Construction of a new complete growth reference for urban Chinese children

Background

Growth chart is a valuable clinical tool to monitor the growth and nutritional status of children. A growth chart widely used in China is based on the merged data sets of national surveys in 2005. We aimed to establish an up-to-date, complete growth curve for urban Chinese children and adolescents with a full range of ages.

Methods

Using data collected in a large-scale, cross-sectional study (Prevalence and Risk factors for Obesity and Diabetes in Youth (PRODY), 2017–2019), we analyzed 201,098 urban children aged 3 to 18 years from 11 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities that are geographically representative of China. All participants underwent physical examinations. Sex-specific percentiles of height-for-age and weight-for-age were constructed by Generalized Additive Models for Location Scale and Shape (GAMLSS) model. We also compared the median values of height-for-age or weight-for-age between our growth chart and the established growth reference using Welch-Satterthwaite T-Test.

Results

Consistent with the established growth reference, we observed that the P₅₀ percentile of height-for-age reached plateaus at the age of 15 years (172 cm) and 14 years (160 cm) for boys and girls, respectively. In addition, boys aged 10 ~ 14 years and girls aged 10 ~ 12 years exhibited the most dramatic weight difference compared to those of other age groups (19.5 kg and 10.3 kg, respectively). However, our growth chart had higher median values of weight-for-age and height-for-age than the established growth reference with mean increases in weight-for-age of 1.36 kg and 1.17 kg for boys and girls, respectively, and in height-for-age of 2.9 cm and 2.6 cm for boys and girls, respectively.

Conclusions

Our updated growth chart can serve as a reliable reference to assess the growth and nutritional status in urban Chinese children throughout the entire childhood.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-14702-8.

Risk factors for obesity and overweight in Chinese children: a nationwide survey

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to analyze a comprehensive set of potential risk factors for obesity and overweight among Chinese children with a full range of ages and with wide geographical coverage.

METHODS

In the Prevalence and Risk Factors for Obesity and Diabetes in Youth (PRODY) study (2017-2019), the authors analyzed 193,997 children aged 3 to 18 years from 11 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities that are geographically representative of China. All participants underwent physical examinations, and their caregivers completed questionnaires including dietary, lifestyle, familial, and perinatal information of participants. A multilevel multinomial logistic regression model was used to evaluate the potential risk factors.

RESULTS

Among the actionable risk factors that were measured, higher consumption frequencies of animal offal (odds ratios [OR] for an additional time/day = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.88-0.95, same unit for OR below unless specified otherwise), dairy products (0.91, 95% CI: 0.88-0.94), freshwater products (0.94, 95% CI: 0.91-0.96), staple foods (0.94, 95% CI: 0.92-0.96), and coarse food grain (OR for every day vs. rarely = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.86-0.98) were associated with lower relative risk of obesity. However, higher restaurant-eating frequency (OR for >4 times/month vs. rarely = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.15-1.29) and longer screen-viewing duration (OR for >2 hours vs. <30 minutes = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.10-1.22) were associated with higher relative risk of obesity. Increased exercise frequency was associated with the lowest relative risk of obesity (OR for every day vs. rarely = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.68-0.77).

CONCLUSIONS

Changes in lifestyle and diet of Chinese children may help relieve their obesity burden.

[Relationship between body mass index and sexual development in Chinese children]

