眼压升高和青光眼及使用抗青光眼药物与5年伴发白内障的关系:蓝山眼科研究

Purpose: To examine incident relationships between elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), open-angle glaucoma (OAG), and use of glaucoma medications with 5- year incident cataract. Design: Population-based cohort study. Participants: The Australian Blue Mountains Eye Study examined 3654 participants <50 years old at baseline (82.4% response; 1992- 1994)- ; 2335 eligible participants were reexamined after 5 years (75.1% response; 1997- 1999). Methods: A detailed medical and ocular history, including current medications, was taken, and a comprehensive eye examination, including applanation tonometry, automated perimetry, and lens photography, was performed at each examination. The Wisconsin system was used to grade lens photographs in assessing incident nuclear, cortical, and posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC). Data from both eyes were assessed using generalized estimating equation analyses. Main Outcome Measures: Elevated IOP was defined as < 21 mmHg. Open-angle glaucoma was diagnosed from typical glaucomatous field loss with matching optic disc cupping, without reference to IOP. Subjects without OAG or secondary or angle-closure glaucoma with IOP > 21 mmHg in either eye were classified as having ocular hypertension (OH), as were non-OAG subjects with IOP < 22 mmHg using glaucoma medications. Wisconsin levels 4 to 5 were graded as nuclear cataract, at least 5% lens involvement was graded as cortical cataract, and any PSC defined its presence. Results: The 5- year incidence of nuclear cataract was 23.4% (592/2532), or 23.1% (574/2486) after excluding subjects using glaucoma medication. A marginally significant association was found for elevated IOP or OH at baseline and incident nuclear cataract (odds ratio [OR] 1.93 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.97- 3.89, and OR, 1.83 95% CI, 0.96- 3.48, respectively) in subjects not using glaucoma medications, after multivariate adjustment. Age-and gender-adjusted analyses showed similar but statistically significant associations. The association between elevated IOP or OH and nuclear cataract was signifi-cant in multivariate analyses (OR, 2.07 95% CI, 1.04- 3.12, and OR, 1.78 95% CI, 1.05- 3.01 , respectively). Use of glaucoma medications was associated with nonsignificantly increased adjusted odds for incident nuclear cataract (OR, 1.90 95% CI, 0.92- 3.92). No associations, however, were found with incident cortical cataract or PSC. Conclusions: Elevated IOP may increase the risk of nuclear cataract, but not that of other types. The use of glaucoma medications could magnify this risk.

希腊儿童肥胖症和血脂的20年动态变化研究:克里特岛城乡儿童间持续存在区域性差异

Aim: To examine whether secular trends in adiposity and blood lipid profile of Greek children manifested equally among individuals from urban and rural provin ces. Methods: Cretan boys (aged 12.1 ±2.3 y) from urban and rural areas of Cret e were recruited in 1982 (n = 277 and 251, respectively) and 2002 (n = 440 and 1 80, respectively). Height, weight, and body mass index (BMI), as well as plasma lipid concentrations were measured and compared across cohorts (1982 vs 2002) an d regions (urban vs rural) by two-way analysis of covariance (adjusted for age) with interaction. Results: Temporal changes in height (positive), weight (posit ive), and BMI (positive) manifested equally in children from urban and rural pro vinces, as no interaction was detected. Similar results were obtained for triacy lglycerol (positive), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, positive) an d high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (negative) concentrations. A significant interaction was observed only for total cholesterol (TC), which increased from 1982 among rural (by 6.2%, p < 0.05) but not among urban boys. In all other ins tances, regional differences in 1982 persisted in 2002. More specifically, child ren from urban provinces were taller, heavier, and had higher BMI values than th ose from rural areas, while they also had higher LDL-C concentrations, whether nowadays or 20 y ago. Regional differences in TC in 1982 were not apparent in 20 02. Conclusion: These findings suggest that changes in anthropometric characteri stics and plasma lipids during the past 20 y have occurred largely in parallel a mong urban and rural Cretan children, and they emphasize the importance of devel oping a common national strategy for the prevention and treatment of childhood o besity in Greece.

