Objective To determine the effect of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(non-HDL-C)on all-cause and cause-specific mortality in an ≥60-year-old elderly population.Methods A total of 16 642 older adults(≥60 years)were subjected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2018.According to the tertile of non-HDL-C level,the par-ticipants were divided into tertile 1(＜3.15 mmol/L,n=5499),tertile 2(3.15-4.06 mmol/L,n=5499),and tertile 3 groups(＞4.06 mmol/L,n=5644).The occurrences of all-cause,cardiovascu-lar,and non-cardiovascular death were identified as the study endpoint.Cox proportional hazards regression,Kaplan-Meier survival and restricted cubic spline curve analyses were applied for sta-tistical study.Results An obvious L-shaped associations were observed in non-HDL-C level with risks for all-cause,cardiovascular,and non-cardiovascular death.After adjusting multivariable,the tertile 1 group had significantly higher risks for all-cause,cardiovascular,and non-cardiovascular death than the tertile 2 group(HR=1.123,95％CI:1.054-1.200,P=0.000;HR=1.142,95％CI:1.024-1.292,P=0.027;HR=1.113,95％CI:1.033-1.210,P=0.011).Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the tertile 1 group had notably lower survival rate than the tertile 2 group and the tertile 3 group(P＜0.01).Threshold effect analysis revealed that when non-HDL-C level was lower than 3.36,3.18 and 3.59 mmol/L,respectively,the risk of all-cause,cardiovascular,and noncardiovascular mortality was increased.Conclusion In the elderly ≥60-year-old population,non-HDL-C level exhibited a L-shaped association with all-cause and cause-specific mortality,and＞3.18 mmol/L is regarded as a rational range.

Objective To investigate the association between cystatin C level and 6-month mortali-ty as well as re-hospitalization in elderly patients with heart failure(HF).Methods The clinical data in this study were from a retrospective cohort study,Zigong Heart Failure Study.A total of 1786 elderly HF patients admitted in Zigong Fourth People's Hospital from December 2016 to June 2019 were selected.According to the tertiles of cystatin C level,the subjected patients were divided into three groups,with the cystatin C level of 1.10±0.17(587 cases),1.60±0.17(599 ca-ses),and 2.91±0.90 mg/L(600 cases),respectively.The primary endpoint was a composite end-point of death at 6 months after discharge and readmission due to HF.Multivariate Cox propor-tional hazards regression analysis was employed to analyze the relationship of the cystatin C level with the composite endpoint of 6-month mortality and readmission due to HF.Restricted cubic spline was used to model the relationship between the cystatin C level and the composite end-point,Kaplan-Meier survival curve was plotted to analyze the differences in 6-month event free survival rates among the three groups,and ROC curve was drawn to analyze the predictive value of cystatin C level for the composite endpoint.Results Multivariate Cox proportional hazards re-gression analysis showed that the middle and upper tertiles of cystatin C level were risk factors for the composite endpoint of 6-month mortality and readmission due to HF(HR=1.170,95％CI:0.970-1.390,P=0.111;HR=1.452,95％CI:1.190-1.756,P=0.000).When taking cystatin C level as a continuous variable,the results remained consistent:for every one standard deviation increase in cystatin C level,HR=1.141,95％CI:1.060-1.226 in Model 3;For every 1 mg/L in-crease,HR=1.152,95％CI:1.057-1.250 in Model 3.Restricted cubic spline displayed a non-linear inverse J-shaped relationship between cystatin C level and the composite endpoint of 6-month mortality and readmission due to HF,with a risk inflection point of cystatin C level at 2.13 mg/L.ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC value of cystatin C level in predicting the composite endpoint,6-month death and re-admission due to HF was 0.572,0.667 and 0.554,respectively.Conclusion Elevated cystatin C level is independently associated with an increased risk of the composite endpoint of 6-month death and re-admission in elderly HF patients.

Previous studies have reported elevated cardiac troponin T (cTnT) in patients with inclusion body myositis due to skeletal myopathy. Although the trends of cTnT have been reported in some cases, the onset of elevation has barely been reported. In this case, elevated cTnT in a patient diagnosed with inclusion body myositis is discussed. The routine laboratory tests of a 68-year-old male patient showed a positive cTnT test. Eight months later, he developed symptoms of myasthenia gravis. Subsequently, after a series of examinations, the patient was diagnosed with inclusion body myositis. Despite a transient decrease in cTnT levels following intravenous immunoglobulin treatment, the levels rapidly rebounded and continued to rise, suggesting continued progression of skeletal muscle damage in inclusion body myositis. It was concluded that the elevated cTnT was due to re-expression of cTnT in the damaged skeletal muscles of inclusion body myositis. This suggests that dynamic monitoring of cTnT levels in inclusion body myositis patients may predict the progression of myositis and promote timely treatment.

