Association between Serum Glycated Hemoglobin Levels and Female Infertility: A Cross-Sectional Survey and Genetic Approach.

Female infertility affects a significant portion of the population, and recent studies suggest a potential link between glycemic control and reproductive health. This study investigates the association between serum glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and female infertility, utilizing data from the NHANES 2017-2020 and Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1578 women aged 20-45 who attempted pregnancy for at least one year. Serum HbA1c levels were analyzed in relation to infertility status, with multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for covariates such as age, body mass index, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Higher HbA1c levels were significantly associated with increased infertility risk. Each 1% increase in HbA1c was linked to higher odds of infertility (adjusted OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.15-1.69, p = 0.003). HbA1c levels ≥ 6.5% showed the strongest association. MR analysis employed single-nucleotide polymorphisms as instrumental variables to assess the causal relationship between HbA1c and infertility, confirming a causal relationship between higher genetically predicted HbA1c levels and infertility (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.33-2.49, p = 0.00018). Sensitivity analyses supported the robustness of these findings. Elevated HbA1c levels are associated with an increased risk of female infertility, suggesting the importance of glycemic control in reproductive health management.

The Effectiveness of Scutellaria baicalensis on Migraine: Implications from Clinical Use and Experimental Proof.

BACKGROUND: Scutellaria baicalensis (SB), a traditional Chinese medicine, is commonly used for the treatment of inflammatory and painful conditions. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of SB on migraine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined the clinical applications of SB based on the data obtained from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database and confirmed that it was frequently used in Taiwan for the treatment of headaches. An experimental migraine model was established in rats by an intraperitoneal injection of nitroglycerin (NTG, 10 mg/kg). Pretreatment with SB was given orally 30 min before NTG administration. The rats were subjected to migraine-related behaviour tests that were video-recorded and analysed using EthoVision XT 12.0 software. RESULTS: The frequency of exploratory and locomotor behaviour was comparatively lower in the NTG group than that in the control group, while the frequency of resting and grooming behaviour increased. These phenomena were ameliorated by pretreatment with 1.0 g/kg SB. The total time spent on the smooth surface was longer in the NTG group than that in the control group, but the time was shortened by pretreatment with 1.0 g/kg SB. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment with 1.0 g/kg SB relieved migraine-related behaviours in the experimental NTG-induced migraine model. The outcome therefore demonstrated that pretreatment with 1.0 g/kg SB is beneficial for migraine treatment.

Use of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Patients Diagnosed with Postpartum Depression: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is one of most common postnatal complications, affecting approximately 10%-15% of women after childbirth annually. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been gaining popularity as the choice of treatment for PPD in Taiwan. Hence, our aim was to analyze the utilization of TCM among PPD patients in Taiwan. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a random sample of one million beneficiaries selected from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified patients with PPD who had received either TCM treatment or non-TCM treatment from the database during 2000-2012. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with the use of TCM. A total of 653 patients with PPD were enrolled. The majority of patients with PPD were 26-30 years old, lived in a highly urbanized area of Taipei, had a monthly income <20,000 NT$, and were private enterprise employees. Around 52.7% of PPD patients had the motivation to seek TCM services. Younger women, who resided in central and southern Taiwan and who had used TCM one year before PPD diagnosis, were more likely to use TCM services. PPD patients who underwent TCM treatment had a lower overall medical expenditure than non-TCM users. Most TCM users chose simple Chinese herbal medicine. The coexisting factors that made PPD patients to seek TCM services were respiratory or oral infections. We demonstrated the characteristics of those that seek TCM for PPD, which may provide useful insights to health care providers towards resource allocation.

Long-Term Beneficial Effects of Acupuncture with Reduced Risk of Depression Development Following Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Existing evidence has shown that patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) have a higher risk of developing depression than the normal population. Clinically, acupuncture has been widely used to alleviate pain in TN. However, few studies have explored the use of acupuncture to prevent depression in TN. Therefore, this study aimed to apply national real-world data to investigate the long-term effect of acupuncture on the risk of depression in patients with TN. METHODS: We recruited participants with newly diagnosed TN from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2010, and categorized them into either the acupuncture cohort or non-acupuncture cohort using the 1:1 propensity score-matched method. All patients in the two cohorts were followed up until the end of 2013. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to compare the incidence of depression between the two cohorts. RESULTS: In total, 776 patients with newly diagnosed TN in each cohort with similar baseline characteristics were enrolled in the study. The acupuncture cohort had a reduced risk of depression compared to the non-acupuncture cohort (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.47; 95% confidence interval, 0.31-0.70). Kaplan-Meier analysis also revealed that the cumulative incidence of depression was significantly lower in the acupuncture cohort during the 13-year follow-up period (Log rank test, p < 0.001). In particular, the beneficial effect of acupuncture was a decrease in the risk of depression among TN patients aged 50-69 years who had also used carbamazepine. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that acupuncture is associated with a reduction in the risk of depression during long-term follow-up in patients with TN. The results provide new insights for clinical practitioners as well as for health resource allocation.

Long-Term Effect of Acupuncture on the Medical Expenditure and Risk of Depression and Anxiety in Migraine Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Migraine, a common neurological disorder, increases the risk of psychiatric disorders. Currently, the efficacy of conventional therapies is considered unsatisfactory. Acupuncture has been gaining popularity in treatment of neuropsychiatric disease. This study aimed to investigate the effect of acupuncture on medical expenditure and the risk of depression and anxiety in migraine patients. Methods: Patients with migraine were either selected for acupuncture treatment or no treatment based on the 1:1 propensity score-matched method from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database between 2000 and 2012 and followed up until the end of 2013. The observed outcome measures were comparison of medical expenditure and incidence of depression/anxiety in the two cohorts. Results: The acupuncture cohort had a lower medical expenditure within 1 year of the intervention than the non-acupuncture cohort (p < 0.001). The acupuncture cohort had a reduced risk of depression [adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39-0.95] and anxiety (adjusted HR, 0.51, 95% CI, 0.43-0.59) after adjusting for sex, age, monthly income, urbanization level, occupation category, baseline comorbidities, and medicines used. The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the cumulative incidence of depression and anxiety was significantly lower in the acupuncture cohort than in the non-acupuncture cohort during the 13-year follow-up period (log-rank test, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Acupuncture could reduce medical expenditure and the risk of depression and anxiety during the long-term follow-up period in migraine patients. However, the regulatory effects and mechanisms should be assessed in further clinical research.