Objective: To investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and sexual development in Chinese children. Methods: A nationwide multicenter and population-based large cross-sectional study was conducted in 13 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China from January 2017 to December 2018. Data on sex, age, height, weight were collected, BMI was calculated and sexual characteristics were analyzed. The subjects were divided into four groups based on age, including ages 3-<6 years, 6-<10 years, 10-<15 years and 15-<18 years. Multiple Logistic regression models were used for evaluating the associations of BMI with sexual development in children. Dichotomous Logistic regression was used to compare the differences in the distribution of early and non-early puberty among normal weight, overweight and obese groups. Curves were drawn to analyze the relationship between the percentage of early puberty and BMI distribution in girls and boys at different Tanner stages. Results: A total of 208 179 healthy children (96 471 girls and 111 708 boys) were enrolled in this study. The OR values of B2, B3 and B4+ in overweight girls were 1.72 (95%CI: 1.56-1.89), 3.19 (95%CI: 2.86-3.57), 7.14 (95%CI: 6.33-8.05) and in obese girls were 2.05 (95%CI: 1.88-2.24), 4.98 (95%CI: 4.49-5.53), 11.21 (95%CI: 9.98-12.59), respectively; while the OR values of G2, G3, G4+ in overweight boys were 1.27 (95%CI: 1.17-1.38), 1.52 (95%CI: 1.36-1.70), 1.88 (95%CI: 1.66-2.14) and in obese boys were 1.27 (95%CI: 1.17-1.37), 1.59 (95%CI: 1.43-1.78), and 1.93 (95%CI: 1.70-2.18) (compared with normal weight Tanner 1 group,all P<0.01). Analysis in different age groups found that OR values of obese girls at B2 stage and boys at G2 stage were 2.02 (95%CI: 1.06-3.86) and 2.32 (95%CI:1.05-5.12) in preschool children aged 3-<6 years, respectively (both P<0.05). And in the age group of 6-10 years, overweight girls had a 5.45-fold risk and obese girls had a 12.54-fold risk of B3 stage compared to girls with normal BMI. Compared with normal weight children, the risk of early puberty was 2.67 times higher in overweight girls, 3.63 times higher in obese girls, and 1.22 times higher in overweight boys, 1.35 times higher in obese boys (all P<0.01). Among the children at each Tanner stages, the percentage of early puberty increased with the increase of BMI, from 5.7% (80/1 397), 16.1% (48/299), 13.8% (27/195) to 25.7% (198/769), 65.1% (209/321), 65.4% (157/240) in girls aged 8-<9, 10-<11 and 11-<12 years, and 6.6% (34/513), 18.7% (51/273), 21.6% (57/264) to 13.3% (96/722), 46.4% (140/302), 47.5% (105/221) in boys aged 9-<10, 12-<13 and 13-<14 years, respectively. Conclusions: BMI is positively correlated with sexual development in both Chinese boys and girls, and the correlation is stronger in girls. Obesity is a risk factor for precocious puberty in preschool children aged 3-<6 years, and 6-<10 years of age is a high risk period for early development in obese girls.

Regional Disparities in Obesity Among a Heterogeneous Population of Chinese Children and Adolescents

IMPORTANCE

Obesity is a public health challenge in China, but the geographical profiles of overweight and obesity among Chinese children are limited.

OBJECTIVE

To examine regional disparities in the prevalence of obesity among the heterogeneous population of Chinese children and adolescents to provide a more accurate profile of obesity among children in China.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

The Prevalence and Risk Factors for Obesity and Diabetes in Youth (PRODY) study was a cross-sectional survey study conducted from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2019, among 201 098 children aged 3 to 18 years from 11 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities that produced a sample of Chinese children with a full range of ages and wide geographical coverage using a multistage, stratified, cluster-sampling design.

EXPOSURES

Five regions geographically representative of China (northern, eastern, southern, western, and central).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The body weights and heights of all participants were measured. Multilevel, multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity.

RESULTS

Among 201 098 healthy children (105 875 boys [52.6%]; mean [SD] age, 9.8 [3.8] years) from eastern, southern, northern, central, and western China, the highest obesity prevalence was estimated for children aged 8 to 13 years in northern China (from 18.8% [95% CI, 16.2%-21.7%] to 23.6% [95% CI, 20.5%-26.9%]) and for boys aged 3 to 6 years in western China (from 18.1% [95% CI, 10.4%-29.4%] to 28.6% [95% CI, 14.3%-49.0%]). Boys had a higher prevalence than girls of obesity only in eastern and northern China, with a mean difference in prevalence of 4.6% (95% CI, 3.8%-5.4%) and 7.6% (95% CI, 6.5%-8.6%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this survey study, substantial geographic disparities in the prevalence of obesity and overweight were found among the heterogeneous population of Chinese children. The results suggest that special attention should be paid to vulnerable children and that regionally adapted interventions are needed to efficiently mitigate obesity in children.

Association of β-cell function and insulin resistance with pediatric type 2 diabetes among Chinese children

BACKGROUND

In addition to insulin resistance, impaired insulin secretion has recently been identified as a crucial factor in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Scarce clinical data exist for pediatric T2DM.

AIM

To investigate the association of β-cell function and insulin resistance with pediatric T2DM in the first Chinese multicenter study.

