A study on the impact of marital status on the survival status of prostate cancer patients based on propensity score matching.

Marital status is an independent prognostic factor for survival in many types of cancers, but its prognostic impact on patients with prostate cancer (PCa) has not been established. The aim of this study was to explore the independent prognostic factors of PCa and to investigate the effect of marital status on survival outcomes in patients with different stratified by PCa. Using the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) database, we collected data on 584,655 PCa patients diagnosed between 1975 and 2019. Marital status was classified as married, divorced, widowed, and single. We used the Kaplan-Meier analysis and single multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to determine the effect of marital status on overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). In addition, we performed subgroup analyses for different ages, Gleason score and PSA values, and performed a 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) to reduce the impact of confounding factors to obtain more accurate matching results. According to our findings, marital status was an independent prognostic factor for the survival of PCa patients and a better prognosis of married patients. Moreover, we also found that factors such as age, TNM stage, Gleason score, and PSA concentration were also considered as important predictors for the prognosis of PCa. The above findings can facilitate early detection and treatment of high-risk PCa patients, prolong their life and reduce family burden.

Characterization and trajectories of hematological parameters prior to severe COVID-19 based on a large-scale prospective health checkup cohort in western China: a longitudinal study of 13-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The relaxation of the "zero-COVID" policy on Dec. 7, 2022, in China posed a major public health threat recently. Complete blood count test was discovered to have complicated relationships with COVID-19 after the infection, while very few studies could track long-term monitoring of the health status and identify the characterization of hematological parameters prior to COVID-19. METHODS: Based on a 13-year longitudinal prospective health checkup cohort of ~ 480,000 participants in West China Hospital, the largest medical center in western China, we documented 998 participants with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 during the 1 month after the policy. We performed a time-to-event analysis to explore the associations of severe COVID-19 patients diagnosed, with 34 different hematological parameters at the baseline level prior to COVID-19, including the whole and the subtypes of white and red blood cells. RESULTS: A total of 998 participants with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test were documented in the cohort, 42 of which were severe cases. For white blood cell-related parameters, a higher level of basophil percentage (HR = 6.164, 95% CI = 2.066-18.393, P = 0.001) and monocyte percentage (HR = 1.283, 95% CI = 1.046-1.573, P = 0.017) were found associated with the severe COVID-19. For lymphocyte-related parameters, a lower level of lymphocyte count (HR = 0.571, 95% CI = 0.341-0.955, P = 0.033), and a higher CD4/CD8 ratio (HR = 2.473, 95% CI = 1.009-6.059, P = 0.048) were found related to the risk of severe COVID-19. We also observed that abnormality of red cell distribution width (RDW), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and hemoglobin might also be involved in the development of severe COVID-19. The different trajectory patterns of RDW-SD and white blood cell count, including lymphocyte and neutrophil, prior to the infection were also discovered to have significant associations with the risk of severe COVID-19 (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings might help decision-makers and clinicians to classify different risk groups of population due to outbreaks including COVID-19. They could not only optimize the allocation of medical resources, but also help them be more proactive instead of reactive to long COVID-19 or even other outbreaks in the future.

Association between dietary patterns and premenstrual disorders: a cross-sectional analysis of 1382 college students in China.

Premenstrual disorders (PMDs) are common among young women and have been linked to metabolic dysfunction. Limited evidence exists regarding the associations between dietary patterns and PMDs. This cross-sectional study involved young female adults recruited from the Care of Premenstrual Emotion (COPE) cohort study in China to examine the relationship between dietary patterns and PMDs in young adulthood. PMDs were assessed using the Calendar of Premenstrual Experiences, and the consumption frequency of 12 common food groups was evaluated using a Food Frequency Questionnaire. We used principal component analysis to identify the dietary patterns and employed logistic regression to investigate the association between dietary pattern adherence and PMDs. The study included 1382 participants, of whom 337 (24.4%) reported having PMDs. Three dietary patterns were identified and named based on regional food preferences: the Traditional North China Diet (TNCD), the Traditional South China Diet (TSCD), and the Lacto-ovo Vegetarian Diet (LVD). The TSCD, characterized by high consumption of rice, red meat, and poultry, showed a significant inverse association with PMDs. This pattern held good for both premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. These findings suggest that targeted dietary modifications could serve as a localized strategy for PMDs prevention.

Assessing the application of barbed sutures in comparison to conventional sutures for surgical applications: a global systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical animal studies.

