Objective:To compare the prevalence and progression of subclinical atherosclerosis (SA) in populations with different cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks in China, and clarify the relationship between CVD risk stratification and SA.Methods:All participants were from Beijing Community-Based Cohort of Atherosclerosis. A total of 1 462 participants underwent carotid ultrasound and coronary computed tomography scan during 2008-2009 and 2013-2014. After excluding 191 participants with history of CVD and incomplete baseline data, 1 271 participants were included in final analysis. The 10-year CVD risk for participants were calculated based on the Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China (China-PAR) equation, and risk stratification was performed. The prevalence and progression of SA was determined by carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), carotid plaque score and coronary artery calcification (CAC) score.Results:In the participants included in this study, 536 (42.2%), 418 (32.9%) and 317 (24.9%) were classified to have low, intermediate and high 10-year risk, respectively. With the rising level of 10-year risk, the proportion of patients with SA and SA progression increased. In low, intermediate and high CVD risk groups, the proportions of participants with CAC were 16.4%, 36.4% and 52.0% (trend P<0.001); and 15.4%, 36.4% and 53.6% had progression of CAC during follow-up, respectively (trend P<0.001); compared with low-risk group, RRs for CAC progression of intermediate and high-risk groups were 2.316 (95% CI: 1.714-3.129) and 3.322 (95% CI: 2.472-4.463), respectively (trend P<0.001). The trend of relationship between CVD risk stratification and cIMT and carotid plaque progression were consistent with CAC. Conclusions:This current study shows CVD risk stratification is closely related to the prevalence and progression of atherosclerosis in Chinese population. However, many people with low CVD risk have atherosclerotic change in their carotid and coronary artery.

Objectives:This study aims to investigate the association between cumulative fasting blood glucose(FBG)and presence of coronary artery calcification(CAC). Methods:A total of 1 113 participants were recruited from the Beijing Community-based Cohort of Atherosclerosis.Anthropometric measurements and laboratory examinations including FBG were performed in 1998,2008-2009 and 2013-2014 respectively,and coronary CT scan was performed in 2013-2014.Participants were classified into 4 groups according to the level of cumulative FBG(10-year weighted cumulative value of at least 2 FBGs):<50.0 mmol/L group(n=495),50.0-55.9 mmol/L group(n=345),56.0-69.9 mmol/L group(n=176),and≥70.0 mmol/L group(n=97).CAC score>0 was defined as presence of CAC.Multivariable logistic regression model was applied to analyze the impact of cumulative FBG exposure on the risk of CAC,and subgroup analyses were conducted according to factors such as sex and age. Results:The mean age of enrolled participants was(59.7±6.4)years,523(47.0%)were male and 478(42.9%)had CAC.The proportion of subjects with CAC increased with the increment of cumulative FBG.Compared with the<50.0 mmol/L group,the multivariable-adjusted OR(95%CI)for CAC in the 50.0-55.9 mmol/L group,56.0-69.9 mmol/L group,and≥70.0 mmol/L group were 1.43(1.04-1.98),1.92(1.24-2.99)and 2.79(1.35-5.77),respectively(Ptrend<0.05).The risk for CAC increased by 34%per 10 mmol/L increase in cumulative FBG,with OR(95%CI)of 1.34(1.12-1.59).There was no statistically significant difference in the risk of CAC presence for each 10 mmol/L increase in cumulative FBG level between the subgroups(all P≥0.05). Conclusions:Elevated cumulative FBG is a risk factor for the prevalence of CAC,indicating the importance of maintaining healthy FBG in preventing the occurrence of CAC.

BACKGROUNDS: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of deaths nationwide. However, little is understood about its temporal trend and corresponding influence on longevity improvements. We aimed to describe the updated tendency in CVD mortality and to quantify its impact on life expectancy (LE) increase in China. METHODS: All-cause mortality rates were calculated with population sizes from the National Bureau of Statistics and death counts from the National Health Commission. We estimated CVD mortality rates by allocating age- and sex-based mortality envelopes to each CVD subtype based on its proportion derived from the Disease Surveillance Points system. The probability of CVD premature deaths and LE were calculated with life tables and we adopted Arriaga's method to quantitate age- and cause-specific contributions to LE gains. RESULTS: During 2013 to 2018, the age-standardized mortality rate of CVD decreased from 289.69 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 289.03, 290.35)/100,000 to 272.37 (95%CI: 271.81, 272.94)/100,000, along with a decline in probability of CVD premature deaths from 9.05% (95%CI: 9.02%, 9.09%) to 8.13% (95%CI: 8.10%, 8.16%). The gap in CVD mortality across sexes expanded with more remarkable declines in females, especially for those aged 15 to 64 years. Among major subtypes, the probability of premature deaths from hemorrhage stroke declined fastest, while improvements of ischemic stroke and ischemic heart disease were limited, and there was an increase in stroke sequelae. LE in China reached 77.04 (95%CI: 76.96, 77.12) years in 2018 with an increase of 1.38 years from 2013. Of the total LE gains, 21.15% (0.29 years) were attributed to reductions of CVD mortality in the overall population, mostly driven by those aged >65 years. CONCLUSIONS The general process in reducing CVD mortality has contributed to longevity improvements in China. More attention should be paid to prevention and control of atherosclerotic CVD and stroke sequelae, especially for the elderly. Working-age males also deserve additional attention due to inadequate improvements.
Aged ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Life Expectancy ; China/epidemiology* ; Disease Progression ; Stroke ; Cause of Death

