Prevalence of HCV resistance-associated substitutions among treatment-failure patients receiving direct-acting antiviral agents.

Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) failure, which is mainly associated with the selection of resistance-associated substitutions (RASs), is not rare in HCV treatment. RAS data collected from published literature and RAS prevalence were integrated using meta-analysis. DAA-failure-associated RASs were identified by comparing their prevalence between DAA-failure and DAA-naïve patients.

Cerebral small vessel disease is associated with gait disturbance among community-dwelling elderly individuals: the Taizhou imaging study.

Gait disturbance is considered to be a significant clinical manifestation of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). We aimed to investigate the association between different imaging markers of CSVD or total CSVD burden and gait disturbance in a community-dwelling population. In the cross-sectional Taizhou Imaging Study (TIS), 314 participants free of neurological disorders underwent MRI scanning and gait assessment with quantitative wearable devices as well as clinical rating scales.

Associations of Arterial Stiffness and Carotid Atherosclerosis with Cerebral Small Vessel Disease in a Rural Community-Based Population.

Aims: We aimed to examine the associations of four extracranial artery indicators with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and its total burden.

Methods: A total of 904 individuals aged 55-65 years old were included from the Taizhou Imaging Study. CSVD markers, including lacunes (LAC), white matter hyperintensities (WMH), cerebral microbleeds (CMB), and perivascular spaces (PVS), were rated based on brain magnetic resonance imaging.

Epistatic interaction between PKD2 and ABCG2 influences the pathogenesis of hyperuricemia and gout.

Background: Genetic background affects serum urate concentration and gout risk, especially regarding these variants in the urate-transporter gene ABCG2. However, the role of epistasis between PKD2 and ABCG2 on the pathogenesis of gout is poorly understood. Here we assess this epistatic interaction in the progression from elevated serum urate to gout.

The progress of gut microbiome research related to brain disorders.

There is increasing evidence showing that the dynamic changes in the gut microbiota can alter brain physiology and behavior. Cognition was originally thought to be regulated only by the central nervous system. However, it is now becoming clear that many non-nervous system factors, including the gut-resident bacteria of the gastrointestinal tract, regulate and influence cognitive dysfunction as well as the process of neurodegeneration and cerebrovascular diseases.

World-wide Prevalence of Substitutions in HCV Genome Associated With Resistance to Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents.

Background & Aims: The efficacy of direct-acting antiviral agents against hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can be compromised by substitutions in the HCV genome that occur before treatment (resistance-associated substitutions [RASs]). We performed a meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of RASs and their effects.

Methods: We searched publication databases for studies of HCV RNA substitutions that mediate resistance to direct-acting antiviral agents.

Differential Cumulative Risk of Genetic Polymorphisms in Familial and Nonfamilial Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: To explore the relationship between family history of esophageal cancer, SNPs, and the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), we performed a population-based case-control study and developed a genetic family history-related risk (GFR) score and non-family history-related risk (GnFR) score to quantify the cumulative number of risk genotypes carried by each individual.

Methods: We used data of 700 patients with nonfamilial ESCC, 341 patients with familial ESCC, 1,445 controls without a family history of esophageal cancer, and 319 controls with a family history. We genotyped 87 genetic variants associated with the risk for ESCC, and constructed GFR and GnFR scores for cases and controls.

Trans-acting non-synonymous variant of FOXA1 predisposes to hepatocellular carcinoma through modulating FOXA1-ERα transcriptional program and may have undergone natural selection.

Interplay of pioneer transcription factor forkhead box A1 (FOXA1) and estrogen receptor has been implicated in sexual dimorphism in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but etiological relevance of its polymorphism was unknown. In the case control study (1152 patients versus1242 controls), we observed significant increase in HCC susceptibility in hepatitis B virus carriers associated with a non-synonymous Thr83Ala variant of FOXA1 (odds ratio [OR], 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.

Changing trends in the disease burden of primary liver cancer caused by specific etiologies in China.

Background: Liver cancer is a commonly diagnosed malignancy in China. The etiologies of liver cancer are widely known, although studies on temporal trends in liver cancer caused by specific etiologies are rare.

Methods: Data on the incidence and mortality of liver cancer were retrieved from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2017.

Adult height, body mass index change, and body shape change in relation to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma risk: A population-based case-control study in China.

The relationship between risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and adult height, changes in individual body mass index (BMI) and body shape is not established. We performed a large population-based case-control study, which enrolled a total of 1414 ESCC cases and 1989 controls in a high-incidence area in China. Using face-to-face interview with a structured questionnaire, information on participants' heights, weights, and perceived body shapes at 20 years of age was collected.

Metabolomics in the Development and Progression of Dementia: A Systematic Review.

Dementia has become a major global public health challenge with a heavy economic burden. It is urgently necessary to understand dementia pathogenesis and to identify biomarkers predicting risk of dementia in the preclinical stage for prevention, monitoring, and treatment. Metabolomics provides a novel approach for the identification of biomarkers of dementia.