BACKGROUND: Following an initiative published by Lancet in 2002 and an IDEAL-D framework, the value of preclinical animal studies has garnered increasing attention in recent research. Numerous preclinical animal experiments tried to generate evidence to guide the development of barbed sutures. However, discernible drawbacks and incongruities in outcomes have emerged between clinical and preclinical animal studies. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to review the preclinical animal experiments comparing barbed sutures with conventional sutures. We hope to facilitate clinical translation of barbed sutures by evaluating effectiveness, safety, and physical properties/reliability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov was conducted to identify controlled preclinical animal experiments comparing barbed sutures with conventional sutures. The risk of bias was assessed using SYRCLE. GRADE approach was used to evaluate evidence quality. Revman was applied to analyze all the data. Subgroup, sensitivity, and meta-regression analyses were also performed. RESULTS: A total of 55 articles were eligible with low to moderate quality, including 1937 samples from 10 different animal species across 25 surgical procedures. Barbed suture exhibited a significant reduction in suture time, limited change in Cross-Sectional Area (CSA), and decreased instances of tissue disruption (all P ＜0.05). Subgroup analyses, considering both clinical and research significance, indicated that barbed sutures might cause more specific adverse events and demonstrate suboptimal performance of physical properties/reliability. Meta-regression suggested that heterogeneity resulted from variations in studies and animal models. CONCLUSION: Although barbed suture demonstrated superiority in numerous surgeries for time efficiency, its safety and physical properties/reliability might be influenced by diverse preclinical models, sutures' brand, surgeries, and anatomical sites. Further evaluation, based on standardized and well-designed animal experiments, is essential for medical device development and applications in human beings.

The application value of LAVA-flex sequences in enhanced MRI scans of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: comparison with T1WI-IDEAL.

Introduction: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) staging scans are critical for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). We aimed to evaluate the application value of LAVA-Flex and T1WI-IDEAL sequences in MRI staging scans. Methods: Eighty-four newly diagnosed NPC patients underwent both LAVA-Flex and T1WI-IDEAL sequences during MRI examinations. Two radiologists independently scored the acquisitions of image quality, fat suppression quality, artifacts, vascular and nerve display. The obtained scores were compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. According to the signal intensity (SI) measurements, the uniformity of fat suppression, contrast between tumor lesions and subcutaneous fat tissue, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were compared by the paired t-test. Results: Compared to the T1WI-IDEAL sequence, LAVA-Flex exhibited fewer artifacts (P<0.05), better visualization of nerves and vessels (P<0.05), and performed superior in the fat contrast ratio of the primary lesion and metastatic lymph nodes (0.80 vs. 0.52, 0.81 vs. 0.56, separately, P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in overall image quality, tumor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), muscle SNR, and the detection rate of lesions between the two sequences (P>0.05). T1WI-IDEAL was superior to LAVA-Flex in the evaluation of fat suppression uniformity (P<0.05). Discussion: LAVA-Flex sequence provides satisfactory image quality and better visualization of nerves and vessels for NPC with shorter scanning times.

Evolution of high-molecular-mass hyaluronic acid is associated with subterranean lifestyle.

Hyaluronic acid is a major component of extracellular matrix which plays an important role in development, cellular response to injury and inflammation, cell migration, and cancer. The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) contains abundant high-molecular-mass hyaluronic acid in its tissues, which contributes to this species' cancer resistance and possibly to its longevity. Here we report that abundant high-molecular-mass hyaluronic acid is found in a wide range of subterranean mammalian species, but not in phylogenetically related aboveground species. These subterranean mammalian species accumulate abundant high-molecular-mass hyaluronic acid by regulating the expression of genes involved in hyaluronic acid degradation and synthesis and contain unique mutations in these genes. The abundant high-molecular-mass hyaluronic acid may benefit the adaptation to subterranean environment by increasing skin elasticity and protecting from oxidative stress due to hypoxic conditions. Our work suggests that high-molecular-mass hyaluronic acid has evolved with subterranean lifestyle.