METHODS

This multicenter cross-sectional study included 161 newly diagnosed T2DM children and adolescents between January 2017 and October 2019. Children with normal glycemic levels (n = 1935) were included as healthy control subjects. The homeostasis models (HOMAs) were used to assess the β-cell function (HOMA2-%B) and insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR) levels. The HOMA index was standardized by sex and age. We performed logistic regression analysis to obtain odds ratios (ORs) for T2DM risk using the standardized HOMA index, adjusted for confounding factors including sex, Tanner stage, T2DM family history, body mass index z-score, and lipid profile.

RESULTS

The male-female ratio of newly diagnosed T2DM patients was 1.37:1 (OR = 2.20, P = 0.011), and the mean ages of onset for boys and girls were 12.5 ± 1.9 years and 12.3 ± 1.7 years, respectively. The prevalence of related comorbidities including obesity, elevated blood pressure, and dyslipidemia was 58.2%, 53.2%, and 80.0%, respectively. The T2DM group had lower HOMA2-%B levels (P < 0.001) and higher HOMA2-IR levels (P < 0.001) than the control group. Both the decrease in HOMA2-%B z-score (OR = 8.40, 95%CI: 6.40–11.02, P < 0.001) and the increase in HOMA2-IR z-score (OR = 1.79, 95%CI: 1.60–2.02, P < 0.001) were associated with a higher risk of T2DM, and the decrease in HOMA2-%B z-score always had higher ORs than the increase in HOMA2-IR z-score after adjusting for confounding factors.

CONCLUSION

Besides insulin resistance, β-cell function impairment is also strongly associated with Chinese pediatric T2DM. Gender difference in susceptibility and high comorbidities warrant specific T2DM screening and prevention strategies in Chinese children.

[Clinical and genetic studies on 76 patients with hydrocephalus caused by methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinuria]

Objective: To analyze the clinical features, genetic characteristics, treatment and follow-up results of patients with hydrocephalus caused by methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinuria, and to discuss the optimal strategies for assessing and treating such patients. Methods: From January 1998 to December 2020, 76 patients with hydrocephalus due to methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinuria in the Department of Pediatrics in 11 hospitals including Peking University First Hospital were diagnosed by biochemical, genetic analysis and brain imaging examination. The patients were divided into operation-group and non-operation-group according to whether they underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The clinical features, laboratory examinations, genotype, and follow-up data were retrospectively analyzed. Data were compared between the two groups using rank sum test, and categorical data were compared using χ² test. Results: Among the 76 patients (51 male, 25 female), 5 were detected by newborn screening, while 71 were diagnosed after clinical onset, 68 cases (96%) had early-onset, 3 cases (4%) had late-onset. The most common clinical manifestations of 74 cases with complete data were psychomotor retardation in 74 cases (100%), visual impairment in 74 cases (100%), epilepsy in 44 cases (59%), anemia in 31 cases (42%), hypotonia or hypertonia in 21 cases (28%), feeding difficulties in 19 cases (26%) and disturbance of consciousness in 17 cases (23%). Genetic analysis was performed in 76 cases, all of whom had MMACHC gene variations, including 30 homozygous variations of MMACHC c.609G>A. The most common variations were c.609G>A (94, 62.7%), followed by c.658_660del (18, 12.0%), c.567dupT (9, 6.0%) and c.217C>T (8, 5.3%). Therapy including cobalamin intramuscular injection, L-carnitine and betaine were initiated immediately after diagnosis. A ventriculoperitoneal shunt operation was performed in 41 cases (operation group), and 31 patients improved after metabolic intervention (non-operation group). There was no significant difference in the age of onset, the age of diagnosis, the blood total homocysteine, methionine, and urinary methylmalonic acid concentration between the two groups (all P>0.05). The symptoms of psychomotor development, epilepsy, and visual impairments improved gradually after a long-term follow-up in the operation group. Conclusions: Hydrocephalus is a severe complication of methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinuria. The most common clinical manifestations are psychomotor retardation, visual impairment, and epilepsy. It usually occurs in early-onset patients. Early diagnosis and etiological treatment are very important. Hydrocephalus may improve after metabolic intervention in some patients. For patients with severe ventricular dilatation, prompt surgical intervention can improve the prognosis.

Effects of rapid growth in early childhood on metabolic and cardiovascular diseases among preschool-aged children

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether the tempo of weight gain of children during infancy (from birth up to two years of age) or childhood (between two and five years old) is associated with metabolic and cardiovascular disease.

METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN

Cluster sampling was employed to obtain a random sample of preschool children. In total, 1450 children aged five to six years participated in this survey. We obtained data on body weight, height, blood pressure (BP), and serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and uric acid, as well as anthropometry at birth and at age 2.

RESULTS

The prevalence of obesity at five years old was 14.5%. At five years of age, children with rapid growth (change in body mass index, BMI z-score >0.67) during infancy had a higher odds ratio (OR) of childhood obesity (OR: 2.97 [95% CI: 2.15-4.11]) compared to children with non-rapid growth (change in BMI z-score ≤0.67). Also, children with rapid growth during childhood had a higher OR of childhood obesity (OR: 17.90 [95% CI: 12.31-26.04]), higher systolic BP (OR: 2.38 [95% CI: 1.68-3.39]), higher diastolic BP (OR: 2.42 [95% CI: 1.53-3.83]), and higher triglycerides (OR: 4.09 [95% CI: 1.47-11.33]) or hyperuricemia (OR: 2.23 [95% CI: 1.51-3.29]).

CONCLUSIONS

Rapid growth in early childhood is associated with risk factors for both cardiovascular outcomes and metabolic outcomes among preschool children. Developing effective prevention and intervention programs for pre-school children might be important to reduce incidence of long-term metabolic and cardiovascular disease as adults.

[Identification of xingren ancient name of "he" and "ren"]

Ancient medical books have the names of drugs such as "xinghe" (, apricot pit), but there is only the name "xingren" (, almond) in modern medical books. On the basis of checking Chinese dictionary, exegetical books and ancient literature, it is believed that the ancients could clearly distinguish the difference between "he" (, pit) and "ren" (, nut) in actual use, and realized that the pit and the nut are different parts. This article takes almonds as the center to explore the similarities and differences of concepts and essences between the "he" (, pit) and "ren" (, nut) in ancient prescriptions. By investigating the usage of ancient medical literature, it can be seen that the actual medicinal part of the medicine "xinghe" (, apricot pit) means still almonds. And due to the imperfect market of ancient medicinal materials, there is no perfect medicinal materials processing industry, and it is necessary for doctors to remove part of the non-medicinal parts after obtaining the medicinal materials. Therefore, in ancient times, the "xinghe" (, apricot pit) and "xingren" (, almond) are actually different names for the same medicinal part.

Dysfunction of phagocytosis and lysosome activities of intraperitoneal macrophages in autoimmune hepatitis mice

AIM: To evaluate the phagocytic function and lysosome activities of intraperitoneal macrophages in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) mice.

METHODS: Eighty C57BL/680 mice were divided into an AIH group and a control group. AIH was induced by intraperitoneal injection of liver-specific antigen S-100 and Freund's complete adjuvant. Intraperitoneal macrophages were obtained through peritoneal washing. Macrophages were co-cultured with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled Escherichia coli (E. coli) and lysotracker red. The phagocytic rate/index and lysotracker fluorescence intensities were analyzed by fluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry.

RESULTS: Both the phagocytic rate (24.07% ± 10.21% vs 47.27% ± 15.57%, t = -7.899, P < 0.05) and index (0.36 ± 0.19 vs 0.89 ± 0.34, t = -6.793, P < 0.05) of macrophages from AIH mice were lower than those from control mice. Most of FITC-labeled E. coli bacteria were transported into lysosomes after phagocytosis, which enhanced the activities of lysosomes. No matter before or after co-culture with FITC-labeled E. coli, the activities of lysosome in the AIH group were less than those of control mice (before co-culture: 5.85 ± 0.35 vs 15.39 ± 0.72, t = -5.296, P < 0.05; after co-culture: 9.45 ± 0.84 vs 30.00 ± 1.36, t = -7.889, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: The phagocytic and lysosome functions of macrophages in AIH mice are reduced, which may be pathogenic factors in AIH.

[Effect of Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule -1 Overexpression on Adipogenic Differentiation of Murine Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Its Mechanism]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) gene overexpression on adipogenic differentiation of mouse mesenchymal stem cells(MSC) and explore its molecular mechanism.

