BACKGROUND: Spicy food consumption has been reported to be inversely associated with mortality from multiple diseases. However, the effect of spicy food intake on the incidence of vascular diseases in the Chinese population remains unclear. This study was conducted to explore this association. METHODS: This study was performed using the large-scale China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) prospective cohort of 486,335 participants. The primary outcomes were vascular disease, ischemic heart disease (IHD), major coronary events (MCEs), cerebrovascular disease, stroke, and non-stroke cerebrovascular disease. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the association between spicy food consumption and incident vascular diseases. Subgroup analysis was also performed to evaluate the heterogeneity of the association between spicy food consumption and the risk of vascular disease stratified by several basic characteristics. In addition, the joint effects of spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of vascular disease were also evaluated, and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the reliability of the association results. RESULTS: During a median follow-up time of 12.1 years, a total of 136,125 patients with vascular disease, 46,689 patients with IHD, 10,097 patients with MCEs, 80,114 patients with cerebrovascular disease, 56,726 patients with stroke, and 40,098 patients with non-stroke cerebrovascular disease were identified. Participants who consumed spicy food 1-2 days/week (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.95, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = [0.93, 0.97], P <0.001), 3-5 days/week (HR = 0.96, 95% CI = [0.94, 0.99], P = 0.003), and 6-7 days/week (HR = 0.97, 95% CI = [0.95, 0.99], P = 0.002) had a significantly lower risk of vascular disease than those who consumed spicy food less than once a week ( Ptrend <0.001), especially in those who were younger and living in rural areas. Notably, the disease-based subgroup analysis indicated that the inverse associations remained in IHD ( Ptrend = 0.011) and MCEs ( Ptrend = 0.002) risk. Intriguingly, there was an interaction effect between spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of IHD ( Pinteraction = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS Our findings support an inverse association between spicy food consumption and vascular disease in the Chinese population, which may provide additional dietary guidance for the prevention of vascular diseases.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Vascular Diseases/etiology* ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology* ; Adult ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/epidemiology* ; East Asian People

BACKGROUND: Whether adherence to a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of developing pneumonia and a better long-term prognosis remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate associations of individual and combined lifestyle factors (LFs) with the incidence risk and long-term prognosis of pneumonia hospitalization. METHODS: Using data from the China Kadoorie Biobank study, we used the multistate models to investigate the role of five high-risk LFs, including smoking, excessive alcohol drinking, unhealthy dietary habits, physical inactivity, and unhealthy body shape, alone or in combination in the transitions from a generally healthy state at baseline to pneumonia hospitalization or cardiovascular disease (CVD, regarded as a reference outcome), and subsequently to mortality. RESULTS: Most of the five high-risk LFs were associated with increased risks of transitions from baseline to pneumonia and from pneumonia to death, but with different risk estimates. The greater the number of high-risk LFs, the higher the risk of developing pneumonia and long-term mortality risk after pneumonia, with the strength of associations comparable to that of LFs and CVD. Compared to participants with 0-1 high-risk LF, the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for transitions from baseline to pneumonia and from pneumonia to death in those with five high-risk LFs were 1.43 (1.28-1.60) and 1.98 (1.61-2.42), respectively. Correspondingly, the respective HRs (95% CIs) for transitions from baseline to CVD and from CVD to death were 2.00 (1.89-2.11) and 1.44 (1.30-1.59), respectively. The risk estimates changed slightly when further adjusting for the presence of major chronic diseases. CONCLUSION In this Chinese population, unhealthy LFs were associated with an increased incidence and long-term mortality risk of pneumonia.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Life Style ; Pneumonia/etiology* ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Smoking