Patients with periodontitis might increase the risk of urologic cancers: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Numerous observational epidemiological studies have reported a bidirectional relationship between periodontitis and urological cancers. However, the causal link between these two phenotypes remains uncertain. This study aimed to examine the bidirectional causal association between periodontitis and four types of urological tumors, specifically kidney cancer (KC), prostate cancer (PC), bladder cancer (BC), and testis cancer (TC). METHODS: Based on large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) data, we utilized the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to evaluate causal relationships between periodontitis and urological cancers. Several MR methods covering various consistency assumptions were applied in this study, including contamination mixture and Robust Adjusted Profile Score to obtain robust results. Summary-level data of individuals with European ancestry were extracted from the UK Biobank, the Kaiser GERA cohorts, and the FinnGen consortium. RESULTS: Our findings revealed significant positive genetic correlations between periodontitis and kidney cancer (OR 1.287; 95% CI 1.04, 1.594; P = 0.020). We did not find a significant association of periodontitis on prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and testis cancer. In reverse MR, no significant results were observed supporting the effect of urologic cancers on periodontitis (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study provides the evidence of a potential causal relationship between periodontitis and kidney cancer. However, large-scale studies are warranted to confirm and elucidate the underlying mechanisms of this association.

Effectiveness and safety of knotless barbed sutures in cosmetic surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The barbed suture, which can eliminate knot tying and accelerate the placement of sutures, is an innovative type of suture, whereas the benefits of cosmetic surgeries (CS) are controversial. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness and safety of barbed sutures in CS. METHOD: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for English studies comparing the use of barbed with conventional sutures in CS up to October 2020. The updated Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (ROB2.0) and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) were utilized to evaluate the risk of bias. Subgroup analysis was performed according to study designs and barbed suture types. RESULTS: A total of 14 studies, including 5 randomized controlled trials and 9 cohort studies, were included (risk of bias: moderate to low), representing 2259 patients. The barbed suture was identified to reduce suture time (mean difference [MD]=-6.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -8.75 to -3.60, P < 0.00001) and operative time (MD=-10.80, 95% CI: -20.83 to -0.76, P = 0.03) without increasing the hospital stays and total postoperative complications (most were Clavien I and IIIa). No significant difference was detected for incisional infection, delayed wound healing, and hematoma; however, increasing incidence of wound dehiscence (odds ratio [OR]=1.60, 95% CI: 1.09-2.34, P = 0.02) and suture extrusion (OR=3.97, 95%CI: 1.96-8.04, P = 0.0001) were found, particularly in the unidirectional barbed suture subgroup. Barbed sutures might also help CS advance and reduce seroma formation. CONCLUSION: The barbed suture was effective in CS; however, its safety needs to be cautiously interpreted as it might be related to more wound dehiscence and suture extrusion despite similar total postoperative complications with conventional sutures. This study might provide important references for decision-makers and clinicians, though further evidence of randomized design, larger sample size, longer follow-up, and standardized rating approaches are warranted.

Activation of AHR by ITE improves cardiac remodelling and function in rats after myocardial infarction.

AIMS: Left ventricular remodelling subsequent to myocardial infarction (MI) constitutes a pivotal underlying cause of heart failure. Intervention with the nontoxic endogenous aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) agonist 2-(1'H-indole-3'-carbonyl)-thiazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (ITE) in the acute phase of MI has been shown to ameliorate cardiac function, but its role in the chronic phase remains obscured. This study explores the beneficial role of ITE in delaying the progression of heart failure in the chronic phase of MI. METHODS AND RESULTS: MI rats established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery were treated with the indicated concentration of the AHR agonist ITE or vehicle alone. Echocardiography was performed to determine cardiac structure and function; myocardial morphology and fibrosis were observed by haematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome staining; serum biochemical indices, BNP, and inflammatory cytokine levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; F4/80+ iNOS+ M1 macrophages and F4/80+ CD206+ M2 macrophages were detected by immunofluorescence; the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling assay was used to detect the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes; ultrastructural changes in myocardial tissue were observed by transmission electron microscopy; and Cyp1a1, Akt, P-Akt, p70S6K, P-p70S6K, Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3, and cleaved caspase-3 protein levels were determined via Western blotting. We found that therapy with the AHR agonist ITE rescued cardiac remodelling and dysfunction in rats with MI and attenuated myocardial fibrosis, inflammation, and mitochondrial damage. Further studies confirmed that ITE dose-dependently improved myocardial cell apoptosis after MI, as demonstrated by reduced levels of the apoptosis-related proteins cleaved caspase-3 and Bax but increased expression levels of Bcl-2. These effects were attributed to ITE-induced activation of AHR receptors, leading to the down-regulation of Akt and p70S6K phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS: The AHR agonist ITE alleviates cardiomyocyte apoptosis through the Akt/p70S6K signalling pathway, thereby rescuing left ventricular adverse remodelling and cardiac dysfunction after MI.