With the increasing use of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir in older COVID-19 patients, adverse drug reactions due to drug-drug interactions have become more frequent. This report describes a patient who experienced severe bradycardia and hypotension following the concurrent use of heart rate-control medications and nirmatrelvir-ritonavir during an active COVID-19 infection. This suggests that clinicians should be cautious when dealing with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir and try their best to avoid serious adverse reactions.

BACKGROUND:Previous studies have indicated that cathepsin K can intervene with the occurrence and development of osteoporosis by regulating bone mineral density in middle-aged and older adults. However,whether there is a causal relationship between the cathepsin family and bone mineral density in other populations remains unknown. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the causal relationship between cathepsin and bone mineral density.METHODS:Genetic loci associated with eight cathepins were extracted from the IEU Open GWAS database as instrumental variables,and bone mineral density values in five age groups acted as an outcome. The causal relationship between cathepin and bone mineral density was assessed by two-way Mendelian randomization analysis. Heterogeneity of the genetic instrumental variables was assessed using Cochran's Q test,pleiotropy was assessed using the MR-Egger intercept test,and the sensitivity of single nucleotide polymorphisms used as instrumental variables to the causal effect of exposure and outcome was assessed using the leave-one-out method. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The results of the inverse variance weighting method with positive Mendelian randomization showed that cathepin H was negatively associated with bone mineral density in people aged 45-60 years[odds ratio (95％ confidence interval)=0.965(0.94-0.99),P=0.04];cathepin Z was negatively associated with bone mineral density in people aged 30-45 year[odds ratio (95％ confidence interval)=1.06 (1.00-1.11),P=0.03]. The results of sensitivity analysis showed a stable causal relationship,and MR-Egger intercept analysis did not detect potential horizontal pleiotropy. The inverse Mendelian randomization results showed that bone mineral density had no significant inverse effect on cathepin. The above results confirm that cathepin can affect bone mineral density in some age groups,which may increase the risk of osteoporosis and should be given more attention.

Previous studies have reported elevated cardiac troponin T (cTnT) in patients with inclusion body myositis due to skeletal myopathy. Although the trends of cTnT have been reported in some cases, the onset of elevation has barely been reported. In this case, elevated cTnT in a patient diagnosed with inclusion body myositis is discussed. The routine laboratory tests of a 68-year-old male patient showed a positive cTnT test. Eight months later, he developed symptoms of myasthenia gravis. Subsequently, after a series of examinations, the patient was diagnosed with inclusion body myositis. Despite a transient decrease in cTnT levels following intravenous immunoglobulin treatment, the levels rapidly rebounded and continued to rise, suggesting continued progression of skeletal muscle damage in inclusion body myositis. It was concluded that the elevated cTnT was due to re-expression of cTnT in the damaged skeletal muscles of inclusion body myositis. This suggests that dynamic monitoring of cTnT levels in inclusion body myositis patients may predict the progression of myositis and promote timely treatment.

With the increasing use of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir in older COVID-19 patients, adverse drug reactions due to drug-drug interactions have become more frequent. This report describes a patient who experienced severe bradycardia and hypotension following the concurrent use of heart rate-control medications and nirmatrelvir-ritonavir during an active COVID-19 infection. This suggests that clinicians should be cautious when dealing with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir and try their best to avoid serious adverse reactions.

