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Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability and accuracy of glucose measurements determined using the metabolic heat conformation (MHC)-based non-invasive glucometer in a multicentre, self-controlled clinical trial. This device is the first to obtain a medical device registration certificate awarded by the National Medical Products Administration of China (NMPA). Methods: The multicentre clinical study was conducted at three sites and enrolled 200 subjects whose glucose was measured with a non-invasive glucometer (the Contour Plus blood glucose monitoring system) and by venous plasma glucose (VPG) measurements, in a fasted state and at 2 and 4 h after meals. Results: Based on both the non-invasive and VPG measurements, 93.9% (95% confidence interval 91.7–95.6%) of the blood glucose (BG) values fell within consensus error grid (CEG) zones A + B. The measurements obtained in a fasted state and at 2 h after meals were more accurate, with 99.0% and 97.0% of the BG values, respectively, falling within zones A + B. Compared to those subjects who received insulin, the proportion of values in zones A + B and the correlation coefficients were 3.1% and 0.0596 higher, respectively. The accuracy of the non-invasive glucometer was influenced by the level of insulin resistance calculated by the homeostatic model assessment method, which had a correlation coefficient with the mean absolute relative difference of − 0.1588 (P = 0.0001). Conclusion: The MHC-based non-invasive glucometer assessed in the present study demonstrates generally high stability and accuracy in the glucose monitoring of people with diabetes. The calculation model needs to be further explored and optimised for patients with different diabetes subtypes, levels of insulin resistance and insulin secretion capacity. Clinical trial registry number: ChiCTR1900020523. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the attitudes of people with diabetes mellitus (DM) on COVID-19 vaccination and its influence on the glycemic control. Methods: Data were collected from a consecutive series of adults (age > 18 years) with type 2 diabetes under regular follow-ups in the Integrated Care Diabetes Outpatient Clinic of Peking University First Hospital from December 1st to December 31st 2021. An online interview questionnaire was conducted, and demographic data including age, sex category, history of drug allergy, history of hypertension, the duration of diabetes, reasons for vaccine hesitancy (VH) and adverse reactions after each injection of vaccines was collected. Glucose levels were collected from medical records. Results: Thirty-nine (22.9%) subjects experienced VH and 131 (77.1%) people living with diabetes received inactivated vaccine against COVID-19. Hesitant individuals had a higher proportion of female gender (vaccinated group vs. VH group, 62/131 vs. 26/39, p = 0.044), higher baseline glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (vaccinated group vs. VH group, 6.56 ± 0.95% vs. 7.54 ± 2.01%, p < 0.001) and elevated baseline postprandial blood glucose (PBG) (vaccinated group vs. VH group, 8.32 ± 1.97 mmol/L vs. 9.44 ± 2.94 mmol/L, p = 0.015). Subjects of male gender (p = 0.025) and history of hypertension (p = 0.021) were likely to get vaccinated, while higher HbA1c was negatively associated with an elevated propensity to receive anti-COVID-19 vaccine (p = 0.003). Most common reasons for hesitating to receive COVID-19 vaccination were worrying about the possibility of leading to other diseases (30.8%), followed by fearing of glucose variation (17.9%). Systemic adverse reactions were reported in 30.5% individuals after the first injection of inactivated vaccines, and resolved within 3 days in medium. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) decreased significantly after the third injection compared with FBG after the second dose (second vs. third, 6.78 ± 1.24 mmol/L vs. 6.41 ± 1.30 mmol/L, p = 0.027). HbA1c reduced significantly from 6.56% before vaccination to 6.35% after the second injection (p = 0.012). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that vaccine hesitancy was lower among male subjects and people with hypertension, while vaccine confidence was reduced in people with poor glycemic control. HbA1c level was lower along with vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: COVID-19 pandemic is a significant threat toward the public health. However, the discussion of the mechanism of media literacy's effect in fighting against pandemic is limited. Thus, this study aims to explore the mechanism with a sociocognitive perspective. Methods: A survey was administrated to 420 college students in China. PROCESS macro of SPSS was applied to analyze the data and test the moderated mediation effect. Results: The moderated mediation model of media literacy, proxy efficacy, self-efficacy, and official media use was tested and supported. Official media use was a negative moderator on the association between media literacy and proxy efficacy. Conclusion: The study explored the media literacy's role as a determinant of proxy efficacy and self-efficacy, which contributed to the sociocognitive theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the multidisciplinary team (including a specialist, a dietitian, a physical exercise trainer, a surgeon for bariatric surgery, an acupuncturist, and several health educators) for obesity management and the body composition change and improvements in metabolic biomarkers during a 2-year follow-up. Materials and Methods. A total of 119 patients participated in the multidisciplinary team for obesity. Patients were followed up at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 18 months, and 2 years after their first visit. Individuals were divided into the high-protein diet (HPD) and standard-protein diet (SPD) group