[Association between obesity and risk for all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes]

Objective: To investigate the association between obesity and the risk for all-cause mortality in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients. Methods: The participants were from a rural community-based T2DM patient cohort in Zhejiang Province. The study used the data collected from baseline survey in 2016 and follow-up until December 31, 2021. A total of 10 310 participants were included, excluding those who were lost in follow-up or had incomplete data in follow-up. According to BMI and waist circumference, the study subjects were divided into 6 groups: low body weight, normal body weight, simple abdominal obesity, simple body obesity, complex overweight and complex obesity. Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze hazard ratios (HRs) of all-cause mortality and their 95%CIs in T2DM patients with different obesity status. Results: The cumulative follow-up period was 57 049.47 person-years with an average follow-up of (5.53±0.89) person-years. During this period, 971 subjects died. The death density was 1 702.03/100 000 person-years. After adjusting for confounders, low-weight patients had a 104% increased risk for all-cause death compared with normal-weight patients (HR=2.04, 95%CI:1.42-2.92). The risk for all-cause death decreased by 34% (HR=0.66, 95%CI: 0.53-0.82), 22% (HR=0.78,95%CI: 0.66-0.92), 38% (HR=0.62, 95%CI: 0.49-0.78) in the patients with simple body obesity, complex overweight and complex obesity, respectively, there was no significant difference for all-cause death in the patients with simple abdominal obesity alone. In subgroup analysis, the risk of all-cause mortality increased in low-weight T2DM patients of different sexes and ages, the mortality risk in women with complex obesity was 50% lower than that in the women with normal body weight, but there was no significant difference in men in the comparison between complex obesity group and normal body weight group. The risk for all-cause mortality was significantly lower in ≥65 years old patients with simple body obesity, complex overweight and complex obesity than in patients with normal body weight (HR=0.61, 95%CI: 0.48-0.78; HR=0.76, 95%CI: 0.63-0.91; HR=0.56,95%CI: 0.42-0.73), there was no significant difference in the patients aged <65 years. There was no significant change in sensitivity analysis. Conclusions: There was an "obesity paradox" in the risk for all-cause mortality in T2DM patients. The risk of all-cause mortality in the low-weight patients was significantly higher than that in normal-weight patients, and the risk for death in the patients with simple body obesity or complex overweight and obesity were significantly lower.

[Current status of vaccination services for adults in urban and rural areas of nine provinces in China from 2019 to 2021]

Objective: To understand the current situation of vaccination services for adults in China, explore how to establish a stable and efficient vaccination service system for adults, and provide reference for formulating corresponding policies. Methods: The vaccination information systems of nine provinces in China were used to obtain information on urban and rural vaccination of influenza vaccine, 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23), and human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) from 2019 to 2021. The indicator, vaccination rate/full vaccination rate, was used for statistical description. Results: The vaccination rate/full vaccination rate of the three vaccines in eastern China was generally higher than that in central and western China. The vaccination rate/full vaccination rate in urban areas was generally higher than that in rural areas. From 2019 to 2021, the vaccination rates of influenza vaccine among people aged 60 years and above in urban and rural areas were 2.96%, 6.29%, 6.14% and 1.29%, 2.58%, 2.94%, respectively. The vaccination rates of the PPV23 among people aged 60 years and above in urban and rural areas increased year by year, with rates of 0.38%, 1.05%, 1.15% and 0.14%, 0.49%, 0.59%, respectively. From 2019 to 2021, the HPV coverage of female adults aged 27-45 years in urban and rural areas increased year by year, with rates of 0.46%, 0.93%, 1.88% and 0.17%, 0.40%, 1.08%, respectively. Conclusion: The vaccination rates of influenza vaccine,PPV23 vaccine and HPV vaccine for adults in China are relatively low, with higher rates in the eastern region than in the central and western regions, and higher rates in urban areas than in rural areas. It is recommended to formulate corresponding health and economic policies and explore a suitable vaccination service system for adults in China to improve vaccination rates.