Adult ; Atherosclerosis ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; China ; Habits ; Humans ; Lipids

BACKGROUND: Thymoma is frequently associated with myasthenia gravis (MG). However, whether MG is a factor for the outcome of patients with thymoma following complete thymectomy remains unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of thymoma with MG prognostic factors. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of The Chinese Alliance for Research in Thymomas (ChART) database within 1992-2012 complete cases 875 cases, 20 years follow-up data analysis thymic tumor tissue type credits and MG, Masaoka staging and prognosis, postoperative adjuvant therapy and relationship with the prognosis of surgical removal of the way. RESULTS: Thymic tumor tissue type credit has correlation with MG, difference was statistically significant (χ²=24.908, P<0.001). MG: incidence of B2 type (58/178, 32.58%) > B3 type (65/239, 27.20%) > B1 (27/132, 20.45%) > AB (43/267, 16.10%) > type A, 10.17% (6/59), Masaoka stage has no correlation with MG (χ²=0.365, P=1.365). Survival analysis showed that the WHO classification, Masaoka stage associated with prognosis (P<0.05), and whether the merger MG (χ²=0.113, P=0.736), postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy (χ²=0.380, P=0.538) has nothing to do with the prognosis, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy is associated with poor prognosis (χ²=14.417, P<0.001). Whether has nothing to do with the prognosis of the thymus resection (χ²=1.548, P=1.548), whether the whole correlated with the curative effect of thymus excision with MG (χ²=24.695, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Thymoma patients with MG and extended thymectomy have no correlation with prognosis. Extended thymectomy can improve the effect of MG patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myasthenia Gravis ; complications ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Analysis ; Thymoma ; complications ; Young Adult

Several putative transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) exist in the PCV2 rep gene promoter. To explore if porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) could regulate the viral replication by using these TFBSs, we conducted electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), DNA-pull down and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) assays. EMSA confirmed the binding activity of the rep gene promoter with nuclear proteins of host cells. DNA-pull down and LC-MS/MS identified the porcine transcription factor AP-2δ (poTFAP2δ) could bind the PCV2 rep gene promoter. Dual-luciferase reporter assay, quantitative real-time PCR, Western blotting and indirect immunofluorescent assay demonstrated that poTFAP2δ could not only promote the activity of the rep gene promoter, but also enhance the transcription/translation activity of the rep/cap gene and the virus titer of PCV2 during the entire life cycle of PCV2 infection. This study revealed the molecular mechanism of PCV2 using host proteins to enhance the viral replication, provided a new perspective for studying the pathogenic mechanism of PCV2 from virus and host interactions, and provided a theoretical basis for developing highly effective PCV2 vaccines.
Animals ; Cell Line ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Circoviridae Infections ; Circovirus ; DNA Helicases ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Swine ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Transcription Factor AP-2 ; Virus Replication

Objective To investigate the relationship between the ratio of living related donor renal volume (RV) to recipient body surface area (BSA) (RV/BSA) and early postoperative function of transplanted kidney. Methods Clinical data of 120 pairs of donors and recipients undergoing living related renal transplantation were retrospectively analyzed. According to the RV/BSA ratio, the recipients were divided into group A (RV/BSA<65.33 mL/m2), group B (RV/BSA 65.33~76.49 mL/m2), group C (RV/BSA 76.50~96.96 mL/m2) and group D (RV/BSA > 96.96 mL/m2). The postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of recipients was compared among 4 groups. The correlation between the RV/BSA and eGFR of recipients at postoperative 6 and 12 months was analyzed. Results The eGFR at postoperative 6 month in group A was significantly lower than that in groups B, C and D (t=2.313, 2.947, 5.903; all P<0.05). The eGFR at postoperative 12 month in group A was also significantly lower than that in groups B, C and D (t=2.189, 2.433, 2.909;all P<0.05). The RV/BSA was significantly correlated with the eGFR of recipients at postoperative 6 and 12 months (all P<0.05).Conclusions RV/BSA is intimately correlated with the early function of transplanted kidney after living related renal transplantation.

