Interplay between oral health and lifestyle factors for cancer risk in rural and urban China: a population-based cohort study.

Background: Although poor oral health and several lifestyle factors have been found to be associated with cancer risk, their joint relationship has rarely been studied.

Methods: We prospectively examined the associations of oral health and healthy lifestyle factors with cancer risk among 0.5 million rural and urban residents from the China Kadoorie Biobank (2004-2015).

Sex and Age Differences in Association between Physical Activity and Metabolic Syndrome: Results from NHANES 2003-2006.

Objective: To examine whether and how sex and age modify the association between accelerometer-based physical activity (PA) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among American (US) adults.

Method: Adults aged ≥20 years old who participated in the mobile center examination during 2003-2006 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included for analysis. The total minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was estimated using ActiGraph.

Serum Nutritional Biomarkers and All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in U.S. Adults with Metabolic Syndrome: The Results from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2006.

Background: There is limited research on the associations between serum nutritional biomarkers and mortality risk in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Existing studies merely investigated the single-biomarker effect. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the combined effect of nutritional biomarker mixtures and mortality risk using the Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) model in patients with MetS.

Association of Clinical Factors and Degree of Early Background Parenchymal Enhancement on Contrast-Enhanced Mammography.

Background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) may impact contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) interpretation, although factors influencing the degree of BPE on CEM are poorly understood. The purpose of our study was to evaluate relationships between clinical factors and the degree of early BPE on CEM. This retrospective study included 207 patients (median age, 46 years) who underwent CEM between April 2020 and September 2021.

Association of Stool Frequency and Consistency with the Risk of All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality among U.S. Adults: Results from NHANES 2005-2010.

Background: Prior studies on the relationship between bowel health and mortality have generally focused on the individual association of stool frequency or consistency with mortality but did not present a joint association. Therefore, we aimed to systematically evaluate the individual and joint associations of stool frequency and consistency with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in this study.

Methods: A total of 14,574 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2010 were incorporated in this analysis.

Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase has different efficacy on biliary atresia diagnosis in different hospital patient groups: an application of machine learning approach.

Objectives: Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) is the most widely used biomarker in the early diagnosis of biliary atresia (BA), but its diagnostic efficacy is questionable in different sub-populations. We aim to identify subgroups that are defined by specific variables with cut-offs and can significantly affect the diagnostic efficacy of GGT for detecting BA.

Methods: Clinical data from 1273 infants with neonatal obstructive jaundice (NOJ) diagnosed between January 2012 and December 2017 at the Children's Hospital of Fudan University were enrolled, reviewed, and analyzed.

Identifying factors that may influence the classification performance of radiomics models using contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) images.

Background: Radiomics plays an important role in the field of oncology. Few studies have focused on the identification of factors that may influence the classification performance of radiomics models. The goal of this study was to use contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) images to identify factors that may potentially influence the performance of radiomics models in diagnosing breast lesions.

Poor oral health and risks of total and site-specific cancers in China: A prospective cohort study of 0.5 million adults.

Background: There is a strong connection between oral health and overall wellness. We aim to examine the association between poor oral health and the risk of developing or dying of cancer, and whether the association differs by residential area.

Methods: Between 2004 and 2008, a total of 510,148 adults free of cancer were included from the China Kadoorie Biobank study and thereafter followed up to 2015.

Survival analysis of second primary malignancies after cervical cancer using a competing risk model: implications for prevention and surveillance.

Background: Previous studies have reported an increased risk for second primary malignancies (SPMs) after cervical cancer (CC). This study aims to quantify and assess the risk of developing SPMs in long-term survivors of CC.

Methods: A population-based cohort of CC patients aged 20-79 years was obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.

Accuracy of random-forest-based imputation of missing data in the presence of non-normality, non-linearity, and interaction.

Background: Missing data are common in statistical analyses, and imputation methods based on random forests (RF) are becoming popular for handling missing data especially in biomedical research. Unlike standard imputation approaches, RF-based imputation methods do not assume normality or require specification of parametric models. However, it is still inconclusive how they perform for non-normally distributed data or when there are non-linear relationships or interactions.

Efficacy of Jia Wei Yang He formula as an adjunctive therapy for asthma: study protocol for a randomized, double blinded, controlled trial.

Background: Over the past two or three decades, the prevalence of asthma has significantly increased worldwide; therefore, effective treatment without side effects is of utmost importance. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a vital role in reducing symptoms and improving the quality of life in persistent-asthma patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the Jia Wei Yang He (JWYH) formula in the treatment of asthma and to explore the relationship between the airway microbiome and TCM treatment in asthma patients.

A sample size planning approach that considers both statistical significance and clinical significance.

Background: The CONSORT statement requires clinical trials to report confidence intervals, which help to assess the precision and clinical importance of the treatment effect. Conventional sample size calculations for clinical trials, however, only consider issues of statistical significance (that is, significance level and power).

Method: A more consistent approach is proposed whereby sample size planning also incorporates information on clinical significance as indicated by the boundaries of the confidence limits of the treatment effect.

