Risk of Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease with Periodontitis and Dental Scaling: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

Periodontitis (PD) is a common oral disease associated with various other diseases, particularly those affecting the cardiovascular system. This study explored whether peripheral artery occlusive disease (PAOD) is associated with PD and dental scaling. This study was a retrospective cohort study design from 2000 to 2018. The study population was newly diagnosed with periodontitis. The comparison group was defined as never diagnosed with periodontitis. The outcome variable was defined with the diagnosis of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). The propensity score matching was performed by age, sex, comorbidities, and dental scaling between the two groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate the cumulative incidence of PAOD among the two groups. To perform the independent risk of the PAOD group, the multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the hazard ratios. First, 792,681 patients with PD and 458,521 patients with no history of PD were selected from Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database, which comprises the data of two million beneficiaries. After propensity score matching between the PD and non-PD groups for age, sex, comorbidities, and dental scaling, 357,106 patients in each group were analyzed for PAOD risk. The incidence density, relative risk, and cumulative incidence of PAOD were higher in the PD group than in the non-PD group. After adjusting for all variables, the risk of PAOD for the PD group was greater than for the non-PD group (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.06). Undergoing at least one dental scaling procedure reduced the risk of PAOD. Age over 65 years was also a risk factor. In conclusion, patients with PD have an increased risk of PAOD. In addition, our results can lead to increased attention to oral hygiene, as dental scaling has a trend towards a lower risk of PAOD.

Association Between Aortic Aneurysm and Aortic Dissection With Fluoroquinolones Use in Patients With Urinary Tract Infections: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Background Fluoroquinolones are first-line antibiotics recommended for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs), with frequent reports of adverse effects of aortic aneurysm (AA) and aortic dissection (AD). We examined whether fluoroquinolones can increase the risk of AA and AD in patients with UTIs in the Taiwanese population. Methods and Results We used the National Health Insurance Research Database to identify patients diagnosed with UTIs under single antibiotic treatment of fluoroquinolones and first-, second-, or third-generation cephalosporins. An AA and AD diagnosis within a year constituted the study event. Multivariable analysis with a multiple Cox regression model was applied for comparing the hazard risk of AA and AD between fluoroquinolones and first- or second-generation cephalosporins. Propensity score matching was performed to reduce the potential for bias caused by measured confounding variables. Among 1 249 944 selected patients with UTIs, 28 568 patients were assigned to each antibiotic group after propensity score matching. The incidence of AA and AD was not significantly different between the fluoroquinolones and first- or second-generation cephalosporins (adjusted HR [aHR], 0.86 [95% CI, 0.59-1.27]). However, the mortality increased in the fluoroquinolones group (aHR, 1.10 [95% CI, 1.04-1.16]). Conclusions Compared with first- or second-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones were not associated with increased risk of AA and AD in patients with UTI. However, a significant risk of mortality was still found in patients treated with fluoroquinolones. The priority is to control infections with adequate antibiotics rather than exclude fluoroquinolones considering the risk of AA and AD for patients with UTI.

Deep Venous Thrombosis and Risk of Consequent Sepsis Event: A Retrospective Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

Deep vein thrombosis causes several acute and chronic vessel complications and puts patients at risk of subsequent sepsis development. This unique study aimed to estimate the risk of sepsis development in DVT patients compared with non-DVT patients. This population-based cohort study used records of a longitudinal health insurance database containing two million patients defined in Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Our study included patients aged over 20 years with a new diagnosis of DVT with at least two outpatient department visits or an admission between 2001 and 2014. Patients with a diagnosis of sepsis before the index date were excluded. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to homogenize the baseline characteristics between the two groups. To define the independent risk of the DVT group, a multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the hazard ratios. After PSM, the DVT group (n = 5753) exhibited a higher risk of sepsis (adjusted hazard ratio, aHR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.59-1.90) compared with non-DVT group (n = 5753). Patients with an increased risk of sepsis were associated with being elderly aged, male, having diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, malignancy, and use of antibiotics. In conclusion, this population-based cohort study demonstrated an increased risk of sepsis in DVT patients compared with non-DVT patients. Thus, early prevention and adequate treatment of DVT is necessary in clinical practice.