METHODS

VCAM-1 overexpression MSC (MIGR1-VCAM-1/MSC) and the empty plasmid transfection MSC (MIGR1/MSC) were induced to adipogenic differentiation, oil-red-O staining and real-time PCR were used to detect the adipogenic differentiation ability and the mRNA expression level of key transcription factors C/EBP α and PPAR γ. The activation of P38, ERK and JNK pathways were analyzed by Western blot. Furthermore, the specific chemical inhibitors of MAPK pathway (SB203580, PD98059 and JNK inhibitor II) were added to the induced culture system and the alteration of the MSC adipogenic differentiation ability were evaluated.

RESULTS

no matter in self or induced differentiation groups, the lipid droplets in MIGR1-VCAM-1/MSC became larger, the amount of adipocyte increased than that in MIGR1/MSC (P<0.01), the mRNA expression level of C/EBPα and PPARγ were upregulated, and JNK pathway were down-regulated while the P38 and ERK pathway were significantly up-regulated. The inhibition of JNK pathway of MIGR1-VCAM-1/MSC could lead to increased mRNA expression level of C/EBP α and PPAR γ, the amount of adipocytes increased (P<0.01), however, the inhibition of the P38 and ERK pathway of MIGR1-VCAM-1/MSC could lead to decreased mRNA expression level of C/EBP α and PPAR γ, and the lipid droplets and the number of adipocytes became smaller and less.

CONCLUSION

The overexpression of VCAM-1 may promote MSC to differentiate into adipocytes through inhibiting JNK signaling pathway, activating P38 and ERK pathways.

[Effect of Knockdown of Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 on the Immunologic Regulation Capacity of Murine Mesenchymal Stem Cells]

OBJECTIVE

To establish the stably lower expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in MSC cell line (C3H10T1/2) by siRNA technology, and explore the effect of knockdown of VCAM-1 on the immunologic regulation capacity of murine MSC.

METHODS

The mouse GV118-VCAM-1-RNAi retrovirus vector was constructed by gene recombination technology. The recombinant plasmid was identified by restriction analysis and sequencing, and then the recombinant plasmid GV118-VCAM-1-RNAi was transfected into 293 cells by Lipofectamine, and the supernatant was collected to transfect C3H10T1/2. Moreover, the VCAM-1 lower expression on MSC was evaluated by flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy. The knockdown VCAM-1 MSC was sorted by flow cytometry. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of the knockdown VCAM-1 MSC on lymphocyte proliferation was tested by lymphoblast transformation assay (LTT) and mixed lymphocyte reaction assay(MLR).

RESULTS

The recombinant retroviral vector of knockdown VCAM-1 (GV118-VCAM-1-RNAi) was successfully constructed and transfected into mouse MSC cell line C3H10T1/2. The knockdown VCAM-1/MSC was obtained by flow cytometric sorting. The LTT and MLR assay showed that the immunosuppressive effect of MSC lower-expressing VCAM-1 dramatically decreased (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Knockdown VCAM-1 in MSC can significantly down-regulate the inhibitory capability of MSC on the proliferation of T-cells. The data of this study laid an experimental foundation for studying effect of VCAM-1 transfecting into MSC on immune function.

Association between metabolic syndrome and vascular endothelium dysfunction in children and adolescents

We aimed at investigating the association between metabolic syndrome (MS) and vascular endothelial cell dysfunction (ECD) in children and adolescents. Sixty children (30 obese children and 30 children with MS) were included in this retrospective analysis. Thirty healthy subjects were randomly selected as the control group. A series of indices/biomarkers known to be related to MS/ECD were determined using ELISA. Correlations between the variables measured were analyzed. Compared with the control group, PAI-1, vWF, VE-cad, TM, and VEGF were significantly increased in the MS group (P < 0.05). Adolescents in the obese group had significantly increased levels of serum PAI-1, VE-cad, TM, and VEGF as compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Further, vWF in the obese and control groups did not differ significantly (P = 0.556). Our results suggest that ECD is correlated with MS in children and adolescents. Pathophysiological changes of the vascular endothelium may exist in obese children who have yet to develope MS. PAI-1, vWF, VE-cad, TM, and VEGF could be used as biomarkers for predicting ECD. ECD that develops in patients with MS may be associated with obesity, elevated blood lipid, elevated blood glucose, and higher blood pressure.

