Background: Over the past two decades, China has enjoyed impressive economic development, and her citizens have experienced many remarked changes in their lifestyle. These changes are often associated with an increase in obesity and chronic disease. Methods: In this meta-analysis, based on nationally representative data, we studied the current prevalence of obesity and the trends in obesity, mortality and morbidity in China. Results: Between 1992 and 2002, the prevalence of overweight and obesity increased in all gender and age groups and in all geographic areas. Using the World Health Organization body mass index cut points, the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity increased from 14.6 to 21.8%. The Chinese obesity standard shows an increase from 20.0 to 29.9%. The annual increase rate was highest in men aged 18-44 years and women aged 45-59 years (approximately 1.6 and 1.0% points, respectively). In general, male subjects, urban residents, and high-income groups had a greater increase. With the increase in overweight and obesity, obesity-, and diet-related chronic diseases (e.g., hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and type 2 diabetes) also increased over the past decade and became a more important preventable cause of death. Hypertension increased from 14.4% in 1991 to 18.8% in 2002 in adults; in older adults aged 35-74 years, it increased from 19.7 to 28.6%. Between 1993 and 2003, the prevalence of CVD increased from 31.4 to 50.0%; diabetes increased from 1.9 to 5.6%. During 1990-2003, although total mortality rate (per 100 000) decreased, overall the mortality rate and contribution (as percentages) to total death of obesity-related chronic disease increased, in particular, in rural areas. Mortality rate (per 100 000) of CVD increased from 128 to 145 and its contribution to total death, 27 to 32%, in rural areas; the figures decreased slightly in urban areas. The mortality rate of 'nutrition, endocrinology and metabolism-related disease' (NEMD) increased in both rural and urban areas between 1990 and 2000, 8.0 to 10.6 and 4.9 to 5.3, respectively. The current prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidaemia, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes among Chinese adults is approximately 20, 20, 15, and 3%, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases have increased in China in the past decade. Our findings provide useful information for the projection of future trends and the formulation of national strategies and programmes that can address the challenges of the growing obesity and chronic disease epidemic.

Objective: Resistin has been linked with obesity and hypothesized as a potential marker of insulin resistance in addition to being linked with acute inflammation. However, these links are still highly controversial in humans. Our goal was to examine resistin levels in relation to obesity, insulin resistance and inflammation markers in a large population of Asian children and adolescents. Methods: Children and adolescents (n ¼ 3472) aged 6-18 years, boys (n ¼ 1765) and girls (n ¼ 1707), were assessed for body size parameters, pubertal development, blood lipids, glucose, insulin, resistin, C-reactive protein (CRP), adiponectin and complement C3 (C3) levels. Results: Resistin increased with central obesity in both genders but not with simple adiposity in boys. Several markers associated with central obesity correlated in a gender-specific fashion with plasma resistin. Waist circumference, fat-mass percentage, waistto-height ratio and body mass index (BMI) positively correlated with resistin in both genders. Blood lipids such as triglycerides, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, diastolic and systolic blood pressure correlated positively with resistin in boys. NEFA, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (negatively) and inflammation markers, such as CRP and C3, positively correlated with resistin in girls. There was no correlation between resistin and adiponectin, and no association of adiponectin with resistin quintiles in either boys or girls. In both boys and girls, resistin tended to decrease with age, with girls having higher levels than boys. Few indices of insulin resistance were linked with plasma resistin in either gender. Conclusion: In this population, plasma resistin levels are a weak biochemical marker of metabolic dysfunction defined by central obesity, adiposity and inflammation and does not predict insulin resistance. Only a small proportion of resistin variation can be explained by factors related to metabolic syndrome, suggesting that resistin is not strongly implicated in a concentrationdependent fashion in any of the examined pathologies.

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Background and Purpose-PRKCH (the gene encoding protein kinase C ) has a role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. The 1425G/A SNP in PRKCH (rs2230500) is significantly associated with ischemic stroke in Japanese. The aim of the present study is to investigate the associations in ischemic stroke and other types of stroke in the Chinese population. Methods-A total of 1209 patients with stroke and 1174 controls were examined using a case-control methodology. The 1425G/A SNP in PRKCH was genotyped by allele-specific real-time PCR assay. Results-The 1425G/A SNP in PRKCH was significantly associated with both ischemic stroke (odds ratio [OR]

Short sleep duration is strongly associated with obesity and hyperglycemia (in 6-12 years old), along with adverse adipokine secretion patterns among Chinese children. The associations with cardiometabolic risk factors appear to be more pronounced in younger children, and could be explained, at least partially, by leptin levels.

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Purpose This study aims to 1) describe the distribution characteristics of teicoplanin trough concentration ( C min ) and explore the related influencing factors and 2) evaluate the nephrotoxicity of teicoplanin in children. Patients and Methods A cohort of children who were treated with teicoplanin intravenously were included in this retrospective study. Regression analysis was performed to explore the factors associated with the fluctuations of teicoplanin C min and the development of nephrotoxicity. Classification and regression tree analysis was used to identify the population at high risk for teicoplanin nephrotoxicity. Results A total of 269 plasma samples from 186 children were collected. Underexposure ( C min < 10 mg/L) was documented in 52.7% of cases. The C min /dose after administering the loading dose was strongly associated with age ( P = 0.008), weight ( P = 0.039), and serum creatinine ( P = 0.022). The C min /dose after administering the maintenance dose was strongly associated with gender ( P = 0.014) and serum creatinine ( P = 0.006). C min ( P = 0.012) and the concomitant treatment with amphotericin B ( P = 0.001) were the independent risk factors for teicoplanin-related nephrotoxicity. Children who were concomitantly treated by amphotericin B with teicoplanin C min > 9.81 mg/L or patients with teicoplanin C min > 21.94 mg/L were at high risk for nephrotoxicity. Conclusion The fluctuations of teicoplanin C min could be affected by age, weight, gender, and serum creatinine. C min and concomitant treatment with amphotericin B were the independent risk factors for nephrotoxicity. We suggested that the therapeutic drug monitoring of teicoplanin should be performed in children.