Overall and cause-specific mortality in patients with dementia: a population-based cohort study in Taiwan

Chia-Lun Kuo,Pei-Chen Lee,Li-Jung Elizabeth Ku,Yu Sun,Tsung-Hsueh Lu,Muhammad Atoillah Isfandiari,Chung-Yi Li 한국역학회 2023 Epidemiology and Health Vol.45 No.-

OBJECTIVES: Information regarding the underlying causes of death (UCODs) and standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of dementia is instrumental in formulating medical strategies to prolong life in persons with dementia (PWD). We examined the leading UCODs among PWD and estimated the overall and cause-specific SMRs in relation to dementia in Taiwan. METHODS: Data were retrieved from 2 national datasets: the Taiwan Death Registry and the medical claim datasets of the National Health Insurance program. The observed person-years for each study participant were counted from the date of cohort enrollment to either the date of death or the final day of 2016. Sex-specific and age-specific SMRs were then calculated. RESULTS: The leading UCOD was circulatory disease, accounting for 26.0% of total deaths (n=3,505), followed by respiratory disease at 21.3% (n=2,875). PWD were at significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality (SMR, 2.01), with SMR decreasing with advancing age. A cause-specific analysis revealed that the highest SMRs were associated with nervous system diseases (SMR, 7.58) and mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders (SMR, 4.80). Age appeared to modify SMR, suggesting that younger age at cohort enrollment was linked to higher SMRs for nearly all causes of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Circulatory and respiratory diseases were the leading UCODs among PWD. The particularly elevated mortality due to nervous system diseases and mental disorders suggests that allocating more resources to neurological and psychiatric services is warranted. The elevated SMRs of various UCODs among younger PWD underscore the need for clinicians to pay particular attention to the medical care provided to these patients.

Oncogenic Pathway Combinations Predict Clinical Prognosis in Gastric Cancer

Ooi, Chia Huey,Ivanova, Tatiana,Wu, Jeanie,Lee, Minghui,Tan, Iain Beehuat,Tao, Jiong,Ward, Lindsay,Koo, Jun Hao,Gopalakrishnan, Veena,Zhu, Yansong,Cheng, Lai Ling,Lee, Julian,Rha, Sun Young,Chung, Hyu Public Library of Science 2009 PLoS genetics Vol.5 No.10

<▼1><P>Many solid cancers are known to exhibit a high degree of heterogeneity in their deregulation of different oncogenic pathways. We sought to identify major oncogenic pathways in gastric cancer (GC) with significant relationships to patient survival. Using gene expression signatures, we devised an <I>in silico</I> strategy to map patterns of oncogenic pathway activation in 301 primary gastric cancers, the second highest cause of global cancer mortality. We identified three oncogenic pathways (proliferation/stem cell, NF-κB, and Wnt/β-catenin) deregulated in the majority (>70%) of gastric cancers. We functionally validated these pathway predictions in a panel of gastric cancer cell lines. Patient stratification by oncogenic pathway combinations showed reproducible and significant survival differences in multiple cohorts, suggesting that pathway interactions may play an important role in influencing disease behavior. Individual GCs can be successfully taxonomized by oncogenic pathway activity into biologically and clinically relevant subgroups. Predicting pathway activity by expression signatures thus permits the study of multiple cancer-related pathways interacting simultaneously in primary cancers, at a scale not currently achievable by other platforms.</P></▼1><▼2><P><B>Author Summary</B></P><P>Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of global cancer mortality. With current treatments, less than a quarter of patients survive longer than five years after surgery. Individual gastric cancers are highly disparate in their cellular characteristics and responses to standard chemotherapeutic drugs, making gastric cancer a complex disease. Pathway based approaches, rather than single gene studies, may help to unravel this complexity. Here, we make use of a computational approach to identify connections between molecular pathways and cancer profiles. In a large scale study of more than 300 patients, we identified subgroups of gastric cancers distinguishable by their patterns of driving molecular pathways. We show that these identified subgroups are clinically relevant in predicting survival duration and may prove useful in guiding the choice of targeted therapies designed to interfere with these molecular pathways. We also identified specific gastric cancer cell lines mirroring these pathway subgroups, which should facilitate the pre-clinical assessment of responses to targeted therapies in each subgroup.</P></▼2>

A Systemic Review and Experts’ Consensus for Long-acting Injectable Antipsychotics in Bipolar Disorder

Yuan-Hwa Chou,Po-Chung Chu,Szu-Wei Wu,Jen-Chin Lee,Yi-Hsuan Lee,I-Wen Sun,Chen-Lin Chang,Chien-Liang Huang,I-Chao Liu,Chia-Fen Tsai,Yung-Chieh Yen 대한정신약물학회 2015 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.13 No.2

