Stratifying High-Risk Thyroid Nodules Using a Novel Deep Learning System.

Introduction: The current ultrasound scan classification system for thyroid nodules is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and subjective. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been shown to increase the accuracy of predicting the malignancy rate of thyroid nodules. This study aims to demonstrate the state-of-the-art Swin Transformer to classify thyroid nodules.

Effect of physical activity in a weight loss program on circulating total ANGPTL8 concentrations in northern Americans with obesity: A prospective randomized controlled trial.

Background And Aims: The primary goals of this study were to clarify 1) the effect of weight loss by lifestyle intervention on circulating total angiopoietin-like protein 8 (ANGPTL8), and 2) the role of physical activity on serum total ANGPTL8 in northern Americans with obesity but without diabetes.

Methods And Results: A total of 130 subjects with body mass index (BMI) ≧ 35 kg/m but without diabetes were recruited, and 121 subjects completed a weight loss program for data analysis. Abdominal adipose tissue was determined by non-contrast computed tomography (CT).

Metformin as a potential protective therapy against tuberculosis in patients with diabetes mellitus: A retrospective cohort study in a single teaching hospital.

Aims/introduction: The convergence of tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) is a new challenge in Asia as a result of the rising prevalence of diabetes mellitus with higher TB infection rates, and also because diabetes mellitus itself enhances TB disease activity and consequently the spread of TB. We aimed to address the risk presented by diabetes mellitus for TB infection.

Materials And Methods: Patients with diabetes mellitus were retrospectively recruited.

The ZJU index is a powerful surrogate marker for NAFLD in severely obese North American women.

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the western world and is highly associated with multiple cardiometabolic complications. The Zhejiang University (ZJU) index was first developed to predict NAFLD in Chinese populations, where it was shown to have better predictive value than other currently used indices. The aims of the present study were to 1) determine the diagnostic accuracy of ZJU index in identifying NAFLD in a well-phenotyped cohort of obese middle-aged American women and 2) compare its performance with other non-invasive indices for NAFLD identification.

Two-hour post-challenge hyperglycemia, but not fasting plasma glucose, associated with severity of coronary artery disease in patients with angina.

Introduction: Postprandial hyperglycemia plays a pivotal role in cardiovascular disease. However, few studies have investigated associations between the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) and postprandial glucose levels in angina patients without known diabetes before coronary angiography.

Methods: Subjects who were admitted for coronary angiography due to angina and were in stable condition after discharge were recruited.

Synergistic effect of renalase and chronic kidney disease on endothelin-1 in patients with coronary artery disease ‒ a cross-sectional study.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is associated with endothelial dysfunction and vasoconstriction. Increased circulating ET-1 levels are associated with long-term cardiovascular mortality. Renalase, released from kidney, metabolizes catecholamines and regulates blood pressure.

Effects of statins on all-cause mortality at different low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels in Asian patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To investigate the effects of statins on all-cause mortality risk at different low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, and to compare the mortality risk between statin users and non-users with identical LDL-C levels in a type 2 diabetes cohort.

Methods: In total, 10,582 outpatients aged ≥18 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) between 2009 and 2012 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study in central Taiwan. All-cause mortality events were followed up until the end of 2014.

The association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor and central pulse pressure after an oral glucose tolerance test.

Background: Arterial stiffening blunts postprandial vasodilatation. We hypothesized that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may modulate postprandial central pulse pressure, a surrogate marker for arterial stiffening.

Methods: A total of 82 non-diabetic subjects received a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) after overnight fasting.

The synergistic effect of inflammation and metabolic syndrome on intraocular pressure: A cross-sectional study.

Intraocular pressure is associated with metabolic syndrome. C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with cardiovascular disease, irrespective of the presence of metabolic syndrome. In this study, we examined the synergistic effect of CRP and metabolic syndrome on intraocular pressure.

Differential expression of circulating vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in subjects with coronary artery disease and cardiac syndrome X without known diabetes mellitus.

Context: Inflammation is one of the mechanisms underlying cardiac syndrome X (CSX).

Objectives: Few studies have compared the expression of inflammatory or adhesion molecules between coronary artery disease (CAD) versus CSX.

Materials And Methods: Ninety-two CSX and 145 CAD subjects without known diabetes mellitus underwent coronary angiogram for angina.

