Estimates of ROC curve analyses of anthropometric indices for cardiovascular risk factors.

<p>*P<0.05, Compared to BMI.</p>†<p>P<0.05, Compared to WC.</p><p>ROC, receiver operating characteristics; AUC, area under the curve; BMI, body mass index; WC, waist circumference; WHtR, waist-to-height ratio.</p

Waist-to-Height Ratio and Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Chinese Adults in Beijing

<div><p>Objectives</p><p>To examine whether waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) performed better than, body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference (WC) in relation to hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia among Chinese adults in Beijing.</p><p>Methods</p><p>A total of 5720 adults (2371 men and 3349 nonpregnant women) aged 18 to 79 years were selected from the general population in a cross-sectional study. Data from a standardized questionnaire, physical examination, and blood sample were obtained.</p><p>Results</p><p>The area under curve (AUC) values for WHtR (0.661–0.773) were significantly higher than those for BMI for all outcomes in both sexes, except that WHtR and BMI had similar AUCs for dyslipidemia in men. The AUCs for WHtR were significantly higher than those for WC with respect to hypertension in both sexes, and to diabetes in women. AUCs for the relationships between anthropometric indices and the three outcomes were larger in women than in men, and tended to decrease with age. Optimal cutoffs for WHtR were 0.51–0.53 and 0.48–0.50 in men and women, respectively. With regard to the current Chinese criteria for BMI (≥24 kg/m²), WC (≥90 cm for men, and ≥85 cm for women), and the recommended cutoff of WHtR (≥0.5), WHtR yielded the greatest odds ratio for hypertension and diabetes in both sexes, and dyslipidemia in women. BMI had the highest odds ratio for dyslipidemia in men. The odds ratios of anthropometric indices for hypertension and diabetes, but not for dyslipidemia, were higher in women than in men. The association between anthropometric indices and the three outcomes decreased with age.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>WHtR performed better than BMI and WC for the association with hypertension and diabetes. More studies should be conducted to explore the age differences in the relationships between obesity indices and cardiovascular risk factors.</p></div

Descriptive statistics by sex among adults aged 18–79 years.

<p>BMI, body mass index; WC, waist circumference; WHtR, waist-to-height ratio; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; FG, fasting glucose; TC, total cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; TG, triglycerides.</p

Sensitivities, specificities, and adjusted odds ratios of anthropometric indices for cardiovascular risk factors.

<p>*Adjusted odds ratios for cardiovascular risk factors in subjects with versus subjects without high BMI, high WC, or high WHtR, adjusted for age, sex, education level, smoking status, drinking, physical exercise and family history of the corresponding condition.</p><p>Sen, sensitivity; Spe, specificity; OR, odds ratios; BMI, body mass index; WC, waist circumference; WHtR, waist-to-height ratio.</p

Optimal cutoffs of anthropometric indices and their sensitivities, specificities, and Youden's indices for cardiovascular risk factors.

<p>Sen, sensitivity; Spe, specificity; YI, Youden's index; BMI, body mass index; WC, waist circumference; WHtR, waist-to-height ratio.</p

Solvent-Assisted Oxygen Incorporation of Vertically Aligned MoS₂ Ultrathin Nanosheets Decorated on Reduced Graphene Oxide for Improved Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Three-dimensional oxygen-incorporated MoS₂ ultrathin nanosheets decorated on reduced graphene oxide (O-MoS₂/rGO) had been successfully fabricated through a facile solvent-assisted hydrothermal method. The origin of the incorporated oxygen and its incorporation mechanism into MoS₂ were carefully investigated. We found that the solvent <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-dimethylformamide (DMF) was the key as the reducing agent and the oxygen donor, expanding interlayer spaces and improving intrinsic conductivity of MoS₂ sheets (modulating its electronic structure and vertical edge sites). These O dopants, vertically aligned edges and decoration with rGO gave effectively improved double-layer capacitance and catalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) of MoS₂. The prepared O-MoS₂/rGO catalysts showed an exceptional small Tafel slope of 40 mV/decade, a high current density of 20 mA/cm² at the overpotential of 200 mV and remarkable stability even after 2000th continuous HER test in the acid media

