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Abstract The prevalence of mitral valve prolapse (MVP) among middle- and older-aged individuals is estimated to be 2–4% in Western countries. However, few studies have been conducted among Asian individuals and young adults. This study included a sample of 2442 consecutive military adults aged 18–39 years in Hualien, Taiwan. MVP was defined as displacement of the anterior or posterior leaflet of the mitral valve to the mid portion of the annular hinge point > 2 mm in the parasternal long-axis view of echocardiography. Cardiac chamber size and wall thickness were measured based on the latest criteria of the American Society of Echocardiography. The clinical features of participants with MVP and those without MVP were compared using a two-sample t test, and the cardiac structures were compared using analysis of covariance with adjustment for body surface area (BSA). Eighty-two participants were diagnosed with MVP, and the prevalence was 3.36% in the overall population. Compared with those without MVP, participants with MVP had a lower body mass index (kg/m2) (24.89 ± 3.70 vs. 23.91 ± 3.45, p = 0.02) and higher prevalence of somatic symptoms related to exercise (11.0% vs. 4.9%, p = 0.02) and systolic click in auscultation (18.3% vs. 0.6%, p

Control of osteocyte differentiation is not well understood. Here the authors show that the miR-23 cluster represses the TGF-β signalling repressor Prdm16 in osteoblasts, thus enhancing osteocyte differentiation and a low bone mass phenotype.