Associations of Metabolic Syndrome and its Components With Mortality in the Elderly: A Cohort Study of 73,547 Taiwanese Adults.

Available evidence shows that metabolic syndrome (Mets) has clear adverse effects for middle-aged and pre-elderly adults; however, the effect of Mets on mortality among elderly adults remains unclear. In addition, the comparative utility of Mets and its component for predicting mortality among the elderly has not been clearly established. Using data from a large Taiwanese cohort, we evaluated the effect of Mets and its components on subsequent all-cause and cause-specific mortality overtime among the elderly.

Gender disparities in latent tuberculosis infection in high-risk individuals: a cross-sectional study.

Male predominance in active tuberculosis (TB) is widely-reported globally. Gender inequalities in socio-cultural status are frequently regarded as contributing factors for disparities in sex in active TB. The disparities of sex in the prevalence of latent TB infection (LTBI) are less frequently investigated and deserve clarification.

Latent TB infection in newly diagnosed lung cancer patients - A multicenter prospective observational study.

Objectives: Lung cancer and tuberculosis (TB) share common risk factors and are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Coexistence of lung cancer and TB were reported in previous studies, with uncertain pathogenesis. The association between lung cancer and latent TB infection (LTBI) remains to be explored.

Characteristics of IFN-γ responses in IGRA among pulmonary TB suspects in a TB-endemic area.

Although the diagnostic value of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) release assays for active tuberculosis (TB) is limited, the characteristic of non-TB-specific IFN-γ responses among TB suspects deserves further evaluation. We enrolled clinically suspected pulmonary TB (PTB) patients, and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) was performed. The characteristics of IFN-γ responses were analyzed.