Objective

To investigate the association between sleep duration and insulin resistance in rural Chinese adults and examine whether any such associations are independent of adiposity.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional analysis of 854 men and 640 women aged 20 to 70 years from the Anqing Twin Cohort. The following measures were obtained for each subject: Body mass index (BMI) and percentage of trunk fat (%TF), fasting plasma glucose, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), self-reported sleep duration, and measures of snoring and sleep disturbance from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Indices (PSQI) questionnaire modified for a Chinese population. Multivariate linear regressions were applied to examine the association of sleep duration with HOMA-IR, with and without adjustment for adiposity variables, along with other relevant covariates.

Results

In this sample of relatively lean rural Chinese adults, short sleep duration was associated with HOMA-IR in women but not in men. In women, short (≤7 hrs/night) sleep duration was associated with a higher HOMA-IR (p=0.003) compared with normal sleep duration (>7 to ≤8 hrs/night) after adjustment for all the covariates except adiposity. Further adjustment for BMI or %TF attenuated the sleep-HOMA-IR association, but the association remained significant upon adjustment for BMI (p=0.013); and upon adjustment for %TF (p=0.026). Long sleep duration (>8 hrs/night) was not significantly associated with HOMA-IR.

Conclusion

In this rural Chinese cohort, short sleep duration is independently associated with increased insulin resistance among women only, even after adjusting for adiposity and other potential confounders.

Background

Plasma level of total homocysteine (tHcy) is negatively correlated with kidney function in general population. However, the causal mechanism of this correlation is poorly understood. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T gene polymorphism, which is a major genetic determinant of the plasma tHcy level, with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in Chinese.

Methods

A total of 18 814 hypertensive patients (6 914 males, 11 900 females) were included in the study.

Results

Association between the eGFR and MTHFR C677T genotype was examined by sex-specific regression analyses. In males, TT genotype was associated with 1.37 ml/min/1.73 m2 decrease in eGFR (p = 0.004) and with an increased risk (OR = 1.32, p = 0.008) for the lowest quintile of eGFR after adjusting for age, BMI, and blood pressures. However, such association was not observed in females (p > 0.05). This association suggests MTHFR C677T polymorphism may play a role in the regulation of eGFR in males.

Conclusions

MTHFR 677 T is a risk allele for decreased kidney function in Chinese males, implicating this gene in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Objective

This study examined the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and diabetes and their associated factors in 17,184 Chinese hypertensive adults aged 45–75 years.

Methods

A cross-sectional investigation was carried out in a rural area of Lianyungang, China. Previously undiagnosed diabetes [fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥7.0mmol/l] and IFG (6.1–6.9mmol/l) were defined based on FPG concentration. Previously diagnosed diabetes was determined on the basis of self-report. Total diabetes included both previously diagnosed diabetes and previously undiagnosed diabetes.

Results

The prevalence of previously diagnosed diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, and IFG were 3.4%, 9.8%, and 14.1%, respectively. About 74.2% of the participants with diabetes had not previously been diagnosed. In the multivariable logistic-regression model, older age, men, antihypertensive treatment, obesity (BMI ≥25kg/m2), abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥90cm for men and ≥80cm for women), non-current smoking, a family history of diabetes, higher heart rate, lower physical activity levels, and inland residence (versus coastal) were significantly associated with both total diabetes and previously undiagnosed diabetes. Furthermore, methylene- tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677 TT genotype was an independent associated factor for total diabetes, and current alcohol drinking was an independent associated factor for previously undiagnosed diabetes. At the same time, older age, men, abdominal obesity, non-current smoking, current alcohol drinking, a family history of diabetes, higher heart rate, and inland residence (versus coastal) were important independent associated factors for IFG.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we found a high prevalence of diabetes in Chinese hypertensive adults. Furthermore, about three out of every four diabetic adults were undiagnosed. Our results suggest that population-level measures aimed at the prevention, identification (even if only based on the FPG evaluation), and treatment of diabetes should be urgently taken to overcome the diabetes epidemic in Chinese hypertensive adults.

