Integrating systemic inflammation and liver biomarkers: prognostic implications of the ferritin index in heart failure.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is increasingly recognized as a multisystem syndrome involving systemic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in addition to cardiac and hepatic impairment. Traditional liver fibrosis scores, such as the fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index, focus solely on hepatic injury and may underestimate the broader systemic burden. The ferritin index, which adjusts serum ferritin for age and sex, may better reflect inflammatory and metabolic dysregulation, including features of metabolic hyperferritinaemia.

Sphingolipid Metabolism Is Associated with Cardiac Dyssynchrony in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Aim: Sphingolipids are a class of complex and bioactive lipids that are involved in the pathological processes of cardiovascular disease. Fabry disease is an X-linked storage disorder that results in the pathological accumulation of glycosphingolipids in body fluids and the heart. Cardiac dyssynchrony is observed in patients with Fabry disease and left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy.

Traumatic brain injury and risk of heart failure and coronary heart disease: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Background: This study examined the long-term risks of heart failure (HF) and coronary heart disease (CHD) following traumatic brain injury (TBI), focusing on gender differences.

Methods: Data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database included 29,570 TBI patients and 118,280 matched controls based on propensity scores.

Results: The TBI cohort had higher incidences of CHD and HF (9.

Effects of insomnia and non-vasomotor menopausal symptoms on coronary heart disease risk: a mendelian randomization study.

Background: Previous studies suggested that vasomotor symptoms were associated with an increasing risk of coronary heart diseases (CHD) but not clear with menopausal symptoms other than vasomotor symptoms. Given the heterogeneity and interrelationship among menopausal symptoms, it is not easy to make causal inferences based on observational studies. We performed a Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate the association of individual non-vasomotor menopausal symptoms and the risk of CHDs.

METTL4-mediated nuclear N6-deoxyadenosine methylation promotes metastasis through activating multiple metastasis-inducing targets.

Background: DNA N6-methyldeoxyadenosine (6mA) is rarely present in mammalian cells and its nuclear role remains elusive.

Results: Here we show that hypoxia induces nuclear 6mA modification through a DNA methyltransferase, METTL4, in hypoxia-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor metastasis. Co-expression of METTL4 and 6mA represents a prognosis marker for upper tract urothelial cancer patients.

Menopausal symptoms and risk of heart failure: a retrospective analysis from Taiwan National Health Insurance Database.

Aims: Women with menopausal symptoms show evidence of accelerated epigenetic ageing, vascular aging and low-grade systemic inflammation status. However, data are limited regarding menopausal symptoms and risk of heart failure (HF). We aimed to explore the impact of menopausal symptoms on risk of HF.

Exploring Potential Proteomic Biomarkers for Prognosis of Infective Endocarditis through Profiled Autoantibodies by an Immunomics Protein Array Technique.

Though infective endocarditis (IE) is a life-threatening cardiac infection with a high mortality rate, the effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for IE are still lacking. The aim of this study was to explore the potential applicable proteomic biomarkers for IE through the Immunome™ Protein Array system. The system was employed to profile those autoantibodies in IE patients and control subjects.

Risk of venous thromboembolism in elderly patients with vertebral compression fracture: A population-based case-control study.

Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are common in elderly and are treated with immobilization. Moreover, immobilization and old age may increase venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk. However, the incidence of VCFs-related VTE is unknown in elderly.

Urinary cell-free mitochondrial and nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid correlates with the prognosis of chronic kidney diseases.

Introduction: Cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid DNA (cf-DNA) in urine is promising due to the advantage of urine as an easily obtained and non-invasive sample source over tissue and blood. In clinical practice, it is important to identify non-invasive biomarkers of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in monitoring and surveillance of disease progression. Information is limited, however, regarding the relationship between urine and plasma cf-DNA and the renal outcome in CKD patients.

Identification of significant protein markers by mass spectrometry after co-treatment of cells with different drugs: An in vitro survey platform.

Rationale: Understanding drug-drug interactions and predicting the side effects induced by polypharmacy are difficult because there are few suitable platforms that can predict drug-drug interactions and possible side effects. Hence, developing a platform to identify significant protein markers of drug-drug interactions and their associated side effects is necessary to avoid adverse effects.

Methods: Human liver cells were treated with ethosuximide in combination with cimetidine, ketotifen, metformin, metronidazole, or phenytoin.

Amiodarone and risk of liver cirrhosis: a nationwide, population-based study.

Background: Liver cirrhosis is an uncommon but not rare side effect of amiodarone-induced hepatotoxicity. Patients with hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infections are at a high risk for developing liver cirrhosis. However, the relationship between this treatment and risk of liver cirrhosis in high-risk chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C patients is unknown.

