Tea, having been brewed from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis for almost 4000 years, is the most popularly consumed beverage worldwide, second only to water, with a per capita worldwide consumption of approximately 0.12 L/y.¹ Owing to the high consumption of tea, even small effects in persons could have a large effect on public health. Tea contains more than 4000 chemical compounds that may affect the human body in many aspects.^2,3 There has been a growing interest in recent years in exploring the preventive effect of tea, especially polyphenolic flavonoids in tea, against cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)^4-8 and the development and progression of atherosclerosis.^9,10 The delicate mechanisms responsible for the benefits of tea with regard to cardiovascular risk are, however, unclear.

Background Fatty infiltration of the pancreas has been shown to interfere with insulin secretion. Both insulin sensitivity and secretion are important in the pathogenesis of diabetes and prediabetes. However, the relationship between diabetes, prediabetes, and fatty pancreas remains unknown. We aim to investigate the relationships that fatty pancreas and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have with prediabetes and diabetes in a Chinese population. Patients and Methods This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 7,464 subjects were recruited. NAFLD and fatty pancreas were assessed by sonography. Clinico-metabolic parameters were compared among subjects with normoglycemia, prediabetes, and diabetes. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between fatty pancreas and NAFLD and diabetes or prediabetes with adjustment for cardiometabolic risk factors. Results With an increase in glycemia, a significantly greater proportion of subjects had NAFLD and fatty pancreas (test for trend p <0.05). Similar trends were also found for hypertension, general and central obesity, low-HDL cholesterol, and hypertriglyceridemia. In the logistic regression analysis, age, hypertension, male gender, hypertriglyceridemia, and central obesity were significantly associated with prediabetes and diabetes. Furthermore, the ORs of prediabetes and diabetes for NAFLD were 1.798 (95% CI 1.544–2.094) and 2.578 (95% CI 2.024–3.284), respectively. In addition, fatty pancreas was independently related to diabetes (OR, 1.379; 95% CI, 1.047–1.816) and prediabetes (OR, 1.222; 95% CI, 1.002–1.491) in male subjects. Conclusions Both NAFLD and fatty pancreas were associated with diabetes independent of age, gender, adiposity, and other cardiometabolic risk factors. Fatty pancreas was also related to prediabetes in males.

The purpose of this review was to explore the epidemiology, pathogenesis, virology, and management of enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection. Published literature was surveyed by Medline using the keyword “EV71.” The reported incidence of cases of hand-foot-mouth disease/herpangina varied from year to year; seasonal variations in incidence were observed, with a peak in incidence during the summer season. Most cases of hand-foot-mouth disease/herpangina hospitalized for complications occurred in children less than 5 years old. The brainstem was the most likely major target of EV71 infection. Different enteroviruses cocirculate in the community annually. The emergence of the EV71 epidemic in the Asia Pacific region has been associated with the circulation of 5 genetic lineages (genotypes B3, B4, C1, C2, C4) that appear to be undergoing rapid evolutionary changes. The relationship between the gene structure of the EV71 virus and the factors that ensure its survival, ease of transmission, and evasion of immunity is still unclear. EV71 central nervous system involvement causes serious clinical illness, death, and long-term neurologic and psychiatric disorders in young children. EV71 infection has emerged as an important public health problem. Vaccine development is recommended for the prevention of EV71 infection in the future.