Background

Both long and short sleep duration have been associated with obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. However, there have been no previous studies investigating the potential relationship between altered sleep duration and allergen sensitization.

Objective

To explore the association between sleep duration and sensitization to food and aeroallergens.

Methods

This study includes 1534 rural Chinese adolescent twins aged 12 to 21 years who completed standard sleep questionnaires and skin prick tests (SPTs) to 9 food and 5 aeroallergens. Total sleep time was defined as the interval from bedtime to wake-up time minus sleep latency. Sensitization was defined as having at least one positive SPT.

Results

Compared to individuals with the highest (3rd) tertile of sleep duration, those who slept less were more likely to be sensitized to any food allergen with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.9 (95% confidence interval(CI):1.3–2.7) and 1.4 (95%CI:1.0–1.9) for the 1st and 2nd tertiles (trend test Ptrend=3×10−4), respectively. The corresponding ORs for sensitization to any aeroallergen were 1.5 (95%CI: 1.1–2.0) and 1.3 (95%CI:1.0–1.7) (Ptrend=8×10−3). These associations were independent of percent body fat. In addition, we observed a significant dose-response association between the number of positive SPTs and percentage of shortest sleep duration (1st tertile) (Ptrend=1×10−3).

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

In this sample of relatively lean rural Chinese adolescents, we found that short sleep duration was associated with increased risk of sensitization to food and aeroallergens, independent of percent body fat. Longitudinal studies are needed to further determine the temporal and causal relationships. If short sleep duration indeed is one of the risk factors for allergic sensitization, the global burden of allergic diseases could be dramatically reduced by providing appropriate guidance on sleep duration for youth.

Background

This study aimed to investigate if the homocysteine-lowering efficacy of two commonly used physiological doses (0.4 mg/d and 0.8 mg/d) of folic acid (FA) can be modified by individual methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and/or methionine synthase (MTR) A2756G polymorphisms in hypertensive Chinese adults.

Methods

A total of 480 subjects with mild or moderate essential hypertension were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: 1) enalapril only (10 mg, control group); 2) enalapril-FA tablet [10:0.4 mg (10 mg enalapril combined with 0.4 mg of FA), low FA group]; and 3) enalapril-FA tablet (10:0.8 mg, high FA group), once daily for 8 weeks.

Results

After 4 or 8 weeks of treatment, homocysteine concentrations were reduced across all genotypes and FA dosage groups, except in subjects with MTR 2756AG /GG genotype in the low FA group at week 4. However, compared to subjects with MTHFR 677CC genotype, homocysteine concentrations remained higher in subjects with CT or TT genotype in the low FA group (P < 0.05 for either of these genotypes) and TT genotype in the high FA group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, subjects with TT genotype showed a greater homocysteine-lowering response than did subjects with CC genotype in the high FA group (mean percent reduction of homocysteine at week 8: CC 10.8% vs. TT: 22.0%, P = 0.005), but not in the low FA group (CC 9.9% vs. TT 11.2%, P = 0.989).

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that MTHFR C677T polymorphism can not only affect homocysteine concentration at baseline and post-FA treatment, but also can modify therapeutic responses to various dosages of FA supplementation.

Many Americans are exposed to low levels of organophosphorous (OP) pesticides. In is unclear whether these exposures impact sperm production. We investigated whether there was an association between urinary OP insecticide metabolites and sperm concentration and motility in newly married men from a rural area of eastern People’s Republic of China. Ninety-four cases and 95 controls were included based on their median residual value of sperm concentration and motility after adjusting for relevant covariates. Their urine was analyzed for six dialkylphosphate (DAP) compounds. After adjustment for demographic and exposure variables, the odds of being a case were greater (Odds Ratio=1.30, 95% Confidence Interval 1.02-1.65) in men with higher urinary concentrations of dimethylphosphate (DMP) compared to men with lower levels. No significant differences between cases and controls were found among the other DAP concentrations. DMP exposure and sperm concentration and motility should be explored further in environmental exposure studies.

