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PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) technology is a new protein-degradation strategy that has emerged in recent years. It uses bifunctional small molecules to induce the ubiquitination and degradation of target proteins through the ubiquitin–proteasome system. PROTACs can not only be used as potential clinical treatments for diseases such as cancer, immune disorders, viral infections, and neurodegenerative diseases, but also provide unique chemical knockdown tools for biological research in a catalytic, reversible, and rapid manner. In 2019, our group published a review article “PROTACs: great opportunities for academia and industry” in the journal, summarizing the representative compounds of PROTACs reported before the end of 2019. In the past 2 years, the entire field of protein degradation has experienced rapid development, including not only a large increase in the number of research papers on protein-degradation technology but also a rapid increase in the number of small-molecule degraders that have entered the clinical and will enter the clinical stage. In addition to PROTAC and molecular glue technology, other new degradation technologies are also developing rapidly. In this article, we mainly summarize and review the representative PROTACs of related targets published in 2020–2021 to present to researchers the exciting developments in the field of protein degradation. The problems that need to be solved in this field will also be briefly introduced.

The objective of the present paper was to review the consumption status of meat and dairy products among Chinese residents. The research topics included production, consumption and health implications of dairy and meat, and the data sources included reports of national surveys, research papers and data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China. The average intake of meat, especially pork, has continued to increase in China. Pork intake increased from 37·1 g/d in 1992 to 64·3 g/d in 2012. There was a much higher margin in rural regions; pork intake of rural residents increased from 25·0 g/d in 1992 to 59·9 g/d in 2012, which resulted in a narrowed gap between urban and rural areas. Although the average intake of dairy products increased from 14·9 g/d in 1992 to 24·7 g/d in 2012, the overall level was still lower. There was a significant difference of dairy consumption between urban and rural residents. The gap of per capita consumption of milk between urban and rural households was 3·5 kg/year in 1990, reached the maximum of 16·9 kg/year in 2003, then decreased to 8·7 kg/year in 2012. In conclusion, the finding of this review sheds light on some problems with food consumption patterns in China. Effective strategies need to be adopted in order to change the consumption patterns. The consumption of milk and replacing pork with poultry or fish or other health foods should be encouraged.

The present study was done to examine the status of dietary sodium intake and dietary sources of sodium among Chinese adults. Data were obtained from China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance (CNNHS) 2010–2012. All adults recruited in this study provided complete dietary data on three-day consecutive 24-h dietary recalls combining with the household weighing method. Sodium intake was adjusted for energy to 2000 kcal/day using the residual method. Average sodium intake was 5013 (95% Confidence Interval, CI: 4858, 5168) mg/day, and 92.6% of adults’ sodium intake exceeded the standard in the Chinese proposed intake for preventing non-communicable chronic diseases (PI-NCD). The salt added to food was the main contributor to daily sodium intake, representing 69.2% of the total sodium consumption. The proportion of sodium from salt was different in some subgroups. The contribution ranged from 64.8% for those who came from urban areas aged 18–49 years old to 74.7% for those who came from rural areas with education levels of primary school or less, and sodium from soy sauce was the next highest contributor (8.2%). The proportion of the subjects with sodium intake contributed by flour products was higher in the north with 7.1% than the south with 1.4%. The average consumption of sodium among Chinese was more than the recommended amount, and salt was the main source of sodium.

Elaborating and understanding disparities in the burden of cardiovascular disease attributable to high fasting plasma glucose is important to improve diabetes prevention and promote cardiovascular health. In this study, we pool data on 791,373 people aged 25 years and older from three population-based surveys, and estimate the burden of cardiovascular disease attributable to high fasting plasma glucose between 2010 and 2018 in China by age, sex, region and socio-demographic index. In 2018, an estimated total of 498.61 thousand (95% uncertainty interval 463.93 to 534.12) cardiovascular disease-related deaths are attributable to high fasting plasma glucose in China. High fasting plasma glucose accounts for 1076.09 years of life lost per 100,000 people (95% uncertainty interval 1026.88–1129.04) due to cardiovascular disease in 2018, with substantial variation across provinces. In 2018, the higher age-standardised cardiovascular disease mortality rate attributable to high fasting plasma glucose is observed in the high-middle socio-demographic index region and the middle socio-demographic index region. Nationally, compared to 2010, exposure to high fasting plasma glucose and population aging in 2018 are the primary drivers of increased fasting plasma glucose-related deaths due to cardiovascular disease. Findings of this study emphasize the importance of developing population-specific tailored measures in China and other regions with similar condition. Evidence for comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden attributable to high fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in China is limited. Here, the authors show CVD deaths attributable to high FPG varied substantially across China. Exposure to high FPG and population aging were the primary drivers of increased CVD burden.