Total Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Burden Is Related to Worse Performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination and Incident Dementia: A Prospective 5-Year Follow-Up.

Individual cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) may cause cognitive decline. However, the association between total burden of CSVD and cognitive deterioration in the general population remains unclear. We aimed to determine whether total CSVD score is associated with cognitive performance change and incident dementia in the general population.

Disparities in Cancer Incidence among Chinese Population versus Migrants to Developed Regions: A Population-Based Comparative Study.

Background: The incidence of cancer was determined by genetic and environmental factors and varied across the world. The discrepancies in cancer profile among Chinese people living in different regions remained obscure.

Methods: Chinese people living in urban Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Singapore, and Los Angeles were included in this study.

Future of cancer incidence in Shanghai, China: Predicting the burden upon the ageing population.

Aim: The age-specific cancer patterns have changed significantly over the last few decades in urban Shanghai. Predicting the cancer incidence in an ageing population can help to anticipate future resource needs, evaluate primary prevention strategies, and inform further research studies.

Materials And Methods: Annual cancer cases and population data from 1988 to 2013 were collected from Shanghai Cancer Registry.

Deep/mixed cerebral microbleeds are associated with cognitive dysfunction through thalamocortical connectivity disruption: The Taizhou Imaging Study.

Background: Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are considered to be risk factors for cognitive dysfunction. The specific pathology and clinical manifestations of CMBs are different based on their locations. We investigated the association between CMBs at different locations and cognitive dysfunction and explored the potential underlying pathways in a rural Han Chinese population.

The disparities in gastrointestinal cancer incidence among Chinese populations in Shanghai compared to Chinese immigrants and indigenous non-Hispanic white populations in Los Angeles, USA.

Gastrointestinal cancer patterns are distinct among populations. Our study aims to compare the incidence and risk of gastrointestinal cancers between Chinese American and non-Hispanic whites in Los Angeles, CA, USA, to those of people indigenous to Shanghai to elucidate the changing patterns of gastrointestinal cancers. Cancer incidence data from 1988 to 2012 were extracted from the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents plus database.

Enigmatic Differences by Sex in Cancer Incidence: Evidence From Childhood Cancers.

We investigated the differences in cancer incidence between boys and girls. The incidence data for pediatric cancers were retrieved from the International Incidence of Childhood Cancer project (1990-2015). Poisson regression was applied to detect the sex differences in cancer incidence at global and regional levels.

Differential expression of a set of microRNA genes reveals the potential mechanism of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Background: Our aim was to explore the potential mechanism underlying papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) development.

Methods: Gene expression profile data GSE3467 and microRNA (miRNA) expression profile data E-TABM-68 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus and Array Express database respectively. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and miRNAs between PTC patients and normal individuals were screened.

Incidental findings on brain MRI among Chinese at the age of 55-65 years: the Taizhou Imaging Study.

Asymptomatic brain abnormalities are common incidental findings on brain MRI in the elderly population and can be regarded as imaging markers of early stroke and dementia. We initiated the Taizhou Imaging Study (TIS) to examine the prevalence and correlates of incidental findings using brain MRI among an elderly population residing in a rural area of China. A total of 562 individuals, at the age of 55 to 65 years, participated in the TIS study with a response rate of 90%.

Alcohol Intake Interacts with Functional Genetic Polymorphisms of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase (ALDH2) and Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH) to Increase Esophageal Squamous Cell Cancer Risk.

Introduction: Studies have reported alcohol consumption and genetic variants as major contributing factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the complicated interactions between alcohol and genetic factors involved in alcohol metabolism have not been well elucidated with respect to augmented risk of ESCC.

Methods: We performed a large population-based case-control study in a Chinese city with a high ESCC incidence by enrolling 1190 case patients and 1883 controls.

Changing epidemiological patterns of HIV and AIDS in China in the post-SARS era identified by the nationwide surveillance system.

Background: China has made substantial progress in tackling its HIV and AIDS epidemic. But the changing patterns of HIV and AIDS incidence based on the longitudinal observation data were rarely studied.

Methods: The reporting incidence (RI) and mortality data on HIV and AIDS in China covering 31 provinces from 2004 to 2014 were collected from the Chinese Public Health Science Data Center.

The trends in incidence of primary liver cancer caused by specific etiologies: Results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016 and implications for liver cancer prevention.

Background & Aims: Liver cancer is a common malignant neoplasm worldwide. The etiologies for liver cancer are diverse and the incidence trends of liver cancer caused by specific etiologies are rarely studied. We therefore aimed to determine the pattern of liver cancer incidence, as well as temporal trends.

Low Bone Mineral Density Is Not Associated with Subclinical Atherosclerosis: A Population-Based Study in Rural China.

Objectives: Loss of bone mass may affect the progression of atherosclerosis. We investigated the relationship between low bone mineral density (BMD) and subclinical atherosclerosis in rural China.

Methods: In total, 333 men and 421 postmenopausal women aged 55-65 years were enrolled.