Although recent evidence has revealed that a body shape index (ABSI) is correlated with the incidence of death among different ethnicities, there remains a paucity of studies investigating the impact of ABSI on mortality within the Chinese elderly. Our objective was to ascertain the link between ABSI, as well as its alterations over time, and all-cause mortality among Chinese aged 65 y and above. A total of 3789 participants were enrolled from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Cox regressions and restricted cubic splines were employed to assess the association of ABSI and relative changes with all-cause mortality. When nonlinearity was detected, a restricted cubic spline regression was subsequently conducted to compute hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The median survival time was 46 months, and 1342 individuals (35.4%) were reported to have died. ABSI contributed independently to rising death rates among Chinese old populations according to univariate and multivariate Cox regressions. Statistically significant associations were also found stratified by age, sex, and lifestyle. A U-shaped association of ABSI changes with all-cause mortality (p = 0.027) was observed, indicating that old adults with stable ABSI during the follow-up period experienced the lowest risk of mortality. After multivariable adjustment, participants with a 10% reduction in ABSI changes had an increased 9.4% risk of death, while participants with a 10% rise in ABSI changes had an increased 1.9% risk. ABSI and its changes are predictors for all-cause mortality among the elderly Chinese population, which emphasizes the clinical importance of monitoring ABSI and keeping it stable over time.

Objective: Inflammatory indices are pivotal markers in gaging the harm of the COVID-19 trajectory. The definitive impact of inflammatory indices on forecasting the period required for a negative shift in nucleic acid status during the Omicron wave remains ambiguous. This research endeavors to delineate the relationship between the Systemic Inflammatory Index (SII) and the timeline for conversion to negative nucleic acid status in Omicron variant-infected patients, and to scrutinize the prognostic validity of SII for such conversion.Methods: Adult patients hospitalized at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center with mild cases attributed to the Omicron variant were studied from March to December 2022. They were stratified into early-conversion (with mild cases attributed to (>10 days) groups). Analyzing patient information, clinical traits, and laboratory results, we divided patients into two groups. We used logistic regression to find the link between SII and virus test timing and built ROC curves to measure predictive value via AUC.Results: A total of 2,603 patients were enrolled. Univariate analysis found big differences in pulse rates, respiratory rates, prealbumin levels, HS-CRP levels, IL-6 levels, SII, and PNI (p < 0.05) between the groups. Adjusting for confounders, logistic regression revealed that the highest SII group had a 1.46 greater risk of not clearing a 10-day PCR test than the lowest group (OR = 1.46; 95% CI, 1.173–1.817, p = 0.001). Each one-unit rise in SII raised the risk of 10-day PCR failure by 0.1% (p < 0.0001). The ROC curve showed SII’s AUC as 0.603 (95% CI: 0.576–0.630), predicting virus test turn-around with a cut-off of 920.5, 61.9% specificity, and 52.5% sensitivity. Compared to other indicators such as IL-6 and HS-CRP, SII exhibited the highest AUC value and specificity.Conclusion: In mild cases caused by the Omicron wave, there was a discernible link between the SII and the period leading to a negative nucleic acid test outcome, with higher SII values indicating an increased risk of prolonged conversion time. SII might help guide treatment better than other indicators by predicting disease course.

Objective To investigate the effects of prebiotics combined with β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) on muscle function, intestinal barrier integrity, and inflammation in elderly patients with sarcopenia. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 78 elderly sarcopenic patients recruited from Tongji University Affiliated Tenth People’s Hospital and Baoshan District Geriatric Care Hospital (Jan 2023 - Jan 2025). Participants were randomly assigned Group A (n = 32, standard diet + HMB-supplement), Group B (n = 31, standard diet + HMB + fructooligosaccharides), or Group C (n = 15, standard diet alone) for 30 days. Outcomes included muscle function (skeletal muscle mass index, grip strength, calf circumference), intestinal barrier markers (serum diamine oxidase, D-lactic acid, endotoxin), and inflammatory and nutritional markers (CRP, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, systemic immune inflammation index, albumin, prealbumin). Results Baseline indicators did not differ among groups (P > 0.05). After intervention, skeletal muscle mass index and grip strength improved significantly in Groups A and B (P < 0.05), with higher grip strengths to Group B than C (adj. P = 0.017). Calf circumference decreased in all groups (P < 0.05), most in Group C (t = 4.461, P = 0.001). Group B exhibited lower diamine oxidase, D-lactic acid, and endotoxin levels than Groups A and C (P < 0.05) and the greatest reductions in CRP, NLR, and SII (P < 0.001). Albumin or prealbumin showed no significant changes (P > 0.05). Conclusion HMB improves muscle function in sarcopenic elderly, prebiotics combined with HMB further enhance intestinal barrier repair and reduce inflammation, offering a promising gut-muscle-targeted nutritional strategy.