BACKGROUND: Prospective evidence on how offspring number influences morbidity and mortality remains limited. This study investigated the associations between number of offspring and morbidity and mortality risks among 0.5 million Chinese adults. METHODS: By using data from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB; n = 512,723, an approximately 12-year follow-up), sex-stratified phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) analyses were conducted to investigate associations between offspring number (without vs . with offspring; more than one vs . one offspring) and risks of ICD10-coded morbidity and mortality. Sex-specific adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by Cox proportional-hazards models. RESULTS: Among 210,129 men and 302,284 women aged 30-79 years, 1,338,837 incident events were recorded. PheWAS results revealed that offspring number was associated with disease risks across multiple systems. Cox models showed that childless men ( vs . one offspring) had higher risks for nine of 36 diseases, while childless women for five of 37. Each additional offspring was associated with reduced risks of mental and behavioral disorders in men (aHR [95% CI] = 0.93 [0.87-0.98]) and both mental and behavioral disorders (aHR [95% CI] = 0.93 [0.89-0.97]) and breast cancer (aHR [95% CI] = 0.82 [0.78-0.86]) in women. However, each additional offspring was associated with a 4% increase in the risk of cholelithiasis and cholecystitis in women (aHR [95% CI] = 1.04 [1.02-1.07]). Among 282,630 patients, 44,533 deaths were documented. Childless patients had higher mortality risk in both men (aHR [95% CI] = 1.37 [1.28-1.47]) and women (aHR [95% CI] = 1.27 [1.15-1.41]). For men, each additional offspring reduced mortality by 4% (aHR [95% CI] = 0.96 [0.95-0.98]), while for women, the lowest risk was observed among those with three to four offspring ( Pnonlinear <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Offspring number is closely linked to morbidity and mortality risks. Further research is warranted to verify our findings and clarify the underlying mechanisms involved.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Morbidity ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Family Characteristics ; Mortality ; East Asian People

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of double-channel core decompression (CD) combined with medullary cavity irrigation with those of simple CD on progression of collapse and clinical outcomes in non-traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 19 patients (30 hips) with non-traumatic ONFH who underwent double-channel CD combined with medullary cavity irrigation and admitted between January 2024 and October 2024 (CD+irrigation group). According to a 1: 2 ratio, 54 patients (60 hips) who underwent simple CD and were matched in terms of age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) were included as the control (CD group). There was no significant difference in baseline data such as age, gender, BMI, affected side, ONFH type, preoperative Association Research Circulation Osseous (ARCO) stage, bone marrow edema stage, visual analogue scale (VAS) score for pain, and Harris score between the two groups ( P>0.05). The postoperative discharge time and occurrence of complications were recorded for both groups. The VAS scores before operation and at discharge after operation were compared, and the differences between pre- and post-operation (change values) were calculated for intergroup comparison. The Harris scores before operation and at discharge and 3 months after operation were also compared. During follow-up, X-ray film, CT, and MRI were performed for reexamination. The ARCO stage and bone marrow edema stage were evaluated at 3 months after operation and compared with those before operation to determine whether there was radiological progression or relief. RESULTS: All incisions in both groups healed by first intention after operation, with no infection, femoral neck fracture, or other operation-related complications. All patients were followed up, and the follow-up time of the CD+irrigation group was (146.8±27.7) days, and that of the CD group was (164.3±48.2) days; there was no significant difference between the two groups ( t=1.840, P=0.069). There was no significant difference in the length of hospital stay between the two groups ( P>0.05). At discharge after operation, the VAS score of the CD+irrigation group was significantly lower than that of the CD group ( P<0.05), and the change value was significantly higher than that of the CD group ( P<0.05). The Harris scores at discharge and 3 months after operation in the CD+irrigation group were significantly higher than those in the CD group ( P<0.05). The Harris score gradually increased with time, and the differences between different time points were significant ( P<0.05). Radiological reexamination showed that there was no significant difference in the ARCO stage and the incidence of radiological progression between the two groups at 3 months after operation ( P>0.05); however, the bone marrow edema stage and the degree of bone marrow edema relief in the CD+irrigation group were better than those in the CD group, with significant differences ( P<0.05). CONCLUSION Double-channel CD combined with medullary cavity irrigation can significantly alleviate hip joint pain and improve joint function in patients with non-traumatic ONFH, reduce the degree of bone marrow edema in the femoral head, and delay the progression of ONFH.
Humans ; Femur Head Necrosis/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Decompression, Surgical/methods* ; Therapeutic Irrigation/methods* ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Middle Aged ; Femur Head/surgery*

