Use of Simvastatin and Risk of Acute Pancreatitis: A Nationwide Case-Control Study in Taiwan

Relationship between Cholesterol-Related Lipids and Severe Acute Pancreatitis: From Bench to Bedside

It is well known that hypercholesterolemia in the body has pro-inflammatory effects through the formation of inflammasomes and augmentation of TLR (Toll-like receptor) signaling, which gives rise to cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the interaction between cholesterol-related lipids and acute pancreatitis (AP) has not yet been summarized before. This hinders the consensus on the existence and clinical importance of cholesterol-associated AP. This review focuses on the possible interaction between AP and cholesterol-related lipids, which include total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and apolipoprotein (Apo) A1, from the bench to the bedside. With a higher serum level of total cholesterol, LDL-C is associated with the severity of AP, while the persistent inflammation of AP is allied with a decrease in serum levels of cholesterol-related lipids. Therefore, an interaction between cholesterol-related lipids and AP is postulated. Cholesterol-related lipids should be recommended as risk factors and early predictors for measuring the severity of AP. Cholesterol-lowering drugs may play a role in the treatment and prevention of AP with hypercholesterolemia.

Dysregulation of mannose-6-phosphate-dependent cholesterol homeostasis in acinar cells mediates pancreatitis

Disordered lysosomal/autophagy pathways initiate and drive pancreatitis, but the underlying mechanisms and links to disease pathology are poorly understood. Here, we show that the mannose-6-phosphate (M6P) pathway of hydrolase delivery to lysosomes critically regulates pancreatic acinar cell cholesterol metabolism. Ablation of the Gnptab gene encoding a key enzyme in the M6P pathway disrupted acinar cell cholesterol turnover, causing accumulation of nonesterified cholesterol in lysosomes/autolysosomes, its depletion in the plasma membrane, and upregulation of cholesterol synthesis and uptake. We found similar dysregulation of acinar cell cholesterol, and a decrease in GNPTAB levels, in both WT experimental pancreatitis and human disease. The mechanisms mediating pancreatic cholesterol dyshomeostasis in Gnptab-/- and experimental models involve a disordered endolysosomal system, resulting in impaired cholesterol transport through lysosomes and blockage of autophagic flux. By contrast, in Gnptab-/- liver the endolysosomal system and cholesterol homeostasis were largely unaffected. Gnptab-/- mice developed spontaneous pancreatitis. Normalization of cholesterol metabolism by pharmacologic means alleviated responses of experimental pancreatitis, particularly trypsinogen activation, the disease hallmark. The results reveal the essential role of the M6P pathway in maintaining exocrine pancreas homeostasis and function, and implicate cholesterol disordering in the pathogenesis of pancreatitis.

Progress in diagnosis and treatment of hypertriglyceridemic acute pancreatitis

At present, the incidence of hypertriglyceridemic acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP) is on the rise, the age of onset tends to be younger, and severe HTG-AP is more common. HTG has become the second major cause of acute pancreatitis (AP) in China. Previous studies have demonstrated that the severity of hypertriglyceridemia correlates with the severity of AP. However, the pathogeneses of HTG and HTG-AP are still unknown. The treatments for HTG-AP include low-calorie diet, insulin, heparin, lipid-lowering drugs, and blood purification. Although these treatments, especially blood purification measures represented by plasma exchange, have been proven to reduce blood lipid levels, they still need to be confirmed by high-quality randomized controlled trials to improve the prognosis of HTG-AP. The value of gene diagnosis and therapy in the diagnosis and treatment of HTG-AP has attracted more and more attention, which may be an important direction of HTG-AP research in the future.

Statin intake can decrease acute pancreatitis severit

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Acute Pancreatitis (AP) is one of the leading gastrointestinal conditions requiring hospitalization. It has been suggested that statins could exert a protective role in the natural history of AP; however, their influence is not entirely clear. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between statin intake and AP.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of a prospective registry of patients diagnosed with AP. Statin intake on admission as well as clinical, analytical, demographic and radiological data were recorded.

OUTCOME PARAMETERS

Severity of AP, SIRS development, organ failure, local complications, intensive care admission, collection drainage, hospital length of admission, and death. Univariate and multivariate analyses as well as a propensity score logistic regression were conducted.