Early developmental adaptations in response to undernutrition may play an essential role in susceptibility to type 2 diabetes, particularly for those experiencing a \"mismatched rich nutritional environment\" in later life. We examined the associations of exposure to the Chinese famine (1959-1961) during fetal life and childhood with the risk of hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes in adulthood. We used the data for 7,874 rural adults born between 1954 and 1964 in selected communities from the cross-sectional 2002 China National Nutrition and Health Survey. Hyperglycemia was defined as fasting plasma glucose ≥6.1 mmol/l and/or 2-h plasma glucose ≥7.8 mmol/l and/or a previous clinical diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Prevalences of hyperglycemia among adults in nonexposed, fetal exposed, early-childhood, mid-childhood, and late-childhood exposed cohorts were 2.4%, 5.7%, 3.9%, 3.4%, and 5.9%, respectively. In severely affected famine areas, fetal-exposed subjects had an increased risk of hyperglycemia compared with nonexposed subjects (odds ratio = 3.92; 95% CI: 1.64-9.39; P = 0.002); this difference was not observed in less severely affected famine areas (odds ratio = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.25-1.31; P = 0.185). The odds ratios were significantly different between groups from the severe and less severe famine areas (P for interaction = 0.001). In severely affected famine areas, fetal-exposed subjects who followed an affluent/Western dietary pattern (odds ratios = 7.63; 95% CI: 2.41-24.1; P = 0.0005) or who had a higher economic status in later life experienced a substantially elevated risk of hyperglycemia (odds ratios = 6.20; 95% CI: 2.08-18.5; P = 0.001). Fetal exposure to the severe Chinese famine increases the risk of hyperglycemia in adulthood. This association appears to be exacerbated by a nutritionally rich environment in later life.

Background Video platform is an important approach for individuals to access and adopt health information. Online information on gluten-free diet (GFD) videos remains underinvestigated. Methods GFD videos were identified by hashtag-based searching strategy. Videos' basic information, engagement metrics, and content were recorded. Mann-Kendall test was performed to examine time trends of submitting videos and engagement metrics. Video quality was evaluated by the DISCERN instrument and the HONcode. Results A total of 822 videos were included in the analysis, with the majority focusing on gluten-free food recipes. The number of videos related to GFD was showing an upward trend. Engagement metrics varied between platforms and video types, with non-recipe videos receiving higher user engagement. The average DISCERN score was 50.20 out of 80 and the average HONcode score was 1.93 out of 8. Videos submitted by health professionals demonstrated better quality compared to those submitted by patients or general users. Conclusion There was a rise in the number of videos related to GFD on Chinese video platforms. The overall quality of these videos was poor, most of them were not rigorous enough. Highlighting using social media as a health information source has the potential risk of disseminating one-sided messages and misleading. Efforts should be made to enhance the transparency of advertisements and establish clear guidelines for information sharing on social media platforms.

To evaluate vitamin D deficiency prevalence and risk factors among pregnant Chinese women. A descriptive cross-sectional analysis. China National Nutrition and Health Survey (CNNHS) 2010-2013. A total of 1985 healthy pregnant women participated. Possible predictors of vitamin D deficiency were evaluated via multiple logistic regression analyses. The median serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was 15·5 (interquartile range 11·9-20·0, range 3·0-51·5) ng/ml, with 74·9 (95 % CI 73·0, 76·7) % of participants being vitamin D deficient (25-hydroxyvitamin D <20 ng/ml). According to the multivariate logistic regression analyses, vitamin D deficiency was positively correlated with Hui ethnicity (P=0·016), lack of vitamin D supplement use (P=0·021) and low ambient UVB level (P<0·001). In the autumn months, vitamin D deficiency was related to Hui ethnicity (P=0·012) and low ambient UVB level (P<0·001). In the winter months, vitamin D deficiency was correlated with younger age (P=0·050), later gestational age (P=0·035), higher pre-pregnancy BMI (P=0·019), low ambient UVB level (P<0·001) and lack of vitamin D supplement use (P=0·007). Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent among pregnant Chinese women. Residing in areas with low ambient UVB levels increases the risk of vitamin D deficiency, especially for women experiencing advanced stages of gestation, for younger pregnant women and for women of Hui ethnicity; therefore, vitamin D supplementation and sensible sun exposure should be encouraged, especially in the winter months. Further studies must determine optimal vitamin D intake and sun exposure levels for maintaining sufficient vitamin D levels in pregnant Chinese women.