Objective: To investigate the association of fruit and vegetable intake with long-term changes of serum lipid levels in middle-aged Chinese and older Chinese population. Methods: The study analyzed the data collected in the 2004 and 2007-2008 cohorts of China Multicenter Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Epidemiology. Finally, 4 495 participants from 10 groups in various regions of China, who both were followed up in the two cohorts, were included for data analysis. They were aged 41-66 years in 2004. Fruit and vegetable consumption were collected with a simple food frequency questionnaire. The percent changes (Δ%) of serum TC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C between the two surveys were calculated. Multivariate linear regression models were used to estimate the association of fruit and vegetable intake in 2004 with percentage changes of serum lipid levels during the two surveys. Results: The proportions of individuals who consumed fruits <250, 250-499 and ≥500 g/week were 24.0%, 21.8% and 54.2%, respectively. The proportions of individuals who consumed vegetables <500 and ≥500 g/day were 76.7% and 23.3%, respectively. Compared with fruit intake <250 g/week, the regression coefficients (95% CI) of ΔTC% in 250-499 and ≥500 g/week group were -1.54 (-2.71, -0.37) and -1.77 (-2.79, -0.76). And the regression coefficients (95% CI) of ΔLDL-C% were -2.43 (-4.39, -0.48) and -2.89 (-4.59, -1.19). Compared with vegetable intake <500 g/d, the regression coefficients (95%CI) of ΔTC% and ΔLDL-C% in vegetable intake ≥500 g/d group were -1.01 (-1.95, -0.06) and -1.83 (-3.41, -0.24). However, fruit and vegetable intake had no relationship with ΔTG% and ΔHDL-C%. Conclusion The consumption of fruit and vegetable was inversely related to long-term changes of TC and LDL-C in middle-aged and older population, but no association was found for changes of TG and HDL-C.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between physical activity (PA) and the risk of incident hypertension among population in rural areas of China. Methods: The Community Intervention of Metabolic Syndrome in China & Chinese Family Health Study (CIMIC) was conducted in 2007-2008. Data on PA, smoking, drinking, blood pressure and other variables were obtained at baseline. Then the follow-up study of incident hypertension was performed during 2012-2015. A total of 41 457 participants aged ≥18 years and free from hypertension at baseline were included in the final analyses. PA was calculated as metabolic equivalent (MET) for each participant. Cox proportional hazard models were used to explore the relationship of PA with incident hypertension according to the quartiles of PA. Results: A total of 6 780 participants developed hypertension during an average follow up of 5.8 years. The annual incidence of hypertension was 2.80%. Compared to participants in the first quartile of PA, HR (95%CI) of incident hypertension decreased with the level of PA of 0.92 (0.86, 0.99), 0.72 (0.67, 0.77) and 0.70 (0.65, 0.75) for the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th quartile, respectively (P_trend<0.001). In subgroup analyses, compared to the first quartile, hazards of hypertension among normotensive participants (systolic blood pressure less than 120 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) and diastolic blood pressure less than 80 mm Hg) in the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th quartile were 0.82 (0.70, 0.95), 0.73 (0.63, 0.85) and 0.78 (0.67, 0.90), respectively (P_trend=0.002). Among participants with prehypertension (systolic blood pressure from 120 to 139 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure from 80 to 89 mmHg), similar trend for the relationship of PA and incident hypertension was also found with HR (95%CI) of 0.94 (0.87, 1.01), 0.71 (0.65, 0.77) and 0.66 (0.61, 0.71) for the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th quartile, respectively (P_trend<0.001). Conclusion There was linear trend association between PA and incident hypertension. Increased PA in daily life may be a protective factor against hypertension.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted based on the data cohort of China multicenter collaborative study of cardiovascular epidemiology in 2007-2008. A total of 7227 participants were enrolled including 3304 male and 3923 female at the mean age of (55.6±7.1) years. Tea drinking information was collected by questionnaire; participants were stratified by gender and grouped by regular tea drinking. Relationship between tea drinking and blood lipids, lipoprotein levels were assessed by covariance analysis. Results: There were 3012/7227 (41.7%) participants (male: 58.9% and female: 27.2%) regularly drunk tea. With adjusted age, urban and rural, education level, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, body mass index (BMI), daily red meat intake, physical work intensity, exercise intensity, histories of hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia, in male gender, compared with non-regular tea drinker, regular tea drinker had decreased blood level of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), the difference was -0.12 mmol/L, P=0.0001 and increased triglyceride (TG), the difference was 0.11 mmol/L, P=0.0001; in female gender, regular tea drinker showed increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), the difference was 0.06 mmol/L, P<0.0001. Conclusion: In our research, regular tea drinking was negatively related to blood LDL-C level and positively related to TG in male gender, while it was positively related to HDL-C in female gender; the above correlations were independent from possible influencing factors. The impact of long term regular tea drinking on blood lipids and lipoprotein levels should be further prospectively investigated in community based middle and aged population.