促甲状腺激素水平与体外受精孕妇妊娠结局的关系

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if pregnancy outcome for women undergoing in vitro fertilization is correlated with pre-conception thyroid-stimulating hormone level. Study design: We performed a retrospective cohort study of in vitro fertilization cycles in our private practice with an initial positive serum human chorionic gonadotropin level and thyroid-stimulating hormone level available (n = 364). We examined whether or not birth outcome differed between cycles in which the thyroid-stimulating hormone was > 2.5 mIU/L compared with cycles with a thyroid-stimulating hormone level of ≤ 2.5 mIU/L. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between thyroid-stimulating hormone level and spontaneous abortion rate. Results: Delivery outcome was available for 195 cycles, 36% of which had a thyroid-stimulating hormone level > 2.5. The gestational age at delivery was higher in cycles with a thyroid-stimulating hormone ≤ 2.5 than for cycles with a thyroid-stimulating hormone > 2.5 (38.5 vs 38.0 weeks for singletons, 36.0 vs 34.6 weeks for twins, overall P = .012 for thyroid-stimulating hormone level). The mean birth weight for cycles with a thyroid-stimulating hormone ≤ 2.5 was higher than for cycles with a thyroid-stimulating hormone > 2.5 (7.33 vs 6.78 lbs for singletons, P = .024 and 5.36 vs 4.83 lbs for twins, P = .023). Restricting analysis to cycles where the woman was not taking thyroid replacement did not change the overall conclusions. There was a trend toward increasing risk of miscarriage with increasing thyroid-stimulating hormone level in nondonor cycles, controlling for age and day 3 follicle-stimulating hormone level, but this trend did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: A pre-conce-ption thyroid-stimulating hormone level > 2.5 mIU/L is associated with a lower gestational age at delivery and lower birth weight in women undergoing in vitro fertilization.

血清降钙素原与其他生物标记鉴别细菌与无菌性脑膜炎

Objective:To identify the biologic tests that best distinguish between bacterial and aseptic meningitis in an emergency department(ED). Study design:All children hospitalized for bacterial meningitis between 1995 and 2004 or for aseptic meningitis between 2000 and 2004 were included in a retrospective cohort study. Predictive values of blood (C-reactive protein,procalcitonin PCT ,white blood cell WBC count,neutrophil count) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings (protein,glucose,WBC count,neutrophil count) available in the ED were determined.Tests with the best predictive value were identified by using univariate and multivariate analyses and ROC curves comparison. Results:Among the 167 patients included,21 had bacterial meningitis. The CSF gram-stain and bacterial antigen test had 86%and 60%sensitivity rates,respectively.PCT (≥0.5 ng/mL) and CSF protein (≥0.5 g/L) were the best biologic tests,with 89%and 86%sensitivity rates,89%and 78%specificity rates,adjusted odds ratios of 108 (95%CI,15-772) and 34 (95%CI,5-217),and areas under the ROC curves of 0.95 and 0.93,respectively. Conclusion:PCT and CSF protein had the best predictive value to distinguish between bacterial and aseptic meningitis in children.

动脉粥样硬化血栓形成门诊患者的1年心血管事件发生率

背景:目前关于社区中动脉粥样硬化血栓形成稳定患者的心血管事件发生率的资料较少。尚未在单个国际性队列中评估确诊冠心病(CAD)、脑血管疾病(CVD)及外周血管疾病(PAD)患者或有上述疾病患病风险者的事件发生率差别。目的:在确诊动脉疾病或有多项动脉粥样硬化血栓形成危险因素的门诊患者中,确定当代国际性的1年心血管事件发生率。

HBV infection decreases risk of liver metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer:A cohort study

AIM:To evaluate the effect of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection on liver metastasis of colorectal cancer.METHODS:A total of 1298 colorectal cancer patients were recruited from January 2001 to March 2005 in this study.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to test serum HBV markers for colorectal cancer.Patients were divided into study (infection) group and control (non-infection) group.Clinical features of patients in two groups were compared.RESULTS:Liver metastasis was found in 319 out of the 1298 colorectal cancer patients.The incidence of liver metastasis was significantly lower in study group than in control group (14.2% vs 28.2%,P < 0.01).HBV infection significantly decreased the risk of liver metastasis [hazard ratio (HR):0.50,95% confidence interval (95% CI):0.38-0.66],but the incidence of extrahepatic metastasis was significantly higher in study group than in control group (31.9% vs 17.0%,P < 0.01).The HR was the lowest in chronic hepatitis B group (HR:0.29,95% CI:0.12-0.72).The number of liver metastatic lesions was significantly less in study group than in control group with a higher surgical resection rate.However,no significant difference was found in survival rate between the two groups (P=0.95).CONCLUSION:HBV infection decreases the risk of liver metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer and elevates the surgical resection rate of liver metastatic lesions.

