Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter-2 Inhibitor Empagliflozin Attenuates Sorafenib-Induced Myocardial Inflammation and Toxicity.

Environmental antineoplastics such as sorafenib may pose a risk to humans through water recycling, and the increased risk of cardiotoxicity is a clinical issue in sorafenib users. Thus, developing strategies to prevent sorafenib cardiotoxicity is an urgent work. Empagliflozin, as a sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor for type 2 diabetes control, has been approved for heart failure therapy. Still, its cardioprotective effect in the experimental model of sorafenib cardiotoxicity has not yet been reported. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), immunoblot, and immunohistochemical analyses were applied to study the effect of sorafenib exposure on cardiac SGLT2 expression. The impact of empagliflozin on cell viability was investigated in the sorafenib-treated cardiomyocytes using Alamar blue assay. Immunoblot analysis was employed to delineate the effect of sorafenib and empagliflozin on ferroptosis/proinflammatory signaling in cardiomyocytes. Ferroptosis/DNA damage/fibrosis/inflammation of myocardial tissues was studied in mice with a 28-day sorafenib ± empagliflozin treatment using histological analyses. Sorafenib exposure significantly promoted SGLT2 upregulation in cardiomyocytes and mouse hearts. Empagliflozin treatment significantly attenuated the sorafenib-induced cytotoxicity/DNA damage/fibrosis in cardiomyocytes and mouse hearts. Moreover, GPX4/xCT-dependent ferroptosis as an inducer for releasing high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was also blocked by empagliflozin administration in the sorafenib-treated cardiomyocytes and myocardial tissues. Furthermore, empagliflozin treatment significantly inhibited the sorafenib-promoted NFκB/HMGB1 axis in cardiomyocytes and myocardial tissues, and sorafenib-stimulated proinflammatory signaling (TNF-α/IL-1ß/IL-6) was repressed by empagliflozin administration. Finally, empagliflozin treatment significantly attenuated the sorafenib-promoted macrophage recruitments in mouse hearts. In conclusion, empagliflozin may act as a cardioprotective agent for humans under sorafenib exposure by modulating ferroptosis/DNA damage/fibrosis/inflammation. However, further clinical evidence is required to support this preclinical finding.

Machine Learning Prediction of Prediabetes in a Young Male Chinese Cohort with 5.8-Year Follow-Up.

The identification of risk factors for future prediabetes in young men remains largely unexamined. This study enrolled 6247 young ethnic Chinese men with normal fasting plasma glucose at the baseline (FPGbase), and used machine learning (Mach-L) methods to predict prediabetes after 5.8 years. The study seeks to achieve the following: 1. Evaluate whether Mach-L outperformed traditional multiple linear regression (MLR). 2. Identify the most important risk factors. The baseline data included demographic, biochemistry, and lifestyle information. Two models were built, where Model 1 included all variables and Model 2 excluded FPGbase, since it had the most profound effect on prediction. Random forest, stochastic gradient boosting, eXtreme gradient boosting, and elastic net were used, and the model performance was compared using different error metrics. All the Mach-L errors were smaller than those for MLR, thus Mach-L provided the most accurate results. In descending order of importance, the key factors for Model 1 were FPGbase, body fat (BF), creatinine (Cr), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), WBC, and age, while those for Model 2 were BF, white blood cell, age, TSH, TG, and LDL-C. We concluded that FPGbase was the most important factor to predict future prediabetes. However, after removing FPGbase, WBC, TSH, BF, HDL-C, and age were the key factors after 5.8 years.

Safety evaluation of combination treatment of drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization and immune checkpoint inhibitors for hepatocellular carcinoma: An increased risk of liver abscess with treatment interval less than one month.