[The prevalence of atrial cardiomyopathy in patients with different types of acute ischemic stroke and its relationship with cryptogenic stroke]

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of atrial cardiomyopathy in patients with different types of acute ischemic stroke and its relationship with cryptogenic stroke. Methods: Patients with acute ischemic stroke within 7 days of onset who were admitted to the Department of Neurology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January to September 2019 were prospectively and consecutively enrolled. All included patients were classified according to TOAST classification of ischemic stroke. Chi-square test was used to compare the prevalence of atrial cardiomyopathy among patients with different TOAST classifications. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the related factors of cryptogenic stroke. Results: A total of 1 098 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled in the study, including 661 males and 437 females, with a median age [M(Q₁,Q₃)] of 61 (53, 68) years. The prevalence of atrial cardiomyopathy in patients with cryptogenic stroke[53.5% (46/86)] was higher than that in patients with large artery atherosclerosis [38.0%(63/166), P=0.018] and small vessel occlusion [19.4%(37/191), P<0.001], but was lower than that of patients in the cardioembolic group [97.3% (72/74), P<0.001]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that atrial cardiomyopathy was an associated factor for cryptogenic stroke (OR=2.945, 95%CI: 1.766-4.911, P<0.001). Conclusions: Atrial cardiomyopathy is associated with cryptogenic stroke. The prevalence of atrial cardiomyopathy in patients with cryptogenic stroke is higher than that in patients with large artery atherosclerosis and small vessel occlusion, but lower than that in patients with cardiac embolism.

[Construction and application of comprehensive system of chronic diseases surveillance in Zhejiang province]

To construct a non-communicable disease system recommended by WHO, develop the key techniques and promote their applications, obtain the main health indicators and understand the prevalence of chronic diseases, and provide support for the prevention, control and research of chronic diseases. Based on factor analysis, K-means clustering and multi-cluster random sampling, 30 typical sampling areas at provincial level were designed and constructed; By referring to WHO's Non-communicable Disease Surveillance Framework and the American behavioral risk factor sampling and questionnaire and combined with China's actual needs, a comprehensive surveillance system for chronic diseases, covering morbidity and mortality, risk factor exposure and community management and control of chronic diseases, was established, a "5+12+1" quality control system for surveillance data collection, management, analysis and feedback was formed and a three-level surveillance information management platform and information technology construction standards in the province were established, resulting the integration of life registration, chronic disease case reporting and community chronic disease management. Using these key techniques, we have obtained high-quality surveillance data of the whole province, produced the main health indicators, carried out research of chronic diseases, and analyze the prevalence and changing trend of the main chronic diseases and related risk factors to boost the government's practical projects for the reform of the people's livelihood and facilitate the construction of "Healthy Zhejiang". The successful experiences and key techniques have been applied in the construction of chronic disease surveillance system in some provinces in China.

[Association between body mass index changes and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus]

Objectives: To investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) changes and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: Based on the T2DM cohort in rural communities of Zhejiang province, baseline and follow up information of height, weight, blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), TC, TG, LDL-C and HDL-C of the T2DM patients were collected. After excluding those who died during the follow-up period, lost follow-up or had incomplete information, a total of 8 953 T2DM patients were included in the final analysis. Multiple linear regression and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used for analysis. Results: At baseline survey, 40.97% of the T2DM patients were overweight and obese. Compared with those with normal BMI, the SBP, DBP and TG level were significantly higher, while HDL-C level was significantly lower in the overweight and obese T2DM patients (P<0.01). During the follow-up period, the blood glucose control rate in the patients increased by 15%, and the levels of HbA1c decreased in the patients with different BMI changes at different degrees. Compared with the patients who kept normal BMI, the HbA1c level decrease had a smaller range, while the SBP and DBP increase had a larger range in the patients with persistent overweight and obesity, and their substandard rates of HbA1c, SBP, DBP, TG, HDL-C levels were 1.142 (1.057-1.233) times, 1.123 (1.055-1.196) times, 1.220 (1.128-1.320) times, 1.400 (1.282-1.528) times and 1.164 (1.069-1.267) times higher. The changes of blood pressure, blood lipids and other related indicators in the patients whose BMI became abnormal were similar to those of the patients with persistent overweight and obesity; Compared with the patients whose BMI were kept normal, the differences in changes and substandard rate of blood glucose level, blood pressure level in the patients whose BMI became normal were not significant (P>0.05). The change value of BMI was positively correlated with the change value of SBP, DBP, TG and LDL-C, while negatively correlated with the change value of HDL-C (P<0.05). Conclusions: Abnormal changes in BMI are associated with the adverse changes of blood glucose level, blood pressure, and blood lipids level and other cardiovascular disease risk factors. Keeping normal BMI would benefit the positive outcome of cardiovascular adverse factors.

