Lianping He

Life satisfaction, coping, self-esteem and suicide ideation in Chinese adolescents: a school-based study

PURPOSE To determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of suicidal ideation (SI) among junior, senior high and college school students. METHODS A total of 5249 students in Anhui Province of China participated in a self-administered anonymous survey. RESULTS Females were more likely to report SI than males (32.1% vs. 20.6%). Using binary logistic regression analysis, we found that being female, passive coping, lower family satisfaction, lower school satisfaction, lower living environment satisfaction and higher self-esteem were associated with an increased risk of SI. CONCLUSIONS This study suggested that SI was common among Chinese adolescents. Being female, high score of passive coping, lower family satisfaction, lower school satisfaction, lower living environment satisfaction and higher self-esteem were significantly associated with an increased risk of SI. There is an urgent need to take effective measures reducing the rate of SI among adolescents through collaboration among families, schools and society.

An updated meta-analysis of endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene: Three well-characterized polymorphisms with ischemic stroke

Polymorphisms in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene may influence the risk of ischemic stroke (IS), but the results are still debatable. A meta-analysis was performed to investigate the association between the eNOS gene polymorphisms in IS risk. Case-control studies on the association between the G894T, T-786C, and 4b/a polymorphisms and IS were searched up to July 2012, and the genotype frequencies in the control group were found to be consistent with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). The effect summary odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained. Meta-regression was used to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity. Funnel plots and Eggers test was used to estimate small study biases, and heterogeneity was assessed by chi-square-based Q-test and I(2) test. There were total 6537/6475 cases/controls for G894T, 3459/3951 cases/controls for 4b/a, and 2125/2673 cases/controls for T-786C polymorphism. For G894T and 4b/a, a significant association of 894T allele and 4a allele with increased risk of IS was found in Asians (TT+GT vs. GG: p<0.00001, OR=1.60, 95% CI=1.38-1.79, Pheterogeneity=0.11; aa+ba vs. bb: P<0.00001, OR=1.60, 95% CI=1.30-1.97, Pheterogeneity=0.02), but not in Caucasians (TT+GT vs. GG: P=0.60, OR=0.94, 95% CI=0.75-1.19, Pheterogeneity=0.002; aa+ba vs. bb: P=0.13, OR=0.81, 95% CI=0.62-1.06, Pheterogeneity=0.63). For T-786C polymorphism, there were no significant differences in genotype distribution between IS and control in Asians (CC+TC vs. TT: P=0.15, OR=1.14, 95% CI=0.95-1.37, Pheterogeneity=0.94) and in Caucasians (CC+TC vs. TT: P=0.72, OR=0.96, 95% CI=0.75-1.22, Pheterogeneity=0.53). This analysis provides strong evidence that the eNOS T-786C gene polymorphism is not associated with IS, the G894T and 4b/a polymorphisms might be associated with IS, at least in Asians.

The relationship between dental caries and obesity among primary school children aged 5 to 14 years

BACKGROUND Previous study revealed that the link between dental caries and obesity has been controversial. The purpose of this research is to investigate the association between dental caries and obesity among primary school children in Wannan area, China. METHODS A cross-sectional study was designed to collect the routine health screening data for primary school children aged 5-14 years in Wannan area,China, Overweight and obesity status were determined using the International Obesity Task Force standard (IOTF) BMI cut-off points. Caries status was recorded based on WHO recommendations. RESULTS Our results revealed that the overall caries prevalence of the subjects was 44.9%, Maximum number of caries affected children belonged to underweight and normal group, followed by overweight, and the least number was obesity. These differences were statistically significant (chi-square test, P < 0.001). Children with obesity were 1.908 times (OR =1.908; CI95%=1.750, 2.079) more likely have caries than children with underweight or health weight. Overweight children were 1.547 times (OR = 1.547; CI95% = 1.479, 1.618) more likely to have caries than children with underweight or health weight. After adjusted the gender and age, a statistically significant association was also observed between body mass index categories and caries. CONCLUSIONS Obesity may have a significant effect on caries prevalence of primary school children in Wannan area, China. The importance of obesity should not only be emphasized with respect to general diseases but also with regard to carious lesions.

