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INTRODUCTION Previous studies have suggested that adolescents may smoke cigarettes to control weight, but relevant research is scarce in Chinese youth. This study was conducted to examine the associations of weight control related behaviors with cigarette smoking in Chinese students. METHODS This was a secondary analysis of data for 24835 middle and high school students drawn from the 2022 Zhejiang Youth Risk Behavior Survey of China which collected self-reported information of cigarette smoking, weight control strategies and other health-related behaviors. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the study associations. RESULTS Overall, there were 998 (4.02%) current cigarette smokers in this wave of the Zhejiang YRBS (2022). Neither trying to control weight nor healthy weight control behavior of exercising was associated with current cigarette smoking (AOR=1.15; 95% CI: 0.97-1.37 and AOR=1.01; 95% CI: 0.85-1.20, respectively). Meanwhile, unhealthy weight control behaviors of taking laxatives (AOR=1.52; 95% CI: 1.03-2.26), taking diet pills (AOR=1.82; 95% CI: 1.26-2.62), dieting (AOR=1.24; 95% CI: 1.04-1.49), and fasting (AOR=1.81; 95% CI: 1.40-2.34) were significantly associated with increased odds of current cigarette smoking. CONCLUSIONS Screening and developing interventions for unhealthy weight control behaviors should be considered as part of smoking prevention programs among adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study describes the association between taste preference for salt and actual salt intake, thus guiding and refining personal and public health campaigns designed to lower salt intake in China. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 1489 residents aged 18 to 69 years was conducted in 2017 in China. A multistage random sampling strategy was used, and a combination of questionnaires and physical and laboratory measurements were conducted to collect baseline characteristics and knowledge, attitudes, and behavior (KAB) related to salt. A 24 h urine collection was obtained for sodium and potassium excretion analysis. Participants were divided into two groups, light taste preference and salty taste preference, according to their answer to the question “Compared to others, how do you think your taste preference is for salt?”. Results: The mean age of the 1489 participants was 46.26 years, 48.9% were males, over 1/3 (35.7%) were identified as hypertensive, and 317 (21.3%) self-reported a salty taste preference. The mean of 24 h urinary sodium excretion was 167.32 mmol/24 h, corresponding to 9.79 g salt/d intake, and the sodium-to-potassium ratio (Na/K) was 4.90. The 24 h urinary sodium excretion of salty taste preference (177.06 mmol/24 h) was significantly higher than that of light taste preference (164.69 mmol/24 h). The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the salty taste preference group had significantly higher 24 h urinary sodium (ORa(95%CI) = 1.004(1.002–1.006)), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), proportion of greasy food preference, and drinking levels, but lower potassium excretion, response levels to most KAB questions, and regular physical activity compared to the light taste preference group. Conclusion: Self-reported taste preference for salt predicted actual salt intake, which was verified by 24 h urinary sodium monitoring. Taste preference for salt could be used as a proxy for intake in terms of targeted salt intake, nutrition, and health education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streamlines in a signal field are analyzed to describe the changes in the signal distribution of wireless sensors in this study. To generate streamlines effectively and efficiently with seed points in a vector field, we combine several algorithms to propose an adaptive method. The method is based on a quadtree data structure and information entropy. First, we improve the speed of calculating the entropy field in a vector field by an order of magnitude using a fast entropy field calculation algorithm. In the entropy gradient field, seed points are deployed along the direction of the gradient at a certain interval from the existing seed points using an entropy gradient field seeding algorithm. Then, a quadtree grid in the entropy field is obtained by dividing the field into multiple levels with high entropy using the quadtree entropy field segmentation algorithm. Upon doing this, all nodes of the grid become seed points. These algorithms significantly improve the efficiency of seed point deployment, with different densities in different locations. As a result, a better layout of streamlines in the vector field is generated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Question: Is prenatal vanadium exposure associated with adverse birth outcomes?Summary Answer: The odds of low birthweight (LBW) are increased 2.23-fold in mothers with a urinary vanadium of ≥2.91 μg/g creatinine compared with that in mothers with a urinary vanadium of ≤1.42 μg/g creatinine.What Is Known Already: Human exposure to vanadium occurs through intake of food, water and polluted air. Vanadium has been suggested to have fetotoxicity and developmental toxicity in animal studies, and epidemiological studies have reported an association between a decrease in birthweight and vanadium exposure estimated from particulate matter.Study Design, Size, Duration: A nested case-control study involving 816 study participants (204 LBW cases and 612 matched controls) was conducted with data from the prospective Healthy Baby Cohort between 2012 and 2014 in the province of Hubei, China.Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Vanadium concentrations in 816 maternal urine samples collected before delivery [the median gestational age was 39 weeks (range 27-42 weeks)] were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Information on the infants' birth outcomes was obtained from medical records. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).Main Results and the Role Of Chance: The median urinary vanadium concentration of the cases was much higher than that of the controls (3.04 μg/g creatinine versus 1.93 μg/g creatinine). The results revealed a significant positive trend between the odds of LBW and level of maternal urinary vanadium [relative to the lowest tertile; adjusted OR = 1.69 (95% CI: 0.92, 3.10) for the medium tertile; adjusted OR = 2.23 (95% CI: 1.23, 4.05) for the highest tertile; P-trend = 0.02]. Additionally, the association was not modified by maternal age (P for heterogeneity = 0.70) or infant gender (P for heterogeneity = 0.21).Limitations, Reasons For Caution: The maternal urine sample was collected before labor, and the maternal urinary vanadium levels measured at one point in time may not accurately reflect the vanadium burden during the entire pregnancy.Wider Implications Of the Findings: The results of this study can enrich the biological monitoring data on urinary vanadium in pregnant women; and may be evidence that vanadium may affect fetal development.Study Funding/competing Interests: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21437002, 81372959 and 81402649), the R&D Special Fund for Public Welfare Industry (Environment) (201309048) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, HUST (2016YXZD043). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]