Background. Previous studies have shown that increased mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is an independent predictor for worse outcomes in coronary artery disease. However, as parameters to classify different types of anemia together with MCV, the relationship between mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and long-term outcomes in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains obscure. Moreover, few studies have compared the prognostic value of these red blood cell indices in anemic and nonanemic patients with ACS. Methods and Results. In this single-center observational cohort study, we enrolled 393 patients diagnosed with ACS, including 75 anemic and 318 nonanemic patients. The composite end points were defined as major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). After a median follow-up of 31.24 months, KaplanMeier survival analysis showed that higher MCV and MCH but not MCHC were significantly associated with increased MACEs in nonanemic ACS patients. Among the enrolled ACS patients without anemia, Cox regression analysis revealed that high MCV and MCH were correlated with increased MACEs after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis further confirmed the predictive value of high MCV and MCH. In bivariate correlation and linear regression analysis, plasma homocysteine was positively correlated with MCV and MCH but not MCHC in the nonanemic group even after adjusting for age, male sex, BMI, SBP, DBP, smoking, and diabetes. However, MCV, MCH, and MCHC showed no predictive value for MACEs, and no correlation was found between these red blood cell indices and homocysteine in ACS patients with anemia. Conclusion. After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, this study showed that higher admission MCV and MCH but not MCHC were independent predictors for long-term MACEs and positively correlated with homocysteine levels in the blood among the nonanemic but not anemic patients with ACS in China.

Selenium (Se) has been reported to have an antagonistic effect on heavy metals in animals. However, there is no epidemiological study investigating whether Se could protect against the pulmonary toxicity of Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb). Data was collected from the 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycle. Pulmonary function was assessed by Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume 1st Second (FEV₁) and FEV₁/FVC. Blood concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Se were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Linear regression, restricted cubic splines, and quantile-based g-computation (qgcomp) were performed to evaluate the individual and joint associations of Cd and Pb with pulmonary function and whether Se modified these associations. In the adjusted multi-metal model, every 1-unit increase in Cd, FEV₁, FVC, and FEV₁/FVC decreased by 76.437 mL (95 % CI: -110.928 to -41.947), 42.719 mL (95 % CI: -84.553 to -0.885), and 0.012 (95 % CI: -0.016 to -0.007), respectively. Meanwhile, FEV₁ decreased by 9.37 mL (95 % CI: -18.61 to -0.13) for every 1 unit increase in Pb. Furthermore, we found an inverted U-shape association between Se and lung function, and participants in the second quartile Se group had the highest increases in FEV₁ and FVC compared with participants in the lowest quartile. Qgcomp model also revealed that the toxic metal mixture (Cd and Pb) exhibited a significant inverse association with FEV₁ and FEV₁/FVC. Furthermore, we found that the inverse association of Pb and Cd, either alone or in combination, with pulmonary function first diminished with increasing Se levels but was re-enforced when blood Se concentrations were in the highest quartile. Our results indicated that moderate Se attenuated the harmful effects of Cd and Pb on lung function.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has a strong relationship with inflammation. However, it is unclear whether the dietary inflammatory potential is associated with PAD. We aimed to address this knowledge gap. The dietary inflammatory index (DII) was obtained using a 24-h dietary recall interview for each individual. Logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline were performed to assess the relationship of DII with the prevalence of PAD. In addition, Spearman correlation analysis and subgroup analysis were also undertaken. In total, 5840 individuals from the 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were enrolled in our study. Participants in higher DII quartile tended to have higher rates of PAD. The increase in DII scores showed a positive association with PAD after fully multivariate adjustment (OR (odds ratios) = 1.094, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.022–1.171). The multivariable-adjusted OR and 95% CI of the highest DII index quartile compared with the lowest quartile was 1.543 (95% CI: 1.116–2.133). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the positive association between DII and PAD was persistent across population subgroups. In conclusion, we report that a proinflammatory dietary pattern is related to a higher risk of developing PAD among US adults.

This study was performed to investigate the effect of coffee consumption on abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) among adults with and without hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). A total of 2548 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2014 were included. Coffee consumption was obtained from 24-h dietary recalls. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure the severity of AAC. In the fully adjusted model, compared with non-drinkers, high coffee consumption (≥390 g/d) was associated with higher AAC scores among participants with hypertension (β = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.21-1.22), diabetes (β = 1.20, 95% CI: 0.35-2.05), and CVD (β = 2.03, 95% CI: 0.71-3.36). We did not observe such an association among participants without hypertension, diabetes, and CVD. Furthermore, decaffeinated coffee was not associated with AAC. In conclusion, patients with hypertension, diabetes, and CVD should focus on coffee consumption, especially caffeinated coffee, to reduce the burden of AAC.

We explored the expression and clinical significance of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Sixty-six patients with advanced NSCLC at the Oncology Department of Jinzhou Hospital were selected as an observation group between February and December 2013. Healthy volunteers and 20 benign lung disease patients were taken as a control group. Peripheral blood CTCs in the observation and control groups were detected using the CellSearch(®). CTC detection and analysis system, and the relationship between the expression and clinical effect of CTCs and disease progression was analyzed. Peripheral blood CTCs were observed in 47 of the 66 observation group cases (71.21%), but none were found in the control group (P < 0.05). The CTC-positive rate was independent of NSCLC patients' age, gender, smoking habits, histological features, and degree of differentiation (P > 0.05). The CTC-positive rate correlated with pathological staging (P < 0.05). After two courses of chemotherapy, the number of cases with CTCs ≥3 decreased significantly, compared with pre-chemotherapy cases (P < 0.05), and the disease did not progress in 37 cases (34 cases with <3 CTCs and three cases with ≥3 CTCs). Eight cases displayed disease progression, of which five cases had <3 CTCs and three cases had ≥3CTCs. There was a statistically significant correlation between CTC changes and disease progression (P < 0.05). The CTC-positive rate correlated with the pathological staging and changes in the number of CTCs were associated with chemotherapy efficacy and disease progression.

Background: White blood cell (WBC) indices are strongly associated with cardiovascular disease, but data on the prognostic values of these parameters in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are sparse. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between baseline WBC indices levels and the incidence of heart failure (HF) in ACS patients after PCI and explore the predictive values over a 2-year follow-up period. Methods: A total of 416 consecutive ACS patients treated with PCI were enrolled and received a median of 27.7 months follow-up. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were performed. Results: Baseline lymphocyte (LYMPH) count, eosinophil (EO) count and eosinophil percentage (EO %) were higher in patients who experienced HF over a 2-year follow-up. In multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis, LYMPH count, EO count and EO % were independently associated with the occurrence of HF (hazard ratio [HR] = 12.876, P = 0.025; HR = 16.625, P = 0.004; HR = 1.196, P = 0.031, respectively). The area under the ROC curve of baseline EO count predicting the occurrence of HF in ACS patients following PCI was 0.625 (P = 0.037). For patients aged 60 years and above, who had PCI or history of coronary artery bypass grafting, the higher EO count, the higher the risk of HF. Conclusion: Elevated baseline LYMPH count, EO count and EO % were independently associated with the incidence of HF in ACS patients following PCI, suggesting that WBC indices might be available, simple, and cost-efficient biomarkers with predictive value, especially for patients aged more than 60 years.