Atrial fibrillation： the current epidemic

Atrial fibrillation （AF） is the most common arrhythmia diagnosed in clinical practice. The consequences of AF have been clearly estab- lished in multiple large observational cohort studies and include increased stroke and systemic embolism rates if no oral anticoagulation is prescribed, with increased morbidity and mortality. With the worldwide aging of the population characterized by a large influx of ＂baby boomers＂ with or without risk factors for developing AF, an epidemic is forecasted within the next 10 to 20 years. Although not all studies support this evidence, it is clear that AF is on the rise and a significant amount of health resources are invested in detecting and managing AF This review focuses on the worldwide burden of AF and reviews global health strategies focused on improving detection, prevention and risk stratification of AF, recently recommended by the World Heart Federation.

A population-based cohort study of symptomatic gallstone disease in diabetic patients

AIM:To investigate the prevalence of gallstone dis-ease(GSD) and to evaluate the risk of symptomatic GSD among diabetic patients.METHODS:The study was conducted by analyzing the National Health Research Institutes(NHRI) dataset of ambulatory care patients,inpatient claims,and the updated registry of beneficiaries from 2000 to 2008.A total of 615 532 diabetic patients without a prior history of hospital treatment or ambulatory care visits for symptomatic GSD were identified in the year 2000.Age-and gender-matched control individuals free from both GSD and diabetes from 1997 to 1999 were randomly selected from the NHIR database(n = 614 871).The incidence densities of symptomatic GSD were estimated according to the subjects' diabetic status.The distributions of age,gender,occupation,income,and residential area urbanization were compared between diabetic patients and control subjects using Cox proportion hazards models.Differences between the rates of selected comorbidities were also assessed in the two groups.RESULTS:Overall,60 734 diabetic patients and 48 116 control patients developed symptomatic GSD and underwent operations,resulting in cumulative operation rates of 9.87% and 7.83%,respectively.The age and gender distributions of both groups were similar,with a mean age of 60 years and a predominance of females.The diabetic group had a significantly higher prevalence of all comorbidities of interest.A higher incidence of symptomatic GSD was observed in females than in males in both groups.In the control group,females under the age of 64 had a significantly higher incidence of GSD than the corresponding males,but this difference was reduced with increasing age.The cumulative incidences of operations for symptomatic GSD in the diabetic and control groups were 13.06 and 9.52 cases per 1000 person-years,respectively.Diabetic men exhibited a higher incidence of operations for symptomatic GSD than did their counterparts in the control group(12.35 vs 8.75 cases per 1000 person-years).CONCLUSION:The association of diabetes with increased symptomatic GSD may provide insight to the treatment or management of diabetes in clinical settings.

Lymphovascular invasion in rectal cancer following neoadjuvant radiotherapy: A retrospective cohort study

AIM: To investigate the meaning of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) in rectal cancer after neoadjuvant radiotherapy. METHODS: A total of 325 patients who underwent radical resection using total mesorectal excision (TME) from January 2000 to January 2005 in Beijing cancer hospital were included retrospectively, divided into a preoperative radiotherapy (PRT) group and a control group, according to whether or not they underwent preoperative radiation. Histological assessments of tumor specimens were made and the correlation of LVI and prognosis were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The occurrence of LVI in the PRT and control groups was 21.4% and 26.1% respectively. In the control group, LVI was signifi cantly associated with histological differentiation and pathologic TNM stage, whereas these associations were not observed in the PRT group. LVI was closely correlated to disease progression and 5-year overall survival (OS) in both groups. Among the patients with disease progression, LVI positive patients in the PRT group had a signifi cantly longer median disease-free period (22.5 mo vs 11.5 mo, P = 0.023) and overall survival time (42.5 mo vs 26.5 mo, P = 0.035) compared to those in the control group, despite the fact that no signifi cant difference in 5-year OS rate was observed (54.4% vs 48.3%, P = 0.137). Multivariate analysis showed the distance of tumor from the anal verge, pretreatment serum carcinoembryonic antigen level, pathologic TNM stage and LVI were the major factors affecting OS. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant radiotherapy does not reduce LVI significantly; however, the prognostic meaning of LVI has changed. Patients with LVI may benefi t from neoadjuvant radiotherapy.