PURPOSE: To analyze the safety of combination treatment comprising drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHOD: In total, 208 HCC patients receiving DEB-TACE were enrolled for this retrospective single-institution study. Among them, 50 patients who received ICIs at an interval less than one month from DEB-TACE were categorized into the DEB-ICI group; the remaining 158 patients were categorized into the DEB group. Albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score before and at three months after DEB-TACE were recorded to evaluate liver function changes. Adverse events within three months after DEB-TACE were considered TACE-related and were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The DEB-ICI group had significantly higher incidence of liver abscess than the DEB group (14.0 % versus 5.1 %, p-value = 0.0337). No significant difference in the other TACE-related adverse events and change of ALBI score between the groups. Univariate logistic regression confirmed that combination with ICIs was an independent risk factor for liver abscess after DEB-TACE (odds ratio = 3.0523, 95 % confidence interval: 1.0474-8.8947, p-value = 0.0409); other parameters including subjective angiographic chemoembolization endpoint scale and combined targeted therapy were nonsignificant risk factors in this study population. In the DEB-ICI group, patients who received ICIs before DEB-TACE exhibited a trend toward liver abscess formation compared with those who received DEB-TACE before ICIs (23.8 % versus 6.9 %, p-value = 0.0922). CONCLUSIONS: Combination treatment involving DEB-TACE and ICIs at an interval less than one month increased the risk of liver abscess after DEB-TACE. Greater caution is therefore warranted for HCC patients who receive ICIs and DEB-TACE with this short interval.

Opportunistic Screening for Asymptomatic Left Ventricular Dysfunction With the Use of Electrocardiographic Artificial Intelligence: A Cost-Effectiveness Approach.

BACKGROUND: The burden of asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) is greater than that of heart failure; however, a cost-effective tool for asymptomatic LVD screening has not been well validated. We aimed to prospectively validate an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled electrocardiography (ECG) algorithm for asymptomatic LVD detection and evaluate its cost-effectiveness for opportunistic screening. METHODS: In this prospective observational study, patients undergoing ECG at outpatient clinics or health check-ups were enrolled in 2 hospitals in Taiwan. Patients were stratified into LVD (left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 40%) risk groups according to a previously developed ECG algorithm. The performance of AI-ECG was used to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of LVD screening compared with no screening. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and sensitivity analyses were used to examine the cost-effectiveness and robustness of the results. RESULTS: Among the 29,137 patients, the algorithm demonstrated areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.984 and 0.945 for detecting LVD within 28 days in the 2 hospital cohorts. For patients not initially scheduled for ECG, the algorithm predicted future echocardiograms (high-risk, 46.2%; medium-risk, 31.4%; low-risk, 14.6%) and LVD (high-risk, 26.2%; medium-risk, 3.4%; low-risk, 0.1%) at 12 months. Opportunistic screening with AI-ECG could result in a negative ICER of -$7,439 for patients aged 65 years, with consistent cost-savings across age groups and particularly in men. Approximately 91.5% of the cases were found to be cost-effective at the willingness-to-pay threshold of $30,000 in the probabilistic analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The use of AI-ECG for asymptomatic LVD risk stratification is promising, and opportunistic screening in outpatient clinics has the potential to reduce costs.

Liver transplantation with simultaneous splenectomy increases risk of cancer development and mortality in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

BACKGROUND: Splenectomy has previously been found to increase the risk of cancer development, including lung, non-melanoma skin cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, and ovarian cancer. The risk of cancer development in liver transplantation (LT) with simultaneous splenectomy remains unclear. AIM: To compare hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence and de novo malignancy between patients undergoing LT with and without simultaneous splenectomy. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of 120 patients with HCC within the University of California San Francisco criteria who received LT with (n = 35) and without (n = 85) simultaneous splenectomy in the Tri-Service General Hospital. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses for cancer-free survival and mortality were established. The comparison of the group survival status and group cancer-free status was done by generating Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log-rank tests. RESULTS: The splenectomy group had more hepatitis C virus infection, lower platelet count, higher -fetoprotein level, and longer operating time. Splenectomy and age were both positive independent factors for prediction of cancer development [hazard ratio (HR): 2.560 and 1.057, respectively, P < 0.05]. Splenectomy and hypertension were positive independent factors for prediction of mortality. (HR: 2.791 and 2.813 respectively, P < 0.05). The splenectomy group had a significantly worse cancer-free survival (CFS) and overall survival (OS) curve compared to the non-splenectomy group (5-year CFS rates: 53.4% vs 76.5%, P = 0.003; 5-year OS rate: 68.1 vs 89.3, P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that simultaneous splenectomy should be avoided as much as possible in HCC patients who have undergone LT.

