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Background. Studies suggest an association between H. pylori infection and extragastrointestinal disease. Limited studies provided conflicting results on the association between H. pylori infection and diabetes. The present study was aimed at examining the association between H. pylori infection and diabetes in a large health checkup population in China. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted; participants who attended health checkups at Beijing MJ Health Screening Center during 2017-2018 were included. H. pylori infection was diagnosed by 13C-urea breath test. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between H. pylori infection and diabetes. Results. The mean age of 13,397 participants was 43.8±12 years. The prevalence of H. pylori infection and diabetes was 28.2% and 8.1%, respectively. The prevalence of diabetes was higher among H. pylori-positive participants compared with their counterparts (8.9% vs 7.8%, p=0.05). After adjustment of age, sex, family history of diabetes, smoking, education, stroke, coronary heart disease, BMI, SBP, TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C, multivariate logistic regression analysis found no association between H. pylori infection and diabetes (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.88-1.18). Additionally, subgroup analysis indicated that H. pylori infection was significantly associated with increased risk of diabetes in the female group (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.08-1.09). Conclusions. No significant association was found between H. pylori infection and diabetes. However, the subgroup analysis suggested that H. pylori infection was possibly associated with increased risk of diabetes among females. Future cohort studies are needed to verify this association in females and to address possible implication in the prevention of diabetes.

It is unclear how the dietary patterns reflecting C-reactive protein (CRP) affect metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the Chinese population. To examine the effect of the dietary pattern reflecting CRP with MetS, a cross-sectional study was based on the health checkup data from the Beijing MJ Health Screening Centers between 2008 and 2018. The CRP-related dietary pattern was derived from 17 food groups using reduced-rank regression. Participants were divided into five groups according to the quintiles of dietary pattern score. Multivariate logistic regression was then applied to estimate the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the quintiles of diet pattern score related to MetS and its four components. Of the 90,130 participants included in this study, 11,209 had MetS. A CRP-related dietary pattern was derived, characterized by a higher consumption of staple food, fresh meat, processed products, and sugar-sweetened beverages but a lower intake of honey and jam, fruits, and dairy products. Compared with participants in the lowest quintile (Q1), participants in the higher quintiles were associated with increased risks of MetS in a dose–response manner after adjustment for potential confounders (P for linear trend < 0.001), the ORs for Q2 to Q5 were 1.10 (95%CI: 1.02–1.19), 1.14 (95% CI: 1.05–1.22), 1.23 (95%CI: 1.15–1.33), and 1.49 (95%CI:1.38–1.61), respectively. Moreover, the effects were stronger among individuals aged 50 years or older. A CRP-related dietary pattern was associated with the risk of MetS. It provides new insights that dietary intervention to achieve a lower inflammatory level could potentially prevent MetS.

To determine the vaccine hesitancy of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) in a low-resource setting in China and to identify associated factors, a face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted in the city of Guilin, China, from December 2021 to March 2022, which comprised sociodemographic information, attitudes toward vaccines and pneumonia, and PCV13 vaccination willingness and willingness to pay (WTP). Stepwise logistic regression and Tobit regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with PCV13 vaccination willingness and WTP, respectively. In total, 1254 questionnaires were included, of which 899, 254, and 101 participants showed acceptance, hesitancy, and refusal to vaccinate their children with PCV13, respectively. Only 39.07% of participants knew about PCV13 before this survey. A total of 558 (48.40%) participants accepted the full payment of vaccination, and 477 (41.37%) other participants accepted the partial payment, with a median cost of CNY 920.00. Demographics, social and psychological context, and attitudes toward vaccines were all associated with PCV13 vaccination but varied for hesitators and refusers. There is a substantial local demand for vaccinating children with PCV13 and partial payment is widely accepted. More publicity and educational efforts and a socially supportive environment are required to alleviate vaccine hesitancy.