Does chronic low-dose aspirin use benefit bone health? A cross-sectional study on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

INTRODUCTION: Numerous studies have reported the striking result that aspirin use is associated with higher bone mineral density (BMD), suggesting its potential as a population-wide osteoporosis prevention measure. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the impact of chronic low-dose aspirin use on bone remodeling biomarkers and BMD in an aging population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between September and November of 2019, clinical data regarding the medication use, serum bone remodeling biomarkers, and BMD of 567 consecutively hospitalized patients, a minimum of 50 years old with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), were collected. The cross-sectional associations between chronic low-dose aspirin use and serum concentrations of bone remodeling biomarkers and BMD were estimated separately using linear regression. Potential confounding variables were controlled for, including age, sex, and comorbidities. RESULTS: Low-dose aspirin users had significantly lower serum bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) concentrations than non-users (82.44 ± 28.03 U/L vs 90.71 ± 32.79 U/L, p = 0.025). On the other hand, low-dose aspirin users had insignificantly higher vertebral BMD (0.95 ± 0.19 vs 0.91 ± 0.21, p = 0.185), femoral neck BMD (0.80 ± 0.15 vs 0.78 ± 0.17, p = 0.309) and Ward's triangle BMD (0.46 ± 0.14 vs 0.44 ± 0.13, p = 0.209), regardless of adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: This cross-sectional study demonstrated that chronic use of low-dose aspirin was associated with significantly lower serum concentrations of BAP in hospitalized patients with T2DM. The mechanism causing the insignificantly higher BMD observed in chronic aspirin users in this study and the significant increments in BMD reported in previous studies requires further clarification in other clinical trials.

Percutaneous cortical bone trajectory screw fixation versus traditional open pedicle screw fixation for type A thoracolumbar fractures without neurological deficit.

Retrospective matched-cohort comparative study. Cortical bone trajectory screw (CBT) technique is a new insertion technique in terms of fixation strength and less invasiveness. The purposes of this study were to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes of percutaneous CBT fixation (PCBT) with traditional open posterior pedicle screw fixation (OPPS) technique. Between September 2019 and October 2020, patients undergoing posterior stabilization were matched for age, sex, diagnosis, fractured level, and AO classification. 24 control patients with OPPS were identified and appropriately matched to 24 consecutive patients with PCBT technique. Clinical outcomes and radiographic assessments including vertebral wedge angle (VWA) and sagittal index were recorded and compared between the two groups. Incision length, intraoperative blood loss and hospital stay in the PCBT group were significantly better than the OPPS group (P < 0.05). The VAS scores 5 days after operation for PCBT patients were significantly lower than those for OPPS patients (P = 0.003), but these differences lost significance at last follow-up. There was no significant difference in VWA and sagittal index between OPPS and PCBT group (P > 0.05). While no complications were noted in the PCBT group, there were four cases with complications in the traditional OPPS group. The present study showed that PCBT is a safe and feasible method for the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures without neurological deficits. This new surgical treatment was more minimally invasive, yet yielded equivalent or superior clinical and radiographic outcomes compared to the traditional open pedicle screw fixation surgery.

Association of metabolic syndrome with carotid atherosclerosis in low-income Chinese individuals: A population-based study.

Background: This study aimed to explore the association of the presence and number of components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) with carotid atherosclerosis by measuring the presence of carotid plaque and total plaque area (TPA) in a population from a low-income area with high incidence of stroke of northern China. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural area of Tianjin, China from April 2014 to January 2015. The presence of plaque and TPA measurement was determined by carotid ultrasound. The presence and number of components of MetS was ascertained using the modified International Diabetes Federation criteria for the Asian population. Results: Among a total of 3,583 individuals aged ≥ 45 years, the overall prevalence of MetS was 54.5%. MetS and its components were related to the presence of carotid plaque as well as TPA. Multivariate analysis showed MetS was associated with a 20% higher risk of carotid plaque presence (95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.42; P = 0.036) and an 18% increase in TPA (95% confidence interval: 0.08, 0.27; P < 0.001). The number of MetS components showed an increasing trend with the risk of carotid plaque presence and increased TPA. Among single components of MetS, high BP accounted for the largest proportion and was an independent risk factor of carotid plaque and increased TPA. Conclusions: Among individuals aged 45 years or more, we confirmed MetS and its components were associated with carotid atherosclerosis in a low-income population of northern China. The presence of MetS and a higher number of MetS components exacerbated the risk of carotid atherosclerosis; among the five MetS components, high blood pressure was associated with the greatest risk. Targeted atherosclerosis prevention and intervention should include identification and treatment of MetS, especially high blood pressure.