Inverted U-Shaped Associations between Glycemic Indices and Serum Uric Acid Levels in the General Chinese Population: Findings from the China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort (4C) Study

OBJECTIVE

The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and glycemic indices, including plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postload glucose (2h-PG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), remains inconclusive. We aimed to explore the associations between glycemic indices and SUA levels in the general Chinese population.

METHODS

The current study was a cross-sectional analysis using the first follow-up survey data from The China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort Study. A total of 105,922 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 40 years underwent the oral glucose tolerance test and uric acid assessment. The nonlinear relationships between glycemic indices and SUA levels were explored using generalized additive models.

RESULTS

A total of 30,941 men and 62,361 women were eligible for the current analysis. Generalized additive models verified the inverted U-shaped association between glycemic indices and SUA levels, but with different inflection points in men and women. The thresholds for FPG, 2h-PG, and HbA1c for men and women were 6.5/8.0 mmol/L, 11.0/14.0 mmol/L, and 6.1/6.5, respectively (SUA levels increased with increasing glycemic indices before the inflection points and then eventually decreased with further increases in the glycemic indices).

CONCLUSION

An inverted U-shaped association was observed between major glycemic indices and uric acid levels in both sexes, while the inflection points were reached earlier in men than in women.

[Association between snoring and hypertension among Zhejiang adults in a cross sectional study]

Objective: To explore the association between snoring and prevalent hypertension among adults in Zhejiang with a cross-sectional study. Methods: After excluding participants with self-reported, physician-diagnosed heart diseases, stroke and cancer at baseline study, 56 728 participants aged 30-79 in the China Kadoorie Biobank study from Tongxiang, Zhejiang were included for the final analysis. Three multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the ORs for the associations of snoring with prevalent hypertension. Results: The proportion of participants who snored frequently, snored sometimes, and never snored were 24.55%, 23.94%, and 51.51%, respectively. The corresponding figures of males were 32.40%, 26.55%, and 41.05%, respectively. The corresponding figures of females were 19.00%, 22.08%, and 58.92%, respectively (P<0.001). After adjusted socio-demographic factors, behavioral lifestyle, BMI, waist circumference, and sleep duration etc., in comparison with participants who never snored, the odds ratios (95%CI) of hypertension for those who snored frequently and snored sometimes were 1.17 (1.12-1.23) and 1.12 (1.07-1.18), respectively. The effects of snoring on hypertension were statistically significantly different between women and men, participants who were central obese and those who were not, and between premenopausal and post-menopausal women. Conclusion: Snoring was associated positively with hypertension among adults. The effect of snoring on prevalent hypertension were obvious, especially among people, being female, being central obese, and being premenopausal.

[Association between tea drinking and stroke in adults in Zhejiang province: a prospective study]

Objective: To prospectively explore the association between tea drinking and incidence of stroke of adults of Zhejiang province. Methods: After excluding participants with heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes at baseline study, 53 916 participants aged 30-79 years in the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) study from Tongxiang were included for final analysis. Cox regression model was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for the association of tea drinking with incident stroke. Results: The main type of drinking tea was black tea (79.78%), followed by green tea (20.08%). Of the 53 916 participants, the proportion of participants who drank tea at least once per week was 31.27%. The corresponding proportions for men and women were 60.24% and 10.30%, respectively. Among 391 512 person-years of the follow-up program (median 7.26 years), a total of 1 487 men and 1 769 women were diagnosed with stroke. After adjusting for socio-demographic status, lifestyle, BMI, waist circumference, and systolic blood pressure, HR for incident stroke decreased with the increase of daily average tea consumption amount (P=0.000 6). Compared with participants who did not drink tea weekly, the HRs for incident stroke in those consuming tea 0.1-, 3.0- and ≥5.0 g/d were 0.93 (95%CI: 0.85-1.00), 0.88 (95%CI: 0.77-0.99) and 0.79 (95%CI: 0.69-0.89), respectively. The HRs for incident stroke in smokers and non-smokers who consumed tea ≥5.0 g/d were 0.71 (95%CI: 0.59-0.86) and 0.97 (95%CI: 0.77-1.21), respectively, compared with current smokers and non-smokers who did not drink tea weekly (P=0.040 0). The corresponding HRs for alcohol drinkers and non-drinkers were 0.96 (95%CI: 0.76-1.22) and 0.70 (95%CI: 0.58-0.84), respectively (P=0.040 0). The corresponding HRs for central obese persons and non-central obese persons were 0.60 (95%CI: 0.44-0.81) and 0.86 (95%CI: 0.73-1.01), respectively (P=0.040 0). Conclusion: Tea drinking had an effect on reducing the possibility of incident stroke, especially among those who were current smokers, non-alcohol drinkers and central obese.