Metabolic syndrome vs. its components for prediction of cardiovascular mortality： A cohort study in Chinese elderly adults

Objective The predictive value of the metabolic syndrome （MetS） for mortality from all-cause and cardiovascular disease （CVD） in the Chinese population is unclear. The aim of this present study was to compare MetS with its individual components as predictors of mortality in Chinese elderly adults. Methods A cohort of 1,535 subjects （994 men and 541 women） aged 50 years or older was selected from employees of a machinery factory in 1994 and followed until 2009. Cox models were used to estimate the hazard ratios （HRs） predicted by MetS according to the harmonized defmition and by its individual components. Results The baseline prevalence of MetS was 28.0% in men and 48.4% in women. During a median follow-up of 15 years, 414 deaths occurred, of these, 153 participants died from CVD. Adjusted for age and gender, the HRs of mortality from all-cause and CVD in participants with MetS were 1.47 （95% confidence interval （CI）： 1.20-1.80） and 1.96 （95%CI： 1.42-2.72）, respectively, compared with those without MetS. Non-significant higher risk of CVD mortality was seen in those with one or two individual components （HR = 1.22, 95%CI： 0.59-2.50; fir = 1.82, 95%CI： 0.91-3.64, respectively）, while a substantially higher risk of CVD mortality only appeared in those with 3, 4, or 5 components （H_R = 2.81-3.72）, compared with those with no components. On evaluating the MetS components individually, we found that, independent of MetS, only hypertension and impaired glucose predicted higher mortality. Conclusions The number of positive MetS components seems no more informative than classifying （dichotomous） MetS for CVD risks assessment in this Chinese cohort.

Association of resting heart rate and hypertension stages on all-cause and car- diovascular mortality among elderly Koreans： the Kangwha Cohort Study

Background Elevated resting heart rate and hypertension independently increase the risk of mortality. However, their combined ef- fect on mortality in stages of hypertension according to updated clinical guidelines among dderly population is unclear. Methods We fol- lowed a cohort of 6100 residents （2600 males and 3500 females） of Kangwha County, Korea, ranging from 55 to 99 year-olds as of March 1985, for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality for 20.8 years until December 31, 2005. Mortality data were collected through telephone calls and visits （to 1991）, and were confirmed by death record matching with the National Statistical Office （1992-2005）. Hazard ratios were calculated for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by resting heart rate and hypertension defined by Eighth Joint National Committee crite- ria using the Cox proportional hazard model after controlling for confounding factors. Results The hazard ratios associated with resting heart rate 〉 80 beats/min were higher in hypertensive men compared with normotensives with heart rate of 61-79 beats/rain, with hazard ratios values of 1.43 （95% CI： 1.00-1.92） on all-cause mortality for prehypertension, 3.01 （95% CI： 1.07-8.28） on cardiovascular mortality for prehypertension, and 8.34 （95% CI： 2.52-28.19） for stage 2 hypertension. Increased risk （HR： 3.54, 95% CI： 1.16-9.21） was observed among those with both a resting heart rate 〉 80 beats/rain and prehypertension on cardiovascular mortality in women. Conclusions Indi- viduals with coexisting elevated resting heart rate and hypertension, even in prehypertension, have a greater risk for all-cause and cardiovas- cular mortality compared to those with elevated resting heart rate or hypertension alone. These findings suggest that elevated resting heart rate should not be regarded as a less serious risk factor in elderly hypertensive patients.

