Background: This is a cross-sectional study to explore the age and gender specific association between obesity and depression in Chinese rural adults. Methods: A total of 29,900 eligible participants from the Henan Rural Cohort Study were included. Standard anthropometric measurements were undertaken to obtain data on body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). The Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) was utilized to discover depressive symptoms. Logistic regression was performed to explore the association between obesity (independent variable) and depressive symptoms (dependent variable). Results: There were 1777 subjects with depressive symptoms, accounting for 5.94%. After multivariable adjustment, compared with normal weight group, the odds ratios (ORs) [95% confidence interval (CI)] for depressive symptoms in underweight, overweight and general obese groups were 1.41 (1.08–1.84), 0.87 (0.78–0.97) and 0.86 (0.74–0.99), respectively. Similarly, the OR (95% CI) of abdominal obesity group was 0.84 (0.76–0.93). Besides, there was linear decreasing trend of WC with depressive symptoms, but not BMI. Moreover, the inverse association between obesity and depressive symptoms was stronger in men and the elderly than that in women and the young. Conclusion: Underweight was associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, which indicated that health care should pay attention to underweight as well as obesity, especially for women and the young. Clinical trial registration: The Henan Rural Cohort Study has been registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Register (Registration number: ChiCTR-OOC-15006699). Date of registration: 2015-07-06.

Background: This study aims to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) by gender in Chinese rural adults. Methods: A total of 29,993 participants aged from 18 to 79 years from the Henan Rural Cohort Study were included in this study. The Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2) were used to assess MDD and GAD through a face-to-face interview. Multivariate logistic regression model was conducted to analyze the associated factors for MDD and GAD. Results: The age-standardized prevalence of MDD and GAD (and 95%CI) in the total sample were 5.41% (5.17–5.66%) and 4.94% (4.71–5.18%), respectively. Besides, the crude prevalence in women were significantly higher than men for both MDD (6.81% vs. 4.77%) and GAD (6.63% vs. 3.93%) (both P < 0.001). Tetrachoric correlation test showed high comorbidity between MDD and GAD (r = 0.88, P = 0.01). Further analysis revealed that age, sex, marital status, educational level, per capita monthly income, drinking, physical activity, and body mass index were associated with MDD and GAD in the overall sample. Gender difference was found among age groups for MDD (P_interaction < 0.001). Conclusions: These findings showed that Chinese rural adults were at low risk for prevalence of MDD and GAD. Women had higher prevalence and risks for MDD and GAD compared with men, indicating that women deserved more attention. Gender-specific interventions on the modifiable associated factors are urgently needed to improve the mental conditions for Chinese rural population. Clinical trial registration: The Henan Rural Cohort Study has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Register (Registration number: ChiCTR-OOC-15006699). Date of registration: 2015-07-06.

There were few studies exploring the associations between depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the general population, especially in resource limited area. The aims of this study were to assess the associations between depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, their comorbidity and HRQoL in rural area. A total of 23,496 eligible participants from Henan rural cohort were included. The Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2) were employed to assess depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. HRQoL was measured via European Quality of Life Five Dimension Five Level Scale (EQ-5D-5L). Tobit regression and generalized linear model were utilized to explore the associations between depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, their comorbidity and HRQoL. A total of 1320 individuals were identified as depressive symptoms with a prevalence rate of 5.62%, while 1198 participants were classified as anxiety symptoms with a prevalence rate of 5.10%. After multiple adjustment, the regression coefficients (β) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of utility index for depressive and anxiety symptoms were − 0.166 (− 0.182, − 0.149) and − 0.132 (− 0.149, − 0.114), respectively. The β and 95% CI of VAS score for depressive and anxiety symptoms were − 7.65 (− 8.60, − 6.70) and − 5.79 (− 6.78, − 4.80), respectively. Additionally, the comorbidity was strongly associated with low utility index and VAS score. These findings were observed robustly in men and women. Depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and their comorbidity were associated with low HRQoL in rural population, which needed further efforts on preventive and treatment interventions. The Henan Rural Cohort Study has been registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Register (Registration number: ChiCTR-OOC-15006699 ). Date of registration: 06 July, 2015.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a common monogenic disease, while studies about the epidemiology for the general population in China was scarce. Aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of FH and explore related factors by the Chinese modified Dutch Lipid Clinic Network (DLCN) definition. A total of 39,205 participants (15,463 males and 23,742 females) aged 18–79 years old were enrolled from the Henan Rural Cohort Study. FH was defined by the Chinese modified DLCN definition, and score > 5 was classified as FH. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval. Crude prevalence of probable/definite FH was 0.35% (0.29–0.41%), estimated by the Chinese modified DLCN definition. Prevalence in female was 0.38%, and in male, it was 0.32%. Age-standardized prevalence in female increased significantly around the age of 50 years. Moreover, there were no FH patients getting low-density lipoprotein cholesterol controlled to the recommended level. Multivariate logistic regression identified that older, overweight/obesity were positively associated with FH. The current study indicated that FH was not rare in rural area of China (1 in 286). Effective early detection and timely control of FH must be strengthened to reduce disease burden.