We examined the tracking of blood glucose, the development of prediabetes, and estimated their genetic contributions in a prospective, healthy, rural Chinese twin cohort. This report includes 1,766 subjects (998 males, 768 females) aged 6–21 years at baseline who completed a 6-year follow-up study. Oral glucose tolerance test was performed for all subjects at both baseline and follow-up. We found that subjects with low fasting plasma glucose (FPG) or 2 h post-load glucose (PG) levels at baseline tended to remain at the low level at follow-up. Subjects in the top tertile of baseline plasma glucose tended to have a higher risk of developing prediabetes at follow-up compared to the low tertile: in males, 37.6% vs. 27.6% for FPG and 37.2% vs. 25.7% for 2hPG, respectively; in females, 31.0% vs. 15.4% for FPG and 28.9% vs. 15.1% for 2 h PG, respectively. Genetic factors explained 43% and 41% of the variance of FPG, and 72% and 47% for impaired fasting glucose for males and females, respectively; environmental factors substantially contribute to 2hPG status and impaired glucose tolerance. In conclusion, in this cohort of healthy rural Chinese children and adolescents, we demonstrated that both FPG and 2hPG tracked well and was a strong predictor of prediabetes. The high proportion of children with top tertile of blood glucose progressed to prediabetes, and the incidence of prediabetes has a male predominance. Genetic factors play more important role in fasting than postload status, most of which was explained by unique environmental factors.

Pubertal insulin resistance (IR) is well recognized but little data is available for glucose and insulin pattern from a large, unselected lean population. This report describes the age- and gender-specific distributions of glucose tolerance and IR in a rural Chinese twin population. This report includes 4,488 subjects aged 6 to 24 years. The primary variables of interest are fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2h post-load plasma glucose (2h PG), fasting serum insulin (FSI), 2h post-load insulin (2h PI) and the homeostatic model assessment for IR (HOMA-IR) index. Age- and gender-specific patterns for the primary variables are described using smoothing plot, arithmetic or geometric mean, and percentiles. There is an increase in FPG, 2h PG and IR during puberty (10–19years) and return to pre-puberty level by the age of 20 years. IR peaks around age of 14 years in girls, and 16 years in boys. 2h PG and 2h PI are higher in girls than in boys from early puberty, and the gender differences are more pronounced afterward. Moreover, the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) increase after puberty, and higher in girls than in boys. In this community based, non-obese rural Chinese twin population, we observed gender-specific remarkable pubertal surge of IR and modest increase in plasma glucose as well as increasing prevalence of IFG and IGT with age. Notably, females had higher 2h PG and higher prevalence of IFG and IGT. Our study underscored that adolescence (even more so in females) is a critical period for developing IR and pre-diabetes.

Objective

This study investigated the associations of plasma leptin levels with insulin resistance (IR) and prediabetes in relatively lean, rural Chinese men and women.

Design and methods

This study included 574 subjects aged 21–45 years from a community-based twin cohort. Plasma leptin concentrations were measured by sandwich immunoassays using flowemetric xMAP technology. Prediabetes was defined based on fasting plasma glucose and 75g oral glucose tolerance test. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were used to investigate gender-specific associations of leptin with IR measures and prediabetes, adjusting for intra-twin correlation, measures of adiposity, and other pertinent covariates.

Results

The body mass index(BMI) is 22.3±2.7 kg/m2 in men and 22.5±2.7 kg/m2 in women. Leptin levels were positively associated with IR. Individuals with higher tertiles of leptin also had increased risk of prediabetes with OR of 2.6 (95%CI: 1.4–5.1) and 4.3 (95%CI: 2.1–8.7) in men; OR of 1.1 (95%CI: 0.6–2.1) and 3.1 (95%CI 1.5–6.2) in women for 2nd and 3rd tertile, respectively. These associations were attenuated after further adjusting for adiposity measurements only in men. The Leptin-prediabetes associations disappeared after adjusting for the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in both genders.