Risk of Mortality and Readmission among Patients with Pelvic Fracture and Urinary Tract Infection: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Patients with pelvic fractures could encounter various complications during or after treatments. This cohort study investigated the risk of mortality and readmissions in patients with pelvic fractures, with or without urinary tract infections (UTIs), within 30 days following the pelvic fractures. This retrospective cohort study examined claim records from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 (LHID2000). We selected patients hospitalized with pelvic fractures between 1997 and 2013 for study. Patients who had index data before 2000 or after 2010 (n = 963), who died before the index date (n = 64), who were aged <18 years (n = 94), or who had a pelvic injury (n = 31) were excluded. In total, the study cohort comprised 1623 adult patients; 115 had UTIs, and 1508 patients without UTIs were used as a comparison cohort. Multivariate analysis with a multiple Cox regression model and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were performed to analyze the data. Our results showed that the 1-year mortality rate (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 2.32; 95% CI: 1.25-4.29) and readmission rate (adjusted HR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.26-3.34) of the UTI group were significantly higher than those of the non-UTI group. Moreover, the Kaplan-Meier curve for the 1-year follow-up indicated that the UTI group had a higher cumulative risk of both mortality and hospital readmission compared with the non-UTI group. In conclusion, among patients with pelvic fracture, patients with UTI were associated with increased risks of mortality and readmission. Physicians must pay more attention to such patients to prevent UTIs among patients with pelvic fractures during hospitalization and conduct a follow-up after discharge within at least 1 year.

Effect of Periodontitis and Scaling and Root Planing on Risk of Pharyngeal Cancer: A Nested Case-Control Study

This study investigated the association between periodontitis and the risk of pharyngeal cancer in Taiwan. For this population-based nested case–control study using the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database derived from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database, we identified patients (n = 1292) who were newly diagnosed with pharyngeal cancer between 2005 and 2013 and exactly paired them with propensity score matched control subjects (n = 2584). Periodontitis and scaling and root planing (SRP) were identified before the index date. Pharyngeal cancer was subdivided into 3 subgroups on the basis of anatomic location: nasopharyngeal cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, and hypopharyngeal cancer. A multiple conditional logistic regression model was applied to analyze the adjusted odds ratio (aOR). Periodontitis was associated with an increased risk of pharyngeal cancer (aOR, 1.57; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.17 to 2.10), especially oropharyngeal cancer (aOR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.07 to 4.60). We found a decreased risk of pharyngeal cancer in patients who had undergone SRP (aOR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.96). In conclusion, this study showed that periodontitis was associated with an increased risk of pharyngeal cancer and SRP exerted a protective effect against pharyngeal cancer. Our results suggest that treating periodontitis and performing SRP, which are modifiable factors in oral health, in clinical practice may provide an opportunity to decrease the disease burden of pharyngeal cancer in Taiwan.

Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Due to General Anesthesia and Neuraxial Anesthesia in Lower-Limb Fracture Patients: A Retrospective Population-Based Cohort Study

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and type of anesthesia by using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan in a one-year follow-up period. We assessed whether general anesthesia (GA) or neuraxial anesthesia (NA) increased CVD occurrence in lower-limb fracture patients. Approximately 1 million patients were randomly sampled from the NHIRD registry. We identified and enrolled 3437 lower-limb fracture patients who had received anesthesia during operations conducted in the period from 2010 to 2012. Next, patients were divided into two groups, namely GA (n = 1504) and NA (n = 1933), based on the anesthetic technique received during surgery. Our results revealed that those receiving GA did not differ in their risk of CVD relative to those receiving NA, adjusted HR = 1.24 (95% CI: 0.80–1.92). Patients who received GA for more than 2 h also did not differ in their risk of CVD relative to those receiving NA for less than 2 h, adjusted HR = 1.43 (95% CI: 0.81–2.50). Moreover, in the GA group (i.e., patients aged ≥65 years and women), no significant difference for the risk of CVD events was observed. In conclusion, in our study, the difference in the risk of CVD between lower-limb fracture patients receiving NA and GA was not statistically significant. The incidence rate of CVD seemed to be more correlated with patients’ underlying characteristics such as old age, comorbidities, or admission to the intensive care unit. Due to the limited sample size in this study, a database which reviews a whole national population will be required to verify our results in the future.

