Lower body mass index and higher height are correlated with increased varicocele risk

To evaluate the anthropometric indexes in subjects with varicocele compared to controls and the incidence of varicocele in different body mass index (BMI) groups for the purpose of exploring the association between varicocele and anthropometric indexes. A comprehensive literature search was conducted by using PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE databases and Cochrane Library up to February 2019. A systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted by STATA, and Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was utilised for assessing risk of bias. Ultimately, 13 articles containing seven case–control studies and six cross‐sectional studies with 1,385,630 subjects were involved in our study. Pooled results demonstrated that varicocele patients had a lower BMI (WMD = ?0.77, 95% CI = ?1.03 to ?0.51) and a higher height than nonvaricocele participants, especially in grade 3 varicocele patients. Subgroup analyses showed that normal BMI individuals had a higher risk of varicocele than obese or overweight individuals and a lower risk than underweight individuals. In conclusion, this study indicates that varicocele patients have a lower BMI and a higher height than nonvaricocele participants. Moreover, men with excess bodyweight have a lower incidence of varicocele compared to normal weight or underweight people. That is to say, high BMI and adiposity protect against varicocele and high BMI is associated with a decreased risk of varicocele.     

中国台湾地区缩减数位落差政策及其启示

世界各地均在加速推进教育信息化建设，但快速的 e 化发展，会因民众自身条件的不同造成不均的现象，并导致阶层、地域及群体间的“数位落差”。数位落差是世界各地政府在推动信息化的过程中都无法避免的，大陆地区也不例外。由于中国台湾地区具有与大陆相似的文化氛围和相近的教育发展历史，该文通过梳理和解读中国台湾地区现有的缩减数位落差政策，以期为大陆地区研制专门化政策来应对当前挑战，推进教育信息化的均衡发展提供借鉴。