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AIMS Renal anaemia is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Roxadustat is the first-in-class oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor for the treatment of anaemia. In this systematic review, we aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of roxadustat in the treatment of anaemia in CKD patients. METHODS PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched from their inception to February 2021 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the efficacy and safety of roxadustat to those of an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) or a placebo in treating anaemia in CKD patients. RESULTS Nine RCTs involving 2743 patients were found. The meta-analysis showed that roxadustat increased haemoglobin (Hb) level by 0.91 g/dL (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.47-1.34, P

Objective This study investigated prevalence trends and identified the associated factors of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among pregnant women in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Guangxi), Southwest China. Methods Serial cross-sectional surveys were performed annually among pregnant women in Guangxi from 2009 to 2018. Blood specimens were collected to test the prevalence of HIV, syphilis and HCV. Cochran–Armitage analysis was used to assess the trends of HIV, syphilis and HCV prevalence, as well as the sociodemographic and behavioural data. In this study, we used zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression models to identify factors associated with HIV, syphilis and HCV infection. Results A total of 23,879 pregnant women were included in the study. The prevalence of HIV, syphilis and HCV was 0.24%, 0.85% and 0.19%, respectively. There was a decrease in HIV prevalence from 0.54% to 0.10%, a decrease in HCV prevalence from 0.40% to 0.05% and a decrease in syphilis prevalence from 1.53% to 0.30%. The findings based on the ZINB model revealed that pregnant women who had a history of STI had significantly increased risks of HIV (OR 6.63; 95% CI 1.33–32.90) and syphilis (OR 9.06; 95% CI 3.85–21.30) infection, while pregnant women who were unmarried/widowed/divorced were more likely to have HIV (OR 2.81; 95% CI 1.20–6.54) and HCV (OR 58.12; 95% CI, 3.14–1076.99) infection. Furthermore, pregnant women whose husband had a history of STI (OR 5.62; 95% CI 1.24–25.38) or drug use (OR 7.36; 95% CI 1.25–43.43) showed an increased risk of HIV infection. Conclusions There was a relatively low prevalence of HIV, syphilis and HCV among pregnant women. Although decreasing trends in HIV, syphilis and HCV infections were observed, effort is needed to promote STI testing in both premarital medical check-ups and antenatal care, especially targeting couples with a history of STI or drug use.

Background HIV testing is a primary prevention strategy against the HIV epidemic and an entry point for HIV/AIDS-related care, prevention and treatment. This study aimed to estimate the uptake of HIV testing among Sino-Vietnam female sex workers (FSWs) in Guangxi, China, from 2016 to 2018, and to identify the factors influencing HIV testing uptake. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among FSWs in two Sino-Vietnam border cities of Guangxi, China. The survey was conducted through face-to-face interview, the data were collected by a structured questionnaire, and HIV-1 infection was detected simultaneously. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with uptake of HIV testing. Results In total, 4565 Chinese local FSWs (CL-FSWs) and 636 cross-border migrant Vietnamese FSWs (CMV-FSWs) were recruited into this study. HIV-1 prevalence in CL-FSWs and CMV-FSWs was 0.70% and 3.14%, respectively. The rate of self-reported uptake of HIV testing in CL-FSWs and CMV-FSWs was 54.56% and 45.44%, respectively. The rates of self-reported uptake of HIV testing declined in both groups from 2016 to 2018. Logistic regression analysis indicated that a number of factors, including socio-demographic characteristics (age Conclusion In recent years, the rate of HIV testing uptake among Sino-Vietnam border FSWs in Guangxi, China was low, which may be an important reason for the high HIV-1 prevalence among FSWs in the region. A number of factors were identified to be associated with HIV-1 testing uptake, suggesting that HIV testing prevention strategies in this region could include accelerating AIDS education training, raising personal awareness of HIV testing, and improving accessibility of HIV testing.

Obesity is a significant risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF), which is the most common sustained arrhythmia with increased mortality and morbidity. High‐fat diet (HFD)‐induced obesity is associated with the activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS). However, the role of ERS in HFD‐induced AF remains elusive. Human atrium samples were examined for the ERS activation test. C57BL/6J mice were divided into four groups, including the control group, the HFD group, the 4‐phenylbutyric acid (4‐PBA) group, and the HFD + 4‐PBA group. At the age of 4 weeks, the HFD group and the HFD + 4‐PBA group were given HFD to construct the obesity model, while the other two groups were given a normal diet (ND). Transesophageal programmed electrical stimulation was conducted to evaluate the AF inducibility and duration. Atrial fibrosis and ERS activation were also investigated.We found that CHOP and GRP‐78 protein were significantly higher in overweight patients than the controls (both P 0.05). The mice of the HFD group had significantly higher collagen volume fraction (CVF%) than the other groups (P