Oncologic outcomes of primary and post-irradiated early stage rectal cancer: A retrospective cohort study

AIM: To evaluate the oncologic outcomes of primary and post-irradiated early stage rectal cancer and the effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy for rectal cancer patients. METHODS: Eighty-four patients with stage Ⅰ rectal cancer after radical surgery were studied retrospectively and divided into ypstage Ⅰ group (n = 45) and pstage Ⅰ group (n = 39), according to their preoperative radiation, and compared by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The median follow-up time of patients was 70 mo. No significant difference was observed in diseaseprogression between the two groups. The 5-year disease-free survival rate was 84.4% and 92.3%, respectively (P = 0.327) and the 5-year overall survival rate was 88.9% and 92.3%, respectively, for the two groups (P = 0.692). The disease progression was not significantly associated with the pretreatment clinical stage in ypstage Ⅰ group. The 5-year disease progression rate was 10.5% and 19.2%, respectively, for the patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy and for those who rejected chemotherapy in the ypstage Ⅰ group (P = 0.681). CONCLUSION: The oncologic outcomes of primary and post-irradiated early stage rectal cancer are similar. Patients with ypstage Ⅰ rectal cancer may slightly benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.

Metabolic syndrome, lifestyle risk factors, and distal colon adenoma: A retrospective cohort study

AIM: To investigate relationships between colorectal adenoma incidence, metabolic syndrome (MS) components and lifestyle factors. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from individuals who had multiple sigmoidoscopies for colon cancer at the Health Promotion Center of Ulsan University Hospital in Korea from 1998 to 2007. RESULTS: By multivariate analysis, the incidence of distal colon adenoma was increased by more than 1.76 times in individuals with at least one component of MS compared to those without a component of MS. After adjustment for age, gender, smoking, drinking, and physical exercise, only high body mass index (BMI) was significantly associated with the incidence of distal colon adenoma (Hazard ratio 1.66, 95% confidence interval 1.05-2.62). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that high BMI may increase the risk of colorectal adenoma in Korean adults.

Clinical impact of selective transarterial chemoembolization on hepatocellular carcinoma:A cohort study

AIM： To prospectively long term clinical impact evaluate the short and of selective transarterial chemoembolization （TACE） on fiver function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. To assess side effects in relation to treatments. To analyze the overall survival and HCC progression free survival probability. METHODS： One hundred and seventeen cirrhotic patients with HCC were enrolled. Baseline liver function included Child-Pugh score and serum levels of alanine- aminotransferase （ALT）, prothrombin time （PT） and bilirubin. According to Cancer Liver Italian Program （CLIP） and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer （BCLC） staging systems, 71 patients were eligible for TACE; 32 had previously received treatment for HCC. No significant differences in liver function were observed between previously treated and not treated patients. TACE was performed by selective catheterization of the arteries nourishing the lesions. While hospitalized, patients underwent clinical, hematologic and ultrasonographic assessments. One month after TACE a CT scan was performed to assess tumor response. A second TACE was performed ＂on demand＂ Liver function tests were checked in all patients every four months. RESULTS： After first TACE, the mean Child-Pugh score increased from a mean baseline 5.62 ±1.12 to 6.11 ±1.57 at discharge time （P 〈 0.0001）, decreasing after four months to 5.81 ± 0.73 （not significant）. ALT, PT and bilirubin significantly （P 〈 0.0001） increased 24 h after TACE and progressively decreased until discharge. After the second TACE, variations in Child-Pugh score, ALT, PT and bilirubin were comparable to that described after the first TACE. No major complications were observed. The mean follow-up was 14.7 ＋ 6.3 mo （median： 16 mo）. Only one patient died. No other patient experienced important long term worsening of clinical status. The overall survival probability at twenty-four months was 98.18% with a correspondent HCC progression free survival probability of 69%. CONCLUSION： Selective TACE may produce significant, but transitory increases in ALT values, with no major impact on liver function and Child-Pugh score. Preservation of liver function is achievable also in patients previously treated with other therapeutic modalities and in patients undergoing multiple TACE cycles. Liver function can remain stable in the long-term, with optimal medium term survival. This result can be achieved through rigorous patient selection on the basis of tumour characteristics and clinical conditions.

