Discrimination of vascular aging using the arterial pulse spectrum and machine-learning analysis.

Aging contributes to the progression of vascular dysfunction and is a major nonreversible risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using arterial pulse-wave measurements, frequency-domain pulse analysis, and machine-learning analysis in distinguishing vascular aging. Radial pulse signals were measured noninvasively for 3 min in 280 subjects aged 40-80 years. The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) was used to evaluate the arterial stiffness of the subjects. Forty frequency-domain pulse indices were used as features, comprising amplitude proportion (Cn), coefficient of variation of Cn, phase angle (Pn), and standard deviation of Pn (n = 1-10). Multilayer perceptron and random forest with supervised learning were used to classify the data. The detected differences were more prominent in the subjects aged 40-50 years. Several indices differed significantly between the non-vascular-aging group (aged 40-50 years; CAVI <9) and the vascular-aging group (aged 70-80 years). Fivefold cross-validation revealed an excellent ability to discriminate the two groups (the accuracy was >80%, and the AUC was >0.8). For subjects aged 50-60 and 60-70 years, the detection accuracies of the two trained algorithms were around 80%, with AUCs of >0.73 for both, which indicated acceptable discrimination. The present method of frequency-domain analysis may improve the index reliability for further machine-learning analyses of the pulse waveform. The present noninvasive and objective methodology may be meaningful for developing a wearable-device system to reduce the threat of vascular dysfunction induced by vascular aging.

Influenza Vaccination Reduces Hospitalization for Heart Failure in Elderly Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Elderly patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at a higher risk of hospitalization for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Previous studies have reported the beneficial effects of the influenza vaccine in patients with CVD. However, the effects of influenza vaccination on the reduction of hospitalizations for heart failure (HF) in elderly patients with CKD remain unclear. METHODS: This cohort study comprised elderly patients (≥ 55 years of age) with a recorded diagnosis of CKD (n = 4406) between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2008. Each patient was followed-up until the end of 2008. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between the influenza vaccination and the first HF hospitalization were analyzed. In addition, the patients were categorized into four groups based on their vaccination status (unvaccinated and total number of vaccinations: 1, 2-3, and ≥ 4). RESULTS: We found that elderly patients with CKD receiving influenza vaccination exhibited a lower risk of HF hospitalization (adjusted HR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.26-0.39, p < 0.001). The protective effects of influenza vaccination remained consistent regardless of the age group (55-64, 65-74, ≥ 75), sex, and influenza seasonality. When the patients were stratified according to the total number of vaccinations, the adjusted HRs for HF hospitalization were 0.60 (0.47-0.77), 0.30 (0.23-0.41), and 0.10 (0.06-0.16) for patients who received 1, 2-3, and ≥ 4 vaccinations during the follow-up period, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed that elderly patients with CKD receiving annual influenza vaccination are at a lower risk of HF hospitalization.

Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Atrial Fibrillation Risk Using Electronic Medical Records in Older Aged Patients.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an independent risk factor that increases the risk of stroke 5-fold. The purpose of our study was to develop a 1-year new-onset AF predictive model by machine learning based on 3-year medical information without electrocardiograms in our database to identify AF risk in older aged patients. We developed the predictive model according to the Taipei Medical University clinical research database electronic medical records, including diagnostic codes, medications, and laboratory data. Decision tree, support vector machine, logistic regression, and random forest algorithms were chosen for the analysis. A total of 2,138 participants (1,028 women [48.1%]; mean [standard deviation] age 78.8 [6.8] years) with AF and 8,552 random controls (after the matching process) without AF (4,112 women [48.1%]; mean [standard deviation] age 78.8 [6.8] years) were included in the model. The 1-year new-onset AF risk prediction model based on the random forest algorithm using medication and diagnostic information, along with specific laboratory data, attained an area under the receiver operating characteristic of 0.74, whereas the specificity was 98.7%. Machine learning-based model focusing on the older aged patients could offer acceptable discrimination in differentiating the risk of incident AF in the next year. In conclusion, a targeted screening approach using multidimensional informatics in the electronic medical records could result in a clinical choice with efficacy for prediction of the incident AF risk in older aged patients.

