Background Bipolar disorder is identified as a cause of severe damage to the physical, psychological and social functioning of adolescents and young adults. Aims The aim of this study is to ascertain the trends in the burden of bipolar disorder among individuals aged 10–24 years at global, regional and national levels from 1990 to 2019. Methods The data analysed in this study were from the Global Burden of Diseases 2019. The numbers, rates per 100 000 population, average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) of incidence, prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) of bipolar disorder are reported at the global, regional and national levels among individuals aged 10–24 years. Global trends by age, sex and Social Development Index (SDI) were further analysed. Results Globally, the incidence of bipolar disorder among adolescents and young adults increased from 79.21 per 100 000 population (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 58.13 to 105.15) in 1990 to 84.97 per 100 000 population (95% UI: 61.73 to 113.46) in 2019, AAPC 0.24 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.22 to 0.26). In the past three decades, there has been an increase in incidence, prevalence and YLDs in both males and females. The largest increase in incidence between 1990 and 2019 was observed in those aged 20–24 years old (from 51.76 per 100 000 population (95% UI: 26.81 to 87.20) in 1990 to 58.37 per 100 000 population (95% UI: 30.39 to 98.55) in 2019; AAPC 0.42 (95% CI: 0.38 to 0.47)). By the SDI quintile, the largest increase in incidence was observed in the middle SDI; however, the high SDI countries had the highest incidence. Regionally, the largest increase in incidence was observed in southern Latin America. At the national level, the most pronounced increase in the incidence was in Greenland. Conclusions The global increase in incidence among adolescents and young adults between 1990 and 2019 indicates that strategies to improve their mental health still need to be emphasised.

Objectives: To examine the prevalence of loneliness and to explore the association between loneliness and health service utilization among the rural elderly in Shandong Province, China. Methods: A total of 5514 rural people aged 60 and above from Shandong Province, China, were enrolled in this study. Loneliness was used as a binary variable based on a single-item question. Health service utilization was measured by recent two-week physician visits and annual hospitalizations rates. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between loneliness and health service utilization. Results: The prevalence of loneliness among the rural elderly in Shandong, China, was 25.0%. Loneliness was associated with higher rates of recent two-week physician visits (OR = 1.260, p < 0.01) and annual hospitalizations (OR = 1.183, p < 0.05). The regression results also showed that self-rated health status and chronic conditions were significant and positively associated with both physician visits and hospitalizations rates. Conclusions: Loneliness had a significant association with higher odds of health service utilization among the elderly. The independent contribution of loneliness on health service utilization was smaller than self-rated health status and chronic conditions. Thus, healthcare policies need to shift from an emphasis on controlling health utilization and cost to a greater focus on enabling lonely older people to get more social support.

This study aims to assess the association between body mass index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and to further explore gender differences in BMI-HRQOL association among adults. We used data from the fifth Health Service Survey of Shandong Province, which was part of China’s National Health Service Survey (NHSS), a total of 27,257 adults aged 18 and over were interviewed. The HRQOL was measured using the EuroQOL-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) instrument. One-way ANOVA and Post hoc tests were used to compare EQ-5D utility values and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores between BMI categories. Tobit regression models were used to identify the association between BMI and HRQOL for male and female separately after controlling for influential confounders, and to assess gender differences on the relationship between BMI and HRQOL. The prevalence of underweight in men and women were 3.2 and 5.3%, respectively, while the prevalence of overweight/obesity in men and women were 35.7 and 34.6%, respectively. Men had higher EQ-5D utility values and VAS scores than women. The mean EQ-5D utility value and VAS score was highest in obese men and normal-weight women, respectively. After controlling potential confounders, being underweight was significantly and negatively associated with lower HRQOL among adults. The relationship between obesity and gender was that in women obesity was negatively and significantly associated with HRQOL, whereas in men this association was positive but not statistically significant. Results of gender by BMI interaction in regression model showed that this difference between men and women in this respect was significant. The association between BMI and HRQOL differed by gender and the so-called “obesity-HRQOL paradox” phenomenon was verified in male adults. Gender difference should be considered when implementing targeted weight control programs and appropriate interventions to improve HRQOL.

Antibiotics are medicines used to prevent and treat bacterial infections. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of these medicines. Antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world, leading to higher medical costs, prolonged hospital stays, and increased mortality. In the European Union alone, drug-resistant bacteria are estimated to cause 25,000 deaths and cost more than US$1.5 billion every year in healthcare expenses and productivity losses. The problems of antibiotic misuse and antibiotic resistance are quite serious in China. In 2015, results of a study by the State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences indicated that the total antibiotic usage in China in 2013 was approximately 162,000 tons, including human use (48%) and use in animals (52%). This amount accounted for about half of the antibiotic usage worldwide. The per-capita use of antibiotics in China is more than 5 times that in Europe and the United States. These data mean that China is one of the world's leading countries with serious problems in terms of antibiotic misuse and antibiotic resistance. The current article analyzes the current state and harms of antibiotic misuse and causes of antibiotic resistance in China. The Government needs to pay close attention to the issue of antibiotic resistance in China and formulate a strategy at the national level. Thus, the following suggestions are offered: i) The Chinese Government should implement policies that promote antibiotic research and development; ii) Medical facilities in China should create multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) and encourage early action by MDTs to control the spread of multi-drug-resistant bacteria (MDRB); iii) An intervention in the form of health education should target patients and accompanying family members (AFM) in China. In other words, antibiotic resistance is not a personal problem but an urgent public health problem. Without urgent action, China is heading for a post-antibiotic era in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill. Therefore, the aforementioned proposals have been offered with the hope that policy suggestions help to limit the phenomenon of antibiotic misuse and antibiotic resistance in China.