according to their results on a diet questionnaire that they filled out during follow-up. Results. After 1.2 years, the mean body weight of the participants dropped from 89.7 kg to 80.9 kg (p < 0.001). The body adiposity index was reduced from 33.9 to 32.0 (p < 0.001), while the fat-free mass index from 17.0 to 15.2 (p = 0.043). Fasting glucose and HbA1c were also lower after treatment (p = 0.002 and 0.038 for FPG and HbA1c, respectively). Fasting insulin and HOMA-IR were reduced (p = 0.002 and <0.001 for fasting insulin and HOMA-IR, respectively). HDL-c increased along with weight loss (1.06 mmol/L vs. 1.19 mmol/L, p < 0.001), and transaminase levels significantly dropped (p = 0.001 and 0.021 for ALT and AST, respectively). During treatment, mean protein intake was 29.9% in the HPD group and 19.5% in the SPD group (p < 0.001). Weight loss, reduction of visceral fat area, maintenance of lean body mass, body adiposity index, and fat-free mass index showed no statistical significance between the HPD and SPD groups, as well as glucose metabolic variables. Conclusions. A multidisciplinary team for obesity management could significantly reduce body weight and improve metabolic indicators, including HDL-c, transaminase, and insulin resistance. A high-protein diet does not produce better weight control or body composition compared with a standard calorie-restricted diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes [T2D] and thyroid dysfunction [TD] often co-occur, have overlapping pathologies, and their risk increases with age. Since 1995, universal salt iodization has been implemented in China to prevent disorders caused by iodine deficiency. However, after two decades of implementation of universal salt iodization, the prevalence of TD in elderly Chinese patients with T2D is not well described and may have been underestimated. We conducted a questionnaire-based survey across 24 endocrinology centers in China between December 2015 and July 2016. Demographic and clinical data from 1677 patients with T2D were obtained and analyzed to examine the prevalence of TD along with T2D in these patients. We assessed TD prevalence according to the four TD subtypes [subclinical hypothyroidism, clinical hypothyroidism, subclinical hyperthyroidism, and clinical hyperthyroidism], TD history, gender, and age. The diagnosis rates were calculated for TD and also for the TD subtype. The number of patients reaching treatment goals for T2D [hemoglobin A1c <7%] and TD [normal free thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH]] and the incidences of complications and comorbidities were recorded. Among the enrolled patients with T2D [N = 1677], TD was diagnosed in 23.79% [399/1677] out of which 61% (245/399) were previously diagnosed and 38.59% (154/399) were newly diagnosed cases. Subclinical hypothyroidism, clinical hypothyroidism, subclinical hyperthyroidism, and clinical hyperthyroidism were reported in 4.89%, 9.3%, 1.13%, and 3.16% of the total population, respectively. Among patients previously diagnosed with TD, the incidence in women [166/795; 20.88%] was higher than in men [79/882; 8.96%]. The treatment goals for TD and T2D were attained in 39.6% [97/245] and 34.41% [577/1677] of the cases, respectively. Diabetic complications and comorbidities were reported in 99.7% of patients, with peripheral neuropathy being the most common [43.46%] followed by cataract [24.73%]. We had found that the incidences of dyslipidemia, elevated LDL levels, and osteoporosis were significantly higher in patients with TD than those without TD. TD is underdiagnosed in elderly Chinese patients with T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim of study: The objective of this study was to observe the systemic exposure of quercetin (QCT) including its free and total concentration in rat blood samples following a single p.o. dose of Feng-Liao-Chang-Wei-Kang granules (FLCWKG). Materials and methods: Six male rats were given the FLCHKG and the serial blood samples were collected. Fully or partially validated LC/MS/MS methods were developed to analyze the resulting biosamples. Various pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters were estimated from the plasma concentration versus time data using non-compartmental methods. Results: Both methods for analysis of the free and total QCT plasma concentration are sensitive, specific, accurate and reliable. The PK parameters of free QCT after administration of FLCWKG, in comparison with total concentration, show a lower C max (32.4±8.2ng/ml versus 164±49ng/ml), a lower AUC(0→∞) (39.3±6.9ng/mlh versus 313±16ng/mlh), a shorter T max (0.17±0.00h versus 0.83±1.01h) and a similar t 1/2 (3.90±0.88h versus 3.10±1.94h), MRT(0→ t) (2.27±0.10h versus 2.86±0.41h). Conclusions: Free QCT was quickly absorbed from gastrointestinal tract and circulated in blood at quite low concentration. The circulating flavonoids originating from this formula were dominantly conjugated derivatives. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Methane is the second largest anthropogenic greenhouse gas, and changes in atmospheric methane concentrations can reflect the dynamic balance between its emissions and sinks. Therefore, the monitoring of CH 4 concentration changes and the assessment of underlying driving factors can provide scientific basis for the government's policy making and evaluation. China is the world's largest emitter of anthropogenic methane. However, due to the lack of ground-based observation sites, little work has been done on the spatial-temporal variations for the past decades and influencing factors in China, especially for areas with high anthropogenic emissions as Central and Eastern China. Here to quantify atmospheric CH 4 enhancements trends and its driving factors in Central and Eastern China, we combined the most up-to-date TROPOMI satellite-based column CH 4 (xCH 4) concentration from 2018 to 2022, anthropogenic and natural emissions, and a random forest-based machine learning approach, to simulate atmospheric xCH 4 enhancements from 2001 to 2018. The results showed that (1) the random forest model was able to accurately establish the relationship between emission sources and xCH 4 enhancement with a correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.89 and a root mean-square error (RMSE) of 11.98 ppb; (2)The xCH 4 enhancement only increased from 48.21±2.02 ppb to 49.79±1.87 ppb from the year of 2001 to 2018, with a relative change of 3.27%±0.13%; (3) The simulation results showed that the energy activities and waste treatment were the main contributors to the increase in xCH 4 enhancement, contributing 68.00% and 31.21%, respectively, and the decrease of animal ruminants contributed -6.70% of its enhancement trend. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance The fructus Alpinia oxyphylla Miq. (AOM) has been used for treating diarrhea with spleen deficiency and gastralgia for thousands of years. A number of traditional Chinese medicine formulae provide AOM as an alternative herbal treatment for diarrhea, but the scientific basis for this usage has not been well defined. Aim of the study In this study, we tried to investigate the antidiarrheal activity and possible mechanisms of Fructus AOM, aiming to enrich our understanding to the scientific meanings and theoretical significance of Fructus AOM in clinical practice. Materials and methods The fructus of AOM collected from Hainan province in China were macerated in the 95% ethanol to obtain the crude 95% ethanol extract, followed by subjected to chromatographic separation over a Diaion HP20 column to obtain 90% and 50% ethanol eluted fractions. The activities of the crude extract and fractions on castor oil induced acute diarrhea, rhubarb induced chronic diarrhea, gastrointestinal transit (GIT) in mice, and contractions of isolated guinea-pig ileum were evaluated. Additionally, nitric oxide (NO), gastrointestinal peptides gastrin (GAS), motilin (MTL) and somatostatin (SS) levels that related to gastrointestinal motilities were detected to demonstrate the potential mechanisms. Ultimately, LC–MS/MS method was utilized to ensure the chemical consistency. Results The 95% ethanol extract and 90% ethanol eluted fraction significantly delayed the onset time and decreased the wet faeces proportion compared with control group in the castor oil induced acute diarrhea mice. In terms of further evaluation of antidiarrheal activity, the 95% ethanol extract and 90% ethanol elution displayed significant inhibition of the intestinal propulsion at the two highest oral doses of 20 g crude drug/kg and 1 g/kg. Moreover the 95% ethanol extract (10 and 20 g crude drug/kg) and 90% ethanol elution (0.5 and 1 g/kg) could significantly inhibit the GIT, which was partially attributed to the increase in NO and SS levels, and the decreased MTL. In vitro spontaneous contractions of the isolated guinea pig ileum induced by carbachol, neostigmine and histamine were attenuated by both the extract and elution. Phytochemical analysis of 95% ethanol extract and its fractions identified the presence of diphenylheptanes, sesquiterpenes, and flavones as the major components. Conclusions Our in vivo and in vitro data could partly support and justify the traditional usage of Fructus AOM on the treatment of diarrhea in traditional medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A noninvasive blood glucose monitor with high accuracy is proposed. • A classification model is established to identify whether subjects had diabetes. • The subjects are classified in different categories for expanded its coverage. • The model of each category is established separately to improve its accuracy. • The accuracy of noninvasive blood glucose monitor is validated by clinical trial. Blood glucose monitoring is vital for controlling the complications of diabetes. We propose a noninvasive blood glucose monitor featuring multi-sensor fusion, which functions well for rapid yet accurate blood glucose monitoring and screening of diabetes. The characteristic parameters of diabetics were extracted by applying one-factor analysis of variance, and a classification model was established via principal components analysis and discriminant analysis to identify whether the subjects suffer from diabetes. In light of the challenges for noninvasive blood glucose monitoring modelling brought by different pathogeneses, disease processes and complicated complications of different diabetics, the subjects were classified into different categories via unsupervised K-means clustering algorithm and modelled for each category separately for expanded coverage and improved accuracy. The accuracy was clinically evaluated in 254 volunteers with type II diabetes. The results in the Parkes error grid were as follows: 58.33% in Zone A, 39.43% in Zone B and 2.24% in Zone C, with a correlation coefficient of 0.69 and a root mean squared error of 2.67 mmol/L. In 2019, the monitor was certified by the National Medical Products Administration of China as the first Class III Medical Device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• C-terminally truncated E protein, prM-E and E proteins were constructed and applied as subunit vaccine candidates. • The constructed proteins could induce specific antibody responses and provide full protection against DTMUV infection. • The truncated E protein was suggested to be able to serve as a practical subunit vaccine candidate. Duck Tembusu virus (DTMUV) is a major pathogen of duck industry in China. In the current study, we generated different constructs containing envelope (E) protein, pre-membrane-envelope (prM-E) protein, and C-terminally truncated E protein of the DTMUV. The constructed proteins could induce specific antibody responses in young ducks. When ducklings