[Prospective study on the effect of BMI and waist circumference on diabetes of adults in Zhejiang province]

Objective: To explore the effect of BMI and waist circumference on diabetes of adults. Methods: After excluding participants with heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes at baseline study, 53 916 people aged 30-79 in the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) study from Tongxiang city of Zhejiang province were recruited. Cox regression model was used to estimate the hazards ratios (HR) for the associations of baseline BMI and waist circumference with incident diabetes. Results: Among 391 512 person-years of the follow-up program between 2004 and 2013 (median 7.26 years), a total of 944 men and 1 643 women were diagnosed as having diabetes. Compared to those with normal weight, after adjusting for known or potential factors, HR of both overweight and obesity in men for incident diabetes appeared as 2.72 (95%CI: 2.47-2.99) and 6.27 (95%CI: 5.33-7.36), respectively. The corresponding figures in women were 2.19 (95%CI: 2.04-2.36) and 3.78 (95%CI: 3.36-4.26). Compared to those with normal waist circumference, after adjusting for known or potential factors, HR of Ⅰgrade andⅡgrade in men for diabetes were 2.56 (95%CI: 2.22-2.95) and 4.66 (95%CI: 4.14-5.24), respectively. The corresponding figures in women were 1.99 (95%CI: 1.80-2.21) and 3.16 (95%CI: 2.90-3.44), respectively. Conclusions: Overweight, obesity and central obesity were all associated with the increased incident of diabetes. Strategies on diabetes prevention should include not only losing weight, but reducing waist circumference as well.

[Estimation on the health life expectancy of adults in Zhejiang province, 2016]

Objective: To estimate the health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) of adults in Zhejiang province and evaluate the health status of the adults. Methods: This study was based on the mortality data collected from Zhejiang Chronic Disease Surveillance Information and Management System, and mortality rates from the underreporting survey and self-reported health data in 2016. Hierarchical Ordered Probit (HOPIT) model was used to estimate the severity-weighted prevalence of disability. Sullivan's method was used to calculate the HALE. Results: After adjustment by HOPIT model, the severity-weighted prevalence of disability increased significantly with age (χ(2)=5 795.81,P<0.001), and it was higher in females than in males (χ(2)=5 353.27, P<0.001). The life expectancy and self-evaluated HALE were 59.08 years and 48.68 years, respectively, in those aged ≥20 years, the difference was 10.40 years due to disability. The proportion of HALE loss due to disability in the total life expectancy was 17.61%, and it increased with age. HALE was higher in males than in females (49.21 years vs. 48.14 years), and in urban residents than in rural residents (49.92 years vs. 47.43 years). Conclusion: The proportion of loss of HALE in the total life expectancy in adults was high in Zhejiang, and it higher in males than in females, in urban residents than rural residents. Programs on improving health care in women and rural residents should be promoted.

