Varicose veins are associated with an increased risk of mitral valve regurgitation: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

Background: Varicose veins (VV) and mitral valve regurgitation (MR) are both common diseases. The aim was to investigate whether VV are associated with an increased risk of MR.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide cohort study to assess the association between VV and risk of developing MR.

The clinical and sleep manifestations in children with FOXG1 syndrome.

FOXG1 syndrome is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder associated with severe cognitive dysfunction, autistic behavior, and early-onset hyperkinetic movement disorders. Patients have also been reported to experience sleep disturbances. However, these findings are mainly based on subjective caregivers' reports, and limited by small case numbers.

Association between atopic dermatitis and colorectal cancer risk: A nationwide cohort study.

The role of atopic dermatitis (AD) in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been a matter of scientific debate with mixed results. We conducted a nationwide cohort study to assess the association between AD and risk of CRC. Drawing on Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, 46,703 patients with AD (the AD cohort) and 186,812 sex, age, and index year-matched patients without AD (the non-AD cohort) were identified in the period between 2000 and 2008.

Statin use and the risk of renal cell carcinoma: national cohort study.

Statins are a therapeutic drug with reducing plasma cholesterol levels and have been linked with potential antitumor effects. However, epidemiological studies on statin use and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) risk have been inconsistent. This cohort study aimed to examine this association in an Asian population.

Elevated uric acid level as a significant predictor of chronic kidney disease: a cohort study with repeated measurements.

Background: Cohort studies evaluating increased serum uric acid (SUA) level as a chronic kidney disease (CKD) risk factor have yielded variable results. We aimed to assess the association between the pattern of longitudinal changes in SUA and incident CKD [estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2)].

Predictive value of serum apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A-I ratio in metabolic syndrome risk: a Chinese cohort study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A-I (apoB/apoA-I) ratio is a promising risk predictor of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to determine the optimal cut-off value of this ratio in detecting subjects with MetS in a Chinese population. A prospective study was conducted using a representative sample of non-institutionized people in Taiwan. A total of 3,343 participants with mean age (±SD) of 39.

Uric acid level as a risk marker for metabolic syndrome: a Chinese cohort study.

Objective: Despite some epidemiologic research demonstrating a positive relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), prospective data on SUA as a predictor of MetS incidence are limited.

Methods: The authors examined SUA as a risk marker for incident MetS in a prospective study of 3857 subjects who were free of MetS at baseline recruitment. Hyperuricemia was defined as SUA ≥7.

Dietary intake of vitamin B(6) and risk of breast cancer in Taiwanese women.

Background: B vitamins, including vitamin B(6), are coenzymes that are important for DNA integrity and stability. Deficiencies in B vitamins may promote tumor carcinogenesis.

Methods: We examined the association of dietary vitamin B(6) intake with overall breast cancer risk and breast cancers stratified by hormone receptor status.

Joint effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ genetic polymorphisms and estrogen-related risk factors on breast cancer risk: results from a case-control study in Taiwan.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) has been linked with possible antineoplastic effects in colorectal carcinogenesis. However, data for the possible link between PPARγ and breast cancer risk are sparse. We assessed the association of three polymorphisms in PPARγ (rs10865710 [C-681T], rs1805192 [Pro12Ala], and rs3856806 [C1431T]) with the risk of breast cancer in an ethnic Chinese female population in Taiwan.

Adipocytokine resistin and breast cancer risk.

Adipocytokine resistin is a member of the newly discovered family of cysteine-rich protein. Recent data suggest that macrophages are a major source of human resistin. Given the obesity-breast cancer link and convergence of adipocyte and macrophage function, resistin may provide unique insight into links between obesity, inflammation, and breast cancer risk in humans.

Relationships between critical period of estrogen exposure and circulating levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in breast cancer: evidence from a case-control study.

Epidemiological observations suggest that insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), a potent mitogenic and anti-apoptotic peptide, plays a role in the etiology of breast cancer. Estrogen, which is crucial in breast carcinogenesis, both regulates and is influenced by IGF-I family. A case-control study was conducted to assess the role of IGF-I as a biomarker for breast cancer and to evaluate the potential joint effect of circulating IGF-I and critical period of estrogen exposure, as estimated by the interval between age at menarche and age at first full-term pregnancy on the risk of breast cancer.