Search

Objectives The association between metabolically healthy overweight/obesity (MHO) and inflammatory markers remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to describe the prevalence of different metabolic phenotypes and to examine the relationship of different metabolic phenotypes with inflammatory markers among Chinese children and adolescents. Methods The study included 1,125 children and adolescents aged 10–18 years using a cross-sectional survey, and all subjects were classified into four groups based on a combination of BMI and metabolic status. In addition, the inflammatory markers we measured were high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Results The prevalence of metabolically healthy with normal-weight (MHNW), MHO, metabolically unhealthy with normal-weight (MUNW), and metabolically unhealthy overweight/obesity (MUO) phenotypes was 38.76, 7.11, 38.67 and 15.47%, respectively. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that the MHO was associated with the z scores of hs-CRP in Chinese children and adolescents (OR=0.57, 95% CI: 0.39–0.83). Meanwhile, multivariate adjusted regression analysis showed that the relationship between hs-CRP and MHO among the overweight/obese was consistent with the results above, but among the normal-weight, only the highest quartile of TNF-α could increase the risk of MUNW (OR=1.65, 95% CI: 1.09–2.52). Conclusions MHO phenotypes were not common in Chinese children and adolescents. Individuals with MHO had a more beneficial hs-CRP profile than those with MUO.

Background: Lung cancer is the most common malignant cancer worldwide. Targeted therapies have emerged as a promising treatment strategy for lung cancers. Objective: To evaluate the current landscape of targets and find promising targets for future new drug discovery for lung cancers, this research identified the science-technology-clinical development pattern and mapped the interaction network of targets. Methods: Targets for cancers were classified into 3 groups based on a paper published in Nature. We searched for scientific pieces of literature, patent documents and clinical trials of targets in Group 1 and Group 2 for lung cancers. Then, a target-target interaction network of Group 1 was constructed, and the science-technology-clinical (S-T-C) development patterns of targets in Group 1 were identified. Finally, based on the cluster distribution and the development pattern of targets in Group 1, interactions between the targets were employed to predict potential targets in Group 2 for drug development. Results: The target-target interaction (TTI) network of group 1 resulted in 3 clusters with different developmental stages. The potential targets in Group 2 are divided into 3 ranks. Level-1 is the first priority and level-3 is the last. Level-1 includes 16 targets, such as STAT3, CRKL, and PTPN11, that are mostly involved in signaling transduction pathways. Level-2 and level-3 contain 8 and 6 targets, respectively, related to various biological functions. Conclusion: This study will provide references for drug development in lung cancers, emphasizing that priorities should be given to targets in Level-1, whose mechanisms are worth further exploration.

The regulatory mechanisms of hypertension in youth are incompletely understood. We aimed to identify potential serum metabolic alterations associated with hypertension in adolescents. A 1:1 age- and sex-matched case-control study including 30 hypertensive adolescents aged 12-17 years and 30 normotensive adolescents for the training set and 14 hypertensive adolescents and 14 normotensive adolescents for the test set was performed, which came from one cross-sectional study in Ningxia, China. Hypertension was defined based on blood pressure (BP) values measured on three different occasions according to the BP reference of Chinese children and adolescents. Untargeted ultra-high-performance liquid tandem chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry was used to identify differential metabolites between hypertensive and normotensive adolescents. A total of 77 metabolites in positive mode and 101 in negative mode were identified (VIP > 1.0 and P < 0.05). After adjustment for the false discovery rate, 4 differential metabolites in positive mode and 10 in negative mode were found (Q value < 0.05). The logistic regression model adjusted for body mass index and lipid profile selected four significant metabolites (4-hydroxybutanoic acid, L-serine, acetone, and pterostilbene). The main metabolic pathways of amino acid metabolism, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, fructose and mannose metabolism, and linoleic acid metabolism may contribute to the development of hypertension in Chinese adolescents. Based on the receiver operating characteristic plot, 4-hydroxybutanoic acid, L-serine, acetone, and pterostilbene may preliminarily help distinguish hypertension from normal BP in adolescents, with AUC values of 0.857 in the training set and 0.934 in the test set. The identified metabolites and pathways may foster a better understanding of hypertension pathogenesis in Chinese adolescents.