RESULTS

From March 2014-October 2018 we studied 356 patients. 101 patients (28%) were taking statins. 55 (15%) suffered from moderate/severe pancreatitis. Multivariate analysis showed a 50% less risk of suffering from moderate/severe AP (OR 0.50 95% CI 0.22-1.0, p 0.50) and 33% less risk of developing local complications (OR 0.33 95%CI 0.15-0.80, p 0.014) among statin consumers, with a tendency towards less SIRS. Propensity score analysis confirmed that patients on statins suffering from AP had a lower risk to have a moderate/severe episode (OR 0.409 95%CI 0.192-0.872, p 0.031), to develop local complications (OR 0.47 95%CI 0.20-1.06, p 0.11) and SIRS (OR 0.516 95% CI 0.28-0.93, p 0.041).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients taking statins who suffer from an episode of AP are more likely to follow a mild course and have a lower risk of developing local complications and SIRS.

Association between colorectal cancer and thiazolidinediones administration in a case-control study

OBJECTIVES

This study was designed to assess whether there was an association between colorectal cancer and thiazolidinediones use.

METHODS

A population-based case-control study was performed using the database of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Program. The case group consisted of 20218 type 2 diabetic subjects aged 20 to 84 years with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer between 2000 and 2011. The date of a subject being diagnosed with colorectal cancer was defined as the index date. The control group consisted of 20218 randomly selected type 2 diabetic subjects aged 20 to 84 years without colorectal cancer between 2000 and 2011. A subject who had at least a prescription of thiazolidinediones before the index date was defined as "ever used". A subject who did not have a prescription of thiazolidinediones before the index date was defined as "never used". The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to estimate the association between colorectal cancer and thiazolidinediones use by the multivariable logistic regression model.

RESULTS

After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds of thiazolidinediones use in cases with colorectal cancer were lower than the odds of thiazolidinediones use in subjects without colorectal cancer (adjusted OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.89-0.99).

CONCLUSIONS

The odds of thiazolidinediones use in cases with colorectal cancer were lower than subjects without colorectal cancer. A prospective study is required to test whether thiazolidinediones use has a protective effect against colorectal cancer.

Association between tamoxifen use and acute myocardial infarction in women with breast cancer

The relationship between tamoxifen use and acute myocardial infarction in women with breast cancer remains uncertain. The goal of the study was to assess whether tamoxifen use could be associated with acute myocardial infarction in women with breast cancer in Taiwan.A population-based case-control study was conducted to analyze the database of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Program. Totally, 489 women with breast cancer aged 20 to 84 years having the first episode of acute myocardial infarction from 2000 to 2011 were found as the cases. In addition, 1718 women with breast cancer aged 20 to 84 years without any type of ischemic heart disease were selected as the matched controls. Ever use of tamoxifen was classified as the studied women who had at least a prescription for tamoxifen before the index date. Never use of tamoxifen was classified as the studied women who never had a prescription for tamoxifen before the index date. We used the multivariable logistic regression model to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for acute myocardial infarction associated with tamoxifen use.In a multivariable-adjusted analysis, women with acute myocardial infarction were 1.71 times more likely to be exposed to tamoxifen than those women without acute myocardial infarction (adjusted OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.38-2.13).The odds of tamoxifen use are 1.71 times higher in women with acute myocardial infarction versus those women without acute myocardial infarction in Taiwan.

Weight loss might be an early clinical feature of undiagnosed human immunodeficiency virus infection in Taiwan

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE

Little research is available on the relationship between weight loss and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Taiwan. We hope to evaluate whether weight loss could be an early clinical feature of undiagnosed HIV infection in Taiwan.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study using the database of the Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI) Program. There were 4748 male subjects aged 1-84 with newly diagnosed weight loss as the weight loss group from 1998-2012 and 18982 age-matched male subjects without weight loss as the non-weight loss group. The incidence of HIV infection at the end of 2013 was measured in both groups. The multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to measure the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for HIV risk associated with weight loss.

RESULTS

The overall incidence of HIV infection was 3.79-fold higher in the weight loss group than in the non-weight loss group (6.83 vs. 1.80 per 10000 person-years, 95% CI 3.41, 4.21). The incidence was the highest during the first 6 months of follow-up in the weight loss group (39.0 per 10000 person-years). After adjusting for confounding factors, the adjusted HR of HIV infection was 3.63 (95% CI 1.77, 7.44) for the weight loss group, compared with the non-weight loss group.