Conclusion

In this sample of relatively lean rural Chinese adults, plasma leptin levels were associated with IR and prediabetes in a dose-response fashion, which were not totally explained by adiposity. Our data underscored that prediabetes is not all about obesity, and leptin may be an additional biomarker for screening individuals at high risk for prediabetes in this population.

Objective

This study investigated whether high central adiposity was associated with pre-diabetes and decreased insulin sensitivity (IS) in both normal weight (BMI < 23 kg/m2) and overweight (BMI ≥ 23) rural Chinese women.

Methods

Adipose variables measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) (Percent body fat -%BF, percent lower body fat -%LF and percent trunk fat -%TF) and general adipose variables (BMI and waist circumference - WC) were used for examining the association of adiposity with pre-diabetes among 4,071 rural Chinese females aged 20–60 years. Also, the association of adiposity with IS was tested in both normal and overweight women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).

Results

BMI was highly correlated with %BF and WC, but weakly correlated with %LF and %TF. Both high %TF (top quartile of %TF) and low %LF (lower three quartiles of %LF) were associated with higher prevalence of pre-diabetes in both normal and overweight women. Compared to normal weight women in low %TF, the odds of pre-diabetes were similarly increased for women with high %TF regardless of whether they were overweight (OR (95% CI) = 1.6 (1.3–2.0)) or not (OR (95% CI) = 1.5 (1.2–2.0)). Similarly, among 3,280 women with NGT, high %TF was associated with increased fasting insulin, 2H-OGTT insulin and HOMA-IR regardless of normal or overweight.

Conclusions

Among relatively lean, rural Chinese women, high %TF was associated with increased odds of pre-diabetes and lower IS regardless of normal or overweight.

This study was an attempt to examine the phenotypic, genetic, and environmental correlations between percent fat mass (PFM) and bone parameters, especially hip geometry, among 786 males and 618 females aged 13 to 21 years from a Chinese twin cohort. PFM, bone area (BA), bone mineral content (BMC), cross-sectional area (CSA), and section modulus (SM) were obtained by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the PFM-bone relationships. A structural equation model for twin design was used to estimate genetic/environmental influences on individual phenotype and phenotypic correlations. After controlling for body weight and other pertinent covariates, we observed inverse associations between PFM and bone parameters: Compared with the lowest age- and gender-specific tertile of PFM, males in the highest tertile of PFM had lower measures of whole-body-less-head BA (WB-BA), lumbar spine BA (L2–L4-BA), total-hip BA (TH-BA), total-hip BMC, CSA, and SM (p < .005 for all, adjusted p < .05). Similar inverse associations were observed in females for all the preceding parameters except WB-BA and L2–L4-BA. These associations did not vary significantly by Tanner stages. In both genders, the estimated heritabilities were 80% to 86% for BMC, 67% to 80% for BA, 74% to 77% for CSA, and 64% for SM. Both shared genetics and environmental factors contributed to the inverse PFM-bone correlations. We conclude that in this sample of relatively lean Chinese adolescents, at a given body weight, PFM is inversely associated with BA, BMC, and hip geometry in both genders, and such associations are attributed to both shared genetic and environmental factors. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

OBJECTIVE

In the United States, the rate of preterm delivery (PTD) is higher in African Americans (17.8%) than non-Hispanic whites (11.5%). Such disparity cannot be fully explained by differences in socioenvironmental factors.

STUDY DESIGN

We genotyped 812 mothers in a case-control PTD study at Boston Medical Center who self-reported their ethnicity as “black.” Regression analysis and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were applied to evaluate ancestral distribution and the association between genetic ancestry and PTD-related traits, as well as the potential confounding effect of population stratification.

RESULTS

The estimated African ancestral proportion was 0.90 ± 0.13. We found significant associations of ancestral proportion with PTD as a whole and PTD subgrouped by the presence of maternal hypertensive disorders. We did not observe significant confounding as a result of population stratification in this case-control PTD study.

CONCLUSION

Our data underline the need for more intensive investigation of genetic admixture in African Americans to identify novel susceptibility genes of PTD.

