IMPORTANCEPrevious studies have shown increasing prevalence of diabetes in China, which now has the world's largest diabetes epidemic.OBJECTIVES To estimate the recent prevalence and to investigate the ethnic variation of diabetes and prediabetes in the Chinese adult population. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A nationally representative cross-sectional survey in 2013 in mainland China, which consisted of 170 287 participants.EXPOSURES Fasting plasma glucose and hemoglobin A 1c levels were measured for all participants. A 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test was conducted for all participants without diagnosed diabetes. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESPrimary outcomes were total diabetes and prediabetes defined according to the 2010 American Diabetes Association criteria. Awareness and treatment were also evaluated. Hemoglobin A 1c concentration of less than 7.0% among treated diabetes patients was considered adequate glycemic control. Minority ethnic groups in China with at least 1000 participants (Tibetan, Zhuang, Manchu, Uyghur, and Muslim) were compared with Han participants.RESULTS Among the Chinese adult population, the estimated standardized prevalence of total diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes was 10.9% (95% CI, 10.4%-11.5%); that of diagnosed diabetes, 4.0% (95% CI, 3.6%-4.3%); and that of prediabetes, 35.7% (95% CI, 34.1%-37.4%). Among persons with diabetes, 36.5% (95% CI, 34.3%-38.6%) were aware of their diagnosis and 32.2% (95% CI, 30.1%-34.2%) were treated; 49.2% (95% CI, 46.9%-51.5%) of patients treated had adequate glycemic control. Tibetan and Muslim Chinese had significantly lower crude prevalence of diabetes than Han participants (14.7% [95% CI, 14.6%-14.9%] for Han, 4.3% [95% CI, 3.5%-5.0%] for Tibetan, and 10.6% [95% CI, 9.3%-11.9%] for Muslim; P < .001 for Tibetan and Muslim compared with Han). In the multivariable logistic models, the adjusted odds ratios compared with Han participants were 0.42 (95% CI, 0.35-0.50) for diabetes and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.71-0.84) for prediabetes for Tibetan Chinese and 0.73 (95% CI, 0.63-0.85) for diabetes and 0.78 (95% CI, 0.71-0.86) for prediabetes in Muslim Chinese.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among adults in China, the estimated overall prevalence of diabetes was 10.9%, and that for prediabetes was 35.7%. Differences from previous estimates for 2010 may be due to an alternate method of measuring hemoglobin A 1c .

No abstract

Among Chinese adults, more than one forth had hypertension and the prevalence has increased significantly during recent decades. Despite huge efforts, the levels of awareness, treatment and control rates of hypertension remain extremely low, foreshadowing substantial unnecessary disease burden.

Aim: To investigate whether curcumin (Cur) suppressed lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) of rats, and to determine its molecular mechanisms. Methods: Primary rat VSMCs were treated with LPS (1 μg/L) and Cur (5, 10, or 30 μmol/L) for 24 h. The levels of MCP-1, TNF-α, and iNOS were measured using ELISA and real-time RT-PCR. NO level was analyzed with the Griess reaction. Western-blotting was used to detect the activation of TLR4, MAPKs, IκBα, NF-κB p65, and the p47 phox subunit of NADPH oxidase in the cells. Results: Treatment of VSMCs with LPS dramatically increased expression of inflammatory cytokines MCP-1 and TNF-α, expression of TLR4 and iNOS, and NO production. LPS also significantly increased phosphorylation of IκBα, nuclear translocation of NF-κB (p65) and phosphorylation of MAPKs in VSMCs. Furthermore, LPS significantly increased production of intracellular ROS, and decreased expression of p47 phox subunit of NADPH oxidase. Pretreatment with Cur concentration-dependently attenuated all the aberrant changes in LPS-treated VSMCs. The LPS-induced overexpression of MCP-1 and TNF-α, and NO production were attenuated by pretreatment with the ERK inhibitor PD98059, the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580, the NF-κB inhibitor PDTC or anti-TLR4 antibody, but not with the JNK inhibitor SP600125. Conclusion: Cur suppresses LPS-induced overexpression of inflammatory mediators in VSMCs in vitro via inhibiting the TLR4-MAPK/ NF-κB pathways, partly due to block of NADPH-mediated intracellular ROS production.

Large noncoding RNA HOTAIR, transcribed from the antisense strand of HOXC12, interacts with Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) in the regulation of gene activities. Recent work suggests that it may have effects on breast cancer progression and survival. We evaluated HOTAIR expression and the methylation status of its downstream intergenic CpG island in primary breast cancers, and examined associations of these factors with clinical and pathologic features and patient survival. HOTAIR expression and DNA methylation were analyzed in tissue from 348 primary breast cancers with quantitative RT-PCR and methylation-specific PCR, respectively. HOTAIR expression and methylation varied widely in the tissues. A positive correlation was found between DNA methylation and HOTAIR expression. Methylation was associated with unfavorable disease characteristics, whereas no significant associations were found between HOTAIR expression and clinical or pathologic features. In multivariate, but not in univariate, Cox proportional hazard regression models, patients with high HOTAIR expression had lower risks of relapse and mortality than those with low HOTAIR expression. These findings suggest that the intergenic DNA methylation may have important biologic relevance in regulating HOTAIR expression, and that HOTAIR expression may not be an independent prognostic marker in breast cancer, but needs further validation in independent studies.