[Effects of TimeSlips on Depressive Symptoms and Quality of Life in People With Dementia in Day Care Centers]

BACKGROUND

Day care centers provide supportive services to older individuals with disability and dementia. Those who suffer from cognitive impairment typically also suffer from depression.

PURPOSE

To explore whether TimeSlips, a reminiscence creative storytelling approach, improves depressive symptoms and quality of life (QoL) in older individuals of day care centers who have mild to moderate cognitive impairment.

METHODS

A randomized non-blind controlled trial design was conducted. A total of 20 older individuals who met the inclusion criteria were recruited and randomly assigned to the experimental group and control group using the Internet randomization system, with 10 subjects in each group. The experimental group participated in the one-hour TimeSlips intervention once a week for six consecutive weeks, while the control group maintained their normal daily activities. We used the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) to measure depressive symptoms and used EQ-5D (EuroQol-5 dimensions) VAS (visual analogue scale) and utility values to measure QoL.

RESULTS

(1) With the exception of age, there were no significant differences in the demographic data between two groups. (2) Under ANCOVA, when age was used as the covariate and the change in CSDD before and after the intervention was used as the dependent variable, the score of the experimental group was significant lower than that of the control group (p < .05). The interaction between group and age was also a significant difference in the change of CSDD before and after the intervention (p < .05). In terms of QoL, the EQ-5D VAS and EQ-5D utility value both decreased after the intervention in the experimental group. ANCOVA was performed separately using the change of EQ-5D VAS and the ranked change of EQ-5D utility values as dependent variables, with no significant differences found between the groups (p = .37 and p = .20, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that using TimeSlips may significantly improve depressive symptoms in mild to moderate cognitively impaired older individuals of day care centers. However, no evidence was found to support an effect of TimeSlips on QoL. Our findings provide information to help day care centers staffs design related activities.

Association between Statin Use and Sepsis Risk in Patients with Dementia: A Retrospective Cohort Study

This study investigated the association of statin use with sepsis risk in patients with dementia. This retrospective cohort study was conducted in Taiwan by using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified and enrolled 308 patients with newly diagnosed dementia who used statin after dementia diagnosis. These patients were individually propensity score matched (1:1) according to age, sex, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, renal disease, liver disease, asthma, malignancy, parkinsonism, and dementia drugs used (donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine, and memantine) with 251 controls (statin non-users). A Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratio for sepsis in statin users and non-users. After adjustment for other confounding factors, the incidence of sepsis in statin users was 1.42-fold higher than that in non-users (95% confidence interval = 0.81–2.5). In conclusion, our analysis showed no positive association of sepsis with statin use in patients with dementia.

Association between Proton Pump Inhibitor Use and CNS Infection Risk: A Retrospective Cohort Study

This study investigated the incidence of central nervous system (CNS) infection following the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). A retrospective cohort study was conducted in Taiwan by using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified and enrolled 16,241 patients with CNS infection who used PPIs (PPI users). The patients were individually propensity score matched (1:1) according to age, sex, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), H2 blocker, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroid, and immunosuppressant use with 16,241 controls (PPI nonusers). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for CNS infection in the PPI users and nonusers. After adjustment for other confounding factors, the incidence of CNS infection in the PPI users was 2.23-fold higher than that in the PPI nonusers (95% CI = 1.27⁻3.94). In addition, the PPI users exhibited a higher risk of CNS infection than the nonusers in the hypertension and CCI = 1 groups (aHR = 3.80, 95% CI = 1.40⁻10.32; aHR = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.07⁻5.70 in the PPI users and nonusers, respectively). In conclusions, according to these results, we concluded that the incidence of CNS infection was higher in the PPI users than in the nonusers.