Preterm delivery (PTD, <37 weeks of gestation) is a significant clinical and public health problem. Previously, we reported that maternal smoking and metabolic gene polymorphisms of CYP1A1 MspI and GSTT1 synergistically increase the risk of low birth weight. This study investigates the relationship between maternal smoking and metabolic gene polymorphisms of CYP1A1 MspI and GSTT1 with preterm delivery (PTD) as a whole and pre-term subgroups. This case–control study included 1,749 multi-ethnic mothers (571 with PTD and 1,178 controls) enrolled at Boston Medical Center. After adjusting covariates, regression analyses were performed to identify individual and joint associations of maternal smoking, two functional variants of CYP1A1 and GSTT1 with PTD. We observed a moderate effect of maternal smoking on PTD (OR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1–2.2). We found that compared to non-smoking mothers with low-risk genotypes, there was a significant joint association of maternal smoking, CYP1A1 (Aa/aa) and GSTT1 (absent) genotypes with gestational age (β = −3.37; SE = 0.86; P = 9 × 10−5) and with PTD (OR = 5.8; 95% CI: 2.0–21.1), respectively. Such joint association was particularly strong in certain preterm subgroups, including spontaneous PTD (OR = 8.3; 95% CI: 2.7–30.6), PTD < 32 weeks (OR = 11.1; 95% CI: 2.9–47.7), and PTD accompanied by histologic chorioamnionitis (OR = 15.6; 95% CI: 4.1–76.7). Similar patterns were observed across ethnic groups. Taken together, maternal smoking significantly increased the risk of PTD among women with high-risk CYP1A1 and GSTT1 genotypes. Such joint associations were strongest among PTD accompanied by histologic chorioamnionitis.

Objective

To examine sleep patterns and influencing factors (age, gender, Tanner Stage, weekday vs. weekend, and pre-sleep activity) among rural Chinese adolescents.

Methods

This is a prospective study among 621 adolescents aged 11–20 years (341 males) using both a questionnaire and sleep diary to obtain bedtime, wake-up time, sleep latency, and total sleep time (TST).

Results

The median TST was 8.6 hours on weekdays and 9.4 hours on weekends. Despite absence of late night social pressure and computers, a U-shaped TST pattern was observed across age and Tanner stage, with a nadir around age 15–16 years or Tanner IV. Bedtimes became progressively later with age and Tanner Stage, while wake-up time was considerably earlier for school students or up to Tanner IV. Later wake-up times and longer TST on weekends were seen in school students, but not in non-school adolescents (>17 years). Pre-sleep activity, like reading or studying, was related to later bedtime, earlier wake-up time, and shorter TST in both genders.

Conclusions

Age, Tanner stage, and pre-sleep activity affected sleep patterns in this sample of rural Chinese adolescents. Later bedtime coupled with earlier wake-up time associated with academic demand appear to be important contributors to sleep loss among school students.

Background

Obesity and allergic diseases have increased dramatically in recent decades. While adiposity has been associated with asthma, associations with allergic sensitization have been inconsistent.

Objective

To examine the association of adiposity and lipid profiles with allergic sensitization.

Methods

This study included 1,187 rural Chinese twins (653 men) aged 18-39 years, with skin prick tests (SPT), anthropometric and DEXA-assessed adiposity measures, and lipid assessments. Allergic sensitization was defined as positive SPT to ≥1 allergen (9 foods and 5 aeroallergens tested). We applied gender-stratified generalized estimating equations to assess the association of adiposity and serum lipids with allergic sensitization, and structural equation models to estimate the genetic/environmental influences on any observed associations.

Results

Males had lower percent body fat (%BF) (13.9% vs. 28.8%) but higher rates of allergic sensitization (56.2% vs. 36.7%) than females. Males in the highest %BF quartile were 2.1 times more likely sensitized than the lowest quartile (95%CI 1.3-3.5, P-trend=0.003). In males, the risk of allergic sensitization increased with HDL<40 mg/dl (OR=4.0, 95%CI 1.8-9.2) and higher LDL quartiles (P-trend=0.007). This appeared to be partially explained by shared genetic factors between serum lipid levels and allergic sensitization. In females, lower HDL was associated with increased risk of allergic sensitization.