Effect of Annual Influenza Vaccination on the Risk of Lung Cancer Among Patients With Hypertension: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan.

Objectives: Lung cancer is a main contributor to all newly diagnosed cancers worldwide. The chemoprotective effect of the influenza vaccine among patients with hypertension remains unclear. Methods: A total of 37,022 patients with hypertension were retrospectively enrolled from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. These patients were further divided into a vaccinated group (n = 15,697) and an unvaccinated group (n = 21,325). Results: After adjusting for sex, age, comorbidities, medications, level of urbanization and monthly income, vaccinated patients had a significantly lower risk of lung cancer occurrence than unvaccinated patients (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.47-0.67). A potential protective effect was observed for both sexes and in the elderly age group. With a greater total number of vaccinations, a potentially greater protective effect was observed (aHR: 0.75, 95% CI 0.60-0.95; aHR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.53-0.82; aHR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.19-0.36, after receiving 1, 2-3 and ≥4 vaccinations, respectively). Conclusion: Influenza vaccination was associated with a lower risk of lung cancer among patients with hypertension. The potentially chemoprotective effect appeared to be dose dependent.

The Association between Influenza Vaccine and Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease/Dialysis in Patients with Hypertension.

BACKGROUNDS: Influenza vaccination could decrease the risk of major cardiac events in patients with hypertension. However, the vaccine's effects on decreasing the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) development in such patients remain unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed the data of 37,117 patients with hypertension (≥55 years old) from the National Health Insurance Research Database during 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2012. After a 1:1 propensity score matching by the year of diagnosis, we divided the patients into vaccinated (n = 15,961) and unvaccinated groups (n = 21,156). RESULTS: In vaccinated group, significantly higher prevalence of comorbidities such as diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, dyslipidemia, heart and liver disease were observed compared with unvaccinated group. After adjusting age, sex, comorbidities, medications (anti-hypertensive agents, metformin, aspirin and statin), level of urbanization and monthly incomes, significantly lower risk of CKD occurrence was observed among vaccinated patients in influenza season, non-influenza season and all season (Adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.39, 95% confidence level [C.I.]: 0.33-0.46; 0.38, 95% C.I.: 0.31-0.45; 0.38, 95% C.I.: 0.34-0.44, respectively). The risk of hemodialysis significantly decreased after vaccination (aHR: 0.40, 95% C.I.: 0.30-0.53; 0.42, 95% C.I.: 0.31-0.57; 0.41, 95% C.I.: 0.33-0.51, during influenza season, non-influenza season and all season). In sensitivity analysis, patients with different sex, elder and non-elder age, with or without comorbidities and with or without medications had significant decreased risk of CKD occurrence and underwent hemodialysis after vaccination. Moreover, the potential protective effect appeared to be dose-dependent. CONCLUSIONS: Influenza vaccination decreases the risk of CKD among patients with hypertension and also decrease the risk of receiving renal replacement therapy. Its potential protective effects are dose-dependent and persist during both influenza and noninfluenza seasons.

Protective Effects of Influenza Vaccine against Colorectal Cancer in Populations with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with malignancy, including colorectal cancer, via the potential mechanism of chronic inflammation status. This study aimed to determine whether influenza vaccines can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in patients with CKD. Our cohort study enrolled 12,985 patients older than 55 years with a diagnosis of CKD in Taiwan from the National Health Insurance Research Database at any time from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2012. Patients enrolled in the study were divided into a vaccinated and an unvaccinated group. In this study, 7490 and 5495 patients were unvaccinated and vaccinated, respectively. A propensity score was utilized to reduce bias and adjust the results. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the correlation between the influenza vaccine and colorectal cancer in patients with CKD. The results showed that the influenza vaccine exerted a protective effect against colorectal cancer in populations with CKD. The incidence rate of colon cancer in the vaccinated group was significantly lower than in the unvaccinated group, with an adjusted hazard rate (HR) of 0.38 (95% CI: 0.30-0.48, p < 0.05). After the propensity score was adjusted for Charlson comorbidity index, age, sex, dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, monthly income, and level of urbanization, the dose-dependent effect was found, and it revealed adjusted HRs of 0.74 (95% CI: 0.54-1.00, p < 0.05), 0.41 (95% CI: 0.30-0.57, p < 0.001), 0.16 (95% CI: 0.11-0.25, p < 0.001) for one, two to three, and four or more vaccinations, respectively. In summary, the influenza vaccine was found to be associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer in CKD patients. This study highlights the potential chemopreventive effect of influenza vaccination among patients with CKD. Future studies are required to determine whether the aforementioned relationship is a causal one.