Effect of the Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure Exergame on Running Completion Time and Psychological Factors Among University Students Engaging in Distance Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak has not only changed the lifestyles of people globally but has also resulted in other challenges, such as the requirement of self-isolation and distance learning. Moreover, people are unable to venture out to exercise, leading to reduced movement, and therefore, the demand for exercise at home has increased. OBJECTIVE: We intended to investigate the relationships between a Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure (RFA) intervention and improvements in running time, cardiac force index (CFI), sleep quality (Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score), and mood disorders (5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale score). METHODS: This was a randomized prospective study and included 80 students who were required to complete a 1600-meter outdoor run before and after the intervention, the completion times of which were recorded in seconds. They were also required to fill out a lifestyle questionnaire. During the study, 40 participants (16 males and 24 females, with an average age of 23.75 years) were assigned to the RFA group and were required to exercise for 30 minutes 3 times per week (in the adventure mode) over 4 weeks. The exercise intensity was set according to the instructions given by the virtual coach during the first game. The remaining 40 participants (30 males and 10 females, with an average age of 22.65 years) were assigned to the control group and maintained their regular habits during the study period. RESULTS: The study was completed by 80 participants aged 20 to 36 years (mean 23.20, SD 2.96 years). The results showed that the running time in the RFA group was significantly reduced. After 4 weeks of physical training, it took females in the RFA group 19.79 seconds (P=.03) and males 22.56 seconds (P=.03) less than the baseline to complete the 1600-meter run. In contrast, there were no significant differences in the performance of the control group in the run before and after the fourth week of intervention. In terms of mood disorders, the average score of the RFA group increased from 1.81 to 3.31 for males (difference=1.50, P=.04) and from 3.17 to 4.54 for females (difference=1.38, P=.06). In addition, no significant differences between the RFA and control groups were observed for the CFI peak acceleration (CFIPA)_walk, CFIPA_run, or sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS: RFA could either maintain or improve an individual's physical fitness, thereby providing a good solution for people involved in distance learning or those who have not exercised for an extended period. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05227040; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05227040.

Conversion Surgery for Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) usually have poor outcomes and high mortality risk, even with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). This study analyzed the prognostic factors of AGC with PC and evaluated laparoscopic HIPEC (LHIPEC) plus neoadjuvant intraperitoneal and systemic chemotherapy (NIPS) as a conversion surgery for AGC patients with PC with a poor initial prognosis. Patient and Methods. We retrospectively evaluated 127 patients with AGC and PC from January 1, 2012, to March 1, 2020. After the exclusion of 32 ineligible patients, the conversion group comprised 34 patients who underwent LHIPEC + NIPS as a conversion surgery followed by CRS plus HIPEC. The CRS + HIPEC group included 15 patients who underwent CRS with HIPEC alone. Additionally, the C/T group comprised 23 patients who received systemic chemotherapy, and the palliative group comprised 23 patients who received only conservative therapy or palliative gastrectomy. RESULTS: The conversion group demonstrated a significantly better mean overall survival compared to the CRS + HIPEC, C/T, and palliative groups (p < 0.001). Patients in the conversion group who underwent LHIPEC + NIPS had significantly decreased peritoneal cancer index (PCI) scores (p < 0.001) and ascites (p=0.003). Malignant ascites amount also significantly decreased after treatment in the LHIPEC + NIPS group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: LHIPEC + NIPS can significantly improve the overall survival, the PCI score, and malignant ascites amount in peritoneal cytology-positive gastric cancer with PC, and an initially high PCI score. Therefore, it may be a feasible conversion strategy for AGC patients with PC.