Summary Background & Aims The rise in the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased the demand for accurately evaluating body fatness in pediatric population. The aim of this study was to provide a series of sex- and age-specific body fat reference centiles for evaluating total body fat development and fat distribution in Chinese children and adolescents using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Methods A nationwide sample of Chinese children and adolescents aged 3-18 years (n=12,790) was drawn from a cross-sectional survey of the China Child and Adolescent Cardiovascular Health study (2013-2019). Fat measurements, including total fat mass index (FMI), total body fat percentage (BF%), regional FMI, trunk to leg (T/L) fat ratio and android to gynoid (A/G) fat ratio, were derived from whole body DXA scans. Sex- and age-specific centiles were estimated using the lambda-mu-sigma method and then compared with values derived from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2004) and Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2011). Results During early childhood, almost all body fat parameters decreased with age, except an increase in A/G ratio. After 7 years onward, drastic upward trends of total FMI and BF% were exhibited in boys till 10 years, followed by opposite downward trends during 11-14 years; while sustained increase of FMI was shown in girls across ages accompanied by relatively constant BF% levels. Meanwhile, steady increases were noticed for A/G ratio and T/L ratio, which were more pronounced in boys. In addition, the proposed body fat references were much lower than the US but similar to Koreans despite of subtle differences. Conclusions This is the first study to present a set of DXA-based body fat reference for Chinese children and adolescents aged 3-18 years. The new reference provides clinicians and researchers a useful tool for assessing body fat development and distribution patterns across the periods from early childhood to adolescence.

To investigate the relationship between serum uric acid and cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular risk factor clustering(CVRFC) in children and adolescents in Yinchuan, Ningxia.A present study design was adopted, and 1486 children and adolescents aged 10-18 years in urban areas of Yinchuan City were selected as study subjects with a mean age of(14.3±1.4) years in 2015, 2017 to 2018 by stratified clustering sampling, including 728(49.0%) boys, 1157(77.9%) Han, 170(11.4%) Hui and 159(10.7%) from other ethnic groups. All study subjects completed questionnaires, physical measurements and biochemical tests.Hyperuricemia(HUA) was significantly positive associated with abdominal obesity(OR=3.23, 95%CI 2.37-4.40), hypertension(OR=1.64, 95%CI 1.21-2.23), dyslipidemia(OR=1.51, 95%CI 1.17-1.96), CVRFC≥2(OR=3.71, 95%CI 2.80-4.93) and CVRFC≥3(OR=6.92, 95% CI 4.18-11.64)(Plt;0.05). There was an additive interaction between HUA and gender on cardiovascular risk factors and their aggregation. Compared with non-HUA girls, HUA girls have 3.57 times(95%CI 2.26-5.64) the risk of abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, CVRFC≥2 and CVRFC≥3, respectively, 1.65 times(95%CI 1.10-2.47), 4.10 times(95%CI 1.10-2.47) and 7.63 times(95%CI 3.67-15.89). HUA boys have 1.75 times(95%CI 1.16-2.65) the risk of abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, CVRFC≥2 and CVRFC≥3, respectively, 2.14(95%CI 1.51-3.03) times, 4.27 times(95%CI 2.98-6.13) and 7.97 times(95%CI 4.11-15.44), (Plt;0.05).Hyperuricemia was significantly positive associated with cardiovascular risk factors and their aggregation in children and adolescents in Yinchuan, and there was an additive interaction between hyperuricemia and gender.