Objective To investigate the association between cystatin C level and 6-month mortali-ty as well as re-hospitalization in elderly patients with heart failure(HF).Methods The clinical data in this study were from a retrospective cohort study,Zigong Heart Failure Study.A total of 1786 elderly HF patients admitted in Zigong Fourth People's Hospital from December 2016 to June 2019 were selected.According to the tertiles of cystatin C level,the subjected patients were divided into three groups,with the cystatin C level of 1.10±0.17(587 cases),1.60±0.17(599 ca-ses),and 2.91±0.90 mg/L(600 cases),respectively.The primary endpoint was a composite end-point of death at 6 months after discharge and readmission due to HF.Multivariate Cox propor-tional hazards regression analysis was employed to analyze the relationship of the cystatin C level with the composite endpoint of 6-month mortality and readmission due to HF.Restricted cubic spline was used to model the relationship between the cystatin C level and the composite end-point,Kaplan-Meier survival curve was plotted to analyze the differences in 6-month event free survival rates among the three groups,and ROC curve was drawn to analyze the predictive value of cystatin C level for the composite endpoint.Results Multivariate Cox proportional hazards re-gression analysis showed that the middle and upper tertiles of cystatin C level were risk factors for the composite endpoint of 6-month mortality and readmission due to HF(HR=1.170,95％CI:0.970-1.390,P=0.111;HR=1.452,95％CI:1.190-1.756,P=0.000).When taking cystatin C level as a continuous variable,the results remained consistent:for every one standard deviation increase in cystatin C level,HR=1.141,95％CI:1.060-1.226 in Model 3;For every 1 mg/L in-crease,HR=1.152,95％CI:1.057-1.250 in Model 3.Restricted cubic spline displayed a non-linear inverse J-shaped relationship between cystatin C level and the composite endpoint of 6-month mortality and readmission due to HF,with a risk inflection point of cystatin C level at 2.13 mg/L.ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC value of cystatin C level in predicting the composite endpoint,6-month death and re-admission due to HF was 0.572,0.667 and 0.554,respectively.Conclusion Elevated cystatin C level is independently associated with an increased risk of the composite endpoint of 6-month death and re-admission in elderly HF patients.

Objective To investigate the association of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR)with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in elderly hypertensive patients.Methods In this cohort study,9939 elderly hypertensive patients were enrolled from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2018.According to the quartile of NLR,the participants were divided into Q1(n=2461),Q2(n=2460),Q3(n=2522)and Q4(n=2496)groups.Their survival status was determined based on National Death Index records.Cox proportional risk regression model,restricted cubic spline curve,Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and ROC analysis were performed.Results After adjusting for confounding factors,Cox proportional risk regression analysis showed a progressive increase in all-cause and cause-specific mortality across quartiles of NLR in elderly hypertensive patients.Compared with the Q1 group,the Q4 group had higher risks for all-cause mortality(HR=1.52,95％CI:1.32-1.74,P=0.000),cardiovascular mortality(HR=2.04,95％CI:1.63-2.56,P=0.000),and non-cardiovascular mortality(HR=1.30,95％CI:1.11-1.53,P=0.000)after adjustment.Restricted cubic spline curve analysis indicated that NLR was positively correlated with all-cause mortality,cardiovacular mortality and non-cardio-vascular mortality.More pronounced association between NLR and cardiovascular death was observed in patients not taking statins(P=0.035).ROC analysis revealed that the AUC value of NLR in predicting all-cause mortality,cardiovascular mortality and non-cardiovascular mortality was 0.612,0.597 and 0.581,respectively,showing better performance than high-sensitivity C-reac-tive protein and neutrophils.Conclusion Elevated NLR level is independently associated with increased risks of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in elderly hypertensive patients.In the patients not taking statins,a stronger association is observed between NLR and cardiovascular mortality.

Objective To determine the effect of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(non-HDL-C)on all-cause and cause-specific mortality in an ≥60-year-old elderly population.Methods A total of 16 642 older adults(≥60 years)were subjected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2018.According to the tertile of non-HDL-C level,the par-ticipants were divided into tertile 1(＜3.15 mmol/L,n=5499),tertile 2(3.15-4.06 mmol/L,n=5499),and tertile 3 groups(＞4.06 mmol/L,n=5644).The occurrences of all-cause,cardiovascu-lar,and non-cardiovascular death were identified as the study endpoint.Cox proportional hazards regression,Kaplan-Meier survival and restricted cubic spline curve analyses were applied for sta-tistical study.Results An obvious L-shaped associations were observed in non-HDL-C level with risks for all-cause,cardiovascular,and non-cardiovascular death.After adjusting multivariable,the tertile 1 group had significantly higher risks for all-cause,cardiovascular,and non-cardiovascular death than the tertile 2 group(HR=1.123,95％CI:1.054-1.200,P=0.000;HR=1.142,95％CI:1.024-1.292,P=0.027;HR=1.113,95％CI:1.033-1.210,P=0.011).Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the tertile 1 group had notably lower survival rate than the tertile 2 group and the tertile 3 group(P＜0.01).Threshold effect analysis revealed that when non-HDL-C level was lower than 3.36,3.18 and 3.59 mmol/L,respectively,the risk of all-cause,cardiovascular,and noncardiovascular mortality was increased.Conclusion In the elderly ≥60-year-old population,non-HDL-C level exhibited a L-shaped association with all-cause and cause-specific mortality,and＞3.18 mmol/L is regarded as a rational range.