Metatranscriptomic analysis revealed Prevotella as a potential biomarker of oropharyngeal microbiomes in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background and objectives: Disease severity and prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease with other viral infections can be affected by the oropharyngeal microbiome. However, limited research had been carried out to uncover how these diseases are differentially affected by the oropharyngeal microbiome of the patient. Here, we aimed to explore the characteristics of the oropharyngeal microbiota of COVID-19 patients and compare them with those of patients with similar symptoms. Methods: COVID-19 was diagnosed in patients through the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Characterization of the oropharyngeal microbiome was performed by metatranscriptomic sequencing analyses of oropharyngeal swab specimens from 144 COVID-19 patients, 100 patients infected with other viruses, and 40 healthy volunteers. Results: The oropharyngeal microbiome diversity in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection was different from that of patients with other infections. Prevotella and Aspergillus could play a role in the differentiation between patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and patients with other infections. Prevotella could also influence the prognosis of COVID-19 through a mechanism that potentially involved the sphingolipid metabolism regulation pathway. Conclusion: The oropharyngeal microbiome characterization was different between SARS-CoV-2 infection and infections caused by other viruses. Prevotella could act as a biomarker for COVID-19 diagnosis and of host immune response evaluation in SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, the cross-talk among Prevotella, SARS-CoV-2, and sphingolipid metabolism pathways could provide a basis for the precise diagnosis, prevention, control, and treatment of COVID-19.

Evolution of High-Molecular-Mass Hyaluronic Acid is Associated with Subterranean Lifestyle.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a major component of extracellular matrix (ECM) which plays an important role in development, cellular response to injury and inflammation, cell migration, and cancer. The naked mole-rat (NMR, Heterocephalus glaber ) contains abundant high-molecular-mass HA (HMM-HA) in its tissues, which contributes to this species' cancer resistance and possibly longevity. Here we report that abundant HMM-HA is found in a wide range of subterranean mammalian species, but not in phylogenetically related aboveground species. These species accumulate abundant HMM-HA by regulating the expression of genes involved in HA degradation and synthesis and contain unique mutations in these genes. The abundant high molecular weight HA may benefit the adaptation to subterranean environment by increasing skin elasticity and protecting from oxidative stress due to hypoxic subterranean environment. HMM-HA may also be coopted to confer cancer resistance and longevity to subterranean mammals. Our work suggests that HMM-HA has evolved with subterranean lifestyle.

Indicators of Self-Determination in Therapeutic Songwriting Lyrics Created by Adults with High LDL Cholesterol.

Individuals with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥190 mg/dL are at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events. Our goal was to determine if adults with this condition would express important psychological, health, and motivation themes when generating lyrics during music therapy. Thirty-one participants each created their own original song with the help of a music therapist. The lyrics were analyzed using a deductive approach guided by Self-Determination Theory (specifically the satisfaction or frustration of basic psychological needs): (1) for each entire song (macro-analysis) and (2) line-by-line (micro-analysis). Song lyrics generated during music therapy sessions by patients with a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥190 mg/dL revealed the presence of the three basic needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) of Self-Determination Theory. The most prevalent theme identified in the macro-analysis of songs was autonomy satisfaction, coded in 25 songs (27.17% of all macro codes), and followed by competence satisfaction in 17 songs (18.48%) and relatedness satisfaction in 15 songs (16.3%). Line-by-line micro-analysis of lyrics revealed that at least one basic need of Self-Determination Theory was present in 277 of the unique lyric lines (50%); 107 (19%) for relatedness, 101 (18%) for autonomy, and 69 (13%) for competence. Need satisfaction occurred more frequently than need frustration in both analyses. However, depending on the level of analysis (macro or micro), results differed as to which themes were most prevalent. These results indicate that therapeutic songwriting may be a unique way to identify the basic psychological needs that, when satisfied, indicate self-determination.