Conclusions

In this relatively lean Chinese population, higher %BF, lower HDL and higher LDL were associated with greater risk of allergic sensitization, most notable in males. The observed associations between adiposity, serum lipids and allergic sensitization in males appear to be partially explained by common genetic influences on these traits.

Background

Six asthma candidate genes, ADAM33, NPSR1, PHF11, DPP10, HLA-G, and CYFIP2, located at different chromosome regions have been positionally cloned following the reported linkage studies. For ADAM33, NPSR1, and CYFIP2, the associations with asthma or asthma-related phenotypes have been studied in East Asian populations such as Chinese and Japanese. However, for PHF11, DPP10, and HLA-G, none of the association studies have been conducted in Asian populations. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to test the associations between these three positionally cloned genes and asthma or asthma-related phenotypes in a Chinese population.

Methods

Two, five, and two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the identified top regions of PHF11, DPP10, and HLA-G, respectively, were genotyped in 1183 independent samples. The study samples were selected based on asthma affectation status and extreme values in at least one of the following three asthma-related phenotypes: total serum immunoglobulin E levels, bronchial responsiveness test, and skin prick test. Both single SNP and haplotype analyses were performed.

Results

We found that DPP10 was significantly associated with bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and BHR asthma after the adjustment for multiple testing; while the associations of PHF11 with positive skin reactions to antigens and the associations of HLA-G with BHR asthma were only nominally significant.

Conclusion

Our study is the first one to provide additional evidence that supports the roles of DPP10 in influencing asthma or BHR in a Chinese population.

Background

The prevalence of allergic diseases is increasing worldwide, but the reasons are not well understood. Previous studies suggest that this trend may be associated with lifestyle and urbanization.

Objective

To describe patterns of sensitization and allergic disease in an unselected agricultural Chinese population.

Methods

The data was derived from a community-based twin study in Anqing, China. Skin prick testing was performed to foods and aeroallergens. Atopy was defined as sensitization to ≥1 allergen. Allergic disease was ascertained by self-report. The analysis was stratified by sex and age (children [11-17 years] and adults [≥18 years]) and included 1059 same-sex twin pairs.

Results

Of 2118 subjects, 57.6% were male (n=1220). Ages ranged from 11-71 years; 43.3% were children (n=918). Atopy was observed in 47.2% (n=999) of participants. The most common sensitizing foods were shellfish (16.7%) and peanut (12.3%). The most common sensitizing aeroallergens were dust mite (30.6%) and cockroach (25.2%). Birth order and zygosity had no effect on sensitization rates. Multivariate logistic regression models revealed risk factors for sensitization include age for foods and sex for aeroallergens. The rates of food allergy and asthma were estimated to be <1%.

Conclusions

Atopic sensitization was common in this rural farming Chinese population, particularly to shellfish, peanut, dust mite, and cockroach. The prevalence of allergic disease, in contrast, was quite low.

Clinical Implications

Allergen sensitization was far more common than the rate of self-reported allergic disease in this community. Evidence of sensitization is an inadequate marker of allergic disease and better correlates with clinical disease are needed.

Capsule summary

Among this large unselected Chinese rural farming community, atopy was observed in nearly half of the study subjects, but the rate of allergic disease was comparatively very low.

OBJECTIVE—The purpose of this study was to investigate whether genetic variants could influence the antidiabetic efficacy of gliclazide in type 2 diabetic patients.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A total of 1,268 type 2 diabetic patients whose diabetes was diagnosed within the past 5 years and who had no recent hypoglycemic treatment were enrolled from 23 hospitals in China. All of the patients were treated with gliclazide for 8 weeks. Fasting and oral glucose tolerance test 2-h plasma glucose, fasting insulin, and A1C were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment. We used two independent cohorts to test the associations of 25 single nuclear polymorphisms in 11 candidate genes with the antidiabetic efficacy of gliclazide. A general linear regression model was used to test the association with adjustment for important covariates.

