Medicine
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Colorectal neoplasm (CRN) and coronary heart disease (CHD) share common risk factors. We aimed to assess the risk for CRN in patients who are at high risk for developing CHD determined by measurements, which are independent from the risk factors for CRN. This study was conducted on individuals who underwent total colonoscopic examination and were without history of CHD. ⋯ An increased CIMT, a decreased FMD, and an intermediate FRS were significantly associated with the risk for the presence of overall-CRN (OR: 3.607, OR: 1.866 and OR: 2.889, respectively). The risk for CRN increases as the risk for developing CHD increases. It can be suggested that screening for CRN can be recommended for individuals who are at high risk for developing CHD.
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This study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of using 3D virtual intravascular endoscopy (VIE) as a novel approach for characterization of calcified coronary plaques with the aim of differentiating superficial from deep calcified plaques, thus improving assessment of coronary stenosis. A total of 61 patients with suspected coronary artery disease were included in the study. Minimal lumen diameter (MLD) was measured and compared between coronary CT angiography (CCTA) (≥64-slice) and invasive coronary angiography (ICA) with regard to the measurement bias, whereas VIE findings were correlated with CCTA with respect to the diagnostic performance of coronary stenosis and the area under the curve (AUC) by receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis (ROC). ⋯ The AUC by ROC analysis for VIE demonstrated significant improvement in analysis of left anterior descending calcified plaques compared with CCTA (0.99 vs 0.60, P < 0.001), with better performance in the left circumflex and right coronary arteries (0.98 vs 0.84 and 0.77 vs 0.77, respectively; P = 0.07 and P = 0.96, respectively). There are no significant differences between 64-, 128-, and 640-slice CCTA and VIE in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value in the diagnosis of coronary stenosis. This study shows the feasibility of using VIE for characterizing morphological features of calcified plaques, therefore, significantly improving assessment of coronary stenosis.
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We evaluate the effects of zolpidem use to develop dementia or Alzheimer disease from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). A retrospective population-based nested case-control study. Newly diagnosed dementia patients 65 years and older and controls were sampled. ⋯ The adjusted OR for patients whose cumulative exposure doses were between 170 and 819 mg/year (adjusted OR: 1.65, 95% CI 1.08-2.51, P = 0.0199) was significant; however, the effects for lower and higher cumulative dose were not significant. Zolpidem used might be associated with increased risk for dementia in elderly population. Increased accumulative dose might have higher risk to develop dementia, especially in patients with underlying diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and stroke.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the Parkinson disease (PD) prevalence of cognitive impairment in Taiwan. The case-control study consisted of 6177 cognitive impairment patients and 24,708 noncognitive impairment as controls for the period of 2006 to 2010 and both of the groups aged ≥50 years. The multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for cognitive impairment, and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) among patients with PD were compared with those of non-PD patients. ⋯ Besides, we found a remarkable result of the diagnosed cognitive impairment of PD that was found highest in the first 6 months (aOR 11.98, 95% CI 8.51-16.86) and then decrease the incident year by year. The PD prevalence in a patient with cognitive impairment in our data present is 12.1% lower than those with truly dementia published previously and documented by western studies. We found a remarkable result of the diagnosed cognitive impairment of PD that was found highest in the first 6 months and then decrease the incident year by year.
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Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained arrhythmia requiring treatment worldwide, is one of the major causes of ischemic stroke. Although amiodarone is commonly used for rhythm control in AF, its relationship with stroke has rarely been addressed. We evaluated 16,091 patients who were diagnosed with AF (Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] 427.31 and 427.32) between 1998 and 2011; the date of AF diagnosis was set as the index date. ⋯ Amiodarone treatment is associated with an increased risk of stroke in patients with AF, especially in those who have an initial low risk of stroke. Antiplatelet drugs and warfarin could reduce the stroke risk in AF patients receiving amiodarone. However, as the combination of digoxin and amiodarone increases the risk of stroke in these patients, the combination of these 2 drugs should be avoided.