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Objectives: The prevalence of and risk factors for IAD among different ethnicity groups was unknown. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for IAD among Han, Uygur and Kazakh ethnicities in Xinjiang. China. Methods: In total, 14,618 adult participants (7,799 males and 6,819 females) were recruited from the Cardiovascular Risk Survey. A 4-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was used. The participants’ personal information and medical history were assessed by questionnaire. IAD was diagnosed by a noninvasive arteriosclerosis analyzer. Results: The prevalence of abnormal IAD among the general population was 14.3%, with 12.5% in the Han, 14.9% in the Uygur, and 16.4% in the Kazakh populations. The prevalence of abnormal IAD among the hypertensive population was 19.4%, with 17.0% in the Han, 18.1% in the Uygur, and 22.7% in the Kazakh populations. The prevalence of abnormal IAD increased with age (all P < 0.01) but was not significantly different between the genders (all P> 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age more than 45 years, obesity and hypertriglyceridemia were significantly associated with a higher prevalence of IAD. There were different risk factors for abnormal IAD in different ethnicities. Middle or old age, obesity, ABI and diabetes mellitus were risk factors for the Han population, smoking was a risk factor in the Uygur population, and obesity and PAD were risk factors in the Kazakh population. Conclusion: The prevalence of abnormal IAD in the Kazakh participants was higher than that in the Han and Uygur populations among both the general population and the hypertensive population in Xinjiang, China. The main risk factors of IAD were age, obesity, and triglyceride levels. Different ethnicities had different kinds of risk factors for IAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association of serum betatrophin with the status and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: A total of 249 subjects who received ultrasonic examination of liver fat content (LFC) were recruited. Anthropometric and biochemical examinations were performed. Serum betatrophin was measured by ELISA. Results: Compared with control group, serum betatrophin significantly increased in NAFLD group (P < 0.05). There was significant difference in serum betatrophin among control, low liver fat content (LLFC), and high liver fat content (HLFC) groups (P < 0.01). After adjustment for gender, age, BMI, FPG and HbA1c, the betatrophin positively correlated with LFC (r = 0.185, P < 0.01) and TG (r = 0.195, P < 0.01). Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated serum betatrophin was independently related to LFC (P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed subjects in the highest tertile of serum betatrophin had higher odds of having NAFLD after adjustment for traditional NAFLD risk factors (OR = 2.88, 95%CI: 1.15–7.19) (P<0.05). Conclusion: Serum betatrophin is an independent risk factor for NAFLD and potential non-invasive marker for its progression. Serum betatrophin may be helpful for the early diagnosis of NAFLD and improvement of its prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]