RESULTS—After 8 weeks of gliclazide therapy, mean fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was reduced from 11.1 mmol/l at baseline to 7.7 mmol/l. In cohort 1, we genotyped all 25 SNPs (n = 661) and found that Ser1369Ala of the ABCC8 gene and rs5210 of the KCNJ11 gene were significantly associated with decreases in FPG (P = 0.002). We further genotyped Ser1369Ala in cohort 2 (n = 607) and confirmed the association identified in cohort 1. In the pooled analysis, compared with subjects with the Ser/Ser genotype, subjects with the Ala/Ala genotype had a 7.7% greater decrease in FPG (P < 0.001), an 11.9% greater decrease in 2-h plasma glucose (P = 0.003), and a 3.5% greater decrease in A1C (P = 0.06) after 8 weeks of treatment with gliclazide.

CONCLUSIONS—In two independent cohorts of Chinese type 2 diabetic patients, we found consistent evidence that the Ser1369Ala variant in the ABCC8 gene can influence the antidiabetic efficacy of gliclazide.

Background

Early menarche is associated with increased adult body fatness, however this association has been studied primarily in young women. The impact of changes in some metabolic risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) after menopause remains controversial and ageing is an important confounder.

Objectives

To investigate the effect of age at menarche, reproductive years, and years post-menopause on body composition and metabolic risk factors for CVD independent of the normal ageing process in a large sample size of Chinese women.

Design

9097 women aged 25 to 64 were recruited from Anhui, China in 2004–2005. Anthropometric measurement, body composition, blood pressure, plasma lipids, fasting glucose and insulin, as well as a questionnaire-based interview on menstruation and lifestyle information were obtained from each participant.

Results

After adjusting for age and other covariates, age at menarche was inversely associated with body fatness, HOMA-IR, triacylglycerol and the total number of metabolic syndrome components, and was positively associated with HDL-C (p<0.05). The number of reproductive years was associated with increased body fatness, decreased total cholesterol and HDL-C (p<0.05). Post-menopausal women had significantly lower BMI but higher abdominal fat percentage, increased plasma levels of triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, HDL-C, and LDL-C, and lower systolic blood pressure than pre-menopausal women (p<0.05)

Conclusion

Age at menarche, reproductive years, and menopause status were significantly associated with body composition, insulin sensitivity and blood lipid levels.

Osteoporotic fractures are a leading cause of disability and, indirectly, of death in the elderly population. Previous studies have shown that homocysteine level and the C677T polymorphism in the gene encoding methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) may be involved in the development of osteoporosis and its related fracture in European populations. The aim of this study was to verify the association of this polymorphism with bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures in our 1899 Chinese postmenopausal women. The C677T T-allele frequency in this population was 39.2%. The distribution of the MTHFR genotypes followed the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. BMD at total body, total hip or femoral neck did not significantly vary with MTHFR C677T genotype. The T-allele carrier tended to have higher risk of having osteoporosis or osteopenia, but the difference was statistically insignificant. However, Poisson regression analysis revealed that the T-allele carriers had an increased risk of fractures (RR=1.7, 95%CI=1.1–2.7, p=0.01) which occurred before or after menopause. As far as fracture incidence after menopause was concerned, the CT or TT genotype had more than twice the risk of the CC genotype (RR=2.5, 95%CI=1.2–4.9, P=0.009). This association was independent of age, physical activity, occupation, passive smoking, height, weight, years since menopause, and total hip BMD.

Our data show that the MTHFR C677T polymorphism is an independent predictor of fracture risk, although it only had a weak effect on BMD. Further study on the mechanistic role that this polymorphism plays in the development of fractures may lead to better understanding of the etiology of osteoporotic fracture.