were immunized with the constructed proteins, they were 100% protected against DTMUV infection. Furthermore, the fluorescent signal of the truncated E protein was stronger than other constructed proteins, when Bac-to-Bac baculovirus expression system was applied. Our data demonstrated that the truncated E protein used in the current study could be applied as a potential vaccine candidate to control DTMUV infection in young ducks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The chimeric VLPs, designated as E-HA2, contains E protein of the DTMUV and HA2 protein of the H3N2 AIV. • The chimeric VLPs E-HA2 could induce specific antibody responses in both mice and ducks. • The chimeric VLPs E-HA2 could provide 100% protection against homologous virus infection. Duck Tembusu virus (DTMUV) has caused enormous economic losses to the poultry industry in China. In the current study, we generated chimeric virus-like particles (VLPs) containing E protein of the DTMUV and HA2 protein of the H3N2 avian influenza virus (AIV). The chimeric VLPs could induce specific antibody responses in both mice (n = 5/group) and ducks (n = 10/group). After immunizing ducklings with the chimeric VLPs, all immunized ducks (n = 10/group) were 100% (10/10) protected against homologous DTMUV strain and virus shedding was not detected on day 5 post-challenge, whereas 60% (6/10) of the ducklings immunized with PBS presented typical symptoms with a virus shedding rate of 90% (9/10). Furthermore, viral loads were significantly decreased in the birds of the chimeric VLPs immunized group, comparing to that of the PBS immunized group. Our data demonstrated that the chimeric VLPs used in the current study could be applied as a potential vaccine candidate to control DTMUV infections in young ducks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are treated as global methane (CH 4 ) emission hotspots and the monitoring of atmospheric CH 4 concentration in cities is necessary to evaluate anthropogenic CH 4 emissions. However, the continuous and in-situ observation sites within cities are still sparsely distributed in the largest CH 4 emitter as of China, and although obvious seasonal variations of atmospheric CH 4 concentrations have been observed in cities worldwide, questions regarding the drivers for their temporal variations still have not been well addressed. Therefore, to quantify the contributions to seasonal variations of atmospheric CH 4 concentrations, year-round CH 4 concentration observations from 1st December 2020 to 30th November 2021 were conducted in Hangzhou megacity, China, and three models were chosen to simulate urban atmospheric CH 4 concentration and partition its drivers including machine learning based Random Forest (RF) model, atmospheric transport processes based numerical model (WRF-STILT), and regression analysis based Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) model. The findings are as follows: (1) the atmospheric CH 4 concentration showed obvious seasonal variations and were different with previous observations in other cities, the seasonality were 5.8 ppb, 21.1 ppb, and 50.1 ppb between spring-winter, summer-winter and autumn-winter, respectively, where the CH 4 background contributed by -8.1 ppb, -44.6 ppb, and -1.0 ppb, respectively, and the CH 4 enhancements contributed by 13.9 ppb, 65.7 ppb, and 51.1 ppb. (2) The RF model showed the highest accuracy in simulating CH 4 concentrations, followed by MLR model and WRF-STILT model. (3) We further partition contributions from different factors, results showed the largest contribution was from temperature-induced increase in microbial process based CH 4 emissions including waste treatment and wetland, which ranged from 38.1 to 76.3 ppb when comparing different seasons with winter. The second largest contribution was from seasonal boundary layer height (BLH) variations, which ranged from -13.4 to -6.3 ppb. And the temperature induced seasonal CH 4 emission and enhancement variations were overwhelming BLH changes and other meteorological parameters., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Lodging is one of the most important factors affecting the high and stable yield of wheat worldwide. Solid-stemmed wheat has higher stem strength and lodging resistance than hollow-stemmed wheat does. There are many solid-stemmed varieties, landraces, and old varieties of durum wheat. However, the transfer of solid stem genes from durum wheat is suppressed by a suppressor gene located on chromosome 3D in common wheat, and only hollow-stemmed lines have been created. However, synthetic hexaploid wheat can serve as a bridge for transferring solid stem genes from tetraploid wheat to common wheat. In this study, the F 1 , F 2 , and F 2:3 generations of a cross between solid-stemmed Syn-SAU-119 and semisolid-stemmed Syn-SAU-117 were developed. A single dominant gene, which was tentatively designated Su-TdDof and suppresses stem solidity, was identified in synthetic hexaploid wheat Syn-SAU-117 by using genetic analysis. By using bulked segregant RNA-seq (BSR-seq) analysis, Su-TdDof was mapped to chromosome 7DS and flanked by markers KASP-669 and KASP-1055 within a 4.53 cM genetic interval corresponding to 3.86 Mb and 2.29 Mb physical regions in the Chinese Spring (IWGSC RefSeq v1.1) and Ae. tauschii (AL8/78 v4.0) genomes, respectively, in which three genes related to solid stem development were annotated. Su-TdDof differed from a previously reported solid stem suppressor gene based on its origin and position. Su-TdDof would provide a valuable example for research on the suppression phenomenon. The flanking markers developed in this study might be useful for screening Ae. tauschii accessions with no suppressor gene ( Su-TdDof ) to develop more synthetic hexaploid wheat lines for the breeding of lodging resistance in wheat and further cloning the suppressor gene Su-TdDof .

