Reconstructed influenza A/H3N2 infection histories reveal variation in incidence and antibody dynamics over the life course.

Humans experience many influenza infections over their lives, resulting in complex and varied immunological histories. Although experimental and quantitative analyses have improved our understanding of the immunological processes defining an individual's antibody repertoire, how these within-host processes are linked to population-level influenza epidemiology in humans remains unclear. Here, we used a multilevel mathematical model to jointly infer antibody dynamics and individual-level lifetime influenza A/H3N2 infection histories for 1,130 individuals in Guangzhou, China, using 67,683 haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay measurements against 20 A/H3N2 strains from repeat serum samples collected between 2009 and 2015.

Reconstructed influenza A/H3N2 infection histories reveal variation in incidence and antibody dynamics over the life course.

Humans experience many influenza infections over their lives, resulting in complex and varied immunological histories. Although experimental and quantitative analyses have improved our understanding of the immunological processes defining an individual's antibody repertoire, how these within-host processes are linked to population-level influenza epidemiology remains unclear. Here, we used a multi-level mathematical model to jointly infer antibody dynamics and individual-level lifetime influenza A/H3N2 infection histories for 1,130 individuals in Guangzhou, China, using 67,683 haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay measurements against 20 A/H3N2 strains from repeat serum samples collected between 2009 and 2015.

Survival at older ages: are greater influenza antibody titers protective?

Antibodies are a core element of the immune system's defense against infectious diseases. We hypothesize that antibody titres might therefore be an important predictor of survival in older individuals. This is important because biomarkers that robustly measure survival have proved elusive, despite their potential utility in health care settings.

Long term intrinsic cycling in human life course antibody responses to influenza A(H3N2): an observational and modeling study.

Background: Over a life course, human adaptive immunity to antigenically mutable pathogens exhibits competitive and facilitative interactions. We hypothesize that such interactions may lead to cyclic dynamics in immune responses over a lifetime.

Methods: To investigate the cyclic behavior, we analyzed hemagglutination inhibition titers against 21 historical influenza A(H3N2) strains spanning 47 years from a cohort in Guangzhou, China, and applied Fourier spectrum analysis.

Mendelian Randomization Focused Analysis of Vitamin D on the Secondary Prevention of Ischemic Stroke.

Background And Purpose: Experimental studies showed vitamin D (Vit-D) could promote vascular regeneration and repair. Prior randomized studies had focused mainly on primary prevention. Whether Vit-D protects against ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction recurrence among subjects with prior ischemic insults was unknown.

Association of a composite score of relative grip strength and timed up and go test with incident type 2 diabetes mellitus: Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.

Background: We investigated association of a score incorporating relative grip strength (RGS) and timed up and go (TUG) test with incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in older Chinese.

Methods: Both RGS and TUG scores were classified into tertiles (0~2 points) and summed to yield RGS-TUG score, ranging from 0 to 4 points, with higher points indicating better physical function. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyze association of RGS-TUG score with incident T2DM.

Association of fish consumption with risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality: an 11-year follow-up of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.

Background: Whether fish consumption is associated with all-cause, cardiovascular (CVD), ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke mortality remains inconclusive. We examined the association of fish consumption with all-cause, cardiovascular (CVD), ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke mortality in older men and women in south China.

Methods: A total of 18,215 participants including men and women without CVD at baseline (2003-2006) from Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (GBCS) were included and followed up till December 2017.

Smoking and nasopharyngeal cancer: individual data meta-analysis of six prospective studies on 334 935 men.

Background: The role of smoking in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains uncertain, especially in endemic regions. We conducted an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies to investigate the associations between smoking exposure and risk of NPC.

Methods: We obtained individual participant data of 334 935 male participants from six eligible population-based cohorts in NPC-endemic regions, including two each in Guangzhou and Taiwan, and one each in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Adiposity change and mortality in middle-aged to older Chinese: an 8-year follow-up of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.

Objective: To examine the associations of change in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) over an average of 4 years with subsequent mortality risk in middle-aged to older Chinese.

Design: Prospective cohort study based on the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.

Setting: Community-based sample.

Using serological measures to estimate influenza incidence in the presence of secular trends in exposure and immuno-modulation of antibody response.

Background: Influenza infection is often measured by a fourfold antibody titer increase over an influenza season (ie seroconversion). However, this approach may fail when influenza seasons are less distinct as it does not account for transient effects from recent infections. Here, we present a method to determine seroconversion for non-paired sera, adjusting for changes in individuals' antibody titers to influenza due to the transient impact of recent exposures, varied sampling times, and laboratory processes.

Glycaemia and hand grip strength in aging people: Guangzhou biobank cohort study.

