Exploring the link between metformin use and adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: a retrospective cohort study in Taiwan.

The risk of adhesive capsulitis of shoulder in diabetic patients taking metformin has not been evaluated. We aimed for evaluating the relative risk of adhesive capsulitis of shoulder in diabetic patients taking metformin at the level of the whole country population. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a national health insurance database in Taiwan from 2000 to2015. We used International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, to categorise the medical condition for study group and comparison group. We used Cox proportional hazard regression analyses to determined adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of adhesive capsulitis of shoulder between study and comparison group after adjusting for sex, age, and comorbidities.Among 30,412 diabetic patients using metformin, 3020 patients were diagnosis with adhesive capsulitis of shoulder during follow up. Of the 121,648 patients without the use of metformin, 11,375 patients developed adhesive capsulitis of shoulder. Adhesive capsulitis of shoulder risk was elevated in patients taking metformin than in non-metformin group (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.179, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.022 to 1.268; p = 0.039). Risk of adhesive capsulitis of shoulder among the diabetic patients taking metformin was higher than those did not taking metformin.

Increased Risk of Glaucoma in Patients with Sjögren's Syndrome: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: The risk of glaucoma in patients suffering from Sjögren's syndrome has not been elucidated. We aimed for evaluating the absolute incidence as well as the relative risk of glaucoma in patients with SS at the level of the whole country population. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a national health insurance database in Taiwan from 2000 to 2013. We used International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, to categorise medical conditions for study group and comparison group. We used Cox proportional hazard regression analysis to determine adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of glaucoma between study and comparison group after adjusting for sex, age, and comorbidities. RESULTS: Among 17,398 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome, 133 patients were diagnosis with glaucoma during follow-up. Of the 69,592 non-primary Sjögren's syndrome patients, 429 patients developed glaucoma. Glaucoma risk was elevated in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome than in the non-Sjögren's syndrome group (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2.274, 95% in the confidence interval [95% CI] 1.847-2.800; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of glaucoma among the population having Sjögren's syndrome was higher than those did not have Sjögren's syndrome. It indicated the necessity of regular examination for glaucoma in patients with Sjögren's syndrome.

Enrichment behavior of contemporary PAHs and legacy PCBs at the sea-surface microlayer in harbor water.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the sea-surface microlayer (SML) and sub-surface water (SSW) were analyzed in and around Kaohsiung Harbor. The results confirm SML enrichments for PAHs, but PCBs less significantly, since PAHs are still produced while PCBs had banned years ago. However, PCBs still leak to the environment from contaminated sites. The results showed the sources and transport of PAHs and PCBs were different, but both are enriched in the SML. Total particulate PAHs at most sites are below the toxicity thresholds, with a few individual PAHs between the effects range-low and effect range-median even higher than the effect range-median. Total particulate PCBs might cause occasionally adverse effects in sensitive species and pose a risk to the organisms. The particulate phase in the SML poses a higher risk to the marine ecosystem than in the SSW although not all organisms will make direct use of the microlayer. Principal component analysis (PCA) of PAHs indicated the important contribution of traffic engine emission in the particulate samples of the SML and SSW and revealed that probably the petroleum pollutants are a predominant source for the dissolved phase. Cluster analysis revealed that PAH-PCB patterns in the river and anchorage channels were different to those in the wetlands and open harbor. However, PCA of PCBs showed differences in the congener profiles for the two phases, with highly chlorinated PCBs more abundant in particles, while less chlorinated PCBs were more abundant in dissolved.

Transport and fluxes of terrestrial polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a small mountain river and submarine canyon system.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in the Gaoping River were investigated in the wet and dry seasons. PAH characteristics allowed us to trace the particulate matter transported in a river-sea system containing a small mountain river, continental shelf, and submarine canyon. PAH signatures of the Gaoping River showed that particles were rapidly transported from the high mountain to the Gaoping coastal areas in the wet season, even arriving at the deep ocean via the Gaoping Submarine Canyon. By contrast, in the dry season, the particles were delivered quite slowly and included mostly pyrogenic contaminants. The annual riverine flux estimates for PAHs were 2241 kg in the Gaoping river-sea system. Only 18.0 kg were associated with the dissolved phase; the rest was bound onto particles. The fluxes caused by typhoons and their effects accounted for 20.2% of the dissolved and 68.4% of the particulate PAH fluxes from the river. Normalized partition coefficients for organic carbon suggested that PAHs were rigid on the particles. Distinct source characteristics were evident for PAHs on riverine suspended particles and coastal surface sediments: the particles in the wet season (as background signals) were similar to petrogenic sources, whereas the particles in the dry season had characteristics of coal burning and vehicular emissions. The sediments in the northwestern shelf were similar to pyrogenic sources (including vehicular emissions and coal and biomass burning), whereas the sediments in the canyon and southeastern shelf arose from mixed sources, although some diesel signature was also evident.