Safety assessment of a proprietary fermented soybean solution, Symbiota®, as an ingredient for use in foods and dietary supplements: Non-clinical studies and a randomized trial.

A safety evaluation was performed of Symbiota®, which is made by a proprietary anaerobic fermentation process of soybean with multistrains of probiotics and a yeast. The battery of genotoxicity studies showed that Symbiota® has no genotoxic effects. Safety and tolerability were further assessed by acute or repeated dose 28- and 90-day rodent studies, and no alterations in clinical observations, ophthalmological examination, blood chemistry, urinalysis, or hematology were observed between the control group and the different dosing groups (1.

Efficacy and Safety of Direct Oral Anticoagulants for Stroke Prevention in Older Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Although older patients with atrial fibrillation are at heightened risk of thromboembolic and bleeding events, their optimal treatment choice remains uncertain.

Methods And Results: This meta-analysis was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases for randomized controlled trials that compared thromboembolic or bleeding outcomes between a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) and a vitamin K antagonist (VKA) and reported outcomes for patients aged ≥75 years with atrial fibrillation.

Midterm Prognosis of Patients With Pulmonary Embolism Receiving Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis or Systemic Thrombolysis: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Background This study compared the efficacy and safety between catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) and systemic thrombolysis for patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) with midterm follow-up. Methods and Results We conducted a prospective open cohort study by using data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for 2001 to 2013. Patients who were first admitted for PE and were treated by either systemic thrombolysis or CDT were included and compared.

Metformin Use Is Associated With a Lower Risk of Hospitalization for Heart Failure in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: a Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

Background A beneficial effect of metformin on heart failure requires confirmation. Methods and Results Patients with new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus during 1999 to 2005 were enrolled from Taiwan's National Health Insurance database and followed up from January 1, 2006, until December 31, 2011. Main analyses were conducted in an unmatched cohort (172 542 metformin ever users and 43 744 never users) and a propensity score matched-pair cohort (matched cohort I, 41 714 ever users and 41 714 never users).