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of iGlarLixi compared with iGlar in Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes advancing therapy from basal insulin ± oral antihyperglycaemic drugs., Materials and Methods: LixiLan-L-CN (NCT03798080) was a 30-week randomized, active-controlled, open-label, parallel-group, multicentre study. Participants were randomized 1:1 to iGlarLixi or iGlar. The primary objective was to show the superiority of iGlarLixi over iGlar in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) change from baseline to Week 30., Results: In total, 426 participants were randomized to iGlarLixi (n = 212) or iGlar (n = 214). Mean age was 58 years, 67% had a body mass index ≥24 kg/m 2 , corresponding to overweight/obesity, and the mean diabetes duration was 12.3 years. From mean baseline HbA1c of 8.1% in both groups, greater decreases were seen with iGlarLixi versus iGlar [least squares mean difference: -0.7 (95% confidence interval: -0.9, -0.6)%; p < .0001] to final HbA1c of 6.7% and 7.4%, respectively. HbA1c <7.0% achievement was greater with iGlarLixi (63.3%) versus iGlar (29.9%; p < .0001). Mean body weight decreased with iGlarLixi and increased with iGlar [least squares mean difference: -0.9 (95% confidence interval: -1.4, -0.5) kg; p = .0001]. Hypoglycaemia incidence was similar between groups. Few gastrointestinal adverse events occurred (rated mild/moderate) with a slightly higher incidence with iGlarLixi than iGlar., Conclusions: iGlarLixi provided better glycaemic control and facilitated more participants to reach glycaemic targets alongside beneficial effects on body weight, no additional risk of hypoglycaemia, and few gastrointestinal AEs, supporting iGlarLixi use as an efficacious and well tolerated therapy option in Chinese people with long-standing T2D advancing therapy from basal insulin., (© 2022 The Authors. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aims: To explore the associations between polymorphisms in SIRT1 and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in Chinese Han patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D)., Methods: This case-controlled study enrolled 492 patients with T2D: 297 with CHD and 195 without CHD. Five SIRT1 haplotype-tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs3818291, rs12242965, rs3818292, rs4746720, and rs16924934) were selected from Chinese Han data in the GRCh37.p13 phase 3 database and genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fraction length polymorphism or sequencing., Results: The rs16924934 G allele was associated with a higher risk of CHD than the A allele (odds ratio (OR) = 1.429; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.003-2.037; P = 0.048). Using an additive inheritance model, the rs3818291 G/A genotype was associated with a higher CHD risk than the G/G genotype (OR' = 1.683; 95%CI = 1.033-2.743; P ' = 0.037 after adjustment for CHD risk factors). Smokers carrying G/A or A/A rs3818291 genotypes had a 3-fold higher CHD risk than those carrying GG (adjusted OR' = 3.035; P ' = 0.011) and a 2.6-fold higher CHD risk than nonsmokers carrying GG (adjusted OR' = 2.604; P ' = 0.033)., Conclusions: Genetic polymorphisms of SIRT1 are associated with the risk of CHD in a Chinese Han population with T2D., Competing Interests: The authors declares that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yuxin Wang et al.)

This research intends to explore the short-term impacts of PM 2.5 /O 3 on daily death in Hefei from 2013 to 2018. Data on daily death of Hefei residents, meteorological factors, and air pollutants were collected from Jan 1, 2013, to Dec 31, 2018. The correlation between PM 2.5 /O 3 and daily death in Hefei during the research period was studied by time series analysis. From 2013 to 2018, there were 61,683 non-accidental deaths, including 27,431 cardiovascular deaths, 5587 respiratory deaths, 20,921 malignant tumor deaths, and 1674 diabetes deaths, in Hefei. Annual mean concentrations of PM 2.5 , PM 10 , NO 2 , SO 2 , CO, and O 3 in Hefei were 66.18, 92.37, 39.75, 15.39, 930, and 79.08 μg m -3 , respectively. An increase of 10 μg m -3 in PM 2.5 was related with 0.53% (95% CI 0.31-0.75%), 0.93% (95% CI 0.60-1.26%), 0.90% and (95% CI 0.23-1.57%) increase in non-accidental, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases mortality, respectively. The association between ozone and mortality was not significant. In cold seasons, PM 2.5 had a stronger effect on the deaths resulting from non-accidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases. The effect of O 3 on deaths was not significantly different between the cold season and the warm season. Women and the elders (over 65 years) were at high risk of being affected by PM 2.5 /O 3 . Short-term exposure to PM 2.5 was positively correlated with increased deaths due to non-accidental, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Hefei. Females and elders were more vulnerable to PM 2.5 /O 3 exposure. No significant associations were observed between ozone and deaths from non-accidental, cardiovascular, respiratory, malignant tumors, and diabetes diseases.

