Women's football in the People's Republic of China: retrospect and prospect

As the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s women’s national football team once more brought disappointment to the Chinese people, this time in the qualifying rounds of the 2011 Football World Cup and the 2012 London Olympic Games, women’s football drew criticism nationwide. This article reflects upon the development of women’s football in the PRC from the 1970s to the present as it travelled a winding road that took it to the heights of international success and to the depths of ignominy. Driving the successes and failures were the national sports policies. As this study travelled the road taken by women’s football in the PRC, it found the wrecks of promising teams that had faced the bleak prospects of the lack of popular and government support and of the people’s negative perception of the game, all stemming from the woeful performances of the national team. However, it has been noted that professional women’s football has, potentially, a bright future in the PRC if it could gain popular support among schoolgirls, and it is maintained that this could be achieved through a wider integration of sport and education

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Associated Metabolic Risks of Hypertension in Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Community-Based Study

The mechanisms facilitating hypertension in diabetes still remain to be elucidated. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is a higher risk factor for insulin resistance, shares many predisposing factors with diabetes. However, little work has been performed on the pathogenesis of hypertension in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) with NAFLD. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of hypertension in different glycemic statuses and to analyze relationships between NAFLD, metabolic risks, and hypertension within a large community-based population after informed written consent. A total of 9473 subjects aged over 45 years, including 1648 patients with T2DM, were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Clinical and biochemical parameters of all participants were determined. The results suggested that the patients with prediabetes or T2DM were with higher risks to have hypertension. T2DM with NAFLD had significantly higher levels of blood pressure, triglyceride, uric acid, and HOMA-IR than those without NAFLD. Data analyses suggested that hypertriglyceridemia [OR = 1.773 (1.396, 2.251)], NAFLD [OR = 2.344 (1.736, 3.165)], hyperuricemia [OR = 1.474 (1.079, 2.012)], and insulin resistance [OR = 1.948 (1.540, 2.465)] were associated with the higher prevalence of hypertension independent of other metabolic risk factors in type 2 diabetes. Further studies are needed to focus on these associations