Associations between dietary patterns (DPs) and sarcopenia remain controversial, and fewer studies have mentioned the relationship between dietary energy composition and sarcopenia. The present cross-sectional study was conducted in three regions of China, to detect the associations between DPs and sarcopenia, and to identify the influencing nutrients. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted for DP identification. Logistic regressions were performed to explore the associations between DPs and sarcopenia. Dietary nutrients and dietary energy composition were calculated and compared among different DPs. Three DPs were identified from 861 community-dwelling older people. The “mushrooms–fruits–milk” pattern was negatively associated with sarcopenia (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.14~0.77, p-trend = 0.009). Subjects in the highest quartile of the “mushrooms–fruits–milk” pattern showed more abundant intake (1.7 g/kg/d) of dietary protein, and lower percentage (31%) of energy from fat (PEF) than the other two DPs. Further analyses indicated that lower PEF (<30%) was negatively associated with sarcopenia. In conclusion, the “mushrooms–fruits–milk” pattern was negatively associated with sarcopenia in community-dwelling older Chinese people. This pattern showed abundant protein intake and low PEF, which may partially contribute to its protective effect on sarcopenia. Therefore, besides protein, dietary fat and PEF may also be considered in the prevention and management of sarcopenia.

The association between intestinal permeability and sarcopenia remains unclear, and few studies have mentioned the relationship between intestinal permeability and skeletal muscle strength. The present cross-sectional community study was conducted in a rural area of Beijing to explore the association between intestinal permeability and handgrip strength (HGS) in middle-aged and older adults. Serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS), diamine oxidase (DAO) and D-lactate were detected to evaluate intestinal permeability. Gut microbiota (GM) and its potential interaction were also analyzed in the decision tree model. HGS was negatively correlated with DAO (r = −0.396, p < 0.01) in males. The negative association between HGS and DAO remained significant with the adjustment of covariates (β = −1.401, p < 0.05). Serum DAO and LPS were both negatively associated with HGS in middle-aged and older males, with the significant interactions of GM in the decision tree model, and D-lactate showed a negative association with HGS in females. Therefore, intestinal permeability was associated with the loss of skeletal muscle strength in middle-aged and older adults, and serum DAO may be a novel predictor for the loss of skeletal muscle strength in middle-aged and older males.

The association between obesity and sarcopenia remains controversial. The present study was conducted to explore the associations among body mass index (BMI), visceral fat area (VFA), and sarcopenia in older people and analyze their potential mechanisms. This cross-sectional study included 861 community-dwelling older Chinese people from three regions of China. BMI, VFA, muscle mass, muscle strength, physical performance, body composition, and metabolic markers were measured. Muscle mass and muscle strength were positively correlated with BMI, but were negatively correlated with VFA. Simple overweight/obesity was negatively associated with sarcopenia (OR = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.03~0.18), and the OR value was lower than combined obesity (OR = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.09~0.28). Fat free mass and total body protein were positively associated with high BMI but negatively associated with high VFA. Furthermore, high VFA was adversely associated with some metabolic risk factors of sarcopenia. Combination of BMI and VFA increased diagnostic efficiency of low muscle mass and sarcopenia. In conclusion, high BMI was negatively associated with sarcopenia, while high VFA attenuated the negative association between high BMI and sarcopenia. The opposite association may partially be attributed to their different associations with body composition and metabolic risk factors of sarcopenia. Therefore, bedsides BMI, VFA and its interaction with BMI should be considered in sarcopenia prevention.

The present study was conducted to investigate the nutrition status of dietary patterns and the association between dietary patterns and the risk of poor glycemic control in Chinese diabetics. The relevant data was collected from the China Nutrition and Health Surveillance 2015–2017 survey, which is a national cross-sectional surveillance program. A total of 2031 participants were included in the present statistical analysis. Food consumption was assessed through a validated and standard food frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were derived with reduced rank regression using hemoglobin A1c. Diabetes was diagnosed by medical institutions, glycemic control was defined as hemoglobin A1c less than 7%, poor glycemic control was defined as hemoglobin A1c greater than 7%. A multiple-variable-adjusted logistic regression, including age, living area, income level, educational attainment, body mass index, occupational physical activity, energy intake, current smoking status, current drinking status, diabetic medication use, insulin use, following diabetic diets, increased exercise, and glucose monitoring, was adjusted to explore the association between dietary patterns and the risk of poor glycemic control in diabetes. Two gender-specific dietary patterns have an increased risk of poor glycemic control and are characterized by a low intake of freshwater fish, poultry, and fruits. For male participants, the dietary pattern was characterized by a high intake of wheat and its products, a low intake of vegetables, corn and its products, shrimp and crab, and beans (Q4 vs. Q1, OR = 2.69, 95% CI: 1.76 to 4.10). For female participants, the dietary pattern was characterized by a low intake of snacks and nuts, and algae and mushroom (Q4 vs. Q1, OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.48 to 3.20).

An irrational diet has been widely considered as one of the vital risk factors of hypertension. Previous studies have indicated that immune dysfunction may be involved in the pathogenic process of hypertension, while fewer studies have mentioned whether CD4+ T cells are involved in the association between dietary pattern and hypertension. This present 1:1 matched case-control study was conducted to analyze the association among dietary pattern, CD4+ T cells and hypertension. A total of 56 patients with diagnosed hypertension and 56 subjects without diagnosed hypertension in the rural area of Beijing City, northern China, were matched by age and gender, and then classified into a case group and a control group, respectively. Compared with the control group, higher frequencies of pro-inflammatory CD4+ T cells, such as Th1, Th1(IFN-γ), Th17(IL-17A), and Th1/17 (IFN-γ/IL-17A), were found in the case group (p < 0.05). A significantly higher level of circulating IL-17A was also found in the case group (7.4 pg/mL vs. 8.2 pg/mL, p < 0.05). Five dietary patterns were identified using exploratory factor analysis. An irrational dietary pattern, characterized by high-factor loadings of refined wheat (0.65), meat (0.78), poultry (0.76), and alcoholic beverage (0.73), was positively associated with SBP (β = 5.38, 95%CI = 0.73~10.03, p < 0.05) in the multiple linear regression model with the adjustment of potential covariates. The other dietary patterns showed no significant association with blood pressure. Furthermore, meat, processed meat, and animal viscera were positively correlated with the peripheral Th17 or Th1/17. In conclusion, the irrational dietary pattern characterized by refined wheat, meat, poultry, and alcoholic beverage, was positively correlated with blood pressure, and may increase the risk of hypertension in the rural area of Beijing, northern China. Th17, a subset of the CD4+ T helper cells, may be involved in the association between irrational dietary pattern and hypertension.

AIM: Postoperative complications persist as a significant cause of graft failure in liver transplantation. Identifying circulatory markers that predict such complications holds excellent clinical value. This study aimed to investigate serological indicators that can indicate early complications in adult liver transplantation. METHODS: This study included 436 patients who underwent liver transplantation at our hospital, along with corresponding monitoring protocols. The differences and interactions of circulating indicators at various time points were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. Post-hoc multiple comparisons were adjusted using the Bonferroni method. Restricted cubic spline regression models assessed non-linear associations between circulating markers, complications, and mortality. RESULTS: This study demonstrated significant time effects for all related markers, with substantial differences in complications and mortality for direct bilirubin and albumin. The restricted cubic spline model revealed a significant positive association between direct bilirubin and complications across three postoperative phases (p postoperative phase 1 = 0.0011, p postoperative phase 2 = 0.0001, p postoperative phase 3 = 0.0020). Conversely, albumin showed a significant negative association with complications in phases 1 and 2 (p postoperative phase 1 = 0.0001, p postoperative phase 2 = 0.0009). Furthermore, direct bilirubin was significant associated with increased mortality of postoperative phase 2 and phase 3 (p postoperative phase 2< 0.0001, p postoperative phase 3< 0.0001), while albumin showed a significant negative association with mortality (p postoperative phase 1 = 0.0306). CONCLUSIONS: Direct bilirubin and albumin are potential critical factors affecting early complications after liver transplantation. Close monitoring of these markers within 24–72 postoperative hours may help predict the occurrence of complications.