CRNDE-h transcript/miR-136-5p axis regulates interleukin enhancer binding factor 2 expression to promote hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation.

AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignancy of the hepatocyte. Interleukin enhancer binding factor 2 (ILF2) plays a role in the development of HCC. However, the regulatory mechanisms of ILF2 expression in HCC remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to identify ILF2-targeting microRNAs (miRNAs) and to explore how they affect ILF2 expression in HCC. MAIN METHODS: The tissue specimens were collected from 25 HCC patients. The underlying regulatory mechanism of ILF2 expression in HCC progression was determined using luciferase reporter assay, quantitative real-time PCR, Western blotting, and BrdU incorporation assay. KEY FINDINGS: Of predicted miRNA candidates (miR-122-5p, miR-425-5p, miR-136-5p, miR-7-5p, miR-421 and miR-543), a statistically significant inverse correlation by linear correlation analysis was observed between miR-136-5p and ILF2 mRNA expressions in patients with HCC (r = -0.627, P < 0.001). Further analysis demonstrated that ILF2 was directly regulated by miR-136-5p. In addition, we showed that long noncoding RNA colorectal neoplasia differentially expressed-h (lncRNA CRNDE-h) transcript expression was significantly up-regulated in HCC, and a miR-136-5p binding site was newly found in the lncRNA CRNDE-h transcript sequence using IntaRNA tool. In terms of mechanism, highly-expressed lncRNA CRNDE-h transcript can sponge miR-136-5p, thereby preventing it from interacting with target ILF2 mRNA while promoting the proliferation of HCC cells. SIGNIFICANCE: The lncRNA CRNDE-h/miR-136-5p/ILF2 axis plays a significant regulatory role in HCC progression, which may partly explain the pathogenic mechanisms of HCC and may provide promising potential targets for the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of HCC.

Outcomes of Infection and Risk of Mortality in Liver Transplant Patients with Simultaneous Splenectomy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of infection between liver transplant patients with and without simultaneous splenectomy. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the records of 211 patients who underwent liver transplantation in the Tri-Service General Hospital from 2012 to 2017. The frequency of blood cultures obtained after liver transplantation; incidence of bacteremia, pathogens, and complications; and overall survival rates were compared between the groups. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-three of 211 patients underwent liver transplantation without simultaneous splenectomy. There were no significant differences in the frequency of blood cultures obtained after liver transplantation (non-splenectomy group and splenectomy group: 63% and 62%, respectively); incidences of bacteremia after liver transplantation (21% and 21%, respectively), repeat bacteremia (39% and 35%, respectively), cytomegalovirus infection (4% and 3%, respectively), herpes infection (6% and 7%, respectively), and fungal infection (3% and 3%, respectively); and overall survival rate between the two groups. However, there was a significant difference in infection-related deaths between the groups. Simultaneous splenectomy and episodes of antibody-related rejection were significant risk factors associated with infection-related death in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSION: Although simultaneous splenectomy does not increase the incidence of infection, simultaneous splenectomy definitely carries risks of infection-related mortality in liver transplantation.

Association between mild anemia and physical fitness in a military male cohort: The CHIEF study.

