Cardiovascular safety outcomes of chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatments: A systematic and targeted literature review.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treatments, such as targeted agents, chemotherapies, and immunotherapies, may be associated with adverse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. To understand the extent to which CV outcomes are driven by treatment and potential differences among treatments, we conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of interventional trials and a targeted literature review (TLR) of observational studies indexed in Embase and MEDLINE from January 2012-June 2023. CV outcomes data were sparse and heterogeneous in the SLR trials (n = 55).

Associations of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and hemoglobin A1C with cardiovascular events and mortality in breast and prostate cancer patients.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a major non-cancer cause of morbidity in cancer patients. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) are shared risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, optimal management for these factors in cancer patients remains unclear.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis: a novel risk score.

Background And Aims: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are associated with life-threatening myocarditis but milder presentations are increasingly recognized. The same autoimmune process that causes ICI myocarditis can manifest concurrent generalized myositis, myasthenia-like syndrome, and respiratory muscle failure. Prognostic factors for this 'cardiomyotoxicity' are lacking.

Taiwan Consensus for the Management of Cardiovascular Risks and Complications in Patients with Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among men globally, and it frequently coexists with cardiovascular disease (CVD). With increasing cancer survival rates and an aging population, the incidence of CVD among PC patients is also on the rise. The treatments for PC include androgen deprivation therapy, androgen receptor pathway inhibitors, and docetaxel-based chemotherapy, and the cardiovascular complications include hypertension, metabolic syndrome, heart failure and arrhythmias.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Myocarditis and Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed cancer treatment, but ICI myocarditis (ICI-M) remains a potentially fatal complication. The clinical implications and predictors of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50% in ICI-M are not well understood.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with LVEF <50% vs ≥50% at the time of hospitalization for ICI-M.

Risk Factors and Outcomes of Community-Acquired Carbapenem-Resistant Infection in Elderly Patients.

The increasing prevalence of carbapenem-resistant (CRKP) infections is a global concern. Elderly patients have a diminished immune response and functional reserve, and are thus more vulnerable to bacterial infection. This study aimed to investigate the risk factors and outcomes in elderly patients with community-acquired CRKP infections.

Cardiovascular Toxicity of Angiogenesis Inhibitors Among Patients With Cancer in Taiwan: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Background: Research on the cardiovascular toxicity of angiogenesis inhibitors among patients with cancer in Taiwan is lacking. This observational study explored the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) associated with angiogenesis inhibitors in Taiwan.

Methods And Results: We conducted a nested case-control study using the TCR (Taiwan Cancer Registry) linked with the Taiwan National Insurance Claim Database.

Major adverse cardiovascular events of vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitors among patients with different malignancy: A systemic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGF-TKIs) are a common cancer treatment. However, the pharmacologic characteristics of VEGF-TKIs may influence cardiovascular risks. The relative risks of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) associated with VEGF-TKIs are poorly understood.

Thromboembolic Presentations among Patients Hospitalized to the Intensive Care Unit for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - A Northern Taiwan Single Center Experience.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with a high thromboembolic risk among patients in intensive care units. Asian populations may share a similar thromboembolic risk, but with a higher prevalence of arterial thromboembolism than venous thromboembolism. To clarify this risk in Taiwan, this single-center retrospective study collected 27 consecutive intensive care unit patients with COVID-19 confirmed by polymerase chain reaction, with a median age of 67.

Feature selection translates drug response predictors from cell lines to patients.

Targeted therapies and chemotherapies are prevalent in cancer treatment. Identification of predictive markers to stratify cancer patients who will respond to these therapies remains challenging because patient drug response data are limited. As large amounts of drug response data have been generated by cell lines, methods to efficiently translate cell-line-trained predictors to human tumors will be useful in clinical practice.

A Brain, A Heart, and the Courage: Balancing Benefit and Toxicity of Immunotherapy in Melanoma.

The overall survival of advanced melanoma has improved dramatically. Immunotherapies, specifically checkpoint inhibitors, have played a large role in this improvement. These agents have also shown benefit in the adjuvant setting, are approved for treatment of resected stage II, III, and IV melanoma, and play an evolving role in the neoadjuvant setting.

Activin A downregulates the CD69-MT2A axis via p38MAPK to induce erythroid differentiation that sensitizes BCR-ABL-positive cells to imatinib.

Induction of differentiation sensitizes chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells to the BCR-ABL inhibitor imatinib by mechanisms that remain unknown. We previously identified the BCR-ABL downstream effector CD69 which inhibits imatinib-induced CML cell differentiation. Herein, we found that the erythroid differentiation inducers activin A and aclacinomycin A induced expression of erythroid markers (α-globin, ζ-globin, GATA-1, and glycophorin A) and simultaneously reduced CD69 levels in K562 CML cells.