Risk of pneumonia in patients with burn injury: a population-based cohort study

Background

Burns are the main cause of accidental injury, and pneumonia is a common respiratory disease in humans.

Aim

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between burn injury and pneumonia.

Patients and methods

A nationwide population-based cohort study was conducted using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. We identified and enrolled 2,893 subjects with burn injury, who were individually matched to 2,893 subjects in the comparison group by using the propensity score. Furthermore, we used a self-controlled case-series design to estimate the temporal association between burn injury and pneumonia.

Results

Exposure to burn injury revealed a higher risk of pneumonia than that to non-burn injury within 1 year. The Cox proportional hazards model revealed that, compared with the non-burn injury, burn injury yielded a 2.39-fold (95% CI=1.44-3.96) increase in risk of pneumonia. The exposure period of burn injury within 30 days showed 2.76-fold increase in risk of pneumonia (95% CI=1.44-3.96) compared with that in the baseline period.

Conclusion

Burn injury was associated with a significant increased risk of pneumonia, especially occurring within 30 days.

Risk of Stroke-Associated Pneumonia With Acid-Suppressive Drugs: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Acid-suppressive drugs, including histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), are common medications used for treating upper gastrointestinal tract disorders. However, acid-suppressive drugs have been reported to increase the risk of pneumonia in numerous disease populations. However, the relationship between acid-suppressive drugs and stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between acid-suppressive drug usage and pneumonia among patients with stroke by using a nationwide data set. A population-based cohort study was conducted using a data set from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database. Data on patients with new-onset stroke from 2010 to 2011 were collected. Patients with and without acid-suppressive drug usage were followed up to identify the occurrence of any type of pneumonia. We estimated the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) by using the Cox proportional hazards model. The study cohort comprised 7965 patients with new-onset stroke. The incidence of pneumonia was 6.9% (552/7965) and more than 40% (225/552) of patients developed pneumonia within 3 months after an acute stroke. Acid-suppressive drug usage was an independent risk factor of pneumonia. The adjusted HR for the risk of pneumonia in patients with new-onset stroke using acid-suppressive drugs was 1.44 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.18-1.75, P < 0.01). Only PPI usage increased risk of chronic SAP (adjusted HR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.04-2.05). Acid-suppressive drug usage was associated with a slightly increased risk of SAP. Physicians should exercise caution when prescribing acid-suppressive drugs to patients with stroke, particularly at the chronic stage.

Population-based cohort study on the risk of pneumonia in patients with non-traumatic intracranial haemorrhage who use proton pump inhibitors

OBJECTIVES

This nationwide cohort study investigated the association between proton pump inhibitor (PPI) usage and the risk of pneumonia in patients with non-traumatic intracranial haemorrhage (ICH).

DESIGN

Nationwide population-based cohort study.

SETTING

Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2010 (LHID2010) sampled from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.

PARTICIPANTS

4644 patients with non-traumatic ICH from 2010 to 2011 were identified. Patients aged <18 years and newly diagnosed with non-traumatic ICH complicated with pneumonia during the same admission period were excluded. A total of 2170 participants were eligible for the final analysis.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Patients using PPIs or not during the study period were tracked to identify the occurrence of any type of pneumonia.

RESULTS

The adjusted HR of the risk of pneumonia for ICH patients who used PPIs was 1.61 (95% CI 1.32 to 1.97, p<0.001). The risk of pneumonia was positively associated with the administration of PPIs. We observed a greater risk of pneumonia in patients who used PPIs than in those who did not. Moreover, we observed that the risk of pneumonia in patients who used PPIs was 2.60 and 2.04 (95% CI 2.01 to 3.38, p<0.001; 95% CI 1.34 to 3.10, p<0.001) greater than that in patients who did not use PPIs when the defined daily dose was <30 and 30-60, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study indicate that the use of PPIs in patients with non-traumatic ICH is associated with an increased risk of pneumonia, and the severity of this risk depends on the defined daily dose. Physicians should exercise caution when prescribing PPIs for patients with non-traumatic ICH.