The Association between Statins and Liver Cancer Risk in Patients with Heart Failure: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

Heart failure (HF) and cancer have similar risk factors. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, also known as statins, are chemoprotective agents against carcinogenesis. We aimed to evaluate the chemoprotective effects of statins against liver cancer in patients with HF. This cohort study enrolled patients with HF aged ≥20 years between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2012 from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. Each patient was followed to assess liver cancer risk. A total of 25,853 patients with HF were followed for a 12-year period; 7364 patients used statins and 18,489 did not. The liver cancer risk decreased in statin users versus non-users (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 0.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.20-0.33) in the entire cohort in the multivariate regression analysis. In addition, both lipophilic and hydrophilic statins reduced the liver cancer risk in patients with HF (aHR 0.34, 95% CI: 0.26-0.44 and aHR 0.42, 95% CI: 0.28-0.54, respectively). In the sensitivity analysis, statin users in all dose-stratified subgroups had a reduced liver cancer risk regardless of age, sex, comorbidity, or other concomitant drug use. In conclusion, statins may decrease liver cancer risk in patients with HF.

Influenza vaccination is associated with lower risk of renal cell carcinoma among chronic kidney disease patients: a population-based cohort study.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients possess a higher risk for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) possibly because of related underlying inflammation and immune dysregulation. In the current population-based cohort study, we evaluate the effects of influenza vaccination on RCC among CKD patients. Methods: We analysed the vaccinated and unvaccinated CKD patients (≥55 years of age) identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database. Propensity score matching was used to reduce the selection bias. Subgroup analyses based on comorbid conditions, dialysis status and vaccinated dosages were also conducted. Results: The incidence of RCC decreased significantly in the vaccinated compared with unvaccinated group {unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.50 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.31-0.81], P < .01; adjusted HR 0.46 [95% CI 0.28-0.75], P < .01}. Such protective effects of influenza vaccination were noted significantly among those ≥75 years of age [unadjusted HR 0.29 (95% CI 0.12-0.74), P < .01; adjusted HR 0.22 (95% CI 0.08-0.58), P < .01]. A reverse association was noted between the total number of vaccinations and RCC events in both unadjusted and adjusted models. The Kaplan-Meier estimates of the RCC events showed significantly higher free survival rates in the vaccinated as compared with the unvaccinated patients (logrank P = .005). Conclusion: This population-based cohort study found a significant inverse relationship between influenza vaccination and the risk of RCC in CKD patients and the protective effects were more prominent in patients >75 years of age. A possible relation exists between the total number of vaccinations and RCC events. Future randomized clinical and basic studies will be needed to prove these findings and underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.

The Effects of Different Types of Sleep Disorder on Colorectal Cancer: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

The impact of sleep disorders (SDs), particularly sleep apnea (SA), on the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been the subject of significant research. However, the potential contribution of other SDs to the incidence of CRC remains unexplored. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of SDs on the risk of developing CRC. This study assessed CRC risk among individuals diagnosed with SDs compared with age- and sex-matched unaffected individuals. A longitudinal, nationwide, population-based cohort study was conducted using data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) encompassing 177,707 individuals diagnosed with SDs and 177,707 matched controls. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to determine the relative increased risk of CRC in individuals with SDs and specific subgroups of SDs. The CRC incidences were 1.32-fold higher (95% CI 1.23-1.42) in the overall SD cohort, 1.17-fold higher (95% CI 0.82-1.68) in the SA cohort, 1.42-fold higher (95% CI 1.31-1.55) in the insomnia cohort, 1.27-fold higher (95% CI 1.17-1.38) in the sleep disturbance cohort, and 1.00-fold higher (95% CI 0.77-1.29) in the other SD cohort, after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities.