Aim: To explore whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with diabetes and secondary hyperglycaemia have different clinical characteristics and prognoses than those without significantly abnormal glucose metabolism., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analysed 166 COVID-19 patients at Tongji Hospital (Wuhan) from 8 February to 21 March 2020. Clinical characteristics and outcomes (as of 4 April 2020) were compared among control (group 1), secondary hyperglycaemia (group 2: no diabetes history, fasting plasma glucose levels of ≥7.0 mmol/L once and HbA1c values <6.5%) and patients with diabetes (group 3)., Results: Compared with group 1, groups 2 and 3 had higher rates of leukocytosis, neutrophilia, lymphocytopenia, eosinopenia and levels of hypersensitive C-reactive protein, ferritin and d-dimer (P < .05 for all). Group 2 patients had higher levels of lactate dehydrogenase, prevalence of liver dysfunction and increased interleukin-8 (IL-8) than those in group 1, and a higher prevalence of increased IL-8 was found in group 2 than in group 3 (P < .05 for all). The proportions of critical patients in groups 2 and 3 were significantly higher compared with group 1 (38.1%, 32.8% vs. 9.5%, P < .05 for both). Groups 2 and 3 had significantly longer hospital stays than group 1, which was nearly 1 week longer. The composite outcomes risks were 5.47 (1.56-19.82) and 2.61 (0.86-7.88) times greater in groups 2 and 3 than in group 1., Conclusions: Hyperglycaemia in both diabetes and secondary hyperglycaemia patients with COVID-19 may indicate poor prognoses. There were differences between patients with secondary hyperglycaemia and those with diabetes. We recommend that clinicians pay more attention to the blood glucose status of COVID-19 patients, even those not diagnosed with diabetes before admission., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Cardiovascular disease has always been the most serious public health problem in China. Although many studies have found that the risk of death caused by cardiovascular disease is related to air pollutants, the existing results are still inconsistent. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of air pollutants on the risk of daily cardiovascular deaths in Hefei, China. Daily data on cardiovascular deaths, daily air pollutants, and meteorological factors from 2007 to 2016 were collected in this study. A time-series study design using a distributed lag nonlinear model was employed to evaluate the association between air pollutants and cardiovascular deaths. First, a single air pollutant model was established based on the minimum value of Akaike information criterion (AIC), and the single day lag effects and multi-day lag effects were discussed separately. Then, two-pollutant models were fitted. Subgroup analyses were conducted by gender (male and female), age (< 65 age and ≥ 65 age), and disease type (ischemic heart disease and cerebral vascular disease). There were 34,500 cases of cardiovascular deaths during the period 2007-2016, and the average concentrations of air pollutants (PM 10 , SO 2 , NO 2 , PM 2.5 , CO, O 3 ) were 106.11, 20.34, 30.49, 72.59, 958.7, and 67.88 μg/m 3 , respectively. An increase of interquartile range (IQR) in PM 10 , SO 2 , NO 2 , PM 2.5 , CO, and O 3 were associated with an increase of 4.34% (95%CI 1.54~7.23%) at lag 0-6, 5.79% (95%CI 2.43~9.27%) at lag 0-5, 4.47% (95%CI 1.64~7.37%) at lag 0-5, 3.14% (95%CI 0.03~6.36%) at lag 0-4, 3.11% (95%CI 0.21~6.10%) at lag 0-3, and 8.17% (95%CI 1.89~14.84%) at lag 0-5 in cardiovascular deaths, respectively. Females, older group (≥ 65 years) and deaths from cerebral vascular disease were more vulnerable to air pollution than males, younger individuals (< 65 years) and deaths from ischemic heart disease. Our results suggest that air pollution increased the risk of cardiovascular deaths in Hefei. These findings can provide evidence for effective air quality interventions in Hefei.

Purpose: The benefits of concurrent newborn hearing and genetic screening have not been statistically proven due to limited sample sizes and outcome data. To fill this gap, we analyzed outcomes of newborns with genetic screening results., Methods: Newborns in China were screened for 20 hearing-loss-related genetic variants from 2012 to 2017. Genetic results were categorized as positive, at-risk, inconclusive, or negative. Hearing screening results, risk factors, and up-to-date hearing status were followed up via phone interviews., Results: Following up 12,778 of 1.2 million genetically screened newborns revealed a higher rate of hearing loss by three months of age among referrals from the initial hearing screening (60% vs. 5.0%, P < 0.001) and a lower rate of lost-to-follow-up/documentation (5% vs. 22%, P < 0.001) in the positive group than in the inconclusive group. Importantly, genetic screening detected 13% more hearing-impaired infants than hearing screening alone and identified 2,638 (0.23% of total) newborns predisposed to preventable ototoxicity undetectable by hearing screening., Conclusion: Incorporating genetic screening improves the effectiveness of newborn hearing screening programs by elucidating etiologies, discerning high-risk subgroups for vigilant management, identifying additional children who may benefit from early intervention, and informing at-risk newborns and their maternal relatives of increased susceptibility to ototoxicity.