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 explore the effectiveness of the diffusion of innovation theory in com-bination with multidisciplinary nursing collaboration in intervention for patients with severe pneumonia complicated by heart failure.Methods A total of 120 patients with severe pneumonia complicated by heart failure admitted between April 2021 and April 2024 were enrolled and randomly divided into observation group(n=60)and control group(n=60)using a random black-and-white ball method.The control group received conventional nursing intervention,while the observation group received an intervention model combining the diffusion of innovations theory with multidisciplinary collaboration on top of the conventional nursing.Rehabilitation outcomes(time to control of pulmonary inflammation,time to resolution of cough and expectoration,length of hospital stay)and post-intervention cardiac function[left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),left ventricular end-systolic volume(LVESV)]were compared between the two groups.The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire(MLHFQ)was used to assess quality of life,and the Self-Care Heart Failure Index(SCHFI)was used to evaluate self-care behaviors.Complications were compared between the two groups,and cost-effectiveness was analyzed(patient medical expenses and re-hospitalization rates).Results The observation group had shorter time to resolution of cough and expectoration,control of pulmonary inflammation,and length of hospital stay compared with the control group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).After intervention,LVEF increased in both groups compared with pre-intervention lev-els,and was higher in the observation group than in the control group,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05);ESV decreased in both groups compared with pre-intervention levels,and was lower in the observation group than in the control group,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).After intervention,physiological,emotional,and social functioning scores in the MLHFQ decreased in both groups compared with pre-intervention levels,and were lower in the ob-servation group than in the control group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).After intervention,scores for self-care maintenance,self-care management,and self-care confidence in the SCHFI increased in both groups,and were higher in the observation group than in the control group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion The combination of the diffusion of innovations theory and multidisciplinary collaboration nursing model can accelerate the rehabilitation process in patients with severe pneumonia complicated by heart fail-ure,improve their quality of life,and effectively enhance their self-care abilities.

"State-target medicine" is a traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） diagnosis and treatment theoretical system proposed by Academician Tong Xiaolin based on the current development of modern medicine. The active stage of gastric ulcer， as a precancerous state of gastric cancer， has a great impact on people's health. Prof. ZHOU Xuewen， a master of TCM， innovatively put forward the theory of "toxicity-heat" etiology for the active stage of gastric ulcer， which plays an important guiding role in clinical diagnosis and treatment. The article took the theoretical system of "state-target medicine" as the framework to explain the rationale， method， formula， and medicine of Prof. ZHOU Xuewen， who applied the Xiaoyong Kuidekang based on the "toxicity-heat" theory to treat the gastric ulcer in the active stage. The Chinese medical name of gastric ulcer， "gastric carbuncle"， was established， and it was believed that gastric ulcer is born due to "toxicity" and is based on "toxicity and heat". In the course of the disease， "toxicity"， "heat"， "deficiency"， and "stasis" coexisted， and its pathogenesis was divided into three phases， namely， toxicity-heat accumulation phase， toxicity-heat affecting the health phase， and weakened body resistance and strengthened toxicity phase. According to the positioning of gastric ulcer as an "internal carbuncle"， Prof. ZHOU Xuewen proposed the treatment of gastric ulcer in the active stage with "carbuncle theory" and introduced the surgical methods of "elimination"， "support"， and "tonifying" into the treatment of gastric ulcer in the active stage. Prof. ZHOU Xuewen took "clearing heat and removing toxins， eliminating carbuncle and generating muscle" as the basic treatment of the disease. For different stages of the disease， Prof. ZHOU Xuewen emphasized the use of the methods of clearing heat and removing toxins， supporting rot and muscle growth， and strengthening the spleen and harmonizing the stomach and created the representative formula for the treatment of gastric ulcer in the active stage with "carbuncle theory"， namely "Xiaoyong Kuidekang"， which could regulate state and targets.