Associations between serum potassium and sodium levels and risk of hypertension： a community-based cohort study

Objective Several studies have examined the relationships between dietary potassium and sodium and hypertension, but few have evaluated the association between serum potassium or sodium and risk of incident hypertension. We therefore investigated the associations between serum potassium and sodium and risk of incident hypertension in a Chinese community-based population. Methods A total of 839 normotensive individuals without cardiovascular disease from the Chinese Multi-Provincial Cohort Study who took part in the baseline examination in 2007-2008 and the follow-up survey in 2012-2013 were included in this study. Odds ratios （OR） and 95% confidence intervals （95%CI） for baseline serum potassium and sodium in relation to the risk of new-onset hypertension were evaluated using multivari- ate logistic regression models. Results During five years of follow-up, 218 （26.0%） individuals progressed to hypertension. Logistic re- gression adjusting for multiple confounders showed that every 1 mEq/L increment in baseline serum potassium level was associated with a 75% increased risk of hypertension （OR： 1.75; 95%CI： 1.01-3.04; P = 0.04）. Compared with adults with serum potassium level of 4.20-4.79 mEq/L, adults with level 〉 4.80 mEq/L had an 84% increased risk of hypertension （OR： 1.84; 95%CI： 1.14-2.96; P = 0.01）. There was no significant association between serum sodium and risk of hypertension （OR： 0.96; 95%CI： 0.89-1.04; P = 0.33）. Conclusions Base- line serum potassium level, but not baseline serum sodium level, was positively related to the risk of incident hypertension in the Chinese population.

Bisphosphonate use and gastrointestinal tract cancer risk:Meta-analysis of observational studies

AIM:To perform a meta-analysis of observational studies to further elucidate the relationship between oral bisphosphonate use and gastrointestinal cancer risk.METHODS:Systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE,EMBASE,and the Cochrane Library to identify studies through January 2011.Search terms were "bisphosphonates" or trade names of the drugs,and "observational studies" or "cohort studies" or "case-control studies".Two evaluators reviewed and selected articles on the basis of predetermined selection criteria as followed:(1) observational studies(casecontrol or cohort studies) on bisphosphonate use;(2) with at least 2 years of follow-up;and(3) reported data on the incidence of cancer diagnosis.The DerSimonian and Laird random effects model were used to calculate the pooled relative risk(RR) with 95% confidence interval(CI).Two-by-two contingency table was used to calculate the outcomes not suitable for meta-analysis.Subgroup meta-analyses were conducted for the type of cancer(esophageal,gastric and colorectal cancers).Sensitivity analyses were performed to examine the effect sizes when only studies with long-term follow-up(mean 5 years;subgroup 3 years) were included.RESULTS:Of 740 screened articles,3 cohort studies and 3 case-control studies were included in the analyses.At first,4 cohort studies and 3 case-control studies were selected for the analyses but one cohort study was excluded because the cancer outcomes were not categorized by type of gastrointestinal cancer.More than 124 686 subjects participated in the 3 cohort studies.The mean follow-up time in all of the cohort studies combined was approximately 3.88 years.The 3 casecontrol studies reported 3070 esophageal cancer cases and 15 417 controls,2018 gastric cancer cases and 10 007 controls,and 11 574 colorectal cancer cases and 53 955 controls.The percentage of study participants who used bisphosphonate was 2.8% among the cases and 2.9% among the controls.The meta-analysis of all the studies found no significant association between bisphosphonate use and gastrointestinal cancer.Also no statistically significant association was found in a meta-analysis of long-term follow-up studies.There was no negative association between bisphosphonate use and the incidence of esophageal cancer in the overall analysis(RR 0.96,95% CI:0.65-1.42,I 2 = 52.8%,P = 0.076) and no statistically significant association with long-term follow-up(RR 1.74,95% CI:0.97-3.10,I 2 = 58.8%,P = 0.119).No negative association was found in the studies reporting the risk of gastric cancer(RR 0.89,95% CI:0.71-1.13,I 2 = 0.0%,P = 0.472).In case of colorectal cancer,there was no association between colorectal cancer and bisphosphonate use(RR 0.62,95% CI:0.30-1.29,I 2 = 88.0%,P = 0.004) and also in the analysis with long-term follow-up(RR 0.61,95% CI:0.28-1.35,I 2 = 84.6%,P = 0.011).CONCLUSION:Oral bisphosphonate use had no significant effect on gastrointestinal cancer risk.However,this finding should be validated in randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up.