A Low Cytotoxic Cationic Metal–Organic Framework Carrier for Controllable Drug Release

A positively charged porous drug carrier MOF-74-Fe­(III) (<b>1</b>, MOF = metal–organic framework), which could not be directly synthesized using ferric salts, was prepared through the oxidation of the neutral crystal MOF-74-Fe­(II). This cationic host material exhibits very low cytotoxicity upon PC12 cells by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and high drug loading capacity of ibuprofen anions (∼15.9 wt %) through ion exchange and salt penetration procedures. Controlled by anion exchange, two mechanisms were involved in the drug release process with different drug delivery rates due to the presence of coordinated or free ibuprofen anions, making the administration of drug release more flexible

Hollow Au–Cu₂O Core–Shell Nanoparticles with Geometry-Dependent Optical Properties as Efficient Plasmonic Photocatalysts under Visible Light

Hollow Au–Cu₂O core–shell nanoparticles were synthesized by using hollow gold nanoparticles (HGNs) as the plasmon-tailorable cores to direct epitaxial growth of Cu₂O nanoshells. The effective geometry control of hollow Au–Cu₂O core–shell nanoparticles was achieved through adjusting the HGN core sizes, Cu₂O shell thicknesses, and morphologies related to structure-directing agents. The morphology-dependent plasmonic band red-shifts across the visible and near-infrared spectral regions were observed from experimental extinction spectra and theoretical simulation based on the finite-difference time-domain method. Moreover, the hollow Au–Cu₂O core–shell nanoparticles with synergistic optical properties exhibited higher photocatalytic performance in the photodegradation of methyl orange when compared to pristine Cu₂O and solid Au–Cu₂O core–shell nanoparticles under visible-light irradiation due to the efficient photoinduced charge separation, which could mainly be attributed to the Schottky barrier and plasmon-induced resonant energy transfer. Such optical tunability achieved through the hollow cores and structure-directed shells is of benefit to the performance optimization of metal–semiconductor nanoparticles for photonic, electronic, and photocatalytic applications

Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity and Weight Loss Practice among Beijing Adults, 2011

<div><p>Objective</p><p>This study aims to determine the up-to-date prevalence of overweight and obesity, the distributions of body weight perception and weight loss practice in Beijing adults.</p><p>Methods</p><p>A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011. A total of 2563 men and 4088 women aged 18–79 years from the general population were included. Data were obtained from questionnaire and physical examination.</p><p>Results</p><p>The prevalence of overweight (BMI 24–27.9 kg/m²) and obesity (BMI≥28 kg/m²) was 42.1% and 20.3% in men and 35.6% and 17.1% in women, respectively. Age was inversely associated with overweight in both sexes, and obesity in women. Education level was negatively associated with overweight and obesity in women but not in men. Only 49.1% men and 58.3% women had a correct perception of their body weight. Underestimation of body weight was more common than overestimation, especially in men, the older people, and those with low education level. The percentage of taking action to lose weight was inversely associated with men and old age, and positively associated with higher education level, higher BMI, and self-perception as “fat” (OR = 3.78 in men, OR = 2.91 in women). Only 26.1% of overweight/obese individuals took action to lose weight. The top two weight loss practices were to reduce the amount of food intake and exercise.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Overweight and obesity were highly prevalent with high incorrect body weight perceptions in the general adult population in Beijing. Weight loss practice was poor in overweight and obese individuals. Actions at multiple levels are needed to slow or control this overweight and obesity epidemic.</p></div

Percentage of body weight perceptions by selected characteristics^*.

<p>*Perceptions of body weight were categorized into four groups: under, correct, over, and unknown perception.</p>†<p><i>P</i><0.01: men vs. women.</p>‡<p><i>P</i><0.05: men vs. women.</p><p>Percentage of body weight perceptions by selected characteristics^{<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0098744#nt108" target="_blank">*</a>}.</p