Rupture of ectopic pelvic dysplastic kidney after blunt abdominal trauma presenting as left lower quadrant pain

BACKGROUND

Ectopic pelvic dysplastic kidney is very rare. To our knowledge, there is no case report in the literature that discusses the diagnosis and management of ectopic pelvic dysplastic kidney in trauma.

OBJECTIVES

To report an unusual organ injury after abdominal blunt trauma.

CASE REPORT

A 23-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department with complaints of left lower quadrant pain after blunt abdominal trauma. Rupture of an ectopic pelvic dysplastic kidney was suspected from ultrasonography and then confirmed by a computed tomography scan. The patient was managed successfully with conservative therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

The focused assessment with sonography for trauma examination is beneficial to hemodynamically stable blunt abdominal trauma patients because unusual organ injuries can be detected early.

Altered p-JAK1 expression is associated with estrogen receptor status in breast infiltrating ductal carcinoma

The mammalian Janus kinase (JAK) family consists of four members, namely JAK1, JAK2, JAK3 and TYK2, which play a critical role in cytokine/growth factor signaling and is increasingly associated with human cancers. Aberrant activation of these non-receptor tyrosine kinases may contribute to carcinogenesis. Herein, we focused on exploring the potential role of p-JAK1 in breast cancer. The expression profiles of p-JAK1 were analyzed in 68 pairs of cancer and non-cancer breast tissues from the same infiltrating ductal carcinoma case by using immunoblotting technique. The results obtained were further correlated with clinicopathological characteristics. Intriguingly, p-JAK1 expression was decreased in 55.9% of breast cancer tissues as compared to the matched non-cancer tissues. Further immunohistochemistry study showed an intense p-JAK1 staining predominantly in adjacent normal breast tissues but not the matched cancer lesions. Decreased p-JAK1 expression in breast cancer tissues was significantly correlated with positive estrogen receptor (ER) status and increased tumor size (p=0.010 and 0.009). We also found that p-JAK1 expression was high in ERalpha-negative breast cancer cell lines but was low in ERalpha-positive breast cell lines. Transfection of ERalpha-positive MCF-7 cells with an ERalpha-specific siRNA upregulated the expression of p-JAK1. In summary, our results indicated that an altered p-JAK1 expression might be involved in the development of breast infiltrating ductal carcinoma in an ERalpha-related manner.

Hyperleptinaemia and hypoadiponectinaemia are associated with gallstone disease

BACKGROUND

Gallstone disease has been regarded as an obesity-related disease. Therefore, we hypothesized that leptin and adiponectin, mainly produced by adipose tissue, may play roles in gallstone disease.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The RIA method was used to analyze serum leptin and adiponectin levels of 90 gallstone patients and 91 healthy subjects.

RESULTS

Our results showed that BMI, fasting glucose, serum AST and ALT, and leptin were significantly increased in the gallstone patients as compared with the healthy subjects (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.013, respectively). Intriguingly, serum adiponectin was the only variable to be significantly decreased in the gallstone patients (P = 0.002). Furthermore, serum AST, leptin, and adiponectin were significantly associated with gallstone disease (P < 0.001, P = 0.021, and P = 0.006, respectively). Overweight (BMI >or= 25 kg m(-2)), but not normal-weight, gallstone patients had an increased serum leptin and a decreased serum adiponectin level as compared with matched healthy subjects (P < 0.001 and P = 0.024, respectively). In addition, serum leptin was positively correlated with BMI and serum cholesterol, while serum adiponectin was inversely correlated with serum triglyceride in the gallstone patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicated that hyperleptinaemia and hypoadiponectinaemia might be involved in the occurrence of gallstone disease. However, the causal relationship of hyperleptinaemia and hypoadiponectinaemia with gallstone disease might require further investigation.

Noncommutative D-brane in a nonconstant NS-NS B field background

We show that, when the field strength H of the NS-NS B field does not vanish, the coordinates x and momenta p of open string end points satisfy a set of mixed commutation relations among themselves. Identifying x and p with the coordinates and derivatives of the D-brane world volume, we find a new type of noncommutative space which is very different from those associated with a constant B field background.