Publications by authors named "Quanmei Zheng"

The interaction between arsenic metabolism and potential modifiers on the risk of diabetes is unclear. This research aimed to investigate arsenic metabolism and diabetes prevalence and to identify the interactive effects of arsenic metabolism with some risk factors on diabetes in a Chinese population. A baseline cross-sectional survey was performed in two areas with groundwater arsenic contamination in China.

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The association of hypertension with skinfold thickness (ST) in adults is not clear. Our study was aimed at finding out the association of hypertension with ST in different gender and obesity categories. This is a cross-sectional study based on 2336 Chinese residents (767 men).

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This study aimed to investigate whether conventional predisposing factors modify the associations of homocysteine with blood pressure levels and hypertension. A total of 2615 adults were recruited from Liaoning province. An elevated homocysteine level was significantly associated with increased hypertension risk and blood pressure (all P<.

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Although several studies have investigated the associations of neck circumference (NC) with arterial blood pressures (BPs) and hypertension, no such studies have been conducted among Northern Chinese population. Between April and June 2015, a total of 2631 subjects aged ≥35 years old were recruited from Northeastern China. NC and arterial BPs were measured by trained personnel.

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Although both methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase () C677T and methionine synthase reductase () A66G polymorphisms have been associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D), their interactions with being overweight/obesity on T2D risk remain unclear. To evaluate the associations of the two polymorphisms with T2D and their interactions with being overweight/obesity on T2D risk, a case-control study of 180 T2D patients and 350 healthy controls was conducted in northern China. Additive interaction was estimated using relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP) and synergy index (S).

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Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and A1298C polymorphisms are, independently and/or in combination, associated with many disorders. However, data on the combined genotype and haplotype distributions of the 2 polymorphisms in Chinese population were limited.We recruited 13,473 adult women from 9 Chinese provinces, collected buccal cell samples, and determined genotypes, to estimate the combined genotype and haplotype distributions of the MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms.

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Background: Little is known regarding the interactions of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) A66G polymorphisms with overweight/obesity on serum lipid profiles. The aim of the current study was to explore interactions between the two polymorphisms and overweight/obesity on four common lipid levels in a Chinese Han population and further to evaluate whether these interactions exhibit gender-specificity.

Methods: A total of 2239 participants (750 females and 1489 males) were enrolled into this study.

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Hypertension is considered to be the result of genes, environment, and their interactions. Among them age, sex, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and being overweight/obesity are well documented environmental determinants, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism is nominated as a potential genetic candidate. However, the synergistic effect of the MTHFR C677T polymorphism with these environmental factors on the risk of hypertension has received little attention.

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In addition to naturally occurring arsenic, man-made arsenic-based compounds are other sources of arsenic exposure. In 2013, our group identified 12 suspected arsenicosis patients in a household (32 living members). Of them, eight members were diagnosed with skin cancer.

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Several studies have examined the associations of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) A66G polymorphisms with being overweight/obesity. However, the results are still controversial. We therefore conducted a case-control study (517 cases and 741 controls) in a Chinese Han population and then performed a meta-analysis by combining previous studies (5431 cases and 24,896 controls).

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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Realgar is widely used in combination with other herbs as Chinese patent medicine to treat a wide range of diseases in China. It is also a well known arsenical toxicant. Chronic arsenic poisoning events caused by long-term usage of realgar-containing medicines have been reported in literatures.

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Inefficient arsenic methylation capacity has been associated with various health hazards induced by arsenic. In this study, we aimed to explore the interaction effect of lower arsenic methylation capacity with demographic characteristics on hypertension risk. A total of 512 adult participants (126 hypertension subjects and 386 non-hypertension subjects) residing in an arsenic-endemic area in Inner Mongolia, China were included.

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Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy, total homocysteine concentrations > 15 μmol/L) has been associated with increased risk of many diseases. A systematic review was performed to summarize the prevalence of HHcy in China. We searched multiple international and Chinese scientific databases for relevant literature, and further manually screened reference lists and corresponded with original authors.

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Background: A systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies on developmental fluoride neurotoxicity support the hypothesis that exposure to elevated concentrations of fluoride in water is neurotoxic during development.

Methods: We carried out a pilot study of 51 first-grade children in southern Sichuan, China, using the fluoride concentration in morning urine after an exposure-free night; fluoride in well-water source; and dental fluorosis status as indices of past fluoride exposure. We administered a battery of age-appropriate, relatively culture-independent tests that reflect different functional domains: the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-IV) digit span and block design; finger tapping and grooved pegboard.

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Prior evidence indicates that homocysteine plays a role in the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) A66G polymorphisms are common genetic determinants of homocysteine levels. To investigate the associations of the MTHFR C677T and MTRR A66G polymorphisms with MetS, 692 Chinese Han subjects with MetS and 878 controls were recruited.

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Background: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), a key enzyme in folate metabolism, had significant effects on the homocysteine levels. The common functional MTHFR C677T polymorphism had been extensively researched. Several studies had evaluated the relationship between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but the results were still controversial in the Chinese Han population.

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Incomplete arsenic (As) methylation has been considered a risk factor of As-related diseases. This study aimed to examine the difference of urinary As metabolites and the methylation capacity between subjects with and without skin lesions. Urinary inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) were analyzed.

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A lower arsenic methylation capacity is believed to be associated with various arsenic-related diseases. However, the synergistic effect of the arsenic methylation capacity and potential modifiers on arsenicosis risk is unclear. The current study evaluated the joint effect of the arsenic methylation capacity with several risk factors on the risk of arsenicosis characterized by skin lesions.

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The number of people with diabetes has been exponentially increasing. A number of reports in the literature have suggested that exposure to passive smoke may play a key role in the development of diabetes; however, the association has not been jointly summarized yet. In this meta-analysis, 2 databases were searched to identify studies, and the references of these studies were scanned for further studies.

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Background: Several epidemiological studies have investigated the associations of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and A1298C polymorphisms with hypertension (H) or hypertension in pregnancy (HIP). However, the results were controversial. We therefore performed a comprehensive meta-analysis to provide empirical evidences on the associations.

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Arsenic-contaminated groundwater used for drinking in China is a health threat that was first recognized in the 1960s. However, because of the sheer size of the country, millions of groundwater wells remain to be tested in order to determine the magnitude of the problem. We developed a statistical risk model that classifies safe and unsafe areas with respect to geogenic arsenic contamination in China, using the threshold of 10 micrograms per liter, the World Health Organization guideline and current Chinese standard for drinking water.

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Prolonged exposure to inorganic arsenic has been a severe environmental public health issue worldwide in the recent decades. Increasing evidence has suggested a possible role of prolonged arsenic exposure through drinking water in the development of arsenic-induced chronic noncancer diseases, among which hypertension and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are the focus of concern. Although exposure to high levels of arsenic has been reported to be associated with excess risk of hypertension or T2D in a dose-dependent manner, the association has yet to be established, especially low-level exposure.

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Background: Although some studies mainly from Taiwan, Bangladesh and the United States, have suggested a consistent dose-response increase in the prevalence of hypertension with increasing arsenic exposure, the association between chronic environmental arsenic exposure and the risk of hypertension is still inconclusive. Most of the studies discussed the association from the point of view of arsenic concentration in drinking water or cumulative arsenic exposure (CAE), few involved arsenic speciation into the discussion. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the potential association between environmental arsenic exposure through drinking water and the prevalence of hypertension by analyzing not only CAE but also urinary arsenic speciation, and provided data on arsenic exposure and hypertension from mainland of China.

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Although arsenic is effective in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), as a well-known environmental toxicant, the side effects of arsenic treatment and arsenic methylation metabolism of the patients are rarely reported. In this manuscript, we investigated 23 APL patients treated with 10 mg arsenic trioxide daily, detected the arsenic metabolites in urine samples collected on the 0, 10th, and 20th day of arsenic treatment. At the same time, liver function and blood routine examination were also investigated in these APL patients.

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