Background: There is a link between hyperglycemia and mechanical functions of muscle. However, existing evidence of the association between hyperglycemia and weaker muscle strength is limited and inconsistent. We examined whether glycemic status was associated with relative grip strength (RGS) in older Chinese.

Physicians' very brief (30-sec) intervention for smoking cessation on 13 671 smokers in China: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial.

Background And Aims: Three to 10 minutes of smoking cessation advice by physicians is effective to increase quit rates, but is not routinely practised. We examined the effectiveness of physicians' very brief (approximately 30 sec) smoking cessation intervention on quit rates among Chinese outpatient smokers.

Design: A pragmatic, open-label, individually randomized controlled trial.

Mortality in relation to changes in physical activity in middle-aged to older Chinese: An 8-year follow-up of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.

Background: Physical activity (PA) is generally encouraged. Studies from developed countries in the West have shown that maintenance of adequate PA or increasing PA are associated with lower mortality risk. It is unclear whether these associations apply to an older Chinese population.

Life course exposures continually shape antibody profiles and risk of seroconversion to influenza.

Complex exposure histories and immune mediated interactions between influenza strains contribute to the life course of human immunity to influenza. Antibody profiles can be generated by characterizing immune responses to multiple antigenically variant strains, but how these profiles vary across individuals and determine future responses is unclear. We used hemagglutination inhibition titers from 21 H3N2 strains to construct 777 paired antibody profiles from people aged 2 to 86, and developed novel metrics to capture features of these profiles.

Milk consumption and risk of mortality from all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer in older people.

Background: Milk as a common diet is recommended by many guidelines, but the results on the association of milk consumption with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or cancer were contradictory. Moreover, evidence regarding milk consumption and mortality risk in Chinese is scarce.

Objective: We examined the associations of milk consumption with the risk of all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality in a low milk consumption population using data from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.

The mediating role of inflammation in the association between cigarette smoking and intima-media thickness: The Guangzhou biobank cohort study.

Cigarette smoking is associated with thicker carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), probably partly through inflammatory pathways. However, to what extent does inflammation mediate the smoking-carotid atherosclerosis association is unclear. We investigated the mediating effect of inflammation on the association between cigarette smoking and carotid IMT, and quantified the respective contributions of inflammatory markers to this association.

Adiposity and mortality in older Chinese: an 11-year follow-up of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.

Previous studies on Chinese showed mixed results describing the relationship between obesity and mortality. The optimum levels of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) are inconsistent. In the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study, after excluding ever smokers and those with poor health, 19,405 Chinese (50+ years) recruited from 2003 to 2008 were followed-up until 2017.

Evaluation of electrical characteristics of biological tissue with electrical impedance spectroscopy.

The electrical characteristics of biological tissue is evaluated by establishing an electrical equivalent circuit with electrical impedance spectroscopy. The least squares method is used to realize electrical equivalent circuit fitting by using the developed portable electrical impedance spectroscopy system. The EIS system is used to obtain the impedance spectrum data of the measured biological tissue.

Glycemic Measures and Risk of Mortality in Older Chinese: The Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.

Context: China has the largest number of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the world. Data from previous studies have suggested that up to one-fifth of individuals with diabetes would be missed without an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). To date, there is little information on the mortality risk of these individuals.

Sleep quality and cognitive impairment in older Chinese: Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.

Background: evidence concerning the relationship between sleep quality and cognitive impairment is limited and inconsistent.

Objective: to examine the association of sleep quality with memory impairment and poor cognitive function in a large sample of older Chinese.

Methods: 15,246 participants aged 50+ years of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study who attended the second physical examination from 2008 to 2012 were included.

All-cause and cause-specific mortality from restrictive and obstructive spirometric patterns in Chinese adults with and without dyspnea: Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.

Objective: To study whether abnormal spirometric patterns were associated with differential mortality in Chinese adults with and without dyspnea.

Methods: Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (GBCS) participants were classified by spirometric patterns and presence of dyspnea into 6 groups: normal spirometry (NS), restriction on spirometry (ROS) and airflow obstruction (AO), each with and without dyspnea. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) were calculated for mortality using Cox models.

[Relationship between occupational stress, psychological capital and depressive symptoms among female workers in five electronic manufacturing enterprises].

To explore the relationship between occupational stress, psychological capital and depressive symptoms among electronic manufacturing female workers in the Pearl River Delta region. Using cluster sampling method, 845 female workers from 5 electronic manufacturing enterprises in the Pearl River Delta region were selected as research subjects from June to August 2017. The Effort Reward Imbalance questionnaire (ERI) , Psychological Capital questionnaire-24 (PCQ-24) and Patient Health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were applied to measure the level of occupational stress, psychological capital and depressive symptoms in female workers.