The Impact of Air Pollution Controls on Health and Health Inequity Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese: Evidence From Panel Data.

Objectives: We evaluated the long-term effects of air pollution controls on health and health inequity among Chinese >45 years of age.

Methods: Data were derived from the China Health Aging and Retirement Longitudinal Survey and the China National Environmental Monitoring Centre. Decreases in PM and PM were scaled to measure air quality controls.

Lifestyle behaviors and stress are risk factors for overweight and obesity in healthcare workers: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Overweight and obesity have become major public health concerns worldwide. Persistent stress can activate the human hypothalamic‒pituitary‒adrenal axis (HPA) and increase the intake of "self-rewarding food", thereby raising the incidence of obesity. Health care workers (HCWs) experience higher workloads and mental stress than workers in many other industries, which may put them at increased risk for overweight/obesity.

Hypnotics Use Is Associated with Elevated Incident Atrial Fibrillation: A Propensity-Score Matched Analysis of Cohort Study.

We aimed to investigate the association between either or both of benzodiazepines (BZDs) and non-BZDs and the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database. The participants with at least two prescriptions of BZDs and/or non-BZDs were identified as hypnotics users, whereas those without any prescription of hypnotics were non-hypnotics users. The hypnotics and non-hypnotics cohorts were 1:1 matched on their propensity scores.

Income Disparities in Obesity Trends among U.S. Adults: An Analysis of the 2011-2014 California Health Interview Survey.

The aim of this study was to examine income disparities in obesity trends among California adults. Data were obtained from the 2011−2014 California Health Interview Survey (n = 83,175 adults). Obesity for adults was defined as a body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or above.

Dietary Diversity and Nutrient Intake of Han and Dongxiang Smallholder Farmers in Poverty Areas of Northwest China.

This study aimed to evaluate the status of dietary diversity and nutrient intake among Han and Dongxiang smallholder farmers in poor rural areas of northwest China. In this cross-sectional study, dietary intake was assessed in 499 smallholder farmers aged 18-75 years from two nationally designated impoverished counties in Gansu Province, China, using three consecutive 24 h dietary recalls. The dietary diversity score (DDS) and nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) were adopted to assess dietary diversity and micronutrient adequacy, respectively.

Ethnic group differences in obesity in Asian Americans in California, 2013-2014.

Background: Obesity has been generally understudied in Asian Americans. It is important to identify subgroups of Asian Americans at high risk of obesity to help develop targeted interventions for those subgroups. This study aimed to examine the disparities in obesity among Asians (i.

Decomposing inequality in catastrophic health expenditure for self-reported hypertension household in Urban Shaanxi, China from 2008 to 2013: two waves' cross-sectional study.

Objective: Despite the latest wave of China's healthcare reform initiated in 2009 has achieved unprecedented progress in rural areas, little is known for specific vulnerable groups' catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) in urban China. This study aims to estimate the trend of incidence, intensity and inequality of CHE in hypertension households (households with one or more than one hypertension patient) in urban Shaanxi, China from 2008 to 2013.

Methods: Based on the fourth and the fifth National Health Service Surveys of Shaanxi, we identified 460 and 1289 households with hypertension in 2008 and 2013, respectively for our analysis.

The influence of immigrant generation on obesity among Asian Americans in California from 2013 to 2014.

Objectives: We aimed to examine the association between immigrant generation and obesity among Californian adults and Asian Americans.

Methods: We pooled weighted data (n = 2,967) on Asian Americans from the 2013-2014 California Health Interview Survey. Overweight and obesity were defined using body mass indices (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2, respectively, in non-Asians, compared with BMI of 23 kg/m2 (for being overweight) and 27.

Geographic differences in obesity prevalence and its risk factors among Asian Americans: findings from the 2013-2014 California Health Interview Survey.

Geography disparities exist in obesity and obesity related conditions. This study aimed to examine the geographic differences in obesity prevalence and its risk factors among Asian Americans in California. Data (n = 4,000) from the 2013-2014 California Health Interview Survey were used.

Polymorphisms Within RYR3 Gene Are Associated With Risk and Age at Onset of Hypertension, Diabetes, and Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Hypertension affects 33% of Americans while type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease (AD) affect 10% of Americans, respectively. Ryanodine receptor 3 gene (RYR3) codes for the RYR which functions to release stored endoplasmic reticulum calcium ions (Ca2+) to increase intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Increasing studies demonstrate that altered levels of intracellular Ca2+ affect cardiac contraction, insulin secretion, and neurodegeneration.

Bayesian Cox Proportional Hazards Model in Survival Analysis of HACE1 Gene with Age at Onset of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is a chronic neurodegenerative disease. The HECT domain and ankyrin repeat containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (HACE1) gene is expressed in human brain and may play a role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. Till now, no previous study has reported the association of the HACE1 gene with the risk and age at onset (AAO) of AD; while few studies have checked the proportional hazards assumption in the survival analysis of AAO of AD using Cox proportional hazards model.

Genetic association analysis of polymorphisms in PSD3 gene with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and HDL cholesterol.

Background: The pleckstrin and Sec7 domain-containing 3 (PSD3) gene has been linked to immune diseases. We examined whether the genetic variants within the PSD3 gene are associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level.

Methods: Multiple logistic regression model and linear regression model were used to examine the associations of 259 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the PSD3 gene with obesity and T2D as binary traits, and HDL level as a continuous trait using the Marshfield data, respectively.

Sleep duration and smoking are associated with coronary heart disease among US adults with type 2 diabetes: Gender differences.

Aims: The associations of moderate alcohol consumption, sleep duration, and tobacco smoking with coronary heart disease (CHD) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) are not clearly clarified. The aims of the study were to evaluate the associations of lifestyle factors, hypertension, obesity, depression and sleep duration with CHD development among patients with T2D, and particularly, to examine the gender differences in risk factors for CHD.

Methods: A total of 2335 T2D adults were selected from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey.