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ObjectivesWe aimed to evaluate the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and two latest optimised indices, waist divided by height 0.5 (WHT.5R) and body mass index (BMI) multiply by the square root of BMI and waist circumference (BMI√WC), and to comprehensively compare the ability of 10 anthropometric indices to identify MetS, including BMI√WC, WHT.5R, abdominal volume index (AVI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), Body Roundness Index (BRI).DesignCross-sectional study.SettingNingxia, China.ParticipantsA total of 3860 adults aged 18–88 years from Ningxia, China were recruited by a single stratified cluster random sampling method.MethodsORs and 95% CIs for associations between indices and MetS were calculated using binary logistic regression, and areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUCs) were performed to compare their predictive capacity for MetS. All results for men and women were analysed and presented separately.ResultsThe highest adjusted ORs for MetS were observed for the following indices: AVI (OR 15.22, 95% CI 10.88 to 21.30), WHT.5R (OR 13.83, 95% CI 9.89 to 19.35) and BMI√WC (OR 12.14, 95% CI 8.79 to 16.76) in men, whereas BRI, WHtR (both OR 14.91, 95% CI 10.39 to 21.4), WHT.5R (OR 14.22, 95% CI 9.96 to 20.29) and AVI (OR 14.03, 95% CI 9.91 to 19.87) in women. In ROC analysis, AVI (AUC: 0.767 for men and 0.749 for women) and WHT.5R (AUC: 0.761 for men and 0.747 for women) showed the highest predictive ability for MetS.ConclusionsBMI√WC and WHT.5R were significantly positively associated with MetS, and AVI and WHT.5R could be useful screening tools for identifying MetS in both sexes.

Data on average iodine requirements for the Chinese population are limited following implementation of long-term universal salt iodization. We explored the minimum iodine requirements of young adults in China using a balance experiment and the “iodine overflow” hypothesis proposed by our team. Sixty healthy young adults were enrolled to consume a sequential experimental diet containing low, medium, and high levels of iodine (about 20, 40, and 60 μg/d, respectively). Each dose was consumed for 4 days, and daily iodine intake, excretion, and retention were assessed. All participants were in negative iodine balance throughout the study. Iodine intake, excretion, and retention differed among the three iodine levels (P < 0.01 for all groups). The zero-iodine balance derived from a random effect model indicated a mean iodine intake of 102 µg/d, but poor correlation coefficients between observed and predicted iodine excretion (r = 0.538 for µg/d data) and retention (r = 0.304 for µg/d data). As iodine intake increased from medium to high, all of the increased iodine was excreted (“overflow”) through urine and feces by males, and 89.5% was excreted by females. Although the high iodine level (63.4 μg/d) might be adequate in males, the corresponding level of 61.6 μg/d in females did not meet optimal requirements. Our findings indicate that a daily iodine intake of approximately half the current RNI (120 μg/d) may satisfy the minimum iodine requirements of young male adults in China, while a similar level is insufficient for females based on the “iodine overflow” hypothesis.

IntroductionThere is no well‐recognized biomarker for accurately predicting outcome in the presence of moyamoya disease (MMD), a progressive occlusive cerebrovascular disease of the internal carotid arteries or their branches. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and circulating endothelial cells (CECs) in MMD and correlate the findings with clinical features.MethodsPatients with MMD (n = 66) were compared with healthy controls (n = 81). Blood samples were obtained from an antecubital vein and analyzed using flow cytometry. EPCs were defined as CD31+ CD45dim CD34br CD133+ and CECs as CD31br CD45− CD34dim CD133−. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were carried out.ResultsThe CEC counts were significantly higher in the patients than in the controls (p = 0.008). In multivariate analysis, EPC counts were independently associated with age of patients with MMD (p = 0.049) and CEC counts were independently negatively associated with concomitant disease such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and coronary heart disease (p = 0.034).ConclusionsThis is the first study to investigate the presence of CECs in the plasma of patients with MMD, and the amount of CECs was negatively correlated with concomitant disease in these patients.

A growing number of studies show that different countries and populations require different cut-off points for body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC) leading to obesity. There are no data on optimal cut-off points to metabolic syndrome (MS) among urban residents in Ningxia. Our aim is to determine the appropriate cut-off points for BMI and WC associated with elevated prevalent MS risk among urban residents in Ningxia. A total of 2500 urban residents in Ningxia were examined from May 2008 to March 2009 in a community-based cross-sectional study. Height, body weight, waist circumference and hip circumference were measured to calculate BMI. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), plasma levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were examined using a blood glucose meter and the chromatographic enzyme method. BMI and WC were measured to assess overweight or obesity. Of these, 301 subjects were chosen according to metabolic syndrome diagnosis standards to form the case group. The control group comprised 301 healthy people without diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipemia, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, malignant tumors or chronic infections. Logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to determine optimal cut-off points for BMI and WC in relation to the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity. The optimal cut-off points for male and female respectively were 24.78 kg/m 2 (sensitivity = 0.879, specificity = 0.648) and 24.72 kg/m 2 (sensitivity = 0.804, specificity = 0.767) for BMI, 85.95 cm (sensitivity = 0.701, specificity = 0.641) and 78.25 cm (sensitivity = 0.804, specificity = 0.528) for WC. Urban residents in Ningxia were at high risk of MS, and the cut-off points for BMI and WC were lower than the data currently recommended in Asian population.