Abnormalities in lipid metabolism are common among adult asthmatics. However, the precise directionality linking asthma to blood lipid levels remains controversial. Our study aimed to evaluate the association between the Non-HDL to HDL Ratio (NHHR), a lipid composite index, and asthma prevalence among the adult population in the United States. Utilizing adult participants’ data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning the years 2009 to 2018, the study employed a multivariable logistic regression model, adjusting for covariables, to establish the relationship between NHHR levels and the prevalence of asthma. Furthermore, smoothing curve fitting and subgroup analyses were conducted to investigate the robustness of this association. This study included 26,023 adult individuals (mean age = 49.63 ± 17.66). In the fully adjusted model, a significant inverse association was observed between log-transformed NHHR values and asthma prevalence (OR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.79–0.93). Subgroup analysis revealed that gender served as a modulator, altering the association between NHHR levels and asthma prevalence. A more pronounced negative association between lnNHHR and asthma prevalence was noted among male participants [(Male: OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.69–0.88) vs. (Female: OR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.83–1.03), P for interaction = 0.0313]. Our study revealed an inverse association between NHHR levels and the prevalence of asthma in the US adult population, which is influenced by gender. NHHR measurement may be a potential tool for early identification and prediction of adult asthmatics in specific populations.

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of IH and diabetes, as well as insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity, and related curve patterns in subjects with different glucose tolerance categories according to the diagnostic criteria established by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the more recently published International Diabetes Federation (IDF) guidelines. We used data of 5,387 adult participants from the Shanghai High-risk Diabetic Screen (SHiDS) study. All participants underwent a five-point 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Glycemic states were then classified according to the ADA/IDF diagnostic criteria, while OGTT-derived indices were employed to evaluate insulin secretion and sensitivity. Overall, 3,729 subjects were diagnosed consistently under ADA/IDF criteria; while 941 and 717 subjects exhibited inconsistencies in the diagnostic classification for diabetes and IH, respectively. Notably, all of these individuals with discrepant diagnoses displayed β-cell dysfunction and/or insulin resistance compared to the NGT/NGT group. The ADA criteria can identify individuals with elevated haemoglobinA1c (HbA1c) levels when the 1-hour plasma glucose (1-h PG) stay within the normal range, while the IDF criteria can identify subjects with impaired insulin sensitivity and secretion when fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour plasma glucose (2-h PG) and HbA1c values are in the normal range.

Xin Tang, Qian-Qian Meng, Ye Gao, Chu-Ting Yu, Yan-Rong Zhang, Yan Bian, Jin-Fang Xu, Lei Xin, Wei Wang, Han Lin, Luo-Wei Wang. Gut and Liver 2025;19:198-206. https://doi.org/10.5009/gnl240308

Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs), a kind of adult stem cell, were studied for clinical applications in regenerative medicine. To date, the safety evaluations of intravenous infusion of allogeneic hUC-MSCs were focused on fever, infection, malignancy, and death. However, the characteristics of dynamical changes in vital signs during hUC-MSCs infusion are largely unknown. In this study, twenty participants with allogeneic hUC-MSCs transplanted (MSC group) and twenty sex- and age-matched individuals with cardiovascular disease who treated with the equal volume of 0.9% normal saline were recruited (NS group). Heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and temperature were monitored at intervals of 15 min during infusion. Adverse events were recorded during infusion and within seven days after infusion. No adverse events were observed during and after infusion in both groups. Compared with the baseline, the mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels were significantly decreased at 15 min, 30 min, 45 min and 60 min in the MSC group (all P < 0.05) during infusion. In addition, SBP changed significantly from baseline during hUC-MSCs infusion when compared with that of NS group (P < 0.05). Repeated measures analysis of variance confirmed difference over time on the SBP levels (P < 0.05). Our results showed that the process of allogeneic hUC-MSCs intravenous infusion was safe and the vital signs were stable, whereas a slight decrease in SBP was observed.

Background: Opportunistic screening is one major screening approach for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We aimed to develop a score-based risk stratification model to assess the risk of ESCC and precancerous lesions in opportunistic screening and to validate it in an external population. Methods: The study was a secondary analysis of a published esophageal cancer screening trial. The trial was conducted in 39 secondary or tertiary hospitals in China, with 14,597 individuals including 71 high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN) and 182 ESCC, enrolled for opportunistic screening. Additionally, questionnaires and endoscopy were performed. The primary outcome was histology-confirmed high-grade esophageal lesions, including HGIN and ESCC. The predictors were selected using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Model performance was primarily measured with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Results: The score-based prediction model contained 8 variables on a 21-point scale. The model demonstrated an AUROC of 0.833 (95% CI, 0.803–0.862) and 0.828 (95% CI, 0.793–0.864) for detecting high-grade lesions in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Using the cut-off score determined in the training cohort (≥9), the sensitivity reached 70.0% (95% CI, 50.6–85.3%), 81.3% (95% CI, 63.6–92.8%), and 81.1% (95% CI, 64.9–92.0%) in the validation cohort for detecting HGIN, early ESCC, and advanced ESCC, respectively, at a specificity of 76.4% (95%CI, 75.4–77.4%). The score-based model exhibited satisfactory calibration in the calibration plots. The model could result in 75.6% fewer individuals subjected to endoscopy. Conclusions: This score-based model demonstrated superior discrimination for esophageal high-grade lesions. It has the potential to inform referral decisions in an opportunistic screening setting.