Influenza Vaccination and Risk of Stroke in Women With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Nationwide, Population-Based, Propensity-Matched Cohort Study.

Backgrounds: The risk of stroke is higher among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than among the healthy population. Moreover, women generally have worse long-term stroke outcomes than men. Methods: The data of 6681 women with COPD (aged ≥ 65 years) registered in Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database were retrospectively analyzed from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2011. After 1:1 propensity score matching, the patients were divided into vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Results: In total, 5102 women were enrolled. The vaccinated group had a significantly lower risk of total, hemorrhagic, and ischemic stroke than the unvaccinated group (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.54-0.67; aHR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.43-0.83; and aHR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.52-0.68, respectively). A lower risk of stroke was observed among the women aged 65-74 and ≥75 years, and the association was dose-dependent in all types of stroke (aHR: 1.08, 95% CI: 0.92-1.26; aHR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.60-0.82; and aHR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.26-0.38 for those vaccinated 1, 2 to 3, and ≥4 times, respectively, during the follow-up period). Women with a CHA2DS2-VASc score (conditions and characteristics included congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, vascular disease, age, and sex) of 2-3 and ≥4 had a significantly lower risk of ischemic stroke while receiving more vaccinations. A smaller significant lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke after more than 4 times of vaccination was noted in the women with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of ≥4. Both interrupted and non-interrupted vaccination was associated with lower risk of stroke occurrence. Conclusion: Influenza vaccination is associated with a lower risk of total, hemorrhagic, and ischemic stroke among women with COPD, and the association is dose-dependent. However, the findings may be limited by unmeasurable confounders. Further investigations on this subject are warranted.

Association between sleep disorder and atrial fibrillation: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Sleep disorder (SD), especially sleep apnea, and its effect on atrial fibrillation (AF) are gathering attention. However, other SDs may also play an essential role in AF. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of other SDs on the risk of atrial fibrillation development. METHODS: This study investigated the risk of AF in people diagnosed with SD compared with that in age and sex-matched unaffected individuals. This longitudinal, nationwide, population-based cohort study was conducted using data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of individuals diagnosed with SD from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2012. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 193,288 people with the SD, which include of 4406 people with sleep apnea, 73,704 people with insomnia, 107,395 people with sleep disturbance, 7,783 people with other SD, and 193,288 matched controls. A Cox proportional hazard regression was used to compute the risk of AF in people with SD and subgroup of SD, relative to that in people without SD. The AF incidences were 1.21-fold higher (95% CI 1.15-1.27) in the SD cohort, 1.19-fold higher (95% CI 0.91-1.56) in the sleep apnea cohort, 1.26-fold higher (95% CI 1.19-1.34) in the insomnia cohort, 1.15-fold higher (95% CI 1.08-1.22) in the sleep disturbance cohort, and 1.30-fold higher (95% CI 1.11-1.53) in other SDs, than in the control cohort, after age, sex, and comorbidities were adjusted. CONCLUSIONS: This nationwide population-based cohort study indicates a strong relationship between SD and incident AF, and insomnia has a higher impact on AF compared with other SD.

Influenza Vaccination and Risk of Lung Cancer in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Nationwide, Population-Based Cohort Study.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is significantly associated with lung cancer incidence. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether influenza vaccination reduces the incidence of lung cancer in patients with CKD. This cohort study enrolled patients with a record of CKD diagnosis from 2000 to 2012 in Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Included patients were divided into vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. In total 12,985 patients with CKD were enrolled. Among these patients, 5495 were vaccinated and 7490 were unvaccinated. The risk of lung cancer was significantly lower in the influenza vaccination group after adjusting for age, sex, dialysis status, lung diseases, comorbidities, level of urbanization, and monthly income (adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI; 0.38−0.65), p < 0.05). Lower risk of lung cancer was observed in both sexes, all age groups, dialysis status and co-existed lung diseases. The association between the risk of lung cancer and vaccination appeared to be dose-dependent (adjusted HRs: 0.91 (0.66−1.25), 0.49 (0.34−0.71), and 0.25 (0.17−0.38) for patients who received 1, 2 or 3, and ≥4 vaccinations during the follow-up period, respectively). In conclusion, Influenza vaccination decreased the risk of lung cancer in patients diagnosed with CKD. This potentially protective effect against lung cancer appeared to be dose dependent.