Skin diseases in the Da Qing Diabetes Study: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of skin diseases and diabetes mellitus (DM) are prominent around the world. The current scope of knowledge regarding the prevalence of skin diseases and comorbidities with type 2 DM (T2DM) is limited, leading to limited recognition of the correlations between skin diseases and T2DM. METHODS: We collected 383 subjects from the Da Qing Diabetes Study during the period from July 9th to September 1st, 2016. The subjects were categorized into three groups: Normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and T2DM. The prevalence and clinical characteristics of skin diseases were recorded and investigated. RESULTS: In this cross-sectional study, 383 individuals with ages ranging from 53 to 89-year-old were recruited. The overall prevalence of skin diseases was 93.5%, and 75.7% of individuals had two or more kinds of skin diseases. Additionally, there were 47 kinds of comorbid skin diseases in patients with T2DM, of which eight kinds of skin diseases had a prevalence >10%. The prevalence of skin diseases in NGT, IGT, and T2DM groups were 93.3%, 91.5%, and 96.6%, respectively; stratified analysis by categories showed a statistically significant difference in "disturbances of pigmentation" and "neurological and psychogenic dermatoses". The duration of T2DM also significantly associated with the prevalence of "disturbances of pigmentation" and "neurological and psychogenic dermatoses". Subsequently, the prevalence of "disturbances of pigmentation" was higher in males than females in NGT (P < 0.01) and T2DM (P < 0.01) groups. In addition, the difference in the prevalence of "disturbances of pigmentation" was also significant in NGT and T2DM groups (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: There was a high prevalence of skin diseases in the Da Qing Diabetes Study. To address the skin diseases in the Da Qing Diabetes Study, increased awareness and intervention measures should be implemented.

Tumor necrosis factor gene polymorphisms are associated with silicosis: a systemic review and meta-analysis.

Studies investigating association between tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene polymorphisms and silicosis susceptibility report conflicting results. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess association between TNF gene polymorphisms and silicosis susceptibility. A systematic literature search was conducted to find relevant studies. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the strength of association. Finally, a total of 12 articles, involving 1990 silicosis patients and 1898 healthy controls were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, meta-analysis revealed a significant association between the TNF -308A allele and silicosis (OR = 1.348, 95%CI = 1.156-1.570, P<0.001). A significant association of AA+AG genotype of the TNF -308 A/G polymorphism with susceptibility to silicosis was also found (OR = 1.466, 95%CI = 1.226-1.753, P<0.001). After stratification by ethnicity, significant associations were detected under the genetic models (A allele and AA+AG genotype) for TNF -308A/G polymorphisms in the Asian population (P<0.05). Similarly, meta-analysis of the TNF -238A/G polymorphism revealed the same pattern as that shown by meta-analysis of TNF -308A/G. The meta-analysis suggests that the TNF -308A/G and -238A/G polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to silicosis, especially in Asians.

IL-23R mutation is associated with ulcerative colitis: A systemic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Since a genome-wide association study revealed that Interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) gene is a candidate gene for Ulcerative Colitis (UC), many studies have investigated the association between the IL-23R polymorphisms and UC. However, the results were controversial. The aim of the study was to determine whether the IL-23R polymorphisms confer susceptibility to UC. METHODS: A systematic literature search was carried out to identify all potentially relevant studies. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the strength of association. RESULTS: A total of 33 studies in 32 articles, including 10,527 UC cases and 15,142 healthy controls, were finally involved in the meta-analysis. Overall, a significant association was found between all UC cases and the rs11209026A allele (OR = 0.665, 95% CI = 0.604~0.733, P < 0.001). Similarly, meta-analyses of the rs7517847, rs1004819, rs10889677, rs2201841, rs11209032, rs1495965, rs1343151 and rs11465804 polymorphisms also indicated significant association with all UC (all P < 0.05). Stratification by ethnicity revealed that the rs11209026, rs7517847, rs10889677, rs2201841 andrs11465804 polymorphisms were associated with UC in the Caucasian group, but not in Asians, while the rs1004819 and rs11209032 polymorphisms were found to be related to UC for both Caucasian and Asian groups. However, subgroup analysis failed to unveil any association between the rs1495965 and rs1343151 polymorphisms and UC in Caucasians or Asians. CONCLUSIONS: The meta-analysis suggests significant association between IL-23R polymorphisms and UC, especially in Caucasians.