Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a new definition for the evidence of hepatic steatosis and metabolic dysfunctions. The specific role of the dietary factors in the development and progress of the disease are not well illuminated. Thus, we conducted this study on the associations between dietary quality assessed by five dietary quality indexes (Dietary Inflammatory Index, DII; Mediterranean diet, MED; Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension, DASH; Alternate Healthy Eating Index diet, AHEI; Healthy Eating Indices, HEI) and MAFLD phenotypes. This study was extracted from the latest NHANES 2017–2018 wave. Demographic information, health status, lifestyles, and dietary habits were reported in the questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression and multivariate ordinal logistic regression methods were applied to explore the associations between dietary quality indexes and MAFLD or MAFLD with liver fibrosis. The weighted prevalence of Non-MAFLD, MAFLD without fibrosis, and MAFLD with fibrosis were 47.05%, 36.67%, and 16.28%, respectively, at the cutoff value of a median Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP) 248 dB/m and a median Liver Stiffness Measurement (LSM) 6.3 kPa. When the diagnostic cutoff values of CAP changed to 285 dB/m, the weighted prevalence of Non-MAFLD, MAFLD without liver fibrosis, and MAFLD with fibrosis turned to 64.62%, 22.08%, and 13.30%, respectively. All five dietary quality indexes, including DII, HEI-2015, AHEI, DASH, and MED, were all significantly associated with MAFLD phenotypes. DII was positively associated with MAFLD phenotypes, while other four dietary quality indexes, including HEI-2015, AHEI, DASH, and MED, were significantly associated with lower risk of MAFLD phenotypes. MAFLD is becoming a threatening public health concern among adult Americans and dietary quality is markedly associated with MAFLD phenotypes.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a condition of metabolic disorders, is now causing large disease burden around the world. This study aimed to update the prevalence of MetS in Jiangsu Province of China and evaluate the predicting value of five anthropometric measures including waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), a body shape index (ABSI) and body roundness index (BRI) in MetS.Methods: 8040 participants from 12 survey sites were enrolled into this cross-sectional study by multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method from 2014 nutrition and diet investigation project in Jiangsu Province. The transformation of sex-specific z-score made the comparison meaningful when conducting the logistic analysis between anthropometric indices and MetS. The abilities of anthropometric indices to predict MetS were evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC).Delongtest was applied to compare area under different ROC curves.Results: The prevalence of MetS in Jiangsu Province was 35.2% and the standardized prevalence was 34.8%. WC, BMI, WHtR, ABSI and BRI z-scores were positively related to MetS and its components. WC, WHtR and BRI z-score had stronger associations with MetS than BMI and ABSI in both male and female population. WC, WHtR and BRI had larger area under ROC curve than BMI and ABSI in male and female. WC in men had the largest area under the ROC curve, significantly higher than the other four measures of BMI, WHtR, ABSI and BRI (Z value = 9.08, 2.88, 16.73, 2.75 respectively). Among women, WC, WHtR and BRI had larger area under the ROC curve than BMI and ABSI, but the area under the WC, WHtR and BRI curve were not significantly different after the pairwise comparison by theDelongtest. The optimal cut-off values of WC, WHtR and BRI for predicting MetS was 85.25 cm, 0.52 and 3.61 in male, 80.05 cm, 0.51 and 3.83 in female.Conclusion: MetS has become one of the major chronic diseases in Jiangsu Province. WC was better than other four indices in predicting MetS among male population in Jiangsu. WC, WHtR and BRI had superior abilities than BMI/ABSI in predicting MetS among female population.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a health issue consisting of multiple metabolic abnormalities. The impact of exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on MetS and its components remains uncertain. This study aimed to assess the associations of individual urinary metabolites of VOC (mVOCs) and mVOC mixtures with MetS and its components among the general adult population in the United States. Methods: A total of 5345 participants with eligible data were filtered from the 2011–2020 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariate logistic regression models were applied to assess the associations of individual mVOCs with MetS and its components. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression models were constructed to identify more relevant mVOCs. The weight quantile sum regression model was applied to further explore the links between mVOC co-exposure and MetS and its components. Results: The results indicated positive associations between multiple mVOCs and MetS, including CEMA, DHBMA, and HMPMA. CEMA was found to be positively correlated with all components of MetS. HMPMA was associated with elevated triglyceride (TG), reduced high-density lipoprotein, and fasting blood glucose (FBG) impairment; 3HPMA was associated with an elevated risk of high TG and FBG impairment; and DHBMA had positive associations with elevated TG and high blood pressure. The co-exposure of LASSO-selected mVOCs was associated with an increased risk of elevated TG, high blood pressure, and FBG impairment. Conclusion: Positive associations of certain individual urinary mVOCs and mVOC mixtures with MetS and its components were observed by utilizing multiple statistical models and large-scale national data. These findings may serve as the theoretical basis for future experimental and mechanistic studies and have important implications for public health.

Introduction: The secondary attack rate (SAR) measures the transmissibility of an infectious agent. The reported SAR of COVID-19 varied in a broad range, and between different contact settings. Methodology: We conducted a meta-analysis on the SAR of COVID-19 with adherence to the PRISMA guideline. We searched published literatures and preprints in international databases of PubMed and medRxiv, and in five major Chinese databases as of 20 April 2020, using the following search terms: ("COVID-19" and "secondary attack rate") or (“COVID-19” and “close contact”). The random effect model was chosen for pooled analyses, using R (version 3.6.3). Results: A total of 1,136 references were retrieved and 18 of them remained after screening. The pooled SAR of COVID-19 was 0.07 (95%: 0.03-0.12) in general. It differed significantly between contact settings, peaking in households (0.20, 95%: 0.15-0.28), followed by in social gatherings (0.06, 95%: 0.03-0.10). The point estimates of the pooled SARs in health facilities, transports, and work/study settings were all as low as 0.01. Among all the secondary cases, the proportion of asymptomatic infections was estimated to be 0.17 (95% CI: 0.09 – 0.34). The proportion was higher in households (0.26, 95% CI: 0.12-0.56), than in other contact settings. Conclusions: The transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 is much higher in households than in other scenarios. Identification of asymptomatic secondary infections should be enhanced in households.

Background: Some studies have reported that nitrate intake from vegetables was inversely associated with many vascular diseases, but few studies have paid attention to the relationship between urinary nitrate and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the connections between urinary nitrate and prevalence of CVDs.Methods: The data of this study was collected from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Finally, several years’ data of NHANES were merged into 14,894 observations. Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between urinary nitrate and CVDs by using the “survey” package in R software (version 3.2.3).Results: In the univariable logistic analysis, significant association was discovered between urinary nitrate and congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction (allP < 0.001). By adjusting related covariates, the multivariable logistic analysis showed that the significant association only existed between urinary nitrate and congestive heart failure (OR = 0.651, 95% CI 0.507–0.838,P < 0.001). Compared to Q1 urinary nitrate level as reference, the risk for prevalent heart failure diminished along with increasing levels of urinary nitrates, (OR of Q2 level = 0.633, 95% CI 0.403–0.994), (OR of Q3 level = 0.425, 95% CI 0.230–0.783), (OR of Q4 level = 0.375, 95% CI 0.210–0.661), respectively. Moreover, urinary nitrate levels were associated with congestive heart failure in a dose-dependent manner in both 20–60 years group, 60+ years group and male, female group (P < 0.001,P = 0.011 andP = 0.009,P = 0.004).Conclusions: Independent of related covariates, higher urinary nitrate was associated with lower prevalent congestive heart failure.

The aim of this study was to examine the association between dietary patterns and high blood glucose in Jiangsu province of China by using structural equation modelling (SEqM). Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional study were recruited through the 2015 Chinese Adult Chronic Disease and Nutrition Surveillance Program in Jiangsu province using a multistage stratified cluster random sampling method. Dietary patterns were defined by exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the fitness of EFA. SEqM was used to investigate the association between dietary patterns and high blood glucose. Results: After exclusion, 3137 participants with complete information were analysed for this study. The prevalence of high blood glucose was 9.3% and 8.1% in males and females, respectively. Two dietary patterns: the modern dietary pattern (i.e., high in red meats and its products, vegetables, seafood, condiments, fungi and algae, main grains and poultry; low in other grains, tubers and preserves), and the fruit–milk dietary pattern (i.e., high in milk and its products, fruits, eggs, nuts and seeds and pastry snacks, but low in vegetable oils) were established. Modern dietary pattern was found to be positively associated with high blood glucose in adults in Jiangsu province (multivariate logistic regression: OR = 1.561, 95% CI: 1.025~2.379; SEqM: β = 0.127, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The modern dietary pattern—high intake of red meats—was significantly associated with high blood glucose among adults in Jiangsu province of China, while the fruit–milk dietary pattern was not significantly associated with high blood glucose.