[The coping styles and its relationship with quality of life among 1 968 female breast cancer patients in Shanghai in 2014]

Objective: To study the coping styles and its relationship with quality of life among part of the female breast cancer patients in Shanghai in 2014. Methods: In August of 2014, 1-3 block groups affiliated to Shanghai Cancer Rehabilitation Club were selected from each of the 17 districts of Shanghai by convenient sampling method. Respondents were recruited from these block groups via putting up posters in the community or top three hospitals nearby. The inclusion criteria were as follows: female, aged from 18 to 80 years old; the initial diagnosis or primary tumor was breast cancer, and active treatments including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy were finished; capable of basic reading and comprehension, and there was no communication disorder; daily activities were not limited, and with no mental disorder or dysgnosia. Totally 2 205 respondents were included. Questionnaire survey was conducted to collect the information of demographic characteristics, disease characteristics, result of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), and result of the Ways of Coping Inventory-Cancer Version (WOC-CA). 1 968 valid questionnaires were withdrawn. The results of respondent characteristics and WOC-CA were under descriptive analysis, and the differences of coping styles among groups of different demographic characteristics were compared using t test. In addition, we analyzed the correlation between respondents' coping styles and quality of life using partial correlation analysis. Results: The average age of the 1 968 respondents was (58.7±7.4) years old, and BMI was (24.4±5.4) kg/m(2). The score of positive coping styles was 2.04±0.41, and the score of negative coping styles was 1.79±0.33. The scores of Physical Functioning (PF), Role Functioning (RF), Cognitive Functioning (CF), Emotional Functioning (EF), Social Functioning (SF), and Global Health (GH) were 83.40±12.18, 90.80±15.92, 80.72±16.29, 84.67±15.19, 80.99±20.91, 65.27±21.21, respectively. Positive coping styles correlated with PF, EF, and GH positively, and the correlation coefficients were separately 0.581 (P=0.046), 0.593 (P=0.045), 0.770 (P<0.001). Negative coping styles correlated with RF, CF, EF, and SF negatively, and the correlation coefficients were separately-0.672 (P=0.021),-0.815 (P=0.005),-0.121 (P<0.001),-0.123 (P<0.001). Conclusion: Part of the female breast cancer patients in Shanghai in 2014 mainly adopted positive coping styles, and in general the positive coping styles correlated with quality of life positively and negative coping styles correlated with quality of life negatively.

[Morbidity and mortality of malignant tumor in Zhejiang province, 2014]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the morbidity and mortality of malignant tumor in Zhejiang province in 2014.

METHODS

The data were collected from Zhejiang provincial chronic disease surveillance system in 2014. The crude rate, age-standardized rate, cumulative rate(0-74 years old), cut rate(35-64 years old), age-specific and area-specific morbidity/mortality as well as the constitution of top 10 leading cancers were then calculated and analyzed. The age-standardized rate was calculated according to the standard population in China in 1982 and the Segi' s world standard population.

RESULTS

The crude morbidity was 348.80/100 000(370.74/100 000 in males and 326.51/100 000 in females). The age-standardized morbidity according to the standard population in China and according to world standard population were 168.84/100 000 and 217.23/100 000 respectively, the cumulative morbidity was 24.66% and the cut morbidity was 376.40/100 000. Age-specific morbidity in age group 0-34 years remained low; however, the morbidity increased obviously in age group ≥35 years, increased more rapidly in age group ≥50 years and finally reached the peak in age group 80-84 years(1 618.20/100 000). The morbidity of malignant tumor, age-standardized morbidity(China standard)and age-standardized morbidity(world standard)were 381.81/100 000, 185.15/100 000 and 236.27/100 000 respectively in urban area, and 330.23/100 000 , 159.47/100 000 and 206.29/100 000, respectively in rural area. The crude mortality was 189.08/100 000(248.57/100 000 in males, 128.72/100 000 in females), and the age-standardized mortality according to China population and world population were 97.56/100 000 and 135.54/100 000 respectively. The cumulative mortality was 15.08%, and the cut mortality was 162.75/100 000. Age-specific mortality increased in age group 45-49 years(92.29/1000 000)and reached the peak in age group ≥85 years(2 263.70/100 000). The mortality was higher in rural area(190.60/100 000)than in urban area(186.38/100 000). The leading cancers were lung cancer, colorectum cancer, thyroid cancer, stomach cancer and liver cancer, accounting for 58.64% of the total. Lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, colorectum cancer and esophagus cancer were the major cancers causing deaths, accounting for 70.72% of all the total.

CONCLUSION

The leading cancers were lung cancer, colorectum cancer, thyroid cancer, stomach cancer and liver cancer in Zhejiang in 2014, close attention should be paid to thyroid cancer in women. The disease burden of malignant tumor is increasing,it is necessary for health department to take effective measures to reduce the disease burden caused by malignant tumor.

