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Background: Association between metabolic syndrome (MS) and mildly reduced estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the association between MS and a mildly reduced eGFR in Chinese adults.Methods: Anthropometric and biochemical examinations were performed in 2992 individuals. The eGFR was calculated from the creatinine level. MS was defined according to the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria as the presence of three or more risk factors. Mildly reduced eGFR was defined as a value between 60 and 90 mL/min/1.73 m2. Multiple linear regression and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate association between metabolic syndrome and estimate glomerular filtration rate.Results: After adjusting for several potential confounders, the participants with MS showed a 1.29-fold increased odds ratio for a mildly reduced eGFR compared with those without MS. Additionally, the odds ratios (and 95% confidence intervals (CIs)) for mildly reduced eGFR in participants with elevated triglycerides (TG), decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL), obesity and elevated fasting blood glucose (FPG) after multivariable adjustment were 1.25 (1.05-1.49), 1.23 (1.03-1.48), 1.22 (1.03-1.45) and 0.64 (0.52-0.78), respectively. The odds ratios (95% CIs) for hyperfiltration in participants with elevated FPG and HbA1c levels after multivariable adjustment were 1.53 (1.30-1.81) and 2.86 (2.00-4.09), respectively.Conclusions: MS is associated with an increased risk of a mildly reduced eGFR in the Chinese population, and several individual components of MS have different impacts on eGFR levels. MS had dual roles on renal damage.Trial Registration: ChiCTR-TRC- 14005029 . Registered 28 July 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Enterovirus (EV)-related hand, foot, and mouth disease/herpangina (HFMD/HA) has been prevalent in Guangdong Province, China, since 2010.Methods: Clinical data for EV-related HFMD/HA inpatients admitted to the Department of Paediatrics of Zhujiang Hospital from 2010 to 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. The corresponding EV serotypes were also determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or BLAST analysis of the sequenced partial lengths of the viral protein1/5'-untranslated region.Results: A total of 867 eligible inpatients admitted during 2010-2013 were included in the study. Of these, the serotype of the responsible EV was successfully identified in 824 cases. The incidence of enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection amongst pediatric HFMD/HA inpatients decreased dramatically from 55.5 % in 2010 to 8.1 % in 2013, with a similar decrease recorded for coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16). However, the incidence of non-EV71/CVA16 infection increased from 30.0 % in 2010 to 83.8 % in 2013. We noted that the types of infection caused by different EV serotypes varied: EV71 was responsible for 100 % of the paralysis cases (26/26), 84.6 % of the deaths (11/13), and 84.1 % of cases with severe central nervous system involvement (SCNSI) (74/88); echovirus contributed to 16.4 % of the deaths (2/13) and 4.4 % of the SCNSI cases; and coxsackievirus accounted for only 2.2 % of the SCNSI cases (2/90). The clinical features of HFMD/HA cases varied greatly during the time period examined, with drastic changes in the hospitalization rates (45.1, 63.7, 36.4, and 19.1 % for 2010, 2011, 2012, and 21013, respectively), mortality rates (2.3, 0.9, 2.5, and 0.0 %, respectively), paralysis (5.1, 1.2, 5.4, and 0.0 %, respectively), SCNSI (16.8, 7.1, 12.7, and 2.2 %, respectively), and acute respiratory infection (21.1, 22.0, 45.9, and 59.0 %, respectively).Conclusions: The incidences of infection caused by different EV serotypes, along with the clinical features of HFMD/HA cases, changed drastically in Guangdong Province, China, from 2010 to 2013, with the biggest changes observed in 2013. The changed constituent ratios of the different EV serotypes might therefore be responsible for the differences in the observed clinical features of HFMD/HA during this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A series of complications caused by enteroviruses, including meningitis, encephalitis, acute flaccid paralysis, acute cardiopulmonary failure, respiratory infection, and myocardial injury have been reported in hand, foot and mouth disease/herpangina (HFMD/HA). However, the complication of diarrhoea caused by enteroviruses has been neglected, and a summary of its clinical features and impact on HFMD/HA is unavailable.Methods: We included inpatients with HFMD/HA admitted to the Paediatric Department of Zhujiang Hospital during 2009-2012. We summarised and compared clinical data for cases with and without diarrhoea, and determined enterovirus serotypes by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and genotyping based on a partial-length fragment of viral protein 1 or the 5'-untranslated region.Results: There were 804 inpatients with HFMD/HA and 28 (3.5%) presented with diarrhoea. Gastrointestinal symptoms were mild in most cases of diarrhoea (82.1%), with high prevalence of no dehydration (82.1%), short duration of diarrhoea (78.6%) and watery stools (75.0%). The prevalence of multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (10.7 vs 0.40%) (p = 0.001), hepatic injury (14.3 vs 3.4%) (p = 0.019), myocardial injury (21.4 vs 6.1%) (p = 0.002) and convulsion (21.4 vs 7.2%) (p = 0.016) was significantly higher in the diarrhoea than no diarrhoea group. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding prevalence of death, altered consciousness, paralysis, central nervous system involvement, or acute respiratory infection.Conclusions: Most patients with diarrhoea caused by enteroviruses circulating in Guangdong Province in 2009-2012 had mild or moderate gastrointestinal symptoms. Although enterovirus-related diarrhoea caused additional multi-organ dysfunction syndrome, hepatic injury and myocardial injury in children with HFMD/HA, timely intervention efficiently reduced disease severity and improved outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic stable angina is a leading cause of death worldwide. Danhong injection, a complementary alternative medicine for chronic stable angina, has been demonstrated to be effective in numerous studies and is widely prescribed to patients. However, the methodological quality of most prior studies was found to be, in general, low. Therefore, we designed this randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of using Danhong injection to treat chronic stable angina.Methods/design: This is a randomized multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, adaptive clinical trial. A total of 870 patients meeting the eligibility criteria will be randomly assigned into either the Danhong injection or the placebo group in a 2:1 ratio. Participants will then undergo a 2-week treatment regimen and a 76-day follow-up period. Because this is an adaptive trial, two interim analyses are prospectively planned. These will be performed after one-third and two-thirds of the patients, respectively, have completed the trial. Based on the results of these interim analyses, a data monitoring committee will determine how to modify aspects of the study without undermining the validity and integrity of the trial. The primary outcome measure is the proportion of patients who show a clinically significant change, which is defined as at least a 20-point improvement in angina frequency score on the Seattle Angina Questionnaire, which will be administered on day 30. Other secondary efficacy and safety outcomes will also be assessed.Discussion: This trial will provide high-quality evidence regarding the use of Danhong injection to treat chronic stable angina.