CONCLUSION

Weight loss might be an early clinical feature of undiagnosed HIV infection in Taiwan. Male patients with weight loss who have risk factors for HIV infection should be recommended to regularly be tested for HIV infection.

Statin use is not associated with an increased risk of acute pancreatitis-A meta-analysis of observational studies

Background

Statins are perceived as potential etiological factors for acute pancreatitis (AP), but recent evidence suggests the opposite. Our aim was to evaluate the association between statin use and risk of AP in observational studies.

Methods

Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for cohort (C) and case-control (CC) studies evaluating statins as intervention and AP as outcome. Pooled adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.

Results

Thirteen studies (seven CC, six C) with 34,899 AP patients and 5,377,894 controls were included. Prevalence of statin use was 9.8% among AP patients and 25% among controls. Pooled adjusted OR was 1.00 (95% CI = 0.63 to 1.59) with considerable heterogeneity (I ²= 98%). CC studies were associated with increased AP risk (OR = 1.33; 95% CI = 1.20 to 1.47), unlike C studies (OR = 0.69; 95% CI = 0.37 to 1.31). No association with increased risk was found for studies from Western countries (OR = 0.90; 95% CI = 0.52 to 1.56), unlike for studies conducted in Asia (OR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.10 to 1.75).

Conclusion

Statin use is not associated with increased risk of AP. Increased risk was limited to CC studies, which are more prone to bias, while C studies showed no global effect. Further research is needed to clarify whether statin type, dosage, treatment duration or AP etiology might account for this difference.

Association between oral corticosteroid use and pyogenic liver abscesses in a case-control study

BACKGROUND AND AIM

There are no epidemiological studies focusing on the association between oral corticosteroid use and pyogenic liver abscesses. The aim of the study was to assess whether oral corticosteroid use is associated with increased odds of pyogenic liver abscesses in adults in Taiwan.

METHODS

This retrospective population-based case-control study was conducted to analyze the database of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Program from 2000 to 2013. Subjects aged 20 to 84 years with their first episode of pyogenic liver abscesses were assigned as the cases (n = 881). Randomly selected subjects without pyogenic liver abscesses aged 20 to 84 years were selected as the controls (n = 3207). A multivariable logistic regression model was used to assess the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval for the correlation of oral corticosteroid use with pyogenic liver abscesses.

RESULTS

After regulating for confounders, the adjusted odds ratio of pyogenic liver abscesses was 1.40 for subjects currently using oral corticosteroids (95% confidence interval 1.14, 1.70), compared with subjects who never used them. Upon further analysis, the adjusted odds ratio of pyogenic liver abscesses was 1.03 for subjects with current use of oral corticosteroids when increasing dosage for every one mg (95% CI 1.01, 1.06).

CONCLUSION

Although the findings are not unexpected, they are important because they suggest that current use of oral corticosteroids is significantly associated with increased odds of developing pyogenic liver abscesses in adults in Taiwan, with a dose-dependent effect.

Case-Control Study Examining the Association between Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Use and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors use and hepatocellular carcinoma in Taiwan.

Methods: Using the database of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Program, we conducted a case-control study to identify 4901 subjects aged 20 years and more with newly diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma in 2000–2013 as the cases. We randomly selected 19604 subjects aged 20 years and more without hepatocellular carcinoma as the controls. Both cases and controls were matched with sex and age. Ever use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors was defined as a subject who had at least a prescription for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors before index date. Never use was defined as a subject who never had a prescription for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors before index date. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for hepatocellular carcinoma associated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors use was estimated by the multivariable logistic regression model.

Results: Among subjects with any one of the comorbid conditions associated with hepatocellular carcinoma, the adjusted OR of hepatocellular carcinoma was 0.89 (95% CI 0.75, 1.06) for subjects with ever use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, comparing with never use.

