Night shift work exposure profile and obesity: Baseline results from a Chinese night shift worker cohort.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the associations between types of night shift work and different indices of obesity using the baseline information from a prospective cohort study of night shift workers in China.

Methods: A total of 3,871 workers from five companies were recruited from the baseline survey. A structured self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect the participants' demographic information, lifetime working history, and lifestyle habits.

Association Between Bacteremia From Specific Microbes and Subsequent Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer.

Background & Aims: Colorectal cancer (CRC) development has been associated with increased proportions of Bacteroides fragilis and certain Streptococcus, Fusobacterium, and Peptostreptococcus species in the intestinal microbiota. We investigated associations between bacteremia from specific intestinal microbes and occurrence of CRC.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study after collecting data on 13,096 adult patients (exposed group) in Hong Kong hospitalized with bacteremia (identified by blood culture test) without a previous diagnosis of cancer from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2015.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC/D) in clinical practice.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC/D) is an inherited myocardial disease characterized by fibro-fatty replacement of the right ventricular myocardium, and associated with paroxysmal ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD). It is currently the second most common cause of SCD after hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in young people <35 years of age, causing up to 20% of deaths in this patient population. This condition has a male preponderance and is more commonly found in individuals of Italian and Greek descent.

Genotype-guided warfarin dosing vs. conventional dosing strategies: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Aims: Previous trials on the effectiveness of genotype-guided warfarin dosing vs. conventional dosing have been inconclusive. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials comparing genotype-guided to conventional dosing strategies.

Sustained 3-Year Benefits in Quality of Life After Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in the Elderly: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Impact of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is important but under-reported in elderly patients.

Objectives: To evaluate long-term health status in elderly patients who underwent PCI.

Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent PCI at a university-affiliated hospital from September 2009 to June 2012 were prospectively enrolled with HRQOL assessment at baseline (up to 2 weeks before PCI) and at 6-, 12-, and 36-month follow-up using the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire descriptive profile and visual analogue scale (VAS).

Prognostic value of soluble ST2 postaortic valve replacement: a meta-analysis.

Objectives: Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) is a member of the interleukin-1 receptor family and a modulator of hypertrophic and fibrotic responses. Its prognostic value for patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) has been examined in prospective studies but to date, there has been no systematic evaluation or meta-analysis on this issue.

Methods: PubMed and Embase were searched until 1 October 2017 for studies that evaluated the relationship between sST2 levels and mortality after AVR.

Parental acceptability of HPV vaccination for boys and girls aged 9-13 years in China - A population-based study.

Background: This study was to investigate parental acceptability of HPV vaccination for their sons and daughters aged 9-13 years under different cost scenarios, and factors associated with parental acceptability at market price.

Methods: Participants were: (1) Chinese speaking parents aged 18-60 years with a Hong Kong ID card; (2) had a son or a daughter aged 9-13 years at the date of the survey; (3) the child had the right to abode in Hong Kong. Random telephone numbers were selected from up-to-date telephone directories of Hong Kong.

Meta-analysis of T-T and T-T/QT ratio for risk stratification in congenital long QT syndrome.

Background And Objectives: Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) predisposes affected individuals to ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VF/VF), potentially resulting in sudden cardiac death. The T-T interval and the T-T/QT ratio, electrocardiographic markers of dispersion of ventricular repolarization, were proposed for risk stratification but their predictive values in LQTS have been controversial. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to examine the value of T-T intervals and T-T/QT ratios in predicting arrhythmic and mortality outcomes in congenital LQTS.

Approaching the Hard-to-Reach in Organized Colorectal Cancer Screening: an Overview of Individual, Provider and System Level Coping Strategies.

Background: Despite the proven effectiveness of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening on reduction of CRC mortality, the uptake of CRC screening remains low. Participation rate is one of determinants for the success of organized population-based screening program. This review aims to identify those who are hard-to-reach, and summarize the strategies to increase their screening rate from individual, provider and system levels.

Benefits and limitations of implementing Chronic Care Model (CCM) in primary care programs: A systematic review.