Early discontinuation and results reporting of robot-assisted surgery studies registered on ClinicalTrials.gov: a research on research study.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to investigate the characteristics of robot-assisted surgery studies registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and identify factors associated with early trial discontinuation and timely results reporting. DESIGN: We searched ClinicalTrials.gov to identify interventional studies on robot-assisted surgery on 24 May 2021. All structured information of the potential studies was downloaded and reviewed. A descriptive analysis was performed. Logistic and Cox regression analyses were respectively performed to determine the significance of the association of study characteristics with results reporting and early discontinuation. RESULTS: A total of 529 interventional studies on robot-assisted surgery were included, with 45 studies reporting results and 54 studies being stopped early. Of the 289 due studies, only 45 (16%) had submitted their results, and only 6 (2%) had submitted their results within the 1-year deadline. Funding source was associated with results reporting: academic funded were 63% less likely than industry to report results (OR=0.37, 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.83, p=0.02). Studies related to device feasibility were associated with greater risk of early discontinuation compared to treatment-related studies (HR=2.30, 95% CI: 1.08 to 4.89, p=0.03). Surprisingly, National Institutes of Health-funded studies were at greater hazard of discontinuation compared to industry-funded studies (HR=3.30, 95% CI: 1.09 to 10.00, p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: There was poor compliance with results reporting requirements for robot-assisted surgical studies. It is important that investigators remain informed about the regulatory requirements, and should be helped to develop a sense of responsibility for reporting results. Also, they need to ensure the careful design of the study protocol and adequate resources to reduce the risk of early discontinuation.

Impairment of kidney function and kidney cancer: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Many observational epidemiology studies discovered that kidney cancer and impaired kidney function have a bidirectional relationship. However, it remains unclear whether these two kinds of traits are causally linked. In this study, we aimed to investigate the bidirectional causal relation between kidney cancer and kidney function biomarkers (creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFRcrea), cystatin C-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFRcys), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum urate, and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR)). METHODS: For both directions, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), as genetic instruments, for the five kidney function traits were selected from up to 1,004,040 individuals, and SNPs for kidney cancer were from 408,786 participants(1338 cases). In the main analysis, we applied two state-of-the-art MR methods, namely, contamination mixture and Robust Adjusted Profile Score to downweight the effect of weak instrument bias, pleiotropy, and extreme outliers. We additionally conducted traditional MR analyses as sensitivity analyses. Summary-level data of European ancestry were extracted from UK Biobank, Chronic Kidney Disease Genetics Consortium, and Kaiser Permanente. RESULTS: Based on 99 SNPs, we found that the eGFRcrea had a significant negative causal effect on the risk of kidney cancer (OR = 0.007, 95% CI:2.6 × 10-4 -0.569, p = 0.041). After adjusting for body composition or diabetes, urate had a significant negative causal effect on kidney cancer (OR <1, p < 0.05). For UACR, it showed a strong causal effect on kidney cancer, after adjusting for body composition (OR = 14.503, 95% CI: 2.546-96.001, p = 0.032). Due to lacking significant signals and effect power for the reverse MR, further investigations are warranted. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested a potential causal effect of damaged kidney function on kidney cancer. EGFRcrea and UACR might be causally associated with kidney cancer, especially when patients were comorbid with obesity or diabetes. We called for larger sample-size studies to further unravel the underlying causal relationship and the exact mechanism.

Learning from undercoded clinical records for automated International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding.

OBJECTIVES: To develop an unbiased objective for learning automatic coding algorithms from clinical records annotated with only partial relevant International Classification of Diseases codes, as annotation noise in undercoded clinical records used as training data can mislead the learning process of deep neural networks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We use Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III as our dataset. We employ positive-unlabeled learning to achieve unbiased loss estimation, which is free of misleading training signal. We then utilize reweighting mechanism to compensate for the imbalance between positive and negative samples. To further close the performance gap caused by poor quality annotation, we integrate the supervision provided by the automatic annotation tool Medical Concept Annotation Toolkit which can ease the heavy burden of manual validation. RESULTS: Our benchmarking results show that positive-unlabeled learning with reweighting outperforms competitive baseline methods over a range of missing label ratios. Integrating supervision provided by annotation tool further boosted the performance. DISCUSSION: Considering the annotation noise and severe imbalance, unbiased loss estimation and reweighting mechanism are both important for learning from undercoded clinical records. Unbiased loss requires the estimation of false negative ratios and estimation through trained models is practical and competitive. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of positive-unlabeled learning with reweighting and supervision provided by the annotation tool is a promising solution to learn from undercoded clinical records.