Influenza vaccination and risk of atrial fibrillation in patients with gout: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Objective: Although influenza vaccination reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), its protective effect in patients with gout remains unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of influenza vaccination in patients with gout. Methods: A total of 26,243 patients with gout, aged 55 and older, were enrolled from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) between 1 January 2001, and 31 December 2012. The patients were divided into vaccinated (n = 13,201) and unvaccinated groups (n = 13,042). After adjusting comorbidities, medications, sociodemographic characteristics, the risk of AF during follow-up period was analyzed. Results: In influenza, non-influenza seasons and all seasons, the risk of AF was significantly lower in vaccinated than in unvaccinated patients (Adjust hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.50-0.68; aHR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.42-0.63; aHR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.49-0.62, respectively). In addition, the risk of AF significantly decreased with increased influenza vaccination (aHR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.69-1.04; aHR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.60-0.87; aHR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.33-0.49, after first, 2-3 times, and ≥4 times of vaccination, respectively). Furthermore, sensitivity analysis indicated that the risk of AF significantly decreased after influenza vaccination for patients with different sexes, medication histories, and comorbidities. Conclusions: Influenza vaccination is associated with a lower risk of AF in patients with gout. This potentially protective effect seems to depend on the dose administered.

Association between Stroke Risk and Influenza Vaccination in Patients with Gout: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

The risk of stroke in patients with gout is high. The effect of vaccines in lowering the stroke risk in patients with gout remains unclear. We retrospectively analyzed 23,949 patients with gout (age ≥ 55 years) from the National Health Insurance Research Database over a 12-year period. The patients were divided into vaccinated (n = 11,649) and unvaccinated groups (n = 12,300). Overall, the vaccinated group had significantly lower risks of all stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, and ischemic stroke than the unvaccinated group (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.59 and 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55-0.63; aHR, 0.60 and 95% CI, 0.49-0.73; and aHR, 0.60 and 95% CI, 0.55-0.65, respectively). The association appeared to be dose-dependent for both hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke (hemorrhagic stroke: aHR, 0.81 and 95% CI, 0.61-1.08; aHR, 0.80 and 95% CI, 0.62-1.02; and aHR, 0.37 and 95% CI, 0.28-0.48; ischemic stroke: aHR, 0.83 and 95% CI, 0.74-0.94; aHR, 0.73 and 95% CI, 0.65-0.81; and aHR, 0.42 and 95% CI, 0.38-0.47 for patients vaccinated 1, 2 or 3, and ≥4 times, respectively, during the follow-up period). Patients with a history of atrial fibrillation did not have a lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke even after receiving four vaccinations (aHR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.25-1.38). Influenza vaccination was associated with a lower risk of all stroke in people with gout, and the association appeared to be dose-dependent.

Machine Learning Analyses Revealed Distinct Arterial Pulse Variability According to Side Effects of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (BNT162b2).

Various adverse events and complications have been attributed to COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) vaccinations, which can affect the cardiovascular system, with conditions such as myocarditis, thrombosis, and ischemia. The aim of this study was to combine noninvasive pulse measurements and frequency domain analysis to determine if the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2) vaccination and its accompanying cardiovascular side effects will induce changes in arterial pulse transmission and waveform. Radial blood pressure waveform and photoplethysmography signals were measured noninvasively for 1 min in 112 subjects who visited Shuang-Ho Hospital for a BNT162b2 vaccination. Based on side effects, each subject was assigned to Group N (no side effects), Group CV (cardiac or vascular side effects), Group C (cardiac side effects only), or Group V (vascular side effects only). Two classification methods were used: (1) machine-learning (ML) analysis using 40 harmonic pulse indices (amplitude proportions, phase angles, and their variability indices) as features, and (2) a pulse-variability score analysis developed in the present study. Significant effects on the pulse harmonic indices were noted in Group V following vaccination. ML and pulse-variability score analyses provided acceptable AUCs (0.67 and 0.80, respectively) and hence can aid discriminations among subjects with cardiovascular side effects. When excluding ambiguous data points, the AUC of the score analysis further improved to 0.94 (with an adopted proportion of around 64.1%) for vascular side effects. The present findings may help to facilitate a time-saving and easy-to-use method for detecting changes in the vascular properties associated with the cardiovascular side effects following BNT162b2 vaccination.