Menopausal symptoms and risk of coronary heart disease in middle-aged women: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Objective: To assess the relationship between coronary heart disease (CHD) and menopausal symptoms in middle-aged women in Taiwan.

Patients And Methods: The present study identified 14,340 symptomatic menopausal women without a history of CHD from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2013. A total of 14,340 age- and Charlson-comorbidity-index-score-matched asymptomatic women were used as controls.

Traditional Chinese medicine is associated with a decreased risk of heart failure in breast cancer patients receiving doxorubicin treatment.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Cardiovascular disease is the main concern of breast cancer survivors who received doxorubicin treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) provides as a complementary therapy to patients with breast cancer and is an important component of health care in Taiwan. However, the TCM utilization patterns and it's efficacy in breast cancer patients is unknown.

Increased Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in Women with Uterine Leiomyoma: A Nationwide, Population-Based Case-Control Study.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a sex-specific disease that has different presentations between men and women. Women with uterine leiomyoma can present with VTE without exhibiting the traditional risk factors. We investigated the relationship between a history of uterine leiomyoma and the risk of VTE using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD).

Timing of Surgery for Fungal Infective Endocarditis.

Fungal endocarditis rarely occurs and is difficult to treat. Taguchi et al described that a 55-year-old man, who developed severe mitral regurgitation with persistent fungal infective endocarditis (IE) 8 months after coronary artery bypass grafting, was cured with mitral valve replacement via the anterolateral right thoracotomy without cross-clamping method [Taguchi 2016].

High-intensity Interval Training Improves Mitochondrial Function and Suppresses Thrombin Generation in Platelets undergoing Hypoxic Stress.

This study elucidates how high-intensity interval training (HIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MCT) affect mitochondrial functionality and thrombin generation (TG) in platelets following hypoxic exercise (HE, 100 W under 12% O for 30 min). Forty-five healthy sedentary males were randomized to engage either HIT (3-minute intervals at 40% and 80%VO, n = 15) or MCT (sustained 60%VO, n = 15) for 30 minutes/day, 5 days/week for 6 weeks, or to a control group (CTL, n = 15) that did not received exercise intervention. Before the intervention, HE (i) reduced the ATP-linked O consumption rate (OCR), the reserve capacity of OCR, and the activities of citrate synthase (CS) and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), (ii) lowered mitochondrial membrane potential (MP) and elevated matrix oxidant burden (MOB) in platelets, and (iii) enhanced dynamic TG in platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which responses were attenuated by pretreating PRP with oligomycin or rotenone/antimycin A.

Depleted Leukocyte Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number Correlates With Unfavorable Left Ventricular Volumetric and Spherical Shape Remodeling in Acute Myocardial Infarction After Primary Angioplasty.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) shape influences LV systolic function. It is possible to assess LV shape using 3-D echocardiography sphericity index (SI). Maintaining mitochondrial DNA copy number (MCN) is important for preserving mitochondrial function and LV systolic function after acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Urinary glycated uromodulin in diabetic kidney disease.

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) form during oxidative stress, which is increased in diabetes mellitus (DM). Uromodulin is a protein with a renal protective effect, and may be subject to glycation. The implications of uromodulin glycation and AGEs in the urine are not understood.

Atrial fibrillation originating from superior vena cava with atrial flutter-electrocardiogram pattern.

Backgrounds: Substrate property is related to the genesis and maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of substrate property on the electrocardiogram (ECG) in patients with AF originating from the superior vena cava (SVC).

Methods And Results: Seventy-six patients with AF originating from SVC who underwent catheter ablation were included from 2004 to 2013.

The Interaction Effects of Meteorological Factors and Air Pollution on the Development of Acute Coronary Syndrome.

This study investigated the interaction effects of meteorological factors and air pollutants on the onset of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Data of ACS patients were obtained from the Taiwan ACS Full Spectrum Registry and comprised 3164 patients with a definite onset date during the period October 2008 and January 2010 at 39 hospitals. Meteorological conditions and air pollutant concentrations at the 39 locations during the 488-day period were obtained.

Influenza vaccination and the endurance against air pollution among elderly with acute coronary syndrome.

Objective: Air pollution, weather condition and influenza are known risk factors of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) among elderly people. The influenza vaccine (IV) has been shown to reduce major cardiovascular events. The purpose of this study was to compare resistance to air pollution and weather factors causing ACS between vaccinated and less-vaccinated elderly people.

High plasma coenzyme Q10 concentration is correlated with good left ventricular performance after primary angioplasty in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Exogenous administration of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has been shown in experimental models to have a protective effect against ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, it is unclear whether follow-up plasma CoQ10 concentration is prognostic of left ventricular (LV) performance after primary balloon angioplasty in patients with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).We prospectively recruited 55 patients with STEMI who were treated with primary coronary balloon angioplasty.