related to obesity in a population of 2-6 years old, observe the distribution characteristics and species differences of gut microbiota between obese/overweight and normal weight groups, and explore the association betweenobese/overweight and gut microbiota diversity. Methods Fecal samples were collected from 74 children aged 2-6 years in Shanghai, including 18 obese/overweight individuals, 6 males and 12 females (male to female ratio of 1∶2), and 56 normal weight individuals, 18 males and 38 females (male to female ratio is nearly 1∶2). The 16S rDNA was extracted from bacteria in fecal samples, followed by PCR amplification, cDNA construction, and high-throughput sequencing. Naive Bayes algorithm was used to perform taxonomic analysis (phylum, class, order, family, genus, species) and community diversity analysis (Sobs index, Shannon index, Shannoneven index, Coverage index, PD index, and principal co-ordinates analysis) on representative sequences and abundance of amplicon sequence variants (ASV). Wilcoxon rank sum test, P-value multiple test correction, and analysis of similarities were used to test differences between the two groups to obtain information on the distribution characteristics and species differences of intestinal microbiota in children. Results Seventy-four fecal samples were sequenced, and the sequencing results were subjected to quality control and filtering. A total of 4905306 optimized sequences were obtained, resulting in 1860 ASVs. The diversity data analysis of ASVs generated 889 species annotation results at 8 taxonomic levels. The alpha diversity analysis showed that the richness (Sobs index), diversity (Shannon index), evenness (Shannoneven index), and phylogenetic diversity (PD index) of fecal community of the obese/overweight children were increased compared to those of the normal weight children, but there were no statistical differences between the two groups (P>0.05). The beta diversity analysis showed that there was little difference in the composition of microbial species between the two groups, and no significant clustering separation was observed. The results of species composition analysis at phylum, order, family, and genus levels of 74 samples showed a consistent core microbiota structure in the two groups of gut microbiota, but there were differences in microbiota composition. The differences in microbial community composition between the two groups were manifested at the taxonomic levels of order, family, and genus, among which phylum Firmicutes, order Erysipelotrichales, family Erysipelatocyclostridiaceae, genus Erysipelotrichaceae_ UCG-003 and genus Catenibacterium were significantly enriched in the obese/overweight group and contributed significantly to the phenotypic difference of obese/overweight [linear discriminant analysis (LDA)=3.72, P<0.01; LDA=3.29, P<0.05). Phylum Proteobacteria, order Enterobacterales, family Enterobacteriaceae, genus unclassified was significantly enriched in the normal weight group and contributed significantly to the phenotypic difference of normal body weight (LDA=3.93, P<0.05). Conclusion The richness and diversity of gut microbiota in obese/overweight children aged 2-6 years in Shanghai are increased, but there is no difference compared to normal weight children. There is a difference in the composition of gut microbiota between the obese/overweight group and the normal weight group.