[Association and interaction between age at menarche and risk of diabetes in adult women]

Objective: To explore the associations between age at menarche and diabetes in adult women. Methods: We analyzed the baseline data of 32 364 female participants who were aged 30-79 years and had been enrolled into China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) study from Tongxiang, Zhejiang province. Multiple logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the putative associations after adjusting for potential confounders. Variables of menarche age and others were added to the logistic regression model to evaluate the multiplicative interaction, respectively. Results: The mean age of female participants was (51.42 ± 9.63) years. And 3.73% and 24.17% of them reported their menarche age, ≤12 years, ≥17 years, respectively. The prevalence of diabetes among them was 5.75%. Compared with those with menarche age ≤12 years, the OR(95%CI) of 15-16, 13-14 and ≤12 years group were 1.13(1.00-1.27), 1.29(1.12-1.49) and 1.68(1.31-2.15) after adjusting for age, socioeconomic status, family history, health behaviors, menopause status, BMI and waist circumference. No significant differences were found in multiplicative interaction on diabetes between menarche age and smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, obesity, etc. (P>0.05). Conclusions: Menarche age is associated with higher risk of diabetes in female adults. The earlier menarche age is the higher risk of diabetes. There are no multiplicative interaction on diabetes between menarche age and other adults factors.

Rapidly rising incidence of Type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents aged 0-19 years in Zhejiang, China, 2007 to 2013

AIMS

To investigate the incidence rates and trends in Type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents aged 0-19 years in the registered Zhejiang population over the period 2007-2013 by age, sex and calendar year.

METHODS

In total, 611 individuals with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes were identified from 30 districts in Zhejiang province over the study period. Annual incidence and 95% confidence intervals (CI) by age group and sex were calculated per 100 000 person-years. Trends in diabetes incidence and the associations of age and sex with Type 1 diabetes were assessed using Poisson regression models.

RESULTS

The mean annual age-standardized incidence of diabetes was 2.02/100 000 person-years (95% CI: 1.92-2.12), with an average annual increase of 12.0% (95% CI: 7.6-16.6%) over the study period. The risk for Type 1 diabetes in girls was estimated to be 1.25 (95% CI: 1.07-1.47) times higher than that in boys. Compared with those aged 0-4 years, the 5-9, 10-14 and 15-19 years age groups were at significantly greater risk, with adjusting incidence rate ratios of 3.54, 6.58 and 5.39, respectively. The mean age at diagnosis decreased significantly from 12.85 years in 2007 to 11.21 years in 2013. A steep rise in diabetes incidence was observed in the under 5 years age group, which showed the greatest increase at 33.61%.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of diabetes in Zhejiang was relatively low, although rapidly rising trends have been found in recent years, particularly in younger children. Further monitoring and research are urgently required to better understand possible environmental risk factors and formulate preventive strategies.

Circulating MicroRNA-21 is Downregulated in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

The microRNA-21 (miR-21) is known to play a major role in cancer progression; however, its function in the cardiovascular system appears to be even more complex and conflicting. To characterize miR-21 expression in the plasma of individuals with or without metabolic syndrome (MetS), 58 MetS cases and 96 non-MetS controls were investigated. Expression levels of miR-21 were significantly decreased in the circulation of MetS subjects (OR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.29-0.92) compared with that of non-MetS subjects. Body mass index (BMI) and the number of MetS components had a negative correlation with the level of miR-21, whereas age was inversely related to the level of miR-21. No significant difference was detected in miR-21 levels between the sexes (P=0.056). MiR-21 might be a negative regulating factor in MetS.

Genetic characterization of red-colored heartwood genotypes of Chinese fir using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers

The present study investigated the genetic characterization of red-colored heartwood Chinese fir [Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.] in Guangxi using 21 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and analyzes of the genetic variation (N = 149) in samples obtained from five sites in Guangxi Province, China. The number of different alleles and the Shannon's information index per locus ranged from 3 to 12 and from 0.398 to 2.258 with average values of 6 and 1.211, respectively, indicating moderate levels of genetic diversity within this germplasm collection. The observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.199 to 0.827 and from 0.198 to 0.878 with an average of 0.562 and 0.584, respectively. Although, the mean fixation index was 0.044, indicative of a low level of genetic differentiation among germplasms, analysis of molecular variance revealed considerable differentiation (99%) within the samples. The neighbor-joining dendrogram revealed that the majority of red-colored Chinese fir genotypes were apparently not associated with their geographic origins. Further analysis by STRUCTURE showed that this Guangxi germplasm collection could be divided into three genetic groups comprising 76, 37, and 36 members, respectively; these were classified into mixed groups with no obvious population structure. These results were consistent with those of the cluster analysis. On the whole, our data provide a starting point for the management and conservation of the current Guangxi germplasm collection as well as for their efficient use in Chinese fir-breeding programs.