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 inhibits osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and impairs bio-scaffold-mediated bone regeneration in vivo

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) loaded bio-scaffold transplantation is a promising therapeutic approach for bone regeneration and repair. However, growing evidence shows that pro-inflammatory mediators from injured tissues suppress osteogenic differentiation and impair bone formation. To improve MSC-based bone regeneration, it is important to understand the mechanism of inflammation mediated osteogenic suppression. In the present study, we found that synovial fluid from rheumatoid arthritis patients and pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-1α, interleukin-1β, and tumor necrosis factor α, stimulated intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1) expression and impaired osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. Interestingly, overexpression of ICAM-1 in MSCs using a genetic approach also inhibited osteogenesis. In contrast, ICAM-1 knockdown significantly reversed the osteogenic suppression. In addition, after transplanting a traceable MSC-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) construct in rat calvarial defects, we found that ICAM-1 suppressed MSC osteogenic differentiation and matrix mineralization in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that ICAM-1 enhances MSC proliferation but causes stem cell marker loss. Furthermore, overexpression of ICAM-1 stably activated the MAPK and NF-κB pathways but suppressed the PI3K/AKT pathway in MSCs. More importantly, specific inhibition of the ERK/MAPK and NF-κB pathways or activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway partially rescued osteogenic differentiation, while inhibition of the p38/MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathway caused more serious osteogenic suppression. In summary, our findings reveal a novel function of ICAM-1 in osteogenesis and suggest a new molecular target to improve bone regeneration and repair in inflammatory microenvironments.

Association of plasma glucose, insulin, and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight and obese children

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour post challenge plasma glucose (2hPG), fasting plasma insulin (FINS), 2-hour post challenge plasma insulin (2hINS), and cardiovascular risk factors in obese and overweight children.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study of 452 obese and overweight children (male: 312, female: 140, aged 6-16 years). This study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics, General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China between June 2008 and November 2012. Anthropometries and blood analysis were carried out. Pearson correlation analysis and multiple stepwise linear regression analysis were used to investigate the association among FPG, 2hPG, FINS, 2hINS and cardiovascular risk factors.

RESULTS

Body mass index, waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and triglyceride were highly correlated with FINS. Fasting plasma insulin influenced greater variance in most cardiovascular risk factors than 2hPG and 2hINS.

CONCLUSION

Fasting plasma insulin was closely associated with most cardiovascular risk factors compared with FPG, 2hPG and 2hINS.

[Correlation between vaspin concentration and insulin sensitivity in the visceral adipose tissue of young obese rats]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the correlation between visceral adipose tissue-derived serine protease inhibitor (vaspin) concentration and insulin sensitivity in the visceral adipose tissue of young obese Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.

METHODS

Twenty-four SD rats which had been weaned 3 weeks before were randomly divided into two groups (n=12 each) to receive a high-fat and normal diet. The weight and abdominal circumference (AC) of each rat were measured, the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and fasting insulin (FINS) in blood from the angular vein were measured after 12 hours of fasting and blood glucose (BG) and insulin (INS) levels in blood from the angular vein were measured at 60 and 120 minutes after intraperitoneal injection of 50% glucose (2 g/kg). The rats were sacrificed, and their liver and visceral adipose tissue were weighed. The vaspin concentration of the visceral adipose tissue in each rat was measured using ELISA. Correlation analysis was performed on the vaspin concentration and other indices.

RESULTS

Compared with the normal diet group, the high-fat diet group showed significantly higher weight, AC, weight of visceral adipose tissue, FPG, FINS, 120 minute INS level, vaspin concentration, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and homeostasis model assessment of β cell function (HOMA-β) (P<0.05) Insulin sensitivity index (ISI) was significantly lower (P<0.01). Vaspin concentration was positively correlated with visceral adipose tissue and liver weight, AC, 120 minute INS level, FPG, FINS, HOMA-IR and HOMA-β (P<0.05), and negatively correlated with ISI (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

High expression of vaspin is associated with insulin resistance in young obese SD rats. Vaspin is presumably an adipocytokine that can increase insulin sensitivity, promote insulin secretion by islet β-cells and improve glucose tolerance, and it may be involved in insulin resistance and the disturbance of carbohydrate metabolism.

[Prevention of arrhythmia in rats by puhuang]

I.P. injection (5g crude drug/kg) of water extract of Puhuang (Typha orientalis) to S.D. rats can prevent ventricular fibrillation and sudden death caused by isoproterenol and also arrhythmia induced by the infusion of BaCl2. Water extract of Puhuang can clearly increase the survival rate and also raise the dosage of BaCl2 infusion necessary to cause the death of animals.