Anemia defined as reduced hemoglobin levels of red blood cells may carry less oxygen to skeletal muscle and impair physical performance. Previous studies have shown that exercise intolerance was related to moderate or severe anemia, however, the relationship to mild anemia was unknown. We investigated the cross-sectional association of mild anemia defined as a hemoglobin level of 10.0-13.9 g/dL with physical fitness in 3,666 military young males in Taiwan in 2014. Aerobic fitness was evaluated by 3000-meter run test, and anaerobic fitness was evaluated by 2-minute sit-ups and 2-minute push-ups, respectively. Multiple logistic regressions for the best 10% and the worst 10% performers were used to determine the relationship. There were 343 mild anemic males in whom 47.8% were microcytic anemia and 3,323 non-anemic males for the analysis. The multiple logistic regression shows that as compared with non-anemic males, mild anemic males were more likely to be the worst 10% performers in the 3000-meter run test (odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals: 1.47, 1.01-2.14) after adjusting for age, service specialty, body mass index, waist size, mean blood pressure, unhealthy behaviors, lipid profiles, and exercise frequency. On the contrary, mild anemic males had higher possibility to be the best 10% performers in the 2-minute push-ups test (OR: 1.48, 1.08-2.04). However, there was no association between mild anemia and 2-minute sit-ups. Our findings suggest that unspecified mild anemia might be associated with lower cardiorespiratory fitness but not with anaerobic fitness in physically active military males.

Somatostatin Therapy in Patients with Massive Ascites After Liver Transplantation.

BACKGROUND Patients with massive ascites (MA) after liver transplantation (LT, defined here as daily ascitic drainage more than 1000 ml per day for more than 7 days after liver transplantation) are at increased risks of infection, hypoalbuminemia, graft loss, and even mortality. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the effects of somatostatin on patients with MA after LT. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty-eight patients with liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent LT complicated by MA postoperatively were included. Ten participants were receiving somatostatin therapy. The postoperative course and adverse drug effects were investigated. Daily postoperative ascitic drainage and urine output were also recorded and compared to those in the non-somatostatin group. RESULTS The somatostatin group had significantly less ascites drainage after LT compared to the non-somatostatin group (p=0.002). Urine output was significantly increased after somatostatin administration (p<0.001). No serious adverse effects influencing graft function or fatal complications occurred after somatostatin therapy. CONCLUSIONS Somatostatin treatment is beneficial for the management of MA after liver transplantation.

Sex-Specific Association Between Serum Uric Acid and Elevated Alanine Aminotransferase in a Military Cohort: The CHIEF Study.

AIM: The study was conducted in order to examine the sex-specific association of serum uric acid (SUA) levels with elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in a Taiwanese military cohort. METHODS: We made a cross-sectional examination of the sex-specific relationship using 6728 men and 766 women, aged 18-50 years from a large military cohort in Taiwan. SUA levels within the reference range (<7.0 mg/dL for men and <5.7 mg/dL for women respectively) were divided into quartiles and SUA levels greater than the upper reference limits were defined as hyperuricemia. Elevated ALT levels were defined as ≥40 U/L. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between each SUA category and elevated ALT levels in men and women, respectively. RESULTS: The prevalence of hyperuricemia and elevated ALT in men were 18.7% and 12.7%, respectively, and in women were 3.3% and 2.1%, respectively. As compared with the lowest SUA quartile, hyperuricemia was associated with elevated ALT in men (odds ratios (OR): 1.62, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.19-2.20) after controlling for age, service specialty, body mass index, metabolic syndrome components, current cigarette smoking, alcohol intake status, and weekly exercise times, but the associations for the other SUA quartiles were null. By contrast, the associations of hyperuricemia (OR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.10-6.64) and the other SUA quartiles with elevated ALT were null in women. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the relationship between each SUA level and elevated ALT may differ by sex among military young adults. The mechanism for the sex difference requires further investigations.

Twice-Weekly Tacrolimus Can Overcome Pharmacologic Interaction and Help in the Successful Treatment of Pulmonary Aspergillosis in a Liver Transplant Recipient.

