Summary The objective of this study is to examine the trends in body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and prevalence of overweight (BMI 25 kg/m2 to 27.49 kg/m2), general obesity (BMI ≥ 27.5 kg/m2) and abdominal obesity (WC≥90 cm for men and ≥ 80 cm for women) among Chinese adults from 1993 to 2009. Data were obtained from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, which was conducted from 1993 to 2009 and included a total of 52,621 Chinese adults. During the period of 1993–2009, mean BMI values increased by 1.6 kg/m2 among men and 0.8 kg/m2 among women; mean WC values increased by 7.0 cm among men and 4.7 cm among women. The prevalence of overweight increased from 8.0 % to 17.1% among men (P<0.001) and from 10.7% to 14.4% among women (P<0.001); the prevalence of general obesity increased from 2.9% to 11.4% among men (P<0.001) and from 5.0% to 10.1% among women (P<0.001); the prevalence of abdominal obesity increased from 8.5% to 27.8% among men (P<0.001) and from 27.8 % to 45.9 % among women (P<0.001). Similar significant trends were observed in nearly all age groups and regions for both men and women. The prevalence of overweight, general obesity and abdominal obesity among Chinese adults has increased greatly during the past 17 years.

Aim To examine the contribution of large‐diameter trees to biomass, stand structure, and species richness across forest biomes. Location Global. Time period Early 21st century. Major taxa studied Woody plants. Methods We examined the contribution of large trees to forest density, richness and biomass using a global network of 48 large (from 2 to 60 ha) forest plots representing 5,601,473 stems across 9,298 species and 210 plant families. This contribution was assessed using three metrics: the largest 1% of trees ≥ 1 cm diameter at breast height (DBH), all trees ≥ 60 cm DBH, and those rank‐ordered largest trees that cumulatively comprise 50% of forest biomass. Results Averaged across these 48 forest plots, the largest 1% of trees ≥ 1 cm DBH comprised 50% of aboveground live biomass, with hectare‐scale standard deviation of 26%. Trees ≥ 60 cm DBH comprised 41% of aboveground live tree biomass. The size of the largest trees correlated with total forest biomass (r2 = .62, p < .001). Large‐diameter trees in high biomass forests represented far fewer species relative to overall forest richness (r2 = .45, p < .001). Forests with more diverse large‐diameter tree communities were comprised of smaller trees (r2 = .33, p < .001). Lower large‐diameter richness was associated with large‐diameter trees being individuals of more common species (r2 = .17, p = .002). The concentration of biomass in the largest 1% of trees declined with increasing absolute latitude (r2 = .46, p < .001), as did forest density (r2 = .31, p < .001). Forest structural complexity increased with increasing absolute latitude (r2 = .26, p < .001). Main conclusions Because large‐diameter trees constitute roughly half of the mature forest biomass worldwide, their dynamics and sensitivities to environmental change represent potentially large controls on global forest carbon cycling. We recommend managing forests for conservation of existing large‐diameter trees or those that can soon reach large diameters as a simple way to conserve and potentially enhance ecosystem services.

Objective We aimed to estimate the up-to-date prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its influencing factors among the Chinese adults. Methods Data were obtained from the China Health and Nutrition Survey conducted in 2009, which was a cross-sectional and partially nationally representative study including a total of 7488 Chinese adults (age ≥ 18 years). Results The overall age-standardized prevalence estimates of the MS were 21.3% (95%confidence interval (CI): 20.4%–22.2%), 18.2% (95%CI: 17.3%–19.1%) and 10.5% (95%CI: 9.8%–11.2%) based on definitions of revised NCEP ATPIII, IDF and CDS criteria, respectively. Individuals who were women (compared to men: odds ratio [OR] = 1.37, 95% CI=1.16–1.61), 40 years or older (compared to less than 40 years old: OR=2.82, 95%CI=2.37–3.34 for 40–59 years; OR = 4.41, 95%CI = 3.68–5.29 for 60 years or older), overweight/obese (compared to normal weight: OR=4.32, 95%CI=3.77–4.95 for overweight; OR=11.24, 95%CI=9.53–13.26 for obese), and living in urban area (compared to living in rural area: OR=1.27, 95%CI=1.12–1.43) were more likely to have a higher prevalence estimate of MS. In addition, frequency of alcohol consumption and cigarette intake were also found to be significantly associated with probability of MS. Conclusions Our results suggest an urgent need to develop national strategies for the prevention, detection, treatment and control of obesity and MS in China.

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We seek to observe the association between childhood obesity by different measures and adult obesity, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and diabetes. Thousand two hundred and nine subjects from "Beijing Blood Pressure Cohort Study" were followed 22.9 ± 0.5 years in average from childhood to adulthood. We defined childhood obesity using body mass index (BMI) or left subscapular skinfold (LSSF), and adult obesity as BMI ≥ 28 kg/m(2). MetS was defined according to the joint statement of International Diabetes Federation and American Heart Association with modified waist circumference (≥ 90/85 cm for men/women). Diabetes was defined as fasting plasma glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/L or blood glucose 2 h after oral glucose tolerance test ≥ 11.1 mmol/L or currently using blood glucose-lowering agents. Multiple linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the association. The incidence of adult obesity was 13.4, 60.0, 48.3, and 65.1 % for children without obesity, having obesity by BMI only, by LSSF only, and by both, respectively. Compared to children without obesity, children obese by LSSF only or by both had higher risk of diabetes. After controlling for adult obesity, childhood obesity predicted independently long-term risks of diabetes (odds ratio 2.8, 95 % confidence interval 1.2-6.3) or abdominal obesity (2.7, 1.6-4.7) other than MetS as a whole (1.2, 0.6-2.4). Childhood obesity predicts long-term risk of adult diabetes, and the effect is independent of adult obesity. LSSF is better than BMI in predicting adult diabetes.

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Uncontrolled bleeding following trauma is associated with a high risk of death. Here, an emerging kaolinite nanoclay composite (iron oxide-kaolinite, α-Fe 2 O 3 -kaolin KAc ) is developed, based on the natural hemostat hematitum used in traditional Chinese medicine to effectively control hemorrhage. α-Fe 2 O 3 -kaolin KAc stops bleeding in ≈183 ± 16 s and exhibits higher hemostatic activity than the related compounds FeOOH-kaolin KAc (298 ± 14 s), γ-Fe 2 O 3 -kaolin KAc (212 ± 11 s), and Fe 3 O 4 -kaolin KAc (218 ± 15 s). This rapid effect is attributed to efficient absorption of the fluid in blood, activation of blood platelets, and induction of the coagulation cascade by kaolinite and the aggregation of red blood cells induced by α-Fe 2 O 3 . α-Fe 2 O 3 -kaolin KAc shows slight hemolysis (<0.11%) as compared to kaolinite (30%), which accelerates wound healing. The biocompatibility, hemostatic activity, and low cost of α-Fe 2 O 3 -kaolin KAc make it a safe and effective agent for preventing massive blood loss after traumatic injury.