The interbasin water transfer project has realized the optimal allocation of water resources, improved economic benefits, improved people’s life and welfare, and had an impact on the ecology. Taking Anhui Jianghuai water transfer project as an example, this study uses morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) to identify the core area, selects the patches in the core area, identifies the source according to the patch importance index, constructs the basic resistance surface according to the resistance factor, modifies the basic resistance surface by using the landscape connectivity index, and constructs the ecological corridor by combining the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model and the loop model (curve) to build the ecological network of the completed Huaihe River Water Transfer Project (Anhui). The results show that there are 83 sources, 197 potential ecological corridors, and 80 ecological nodes in the ecological network of Anhui Jianghuai project. Ecological network optimization strategies and protection suggestions are put forward for ecological sources, ecological corridors, and ecological nodes, respectively, so as to provide scientific reference and basis for the ecological environment protection and high-quality development of Anhui Jianghuai water transfer project.

The public space environment of historical and cultural blocks is inseparable from human activities, which affects tourists’ behavior and perception activities. Through the evaluation of tourists’ environmental behavior perception, the relationship between spatial characteristics and tourists’ perception is fully considered, which plays an important role in the protection and development of public space in historical and cultural blocks. This paper takes the historical and cultural block of Sanhe Ancient Town in Hefei as the research area, focusing on the public space of the block. Through the analysis of the semantic differential method and eye movement legal quantitative analysis, from the angle of psychological perception and visual perception, we carried out an analysis of the historical and cultural block’s public space, and built the double sense of a comprehensive evaluation system of parsing the historical and cultural blocks with the whole situation of public space and the rule of the performance. The results show that: (1) the visual perception preference for spatial elements is in the order of architectural structure > green landscape > architectural decoration > commercial activities > participants > pavement > street furniture > others. (2) There is a significant correlation but not a complete convergence of psychological perception and visual perception. (3) Buildings, structures, and space formats play a key role in creating a sense of space scale, with the former playing a positive role and the latter a negative role. (4) The visual attraction of a green landscape is strong and can improve the visual quality of space. The research found that there are evaluation differences between the visual perception and psychological perception of spatial elements, which are significantly correlated but not fully convergent. Through quantitative analysis and the interpretation of tourists’ perception from different perspectives, we can take relevant improvement and optimization measures for many deficiencies of public space in historical and cultural districts.

Yangyang Dong,1,2 Ling Bai,1,2 Rongrong Cai,1,2 Jinyu Zhou,1,2 Wenqing Ding1,2 1School of Public Health and Management, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Environmental Factors and Chronic Disease Control, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Wenqing DingSchool of Public Health and Management, Ningxia Medical University, No. 1160, Shengli Street, Xingqing District, Yinchuan, Ningxia, 750004, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 13519598269Email dwqdz@163.comPurpose: The predictive capacity between children’s lipid accumulation product (CLAP) combining visceral adiposity index (VAI), CLAP, and VAI with metabolically unhealthy phenotype remained unclear. This study aimed to compare the ability of CLAP combining VAI, CLAP, VAI and traditional adiposity indicators (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)) to predict metabolically unhealthy phenotype among Chinese children and adolescents.Patients and Methods: In the cross-sectional study, 1714 children and adolescents aged 12 to 18 were selected by random cluster sampling, underwent a questionnaire survey, physical examination, biochemical tests and body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Participants were divided into four phenotypes according to BMI and metabolic syndrome components. The logarithmic CLAP (LnCLAP), VAI, BMI, WC, WHtR and WHR were standardized for sex and age using the z-score method (standardized variables: LnCLAP-z, VAI-z, BMI-z, WC-z, WHtR-z and WHR-z).Results: LnCLAP-z ≥ 1, VAI-z ≥ 1, WC-z ≥ 1, and WHR-z ≥ 1 increased the risk of metabolically unhealthy normal-weight phenotype (the OR and 95% CI were 4.18 (1.75– 10.02), 24.05 (12.79– 45.21), 6.17 (1.14– 33.51), 2.69 (1.07– 6.72), respectively), LnCLAP-z ≥ 1, VAI-z ≥ 1 and WC-z ≥ 1 increased the risk of metabolically unhealthy overweight or obese phenotype (the OR and 95% CI were 2.67 (1.40– 5.09), 10.30 (3.03– 35.03), 2.19 (1.18– 4.09), respectively). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for CLAP combining VAI in the prediction of the metabolically unhealthy phenotype were 0.837 (0.776– 0.899) and 0.876 (0.834– 0.918) for boys and girls with normal-weight, 0.853 (0.803– 0.903) and 0.794 (0.711– 0.878) for boys and girls with overweight and obese (all P < 0.001), which were higher than CLAP, VAI, BMI, WC, WHtR and WHR.Conclusion: Among Chinese children and adolescents, CLAP combining VAI was a more effective indicator than CLAP, VAI and traditional adiposity indicators in predicting unhealthy metabolic phenotype.Keywords: children’s lipid accumulation product, visceral adiposity index, unhealthy metabolic phenotype, traditional adiposity indicators, children and adolescents