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01681316 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulating evidence indicates that diet is one of the most important environmental factors involved in the progression from advanced colorectal adenoma (A-CRA) to colorectal cancer. Objective: We evaluated the possible effects of dietary fiber on the fecal microbiota of patients with A-CRA. Design: Patients with-a diagnosis of A-CRA by pathological examination were enrolled in the A-CRA group. Patients with no obvious abnormalities or histopathological changes were enrolled in the healthy control (HC) group. Dietary fiber intake was assessed in all patients. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces were detected by gas chromatography. The fecal microbiota community was analyzed by 454 pyrosequencing based on 16S ribosomal RNA. Results: Lower dietary fiber patterns and consistently lower SCFA production were observed in the A-CRA group (iv= 344). Principal component analysis showed distinct differences in the fecal microbiota communities of the 2 groups. Clostridium, Roseburia, and Eubacteriuin spp. were significantly less prevalent in the A-CRA group (n = 47) than in the HC group (n = 47), whereas Enterococcus and Streptococcus spp. were more prevalent in the A-CRA group (n = 47) (all P < 0:05). Butyrate and butyrate-producing bacteria were more prevalent in a subgroup of HC subjects with a high fiber intake than in those in both the low-fiber HC subgroup and the high-fiber A-CRA subgroup (all P < 0.05). Conclusion: A high-fiber dietary pattern and subsequent consistent production of SCFAs and healthy gut microbiota are associated with a reduced risk, of A-CRA. This trial was registered at www.chictr.org as ChiCTR-TRC-00000123. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents criticism on the film "My Blueberry Nights," directed by Wong Kar-Wai. It mentions the Chinese relational philosophy characterized in the film. It adds that the film describes the relationship between connectedness and autonomy, and the yuan concept through the characters' portrayal and their relationships.

Background & aims : Macronutrients are the main part of the human diet and can affect multiple health outcomes. Nevertheless, associations between dietary macronutrient quality and asthenozoospermia risk have not been reported to date. Thus, this study aimed to be the first to explore the associations between macronutrient quality and asthenozoospermia risk using the novel multidimensional macronutrient quality index (MQI). Methods : A case-control study was conducted at infertility clinics of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University during June and December 2020, including 552 asthenozoospermia cases and 585 normozoospermia controls. Data on diet were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. MQI was estimated according to the carbohydrate quality index (CQI), fat quality index (FQI), and protein quality index (PQI). Binary logistic regression models were performed to calculate the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Subgroup and interaction analyses were performed based on age, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, drinking, and education level. Dose-response relationships were evaluated by restricted cubic splines. Sensitivity analyses were performed in two ways. First, participants with a dietary change were excluded to lower potential reverse causation. Then, we used the healthy plate protein source quality index instead of PQI to redefine MQI. Results : No statistically significant association was observed between dietary MQI and asthenozoospermia risk (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 0.88-1.73). The sub-indices of MQI, CQI, FQI, and PQI, failed to be identified as having a statistically significant association with asthenozoospermia risk (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 0.92-1.97 for CQI; OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.84-1.53 for FQI; OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 0.92-1.78 for PQI). However, CQI showed a positive association with the risk of asthenozoospermia among non-drinkers ( P trend < 0.05) and highly educated participants (OR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.13-2.94; P trend < 0.05). Additionally, there was a multiplicative interaction between CQI and education level for asthenozoospermia risk ( P < 0.05). Conclusions : Our findings demonstrated no association of MQI and its sub-indices with asthenozoospermia risk except for CQI. Although our findings are mostly non-significant, they contribute novel knowledge to this research field and lay the foundation for future studies.

Assessing dominance is important for effective social interactions, and prior research suggests that testosterone is associated with men's dominance perceptions. The present study tested for a causal effect of exogenous testosterone on men's sensitivity to vocal cues of other men's dominance, an important parameter in male-male competition across species. One hundred and thirty-nine Chinese men received a single dose (150 mg) of testosterone or placebo gel in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-participant design. Participants reported their own dominance and judged other men's dominance from voices. Men's dominance sensitivity was significantly weaker in the testosterone group compared to those in the placebo group. Moreover, men's dominance sensitivity was negatively associated with their self-reported dominance in our Chinese sample, consistent with findings from Western populations. These results indicate that exogenous testosterone has a causal effect in decreasing men's dominance sensitivity, consistent with the Challenge Hypothesis, suggesting that the fluctuation of testosterone concentration mediates individuals' behaviors. Additionally, the present study could motivate further work on vocal assessment in the context of competition in humans and other species., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)