Family history of cancer and subsequent risk of cancer: A large-scale population-based prospective study in Japan

Family history (FH) of cancer is an important factor of increased risk of several cancers. Although the association between FH of cancer and concordant cancer risk has been reported in many previous epidemiological studies, no comprehensive prospective study with adjustment for lifestyle habits has evaluated the association of FH of cancer and concordant cancer risk. We investigated the association between FH of cancer and concordant cancer risk in a Japanese population-based prospective study, initiated in 1990 for cohort I and in 1993 for cohort II. We analyzed data on 103,707 eligible subjects without a history of cancer who responded to a self-administered questionnaire including FH of cancer at baseline. Study subjects were followed through 2012 and analyzed using multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models. During 1,802,581 person-years of follow-up, a total of 16,336 newly diagnosed cancers were identified. Any site (Hazard ratios = 1.11 (95% confidence interval = 1.07–1.15]), esophagus (2.11 [1.00–4.45]), stomach (1.36 [1.19–1.55]), liver (1.69 [1.10–2.61]), pancreas (2.63 [1.45–4.79]), lung (1.51 [1.14–2.00]), uterus (1.93 [1.06–3.51]) and bladder cancers (6.06 [2.49–14.74]) with FH of the concordant cancer were associated with an increased risk compared to those without FH. Our findings suggest that having FH of cancer is associated with an increased risk of several concordant cancer incidences in an Asian population. Enquiring about FH of several types of cancer may be important in identifying groups at high-risk of those cancers.     

Sex and gender differences in Alzheimer’s disease: current challenges and implications for clinical practice

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by high heterogeneity in disease manifestation, progression and risk factors. High phenotypic variability is currently regarded as one of the largest hurdles in early diagnosis and in the design of clinical trials; there is therefore great interest in identifying factors driving variability that can be used for patient stratification. In addition to genetic and lifestyle factors, the individual’s sex and gender are emerging as crucial drivers of phenotypic variability. Evidence exists on sex and gender differences in the rate of cognitive deterioration and brain atrophy, and in the effect of risk factors as well as in the patterns of diagnostic biomarkers. Such evidence might be of high relevance and requires attention in clinical practice and clinical trials. However, sex and gender differences are currently seldom appreciated; importantly, consideration of sex and gender differences is not currently a focus in the design and analysis of clinical trials for AD. The objective of this position paper is (i) to provide an overview of known sex and gender differences that might have implications for clinical practice, (ii) to identify the most important knowledge gaps in the field (with a special regard to clinical trials) and (iii) to provide conclusions for future studies. This scientific statement is endorsed by the European Academy of Neurology.     

Risk Factors for Chronic Opioid Use Following Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: Evidence from New Zealand Population Data

BackgroundPatients awaiting total joint arthroplasty (TJA) have high rates of opioid use, and many continue to use opioid medications long term after surgery. The objective of this study is to estimate the risk factors associated with chronic opioid use after TJA in a comprehensive population-based cohort.MethodsAll patients undergoing TJA in the New Zealand public healthcare system were identified from Ministry of Health records. Dispensing of opioid medications up to 3 years postsurgery and potential risk factors, including demographic, socioeconomic, and surgery-related characteristics, pre-existing medical comorbidities, and use of other analgesic medications prior to surgery, were identified from linked population databases. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with chronic postoperative opioid use.ResultsThe strongest risk factor for chronic postoperative opioid use was preoperative opioid use. Other significant risk factors included perioperative opioid use, history of alcohol or drug abuse, younger age, female gender, knee arthroplasty, several comorbid health conditions, and preoperative use of some analgesic medications. Protective factors included higher education levels and preoperative use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Most risk factors had similar effects on chronic postoperative opioid use irrespective of the length of follow-up considered (1, 2, or 3 years).ConclusionThis study of a comprehensive nationwide population-based cohort of TJA patients with 3 years of follow-up identified several modifiable risk factors and other easily measured patient characteristics associated with higher risk of long-term postoperative opioid use.     

Endothelial function,regulation of angiogenesis and embryonic central hemodynamics in ART-conceived pregnancies

Abstract

This study was undertaken to compare the concentrations of pro- and anti-angiogenic growth factors, nitric oxide (NO) stable metabolites in maternal serum and embryonic left ventricular (LV) isovolumic relaxation time (IRT, ms) during the first trimester in two groups of women: with pregnancy conceived by assisted reproductive technologies (ART, n?=?39) and normally conceived (control group, n?=?68) pregnancy. The concentration of vasoconstrictor endothelin 1 was 45.5 times more in ART than in control group. On the contrary, the concentrations of NO stable metabolites in ART were 1.9 times less than in control women. The assessment of angiogenic suppressors in ART women demonstrates the decrease in s-endoglin concentration was 1.6 times and in soluble receptor to vascular endothelial growth factor concentration was 2.0 times in comparison with control group. There was a significant increase in LV IRT in ART embryos in comparison to control ones. These data suggest significant changes in pro- anti-angiogenic factors balance and increase in vascular impedance in ART-conceived embryos.     