The Underappreciated Placebo Effects and Responses in Randomized Controlled Trials on Neck Pain: A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify placebo effects and responses in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on neck pain and explore how they would influence the treatment of neck pain. DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform from the inception of August 15, 2021, to identify relevant RCTs. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: The abstracts and full texts of potential studies were independently screened, and data extraction was also independently performed by 2 researchers. Scales of the score measuring neck pain and the scores both at baseline and the endpoint were extracted. DATA SYNTHESIS: A total of 60 RCTs were included. The mean improvement in the pain score after placebo treatment was 15.65 (mean difference [MD]=-15.65, 95% confidence interval; CI [-19.19, -12.12]; P<.05), which we defined as the placebo response. In the active groups, it was 25.91 (MD=-25.91, 95% CI [-29.15, -22.68]; P<.05), and in the no-treatment groups, it was 5.80 (MD=-5.80, 95% CI [13.28, 1.69]; P=.13). Using the 3 MDs from the 3 groups, the placebo effect was calculated to account for 38.0% of the pain score improvement in the active group. CONCLUSIONS: The pain scores of patients with neck pain were reduced after treatment with placebos, but the magnitude of pain score reduction was not clinically significant enough. The 38.0% amount of pain score reduction in patients treated with active interventions was caused by placebo. Interventions with considerable clinically significance for neck pain were still required.

DNA Methylation Architecture Provides Insight into the Pathogenesis of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: Numerous studies suggested methylation modifications play an important role in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), but few have depicted DNA methylation architecture on the pathological process of UTUC. We aimed to better understand the pathogenesis of UTUC and provide precision medicine references when managing UTUC patients. METHODS: PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Scopus were searched for UTUC until December 31, 2020. Methodological quality assessment was conducted according to NIH recommendations. Meta-analysis was conducted to assess the prognostic effect of methylated genes. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed to validate methylated genes and cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites. RESULTS: Eleven studies (3619 patients) were eligible to investigate 12 methylated genes and 10 CpGs. The quality of all the studies was fair to good. Meta-analysis found the pooled effect of eligible methylated genes had a low risk of tumor recurrence (HR = 0·67; 95% CI: 0·51-0·87; P = ·003), but a high risk of tumor progression (HR = 1·60; 95% CI: 1·17-2·18; P = ·003) and cancer-specific mortality (HR = 1·35; 95% CI: 1·06-1·72; P = ·01). For individual methylation status of GDF15, HSPA2, RASSF1A, TMEFF2, and VIM, the pooled effect of each gene was found pleiotropic on both diagnosis and prognosis. Survival analysis suggested higher methylation of SPARCL1 had a better disease-specific survival (P = ·048). CONCLUSION: We combined meta-analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis using the most updated evidence on the methylation of UTUC. Candidate biomarkers with essential diagnosis and prognosis function might provide precision medicine references for personalized therapies.

Mendelian randomization provides evidence for a causal effect of serum insulin-like growth factor family concentration on risk of atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common persistent arrhythmias among adult cardiovascular diseases. It is important to identify potential risk factors for AF. Members of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family exert a variety of effects on various cell types in the context of the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, and previous population-based studies indicate associations between IGF family members and AF. However, the causal effects of IGF family members in AF have not been evaluated. AIM: In the current study two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) was used to assess genetic relationships between IGF family members and AF. METHODS: MR was performed based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets, and concentration levels of 14 IGF family members were retrieved. An initial MR analysis was conducted to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms potentially associated with IGF serum concentrations. A GWAS meta-analysis including 60620 AF cases and 970216 control participants of European ancestry was then conducted to identify AF causal effects. Two-sample MR packages were used to perform MR analysis in R. MR-Egger, weighted median (WM), and inverse variance weighted (IVW) methods were used. RESULTS: In two-sample MR assessments there were lower levels of circulating IGF binding protein 3 in both WM [odds ratio (OR) 0.964, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.940-0.960, P = 0.006] and IVW (OR 0.968, 95%CI: 0.947-0.987, P = 0.001) analyses. Higher serum levels of IGF2 receptor were associated with AF (OR 1.045, 95%CI: 1.016-1.076, P = 0.039). In reverse MR analysis conducted to investigate casual effects, elevated levels of circulating CYR61 were associated with AF (OR 1.060, 95%CI: 1.005-1.119, P = 0.031). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of AF, and the implications of serum IGF family member concentrations when assessing the risk of AF. The study generated evidence on the potential roles of developmental pathological effects in the pathogenesis of AF. Further observational and experimental studies are critically needed.