Drug-drug interactions between azoles and calcineurin inhibitors can cause issues for organ transplant specialists. Clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of solid-organ transplant recipients with invasive aspergillosis infection are lacking. Here, we present a patient who developed pulmonary aspergillosis after liver transplant. The patient had prolonged treatment with echinocandin that was not effective. A drug-drug interaction between azoles and tacrolimus caused issues for the clinical physician. We adjusted the doses, and the patient was successfully treated. A reduction in the tacrolimus dose, intensive monitoring of associated parameters, and elimination of risk exposures are important for a favorable outcome.

A Novel Strategy of Laparoscopic Insufflation Rate Improving Shoulder Pain: Prospective Randomized Study.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic surgery is the main trend method in a variety of surgical fields. Post-operative shoulder pain remains a bothersome issue although many surgical techniques have been applied to minimize it. A simple novel approach to reduce shoulder pain without adverse effects during and after laparoscopic surgery is desired. METHODS: This prospective randomized controlled study was conducted to enroll a total of 140 patients to evaluate the efficacy of low flow rate (1 L/min) for induction followed by high flow rate (10 L/min) for maintaining 12 mmHg pneumoperitoneum (group A, n = 70) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), compared to the continuous high flow rate group (group B, n = 70) in postoperative shoulder pain and other clinical features. The 10-visual analog scale (VAS) was applied for the severity of shoulder pain and scores were obtained at 1, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h after LC. RESULTS: There was no obvious difference in baseline characteristics as well as operative time, occurrence of bradycardia, or hospital stay between groups. The incidence of shoulder pain was not significantly different (group A 45.7% vs group B 48.6%, p = 0.866). However, the patients in group A with shoulder pain reported significantly less pain scores (p < 0.001) at 12 and 24 h after surgery, compared with those in group B. CONCLUSIONS: Applying the strategy of low flow rate to induce pneumoperitoneum followed by high flow rate to maintain the pressure provides advantages to reduce the severity of shoulder pain for patients who underwent LC and then experienced shoulder pain.

Long-term outcomes in elderly patients with resectable large hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing hepatectomy.

BACKGROUND: In contrast to the feasibility of hepatectomy for resectable large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, >5 cm) in the younger patients, the concerns of benefits for the elderly patients remain in practice. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes and safety after hepatectomy in elderly patients with resectable large HCC compared with younger patients. METHODS: Between 2003 and 2014, a total of 2211 HCC patients were reviewed using a prospective database and 257 patients with resectable large HCC undergoing hepatectomy were included: 79 elderly patients with age ≥70 years and 178 younger patients with age <70 years. The last follow-up was assessed in December 2017. The complications, long-term outcomes and risk factors of disease-free and overall survival were analysed. RESULTS: The 1-, 3-, 5- and 7-year overall survival rates in the elderly and younger groups were 76%, 55%, 48%, and 42% and 79%, 57%, 51%, and 49%, respectively (P = 0.319). The 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year disease-free survival rates in the elderly and younger groups were 60%, 40%, 38%, and 27% and 54%, 36%, 32%, and 32%, respectively (P = 0.633). The analysis of post-operative outcomes of interest, including hospital stay and hospital death and hepatectomy-related complications in both groups revealed no significant difference. Serum albumin and AJCC TNM stage were independent risk factors for survival. Serum alpha-fetoprotein, tumour number and AJCC TNM stage predicted HCC recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that hepatectomy can achieve comparable long-term outcomes in the selected younger and elderly patients with resectable large HCC.

Sex-Specific Association between Metabolic Abnormalities and Elevated Alanine Aminotransferase Levels in a Military Cohort: The CHIEF Study.