Subclinical eating disorders in female medical students in Anhui, China: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE This cross-sectional study explored the prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) and possible associated factors (depressive symptoms, anxiety and BMI, etc) on EDs in female medical students in China. METHODS A total of 1,135 students in Wuhu, Anhui Province were sampled to participate in this survey. The survey collected sociodemographic data, depressive symptoms, anxiety and eating behaviors of students. RESULTS The students at risk for eating disorders were 2.17%. Eating disorder risk was more frequent in students with poor parents relationship, students with poor relationship with parents, students with high body mass index, students who were excessive focus on slimming propaganda, and students whose relatives have a diet. Also, the mean scores for the psychological factors of depression and anxiety were higher in students with eating disorder risk. A multiple linear regression model was produced depicting that depression, anxiety, high level of BMI, focusing on slimming propaganda, and dieting status among relatives were risk factors of having an eating disorder risk. CONCLUSIONS A significant fraction of female medical students in Anhui are at high risk of development of eating disorders. A comprehensive intervention focusing on family environment and emotion management should be designed to prevent occurrence of such disorders among medical students that would undoubtedly hamper the availability of dependable medical services in future.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school children aged 5 to 14 years in Wannan area, China

BACKGROUND Overweight and obesity are epidemic worldwide. The purpose of this research is to estimate whether the prevalence of obesity among primary school children is high, and to identify its potential determinants to optimize the methods of prevention to combat further increases in childhood overweight. METHODS A cross-sectional study was designed to collect the routine health screening data for primary school children in Wannan area, China. Overweight and obesity status were determined using the International Obesity Task Force standard (IOTF) BMI cut-off points. RESULTS A total of 67956 subjects (36664 male and 31292 female) aged 5-14 years were recruited in this study. Depending on the references used (IOTF), the overall prevalence of overweight, including obesity of the subjects was 17.85% , the prevalence of overweight, including obesity was 22.9% in male subjects and 11.9% in female subjects, respectively. The overall prevalence of obesity was3.7%, the prevalence of obesity was 5.2 % in male subjects and 1.8% in female subjects, respectively. An interesting observation made was that the prevalence of overweight was high in male subjects. CONCLUSIONS Overweight is prevalence among primary school children, especially in male children. The relate department of school and government should take some measure to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among a university faculty and staffs from 2004 to 2010, China

BACKGROUND Overweight and obesity are epidemic worldwide. Our present study was to examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a university faculty and staffs using two references [Working Group on Obesity references in China (2004) and World Health Organization (WHO) criteria 2000 ]. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among university faculty and staffs in China. METHODS A cross-sectional study was designed to collect the routine health screening data for a university faculty and staffs from 2004 to 2010(2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010); the subjects aged 22-94 years. RESULTS Depending on the references used (China and WHO, respectively), the overall prevalence of overweight, including obesity of the subjects was 36.1% and 25.5%, the prevalence of obesity was 5.3%, and 1.5%, respectively, the prevalence of overweight, including obesity among the male subjects was 46% and 32.5%, respectively, the prevalence of overweight, including obesity among the female subjects was 21% and 14.1%, respectively, An interesting observation made was that the overall prevalence of overweight was increased with age. CONCLUSIONS Regarding the harmful of overweight and obesity, it is encourage reducing liberal food environment and increasing physical activity among university faculty and staffs, especially for male faculty.

HMGB1 gene polymorphism is associated with hypertension in Han Chinese population.

Abstract Background: High-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) acts as a proinflammatory cytokine by activating pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), including Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and the receptor of AGE (AGER) with oxidative injury. Animal study proved that HMGB1 contributed to the pathogenesis of experimental pulmonary hypertension (HT) via activation of TLR4. The aim of this study is to test whether HMGB1 harbor genetic susceptibility to HT in a Chinese population. Methods: A case–control study comprising 2012 HT cases and 2210 controls was used to evaluate the association of three tagging single nucleotide polymorphism (tagSNPs) in HMGB1 gene with HT and blood pressure. Logistic regression model was used to adjust confounding factor for HT and general linear model (GLM) was applied to compare blood pressure levels between genotypes in cases and controls. Results: Single locus analysis showed that there was no statistical association of three tagSNPs with HT after adjustment for the covariates. Further stratification analysis found that rs2249825 was significantly associated with HT in ≥55 years groups, ORs (95% CI) of additive model and dominant model were 1.208 (1.029–1.417) and 1.212 (1.020–1.441), and p values were 0.021 and 0.029, respectively. Quantitative trait analysis indicated that DBP had a linear decrease with the variations of rs2249825 in both untreated HT group (p = 0.002) and control group (p = 0.034) respectively. Conclusions: Our finding suggests that rs2249825 of HMGB1 genetic polymorphisms are significantly associated with HT and diastolic blood pressure, and the genetic effect on HT is modulated by age.

