Uremic Toxin-Producing Bacteroides Species Prevail in the Gut Microbiota of Taiwanese CKD Patients: An Analysis Using the New Taiwan Microbiome Baseline.

Rationale and Objective: Gut microbiota have been targeted by alternative therapies for non-communicable diseases. We examined the gut microbiota of a healthy Taiwanese population, identified various bacterial drivers in different demographics, and compared them with dialysis patients to associate kidney disease progression with changes in gut microbiota. Study Design: This was a cross-sectional cohort study. Settings and Participants: Fecal samples were obtained from 119 healthy Taiwanese volunteers, and 16S rRNA sequencing was done on the V3-V4 regions to identify the bacterial enterotypes. Twenty-six samples from the above cohort were compared with fecal samples from 22 peritoneal dialysis and 16 hemodialysis patients to identify species-level bacterial biomarkers in the dysbiotic gut of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Results: Specific bacterial species were identified pertaining to different demographics such as gender, age, BMI, physical activity, and sleeping habits. Dialysis patients had a significant difference in gut microbiome composition compared to healthy controls. The most abundant genus identified in CKD patients was Bacteroides, and at the species level hemodialysis patients showed significant abundance in B. ovatus, B. caccae, B. uniformis, and peritoneal dialysis patients showed higher abundance in Blautia producta (p ≤ 0.05) than the control group. Pathways pertaining to the production of uremic toxins were enriched in CKD patients. The abundance of the bacterial species depended on the type of dialysis treatment. Conclusion: This study characterizes the healthy gut microbiome of a Taiwanese population in terms of various demographics. In a case-control examination, the results showed the alteration in gut microbiota in CKD patients corresponding to different dialysis treatments. Also, this study identified the bacterial species abundant in CKD patients and their possible role in complicating the patients' condition.

Hepatic and cardiovascular safety of acarbose among type 2 diabetes patients with end-stage renal disease: A nationwide population-based longitudinal study.

AIM: To assess the relationship between acarbose and hepatotoxicity, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and mortality among type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). METHODS: 32,531 T2D patients with ESRD were identified from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database in 2000~∼2012 and followed up until 2013. 19.3% of subjects were newly initiated with acarbose during the follow-up. The use of acarbose was quantified as the numbers of the 30-day drug's supplies and dosages (measured by defined daily doses; DDDs), respectively. Time-varying Cox models were applied to evaluate the association of acarbose use with hepatic, cardiovascular and mortality outcomes, with adjustment for patients' demographics, comorbidities, diabetes severity, and co-medications. RESULTS: For each 30-day supply increase in acarbose exposure, the risks of hepatic injury, composite CVD events, and all-cause mortality were significantly lowered by 9% (95% confidence interval: 6-12%), 7% (6-7%) and 7% (7-8%), respectively, while for each 30-day DDD increase in acarbose exposure, the risks for three aforementioned outcomes were significantly reduced by 45% (33-54%), 33% (29-36%) and 35% (32-39%), respectively. In subgroup analyses, the favorable study outcomes of acarbose use were more apparent among patients with more severe diabetes, a longer diabetes duration, or absence of established CVD at baseline. CONCLUSION: Acarbose used in real-world T2D patients with ESRD may have hepatic and cardiovascular safety.

Unlocking the Mystery of the Therapeutic Effects of Chinese Medicine on Cancer.

Over the past decade, the rise of cancer immunotherapy has coincided with a remarkable breakthrough in cancer therapy, which attracted increased interests in public. The scientific community clearly showed that the emergence of immunotherapy is an inevitable outcome of a holistic approach for cancer treatment. It is well established that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) utilizes the principle of homeostasis and balance to adjust the healthy status of body. TCM treatment toward cancer has a long history, and the diagnosis and treatment of tumors were discussed in the ancient and classical literatures of Chinese medicine, such as the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon. Precious heritage has laid the foundation for the innovation and development of cancer treatment with TCM. The modern study indicated that TCM facilitates the treatment of cancer and enhances the survival rate and life expectancy of patients. However, the pharmacological mechanisms underlying these effects are not yet completely understood. In addition, physicians cannot always explain why the TCM treatment is effective and the mechanism of action cannot be explained in scientific terms. Here, we attempted to provide insights into the development of TCM in the treatment and interpret how TCM practitioners treat cancer through six general principles of TCM by using modern scientific language and terms based on newly discovered evidence.

A cohort study of age and sex specific risk of pyogenic liver abscess incidence in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

To investigate the age-sex-specific incidence and relative risk of pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and to assess the joint effects of T2DM and other clinical risk factors for PLA on PLA incidence. We used a population-based cohort design with Taiwan's National Health Insurance claim data. Study subjects included 613,921 T2DM patients and 614,613 controls identified in 2000 and were followed to the end of 2010. Cox regression model was employed to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of PLA in relation to T2DM. Over an 11-year follow-up, 5336 T2DM and 1850 controls were admitted for PLA, representing a cumulative incidence of 0.87% and 0.30%, respectively. T2DM was significantly associated with increased hazard of PLA (HR, 2.88; 95% CI, 2.73-3.04). We also found that age and gender may significantly modify the relationship between T2DM and PLA, with a higher HR noted in males patients and those aged <45 years. Biliary tract diseases (HR, 8.60; 95% CI, 7.87-9.40) and liver cirrhosis (HR, 7.52; 95% CI, 6.58-8.59) may add substantially additional risk to the incidence of PLA in T2DM patients. The increased risk of PLA in T2DM was greater in male and younger patients. Careful management of biliary tract diseases and liver cirrhosis may also help reduce the incidence of PLA in T2DM patients.

Mortality of patients with type 2 diabetes in Taiwan: a 10-year nationwide follow-up study.

AIMS: This study aims to investigate the distribution of underlying-causes-of-death (UCOD) among deceased patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in Taiwan and assess the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on mortality in type 2 DM patients. METHODS: A cohort study on patients who sought medical care for type 2 DM from 2000 to 2008 was conducted on 65,599 type 2 DM patients retrieved from the 1-million beneficiaries randomly selected from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Database. The study cohort was then linked to Taiwan's Mortality Registry to ascertain the patients who died between 2000 and 2009. We examined the distribution of UCOD in the deceased subjects. The hazard ratios of mortality in relation to socio-demographic characteristics were estimated from Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: The leading causes of death in type 2 DM included neoplasm (22.68%), cardiovascular diseases (21.46%), and endocrine diseases (20.78%). Male gender and older ages were associated with significantly increased risk of mortality. In addition, lower urbanization and greater co-morbidity score were also significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality with a dose-gradient pattern. CONCLUSIONS: Neoplasm accounts for the largest portion (22.68%) of deaths in type 2 DM patients closely followed by with cardiovascular diseases (21.46%). An increased risk of mortality in type 2 DM patients in lower urbanized areas may reflect poor diabetes care in these areas.