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In China, hypertension is common, and while recent studies suggest some improvements, more than half of affected individuals were unaware that they had hypertension. Rates of control remain low. National programs effective in preventing and controlling hypertension in China are urgently needed.

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Cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis B virus infection are risk factors for ICC, while cholecystolithiasis, diabetes and previous cholecystectomy are risk factors for ECC.

Hypertensive individuals represent a vulnerable population that merits special attention from healthcare providers and systems. This is especially important given that low health-related quality of life can be a risk factor for subsequent cardiovascular events or complications.

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Although several studies indicate that RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) contribute to key steps in a variety of physiological processes and cancer, the detailed biological functions and mechanisms remain to be determined. By performing bioinformatics analysis using well-established hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) datasets, we identified a set of HCC progression-associated RBPs (HPARBPs) and found that the global expression of HPARBPs was significantly correlated with patient prognosis. Among the 42 HPARBPs, human ribosomal protein S3 (RPS3) was one of the most abundant genes whose role remains uncharacterized in HCC. Gain- and loss-of-function analyses demonstrated that RPS3 promoted HCC tumorigenesis both in vitro and in vivo . Mechanistically, we revealed that silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) was a critical target of RPS3 and was essential for sustaining the RPS3-induced malignant phenotypes of HCC cells. RPS3 stabilized SIRT1 mRNA by binding to AUUUA motifs in the 3448–3530 region of the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of SIRT1 mRNA. In addition, we found that (5-formylfuran-2-yl) methyl 4-hydroxy-2-methylenebutanoate (FMHM) inhibited HCC progression by repressing the RPS3/SIRT1 pathway. Our study unveils a novel extra-ribosomal role of RPS3 in facilitating hepatocarcinogenesis via the post-transcriptional regulation of SIRT1 expression and proposes that the RPS3/SIRT1 pathway serves as a potential therapeutic target in HCC.

Objectives:  This study aimed to identify the prevalences of and risk factors associated with the development of gallbladder stones and polyps in a large Chinese population. Methods:  Prevalences of and risk factors for biliary stones and gallbladder polyps were retrospectively investigated among subjects who underwent a general check‐up at the Health Screening Centres of Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Beijing Charity Hospital between January 2007 and June 2010. Results:  A total of 60 064 people were enrolled in the study. Overall prevalences of biliary stones and gallbladder polyps were 4.2% (n= 2527) and 6.9% (n= 4119), respectively. Risk factors associated with increased odds ratios (ORs) for the development of biliary stones were female gender (OR = 1.51), age ≥50 years (OR = 2.09), history of hypertension (OR = 1.37), thickened gallbladder wall (cholecystitis) (OR = 1.98), fasting blood glucose ≥6.10 mmol/l (OR = 1.27), body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 (OR = 1.25), systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg (OR = 1.31) and diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg (OR = 1.44). Factors associated with gallbladder polyps were female gender (OR = 0.66), thickened gallbladder wall (OR = 2.09), negativity for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and positivity for hepatitis B core antibody (anti‐HBc) (OR = 2.61), and positivity for both HBsAg and anti‐HBc (OR = 3.21). Conclusions:  Prevalences of biliary stones and gallbladder polyps among Chinese people are similar to those reported for other populations. Biliary stones appear to be associated with female gender, age, obesity, blood glucose, blood pressure and cholecystitis. Male gender, hepatitis B virus infection and cholecystitis were strong risk factors for the formation of gallbladder polyps.