Gout is a common systemic inflammatory disease with a male predominance. This study aimed to determine the relationship between serum total testosterone level and hyperuricemia. Data on 1899 men, collected from 2007 to 2017, were included in the analysis. Serum testosterone and urate (SU) were measured on enrolment. The primary endpoints were SU levels ≥ 7 mg/dL and ≥9 mg/dL. On enrolment, participants had a mean age of 45.6 years and mean total testosterone and SU levels of 510 ng/dL and 6.6 mg/dL, respectively. The mean total testosterone levels were 533 and 470 ng/dL in patients with SU levels < 7 mg/dL and ≥7 mg/dL, respectively (p < 0.001); and 515 and 425 ng/dL in patients with SU levels < 9 mg/dL and ≥9 mg/dL, respectively (p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, body mass index, creatinine, serum lipid, fasting blood glucose, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure, low testosterone level (<400 ng/dL) was significantly associated with an SU level ≥ 7 mg/dL (hazard ratio: 1.182, 95% confidence interval: 1.005–1.39) and ≥9 mg/dL (hazard ratio: 1.905, 95% confidence interval: 1.239–2.928). In men, a low testosterone level may be associated with an increased risk of hyperuricemia.

Purpose: To assess the association between serum testosterone (T) and metabolic syndrome (MS) in different age groups in Taiwanese men. Materials and Methods: Male participants, regardless of age or any underlying disease, were identified from MJ Health Screening Center in Taiwan from 2007 to 2016 for this cross-sectional study. They were divided into three groups according to age, and further classified according to MS diagnosis. Basic patient characteristics with relevant parameters were obtained. One-way ANOVA of mean T values between different numbers of measures that exceeds the cut-off values of MS components was performed to assess the relationship of T and MS. Logistic regression analysis was also used to estimate the risk for MS with each increment in T, age, and BMI. Results: A total of 4,931 men were included. The MS group had significantly lower serum T levels compared to the non-MS group in each age group. The one-way ANOVA found the mean value of T was significantly higher in patients without MS component (6.19± 2.12 ng/mL) than those with 1– 5 MS components (with one MS component: 5.48± 2.13 ng/mL, two MS components: 4.93± 2.03 ng/mL, three MS components: 4.37± 1.60 ng/mL, four MS components: 4.13± 2.89 ng/mL, five MS components: 3.74± 1.27 ng/mL, and P< 0.001). There was no significant difference between the patients with three components and the patients with four or five components. Logistic regression models with age stratification showed T with lower odds ratio (OR) for MS after adjusting for BMI in those ≥ 65 years old (OR=0.693; 95% CI=0.559– 0.858; P< 0.001); 50– 64 years old (OR=0.868; 95% CI=0.802– 0.940; P< 0.001) and < 50 years old (OR=0.810; 95% CI=0.758– 0.865; P< 0.001). Conclusion: Lower serum T was strongly associated with MS, with the predictive value increasing with age in Taiwanese men.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is characterized by excessive fat accumulation in the liver. Intracellular oxidative stress induced by lipid accumulation leads to various hepatocellular injuries including fibrosis. However, no effective method for mitigating MASLD without substantial side effects currently exists. Molecular hydrogen (H₂) has garnered attention due to its efficiency in neutralizing harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) and its ability to penetrate cell membranes. Some clinical evidence suggests that H₂ may alleviate fatty liver disease, but the precise molecular mechanisms, particularly the regulation of lipid droplet (LD) metabolism, remain unclear. This study utilized an in vitro model of hepatocyte lipid accumulation induced by free fatty acids (FFAs) to replicate MASLD in HepG2 cells. The results demonstrated a significant increase in LD accumulation due to elevated FFA levels. However, the addition of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) effectively reduced LD accumulation. HRW decreased the diameter of LDs and reduced lipid peroxidation and FFA-induced oxidative stress by activating the AMPK/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. Overall, our findings suggest that HRW has potential as an adjunctive supplement in managing fatty liver disease by reducing LD accumulation and enhancing antioxidant pathways, presenting a novel strategy for impeding MASLD progression.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between the use of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and the risk of developing depression in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patients and Methods: This study used Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Database and an active comparator new-user design to evaluate depression risk among 551,917 patients initiating SGLT2i or DPP4i between 2016 and 2018. The primary outcome was depression incidence, assessed over a three-year follow-up. Stratified Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between groups. Results: Among new SGLT2i users, 3255 cases of depression occurred (7.18 per 1000 person-years) versus 7190 cases among DPP4i users (10.12 per 1000 person-years). After adjustment for demographic and clinical covariates, SGLT2i use was consistently associated with a lower risk of depression in both the full cohort (adjusted HR = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.73– 0.80) and the propensity score–matched cohort (adjusted HR = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.74– 0.81). The association remained robust in multiple sensitivity analyses and across clinical subgroups. Conclusion: SGLT2i use was associated with a reduced risk of depression among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. These findings suggest potential neuropsychiatric benefits of SGLT2i and support further investigation into their broader therapeutic implications.

Introduction. To evaluate whether waist circumference (WC) or hyperglycemia is more closely associated with hypogonadism in middle-aged men. Research Design and Methods. This cross-sectional study analyzed male participants under 65 years old from the MJ Health Screening Center in Taiwan from 2007 to 2016. Basic patient characteristics with relevant parameters were obtained. We used the chi-square test to perform a correlation analysis for HbA1c and WC between participants with and without hypogonadism. A one-way ANOVA with post hoc Scheffe’s method was applied to compare the mean testosterone (T) among the HbAlc and WC groups (normal blood sugar with normal WC (NBSNW), abnormal blood sugar with normal WC (ABSNW), normal blood sugar with abnormal WC (NBSAW), and abnormal blood sugar with abnormal waist circumference (ABSAW)). Results. The 5,680 participants were divided into two groups based on the presence ( ) or absence of hypogonadism ( ), which was defined as . The mean TT of group NBSAW ( ) was significantly lower than that of group ABSNW ( , ). Moreover, the mean TT of group ABSAW (