The change of plasma metabolic profile and gut microbiome dysbiosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory joint disease, which is associated with progressive disability, systemic complications, and early death. But its etiology and pathogenesis are not fully understood. We aimed to investigate the alterations in plasma metabolite profiles, gut bacteria, and fungi and their role of them in the pathogenesis of RA. Methods: Metabolomics profiling of plasma from 363 participants including RA (n = 244), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, n = 50), and healthy control (HC, n = 69) were performed using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The differentially expressed metabolites were selected among groups and used to explore important metabolic pathways. Gut microbial diversity analysis was performed by 16S rRNA sequencing and ITS sequencing (RA = 195, HC = 269), and the specific microbial floras were identified afterward. The diagnosis models were established based on significant differential metabolites and microbial floras, respectively. Results: There were 63 differential metabolites discovered between RA and HC groups, mainly significantly enriched in the arginine and proline metabolism, glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, and glycerophospholipid metabolism between RA and HC groups. The core differential metabolites included L-arginine, creatine, D-proline, ornithine, choline, betaine, L-threonine, LysoPC (18:0), phosphorylcholine, and glycerophosphocholine. The L-arginine and phosphorylcholine were increased in the RA group. The AUC of the predictive model was 0.992, based on the combination of the 10 differential metabolites. Compared with the SLE group, 23 metabolites increased and 61 metabolites decreased in the RA group. However, no significant metabolic pathways were enriched between RA and SLE groups. On the genus level, a total of 117 differential bacteria genera and 531 differential fungal genera were identified between RA and HC groups. The results indicated that three bacteria genera (Eubacterium_hallii_group, Escherichia-Shigella, Streptococcus) and two fungal genera (Candida and Debaryomyces) significantly increased in RA patients. The AUC was 0.80 based on a combination of six differential bacterial genera and the AUC was 0.812 based on a combination of seven differential fungal genera. Functional predictive analysis displayed that differential bacterial and differential fungus both were associated with KEGG pathways involving superpathway of L-serine and glycine biosynthesis I, arginine, ornithine, and proline interconversion. Conclusion: The plasma metabolism profile and gut microbe profile changed markedly in RA. The glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism and arginine and proline metabolism played an important role in RA.

Impaired kidney function biomarkers and risk of severe COVID-19: Analysis of population-based cohort data.

BACKGROUND: Patients with impaired kidney function were found at a high risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality in many observational, cross-sectional, and hospital-based studies, but evidence from large-scale prospective cohorts has been lacking. We aimed to examine the association of kidney function-related biomarkers and their genetic predisposition with the risk of developing severe COVID-19 in population-based data. METHODS: We analyzed data from UK Biobank to examine the prospective association of abnormal kidney function biomarkers with severe COVID-19, defined by laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations. Using genotype data, we constructed polygenic risk scores (PRS) to represent an individual's overall genetic risk for these biomarkers. We also identified tipping points where the risk of severe COVID-19 began to increase significantly for each biomarker. RESULTS: Of the 502,506 adults, 1650 (0.32%) were identified as severe COVID-19, before August 12, 2020. High levels of cystatin C (OR: 1.3; 95% CI: 1.2-1.5; FDR = 1.5 × 10-5 ), serum creatinine (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.3-2.1; p = 3.5 × 10-4 ; FDR = 3.5 × 10-4 ), microalbuminuria (OR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.2-1.6; FDR = 4 × 10-4 ), and UACR (urinary albumin creatinine ratio; OR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.2-1.6; p = 3.5 × 10-4 ; FDR = 3.5 × 10-4 ) were found significantly associated with severe COVID-19. Individuals with top 10% of PRS for elevated cystatin C, urate, and microalbuminuria had 28% to 43% higher risks of severe COVID-19 than individuals with bottom 30% PRS (p < 0.05). Tipping-point analyses further supported that severe COVID-19 could occur even when the values of cystatin C, urate (male), and microalbuminuria were within their normal value ranges (OR >1.1, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study might point to new directions for clinicians and policymakers in optimizing risk-stratification among patients based on polygenic risk estimation and tipping points of kidney function markers. Our results call for further investigation to develop a better strategy to prevent severe COVID-19 outcomes among patients with genetic predisposition to impaired kidney function. These findings could provide a new tool for clinicians and policymakers in the future especially if we need to live with COVID-19 for a long time.