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.

Objective To compare the value of Child-Pugh score, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, MELD combined with serum sodium concentration (MELD-Na) score, CLIF Consortium Acute Decompensation (CLIF-C AD) score, and Freiburg index of post-transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) survival (FIPS) score in predicting the survival of patients undergoing TIPS. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 447 patients with liver cirrhosis who underwent TIPS in several hospitals in southwest China, among whom there were 306 patients in the survival group and 62 in the death group. The scores of the above five models were calculated, and a survival analysis was performed based on these models. The independent samples t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups, and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups; the Pearson chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups; a multivariate Cox regression analysis was used for correction analysis of known influencing factors with statistical significance which were not included in the scoring models; the Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate the discriminatory ability of each model in identifying risks in the surgical population, and the log-rank test was used for analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), C-index at different time points, and calibration curve were used to evaluate the predictive ability of each scoring model. Results Compared with the death group, the survival group had significantly lower age ( Z =2.884, P < 0.05), higher albumin ( t =3.577, P < 0.05), and Na + ( Z =-3.756, P < 0.05) and significantly lower proportion of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis ( χ 2 =22.674, P < 0.05), aspartate aminotransferase ( Z =2.141, P < 0.05), prothrombin time ( Z =2.486, P < 0.05), international normalized ratio ( Z =2.429, P < 0.05), total bilirubin ( Z =3.754, P < 0.05), severity of ascites ( χ 2 =14.186, P < 0.05), and scores of the five models (all P < 0.05). Survival analysis showed that all scoring models effectively stratified the prognostic risk of the patients undergoing TIPS. Comparison of the C-index of each scoring model at different time points showed that Child-Pugh score had the strongest ability in predicting postoperative survival, followed by MELD-Na score, MELD score, and CLIF-C AD score, and FIPS score had a relatively poor predictive ability; in addition, the prediction efficiency of each score gradually decreased over time. Child-Pugh score had the largest AUC of 0.832 in predicting 1-year survival rate after surgery, and MELD-Na score had the largest AUC of 0.726 in predicting 3-year survival rate after surgery, but FIPS score had a poor ability in predicting 1- and 3-year survival rates. Conclusion All five scoring models can predict the survival of patients with liver cirrhosis after TIPS and can provide effective stratification of prognostic risk for such patients. Child-Pugh score has a better ability in predicting short-term survival, while MELD-Na score has a better ability in predicting long-term survival, but FIPS score has a relatively poor predictive ability in predicting both short-term and long-term survival.

Humans ; East Asian People ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vitiligo/epidemiology*

Chronic inflammation induced by Helicobacter pylori is considered to be one of the main causes of gastric cancer,and CagA is a main virulence factor of H.pylori.The study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of CagA in host inflammatory response.Mass spectrometry was used to identify the interacting proteins of CagA in AGS cells.By immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence,the interaction was validated.Pathway expression was detected by immunoblotting after knockdown by using siRNA,and mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines were detected by quantitative PCR.CagA-induced inflammatory responses were detected in clinical samples using hemoglobin-eosin staining(H&E).Data showed that CagA interacted with SHARPIN.And CagA activated the NF-κB signaling pathway and upregulated the mRNA and protein levels of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6,IL-8,and TNF-α,as compared with the CagA knockout strain(all P<0.05).Knockdown of SHARPIN by siRNA reduced inflammation levels and partially inhibit NF-κB signaling.In clinical samples,CagA-positive samples exhibited stronger inflammatory responses.To sum up,CagA promoted the host inflammatory response,and CagA-induced inflammatory response was reduced when SHARPIN was partially inhibited,suggesting that CagA activates the NF-κB signaling pathway through binding to SHARPIN.

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

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

Background: Disrupted circadian rhythms have been associated with the development of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In some IBS patients, the symptoms may present with circadian fluctuations. Enterochromaffin cells (EC cells) and tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) - 5 - hydroxytryptamine (5 - HT) signaling pathway are currently recognized as the key pathophysiological mechanism of IBS. Aims: To explore whether Bmal1, the core circadian clock gene, is involved in the occurrence of IBS by regulating TPH1-5-HT signaling pathway in EC cells. Methods: Normal Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and IBS-model SD rats, as well as wild type (WT) and intestine-specific Bmal1 knockout (Bmal1

Allografts ; COVID-19 ; China/epidemiology* ; Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation/adverse effects* ; SARS-CoV-2

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture at "Baihui" (GV 20), "Zhongwan" (CV 12) and "Zusanli" (ST 36) on intestinal flora in rats with stress gastric ulcer (SGU) , and to explore the mechanism of acupuncture promoting SGU recovery. METHODS: Thirty-one SPF SD rats were randomly divided into a control group (7 rats), a model control group (8 rats), an acupuncture group (8 rats) and a medication group (8 rats). The rats in the model group, acupuncture group and medication group were selected to applied the improved restraint water-immersion stress method to establish the SGU model. After modeling, the rats in the control group and model group were fixed and restrained for 20 min every day for a total of 5 days; the rats in the acupuncture group were intervented with acupuncture at "Baihui" (GV 20), "Zhongwan" (CV 12) and "Zusanli" (ST 36), once a day, 20 min each time, and twisting needle for 30 s every 5 min for a total of 5 days; the rats in the medication group were gavaged by solution of omeprazole enteric-coated tablet (200 mg/mL), 2 mL for each rat, once a day. Guth method was used to calculate the gastric mucosal damage index (GMDI), HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of gastric mucosa, and 16SrDNA identification was used to detect the structural abundance of intestinal flora. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the GMDI of rats in the model group was increased (<0.01), the gastric mucosal pathological changes were significant, and the intestinal flora richness index Chao1, Observed species and diversity index Shannon were all decreased (<0.05), the diversity index Simpson was increased (<0.05). Compared with the model group, the GMDI of rats in the acupuncture group and medication group was reduced (<0.01, <0.05), the gastric mucosal damage degree was reduced, and the intestinal flora richness index Chao1, Observed species and diversity index Shannon were all increased (<0.05) and the diversity index Simpson decreased (<0.05). Compared with the medication group, the GMDI of rats in the acupuncture group was reduced (<0.01), the recovery of gastric mucosal injury was better than that of the medication group. CONCLUSION Acupuncture can effectively improve gastric mucosal injury of SGU, and the mechanism may be related to increasing the diversity of intestinal flora and promoting the correction of the disordered intestinal flora.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Animals ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stomach Ulcer ; microbiology ; therapy