Accumulating evidence suggests that air pollution is a risk factor for adverse respiratory and cardiovascular health outcomes. However, the different impacts of exposure to air pollutants on influenza virus activity and influenza-like illness (ILI) have not been well documented in epidemiological studies. We examined the association between air pollutants of particular matters < 2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ), particular matters < 10 μm (PM 10 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), and influenza occurrences in Hefei, China, from December 2013 to December 2015 by generalized Poisson additive regression models. The result suggested that PM 2.5 and PM 10 had similar effects on clinical ILI and influenza incidence. PM 10 was negatively associated with clinical ILI (relative risk (RR) 0.980, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.974-0.987), while PM 2.5 were positively associated with clinical ILI (RR 1.040; 95% CI 1.032-1.049). RRs for the laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza were 0.813 (95% CI, 0.755-0.875) for PM 10 and 1.216 (95% CI, 1.134-1.304) for PM 2.5 . Nevertheless, the impacts of SO 2 and NO 2 on ILI and influenza were distinct. SO 2 had significant influence on laboratory-confirmed influenza and had no significant linear relationship with ILI. NO 2 was negatively correlated with influenza but had no obvious effect on clinical ILI cases. The present study contributes novel evidence on understanding of the effects of various air pollutants on influenza activities, and these findings can be useful and important for the development of influenza surveillance and early warning systems.

Accumulating evidence has shown the effects of air pollution on respiratory disease and lung cancer mortality, but the evidence is still inconclusive to date. We conducted a time-series analysis, which included 10388 subjects, to assess the short-term effects of air pollution on respiratory disease and lung cancer mortality in Hefei, China, from 2009 to 2015. The mean concentrations of pollutants (PM 10 , NO 2 and SO 2 ) were 106.35, 30.40, and 20.66 μg/m 3 , respectively, during the study period. An increase of 10 μg/m 3 in SO 2 , NO 2 , and PM 10 was associated with 7.69% (95%CI: 3.41%-12.15%), 4.38% (95%CI: 1.33%-7.53%), and 1.55% (95%CI: 0.80%-2.30%) increase of respiratory diseases mortality, respectively. In contrast, lung cancer mortality was only significantly associated with SO 2 level. Subgroup analyses showed that female in respiratory disease patients were more sensitive to air pollution than male. Studies about seasonality of pollutants on respiratory and lung cancer mortality were inconsistent. Further analyses with multiple-pollutant model showed that the effects of pollutants were generally decreased after the other pollutants were adjusted, except the effects of SO 2 on lung cancer. These findings demonstrated that air pollution could evidently increase the respiratory disease and lung cancer mortality., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The study aims to investigate relationships between demands for breast and cervical cancer screening (BCS/CCS) and related health beliefs., Methods: The study used cluster-randomized sampling and collected data about demands for BCS/CCS and constructs of health beliefs model (HBM). It calculated indices of perceived risk and seriousness of the cancers and perceived effectiveness, benefits and difficulties of the screening; and performed descriptive and multivariate regression analysis of the demands and the HBM constructs., Results: Less than 23.7% of respondents (N = 805) had ever undertaken BCS/CCS but 62.7% reported willingness to receive the service. Demands for BCS/CCS illustrated negative associations (Beta = -0.11 and -0.10) with age but positive (Beta = 0.15 and 0.11) links with education. The absolute values of standardized regression coefficients between the demand and the HBM constructs added up to 0.69 for BCS and 0.64 for CCS respectively, being 4-40 times that of age and education., Conclusions: Models incorporating all HBM constructs have substantially greater power than commonly researched single factors in explaining BCS/CCS demands., Practice Implications: Comprehensive BCS/CCS promotion addressing all HBM constructs in a synergetic way may prove to be more effective., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To investigate Armadillo repeat-containing 5 (ARMC5) mutations in Chinese patients with familial and sporadic primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (PBMAH), we performed clinical data collection and ARMC5 sequencing for three PBMAH families and 23 sporadic PBMAH patients. ARMC5 pathogenic germline mutations were identified in all 3 PBMAH families. Secondary ARMC5 somatic mutations were found in two adrenal nodules from two PBMAH family members with ARMC5 germline mutations. PBMAH family members with ARMC5 pathogenic germline mutations displayed various clinical manifestations. ARMC5 pathogenic germline mutations were identified in 5 sporadic PBMAH patients among whom one patient displayed both hypercortisolism and primary aldosteronism. We detected a total of 10 ARMC5 pathogenic mutations, of which 8 had not been previously reported. Our results suggest that ARMC5 pathogenic germline mutations are common in familial and sporadic Chinese PBMAH patients, and demonstrate the importance of ARMC5 screening in PBMAH family members to detect patients with insidious PBMAH.

Influenza seasonality study is critical for policy-makers to choose an optimal time for influenza vaccination campaign, especially for subtropical regions where influenza seasonality and periodicity are unclear. In this study, we explored the seasonality and periodicity of influenza in Hefei, China during 2010 to 2015 using five proxies originated from three data sources of clinical surveillance of influenza-like illness (ILI), laboratory surveillance of influenza and death registration of pneumonia and influenza. We combined both wavelets analysis and de-linear-trend regression with Fourier harmonic terms to estimate seasonal characteristics of epidemic phase, peak time, amplitude, ratio of dominant seasonality. We found both annual cycle of influenza epidemics peaking in December-February and semi-annual cycle peaking in December-February and June-July in subtropical city Hefei, China. Compared to proxies developed by ILI and death registration data separately, influenza proxies incorporated laboratory surveillance data performed better seasonality and periodicity, especially in semi-annual periodicity in Hefei. Proxy of ILI consultation rate showed more timeliness peak than other proxies, and could be useful in developing the early warning model for influenza epidemics. Our study suggests to integrate clinical and laboratory surveillance of influenza for future influenza seasonality studies in subtropical regions.

