Cigarette smoking is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the association between smoking and blood pressure is unclear. Thus, the current study examined the association between cigarette smoking and blood pressure in men. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP) were examined using digital blood pressure measuring device, and smoking status was determined with China National Health Survey. The ANCOVA showed that the adjusted DBP and MAP were lower in current smokers versus nonsmokers and the adjusted SBP was lower in current smokers versus former smokers (P < 0.05). Additionally, the adjusted PP tend to be decreased steadily as the pack·years increased in current smokers. In a fully adjusted logistic regression model, former smokers had increased ORs (95% CI) of 1.48 (1.01, 2.18) of hypertension and current smokers had not increased ORs (95% CI) of 0.83 (0.61, 1.12), compared with never smokers. The findings revealed that the adjusted blood pressure were lower in current smokers versus nonsmokers and former smokers. No significant dose-dependent effect of current smoking on blood pressure indices except PP was observed. Smoking cessation was significantly associated with an increased risk of hypertension. However, current smoking was not a risk factor of hypertension.

Han and Mongolian populations constitute approximately 96 % of the population of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and the two ethnic groups have different genetic backgrounds and lifestyle. We aim to assess the prevalence, awareness, treatment, control, and related risk factors of hypertension among urban adults in Inner Mongolia, with the comparison of the differences between Mongolian and Han populations in this respect. Three thousand two hundred fifty-one individuals aged 20–80 years (2326 Han and 925 Mongolian) were selected using a multistage cluster sampling method from Inner Mongolia in 2014. The adjusted prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension were evaluated by the Logistic regression. In addition, possible interactions were also tested. When interactions were found significant, strata-specific analysis were performed. Multivariate logistic regression was used for estimating independent associations between risk factors and hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension was 27.47 % for Han population, 31.46 % for Mongolian population. The adjusted prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension were 26.45, 65.43, 78.24 and 48.28 % in Han, and 31.30, 68.22, 85.57 and 50.55 % in Mongolian, respectively. There was no significant difference in the adjusted awareness, treatment and control of hypertension among Mongolian and Han adult residents (all P >0.05). Lower prevalence of hypertension was associated with younger age and healthy weight in both Mongolian and Han adults. Within Han adults, high education, moderate physical activity and non-alcohol drinkers were additionally associated with lower prevalence of hypertension, whereas within Mongolian adults, lower prevalence was associated with being female. Among residents with medium education level, nondrinkers had 0.60 times lower odds of having hypertension than current drinkers (OR = 0.60, 95 % CI: 0.44–0.82); among residents with high education level, nondrinkers has 0.65 times lower odds of having hypertension than current drinkers (OR = 0.65, 95 % CI: 0.43–0.97). Mongolian population had a higher prevalence of hypertension than Han population. There were no significant difference between Mongolian and Han population in awareness, treatment and control of hypertension, which suggested that there was no difference between the two ethnicities in the distribution of health resources.