Objectives For migrant female sex workers (FSWs) at the Sino-Vietnamese border, the impact of work time in their current location on the spread of HIV/AIDS is not clear. Methods Data were collected from the Sino-Vietnamese border cities of Guangxi, China. Migrant FSWs working in these cities were studied. FSWs who worked less than 6 months in their current location were assigned to the short-term work group (ST FSWs), and FSWs who worked equal to or longer than 6 months in their current location were assigned to the long-term work group (LT FSWs). Logistic regression was performed to examine the impact of work time in the current location and factors associated with HIV infection. Results Among the 1667 migrant FSWs, 586 (35.2%) and 1081 (64.9%) were assigned to the ST FSW and LT FSW groups, respectively. Compared to LT FSWs, ST FSWs were more likely to be of Vietnamese nationality, be less than 18 years old when they first engaged in commercial sex work, and have a low-level of HIV-related knowledge and had higher odds of using condoms inconsistently, having more male clients, having no regular male clients, and having a history of male clients who used aphrodisiacs but lower odds of receiving free condoms distribution and education/HIV counselling and testing programme. The analysis of factors associated with HIV infection revealed that Vietnamese FSWs, less than 18 years old when they first engaged in commercial sex work, having no regular male clients, and having lower average charge per sex transaction were correlated with HIV infection. Conclusion FSWs with short-term work at the Sino-Vietnamese border had a higher risk of risky sex and were correlated with HIV risk factors. Vietnamese FSWs were at higher risk of HIV infection, and they were more likely to have short-term work. More targeted HIV prevention should be designed for new FSWs who recently began working in a locality to further control the spread of HIV, particularly cross-border FSWs.

Background: Vitamin D and complement components shared some common pathophysiological pathways in the musculoskeletal system, circulation, and metabolism, which were linked to physical function. It is hypothesized that serum complement components may interact with vitamin D in respect of the physical activities of daily living (PADLs). Objective: To investigate if serum complement components 3 (C3), complement components 4 (C4), and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] associate with PADLs, and to examine whether the association between 25(OH)D levels and PADLs varies at different complement component levels among Chinese centenarians. Methods: This study was conducted in a group of population-based centenarians. PADLs were evaluated using the Barthel Index. Multiple regressions were used to analyze the associations among 25(OH)D, complements C3 and C4, and PADLs. Results: Among 943 participants, 672 (71.3%) had physical dependence (PD). After adjusting for potential confounders, serum 25(OH)D and C3 levels were positively correlated with PADLs, while C4 levels were negatively correlated with PADLs (Ps < 0.05). Serum 25(OH)D levels significantly interacted with both C3 (P for interaction = 0.033) and C4 (P for interaction = 0.006) levels on PADLs. At lower complement component levels, the multivariate odds ratios (ORs) of the upper tertile of vitamin D for PD were 0.32 (95% CI: 0.18-0.55) in the C3 group and 0.29 (95% CI: 0.16-0.50) in the C4 group. At higher complement component levels, the ORs in the C3 and C4 groups were not statistically significant. Conclusions: In a group of population-based Chinese centenarians, we observed that serum complement C3 and 25(OH)D levels were positively associated with PADLs, while C4 was negatively associated with PADLs. The associations between 25(OH)D levels and PADLs were more pronounced in groups with lower serum complement component levels.

China's HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to grow in rural and less developed areas. This consecutive cross-sectional study examines demographic and behavioral factors associated with HIV/STI infection, Hepatitis C (HCV) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among Vietnamese female sex workers (FSW), a vulnerable population who cross into Guangxi, China. This study is a secondary data analysis of 303 Vietnamese and 4,348 Chinese FSWs recruited over seven years from two Chinese counties that border Vietnam. Logistic regression models compared demographics, HIV/STI status, HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and risk behaviors between Vietnamese FSWs and Chinese FSWs. Compared with Chinese FSWs, Vietnamese FSWs were younger, had attained lower education levels, were highly mobile, more likely to report using drugs, and were more vulnerable to HIV/STIs. Younger age, less educational attainment, shorter time in their current working location, no voluntary HIV testing in the last year, greater drug use, and not using condoms for all commercial sex in the last month were associated with higher HIV/STIs. In conclusion, several factors were associated with HIV/STI risk in Vietnamese cross-border FSWs. There is a pressing need to improve support systems for Vietnamese cross-border FSW and health system cooperation across the Chinese/Vietnamese border.

