BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice. Since only limited data on the Chinese population, which is the largest in the world, is available, we conducted an epidemiological study on the prevalence and risk factors of AF in mainland China.MethodsThis population-based study conducted by cluster sampling comprised 29079 participants forming 14 cohorts from 13 provinces across China, where the population was nearly 1 billion. Every participant underwent electrocardiogram and physical examinations and responded to the interviewer-led questionnaire(s). Univariate and multiple statistical analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between AF prevalence and risk factors.ResultsThe age-standardized prevalence of AF in China (≥30 y) was 0.65%, and it increased with age. Men showed a higher prevalence of AF than women (0.91% [age-standardized, 0.66%] vs. 0.65% [0.63%], P = 0.013); several significant risk factors (age, hyperthyroidism, coronary heart disease, and rheumatic heart disease) were identified for AF in the general population. Stroke prevalence was much higher in AF patients than in non-AF people (12.95% vs. 2.28%, P < 0.001). AF was confirmed to be a significant independent risk factor for stroke prevalence in the studied population (OR = 2.776, [1.814, 4.248], P < 0.001). We found that AF patients received poor treatment (2.7%, warfarin; 39.7%, aspirin).DiscussionThis study conducted on a large sample size demonstrates that AF prevalence in mainland China is slightly lower than that in Western countries and similar to that in Asian areas, and confirms that AF is a serious public health problem in China. We identified several potential risk factors, but their associations with AF still need to be further studied.

The advent of hybridoma technology has made it possible to study in-depth individual antibody molecules. These studies have revealed a number of surprises that have and are continuing to change our view of the immune system. None of these was more surprising than the demonstration that many antibody molecules are polyreactive - that is they can bind to a variety of different and structurally unrelated self- and non-self-foreign antigens. These findings make it clear that self-reactivity is a common and not necessarily forbidden or pathogenic feature of the immune system and that the well-known broad antibacterial activity of natural antibodies is largely due to polyreactive antibodies. In this brief review we will discuss these insights and their impact on basic and clinical immunology.

Polyreactive antibodies bind to a variety of structurally unrelated antigens. The function of these antibodies, however, has remained an enigma, and because of their low binding affinity their biological relevance has been questioned. Using a panel of monoclonal polyreactive antibodies, we showed that these antibodies can bind to both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and acting through the classical complement pathway can inhibit bacterial growth by lysis, generate anaphylatoxin C5a, enhance phagocytosis, and neutralize the functional activity of endotoxin. Polyreactive antibody-enriched, but not polyreactive antibody-reduced, IgM prepared from normal human serum displays antibacterial activity similar to that of monoclonal polyreactive IgM. We conclude that polyreactive antibodies are a major contributor to the broad antibacterial activity of the natural antibody repertoire.

No abstract

Background: The association between obesity and blood pressure is well documented and a series of obesity indices are used as risk factors or indicators of blood pressure and/or the presence of hypertension. Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore and determine which obesity index is the best indicator of blood pressure and the presence of hypertension among five frequently used simple anthropometric indices. Methods: Subjects (n 29 079) were selected by cluster sampling from fourteen Chinese general populations. Weight, height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference and blood pressure were measured for each participant. BMI, waist:hip ratio (WHR), waist:stature ratio (WSR) and conicity index (CI) were calculated. Pearson correlation, multiple logistic regression, multivariate linear regression and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used. Results: A total of 13 558 men and 15 521 women were investigated. All five obesity indices were positively correlated with blood pressures and hypertension. After adjusting for age, WSR in men and BMI in women had the greatest association with the presence of hypertension, irrespective of the statistical method used. BMI had the strongest correlation with continuous blood pressures in both genders. Conclusion:The present results indicate that hypertension is associated with different obesity indices in men and in women. The best indicator for hypertension is WSR in men while it is BMI in women.

The Mnt gene encodes a Mad-family bHLH transcription factor located on human 17p13.3. Mnt is one of 20 genes deleted in a heterozygous fashion in Miller-Dieker syndrome (MDS), a contiguous gene syndrome that consists of severe neuronal migration defects and craniofacial dysmorphic features. Mnt can inhibit Myc-dependent cell transformation and is hypothesized to counterbalance the effects of c-Myc on growth and proliferation in vivo by competing with Myc for binding to Max and by repressing target genes activated by Myc : Max heterodimers. Unlike the related Mad family members, Mnt is expressed ubiquitously and Mnt/Max heterodimers are found in proliferating cells that contain Myc/Max heterodimers, suggesting a unique role for Mnt during proliferation. To examine the role of Mnt in vivo, we produced mice with null (Mnt(KO)) and loxP-flanked conditional knock-out (Mnt(CKO)) alleles of Mnt. Virtually all Mnt(KO/KO) mutants in a mixed (129S6 x NIH Black Swiss) or inbred (129S6) genetic background died perinatally. Mnt-deficient embryos exhibited small size throughout development and showed reduced levels of c-Myc and N-Myc. In addition, 37% of the mixed background mutants displayed cleft palate as well as retardation of skull development, a phenotype not observed in the inbred mutants. These results demonstrate an important role for Mnt in embryonic development and survival, and suggest that Mnt may play a role in the craniofacial defects displayed by MDS patients.

No abstract

Background: Alternate-day fasting (ADF) method is becoming more and more popular among adults. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effects of ADF on adults.Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ADF were searched using PubMed (1988 to March 2020), EMBASE (1995 to March 2020), and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. A systematic review was carried out using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses. The datum was calculated by RevMan version 5.3.0. The original references for relating articles were also reviewed.Results: Seven randomized controlled trials involving 269 participants (152 in the ADF group and 117 in the control group) were studied. In this meta-analysis, compared with the control group, the ADF group showed statistically significant reductions in weight (p &lt; 0.00001) and body mass index (p &lt; 0.00001). Besides, the ADF group showed significant differences in terms of total cholesterol (p = 0.001), low-density lipoprotein (p = 0.01), triglycerides (p = 0.02), fat mass (p = 0.002), lean mass (p = 0.002), systolic blood pressure (p = 0.003), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.007), and total calorie intake (p = 0.007). At the same time, the analysis demonstrated that the ADF group had a same effect compared with control group in aspects of high-density lipoprotein (p = 0.27), homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (p = 0.55), and fasting blood sugar (p = 0.09).Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that ADF is a viable diet strategy for weight loss, and it has a substantial improvement in risk indicators for diseases in obese or normal people.