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To investigate the heterogeneity of decidual endothelial cells and their changes during delivery.Single-cell RNA sequencing was used to characterize the transcriptomes of decidual endothelial cells before and after the onset of labor.Decidual endothelial cells (9748 cells) were divided into five subgroups with different functions according to differences in the transcriptome. The functions of cluster 5 were enriched in vascular development and response to growth factors. After the onset of labor, the activities of each cluster were different, including the interleukin 17 pathway and regulation of ERK1 and ERK2 cascade. The downregulated genes were related to scavenger receptor (cluster 5), which may reflect the process of endothelial activation. In terms of genetic changes, cluster 5 may be more actively involved in labor than the other clusters.Peripartum decidual endothelial cells are heterogeneous and participate in labor to varying degrees. One of the five subtypes of endothelial cells may be more actively involved in labor onset. Our findings may enable the assessment of decidual endothelial cells and labor onset.

Aim Whether different adiposity measures predict incident diabetes differentially in general Chinese populations is unclear. We investigated this in Chinese people aged 50+ years in the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study. Methods Waist circumference and BMI were measured at baseline, and fasting glucose was measured at both baseline and follow-up examinations. Incident diabetes was defined as fasting glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/l, glucose after 2-h oral glucose tolerance test ≥ 11.1 mmol/l, and/or self-reported physician-diagnosed diabetes during the follow-up period. Results Of 15 752 people without diabetes at baseline from 2003 to 2008, 1779 (11.3%) developed incident diabetes during the follow-up from 2008 to 2012 (mean = 3.6 years, sd = 1.0). After mutually adjusting each other and adjusting for other potential confounders, waist circumference showed a higher predictive value than BMI. The odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI) was 1.50 (95% CI 1.37–1.64) for a 1 sd increment in waist circumference and 1.21 (95% CI 1.11–1.33), for a 1 sd increment in BMI. Similarly, after mutual adjustment, abdominal obesity was associated with an almost twofold odds of incident diabetes (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.71–2.17), which was higher than that for general obesity (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.50–2.06). The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for waist circumference was higher than that for BMI [AUC = 0.676 (95% CI 0.660–0.686) vs. 0.665 (95% CI 0.651–0.678), P = 0.02]. Conclusion Abdominal obesity predicted incident diabetes in older people better than general obesity. Our findings may be an early warning signal for local government or public health practitioners to develop and investigate more effective intervention programmes for diabetes, and should also be disseminated to the public to pay more attention to this important public health issue. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Cross-sectional associations between white blood cell (WBC) count, lymphocyte and granulocyte numbers, and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV) were examined in a novel older Chinese community sample. A total of 817 men and 760 women from a sub-study of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study had a full blood count measured by an automated hematology analyzer, carotid IMT by B-mode ultrasonography and brachial-ankle PWV by a non-invasive automatic waveform analyzer. Following adjustment for confounders, WBC count (β=0.07, P

Background Impaired liver function has been shown to be associated with incident diabetes. The independent role of the different liver enzymes, including γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST), has not been addressed properly, taking into account their high collinearity. We used partial least squares (PLS) regression to identify the contribution of ALT, AST and GGT, which appears causally associated with diabetes as a validation factor, to incident diabetes in a South China population where liver impairment and diabetes are common. Methods Participants were from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study recruited in 2003–2008, with follow-up re-examination up to the end of 2012. Multivariable generalised linear models and PLS were used to examine the adjusted associations of ALT, AST and GGT with diabetes. Incident diabetes was defined as self-reported diabetes, and/or initiation of hypoglycaemia medication or insulin during follow-up, or fasting glucose ≥7.0 mmol/L, or 2 h oral glucose tolerance test, glucose ≥11.1 mmol/L at follow-up examination. Results In 10 764 Chinese participants aged ≥50 years with no diabetes at baseline, 1228 (11.4%) developed diabetes during the median 4 years of follow-up. Using PLS, the risk for incident diabetes was higher by 18% (95% CI 8% to 27%) per 1 SD increment in log-ALT, and expectedly higher by 36% (95% CI 26% to 52%) for log-GGT, adjusted for age, sex, education, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, waist circumference and body mass index. Similarly adjusted, no association for log-AST (relative risk 0.92, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.01) was found. Conclusions ALT but not AST was associated with incident diabetes. Further experimental studies are needed to confirm the causal association and clarify the underlying mechanisms.

This cross-sectional study aimed to describe the pattern of smoking in relation to occupational hazard exposure in a working population in Guangzhou, China. In 1994, data on smoking and occupational hazard exposure from occupational health records of 8,304 subjects aged 35 years or older from 47 randomly selected factories were studied. About 49% of the men and 55% of the women were exposed to dust, chemicals or other hazards. The prevalence of smoking was 56.1% in men and 2.0% in women. The prevalence of smoking in men was higher in those who were younger, with primary education or who were workers. In women, those who were older, with primary education or in management jobs had higher smoking prevalence. In men and women, subjects who were exposed to occupational hazards had higher smoking prevalence: the highest (71.6%) was found in male workers exposed to dust. Urgent tobacco control measures are needed to prevent the epidemic of smoking-related and occupation-related diseases in the workplace in China.

In countries that have been industrialized for a long time, but not always elsewhere, low socioeconomic position (SEP) is associated with ischemic heart disease in men. The authors hypothesized that socioeconomic development could, via pubertal sex steroids, promote an atherogenic lipid profile and body shape in men but not in women. Therefore, they examined the associations of SEP with ischemic heart disease risk in a developingcountry population. The authors used multivariable regression to examine the associations of SEP with the metabolic syndrome and its components in 9,746 Chinese adults aged � 50 years from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study, phase 2, recruited in 2005–2006. After adjustment for age, smoking, alcohol use, and physical activity, high SEP at each of three life stages, proxied by parental possessions in childhood, education, and longest held-occupation, was inversely associated with the metabolic syndrome in women but not in men. Higher SEP in men was associated with lower pulse pressure and fasting plasma glucose level but also with greater waist circumference and a lower high density lipoprotein cholesterol level. With socioeconomic development, diet-related hormonal changes at puberty may outweigh the usual protective effect of social advantage in men, with corresponding implications for boys currently undergoing the nutrition transition in the developing world. China; developing countries; gonadal steroid hormones; metabolism; myocardial ischemia; risk factors; social class

To develop a case finding strategy for STD among pregnant women based on risk assessment in China.A prospective, random/double blind study of the high risk factors for STD in 1,656 pregnant women was conducted from June 1995 to February 1996. It was carried out at four Guangzhou hospitals on nine types of STD, their relative risk factor questionnaire and gynecologic examination.The total prevalence of six main STD was 20.89% (346/1656); No HIV and syphilis cases were found; The most common disease is cervical chlamydial trachomatis at (19.08% 316/1,656). Through statistical calculations with COX proportional hazard model, STD symptoms' high risk factors scoring system revealed the following: (1) More than one sexual partner in the preceding one year; (2) Vulvular lesion vegetation; (3) Dysusia/increased vaginal discharge; plus one of the following: 1. unemployed status; 2. sex partner unemployed; 3. age (less than 25 years of between 30-34 years of age). These six items with "three-three" scoring system can be used as a model to primary screening new STD cases using clinical data. Both sensitivity and specificity exceeded 60% (61.7% and 67.3% respectively).These are significantly better than the foreign recommended model and the scoring system in China. It is simple, convenient and applicable.