Obesity detection rate among primary school students in the People's Republic of China: a meta-analysis

Background Obesity has become a major public health problem worldwide. The prevalence of obesity is rising alarmingly among children and adolescents in the People’s Republic of China, with an estimated 120 million now in the obese range. It is estimated that 8% of children in the People’s Republic of China are obese and 12% are overweight. Methods Eligible papers on the prevalence of obesity among primary school students in the People’s Republic of China and published between 2006 and 2011 were retrieved from PubMed and from online Chinese periodicals, ie, the full-text databases of VIP, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wan Fang. Meta-Analyst software was used to collate and analyze the detection rates cited in the papers retrieved. Results After evaluation of the quality of the papers, 25 were finally included, giving a total sample population size for investigation of obesity of 219,763, in which 28,121 cases were detected. Meta-analysis showed that the combined obesity detection rate was 10.4% (95% confidence interval 8.6–12.6) among primary school students in the People’s Republic of China, with a higher detection rate in boys (12.6%) than in girls (7.2%). The prevalence of obesity was higher in the north (11.8%) than in the south (9.5%), east (11.6%), and mid-west (8.0%) regions. Obesity defined according to the World Health Organization weight-for-height standard (14.3%) was higher than that using age-specific and gender-specific cutoff points for body mass index (9.0%). Conclusion Our meta-analysis found an obesity prevalence rate of 10.4%, which does not seem as high as previous reports of childhood obesity rates in other countries. However, the prevalence of childhood obesity in the People’s Republic of China is still worrisome, and is likely to rise even further if we fail to take effective and practical measures now.

Association of HLA-DRB1 Gene Polymorphism with Risk of Asthma: A Meta-Analysis

Background The relationship between HLA-DRB1 alleles and asthma is controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between HLA-DRB1 alleles and risk of asthma. Material/Methods We searched PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang (Chinese) database, and Chinese Biomedical Medical databases (CBM) to find studies on the relationship between HLA-DRB1 alleles and risk of asthma. We calculated the pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) using STATA 12.0. Finally, a total of 24 studies were included in this meta-analysis. Results The results revealed that DRB1*03 was positively associated with risk of asthma (OR=1.51, 95%CI=1.27–1.80), and DRB1*15 was negatively associated with risk of asthma (OR=0.63, 95%CI=0.42–0.93), but no association was found in other HLA-DRB1 alleles. Subgroup analysis by age revealed that DRB1*03, DRB1*04, DRB1*09, and DRB1*15 were associated with asthma in children. Subgroup analysis by ethnicity showed that DRB1*03 and DRB1*15 were associated with asthma in whites, and DRB1*07 and DRB1*14 were associated with asthma in Asians. Conclusions This results of this meta-analysis suggest that HLA-DRB1 alleles are associated with asthma.

Association between serum uric acid levels and obesity among university students (China)

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between serum uric acid and obesity among university students who participated in routine health screening in 2013. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, 3529 subjects were analyzed. Obesity categories were classified by BMI levels references in China. And serum uric acid levels were classified by serum uric acid quartiles. Two-sample T-test and Wilcoxon Rank sum test were used to compare age, biochemical and anthropometric parameters of subjects of two genders. Rank correlation used to analyze relationship between serum uric acid and obesity. RESULTS There were 1285 males (mean age, 19.8 ± 1.3 years) and 2244 females (mean age, 19.9 ± 1.3 years) in this study. Association between 2nd serum uric acid quartile and normal in male are significant and coefficient was 0.519. The 3rd serum uric acid quartile and normal in female was associated significantly (r = 0.173, p = 0.010). And associations between overweight and 3rd and 4th serum uric acid quartiles in female were significant (r = 0.128, p = 0.038 in 1st quartile and r = 0.282, p = 0.004 in 4th quartile). The 4th serum uric acid quartile and Obesity in two gender groups were significantly associated (r = 0.291, p = 0.000 in male and r = 0.484, p = 0.001 in female). CONCLUSION High serum uric acid was positively associated with obesity in overweight and obesity group. However, the association was weak between two variables because serum uric acid influenced obesity with other related factors together.