Aims: β-Adrenergic receptors (ADRBs) play a pivotal role in cardiovascular disease. Recently, genetic polymorphisms of ADRB1 and ADRB2 have been suggested to be associated with cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients, but the results of relevant studies are inconsistent and controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association between ADRB1 and ADRB2 polymorphisms with cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in CAD patients. Materials and Methods: The PubMed, Ovid, EMBASE, Cochrane, and CINAHL databases were searched for eligible studies published before April 2018. A total of 5495 patients from eight studies were included in our meta-analysis. Results: We found that CAD patients harboring the ADRB2 rs1042714 Glu27 allele exhibited a positive association with cardiovascular events (risk ratio [RR] = 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08–1.58, p = 0.006), but not with all-cause mortality (RR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.70–1.35, p = 0.859), compared with patients who were Gln27 homozygotes. No other significant associations were observed between ADRB1 (rs1801252, rs1801253), ADRB2 (rs1042713, rs1800888) polymorphisms and cardiovascular events or all-cause mortality in CAD patients. Conclusion: This study suggests that the identified ADRB2 polymorphism could influence the outcomes of CAD patients, showing important clinical value.

Background. The association between lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) and stroke risk is inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis to determine whether elevated Lp-PLA2 is a risk factor for stroke. Methods. Studies were included if they reported Lp-PLA2 mass and/or activity levels and adjusted risk estimates of stroke. The primary outcome was overall stroke incidence. The combined results were shown as relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for per 1 standard deviation (SD) higher value of Lp-PLA2 and the highest versus lowest Lp-PLA2 category. Results. Twenty-two studies involving 157,693 participants were included for analysis. After adjusting for conventional risk factors, the RRs for overall stroke with 1 SD higher Lp-PLA2 activity and mass were 1.07 (95% CI 1.02–1.13) and 1.11 (95% CI 1.04–1.19), respectively. The RRs of ischemic stroke with 1 SD higher Lp-PLA2 activity and mass were 1.08 (95% CI 1.01–1.15) and 1.11 (95% CI 1.02–1.22), respectively. When comparing the highest and lowest levels of Lp-PLA2, the RRs of stroke for Lp-PLA2 activity and mass were 1.26 (95% CI 1.03–1.54) and 1.56 (95% CI 1.21–2.00), respectively. Finally, when comparing the highest and lowest levels of Lp-PLA2, the pooled RRs of ischemic stroke for Lp-PLA2 activity and mass were 1.29 (95% CI 1.07–1.56) and 1.68 (95% CI 1.12–2.53), respectively. Conclusions. Elevated baseline Lp-PLA2 levels, detected either by activity or mass, are associated with increased stroke risk.

Objective: Shared genetic variants in ADIPOR1 have been identified as closely related to coronary artery disease (CAD), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and T2D with CAD susceptibility, suggesting that these variants are strong candidates for the common soil hypothesis. Therefore, it is essential to analyze the relationship between ADIPOR1 variants and the susceptibility to CAD, T2D, and T2D with CAD in other populations. Materials and Methods: A case–control study was conducted which included three case cohorts [CAD (n = 316), T2D (n = 295), T2D with CAD (n = 302)], and a control cohort (n = 268) from a population in northeast China. Six ADIPOR1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped by high-resolution melting and polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results: We confirmed that the shared variant, rs3737884*G, in ADIPOR1 is associated with CAD, T2D, and T2D with CAD (p-value range: 6.54E-6–1.82E-5, odds ratio [OR] range: 1.770–1.844) and that rs16850797*C is associated with T2D and T2D with CAD (p-value range: 0.001–0.001, OR range: 1.529–1.571). We also found that a novel shared variant, rs7514221*C, is associated with an increased susceptibility to CAD, T2D, and T2D with CAD (p-value range: 0.002–0.004, OR range: 1.194–2.382) in this population. Conclusions: ADPOR1 variants, rs3737884*G and rs7514221*C, may be shared risk factors associated with CAD, T2D, and T2D with CAD in a population of northeast China.

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in non-obese adults (body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m2) and the prevalence of obese adults (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2) without MetS in Chinese Beijing urban subjects. A cross-sectional study was conducted and the subjects who came to the hospital to receive a health examination were enrolled randomly. Regardless of age stratification, men have a higher prevalence of MetS than women. Among the urban Beijing population, prevalence of metabolically obese but normal weight (MONW) is lower than metabolically healthy but obese (MHO) regardless of gender. Except for the underweight group, participants exhibit significant differences between MetS and non-MetS subgroups in all tested variables in normal weight and overweight groups, whereas MONW and MHO participants exhibit significant differences in all variables except for creatinine (CR), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), uric acid (UAC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Women tend to have a higher MONW prevalence but lower MHO prevalence than men. Accordingly, MetS happens more frequently among those 40-59 yr. Besides, sex, age, WC, SBP, DBP, ALT, FG, UAC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C are risk factors for MetS after multivariate adjustment. In conclusion, the prevalence of MONW is lower than MHO regardless of gender. Women tend to have a higher MONW prevalence but lower MHO prevalence than men.