Influenza Vaccination Reduces the Risk of Liver Cancer in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

Previous studies have indicated that influenza vaccination reduces the development of lung cancer. However, the protective effects of influenza vaccination on primary liver cancer in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are unclear. This cohort study identified 12,985 patients aged at least 55 years who had received a diagnosis of CKD between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2012 from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. The patients were classified according to vaccination status. Propensity score matching was used to reduce selection bias. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between influenza vaccination and primary liver cancer in patients with CKD. The prevalence of primary liver cancer was lower in patients with CKD who had received an influenza vaccine (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.35−0.58, p < 0.001). The protective effects were observed regardless of sex, age, and comorbidities. Moreover, dose-dependent protective effects were observed. In the subgroup analysis, where the patients were classified by the number of vaccinations received, the adjusted hazard ratios for 1, 2−3, and ≥4 vaccinations were 0.86 (95% CI: 0.63−1.17), 0.45 (95% CI: 0.31−0.63), and 0.21 (95% CI: 0.14−0.33), respectively. In conclusion, influenza vaccination was associated with a lower incidence of liver cancer in patients with CKD.

Association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ventricular arrhythmia: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

The ventricular arrhythmia (VA)-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) association and related risk factors remain unclear. Using 2001-2012 data from National Health Insurance Research Database, we retrospectively reviewed 71,838 patients diagnosed as having COPD and 71,838 age- and sex-matched controls. After adjustments for comorbidities, medication, urbanization level, and monthly income, patients with COPD had higher incidence rates of VA than did the controls (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 1.45 [1.25-1.68]). More hospitalization or emergency visits because of acute COPD exacerbation (aHRs [95% CIs] for first, second, and third visits: 1.28 [1.08-1.50], 1.75 [1.32-2.32], and 1.88 [1.46-2.41], respectively) and asthma-COPD overlap (aHR [95% CI]: 1.49 [1.25-1.79]) were associated with high VA risk in patients with COPD. In the multivariate analysis, heart failure (aHR [95% CI]: 2.37 [1.79-3.14]), diabetes (aHR [95% CI]:1.64 [1.29-2.08]), age ≥75 (aHR [95% CI]: 2.48 [1.68-3.67]), male (aHR [95% CI]: 1.69[1.34-2.12]), and class III antiarrhythmic drug use (aHR [95% CI]: 2.49 [1.88-3.28]) are the most significant risk factors of new onset of VA in patients with COPD.