Background: Chronic Care Model (CCM) has been developed to improve patients' health care by restructuring health systems in a multidimensional manner. This systematic review aims to summarize and analyse programs specifically designed and conducted for the fulfilment of multiple CCM components. We have focused on programs targeting diabetes mellitus, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Global Incidence and mortality of oesophageal cancer and their correlation with socioeconomic indicators temporal patterns and trends in 41 countries.

Oesophageal cancers (adenocarcinomas [AC] and squamous cell carcinomas [SCC]) are characterized by high incidence/mortality in many countries. We aimed to delineate its global incidence and mortality, and studied whether socioeconomic development and its incidence rate were correlated. The age-standardized rates (ASRs) of incidence and mortality of this medical condition in 2012 for 184 nations from the GLOBOCAN database; national databases capturing incidence rates, and the WHO mortality database were examined.

Subjective sleep quality, blood pressure, and hypertension: a meta-analysis.

Sleep quality is an important aspect of sleep, but no meta-analysis has elucidated its relationship with blood pressure (BP) and hypertension. A meta-analysis was conducted in October 2016 using multiple databases, including Embase and Medline. Studies that assessed subjective sleep quality and BP or hypertension were included.

The role of human papillomavirus in laryngeal cancer in Southern China.

To delineate the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in laryngeal cancer in Southern Chinese, a retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in a major otorhinolaryngology referral center in Hong Kong. Eighty-five Chinese patients with histology-confirmed laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) diagnosed between 2005 and 2010 were examined for the status of HPV by PCR, and the expression of p16 and p53 by immunohistochemistry. The HPV, p16 and p53 findings were correlated with clinicopathological features, recurrence and 5-year survival.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 in cardio-metabolic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Fibroblast growth factor 21 is a signalling protein involved in cell differentiation, morphogenesis, proliferation and metabolism. Recent studies have associated increased levels of FGF21 in the development of cardiovascular diseases, whereas others have reported no significant associations. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the value in predicting the risk of cardio-metabolic disorders and mortality.

Cancer antigen-125 and risk of atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Cancer antigen-125 (Ca-125) is traditionally recognised as a tumour marker and its role in cardiovascular diseases has been studied only in recent years. Whether Ca-125 is elevated in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and its levels predict the risk of AF remains controversial. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between Ca-125 levels and AF.

Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter, Blood Pressure, and Incident Hypertension in Taiwanese Adults.

Background: Long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution may increase blood pressure and the risk of hypertension. However, epidemiological evidence is scarce and inconsistent.

Objectives: We investigated the associations between long-term exposure to PM with an aerodynamic diameter <2.

The global epidemiology of bladder cancer: a joinpoint regression analysis of its incidence and mortality trends and projection.

We tested the hypotheses that the global incidence of bladder cancer was increasing but its mortality was reducing and its incidence was positively correlated with country-specific socioeconomic development. We retrieved data on age-standardized incidence and mortality rates/100,000 from the GLOBOCAN database in 2012. Temporal patterns were examined for 39 countries from the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents volumes I-X and other national registries.

Increased leisure-time physical activity associated with lower onset of diabetes in 44 828 adults with impaired fasting glucose: a population-based prospective cohort study.

Aims: To evaluate the effects of habitual leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) on incident type 2 diabetes in a prospective cohort of Chinese adults with impaired fasting glucose (IFG).

Methods: 44 828 Chinese adults aged 20-80 years with newly detected IFG but free from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease were recruited and followed up from 1996 to 2014. Incident type 2 diabetes was identified by fasting plasma glucose ≥7 mmol/L.

Association between investigator-measured body-mass index and colorectal adenoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 168,201 subjects.

The objective of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the odds of colorectal adenoma (CRA) in colorectal cancer screening participants with different body mass index (BMI) levels, and examine if this association was different according to gender and ethnicity. The EMBASE and MEDLINE were searched to enroll high quality observational studies that examined the association between investigator-measured BMI and colonoscopy-diagnosed CRA. Data were independently extracted by two reviewers.