This work describes an eco-friendly approach for in situ immobilization of Au nanoparticles on the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, with the help of Thymbra spicata extract and ultrasound irradiations, without using any toxic reducing and capping agents. The combination of Fe3O4 NPs and Au NPs in one hybrid nanostructure (Fe3O4@Thymbra spicata/Au NPs) represents a promising strategy for targeted biomedical applications. The structure, morphology, and physicochemical properties were characterized by various analytical techniques such as fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). MTT assay was used on common ovarian cancer cell lines i.e., SW-626, PA-1, and SK-OV-3 to survey the cytotoxicity and anti-ovarian cancer effects of Fe3O4@Thymbra spicata/Au NPs. The best results of cytotoxicity and anti-ovarian cancer properties were seen in the concentration of 1000 µg/mL. Fe3O4@ Thymbra spicata/Au NPs had very low cell viability and high anti-ovarian cancer activities dose-dependently against PA-1, SW-626, and SK-OV-3 cell lines without any cytotoxicity on the normal cell line (HUVEC). For investigating the antioxidant properties of Fe3O4@ Thymbra spicata/Au NPs, the DPPH test was used in the presence of butylated hydroxytoluene as the positive control. Fe3O4@Thymbra spicata/Au NPs inhibited half of the DPPH molecules in the concentration of 107 µg/mL. Maybe significant anti-human ovarian cancer potentials of Fe3O4@Thymbra spicata/Au NPs against common human ovarian cancer cell lines are linked to their antioxidant activities. After confirming the above results in the clinical trial researches, this formulation can be administrated for the treatment of several types of human ovarian cancers in humans.

Objective To investigate the associations of fat mass in specific regions with cardiometabolic risk factors in Chinese children and adolescents. Patients and Methods This cross-sectional study consisted of 8460 children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years from Chinese urban areas who underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry for regional fat masses and had cardiometabolic risk factors measured between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015. Results In the multivariate model containing arm fat mass, leg fat mass, and trunk fat mass, after adjustment for region, family income, age, puberty development, physical activity, and smoking, higher trunk fat mass was independently associated with greater odds of clustered cardiometabolic risk (odds ratio [OR], 2.21; 95% CI, 1.80-2.72), higher leg fat mass was associated with lower odds of clustered risk (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.59-0.87), and arm fat mass was not significantly associated with clustered risk (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.97-1.55). In the multivariate model including android fat mass, gynoid fat mass, and other covariates, higher android fat mass was positively associated with clustered risk (OR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.88-2.64), but gynoid fat mass was not associated with clustered risk (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.72-1.03). Analyses for individual risk factors demonstrated similar results. Conclusion Fat stored in different regions has differential influences on cardiometabolic risk in youth. Prospective studies are warranted to evaluate the long-term impacts of regional fat masses in childhood on cardiovascular risk in adulthood.

The Gamma-Ray Integrated Detectors (GRID) is a space mission concept dedicated to monitoring the transient gamma-ray sky in the energy range from 10 keV to 2 MeV using scintillation detectors onboard CubeSats in low Earth orbits. The primary targets of GRID are the gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in the local universe. The scientific goal of GRID is, in synergy with ground-based gravitational wave (GW) detectors such as LIGO and VIRGO, to accumulate a sample of GRBs associated with the merger of two compact stars and study jets and related physics of those objects. It also involves observing and studying other gamma-ray transients such as long GRBs, soft gamma-ray repeaters, terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, and solar flares. With multiple CubeSats in various orbits, GRID is unaffected by the Earth occultation and serves as a full-time and all-sky monitor. Assuming a horizon of 200 Mpc for ground-based GW detectors, we expect to see a few associated GW-GRB events per year. With about 10 CubeSats in operation, GRID is capable of localizing a faint GRB like 170817A with a 90% error radius of about 10 degrees, through triangulation and flux modulation. GRID is proposed and developed by students, with considerable contribution from undergraduate students, and will remain operated as a student project in the future. The current GRID collaboration involves more than 20 institutes and keeps growing. On August 29th, the first GRID detector onboard a CubeSat was launched into a Sun-synchronous orbit and is currently under test., accepted for publication in Experimental Astronomy

To understand the prevalence of cardiovascular metabolic risk factors among 12-18 years old children and adolescents in Yinchuan City.A survey was conducted among 12-18 years old middle school students in Yinchuan from September 2017 to September 2019. A total of 1956 subjects were collected by using convenient sampling method, with an average age of(14. 4±1. 4) years. Boys and girls accounted for 52. 1% and 47. 9%, respectively, The Han and Hui nationalities accounted for 77. 7% and 16. 4%, respectively. Basic data such as age and gender were collected through questionnaire survey, and physical examination was used to measure height, weight, waist circumference and blood pressure. Fasting blood glucose, triglyceride(TG), total cholesterol(TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) were measured by laboratory blood pressure biochemistry.The detection rates of obesity, abdominal obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, high TG, high LDL-C, low HDL-C, high LDL-C and dyslipidemia among 12-and 18-year-olds in Yinchuan City were 8. 3%, 17. 9%, 12. 4%, 1. 9%, 13. 2%, 2. 4%, 18. 6%, 1. 9% and 30. 1%, respectively. The detection rates of obesity, hyperglycemia, low HDL-C, high TG and dyslipidemia in boys were significantly higher than those in girls. Obesity, abdominal obesity and hypertension in 12-15-year-old group were higher than those in 16-18-year-old group, and the detection rates of high TC, low HDL-C, high LDL-C and dyslipidemia were lower than those in 16-18-year-old group(Plt; 0. 05). The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in different age groups of boys and girls were compared. The detection rates of obesity, abdominal obesity and hypertension in the 12-15 age group were higher than those in the 16-18 age group, while the rates of high TG, low HDL-C, high LDL-C and dyslipidemia were higher in the 12-15 age group, but these differences were only significant in boys. Among girls, the detection rate of high TC and high LDL-C was higher in the age group of 12 to 15 years old(Plt; 0. 05). The detection rate of metabolic syndrome in 12-18-year-old adolescents was 7. 9%. The detection rate of metabolic syndrome in boys(10. 1%) was higher than that in girls(5. 5%). The detection rates of metabolic syndrome in 12-15 years old and 16-18 years old were 9. 1% and 4. 9% respectively, and the differences were statistically significant(Plt; 0. 05).The prevalence of cardiovascular metabolic risk factors in 12-18 years old adolescents in Yinchuan City is at a high level, boys are higher than girls, and the prevalence of obesity, abdominal obesity and hypertension are higher in 12-15 years old group. Dyslipidemia varies greatly in different gender and age groups.

