Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a globally increasing health epidemic. Lifestyle intervention is recommended as the main therapy for NAFLD. However, the optimal approach is still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a comprehensive approach of intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) concerning enhanced control of calorie-restricted diet (CRD), exercise, and personalized nutrition counseling on liver steatosis and extrahepatic metabolic status in Chinese overweight and obese patients with NAFLD. This study was a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted across seven hospitals in China. It involved 226 participants with a body mass index (BMI) above 25. These participants were randomly assigned to two groups: the ILI group, which followed a low carbohydrate, high protein CRD combined with exercise and intensive counseling from a dietitian, and a control group, which adhered to a balanced CRD along with exercise and standard counseling. The main measure of the study was the change in the fat attenuation parameter (FAP) from the start of the study to week 12, analyzed within the per-protocol set. Secondary measures included changes in BMI, liver stiffness measurement (LSM), and the improvement of various metabolic indexes. Additionally, predetermined subgroup analyses of the FAP were conducted based on variables like gender, age, BMI, ethnicity, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. A total of 167 participants completed the whole study. Compared to the control group, ILI participants achieved a significant reduction in FAP (LS mean difference, 16.07 [95

Background Non-specific ST-T segment changes are prevalent and are proven risk factors for early onset of cardiovascular diseases. They can increase all-cause mortality by 100∼200% and are candidate for early signs of cardiovascular changes. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is prevalent worldwide and is one facet of a multisystem disease that confers substantial increases morbidity and mortality of nonalcoholic fatty liver-related cardiovascular diseases. It is unclear whether NAFLD is associated with non-specific ST-T changes warning early signs of cardiovascular changes. Therefore, we investigated this association. Methods A cross-sectional study was designed that included a sample consisting of 32,922 participants who underwent health examinations. Participants with missing information, excessive alcohol intake, viral hepatitis, chronic liver disease or established cardiovascular diseases were excluded. Electrocardiograms were used for analysis of non-specific ST-T segment changes. NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasonographic detection of hepatic steatosis without other liver diseases. A multivariable logistic regression model was served to calculate the OR and 95% CI for non-specific ST-T segment changes. Results The prevalence of non-specific ST-T segment changes was 6.5% in participants with NAFLD, however, the prevalence of NAFLD was 42.9% in participants with non-specific ST-T segment changes. NAFLD was independently associated with non-specific ST-T segment changes (OR: 1.925, 95% CI: 1.727-2.143, P < 0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, heart rate, hypertension, body mass index, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-C, NAFLD remained an independent risk factor of non-specific ST-T segment changes (OR: 1.289, 95% CI: 1.122-1.480). Conclusion Non-specific ST-T segment changes were independently associated with the presence of NAFLD after adjusting for potential confounders.

This study aimed to explore the association between low-frequency and rare variants of Wnt signaling genes and postmenopausal osteoporosis (OP) by the next generation sequencing (NGS) technology. We performed targeted NGS of nine Wnt signaling genes in 400 Chinese postmenopausal women, including 226 cases with decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and 174 controls with normal values. Proxy External Controls Association Test (ProxECAT) and logistic regression analysis were performed by data from internal cases (n = 226) and Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD) East Asian controls (n = 9435). The genomic region of interest (ROI) of 94 functional low-frequency and rare variants was associated with OP risk (P < 0.05). The LGR6 gene was associated significantly with OP risk and BMD measurements (BMD, T-score and Z-score) (adjusted-P < 0.05) after adjusting for confounders. The allele A of rs199693693 (K82N) in LRP6 and G of novel variant 1: 202287949 (R840G) in LGR6 were associated with higher BMD, T-score, and Z-score (all adjusted-P < 0.05). ProxECAT showed that LGR4 was significantly different between the internal cases and the external controls (all adjusted-P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the allele G of rs765778410 (T645A) (OR = 26.16, 95% CI: 4.36–156.95, adjusted-P value = 0.026) in LGR6 and A of rs61370283 (L987M) (OR = 15.39, 95% CI: 2.98–79.55, adjusted-P value = 0.037) in LRP5 were associated with increased risk of postmenopausal OP. The LGR4 and LGR6 genes and four potential functional rare variants associate with postmenopausal OP risk. These results highlight the significance of rare functional variants in postmenopausal OP genetics and provide new insights into the potential mutations in this field.

The study investigated the distribution of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) EA-IgA, VCA-IgA, and EBVNA-IgG antibodies in a local population of Wuhan, China. Chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) was used to detect EBV EA-IgA, VCA-IgA, and EBVNA-IgG antibodies in 972 subjects undergoing physical examination in Wuhan, and the results were analyzed. The detection rate of EBV was positively correlated with age. In the 972 cases, there was significant difference between different genders in the positive rate of VCA-IgA and EBVNA-IgG. Moreover, the positive rate of VCA-IgA and EBVNA-IgG was higher in men ≥ 60 years old than in those < 60 but no significant differences were found in three antibodies among various age groups. Our results suggested that the EBV infection should be intensively monitored in elderly people in Wuhan.

Critically short telomeres indicate cellular senescence. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is regarded as an aging predictor. Osteoporosis is an age-related disease. The purpose of our study is to examine the association between LTL, and BMD and osteoporosis among an elderly Chinese population. A total of 1017 participants (584 postmenopausal women) with a mean age of 66.4 years were recruited from April 2016 to August 2017. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used for BMD measurement at skeleton sites of lumbar spine (LS), femoral neck (FN), and total hip (TH). LTL was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Among women, age significantly modified the effect of LTL on BMD at FN. Additionally, significant age modification was observed for the association between LTL and LS BMD category (indicative of control or osteopenia or osteoporosis), and the number of osteoporotic sites at LS or TH. The corresponding estimates (95% CI) for the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) were − 0.07 (− 0.11, − 0.01) and − 0.11 (− 0.16, − 0.03) sequentially in ordinal logistic regression models. The estimated RERIs (95% CI) were − 0.11 (− 0.25, − 0.02) and − 0.23 (− 0.39, − 0.10) in multinomial logistic regression models for LS/FN/TH BMD category, and − 0.20 (− 0.31, − 0.09) and − 0.34 (− 0.49, − 0.21) for FN BMD category. However, similar findings did not show in men. The effect of LTL on BMD and osteoporosis risk is modified by age in elderly women but not in men, suggesting that the predictive role of LTL in bone loss differs by sex.