Methodology for high-quality studies on course and prognosis of inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel diseases(IBDs) are characterized by a chronic course with an alternation of relapses and remissions.Questions about prognosis are important for the patient who wants to know how the disease will affect his/her life and also for clinicians to make management decisions.Correct selection of the patients is the basis for good methodological studies on the course of IBD.A great proportion of data on the course of IBD is derived from a limited number of cohort studies.Studies help to define the endpoints for clinical trials and to identify subsets of patients in whom the prognosis of the disease can be stratified according to clinical features.Specific scientific requirements for high-quality studies on prognosis are the following:use of inception cohort,description of referral patterns,completeness of follow-up,objective outcome criteria,blind outcome assessment,adjustment for extraneous prognostic factors and statistical issues.We analyzed each of these requirements in studies on IBDs.To date,prospective and populationbased cohort studies are the standard for an unbiased assessment of prognosis.A better knowledge of the course of disease of chronic disorders ideally requires:(1) data from population-based studies,to avoid selection bias from referral centers in which patients with a more severe disease are usually treated;(2) inclusion of patients seen at the onset of the disease excluding misdiagnosed cases;and(3) follow-up from the onset of the disease to the end without dropouts.

Population-based Cohort Study in Outcome of Phased Progression of Atherosclerosis in China （PERSUADE）： objective, rationale and design

The coronary artery calcification score and pericardial fat volume have recently been reported to be strongly associated with the severity and presence of coronary atherosclerosis. However, no studies have explored the outcome of phased progression of atherosclerosis by non-contrast computed tomography in asymptomatic people in China. The population-based cohort study in outcome of phased progression of atherosclerosis in China （PERSUADE）, an observational, longitudinal and prospective cohort study in a target population of healthy sub- jects based in Jidong Oilfield （China）, prospectively analyzes the outcome of phased progression of atherosclerosis by non-contrast computed tomography in healthy population. The results of this study are expected to be of value for utilizing noninvasive imaging combine with tradi- tional cardiovascular risk factors to create a risk stratification and find pertinent biomarkers associated with the outcome of phased progres- sion of atherosclerosis in healthy people, thereby could help to establish a more personalized treatment of clinical practice.

Effectiveness of infliximab after adalimumab failure in Crohn's disease

AIM:To evaluate the effectiveness of infliximab as a second-line therapy in Crohn's disease patients after adalimumab failure. METHODS:A historical cohort study in a community-based gastroenterology practice evaluated Crohn's disease patients treated with infliximab (induction plus maintenance) after adalimumab failure. Patients were identified using a large Spanish database (ENEIDA). RESULTS:We included 15 Crohn's disease patients who received infliximab after adalimumab failure. Five patients discontinued adalimumab due to loss of response, 3 due to adverse events and 7 due to partial response. After infliximab therapy was started, all patients who had interrupted adalimumab due to loss of efficacy regained response. All patients who discontinued adalimumab due to adverse events responded to infliximab and maintained this response; one of these patients had an uneventful course on infliximab, but 2 developed adverse events. None of the 7 patients who interrupted adalimumab due to partial response reached remission with infliximab. CONCLUSION:Switching from adalimumab to infliximab may be useful in patients who develop adverse effects or loss of response, however, the benefit of infliximab in primary nonresponders was not established.

Coffee drinking and pancreatic cancer risk:A meta-analysis of cohort studies

AIM:To quantitatively assess the relationship between coffee consumption and incidence of pancreatic cancer in a meta-analysis of cohort studies. METHODS:We searched MEDLINE,EMBASE,Science Citation Index Expanded and bibliographies of retrieved articles.Studies were included if they reported relative risks(RRs)and corresponding 95%CIs of pancreatic cancer with respect to frequency of coffee intake.We performed random-effects meta-analyses and metaregressions of study-specific incremental estimates to determine the risk of pancreatic cancer associated with a 1 cup/d increment in coffee consumption. RESULTS:Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria, which included 671 080 individuals(1496 cancer events) with an average follow-up of 14.9 years.Compared with individuals who did not drink or seldom drank coffee per day,the pooled RR of pancreatic cancer was 0.82 (95%CI:0.69-0.95)for regular coffee drinkers,0.86 (0.76-0.96)for low to moderate coffee drinkers,and 0.68(0.51-0.84)for high drinkers.In subgroup analyses,we noted that,coffee drinking was associated witha reduced risk of pancreatic cancer in men,while this association was not seen in women.These associations were also similar in studies from North America,Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. CONCLUSION:Findings from this meta-analysis suggest that there is an inverse relationship between coffee drinking and risk of pancreatic cancer.