Background: With the ongoing outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), infected patients within and beyond the epidemic area, Wuhan, China, showed different epidemiological and clinical characteristics. There is a paucity of data concerning coinfection with other common respiratory pathogens in COVID-19 patients outside of Wuhan. Methods: We conducted a double-centre study recruiting 68 patients with severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection confirmed by nucleic acid testing in Qingdao and Wuhan from January 17 to February 16, 2020. Indirect immunofluorescence was performed to detect the specific IgM antibody against common respiratory pathogens in collected acute phase serum. Results: Of the 68 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, 30 (44.12%) were from Qingdao. The median age of Qingdao and Wuhan patients were 50 (IQR: 37-59) and 31 (IQR: 28-38) years, respectively, and the majority of patients were female in Qingdao (60.00%) and Wuhan (55.26%). Among COVID-19 patients in Qingdao, 24 (80.00%) of them had IgM antibodies against at least one respiratory pathogen, whereas only one (2.63%) of the patients in Wuhan had positive results for serum IgM antibody detection ( P <0.0001). The most common respiratory pathogens detected in Qingdao COVID-19 patients were influenza virus A (60.00%) and influenza virus B (53.33%), followed by mycoplasma pneumoniae (23.33%) and legionella pneumophila (20.00%). While the pattern for coinfection in patients with community-acquired pneumonia in Qingdao was quite different, with a positive rate of only 20.90%. Interpretation: We reported a large proportion of COVID-19 patients with coinfection of seasonal respiratory pathogens in Qingdao, northeast China, which differed greatly from the patients in Wuhan, central China. Precautions are needed when dealing with COVID-19 patients beyond the epidemic centre who have coinfection with other respiratory pathogens. We highly recommend adding SARS-CoV-2 to routine diagnostic testing in capable hospitals to prevent misdetection of the virus.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a prevalent complication during pregnancy with significant implications for maternal and perinatal health globally. Maternal obesity is a known risk factor for HDP. This review sought to identify adiposity indicators in early pregnancy that are linked to the development of HDP. We conducted a systematic search of the PubMed, Science Citation Index (Web of Science), and Embase databases. Screening and quality evaluation of studies was conducted independently by two reviewers. Both random effects meta-analysis and narrative synthesis were performed. Thirty-one studies were included with a pooled sample of 81,311 women. The meta-analysis showed that the odds of HDP were significantly increased by higher pregnancy measures of adiposity (pre-pregnancy body mass index (OR = 2.14, 95%CI: 1.67–2.75), visceral adipose tissue (OR = 1.79, 95%CI: 1.01–3.16), subcutaneous adiposity thickness (OR = 1.67, 95%CI: 1.36–2.05), waist circumference (OR = 2.20, 95%CI: 1.37–3.54), waist to-hip ratio (OR = 3.08, 95% CI: 1.38–6.87), weight gain (OR = 1.69, 95%CI: 1.42–2.02) and percentage body fat (OR = 1.71, 95%CI: 1.16–2.53)). Epicardial fat thickness was significantly associated with HDP, although limited data were available. The results of our study highlight the importance of investigating the predictive value of adiposity measures in identifying the risk of HDP to tailor care towards women at the highest risk.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a common risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease. However, there has been no study reporting the relationship between hs-CRP and blood pressure in Yi adults. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between hs-CRP and blood pressure in Yi adults. In this cross-sectional study, included subjects were 2916 Yi migrants or farmers aged 20–80 years, recruited by using a stratified cluster sampling method from Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province in 2014. The directed acyclic graphs(DAG) was used to select a minimal sufficient adjustment sets of variables which would identification the unconfounded effect of hs-CRP and hypertension. Multiple linear and multinomial logit analysis were used to estimate the effect of hs-CRP on SBP/DBP/MAP/PP and the prevalence of prehypertension/hypertension after adjustment for the relevant confounders. The median level of hs-CRP was 1.20 (0.50–3.06)mg/L in Yi migrants, and 0.84(0.36–2.52) mg/L in Yi farmers, and the prevalence of high hs-CRP was 23.25%. For hs-CRP > 3 mg/L group, the adjusted PP tended to have lower values (β = − 1.49, 95%CI: − 2.49--0.49, P = 0.0034) compared with < 1 mg/L group. After adjusting for confounders, there were no significant association between hs-CRP and prehypertension/hypertension (P > 0.05). Our results suggest that high hs-CRP is prevalent in Yi people, and this study does not support hs-CRP as a risk factor of prehypertension or hypertension.

Background: The risk of maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may be influenced by pregnancies conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART). However, the influence of the dosage of B vitamins (folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12) on GDM weren’t considered. Thus, we hypothesized that periconceptional B vitamins could modify maternal GDM in singleton pregnancies conceived by ART.Methods: This study is a prospective cohort study using data from 3,252 women with singleton pregnancies and received a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at 24–28 weeks of gestation. We included an interaction term in the multivariable logistic and linear regression models, respectively, to test our hypothesis.Results: Women who underwent ART were significantly associated with the incidence of GDM compared with spontaneous pregnancy women. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 1.59, and the 95% confidence interval (CI) was 1.08–2.34. ART pregnancies also elevated OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) 1-h blood glucose levels and OGTT 2-h blood glucose levels (P < 0.05). A positive association between dietary vitamin B6 (aOR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.13–2.27), dietary vitamin B12 (aOR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.34–2.64) and dietary folate (aOR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.19–2.32) with GDM risk comparing the highest to the lowest quartile (all P_trend < 0.001). The aORs of GDM for inadequate (< 400 μg/day), adequate (400–800 μg/day), and excessive (> 800 μg/day) supplemental folate intake were 1.00, 0.93, and 1.30, respectively (P_trend = 0.033). Since only the supplemental folate illustrates a statistically significant interaction with ART (P for interaction < 0.05), the association between ART and GDM and OGTT blood glucose levels stratifying by supplemental folate were further evaluated. These increased risks of GDM (aOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.39–3.39) and the regression coefficients (β) of 1-h blood glucose (β = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.39–1.13) and 2-h blood glucose (β = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.29–0.92) in the multiple linear regression model were significant only in the ART group with excessive supplemental folate (> 800 μg/day).Conclusion: The risk of GDM is significantly elevated, particularly among those women who conceived ART with the intake of excessive supplemental folate (> 800 μg/day).