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a major psychiatric disorder that is easily misdiagnosed. Patient adherence to a treatment regimen is of utmost importance for successful outcomes in BD. Several trials of antipsychotics suggested that depot antipsychotics, including long-acting first- and second-generation agents, are effective in preventing non-adherence, partial adherence, and in reducing relapse in BD. Various long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics are available, including fluphenazine decanoate, haloperidol decanoate, olanzapine pamoate, risperidone microspheres, paliperidone palmitate, and aripiprazole monohydrate. Due to the increasing number of BD patients receiving LAI antipsychotics, treatment guidelines have been developed. However, the clinical applicability of LAI antipsychotics remains a global cause for concern, particularly in Asian countries. Expert physicians from Taiwan participated in a consensus meeting, which was held to review key areas based on both current literature and clinical practice. The purpose of this meeting was to generate a practical and implementable set of recommendations for LAI antipsychotic use to treat BD; target patient groups, dosage, administration, and adverse effects were considered. Experts recommended using LAI antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia, rapid cycling BD, BD I, and bipolar-type schizoaffective disorder. LAI antipsychotic use was recommended in BD patients with the following characteristics: multiple episodes and low adherence; seldom yet serious episodes; low adherence potential per a physician’s clinical judgment; preference for injectable agents over oral agents; and multiple oral agent users still experiencing residual symptoms.

Male Infertility Increases the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan

Chen Peng-Ciao,Chen Yu-Ju,Yang Chia-Chen,Lin Ting-Ti,Huang Chien-Chu,Chung Chi-Hsiang,Sun Chien-An,Chien Wu-Chien 대한남성과학회 2022 The World Journal of Men's Health Vol.40 No.3

Purpose: Some evidence suggests that male infertility increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, the evidence in Asian populations is relatively scarce. The aim of this study is to determine whether male infertility increases the risk of CVDs. Materials and Methods: We used inpatient and outpatient data for the years 2000 to 2015 from the Taiwanese Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. We enrolled 7,016 males over 18 years old and diagnosed with male infertility. Of these, 2,326 matched our inclusion criteria and were assigned to the study group. For each infertility patient, four comparison patients were frequency-matched by age and index date to form a control cohort comprising 9,304 patients. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to estimate the association between male infertility and CVDs. Results: After a 15-year follow-up, the incidence rate of CVDs was higher in the infertility group than the control group (1,460.23 and 1,073.70 per 100,000 person-years, respectively). The Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that the adjusted HR for CVDs was 1.472 for the infertility group (95% CI, 1.288–1.683; p<0.001) relative to the control group. The Kaplan–Meier analysis of the cumulative incidence of CVDs in the two groups showed that the cumulative risk curve for CVDs was significantly higher for the infertility group than the control group. Conclusions: This study shows that men with infertility have a higher risk of developing incident CVDs. In the future, healthcare providers should pay attention to these patients because of their higher health risks.

ERRATUM Bull. Korean Chem. Soc. 2011, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp 1187~1194

Cheng-gang Ci,Hong-bo Yu,Su-qin Wan,Jing-yao Liu,Chia-Chung Sun 대한화학회 2011 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.32 No.7

Theoretical Studies on Mechanism and Kinetics of the Hydrogen-Abstraction Reaction of CF_3CH_2CHO with OH Radicals

Cheng-gang Ci,Hong-bo Yu,Su-qin Wan,Jing-yao Liu,Chia-Chung Sun 대한화학회 2011 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.32 No.4

The hydrogen abstraction reaction of CF_3CH_2CHO + OH has been studied theoretically by dual-level direct dynamics method. Two stable conformers, trans- and cis-CF_3CH_2CHO, have been located, and there are four distinct OH hydrogen-abstraction channels from t-CF_3CH_2CHO and two channels from c-CF_3CH_2CHO. The required potential energy surface information for the kinetic calculation was obtained at the MCG3-MPWB//M06-2X/aug-cc-pVDZ level. The rate constants, which were calculated using improved canonical transitionstate theory with small-curvature tunneling correction (ICVT/SCT) were fitted by a four-parameter Arrhenius equation. It is shown that the reaction proceeds predominantly via the H-abstraction from the -CHO group over the temperature range 200-2000 K. The calculated rate constants were in good agreement with the experimental data between 263 and 358 K.

Theoretical Studies on Mechanism and Kinetics of the Hydrogen-Abstraction Reaction of CF₃CH₂CHO with OH Radicals

Ci, Cheng-Gang,Yu, Hong-Bo,Wan, Su-Qin,Liu, Jing-Yao,Sun, Chia-Chung Korean Chemical Society 2011 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.32 No.4

The hydrogen abstraction reaction of $CF_3CH_2CHO$ + OH has been studied theoretically by dual-level direct dynamics method. Two stable conformers, trans- and cis-$CF_3CH_2CHO$, have been located, and there are four distinct OH hydrogen-abstraction channels from t-$CF_3CH_2CHO$ and two channels from c-$CF_3CH_2CHO$. The required potential energy surface information for the kinetic calculation was obtained at the MCG3-MPWB//M06-2X/aug-cc-pVDZ level. The rate constants, which were calculated using improved canonical transitionstate theory with small-curvature tunneling correction (ICVT/SCT) were fitted by a four-parameter Arrhenius equation. It is shown that the reaction proceeds predominantly via the H-abstraction from the -CHO group over the temperature range 200-2000 K. The calculated rate constants were in good agreement with the experimental data between 263 and 358 K.