Our recent study showed a dose–response relationship between environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and the risk of early pregnancy loss. Smoking is known to affect female reproductive hormones. We explored whether ETS affects reproductive hormone profiles as characterized by urinary pregnanediol-3-glucuronide (PdG) and estrone conjugate (E1C) levels. We prospectively studied 371 healthy newly married nonsmoking women in China who intended to conceive and had stopped contraception. Daily records of vaginal bleeding, active and passive cigarette smoking, and daily first-morning urine specimens were collected for up to 1 year or until a clinical pregnancy was achieved. We determined the day of ovulation for each menstrual cycle. The effects of ETS exposure on daily urinary PdG and E1C levels in a ±10 day window around the day of ovulation were analyzed for conception and nonconception cycles, respectively. Our analysis included 344 nonconception cycles and 329 conception cycles. In nonconception cycles, cycles with ETS exposure had significantly lower urinary E1C levels (β= –0.43, SE = 0.08, p < 0.001 in log scale) compared with the cycles without ETS exposure. There was no significant difference in urinary PdG levels in cycles having ETS exposure (β= –0.07, SE = 0.15, p = 0.637 in log scale) compared with no ETS exposure. Among conception cycles, there were no significant differences in E1C and PdG levels between ETS exposure and nonexposure. In conclusion, ETS exposure was associated with significantly lower urinary E1C levels among nonconception cycles, suggesting that the adverse reproductive effect of ETS may act partly through its antiestrogen effects.

Stressors as subtle as night work or shift work can lead to irregular menstrual cycles, and changes in reproductive hormone profiles can adversely affect bone health. This study was conducted to determine if stresses associated with the disruption of regular work schedule can induce alterations in ovarian function which, in turn, are associated with transient bone resorption. Urine samples from 12 rotating shift workers from a textile mill in Anqing, China, were collected in 1996-1998 during pairs of sequential menstrual cycles, of which one was longer than the other (28.4 vs. 37.4 days). Longer cycles were characterized by a prolonged follicular phase. Work schedules during the luteal-follicular phase transition (LFPT) preceding each of the two cycles were evaluated. All but one of the shorter cycles were associated with regular, forward phase work shift progression during the preceding LFPT. In contrast, five longer cycles were preceded by a work shift interrupted either by an irregular shift or a number of "off days." Urinary follicle-stimulating hormone levels were reduced in the LFPT preceding longer cycles compared with those in the LFPT preceding shorter cycles. There was greater bone resorption in the follicular phase of longer cycles than in that of shorter cycles, as measured by urinary deoxypyridinoline. These data confirm reports that changes in work shift can lead to irregularity in menstrual cycle length. In addition, these data indicate that there may be an association between accelerated bone resorption in menstrual cycles and changes of regularity in work schedule during the preceding LFPT.

In 1995, daily mortality in a district of Chongqing, China, was analyzed from January through December for associations with daily ambient sulfur dioxide and fine particles (airborne particles with diameters less than or equal to 2.5 microm; PM2.5. The mean concentration of PM2.5 was 147 microg/m3 (maximum, 666 microg/m3), and that of SO2 was 213 microg/m3 (maximum, 571 microg/m3). On average, 9.6 persons died each day. We used a generalized additive model using robust Poisson regression to estimate the associations of mean daily SO2 and PM2.5 with daily mortality (on the same day and at lags up to 5 days) adjusted for trend, season, temperature, humidity, and day of the week. The relative risk of mortality associated with a 100 microg/m3 increase in mean daily SO2 was highest on the second lag day [1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.00-1.09] and the third lag day (1.04; 95% CI, 0.99-1.08). The associations between daily mortality and mean daily PM2.5 were negative and statistically insignificant on all days. The relative risk of respiratory mortality on the second day after a 100 microg/m3 increase in mean daily SO2 was 1.11 (95% CI, 1.02-1.22), and that for cardiovascular mortality was 1.10 (95% CI, 1.02-1.20). The relative risk of cardiovascular mortality on the third day after a 100 microg/m3 increase in mean daily SO2 was 1.20 (95% CI, 1.11-1.30). The relative risks of mortality due to cancer and other causes were insignificant on both days. The estimated effects of mean daily SO2 on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality risk remained after controlling for PM2.5.