Objective:To discuss the regulatory effect of berberine(BBR)on fatty acids in the human glioma T98G cells and its effect on the cell proliferation,migration,and invasion,and to clarify its potential mechanism.Methods:The T98G cells at logarithmic growth phase were divided into control group and different concentrations(25,50,and 100 mg·L-1)of BBR groups.Cell wound healing assay was used to detect the migration rates of the cells in various groups;Transwell chamber assay was used to detect the invasion rates of the cells in various groups.The T98G cells at logarithmic growth phase were divided into control group and 100 mg·L-1 BBR group,and Mass spectrometry was used to detect the fatty acid contents in the cells in two groups.The T98G cells at logarithmic growth phase were divided into control group and different concentrations(50,100,and 150 mg·L-1)of BBR groups;Western blotting method was used to detect the expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K),phosphorylated PI3K(p-PI3K),protein kinase B(AKT),phosphorylated AKT(p-AKT),sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1(SREBP-1),and fatty acid synthase(FASN)in the cells in various groups.The expression of FASN was suppressed by gene silencing technology,and the T98G cells at logarithmic growth phase were divided into control group,shFASN1 group,and shFASN2 group.Western blotting method was used to detect the expression levels of FASN protein in the cells in various groups;clone formation assay was used to detect the clone formation of the cells in various groups;cell wound healing assay was used to detect the migration rates of the cells in various groups.Results:Compared with control group,the migration rates and invasion rates of the cells in different concentrations of BBR groups were decreased in a concentration-dependent manner(P<0.01),and the fatty acid content in the cells in 100 mg·L-1 BBR group was significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with control group,the expression levels of p-PI3K,p-AKT,SREBP-1,and FASN proteins in the cells in 150 mg·L-1 BBR group were significantly decreased(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and the expression level of SREBP-1 protein in the cells in 100 and 150 mg·L-1 BBR groups were significantly decreased(P<0.01).After suppression of FASN expression,compared with control group,the expression levels of FASN protein in the cells in shFASN1 and shFASN2 groups were significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the expression level of FASN protein in the cells in shFASN2 group was lower than that in shFASN1 group(P<0.05);compared with control group,the numbers of clone formation and migration rates of the cells in shFASN1 and shFASN2 groups were significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the migration rate of the cells in shFASN2 group was significantly lower than that in shFASN1 group(P<0.05).Conclusion:BBR interferes with fatty acid synthesis in the glioma T98G cells by reducing the expression of the PI3K/AKT/SREBP-1/FASN pathway related proteins,and decrease their migration and invasion capabilities.

Objective To investigate the relationship between interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and miR-185-5p in the process of joint injury in acute gouty arthritis (AGA). Methods The serum miR-185-5p levels of 89 AGA patients and 91 healthy volunteers were detected by real-time quantitative PCR. The correlation between miR-185-5p expression level and VAS score or IL-1β expression level was evaluated by Pearson correlation coefficient method. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of miR-185-5p in AGA. THP-1 cells were induced by sodium urate (MSU) to construct an in vitro acute gouty inflammatory cell model. After the expression level of miR-185-5p in THP-1 cells was upregulated or downregulated by transfection of miR-185-5p mimics or inhibitors in vitro, inflammatory cytokines of THP-1 cells, such as IL-1β, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), were detected by ELISA. The luciferase reporter gene assay was used to determine the interaction between miR-185-5p and the 3'-UTR of IL-1β. Results Compared with the healthy control group, the expression level of serum miR-185-5p in AGA patients was significantly reduced. The level of serum miR-185-5p was negatively correlated with VAS score and IL-1β expression level. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.905, the sensitivity was 80.17% and the specificity was 83.52%. Down-regulation of miR-185-5p significantly promoted the expression of IL-1β, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), while overexpression of miR-185-5p showed the opposite results. Luciferase reporter gene assay showed that IL-1β was the target gene of miR-185-5p, and miR-185-5p negatively regulated the expression of IL-1β. Conclusion miR-185-5p alleviates the inflammatory response in AGA by inhibiting IL-1β.
Humans ; 3' Untranslated Regions ; Arthritis, Gouty/genetics* ; Interleukin-1beta/genetics* ; Interleukin-8 ; Luciferases ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha