Factors Determining the Three-Year Dynamics of Lipid Metabolism Indicators in Residents of a Large Industrial Region of Siberia

Aim. To assess the contribution of traditional and socio-economic factors to the development and dynamics of dyslipidemia based on the results of an epidemiological study in a large region of Siberia.Material and methods. Clinical and epidemiological prospective study of the population 35-70 years old was carried out. At the basic stage, 1600 participants were examined, including 1124 women and 476 men, the prospective stage included 807 respondents (the response was 84.1%). A survey was carried out to find out the state of health (presence of diseases, taking medications), socio-economic status (level of education and income, marital status) and the presence of behavioral risk factors (tobacco and alcohol use).Results. The proportion of people with hypercholesterolemia increased 1.2 times, low LDL – 1.1 times, and hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL – 1.7 times. In persons with hypertriglyceridemia, the frequency of detected obesity and hypertension decreased by 7.9% and 4.6%, respectively (p = 0.046). Obesity was associated with an increased risk of developing hypercholesterolemia (OR = 1.49, CI: 1.0-2.2), hypertriglyceridemia (OR = 2.14, CI: 1.5-3.0), high LDL cholesterol (OR = 2.16, CI: 1.3-3.6) and low HDL cholesterol (OR = 2.07, CI: 1.5-2.9). The presence of hypertension - with an increased risk of developing hypertriglyceridemia (OR = 2.19, CI: 1.5-3.1) and low HDL (OR = 2.49, CI: 1.8-3.5). Among people with low HDL levels, the number of smokers and drinkers decreased (by 7.0% and 5.7%, respectively), as well as those with obesity by 8.6%. The prevalence of dyslipidemia increased in all socioeconomic groups.Conclusion. Over 3 years of follow-up, there was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of persons with dyslipidemia in all socio-economic groups. There was a significant decrease in such risk factors as obesity, hypertension, smoking, alcohol consumption and an increase in the number of respondents taking lipid-lowering therapy.

Age and Sex-Related Associations between Marital Status, Physical Activity and TV Time

Marital status mediates an association between physical activity (PA) and TV time with health outcomes. However, population-based studies have revealed that the health effect of marriage or divorce is age-dependent and differs between women and men. The study aimed to identify the age and sex-related associations between marital status with PA and TV time. We used data from Vigitel, an annual telephone survey started in 2006 in Brazil. We applied a complex sample logistic regression model to estimate the odds for PA and TV time comparing marital statuses according to age and sex subgroups, independent of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, self-assessed poor health, and smoking. Our sample included 561,837 individuals from 18 to 99 years, with a TV time > 3 h/day (prevalence = 25.2%) and PA > 150 min/week (prevalence = 35%). Later, we divided our sample in seven age groups by marital status and sex. Compared to single individuals, married men and women were less likely to watch TV more than 3 h/day in participants >30 years old. When compared to single, married participants were less likely to do more than 150 min of PA/week at younger age groups. Married women older than 40 years were more likely to do more than 150 min of PA/week than the single ones, while there were no differences among married men by age group. In conclusion, our study suggests that the investments in public policies to encourage the practice of PA and reduction of TV time could be based on the marital status, sex, and age, prioritizing less active groups.

Sleep Duration and Bedtime in the PURE Poland Cohort Study and the Link with Noncommunicable Diseases

(1) Background: The objective was to investigate the association between sleep duration, bedtime, and noncommunicable diseases in the PURE Poland cohort study. (2) Methods: The baseline study was conducted in 2007–2010. The study group comprised 2023 adult inhabitants of urban and rural areas in Lower Silesia, Poland. The study protocol included questionnaires, blood pressure measurements, blood draws, and anthropometric measurements. Sleep duration and bedtime were self-reported. (3) Results: The median sleep duration of women was 30 min longer than men (8 h vs. 7.5 h; p = 0.001). The average time of sleep increased along with the age of the participants. A sleep duration of >8 h was more common in rural than in urban participants (40.2% vs. 27.1%; respectively; p < 0.001). The relative risk of diabetes, stroke, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and obesity was significantly higher in participants who went to bed between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. in comparison to those who went to bed between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. (RR 2.23, 95%CI 1.06–4.67; RR 2.52, 95%CI 1.28 to 4.97; RR 1.12, 95%CI 1.04–1.20; RR 1.36; 95%CI 1.1–1.68; RR 1.38; 95%CI 1.15–1.66, respectively). The relative risk of respiratory diseases was two-fold higher in those who went to bed after midnight in comparison to those who went to bed between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. (RR 2.24; 95%CI 1.19–4.22). (4) Conclusions: In our study, an earlier bedtime was associated with a higher risk of diabetes, stroke, obesity, hypertension, and CVD.

The Impact of A Web-Based Lifestyle Educational Program (‘Living Better’) Reintervention on Hypertensive Overweight or Obese Patients During The COVID-19 Pandemic.

‘Living Better’, a self-administered web-based intervention, designed to facilitate lifestyle changes, has already shown positive short and medium-term health benefits in patients with an obesity-hypertension phenotype. The objectives of this study were: (1) to examine the long-term (3-year) evolution of a group of hypertensive overweight or obese patients who had already followed the ‘Living Better’ program; (2) to analyse the effects of completing this program a second time (reintervention) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A quasi-experimental uncontrolled design was used. We recruited 29 individuals from the 105 who had participated in our first study. We assessed and compared their systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP, respectively), Body Mass Index (BMI), eating behavior, and physical activity levels (METs-min/week) at Time 0 (follow-up 12 months after the first intervention), Time 1 (before the reintervention), and Time 2 (post-reintervention). Our results showed significant improvements between Time 1 and Time 2 in terms of SBP [−4.7 (−8.7 to −0.7); P=.017], DBP [−3.5 (−6.2 to −0.8); P=.009], BMI [−0.7 (−1.0 to −0.4); P<.001], emotional eating [−2.8 (−5.1 to −0.5); P=.012], external eating [−1.1 (−2.1 to −0.1); P=.039], and physical activity levels (Time 1: 2308±2266; Time 2: 3203±3314; P=.030, Z=-2,17). Statistical analysis showed no significant differences in SPB, DBP, BMI, and eating behavior between Time 0 and Time 1 (P>.24). Implementation of the ‘Living Better’ program maintained some positive long-term (3-year) health benefits in patients with an obesity-hypertension phenotype. Moreover, a reintervention with this same program during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic produced significant improvements in blood pressure, BMI, eating behavior, and physical activity levels beyond the 3-year follow-up.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04571450; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04571450; First Posted: 01/10/2020.

The Effect of Obesity, Hypertension and Diabetes on Health-related Quality of Life among the Elderly in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province

Aims: This study explores the cumulative effects of cardiovascular risk factors on the health-related quality of life (HRQL) among the elderly. Study Design: Our study comprises a cross-sectional design. Place and Duration of Study: The Nov 2021 population-based research represents the Saudi Eastern Province population aged 60 years and above. Methodology: Information was collected through home-based personal interviews using a structured questionnaire on the participants' health. The participants provided informed verbal consent. On each scale of the SF-36 questionnaire, multiple linear regression examined the relationships between obesity, hypertension, diabetes and HRQL after adjusting for sociodemographic data and lifestyle factors. Results: Diabetes and hypertension registered the worst HRQL among males on all the scales (‒53.8 to ‒22.0 points according to the scale) in the two-factor cluster and male clusters except social functioning and role-emotional. Obesity and diabetes registered the worst HRQL on all the scales (–24.4 to –40.4 points according to the scale) in the two-factor female cluster except physical functioning, bodily pain and general health, and on all scales in female clusters except physical functioning, bodily pain, general health, social functioning and role-emotional. Conclusion: Our study shows that obesity, hypertension and diabetes (as separate factors and in combination) negatively affect HRQL.

Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Chinese Patients With Erythrodermic Psoriasis: A Case-Control Study

Erythroderma psoriasis (EP) is a rare and severe form of psoriasis, which is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that usually occurs simultaneously with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a significant precursor of CVD. This study was to investigate the association between EP and MetS in the Chinese population. We conducted a retrospective study on 86 consecutive patients with EP and 100 healthy controls from Huashan Hospital between 2013 and 2018. Demographic, biochemical parameters for MetS, and other relevant data including the severity of EP, family history of EP, age of onset, and treatment history involved in those individuals were recorded. The prevalence of MetS in erythrodermic psoriatic patients was 88.37%, which was significantly higher than that of controls (P &lt; 0.0001). Erythrodermic psoriatic patients also had a higher prevalence of MetS components, including abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia and hypertension, whereas hyperglycemia was similar. Adjusted for confounding factors, MetS, abdominal obesity, hypertension, smoking and alcohol use were positive independent predictors of EP (odds ratio &gt; 1, P &lt; 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve calculated from determined risk factors for predicting the EP’s incidence was 0.934 (95% CI 0.902-0.966). There was no correlation between the severity of EP and the prevalence of MetS. Compared with patients with mild EP, patients with moderate-to-severe EP had higher body mass index, waist circumstance and blood pressure (P &lt; 0.05). We concluded that the prevalence of MetS and its components was higher in patients with EP. MetS an independent predictor of EP, which can favor CVD and should be encouraged to correct these cardiovascular risk factors aggressively for managing EP.

High Neutrophil-lymphocyte Ratio Is a Prognostic Marker for Mortality in Severe Covid-19 and Is Associated With Elevated Age and Kidney Failure

Neutrophil and lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has emerged as a prognostic marker in intensive care. This study aimed to associate high NLR values with COVID-19-associated diseases and mortality among critically ill patients. A cross-sectional study encompassing 189 critically ill patients with COVID-19 was performed. Crude model and adjusted (1- age; 2- sex; 3- kidney failure, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, sex, and age) modes were used. Participants with NLR ≥10.6 were older than those with NLR <10.6 (p < 0.001). The number of deaths (37 vs. 18, p = 0.001) and patients with kidney failure (30 vs. 20, p = 0.045) were higher for NLR ≥10.6 than NLR <10.6. NLR ≥10.6 was associated with higher number of deaths for the crude model (OR: 3.10 [95%CI:1.60-6.01], p = 0.001), age-adjusted (OR: 2.62 [95%CI:1.32-5.20], p = 0.006) and sex-adjusted (OR: 2.97 [95%CI:1.52-5.78], p = 0.031), as well as in the fully-adjusted model (OR: 2.48 [95%CI:1.21-5.08], p = 0.013), when compared to NLR <10.6. Older adults (≥60y) had an OR of 2.61 (95%CI:1.26-5.39, p = 0.010) for mortality compared to adults (≤59y), and the same value was found for the model adjusted for sex (OR: 2.61 [95%CI:1.26-5.42], p = 0.010). Kidney failure was associated with mortality for the crude model (OR: 2.58 [95%CI:1.30-5.11], p = 0.007), age-adjusted (OR: 2.09 [95%CI:1.02-4.27], p = 0.044), and sex-adjusted (OR: 2.45 [95%CI:1.23-4.89], p = 0.011). In conclusion, high NLR is a prognostic marker for mortality in severe COVID-19 and is associated with advanced age and kidney failure.

BBSome: a New Player in Hypertension and Other Cardiovascular Risks

The BBSome is an octameric protein complex involved in Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), a human pleiotropic, autosomal recessive condition. Patients with BBS display various clinical features including obesity, hypertension, and renal abnormalities. Association studies have also linked the BBS genes to hypertension and other cardiovascular risks in the general population. The BBSome was originally associated with the function of cilia, a highly specialized organelle that extend from the cell membrane of most vertebrate cells. However, subsequent studies have implicated the BBSome in the control of a myriad of other cellular processes not related to cilia including cell membrane localization of receptors and gene expression. The development of animal models of BBS such as mouse lines lacking various components of the BBSome and associated proteins has facilitated studying their role in the control of cardiovascular function and deciphering the pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for the cardiovascular aberrations associated with BBS. These studies revealed the importance of the neuronal, renal, vascular, and cardiac BBSome in the regulation of blood pressure, renal function, vascular reactivity, and cardiac development. The BBSome has also emerged as a critical regulator of key systems involved in cardiovascular control including the renin-angiotensin system. Better understanding of the influence of the BBSome on the molecular and physiological processes relevant to cardiovascular health and disease has the potential of identifying novel mechanisms underlying hypertension and other cardiovascular risks.

Comparative Effect of Vitamin D3 and Carbenoxolone Treatments in Metabolic Syndrome Rats

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors including central obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hyperglyemia. MetS is found to be a positive predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The present study was planned to test the efficacy of vitamin D3 supplementation as compared to cortisol inhibition on MetS parameters. Wistar rats were allocated into four groups: controls, untreated MetS, and MetS treated with either vitamin D3 (10 μg/kg), or carbenoxolone (50 mg/kg). MetS was induced by combination of high fat diet and oral fructose. After the induction period (8 weeks), MetS was confirmed and treatment modalities started for a further 4 weeks. Compared to untreated MetS, vitamin D3 and carbenoxolone treated rats showed significant reduction in blood pressure, body mass index, lee index, waist circumference, retroperitoneal fat, and improvement of dyslipidemia. Meanwhile, treatment with carbenoxolone significantly lowered the elevated liver enzymes, vitamin D3 resulted in improved insulin sensitivity, enhanced glucose uptake by muscles and replenished glycogen content in the liver and muscles near control levels. In conclusion, although treatment with vitamin D3 or carbenoxolone reduced the risk factors associated with MetS, vitamin D3 was effective in ameliorating insulin resistance which is the hallmark of MetS.