Conclusion: The findings indicate that among subjects with any one of the comorbid conditions associated with hepatocellular carcinoma, no significant association can be detected between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors use and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Case of familial hyperlipoproteinemia type III hypertriglyceridemia induced acute pancreatitis: Role for outpatient apheresis maintenance therapy

Hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis (HTGP) accounts for up to 10% of acute pancreatitis presentations in non-pregnant individuals and is the third most common cause of acute pancreatitis after alcohol and gallstones. There are a number of retrospective studies and case reports that have suggested a role for apheresis and insulin infusion in the acute inpatient setting. We report a case of HTGP in a male with hyperlipoproteinemia type III who was treated successfully with insulin and apheresis on the initial inpatient presentation followed by bi-monthly outpatient maintenance apheresis sessions for the prevention of recurrent HTGP. We also reviewed the literature for the different inpatient and outpatient management modalities of HTGP. Given that there are no guidelines or randomized clinical trials that evaluate the outpatient management of HTGP, this case report may provide insight into a possible role for outpatient apheresis maintenance therapy.

Head and neck cancer associated with increased rate of pulmonary tuberculosis in a population-based cohort study

The objective of this study was to examine the incidence and hazard ratio (HR) of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with head and neck cancer in Taiwan.This population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the database of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Program. There were 2522 subjects aged 20 to 84 years with newly diagnosed head and neck cancer as the head and neck cancer group between 2000 and 2012, and 10,064 randomly selected sex- and age-matched subjects without any cancer as the noncancer group. The incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis at the end of 2013 was estimated in both groups. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the HR and 95% confidence interval (CI) for pulmonary tuberculosis being associated with head and neck cancer.The overall incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis was 2.86-fold greater in the head and neck cancer group than that in the noncancer group (4.70 vs 1.64 per 1000 person-years, 95% CI, 2.53-3.24). After adjusting for confounding factors, the adjusted HR of pulmonary tuberculosis became 2.90 for the head and neck cancer group (95% CI, 2.11-3.99), compared with the noncancer group. In addition, male (adjusted HR 2.27, 95% CI, 1.29-4.00) and age (increase for 1 year, adjusted HR 1.06, 95% CI, 1.05-1.08) were associated with pulmonary tuberculosis.Head and neck cancer is significantly associated with 2.90-fold increased hazard of pulmonary tuberculosis in Taiwan, compared with the general population.

Population-based cohort study investigating the correlation of diabetes mellitus with pleural empyema in adults in Taiwan

We assessed the association between diabetes mellitus and the risk of pleural empyema in Taiwan.A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using the database of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Program. There were 28,802 subjects aged 20 to 84 years who were newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus from 2000 to 2010 as the diabetes group and 114,916 randomly selected subjects without diabetes mellitus as the non-diabetes group. The diabetes group and the non-diabetes group were matched by sex, age, comorbidities, and the year of index date. The incidence of pleural empyema at the end of 2011 was estimated. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for pleural empyema associated with diabetes mellitus.The overall incidence of pleural empyema was 1.65-fold higher in the diabetes group than that in the non-diabetes group (1.58 vs 0.96 per 10,000 person-years, 95% CI 1.57-1.72). After adjusting for confounders, a multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model revealed that the adjusted HR of pleural empyema was 1.71 in subjects with diabetes mellitus (95% CI 1.16-2.51), compared with those without diabetes mellitus. In further analysis, even in the absence of any comorbidity, the adjusted HR was 1.99 for subjects with diabetes mellitus alone (95% CI 1.18-3.38).Diabetic patients confer a 1.71-fold increased hazard of developing pleural empyema. Even in the absence of any comorbidity, the risk remains existent.

Increased Risk of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Patients with Depression: A Cohort Study in Taiwan

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE

Tuberculosis (TB) and depression were major public health issues worldwide and the mutual causative relationships between them were not exhaustive. This study was performed to explore the association between depression, comorbidities, and the risk of pulmonary TB in Taiwan.

METHODS

The cohort study used the database of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Program. The depression group included 34,765 subjects aged 20-84 years with newly diagnosed depression from 2000 to 2012, and the non-depression group included 138,187 randomly selected subjects without depression. Both depression and non-depression groups were matched with respect to sex, age, and comorbidities. We explored the incidence of pulmonary TB at the end of 2013 in both the groups and used multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model to explore the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the risk of pulmonary TB associated with depression.

RESULTS

The overall incidence of pulmonary TB was 1.16-fold greater in the depression group than that in the non-depression group (1.52 vs. 1.31 per 1,000 person-years, 95% CI 1.12, 1.21). The multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that the adjusted HR of pulmonary TB was 1.15 for the depression group (95% CI 1.03, 1.28), compared with the non-depression group.

CONCLUSION

Depression is associated with 1.15-fold increased hazard of pulmonary TB in Taiwan.