Role of Annual Influenza Vaccination against Lung Cancer in Type 2 Diabetic Patients from a Population-Based Cohort Study.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients are at a higher risk for developing lung cancer due to immune dysfunction and chronic inflammation. They also have increased morbidity and mortality related to influenza, and it is recommended that they receive an annual influenza vaccination. In this study, we evaluate whether influenza vaccination could reduce the incidence of lung cancer in DM patients. This cohort study included DM patients (≥55 years old) between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2012 by using the Taiwan Health Insurance Database. Cox proportional hazard regression method was used to compare the relation between the influenza vaccination and lung cancer incidence after adjusting for potential confounders. Sub-group analyses were done according to vaccination status (unvaccinated, total number of vaccinations: 1, 2-3, ≥4) and evaluated the dose-dependent effects on lung cancer events. Among 22,252 eligible DM patients, 7860 (35.32%) received an influenza vaccination and 67.68% (14392) did not receive an influenza vaccination. Lung cancer incidence was significantly lower in the vaccinated group versus the unvaccinated group (adjusted HR 0.77; 95% CI 0.62-0.95, p < 0.05). Significant protective effects were observed among male sex (adjusted HR 0.72; 95% CI 0.55-0.94, p < 0.05) and 55-64 year (adjusted HR 0.61; 95% CI 0.40-0.94, p < 0.05) and ≥75 year (adjusted HR 0.63; 95% CI 0.42-0.92, p < 0.05) age groups, respectively. A dose-dependent protective effect was noted with a significant protective effect in those that received ≥4 vaccinations (adjusted HR 0.42; 95% CI 0.29-0.61, p < 0.001). In sub-group analysis, elder patients with ≥65 years of age were significantly protected from ≥4 vaccinations (adjusted HR 0.37; 95% CI 0.23-0.62, p < 0.001 in 65-74 years and adjusted HR 0.31; 95% CI 0.15-0.66, p = 0.002 in ≥75 years group, respectively). Male sex with ≥4 vaccinations had a significantly lower risk of lung cancer (adjusted HR 0.35; 95% CI 0.21-0.57, p < 0.001). Patients with comorbid conditions that received ≥4 vaccinations were also protected, and was especially significant among those with CCI ≥ 3 (adjusted HR 0.38; 95% CI 0.18-0.80, p = 0.009) as compared to 1 and 2-3 vaccination groups, including those with hypertension (adjusted HR 0.35; 95% CI 0.22-0.57, p < 0.001). This population-based cohort study demonstrated that annual influenza vaccination significantly reduced the lung cancer risk in DM patients and specifically demonstrates that a higher number of vaccinations is related with a more protective effect. Whether this is due to vaccine booster effects on anti-tumor immune regulation among DM patients still needs to be explored.

Influenza Vaccination and the Risk of Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study.

Backgrounds: Influenza vaccination could decrease the risk of major cardiac events in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the effects of the vaccine on decreasing the risk of ventricular arrhythmia (VA) development in such patients remain unclear. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 18,658 patients with COPD (≥55 years old) from the National Health Insurance Research Database from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2012. After a 1:1 propensity score matching by the year of diagnosis, we divided the patients into vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Time-varying Cox proportional hazards regression was applied to assess the time to event hazards of influenza vaccination exposure. Results: The risk of VA occurrence was significantly lower in the vaccinated group during influenza season and all seasons [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 0.62, 95% CI: 0.41-0.95; aHR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.44-1.08; and aHR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.48-0.89, in the influenza season, non-influenza season, and all seasons, respectively]. Among patients with CHA2DS2-VASc scores (conditions and characteristics included congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, vascular disease, age, and sex) of 2-3, receiving one time and two to three times of influenza vaccination were associated with lower risk of VA occurrence in all seasons (aHR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.10-0.80; aHR: 0.27, 95% CI: 0.10-0.68, respectively). Among patients without stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and diabetes, a lower risk of VA occurrence after receiving one and two to three times vaccination was observed in all seasons. Among patients with a history of asthma and patients without a history of heart failure, ischemic heart disease, angina hypertension, or renal failure, a significantly lower risk of VA occurrence was observed after the first time of vaccination in all seasons. Conclusions: Influenza vaccination may be associated with lower risks of VA among patients with COPD aged 55-74. Further investigation is still needed to resolve this clinical question.

Prevalence and risk factors for myopia in Taiwanese diabetes mellitus patients: a multicenter case-control study in Taiwan.

This population-based retrospective cohort study investigated the prevalence of myopia among patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and evaluate risk factors for myopia in these groups. Records from 2000 to 2012 with at least one year of follow-up from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database were included. This study included 35,538 patients with DM and 71,076 patients without DM. Patients with DM had a significantly higher adjusted hazard ratio for myopia in all age groups and both sexes compared with patients without DM. The subgroup analysis results revealed that the rates of myopia and astigmatism were significantly higher among patients with DM compared with patients without DM aged < 60 years. However, the rates of high myopia or myopia progression to high myopia did not differ significantly between the two groups. These findings indicate that DM is a critical risk factor for myopia and astigmatism among patients aged < 60 years. Therefore, active surveillance and earlier treatment of myopia are critical for patients with DM.