Relationship of Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Chinese Adult

Objective To compare the relative risk of waist circumference （WC） and/or BMI on cardiovascular risk factors. Methods A cross-sectional data of 41 087 adults （19 567 male and 21 520 female） from the 2002 China National Nutrition and Health Survey were examined. According to the obesity definition of WGOC （BMI, 24 kg/m^2 and 28 kg/m^2; WC, male 85 cm and 95 cm for male, 80 cm and 90 cm for female）, the study population were divided into 9 groups. The prevalence and odds ratio （ORs） of cardiovascular disease （CVD） risk factors （hypertension, high fasting plasma glucose and dyslipidemia） were compared among these 9 groups. Stepwise linear regression analyses were used to compare the likelihood of BMI and/or WC on CVD risk factors. Results Both the indexes levels and the odds ratios of CVD risk factors were significantly increased （decreased for HDL-C levels） along with the increase of WC and/or BMI, even when the effect of age, sex, income, education, sedentary activity and dietary factors were adjusted. The variances （R2） in CVD risk factors explained by WC only and BMI only were quite similar, but a little bit larger when WC and BMI were combined. The standard fl was higher of BMI when predicting systolic BP and was higher of WC when predicting TG, TC and HDL. Conclusions BMI and WC had independent effects on CVD risk factors and combination of BMI and WC would be more predictive. Findings from the present study provided substantive evidence for the WGOC recommendation of a combined use of BMI and WC classifications.

Overexpression of MiR-633 Suppresses the Tumorigenicity of Gastric Cancer Cells and Induces Apoptosis by Targeting MAPK1

Objective MicroRNA(miRNA/miR)-633 is dysregulated in several types of cancers and is involved in tumorigenesis.However,the function and role of this miRNA in gastric cancer(GC)are not fully understood.The aim of the present study was to evaluate miR-633 expression in GC cell lines and in GC tissue vs.adjacent normal tissue,and to determine its association with clinicopathological data.This work was extended to investigate the effects of miR-633 overexpression on tumor cells in vitro.Methods Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)was used to detect and compare the expression level of miR-633 in GC cells,as well as in GC and normal adjacent tissue samples.The clinical significance of miR-633 was also analyzed.MiR-633 lentivirus(LV-miR-633)and negative control lentivirus(LV-NC)were generated and used to transduce SGC-7901 and HGC-27 GC cells in order to analyze the effect of miR-633 on their phenotype.The effects of miR-633 overexpression on GC cell proliferation,apoptosis,migration and invasion were investigated.The target gene of miR-633 was predicted,then confirmed using a dual luciferase reporter gene assay,RT-qPCR and Western blotting.Results MiR-633 was significantly downregulated in GC cell lines,as well as in GC tissue compared with adjacent normal tissue.Moreover,miR-633 expression was associated with the tumor/node/metastasis(TNM)stage,invasion depth,Borrmann classification and lymph node metastasis(P<0.05).Compared with the LV-NC group,transduction with LV-miR-633 reduced the proliferation,the number of clones,the wound healing rate,the number of invading cells and the number of cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle(P<0.01).LV-miR-633 also increased the apoptosis rate(P<0.01).The expression level of mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)1,high-mobility group box 3(HMGB3),claudin 1(CLDN1)and MAPK13 were downregulated in LV-miR-633-transduced cells(P<0.01).The dual luciferase reporter assay confirmed that the 3′-untranslated region of MAPK1 was the target site of miR-633(P<0.01).Conclusion MiR-633 acts as a tumor suppressor in GC,and its expression level is associated with TNM stage,invasion depth,Borrmann type and lymph node metastasis.Overexpression of miR-633 inhibits the proliferation and migration of GC cells and induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at the in G1 phase.In addition,miR-633 negatively regulates the expression of MAPK1,HMGB3,CLDN1 and MAPK13 and directly targets MAPK1.

Knockdown of Microtubule Associated Serine/threonine Kinase Like Expression Inhibits Gastric Cancer Cell Growth and Induces Apoptosis by Activation of ERK1/2 and Inactivation of NF-κB Signaling

Microtubule-associated serine/threonine kinase(MASTL)functions to regulate chromosome condensation and mitotic progression.Therefore,aberrant MASTL expression is commonly implicated in various human cancers.This study analyzed MASTL expression in gastric cancer vs.adjacent normal tissue for elucidating the association with clinicopathological data from patients.This work was then extended to investigate the effects of MASTL knockdown on tumor cells in vitro.The level of MASTL expression in gastric cancer tissue was assessed from the UALCAN,GEPIA,and Oncomine online databases.Lentivirus carrying MASTL or negative control shRNA was infected into gastric cancer cells.RT-qPCR,Western blotting,cell viability,cell counting,flow cytometric apoptosis and cell cycle,and colony formation assays were performed.MASTL was upregulated in gastric cancer tissue compared to the adjacent normal tissue,and the MASTL expression was associated with advanced tumor stage,Helicobacter pylori infection and histological subtypes.On the other hand,knockdown of MASTL expression significantly reduced tumor cell viability and proliferation,and arrested cell cycle at G2/M stage but promoted tumor cells to undergo apoptosis.At protein level,knockdown of MASTL expression enhanced levels of cleaved PARP1,cleaved caspase-3,Bax and p-ERK1/2 expression,but downregulated expression levels of BCL-2 and p-NF-κB-p65 protein in AGS and MGC-803 cells.MASTL overexpression in gastric cancer tissue may be associated with gastric cancer development and progression,whereas knockdown of MASTL expression reduces tumor cell proliferation and induces apoptosis.Further study will evaluate MASTL as a potential target of gastric cancer therapeutic strategy.