Background: The relationship of spicy food intake with hyperuricemia remains unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the association between spicy food intake and hyperuricemia, and whether this association was mediated by body mass index (BMI) in Chinese rural population. Methods: 38, 027 adults aged 18–79 years were recruited from the Henan Rural Cohort Study. Information on spicy food intake was obtained using a validated questionnaire survey. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between spicy food intake and hyperuricemia, multiple linear regression model was performed to estimate the relationships between spicy food intake, BMI and serum urate level. BMI was used as a mediator to evaluate the mediation effect. Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, compared with no spicy food flavor, the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of mild, middle, and heavy flavor for hyperuricemia were 1.09 (1.00–1.19), 1.10 (0.97–1.24), and 1.21 (1.10–1.46), respectively (P_trend = 0.017). Similarly, compared with those without intake in spicy food, the multivariable adjusted OR (95% CI) of 1-2 days/week, 3–5 days/week, and 6–7 days/week were 1.15 (1.01–1.31), 1.14 (1.01–1.30) and 1.15 (1.05–1.26), respectively (P_trend = 0.007). However, when we further controlling for BMI, the associations were substantially attenuated. Furthermore, mediation analysis showed that BMI play a full mediating role in the relationship of spicy food intake with hyperuricemia. Conclusion: Spicy food flavor and intake frequency are positively related with hyperuricemia in Chinese rural population. BMI may play a full mediating role in the relationship. Trial registration: The Henan Rural Cohort Study registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Register (Registration number: ChiCTR-OOC-15006699). Date of registration: 2015-07-06.

There are increasing numbers of studies investigating the potential link between microRNAs (miRNAs) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk. Based on the prior evidence and the differentially expressed candidate plasma exosome miRNAs in our established discovery study, the current meta‑analysis studied miR‑126 and miR‑122 specifically. The purpose of the present study was to systematically and quantitatively evaluate the relationship of miR‑126 and miR‑22 expression level with T2DM risk as well as related glucose metabolism parameters. Moreover, the present study was performed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‑Analyses guideline (PRISMA 2020 statement). PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure electronic databases were used to identify eligible original studies prior to May 3, 2022. The random‑effects models were employed to explore the overall effect estimates [odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), or correlation coefficient (r, 95% CI)]. The subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the potential sources of heterogeneity. The potential publication bias was assessed by the Begg's funnel plot and Egger's tests. A total of 46 articles were included in the present meta‑analysis. The results revealed that higher exposure level of miR‑126 was related to lower T2DM risk in 5 analytical epidemiological studies [OR=0.73, 95% CI: (0.55, 0.96)], lower fasting blood glucose (FBG) [N=22, r=‑0.26, 95% CI: (‑0.42, ‑0.10)], and lower homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‑IR) index [N=9, r=‑0.28, 95% CI: (‑0.52, ‑0.05)]. Besides, positive correlations were observed between miR-122 expression and FBG [N=10, r=0.34, 95% CI: (0.20, 0.48)], as well as HOMA-IR index [N=9, r=0.40, 95% CI: (0.16, 0.64)]. The relationship of miR‑126 and miR‑122 expression with T2DM risk and these glucose metabolism parameters may be influenced by study types, sample size, different source and mean age of participants. In conclusion, in the general healthy population, higher miR‑126 expression was related to lower T2DM risk, FBG level and HOMA‑IR index; higher miR-122 expression was closely correlated with higher FBG level and HOMA-IR index. These findings have notable clinical and public health implications for screening and control glucose metabolic disorders, insulin resistance and T2DM development.