To analyze the relationship between children lipid accumulation product(CLAP) and body mass index(BMI) and cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents.A current situation study design was adopted. A total of 936 children and adolescents aged 12 to 18 years old in Yinchuan City were selected from September 2017 to September 2019 by a convenient sampling method. Among them, 537(57. 40%) boys and an average age of(14. 82±2. 08) years old, the number of Han and other ethnic groups were 705(75. 30%) and 231(24. 70%) respectively. And conduct questionnaire surveys(using Yinchuan Childrenapos;s Blood Pressure Survey-standard questionnaire, which mainly includes basic information, birth and infant feeding, physical activity and sleep, etc. ), physical examination(including height, weight, blood pressure and body components) and biochemical index detection(including fasting blood glucose and blood lipids), using binary classification Logistics regression to analyze the correlation between CLAP and BMI and cardiovascular risk factors, and ROC curve analysis of the accuracy of CLAP and BMI in the diagnosis of cardiovascular risk factors.The association between CLAP≥P75 and BMI normal weight and cardiovascular risk factor aggregation≥2 was 38. 13(95%CI 23. 83-61. 00) times(Plt;0. 05) of CLAPlt;P75 and BMI non-obese, which was higher than that of other different combinations and cardiovascular risk factors Correlation. The accuracy of CLAP≥P75 combined with BMI in the diagnosis of cardiovascular risk factor aggregation≥2 was 0. 87(95%CI 0. 85-0. 89), higher than other diagnoses.CLAP and BMI are associated with cardiovascular risk factors.

Lightweight, flexible and distributed-pixel piezoelectric sensors are desired in activity monitoring and human–machine interaction (HMI). In this work, a flexible P(VDF-TrFE) piezoelectric sensor array using ITO-coated PET substrate as the shared bottom electrode is demonstrated. The traditional array fabrication, which connects an individual sensor unit into an array, could easily lead to the signal discrepancy due to fabrication and assembly errors. To this end, this work introduces the shared ITO-coated-PET substrate and proposes a synchronous-fabrication method for generating the same thickness of every P(VDF-TrFE) sensor unit through a single spin coating. The designed Au top electrodes were sputtered on the spin-coated P(VDF-TrFE) to form the sensor array at one time without additional assembly step, further ensuring unit consistency. The performance of the cross-shaped sensor array was tested under cyclic compressing–releasing agitation. The results of the positive compression test show that our sensor array has a high consistency. Then, the cross-shaped array design that covers the central position is put forward, which realizes tactile sensing ability with a small number of units. Moreover, the fabricated flexible multi-pixel sensor has the advantage of sensitive identification of different contact scenes, and a recognition accuracy of 95.5% can be obtained in different types of hand touch through the machine learning technology.

Objectives The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association of body fat distribution with cardiometabolic risk factors clustering among Chinese adolescents. Methods In this cross sectional study a total of 1,175 adolescents aged 10–18 years underwent a comprehensive assessment of cardimetabolic risk factors. Body fat analysis was performed with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Results Individuals with the CVRFs≥1 or CVRFs≥2 had higher indices of body fat distribution such as body fat mass (BFM) compared to those with normal CVRFs (all pβ = 0.693, 95% CI:0.363, 1.023), LBFM (β = −1.471, 95% CI:−2.768, −0.175) and CVRFs z-score. Logistic regression models suggested TBFM was associated with CVRFs≥1 and CVRFs≥2 by higher odds. Lower odds of LBFM was associated with CVRFs≥2. Conclusions The contribution of the fat mass in specific region on the cardiovascular risk factors clustering is different among adolescents. The trunk fat is associated with higher clustered cardiometabolic risk, while leg fat mass is the protective factor.

Although vitamin D is essential for bone health, little is known about prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and low bone mineral density (BMD) among children, especially those in developing countries. It also remains unclear whether serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is associated with BMD among children. We investigated these questions among children and adolescents in Yinchuan (latitude: 38° N), Ningxia, an economically underdeveloped province in Northwest China. A total of 1582 children (756 boys and 826 girls), aged 6-18 years, were recruited from schools using the stratified random sampling method in fall 2015. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and BMD was quantified by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Vitamin D deficiency (defined as serum 25(OH)D ≤ 37.5 nmol/L) was present in 35.5% of study subjects. There were no clear patterns of differences in serum 25(OH)D concentrations across the four age groups compared (6-9 years, 10-13 years, 14-16 years, and 17-18 years). The prevalence of low total body less head (TBLH) BMD (defined as a Z-score of ≤ -2.0 standard deviations away from the mean BMD values of the Chinese pediatric reference population) among children examined was 1.8% and was not significantly different among the four age groups considered. Linear regression analysis revealed that age, weight, and height were significantly and positively associated with TBLH BMD and that the strongest determinant of TBLH BMD was age in boys and weight in girls. There were no significant correlations between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and BMD obtained for total body and at various skeletal sites (r ranged from -0.005 to 0.014) regardless of whether children evaluated were sufficient, insufficient, or deficient in vitamin D. In conclusion, more than one-third of children and adolescents in a Northwest Chinese city were deficient in vitamin D but only2% of them developed low BMD.

