Nickel-exposed Workers in China: A Cohort Study

There are more than S0 000 workers in Jinchuan Group Co, Ltd （JNMC）. Since all staff in JNMC are eligible for a medical examination every two years, only 23 484 nickel-exposed subjects who participated in medical examination were included in this study. Their data, collected from June 22, 2011 to September 28, 2012, in a comprehensive epidemiological survey and during medical examinations, permitted an extensive evaluation of the relation between metal exposure, gene, epigenetics and risk of human diseases. Their lifestyle investigation showed that the overall prevalence of current smokers, alcohol drinkers, and tea drinkers was 39.1%, 19.7%, and 55.2%, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension, allergic rhinitis and cholecystitis, the top 3 prevalent diseases, was 11.7%, 11.0%, and 8.9%, respectively.

Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Chinese Nickel-exposed Workers

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome （MS） was investigated in Chinese nickel-exposed workers. A total of 35 104 subjects were enrolled in this study. The age-adjusted prevalence of MS, BMI≥25, diabetes, hypertension, and abnormal lipid was 13.9%, 29.5%, 12.8%, 27.5%, and 47.1%, respectively. The prevalence of BMI≥25, hyperglycemia, and hypertension increased with the age of males and females, and was higher in males than in females （37.1% vs 21.5%, 15.9% vs 12.1%, 35.0% vs 24.3%, 54.3% vs 40.4%）.

Metal Exposure and Risk of Diabetes and Prediabetes among Chinese Occupational Workers

Objective To study the association between metal exposure and risk of diabetes and prediabetes among Chinese workers exposed to metals.Methods We used data obtained from the baseline survey of the Jinchang Cohort Study of workers in Jinchang Industry,the largest nickel production company in China.A total of 42,122 workers ≥20 years of age were included in the study.A standardized,structured questionnaire was used to collect epidemiological information.Physical examinations and laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the health status of the participants and to measure various biomarkers including blood sugar,lipids,and urinary metal concentrations.Logistic regression was used to study the association between occupational groups categorized according to the measured metal levels(office workers,low-level;mining/production workers,mid-level;and smelting/refining workers,high-level)and risk of diabetes and prediabetes.Results The overall prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes was 7.5% and 16.8%,respectively.The adjusted odds ratios for diabetes among mining/production workers and smelting/refining workers compared to office workers were 1.5(95% CI:1.3,1.7)and 3.8(95% CI:3.4,4.3),respectively.No association was observed between these occupational groups and prediabetes in this study.Conclusion Occupations associated with higher levels of metal exposure were associated with an increased risk of diabetes in this cohort.More studies are needed to confirm this observed association.

The Effect of Blood Lipid Profiles on Chronic Kidney Disease in a Prospective Cohort:Based on a Regression Discontinuity Design

Objective Previous studies on the association between lipid profiles and chronic kidney disease(CKD)have yielded inconsistent results and no defined thresholds for blood lipids.Methods A prospective cohort study including 32,351 subjects who completed baseline and follow-up surveys over 5 years was conducted.Restricted cubic splines and Cox models were used to examine the association between the lipid profiles and CKD.A regression discontinuity design was used to determine the cutoff value of lipid profiles that was significantly associated with increased the risk of CKD.Results Over a median follow-up time of 2.2(0.5,4.2)years,648(2.00%)subjects developed CKD.The lipid profiles that were significantly and linearly related to CKD included total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),TC/HDL-C,and TG/HDL-C,whereas lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and LDL-C/HDL-C were nonlinearly correlated with CKD.TC,TG,TC/HDL-C,and TG/HDL-C showed an upward jump at the cutoff value,increasing the risk of CKD by 0.90%,1.50%,2.30%,and 1.60%,respectively,whereas HDL-C showed a downward jump at the cutoff value,reducing this risk by 1.0%.Female and participants with dyslipidemia had a higher risk of CKD,while the cutoff values for the different characteristics of the population were different.Conclusion There was a significant association between lipid profiles and CKD in a prospective cohort from Northwest China,while TG,TC/HDL-C,and TG/HDL-C showed a stronger risk association.The specific cutoff values of lipid profiles may provide a clinical reference for screening or diagnosing CKD risk.

Sex-specific and Dose-response Relationship between the Incidence of Gallstones and Components of the Metabolic Syndrome in Jinchang Cohort:A Prospective Study

Gallstones is a very common gastrointestinal disease,involving the formation of masses in the gall bladder or biliary tract,due to abnormally high concentrations of cholesterol or bilirubin in the bile[1].There is a 10%–20%prevalence of gallstones worldwide,and>20%of patients with gallstones show clinical symptoms,implying a substantial disease burden[1].

Comparing the Diagnostic Criteria of MAFLD and NAFLD in the Chinese Population:A Population-based Prospective Cohort Study

Background and Aims:Metabolic dysfunction-associ-ated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)is a new concept,pro-posed in 2020;however,its applicability in Asia populations has yet to be evaluated.Therefore,we aimed to compare the difference in epidemiological and clinical characteris-tics between MAFLD and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)among Asian populations.Methods:Based on the Jinchang cohort,30,633 participants were collected.The prevalence and incidence of MAFLD and NAFLD were used to analyze the epidemic characteristics and its overlapping effects.In addition,the corresponding clinical character-istics of the two diagnostic criteria populations were com-pared.Results:The prevalence rates of MAFLD and NAFLD were 21.03%and 18.83%,respectively.After an average 2.28-year follow-up,the incidence densities of MAFLD and NAFLD were 41.58 per 1,000 person-years and 37.69 per 1,000 person-years,respectively.With the increase of baseline age,body mass index(BMI),and waist circumfer-ence(WC)levels,the prevalence and incidence of MAFLD and NAFLD were on the rise(all ptrend<0.05).Among the total patients diagnosed at baseline or follow-up,most pa-tients had both MAFLD and NAFLD,accounting for 78.84%and 82.88%,respectively.Compared with NAFLD,MAFLD patients had greater proportions of males and metabolic diseases(diabetes,dyslipidemia),and had higher BMI,WC,liver enzymes,blood glucose,and lipid levels in the base-line diagnosis patients(p<0.05).Additionally,lean MAFLD patients had higher metabolic disorders than lean NAFLD patients(p<0.05).Conclusions:Compared with NAFLD,the newly proposed definition of MAFLD is more practical and accurate,and it can help identify more fatty liver pa-tients with high-risk diseases.