The association of metabolic syndrome (MetS) components with elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, a marker of hepatic injury, may differ between men and women. However, the sex-specific association in a military young population which has a low prevalence of MetS was unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional examination in 6738 men and 766 women, aged 18-50 years, from the cardiorespiratory fitness study in armed forces (CHIEF) in eastern Taiwan. The components of MetS were defined according to the updated International Diabetes Federation (IDF) ethnic criteria for Asians. Elevated ALT levels were defined as ≥40 U/L for both sexes and ≥30 U/L for women alternatively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the sex-specific association between MetS components and elevated ALT. The prevalence of MetS and elevated ALT in men were 11.9% and 12.7% respectively, and in women were 3.5%, and 3.8% respectively. In men, high-density lipoprotein < 40 mg/dL, blood pressures ≥ 130/85 mmHg, serum triglycerides ≥ 150 mg/dL, and waist size ≥ 90 cm were associated with elevated ALT (odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals: 1.59 (1.34-1.90), 1.40 (1.19-1.65), 2.00 (1.68-2.39), and 1.68 (1.38-2.04); all p < 0.001); whereas in women, only fasting plasma glucose ≥ 100 mg/dL was associated with elevated ALT ≥ 40 U/L (OR: 7.59 (2.35-24.51), p = 0.001) and ALT ≥ 30 U/L (2.67 (0.89-7.95), p = 0.08). Our findings suggest that the relationship between metabolic abnormalities and elevated ALT may differ by sex, possibly due to the MetS more prevalent in young adult men than in women.

Routine Intraoperative Neuromonitoring of the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve to Facilitate Complete Resection and Ensure Safety in Thyroid Cancer Surgery.

Routine use of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) in thyroid cancer surgery is controversial. We aimed to investigate whether it improves the completeness of thyroidectomy and ensures safety. This retrospective study included 380 thyroid cancer patients who underwent thyroidectomy, by one surgeon, between July 2006 and November 2015. Patients were grouped according to the surgeon's adaptation of IONM, as follows: none (period 1; n = 92), early (period 2; n = 141), and late (period 3; n = 147). The operative time and rates of vocal cord palsy were determined. Surgical completeness was assessed by technetium-99m imaging of the thyroid remnant and serum thyroglobulin measurement before ablation. The rate of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) palsy showed a decreasing trend over time. No permanent RLN palsies occurred in nerves not invaded by tumor after routine IONM was introduced. Technetium-99m uptake (periods 1-3, 0.62 vs 0.32 vs 0.20; P < 0.01) and thyroglobulin levels (periods 1 and 2, 37.93 vs 8.98 ng/mL, respectively; P = 0.034; period 3, 9.10 ng/mL) progressively decreased. The mean thyroglobulin level dropped significantly after introduction of routine IONM. We conclude that routine IONM during thyroid cancer surgery improves surgical completeness and might prevent permanent RLN palsy over time.

Retransplant as Rescue Treatment for ABO-Compatible Living-Donor Liver Transplant Related Antibody-Mediated Rejection: A Case Report.

Antibody-mediated rejection after liver transplant, especially when the donor is not a direct relative; it is associated with additional inconvenience for patients. We encountered a case in which antibody-mediated rejection because of de novo donor specific antibodies against donor human leukocyte antigen developed 6 months after ABO-compatible living-donor liver transplant and was treated with retransplant. A 38-year-old man with hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma underwent living-donor liver transplant with a graft from his wife. Six months later, he experienced fatigue and jaundice. Liver biopsy revealed C4d deposits, and histologic examination showed an antibody-mediated rejection pattern. We re-evaluated recipient-donor human leukocyte antigen matching and tested the patient's blood for antihuman leukocyte antigen donor-specific antibodies against donor human leukocyte antigen. De novo auto-antibodies against human leukocyte antigen-DQ6 were identified by Luminex single antigen beads.Because exhausting all treatment options, a rescue second living-donor liver transplant was planned with the patient's stepdaughter as the donor. Pretransplant human leukocyte antigen matching was performed, and the patient was discharged without event. Two months later, hyperbilirubinemia was noted, and a residual common bile duct from the first donor with chronic fibrosis and stricture was strongly suspected. Redo hepaticojejunostomy was successfully performed, with no problems during 1-years' follow-up. Thus, liver retransplant could be a rescue treatment for antibody-mediated rejection complicated with hepatic failure.