The development and validation of the Score for the Prediction of Postoperative Respiratory Complications (SPORC-2) to predict the requirement for early postoperative tracheal re-intubation: a hospital registry study

Postoperative pulmonary complications are associated with an increase in mortality, morbidity and healthcare utilisation. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recommends risk assessment for postoperative respiratory complications in patients undergoing surgery. In this hospital registry study of adult patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery between 2005 and 2017 at two independent healthcare networks, a prediction instrument for early postoperative tracheal re-intubation was developed and externally validated. This was based on the development of the Score for Prediction Of Postoperative Respiratory Complications. For predictor selection, stepwise backward logistic regression and bootstrap resampling were applied. Development and validation cohorts were represented by 90,893 patients at Partners Healthcare and 67,046 patients at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, of whom 699 (0.8%) and 587 (0.9%) patients, respectively, had their tracheas re-intubated. In addition to five pre-operative predictors identified in the Score for Prediction Of Postoperative Respiratory Complications, the final model included seven additional intra-operative predictors: early post-tracheal intubation desaturation; prolonged duration of surgery; high fraction of inspired oxygen; high vasopressor dose; blood transfusion; the absence of volatile anaesthetic use; and the absence of lung-protective ventilation. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the new score was significantly greater than that of the original Score for Prediction Of Postoperative Respiratory Complications (0.84 [95%CI 0.82–0.85] vs. 0.76 [95%CI 0.75–0.78], respectively; p < 0.001). This may allow clinicians to develop and implement strategies to decrease the risk of early postoperative tracheal re-intubation.     

Premature Ticagrelor Discontinuation in Secondary Prevention of Atherosclerotic CVD: JACC Review Topic of the Week

Ticagrelor is a cornerstone of modern antithrombotic therapy alongside aspirin in patients with acute coronary syndrome and after percutaneous coronary intervention. Adverse effects such as bleeding and dyspnea have been associated with premature ticagrelor discontinuation, which may limit any potential advantage of ticagrelor over clopidogrel. The randomized trials of ticagrelor captured adverse events, offering the opportunity to more precisely quantify these effects across studies. Therefore, a meta-analysis of 4 randomized clinical trials of ticagrelor conducted between January 2007 and June 2017 was performed to quantify the incidence and causes of premature ticagrelor discontinuation. Among 66,870 patients followed for a median 18 months, premature ticagrelor discontinuation was seen in 25%; bleeding was the most common cause of discontinuation followed by dyspnea. Versus the comparators, the relative risk of dyspnea-related discontinuation during follow-up was 6.4-fold higher, the relative risk of bleeding was 3.2-fold higher, and the relative risk of discontinuation due to any adverse event was 59% higher for patients receiving ticagrelor. Understanding these potential barriers to adherence to ticagrelor is crucial for informed patient-physician decision making and can inform future efforts to improve ticagrelor adherence. This review discusses the incidence, causes, and biological mechanisms of ticagrelor-related adverse effects and offers strategies to improve adherence to ticagrelor.     

新生儿重症监护病房中重症肺炎多种菌感染相关因素分析

目的分析新生儿重症监护病房(NICU)中重症肺炎新生儿多种菌感染危险因素。方法回顾分析2014年1月至2019年5月收入NICU的1 057例重症细菌肺炎新生儿的临床资料,分析其多种菌感染的危险因素。结果单因素分析显示,胎龄(37周)、出生体质量(2 500 g)、发病日龄(7 d)、羊水污染(Ⅱ、Ⅲ度)、感染类型(医院感染)、住院时间(≥14天)、机械通气、Apagar评分(7分)、胎膜早破、抗菌药物使用天数(≥10天)、更换抗菌药物(≥3种)、联合使用抗菌药物(≥3种)12个因素是NICU中重症肺炎新生儿多种菌感染的危险因素,差异有统计学意义(P均0.05)。多因素分析显示,更换抗菌药物(≥3种)、Apagar评分(7分)、感染类型(医院感染)、机械通气、羊水污染(Ⅱ、Ⅲ度)是NICU中重症肺炎新生儿多种菌感染的独立危险因素(P0.05)。结论临床应针对主要危险因素采取综合防控措施,减少NICU新生儿重症肺炎多种菌感染。     

稽留流产孕早期预测模型的构建与验证

目的构建稽留流产(missed abortion,MA)患者在孕早期流产危险因素列线图。方法纳入2017年2月至2019年10月因稽留流产于中国建筑第二工程局职工医院治疗的孕妇125例为研究组,随机纳入同时期正常孕妇126例为对照组,分析两组患者临床基本资料:年龄、环境因素、动物接触史、叶酸使用、文化程度、流产情况、疾病史、激素水平等。采用Logistic回归分析对孕早期发生稽留流产的危险因素进行分析,应用R软件建立孕早期稽留流产预测列线图,并进行验证。结果研究组孕妇年龄、睾酮(testosterone,T)水平高于对照组,而催乳素(prolactin,PRL)、雌二醇(estradiol,E2)、孕酮(progesterone,P)水平低于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);Logistic回归分析提示孕妇年龄(OR=1.809,P=0.003)、吸烟饮酒(OR=78.120、P=0.044)、职业暴露(OR=61.238,P=0.021)、T水平(OR=5.432,P=0.001)是孕早期发生MA的危险因素。PRL(OR=0.376,P=0.003)、E2(OR=0.258,P=0.016)、P(OR=0.396,P=0.005)是孕早期发生MA的保护因素。预测孕早期MA发生的相关危险因素的C-index为0.912(95%CI:0.874-0.943)。结论列线图中孕妇年龄、环境因素、激素水平能较准确的预测孕早期发生MA的风险。