Safety of the direct-acting anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is known as one of the independent risk factors for stroke and might significantly increase its risk. Nowadays, direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been developed and demonstrated a more promising option to warfarin, the conclusion for safety is heterogeneous in different studies. It indicates the importance of comprehensive comparison of safety between DOACs and warfarin.

Meta-analysis of efficacy and safety of the new anticoagulants versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of the new oral anticoagulants versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation by the meta-analyses performed for 5 studies ARISTOTLE, ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48, RE-LY, ROCKET-AF, and J-ROCKET.

Methods: The events including primary efficacy endpoint (stroke and systemic embolism), ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, all-cause mortality, and myocardial infarction were used for efficacy analysis and those including major bleeding, intracranial hemorrhage, and gastrointestinal bleeding were used for safety analysis. Instead of combining both doses to 1 meta-analysis, the high-dose groups of RE-LY (150 mg twice daily) and ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 (60 mg twice daily) were combined with the single dose studies ARISTOTLE, ROCKET-AF, and J-ROCKET.

Developing a predictive tool for psychological well-being among Chinese adolescents in the presence of missing data.

Background: Multi-dimensional behavioral rating scales like the CBCL and YSR are available for diagnosing psychosocial maladjustment in adolescents, but these are unsuitable for large-scale usage since they are time-consuming and their many sensitive questions often lead to missing data. This research applies multiple imputation to tackle the effects of missing data in order to develop a simple questionnaire-based predictive instrument for psychosocial maladjustment.

Methods: Questionnaires from 2919 Chinese sixth graders in 21 schools were collected, but 86% of the students were missing one or more of the variables for analysis.

A survey of variable selection methods in two Chinese epidemiology journals.

Background: Although much has been written on developing better procedures for variable selection, there is little research on how it is practiced in actual studies. This review surveys the variable selection methods reported in two high-ranking Chinese epidemiology journals.

Methods: Articles published in 2004, 2006, and 2008 in the Chinese Journal of Epidemiology and the Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine were reviewed.

Identifying high-risk regions for schistosomiasis in Guichi, China: a spatial analysis.

Schistosomiasis epidemic is reemerging in some areas of China. The extensive snail habitat is a major challenge for a sustainable schistosomiasis control. Direct surveillance on snails for the disease control is no longer a desirable disease control approach due to current low density of infected snails and reduced funding.

Delays in maturation among adolescents with hemophilia and a history of inhibitors.

Inhibitory antibodies to factors VIII or IX have the potential to affect a broad range of outcomes among people with hemophilia; however, their possible effect on growth and maturation has not been explored. We evaluated skeletal maturation (bone age), pubertal progression, serum testosterone levels, height velocity, and stature in the multicenter Hemophilia Growth and Development Study. A total of 333 children and adolescents (mean age, 12.

Risk of depression in patients with chronic respiratory diseases: results from two large cohort studies in Chinese elderly from Hong Kong.

Objective: Although it has been suggested that depression is common in patients with chronic respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), few studies on the association between chronic respiratory diseases and depression have been conducted in the community.

Method: Data from the baseline examination of two cohort studies, Mr and Ms Os, Hong Kong were used. Three thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight Hong Kong men and women aged 65 to 92 were recruited.

Stromal cell-derived factor-1 genotype, coreceptor tropism, and HIV type 1 disease progression.

This study used a well characterized cohort of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected hemophiliacs to define the relationship between the SDF1-3'A allele, the plasma HIV-1 coreceptor tropism, and the natural history of HIV-1 disease. Subjects heterozygous or homozygous for the SDF1-3'A allele experienced higher rates of decline in CD4+ T cell counts over time than did those without the allele (P=.009).

Prevalence of and risk factors for sarcopenia in elderly Chinese men and women.

Background: Several studies have documented the substantial health and economic burdens associated with sarcopenia among the elderly, but there has been no systematic study among Asians. A cross-sectional survey of elderly community-dwelling Chinese volunteers (262 men and 265 women), aged 70 years and older, was undertaken in Hong Kong. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of and risk factors for sarcopenia in elderly Chinese, and to compare these observations with those in white persons.

Effect of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype on HCV and HIV-1 disease.

The relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype and HCV and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 disease is not well defined. The present study analyzed data from a cohort of 207 HIV-1-infected and 126 HIV-1-uninfected children and adolescents with hemophilia who enrolled in the Hemophilia Growth and Development Study and were followed for 7 years. The mean HCV RNA level was higher in the participants in the HCV genotype 1 group than in the participants the HCV non-genotype 1 group, among both the HIV-1-infected (difference, +0.

Effect of hydroxyurea on growth in children with sickle cell anemia: results of the HUG-KIDS Study.

Objectives: Although hydroxyurea is effective in treating adults with sickle-cell anemia (SCA), there is concern that it may adversely affect growth in children. We report the growth characteristics of patients in the Phase I-II pediatric hydroxyurea trial (HUG-KIDS) before and during treatment at the maximum tolerated dose for one year.

Study Design: Children and adolescents with SCA (n = 68), aged 5 to 16 years at baseline, reached the maximum tolerated dose and had serial height, weight, and Tanner stage measurements.