Mechanism of BMP and TG2 in mesenchymal stem cell osteogenesis

OBJECTIVE

To study the interactive effects of Type II glutamine transaminase (TG2) and bone morphogenetic protein-9 (BMP-9) in the induction of osteogenesis in mice mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) C3H10T1/2 model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Batches of MSCs C3H10T1/2, divided into two groups, were treated with BMP-9 (control group) or BMP-9 and TG2 (experimental group) under oxygen deficient conditions. The secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) chemiluminescence and the histochemical staining methods were used to detect the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression. The alizarin red S staining was used to detect the calcium salt precipitation and the caspase-3 protein expression was monitored using Western blot. Flow cytometry was employed to identify cell cycle, and trypan blue exclusion method to count the living cells and monitor cell proliferation.

RESULTS

The levels of ALP expression in the experimental group were much higher than that of the control group. The level of expression of advanced caspase-3 protein was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the experimental group than in the control group. The highest fraction of cells in the experimental group was in the phase M while cells in the control group were in the interphase. Moreover, cell number in the experimental group was significantly increased (p < 0.05) relatively to the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

BMP-9 interacts with TG2 in osteogenesis of MSCs C3H10T1/2 cells. Further studies are needed to understand the exact mechanism of BMP9/PG2 interactions in osteogenesis.

Characterization of ESTs from black locust for gene discovery and marker development

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is an ecologically and economically important species. However, it has relatively underdeveloped genomic resources, and this limits gene discovery and marker-assisted selective breeding. In the present study, we obtained large-scale transcriptome data using a next-generation sequencing platform to compensate for the lack of black locust genomic information. Increasing the amount of transcriptome data for black locust will provide a valuable resource for multi-gene phylogenetic analyses and will facilitate research on the mechanisms whereby conserved genes and functions are maintained in the face of species divergence. We sequenced the black locust transcriptome from a cDNA library of multiple tissues and individuals on an Illumina platform, and this produced 108,229,352 clean sequence reads. The high-quality overlapping expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were assembled into 36,533 unigenes, and 4781 simple sequence repeats were characterized. A large collection of high-quality ESTs was obtained, de novo assembled, and characterized. Our results markedly expand the previous transcript catalogues of black locust and can gradually be applied to black locust breeding programs. Furthermore, our data will facilitate future research on the comparative genomics of black locust and related species.

Evidence for inbreeding depression in the tree Robinia pseudoacacia L. (Fabaceae)

The magnitude of inbreeding depression within populations is important for the evolution and maintenance of mixed mating systems. However, data are sparse on the magnitude of inbreeding depression in Robinia pseudoacacia. In this study, we compared differences in the mature seed set per fruit, seed mass, germination success, and seedling growth between self- and cross-pollination treatments and estimated the inbreeding depression at 3 stages: seed maturation, seedling emergence, and seedling growth at 10 and 20 weeks. We found that progenies resulting from cross-pollination treatments showed significantly higher fitness than progenies resulting from self-pollination, causing high levels of inbreeding depression. Inbreeding depression was not uniformly manifested, however, over the 3 stages. Inbreeding depression was the greatest between fertilization and seed maturation stage (δ = 0.5419), and the seedling emergence (0.3654) stage was second. No significant differences in seedling growth were observed between selfed and crossed progenies. The cumulative inbreeding depression (δ) across all 3 stages averaged 0.7452. Inbreeding depression may promote outcrossing in R. pseudoacacia by acting as a post-pollination barrier to selfing. The large difference in the seed set between self- and cross-pollination that we detected indicated that inbreeding depression would probably be a reasonable explanation for the high abortion and low seed set in R. pseudoacacia.