Aims: We investigated the association between ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2Z (UBE2Z) gene SNP rs46522 and the risk of CAD in a Chinese Han population with type 2 diabetes and explored a possible interactive effect with environmental risk factors of CAD., Methods: 665 patients with T2D were enrolled; 390 were CAD patients and 275 were non-CAD patients. Genotype analysis of rs46522 (T>C) was performed using PCR-RFLP., Results: The SNP rs47522 was associated with the risk of CAD supposing recessive inheritance model (TT versus CC+CT, OR' = 1.277, 95%CI' 1.039-1.570, p ' = 0.020) and codominant model (TT versus CT, OR' = 1.673, 95%CI' 1.088-2.570, p ' = 0.019) after adjustment for confounders of CAD. A synergistic effect of rs46522 and BMI was discovered ( β = 0.012, p for interreaction  = 0.028). In subgroup analysis, minor allele T was significantly associated with CAD in overweight and obesity subgroup ( p = 0.034), and the association was also proved in recessive model (OR = 1.537, 95%CI 1.075-2.196, p = 0.018). Smokers with genotype TT had threefold risk of CAD in comparison to nonsmokers with genotype TC or CC ( p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The SNP rs46522 in UBE2Z gene is associated with the risk of CAD in the individuals of Chinese Han descent with type 2 diabetes and is of synergistic effect with BMI.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is one of the contributing factors to the development of β-cell failure in type 2 diabetes. ER stress response through ATF6 has been shown to play an important role in insulin resistance and pancreatic β-cell function. We investigated whether genetic polymorphisms in ATF6 were associated with the risk of pre-diabetes in a Chinese Han population, and whether they had a synergistic effect with obesity. Our samples included 828 individuals who were diagnosed as pre-diabetic, and 620 controls. The minor allele A at rs2340721 was associated with increased risk for pre-diabetes(p = 0.013), and this association was still significant after adjusting for gender, age, body mass index (BMI), and waist-hip ratio(p' = 0.011). BMI, treated as a continuous variable, and rs2340721 had an interactive effect on pre-diabetic risk(p for interaction = 0.003, β = 0.106). Carriers of GG at rs7522210 were also at a higher risk compared to non-carriers (OR = 1.390, 95%CI:1.206-1.818, p = 0.013, adjusted OR' = 1.516, 95%CI:1.101-2.006, p' = 0.006). GG homozygotes had increased fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels(GG vs CX: 5.6 ± 0.52 vs 5.5 ± 0.57 mmol/L, p = 0.016), lower insulin levels (0,30,120 minutes after glucose load) (p < 0.05), and reduced areas under the insulin curve than non-carriers(GG vs CX:67.3(44.2-102.3) vs 73.1(49.4-111.4), p = 0.014). rs10918270 was associated with FBG, and rs4657103 with 2 hour glucose levels after a 75 g glucose load. We also identified a haplotype of TTAG composed of rs4657103, rs2134697, rs2340721, and rs12079579, which was associated with pre-diabetes. The genetic variation in ATF6 is associated with pre-diabetes and has interactive effects with BMI on pre-diabetes in the Chinese Han population.

Objective: Newborn hearing screening (NHS) is used worldwide due to its feasibility and cost-efficiency. However, neonates with late-onset and progressive hearing impairment will be missed by NHS. Genetic factors account for an estimated 60% of congenital profound hearing loss. Our previous cohort studies were carried out in an innovative mode, i.e. hearing concurrent genetic screening, in newborns to improve the abilities or early diagnosis and intervention for the hearing defects. In this study, we performed the first clinical practice of this mode in Tianjin city., Methods: A large cohort of 58,397 neonates, born between December 2011 and December 2012, in 44 hospitals in Tianjin, were screened for 20 hot spot hearing loss associated mutations from GJB2, GJB3, SLC26A4 and MTRNR1(12S rRNA). The data of genetic screening results was comprehensively analyzed with newborn hearing screening (NHS) results., Results: We developed an accurate, high throughput genetic screening method and applied it to a total of 58,397 newborns in Tianjin. 3225 (5.52%) infants were detected to carry at least one mutation allele in GJB2, GJB3, SLC26A4 or MTRNR1. 34 (0.58‰) infants were positive for hearing loss caused by GJB2 or SLC26A4 mutations (homozygote or compound heterozygote). 54(0.93‰) infants are heterozygous of various genes. 109(1.87‰) infants had the pathological mitochondrial DNA mutation., Conclusion: Accurate, comprehensive hearing loss associated genetic screening can facilitate genetic counseling and provides valuable prognostic information to affected infants. This united screening mode of this study was a promising clinical practice., (Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)