Impact of gout on cardiovascular disease mortality: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several epidemiological studies have suggested that gout patients have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease mortality than healthy people. In contrast, the association between gout and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality was not obvious in other studies. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relative risk for CVD mortality in gout patients in comparison to healthy controls. METHODS: Literature published before March 2023 was searched in Google Scholar, PubMed, and the Web of Science. We summarized the impact of gout on CVD mortality with a meta-analysis. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) regarding the impact of gout on CVD mortality were summarized with STATA 12.0 software. RESULTS: Compared to individuals without gout, those with gout had higher mortality risks for CVD during follow-up, with a random effects model showing a risk of 1.30 (95% CI 1.15 to 1.48, p < 0.001; p-value for Cochran Q test < 0.001, I2 = 95.9%). Similarly, subjects with gout had a mortality risk of 1.28 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.46, p < 0.001; p-value for Cochran Q test = 0.050, I2 = 50.2%) for coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality during follow-up using the same statistical model. Furthermore, using a fixed effects model, individuals with gout had a mortality risk of 1.13 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.27, p = 0.049; p-value for Cochran Q test = 0.494, I2 = 0.0%) for myocardial infarction (MI) mortality during follow-up. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this meta-analysis provides evidence supporting a markedly increased mortality risk from CVD and CHD as well as MI in patients with gout relative to reference subjects without gout.

Establishment of an animal model of adjacent segment degeneration after interbody fusion and related experimental studies.

BACKGROUND: Degenerative spine conditions are common and frequent clinical diseases, and adjacent segment disease (ASD) after spinal fusion (SF) is a common complication after spinal fusion (SF). In this study, we established an animal model of ASD after interbody fusion to observe the morphologic changes of adjacent segment (AS) disks and to determine the expression and significance of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1ß) in ASD tissues to provide a good experimental basis and reference for clinical prevention and treatment of ASD after interbody fusion. METHODS: Thirty-six male and female New Zealand rabbits weighing 2.0-2.5 kg were randomly divided into control group (group A) and experimental groups (groups B, C, and D), with 9 rabbits in each group, of which groups B, C, and D were the 4-, 8-, and 12-week groups, respectively. Autologous iliac bone grafts were used as the bone graft material. In the experimental groups, a SF was performed on the C2-C3 intervertebral space. The C3-4 adjacent segments were examined. In the experimental group, the animals were subjected to gross observation, X-ray examination, hand touch inspection, and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) 4, 8, and 12 weeks after surgery. The micromorphologic changes of the cervical disks in the segments of the control group and experimental groups were observed under light microscopy. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of TNF-α and IL-1ß in the AS tissues after interbody fusion in the control and experimental groups. RESULTS: The measurement data of the rabbit cervical spine bony structures indicated that the length of the vertebral body and the sagittal diameter of the lower end of the vertebral body decreased gradually from the 2nd-6th cervical vertebrae, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The difference in the transverse diameter of the lower end of the vertebral body was not statistically significant (P > 0.05), the change in the oblique diameter of the lower end of the vertebral body fluctuated, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The fusion rate of the cervical spine by hand touch inspection was 22.2% (2/9), 55.6% (5/9), and 88.9% (8/9) in groups B, C, and D, respectively. The differences in bone volume-to-total volume (BV/TV) and X-ray scores were statistically significant in groups B, C, and D (P < 0.05). Significant degeneration occurred in groups B, C, and D compared with group A. The expression of TNF-α and IL-1ß in the intervertebral disk tissue was significantly higher in groups B, C, and D compared with group A (P < 0.05), and increased with time. CONCLUSION: In this study, an animal model of ASD after interbody fusion fixation in rabbits was successfully established. Postoperative imaging and hand touch inspection showed a positive correlation between the amount of new intervertebral bone and the degree of fusion with time. The results of immunohistochemistry and Western blot showed that TNF-α and IL-1ß were highly expressed in the AS tissues of the experimental group after interbody fusion, and the degree of disk degeneration was positively correlated with the time after interbody fusion.

Efficacy and Safety of Catheter Ablation Combined with Left Atrial Appendage Closure in the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation combined with left atrial appendage closure is effective in treating atrial fibrillation. However, the effectiveness of this combined treatment compared with catheter ablation alone is still controversial. METHODS: We searched studies in databases, including The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science, that compared catheter ablation combined with left atrial appendage closure and catheter ablation alone in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. These studies reported at least one of the following outcomes: the freedom from atrial arrhythmia rate, the procedure time, the fluoroscopy time, perioperative complications, thromboembolic events, and bleeding events during follow-up. The risk ratio and standard mean difference with 95% CI were analyzed by the random-effects model. RESULTS: Five studies involving 699 people were included in our meta-analysis. We found no significant difference in the freedom from atrial arrhythmia rate (risk ratio=0.93, 95% CI=0.83-1.04, I 2=0%, P=.21) between the 2 groups. Catheter ablation combined with left atrial appendage closure showed significantly longer procedure and fluoroscopy times than catheter ablation alone (standard mean difference=1.26, 95% CI=0.85-1.67, P <.00001 and standard mean difference=1.19, 95% CI=0.53-1.85, P=.0004, respectively). With regard to safety outcomes, no significant differences were observed in perioperative complications (RR=1.62, 95% CI=0.99-2.63, I 2=0%, P=.05), thromboembolic events (RR=0.67, 95% CI=0.15-3.11, I 2=0%, P=.61), or bleeding events (RR=0.67, 95% CI=0.11-3.88, P=.65) between the 2 groups during follow-up. CONCLUSION: The freedom from atrial arrhythmia rate and safety outcomes of catheter ablation combined with left atrial appendage closure are similar to those of catheter ablation alone. Catheter ablation combined with left atrial appendage closure appears to have longer procedure and fluoroscopy times than catheter ablation alone.

The role of organizational insiders' developmental feedback and proactive personality on newcomers' performance: an interactionist perspective.

Drawing from an interactionist approach and feedback research, we examine the role of developmental feedback and proactive personality on newcomer task performance and helping behavior. Data were collected from 2 high-tech joint-ventures within the information technology and manufacturing industries located in Shanghai, China. Results based on 151 newcomer-manager dyads showed that supervisor developmental feedback (SDF) positively related to newcomer helping behavior and that SDF and coworker developmental feedback interactively predicted newcomer task performance. We also found differential moderating effects of proactive personality: SDF more strongly related to helping behavior when proactive personality was lower; conversely, coworker developmental feedback more strongly related to helping behavior when proactive personality was higher.