Objective Successful aging (SA) is a major challenge of population aging. Exploring modifiable factors becomes the focus of promoting SA. We aimed to understand SA status and determine association between sleep and SA in China. Methods Present study targeted subjects aged ≥ 60 years and those with completed data of demographics, lifestyle, disease history, physical and mental health, and anthropometrics in China Health and Nutrition Survey 2018. Sleep was evaluated using self-reported sleep duration and Bergen insomnia scale. SA was assessed from overall health, mental and cognitive health, activities of daily life, and physical capacity. Multivariate logistic regression models were employed to examine association between sleep and SA and its components. Restricted cubic spline regression models were applied to explore dose-response relationships between insomnia score/sleep duration and SA. Results About 41.29% subjects achieved SA. Compared to reference of having no insomnia or having 7–8 h of sleep daily, subjects with insomnia and those with ≥ 9 h of sleep had decreased odds of SA by 53% and 18%, respectively ( p  < 0.05). Relative to subjects with 7–8 h sleep per day (meaning optimal sleep duration) and without insomnia, those having optimal sleep duration but suffering from insomnia (OR = 0.50, 95%CI:0.39–0.62), improper sleep duration ruling out 7–8 h of sleep but without insomnia (OR = 0.84, 95%CI:0.73–0.97), and both improper sleep duration and insomnia (OR = 0.40, 95%CI:0.32–0.50) displayed lower odds of SA. There were nonlinear dose-response relationships between sleep indicators and SA, that was concave-up for insomnia score while inverted U-shape for sleep duration, where inflection points indicating rapidly decreased SA odds were 2.95 points of insomnia and 8 h sleep duration daily. Conclusions Insomnia and longer sleep duration are negative factors for SA in Chinese older adults, and good sleep quality indicated by no insomnia seems more important than sleep duration for SA.

Background Several healthful dietary patterns appear to be effective at lowering blood pressure and preventing hypertension. However, the relationship between dietary patterns and hypertension among a representative Chinese population sample is unclear. Methods A nationally representative sample of 23 671 participants aged 18-59 years were recruited by the 2002 China National Nutrition and Health Survey. All participants had their blood pressure measured with standardized mercury sphygmomanometers. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg. We conducted factor analysis using dietary information from a validated food frequency questionnaire to derive dietary patterns. Information of participants on physical activities, education level, annual household income, smoking status and family history of hypertension was collected by interviewer-administrated questionnaires. Results Three major dietary patterns, defined as 'Western', 'traditional northern', and 'traditional southern', were identified. Participants with the highest quartile for the score of the Western pattern had significantly higher blood pressure comparing with counterparts in the lowest quartile. In contrast, participants in the top quartile for the score of the traditional southern pattern presented significantly lower blood pressure comparing with counterparts in the lowest quartile. In multivariate analyses the traditional northern pattern score was associated with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.30 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11-1.53, P for trend = 0.0001) comparing with the lowest quartile. The OR for the top quartile of score for the traditional southern pattern was 0.73 (95% CI, 0.59-0.89, P for trend = 0.0040) compared with the lowest quartile of traditional southern pattern score. However, the significant association between the traditional northern pattern and prevalence of hypertension disappeared after further adjusting for body mass index (BMI) ( P for trend = 0.3), whereas the association between the traditional southern pattern and prevalence of hypertension persisted after further adjusting for BMI ( P for trend = 0.01). Conclusions We observed a positive relationship between the traditional northern pattern and hypertension that was mediated through differences in BMI. In addition, the traditional southern pattern was significantly associated with lower odds of presenting with hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether exposure to the Chinese famine during fetal life and early childhood is associated with the risks of metabolic syndrome and whether this association is modified by later life environment. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We used data of 7,874 adults born between 1954 and 1964 from the 2002 China National Nutrition and Health Survey. Famine exposure groups were defined as nonexposed; fetal exposed; and early childhood, midchildhood, or late childhood exposed. Excess death rate was used to determine the severity of the famine. The ATP III criteria were used for the definition of metabolic syndrome (three or more of the following variables: elevated fasting triglyceride levels, lower HDL cholesterol levels, elevated fasting glucose levels, higher waist circumference, high blood pressure). RESULTS: In severely affected famine areas, adults who were exposed to the famine during fetal life had a higher risk of metabolic syndrome, as compared with nonexposed subjects (odds ratio 3.13 [95% CI 1.24-7.89, P = 0.016]). Similar associations were observed among adults who were exposed to the famine during early childhood, but not for adults exposed to the famine during mid- or late childhood. Participants who were born in severely affected famine areas and had Western dietary habits in adulthood or were overweight in adulthood had a particularly high risk of metabolic syndrome in later life. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to the Chinese famine during fetal life or infancy is associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome in adulthood. These associations are stronger among subjects with a Western dietary pattern or who were overweight in adulthood.