Visual acuity of urban and rural adults in a coastal province of southern China:the Fujian Eye Study

AIM:To evaluate the vision status and sociodemographic associations of visual acuity(VA)in an urban and rural population in a coastal province of southern China.METHODS:The Fujian Eye Study,a population-based cross-sectional study,was performed from May 2018 to October 2019.Totally 10044 participants over 50 years old from all nine cities in Fujian Province were enrolled,and underwent a questionnaire and a series of standard physical and ocular examinations.VA was measured by E Standard Logarithmic Visual Acuity Chart(GB 11533-1989).Data was double entered with Epi Data v3.1 for data collation and Stata/SE statistical software v15.1 was used to analyze the data.RESULTS:Totally 8211(81.8%)participants were finally included and were divided into urban populations(4678 subjects),rural populations(n=3533),coastal residents(n=6434),and inland residents(1777 subjects);4836 participants were female.The mean age was 64.39±8.87 y(median 64 y;range 50-98 y).The mean presenting VA was 0.61±0.30(0.23±0.27 log MAR),and the mean best correctedvisual acuity(BCVA)was 0.82±0.28(0.08±0.19 log MAR).In the multiple regression analysis,BCVA was significantly correlated with several socioeconomic and biologic factors,including age(P<0.001),education level(P<0.001),income(P=0.005),rural residency(P<0.001),inland residency(P=0.001)and refractive error(P<0.001),while sex(P=0.194)was independent with BCVA.CONCLUSION:Accessible services and eye health policies targeting the elderly,people with high myopia and people living in rural or inland areas are needed.

Micro-/nanostructured ZnFe_(2)O_(4) hollow sphere/GO composite for structurally enhanced photocatalysis performance

The pollution of organic dyes has become a serious environmental problem.It is still urgent to prepare a highly efficient and environment-friendly photocatalyst for pollutants removal.Herein,a micro-/nanostructured ZnFe_(2)O_(4)hollow sphere/GO(ZnFe_(2)O_(4)/GO)composite photocatalyst was prepared through a one-step hydrothermal method with high performance and recycling property.The obtained micro-/nanostructured composite was assembled by ZnFe_(2)O_(4) hollow spheres and GO nanosheets.

Profile and Correlates of Health-related Quality of Life in Chinese Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

Background： Although coronary heart disease （CHD） is one of the major cardiovascular diseases, risk factors associated with the health-related quality of life （HRQoL） of CHD patients remain unclear. The present study was designed to determine the profile and significant factors of the HRQoL in CHD patients.Methods： A cross-sectional study was conducted in rural communities of Fangshan District, Beijing. China. Socio-demographic, lifestyle, and comorbidity information of CHD patients were collected by a structured questionnaire and medical records. HRQoL was measured using European Quality of Life 5-dimensions （EQ-5D） scale and EQ Visual Analog Scale （EQ-VAS）. Multiple linear and logistic regressions were performed to explore the association of potential risk factors with HRQoL scores and each EQ-SD, respectively.Results： Totally, 1928 CHD patients （mean age 61.64 ± 9.24 years; female：male = 2.4：1） were enrolled in the study. The mean score of EQ-5D index and EQ-VAS were 0.889 ±0.172 and 71.56 ±17.65, respectively. Multiple linear regression revealed that marital status, physical activity, moderate alcohol drinking, and family＇s population were positive independent correlates of EQ-VAS, whereas diabetes mellitus and stroke were negative independent correlates （all P 〈 0.05）. Age and stroke were negatively while physical activity, moderate alcohol drinking, family＇s population and household income were positively correlated with EQ-5D index （all P 〈 0.05） independently. In addition, each of the five HRQoL dimensions had various specific determinants, including obesity, underweight. smoking or education. Conclusions： Findings of the study highlight certain socio-demographic, lifestyle factors, and comorbid stroke or diabetes mellitus as correlates of HRQoL in Chinese CHD patients. Large-scale cohort studies should be carried out to confirm our results in the future.

Differences and similarities between extremely severe oligozoospermia and cryptozoospermia in intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Patients with extremely severe oligozoospermia （ESO） and cryptozoospermia （CO） are suitable using intracytoplasmic sperm injection （ICSI） as an infertility treatment. However, some andrologists are confused to distinguish ESO and CO in clinic diagnose. This study was designed for the first time to evaluate and compare patients with ESO and CO to determine whether these are useful clinical distinctions. A total of 270 infertile men in our center were classified into four groups as Group nonobstruction azoospermia （NOA, n = 44）, Group ESO （n = 78）, Group CO （n = 40）, and Group obstruction azoospermia （OA, n = 108）. Comparisons of the volume of bilateral testes, the level of follicle stimulating hormone （FSH） and inhibin B were obtained in four groups. Then comparisons of fertilization rates, cleavage rate, and excellent embryos rate were obtained when couples performed ICSh All indexes （volume of bilateral testis, level of FSH and inhibin B） in Groups ESO and CO were no difference, while Groups OA versus NOA, OA versus ESO, and OA versus CO were significant differences （P 〈 0.05）. The rates of fertilization were no differences in Groups ESO and CO while Groups OA versus ESO, OA versus CO were significant differences （P 〈 0.05）. Therefore, the spermatogenic functions in patients with CO and ESO were similar, better than NOA but worse than OA. However, it would be helpful to evaluate their spermatogenesis using testicular biopsies, especially accompanied azoospermia in clinical practice.

Plasma C-Reactive Protein and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm： A Mendelian Randomization Analysis

To the Editor： Abdominal aortic aneurysm （AAA）, a disease defined as a 50% increase in the aortic diameter or the diameter larger than 30 mm compared to the normal abdominal aortic, is a severe and chronic disorder occurring mostly among men older than 65 years of age. Understanding the risk factors and the biomarkers for AAA formation is imperative for creating targeted interventions to prevent, screen, or slow the disease progression.