Hemoglobin glycation index as a useful predictor of therapeutic responses to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Introduction: A high hemoglobin glycation index (HGI) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level are associated with greater inflammatory status, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors can suppress inflammation. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between HGI and the therapeutic effect of DPP-4 inhibitors.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study followed 468 patients with type 2 diabetes receiving DPP-4 inhibitor treatment for 1 year.

The synergistic effect of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and coronary artery disease on brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is important for neural protection and energy homeostasis. In this study, we examined the effects of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and coronary artery disease (CAD) on BDNF.

Methods: Subjects who had undergone diagnostic angiography for angina were recruited, and a total of 240 subjects (144 with CAD and 96 without CAD) were enrolled.

Relationship between body weight and the increment in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor after oral glucose challenge in men with obesity and metabolic syndrome: A prospective study.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a role in energy homeostasis. However, the postprandial BDNF change has not been well investigated. We hypothesized that the BDNF increment after oral glucose challenge is associated with body weight.

Physical activity and albuminuria were associated with painful diabetic polyneuropathy in type 2 diabetes in an ethnic Chinese population.

Background: Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, the prevalence of painful diabetic polyneuropathy (PDPN) have been less studied. We examined the prevalence and risk factors of PDPN in outpatients with type 2 diabetes in an ethnic Chinese population.

Urinary Cyclophilin A as a New Marker for Diabetic Nephropathy: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Diabetes Mellitus.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common single cause of end-stage renal disease. Albuminuria is the most commonly used marker to predict onset of diabetic nephropathy (DN) without enough sensitivity and specificity to detect early DN. This is the first study to identify urinary cyclophilin A (CypA) as a new biomarker for early DN.

A new formula for estimation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in an ethnic Chinese population.

Background: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is usually estimated by the Friedewald formula (FF) calculated from three parameters, namely, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). We aimed to develop a new and simple formula (NF) for LDL-C estimation.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled two study populations (a testing group, n=16,749, and a validation group, n=4940).

Comparing HbA1c, fasting and 2-h plasma glucose for screening for abnormal glucose regulation in patients undergoing coronary angiography.

Background: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of undiagnosed abnormal glucose regulation (AGR, including diabetes and prediabetes) in patients undergoing coronary angiography (CAG) by using both glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to screen, and to compare the performance of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h plasma glucose (2hPG), and HbA1c for screening for AGR.

Methods: Eligible patients were adults without known diabetes who were admitted for CAG. Patients' glucose regulation status was defined by conducting HbA1c and OGTT 2-4 weeks after hospital discharge.

Correlation between reduction of superior interventricular groove epicardial fat thickness and improvement of insulin resistance after weight loss in obese men.

Background: It has been recognized that reduction of abdominal visceral fat and subcutaneous fat are associated with improvement in insulin-resistance (IR) after weight loss. However, few studies have investigated the correlation of reduction in epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) with improvement of IR index after weight loss in obese non-diabetic men with metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Methods And Results: We prospectively enrolled 32 non-diabetic men with MetS for a 3-month weight reduction program mainly by diet control and exercise.

Weight loss reduces serum monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 concentrations in association with improvements in renal injury in obese men with metabolic syndrome.

Background: Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is involved in obesity-related renal injury. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of weight loss on changes in MCP-1 and markers of renal injury, specifically serum cystatin C (S-CysC) and urinary N-acetyl glucosaminidase (UNAG), in obese people.

Methods: In this prospective study, 40 obese men with metabolic syndrome (MetS) participated in a 3-month dietary and exercise intervention.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor, but not body weight, correlated with a reduction in depression scale scores in men with metabolic syndrome: a prospective weight-reduction study.

Background: Obesity, a critical component of metabolic syndrome (MetS), is associated with depression. Deficiency of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in the mechanism of depression. We hypothesized that weight reduction would improve depressive symptoms via increasing BDNF levels in obese men.

Genome-wide association study in a Chinese population with diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of preventable blindness in adults. To identify genetic contributions in DR, we studied 2071 type 2 diabetics. We first conducted a genome-wide association study of 1007 individuals, comparing 570 subjects with ≥8 years duration without DR (controls) with 437 PDR (cases) in the Chinese discovery cohort.

Effects of weight loss on epicardial adipose tissue thickness and its relationship between serum soluble CD40 ligand levels in obese men.

Background: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) induces activated inflammatory cells secreting cytokines, including soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L). In turn, the serum sCD40L can trigger inflammatory responses. We examined the reduction of EAT in response to weight loss (WL) and its relationship with alterations in sCD40L in obese men.