2,3,5,4'-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-glucoside Attenuates Reactive Oxygen Species-Dependent Inflammation and Apoptosis in -Infected Brain Endothelial Cells.

We recently reported that the periodontopathic bacteria () initiates an inflammatory cascade that disrupts the balance of reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in apoptotic cell death in brain endothelial cells. An extract from Thunb., 2,3,5,4'-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-glucoside (THSG) has been well-reported to diminish the inflammation in many disease models.

2, 3, 5, 4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-beta-D-glucoside protects against neuronal cell death and traumatic brain injury-induced pathophysiology.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global health issue that affects at least 10 million people per year. Neuronal cell death and brain injury after TBI, including apoptosis, inflammation, and excitotoxicity, have led to detrimental effects in TBI. 2, 3, 5, 4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-beta-D-glucoside (THSG), a water-soluble compound extracted from the Chinese herb Polygonum multiflorum, has been shown to exert various biological functions.

Roles of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial membrane potential, and p53 in evodiamine-induced apoptosis and G2/M arrest of human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells.

Background: Our previous studies have shown that evodiamine (EVO) as paclitaxel and nocodazole could trigger apoptosis in various human cancer cells including human renal cell carcinoma cells, colorectal carcinoma cells, and glioblastoma cells. This study aims to investigate the anti-cancer effects of EVO on human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) cells, and underlining mechanism.

Methods: Two different endogenous p53 status human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) cells including SW1736 (wtp53) and KAT4B (mutp53) were applied in the present study.

Induces Proinflammatory Cytokine Expression Leading to Apoptotic Death through the Oxidative Stress/NF-κB Pathway in Brain Endothelial Cells.

, a periodontal pathogen, has been proposed to cause blood vessel injury leading to cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke. Brain endothelial cells compose the blood-brain barrier that protects homeostasis of the central nervous system. However, whether causes the death of endothelial cells and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Deficiency in Androgen Receptor Aggravates Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Pathophysiology and Motor Deficits in Mice.

Androgens have been shown to have a beneficial effect on brain injury and lower reactive astrocyte expression after TBI. Androgen receptors (ARs) are known to mediate the neuroprotective effects of androgens. However, whether ARs play a crucial role in TBI remains unknown.

Activation of Deoxyribonuclease I by Nicotinamide as a New Strategy to Attenuate Tetracycline-Resistant Biofilms of .

Biofilms of () (formerly ) are responsible for the persistence and antibiotic resistance of acne vulgaris. In addition to the standard treatments for acne vulgaris, a common adjunctive treatment is the topical administration of nicotinamide (NAM). However, the effects of NAM on biofilms of have never been explored.

Comparison of the Phytochemical Properties, Antioxidant Activity and Cytotoxic Effect on HepG2 Cells in Mongolian and Taiwanese Rhubarb Species.

The Mongolian rhubarb- L. -and L. -a Taiwanese local rhubarb belonging to the family of -are principal therapeutic materials in integrative medicine due to their rich quantities of bioactive compounds; however, their phytochemical and antioxidant properties, and anti-cancer activity is poorly investigated.

Cardiovascular outcomes and healthcare costs of liraglutide versus basal insulin for type 2 diabetes patients at high cardiovascular risk.

We aimed to compare the (1) clinical outcomes including composite cardiovascular outcomes, cardiovascular death, and all-cause death, and (2) healthcare costs of using liraglutide and basal insulin as an initial treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and high cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk. This is a retrospective cohort study using Taiwan's Health and Welfare Database. A total of 1057 patients treated with liraglutide were identified and matched with 4600 patients treated with basal insulin.

Cost-utility analysis of second-line anti-diabetic therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus inadequately controlled on metformin.

Background: There are significant differences in costs and effectiveness among the second-line treatment options for type 2 diabetes (T2DM). We aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the second-line anti-diabetic therapy in T2DM patients inadequately controlled on metformin (MET) in Taiwan from the perspective of the National Health Insurance (NHI).

Methods: The Cardiff T2DM model was used to predict the occurrence of mortality, diabetes-related complications, and drug adverse events.

Activation of PERK Contributes to Apoptosis and G/M Arrest by Microtubule Disruptors in Human Colorectal Carcinoma Cells .

Microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) are widely used in cancer chemotherapy, but the therapeutic responses significantly vary among different tumor types. Protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticular (ER) kinase (PERK) is an ER stress kinase, and the role of PERK in the anticancer effects of MTAs is still undefined. In the present study, taxol (TAX) and nocodazole (NOC) significantly induced apoptosis with increased expression of phosphorylated PERK (pPERK; Tyr980) in four human colon cancer cell lines, including HCT-15, COLO205, HT-20, and LOVO cells.