Background: Serum lipid trends in children and adolescents are predictors of the future prevalence of cardiovascular disease in adults. Methods: Data were obtained from cross-sectional studies conducted in 2004 and 2014. A total of 3249 children aged 6–18 years were included in the present study; serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) were measured. Results: Overall, upward trends in mean TC, non-HDL-C, and LDL-C levels, and in geometric mean TG levels, were observed (all P < 0.001). Mean HDL-C levels significantly decreased between 2004 and 2014 (from 1.54 mmol/L to 1.47 mmol/L; P < 0.001). The prevalence of abnormal levels of serum lipids, with the exception of the prevalence of low HDL-C (P = 0.503), significantly increased over the study period (all P < 0.05). The prevalence of hyperlipidemia (from 13.3%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.6%–15.0% to 24.5%; 95% CI, 22.4%–26.6%; P < 0.001) and dyslipidemia (from 18.8%; 95% CI, 16.9%–20.7% to 28.9%; 95% CI, 26.7%–31.3%; P < 0.001) also increased from 2004 to 2014. The prevalence of abnormal serum lipids increased, and mean serum lipid levels, with the exception of TC levels, worsened in subjects with obesity compared with non-overweight subjects, as well as in subjects with mixed obesity compared with non-obese subjects (P < 0.05 for all). Conclusions: Adverse trends in serum lipid concentrations over the past 10 years were observed among children aged 6–9 years, with the exception of specific lipids, and among adolescents aged 10–18 years, from several schools in Beijing, China.

Confronting the depletion of fossil energy and the pollution of chemical batteries, together with the rapid development of various portable electronic devices and the Internet of Things (IoT), there is an urgent requirement to develop high-performance, lightweight, and sustainable energy conversion and power supply devices. Currently, the flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator is a favourable candidate, which can be integrated with personal electronics and wireless sensors to realize sustainable energy for working with long time due to their excellent mechanical properties, good environmental adaptability and outstanding energy harvesting performance. Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers, as the most flexible piezoelectric polymer materials, have been widely concerned and become the research hotspot because of their excellent flexibility, strength, easy processing and low cost. To date, significant progress has been made for PVDF based nanogenerators considering improving the output performance to meet the requirement of adapting to complex vibration environments (in vivo or in vitro). Hence, a critical review is presented to systematically summary the recent advance of flexible PVDF based piezoelectric nanogenerators in the aspects of incorporating various nanofillers, structural design, optimizing fabrication techniques and energy harvesting application. Finally, some existing challenges and future perspectives are outlined and discussed to facilitate the development of flexible piezoelectric PVDF based nanogenerators. It is hoped that this review can help researchers to gain a better overall understanding of this field and push forward it to a new stage.

Background: miR-218–5p is an extensively studied microRNA (miRNA) in prostate cancer (PCa). However, the clinical significance and biological role of miR-218–5p in bone metastasis of PCa remain unclear. Materials and Methods: miR-218–5p expression was evaluated in 38 bone metastatic and 115 non-bone metastatic PCa tissues and serum samples. Clinical correlation of miR-218–5p expression with clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed. The biological roles of miR-218–5p in bone metastasis of PCa were investigated in vitro by invasion and migration assays. Bioinformatics analysis, real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blot, and luciferase reporter assay were applied to discern and examine the relationship between miR-218–5p and its potential targets. Results: miR-218–5p expression was reduced in bone metastatic PCa tissue and serum samples, which positively correlated with poor clinicopathological characteristics and bone metastasis-free survival in PCa patients. Upregulating miR-218–5p repressed PCa cell invasion and migration. Furthermore, miR-218–5p inhibited NF-κB signaling via simultaneously targeting TRAF1, TRAF2, and TRAF5, which suppressed the invasion and migration abilities of PCa cells. ROC curve analysis of miR-218–5p in the serum of PCa patients exhibited an area under the curve of 0.86 (95% confidence interval 0.80–0.92, p Conclusion: Our findings indicate that miR-218–5p might represent a novel serum biomarker for bone metastasis of PCa.

Metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) begins in childhood and continues into adulthood. However, the association between MHO and the risk of developing hypertension remains controversial. A prospective cohort study was conducted to investigate the risk of hypertension in MHO and metabolically unhealthy normal-weight (MUNW) Chinese children and adolescents. A total of 1183 participants, 6-18 years old at baseline with normal blood pressure values, were studied using follow-up data from the cohort of the Beijing Child and Adolescent Metabolic Syndrome (BCAMS) study. The participants were classified according to the body mass index and the presence/absence of metabolic abnormality, which was defined by metabolic syndrome (MetS) or insulin resistance (IR). During the 6-year follow-up period, 239 (20.2%) participants developed incident hypertension. After adjusting for age, sex, physical activity, pubertal stage, dietary habits and family history of hypertension, an increased risk for hypertension was observed in the MHO individuals (risk ratio, RRMetS 5.42; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.19-9.22 and RRIR 7.59; 95% CI 1.64-35.20) compared with their metabolically healthy normal-weight counterparts. Independent of the definition of metabolic abnormality, the MUNW subjects did not have an elevated incidence of hypertension. These results suggest that the risk of developing hypertension is increased in the MHO but not in the MUNW individuals.

Background: The potential mechanism underlying the relationship between the risk of cardiovascular diseases and metabolically healthy obese (MHO) individuals remains unclear. The aim of the study was to prospectively investigate the potential role of the adipokines in the association between the MHO phenotype and hypertension in children and adolescents. Methods: A total of 1184 participants at baseline were recruited from a cohort of the Beijing Child and Adolescent Metabolic Syndrome (BCAMS) study. The participants were classified according to their body mass index (BMI) and metabolic syndrome (MS) components. The levels of the adipokines, including leptin, adiponectin, and resistin, were measured. Results: MHO individuals had higher leptin levels (11.58 ug/L vs 1.20 ug/L), leptin/adiponectin ratio (1.18 vs 0.07), and lower adiponectin (11.65 ug/L vs 15.64 ug/L) levels compared to metabolically healthy normal-weight individuals (all P < 0.05). Compared to metabolically healthy normal-weight individuals, the prevalence of high leptin levels (26.5% vs 0.4%), low adiponectin levels (17.9% vs 6.3%) and a high leptin/adiponectin ratio (26.0% vs 2.1%) was higher in MHO individuals (all P < 0.01). The MHO individuals with abnormal adipokines were significantly more likely to developing hypertension (high leptin, relative risk 11.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.18–103.35; and high leptin/adiponectin ratio, relative risk 9.88; 95% confidence interval, 1.11–87.97) compared to metabolically healthy normal-weight individuals with normal adipokine levels. Conclusions: The abnormal adipokine levels contribute to the increased hypertension risk in MHO children and adolescents. The non-traditional risk factors should be highlighted in MHO children and adolescents in clinical practice and research.

The ciphertext-policy attribute-set based encryption (CP-ASBE) based on a single authorisation centre easily becomes the security bottleneck of the system. With the support of trusted measurement technology, a novel method of CP-ASBE based on multiple attribute authority (AA) is proposed to solve this problem, and an encryption scheme is designed for cloud storage, which includes data storage, data access, data encryption and trusted measurement scheme for AA. The security performance and time cost of the encryption scheme are simulated, and the results show that the scheme can improve the security of users' data in the cloud storage environment.