HEalth-Related Quality of Life-Intervention in Survivors of Breast and Other Cancers Experiencing Cancer-Related Fatigue and Associated Cognitive Symptoms Using TraditionAL Chinese Medicine: The 'HERBAL' Trial.

Introduction: As pharmacological strategies remain limited for relieving fatigue and associated cognitive symptoms, integrative modalities such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) could be explored as therapeutic strategies in cancer survivors. Here, we evaluate and report the efficacy and safety of a TCM concoction, modified Xiang Bei Yang Rong Tang (XBYRT), on quality of life (QOL), cancer-related fatigue (CRF), and cognitive symptoms, compared to placebo.

Methods: In a single-centered, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled pilot trial conducted from 2019 to 2022, fatigued cancer survivors ≥21 years old were recruited to receive the XBYRT intervention or placebo (5% diluted) once daily for the duration of 8 weeks.

Telehealth Modality Usage by US Physicians in 2022.

Background: The growth of telehealth care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted its potential to enhance access to care and improve patient outcomes. As the healthcare landscape moves toward a new equilibrium in care delivery, few studies have examined physician usage of specific telehealth modalities.

Objective: To understand telehealth usage differences among modalities and across subgroups of physicians.

Oil palm leaf protein hydrolysate and its novel peptides as alternative plant-based α-glucosidase inhibitors.

Diabetes, particularly type II, is a global health concern, with current treatments like α-glucosidase inhibitors often causing gastrointestinal side effects. This study explored the antihyperglycemic potential of crude protein hydrolysate from oil palm leaves (OPL) as a plant-based α-glucosidase inhibitor. OPL protein hydrolysate was extracted under acidic, neutral, and alkaline conditions, and their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was assessed.

A multicentre, retrospective study of epidemiology and outcome of aplastic anaemia among adult population in Sabah and Sarawak from year 2006 to 2017.

Introduction: Aplastic anaemia (AA) is a rare disorder of bone marrow failure, characterized by bone marrow hypocellularity with pancytopenia. The annual incidence rates of AA in Asia are observed to be two to three times higher than Europe and North America. Since the introduction of immunosuppressive therapy (IST) and of allogenic stem cell transplant (SCT), the outcome of severe AA has significantly improved.

SUMOylation of Warts kinase promotes neural stem cell reactivation.

A delicate balance between neural stem cell (NSC) quiescence and proliferation is important for adult neurogenesis and homeostasis. Small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO)-dependent post-translational modifications cause rapid and reversible changes in protein functions. However, the role of the SUMO pathway during NSC reactivation and brain development is not established.

Truncated Complement Factor H Y402 Gene Therapy Cures C3 Glomerulonephritis.

Patients with both age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and C3 glomerulonephritis (C3G) are challenged by the absence of effective therapies to reverse and eliminate their disease burden. Capitalizing on complement dysregulation as both a significant risk factor for AMD and the known pathophysiology of C3G, we investigated the potential for adeno-associated virus (AAV) delivery of complement factor H (CFH) to rescue C3G in a -/- mouse model of C3G. While past efforts to treat C3G using exogenous human CFH resulted in limited success before immune rejection led to a foreign protein response, our findings demonstrate the capacity for long-term AAV-mediated delivery of truncated CFH (tCFH) to restore inhibition of the alternative pathway of complement and ultimately reverse C3G without immune rejection.

Gaps in cancer care in a multi-ethnic population in Sarawak, Borneo: A central referral centre study.

Background: The state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo in East Malaysia, in working towards developing and strengthening cancer services through a holistic patient-centred approach, must focus on the comprehensive needs of cancer patients by taking into account the psycho-social, cultural and spiritual aspects of Sarawak's multi-ethnic, multi-cultural population.

Methods: A 42-item survey questionnaire was developed and validated with a total of 443 patients. The perceived importance of information provided and level of patient satisfaction were assessed with a 5-point Likert scale in 10 domains (Diagnosis, Surgery, Radiotherapy, Systemic therapy, Clinical trials, Pain management, Treatment monitoring, Psychosocial support, Sexual care and fertility issues, and Financial support).

Designing Heterocyclic Covalent Organic Frameworks with Tunable Electronic Structures for Efficient Electrosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide.

The electrocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide (HO) through the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e ORR) has garnered significant research attention in recent years due to its numerous appealing advantages, such as being eco-friendly and exhibiting high energy conversion efficiency. Metal-free carbon materials with specific catalytic sites have been recognized as potential electrocatalysts for 2e ORR; however, the design of highly efficient catalysts with well-defined structures and long-term stability for large-scale HO production remains unsatisfactory. In this study, three covalent organic frameworks (COFs) - imine-linked LZU-1, oxazole-linked LZU-190, and thiazole-linked LZU-190(S), are successfully synthesized to explore their catalytic activity in electrocatalytic HO production.

Impact of a Multidisciplinary Supportive Care Model Using Distress Screening at an Asian Ambulatory Cancer Center: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: The Accessible Cancer Care to Enable Support for Cancer Survivors (ACCESS) program adopts a multidisciplinary supportive care model with routine distress screening to triage newly diagnosed cancer survivors for additional support on the basis of distress levels. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical impact of ACCESS over 1 year.

Methods: We performed cluster random assignment at the oncologist level in a 1:1 ratio to receive ACCESS or usual care.

Iron burden and endocrine complications in transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients In Sarawak, Malaysia: a retrospective study.

Introduction: Thalassaemia is one of the major health problems in Malaysia. With safe blood transfusion regime, the lifespan of patients with transfusion-dependent thalassaemia (TDT) has improved but at the cost of a higher risk of developing endocrine disorders. It is crucial for us to monitor the iron overload to prevent end organ damage.

Sight-Threatening Unilateral Posterior Scleritis With Positive Atypical p-ANCA As Early Manifestation of Lupus Spectrum Disease.

Antinuclear cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-related scleritis is a potentially sight-threatening inflammatory condition that may occur as a primary vasculitis disorder or as a secondary vasculitis in a variety of inflammatory conditions. While ANCA has been classically associated with primary vasculitis diseases such as granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyarteritis (MPA), and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), it is interesting that in cases of lupus spectrum disease (LSD), both ANCA and atypical p-ANCA have been observed as secondary autoantibodies. Scleritis is a rare ocular manifestation of lupus disease with an incidence of around 1%.

Perioperative management of sarcopenia in patients undergoing major surgeries in Singapore: a modified Delphi consensus.

Background: Ageing population is a worldwide phenomenon with correspondingly higher proportion of older patients being treated in the hospital setting. Sarcopenia, which increases with age, has serious negative implications on health, hospitalisation, and overall postoperative recovery. There is no mutual consensus on perioperative management of sarcopenia in surgical patients in Singapore.

Ethical and regulatory challenges of large language models in medicine.

With the rapid growth of interest in and use of large language models (LLMs) across various industries, we are facing some crucial and profound ethical concerns, especially in the medical field. The unique technical architecture and purported emergent abilities of LLMs differentiate them substantially from other artificial intelligence (AI) models and natural language processing techniques used, necessitating a nuanced understanding of LLM ethics. In this Viewpoint, we highlight ethical concerns stemming from the perspectives of users, developers, and regulators, notably focusing on data privacy and rights of use, data provenance, intellectual property contamination, and broad applications and plasticity of LLMs.

Virtual Follow-Up in Patients Initiating Antineoplastic Treatment in the Ambulatory Setting.

Purpose: Initiating antineoplastic therapy can be distressful and affect patient retention of treatment-related side effects and safety protocols. Return visits can range from 8 to 28 days after treatment, during which patients may develop treatment-related questions and toxicities. This study's objective is to evaluate how implementing a follow-up phone call 24-48 hours after initial antineoplastic infusion, compared with standard pretreatment education, affects patient satisfaction and education retention.

The Potential of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) Plant in Industrial Applications: A Promising Source of Functional Compounds.

Roselle is an annual botanical plant that widely planted in different countries worldwide. Its different parts, including seeds, leaves, and calyces, can offer multi-purpose applications with economic importance. The present review discusses the detailed profile of bioactive compounds present in roselle seeds, leaves, and calyces, as well as their extraction and processing, to explore their potential application in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, nutraceutical, food and other industries.

Interplay between autophagy and CncC regulates dendrite pruning in .

Autophagy is essential for the turnover of damaged organelles and long-lived proteins. It is responsible for many biological processes such as maintaining brain functions and aging. Impaired autophagy is often linked to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases in humans.

Improving Vaccine Equity: How Community Engagement and Informatics Facilitate Health System Outreach to Underrepresented Groups.

Background: Given the inequities in access to health care resources like COVID-19 vaccination, health systems should carefully consider how to reach underrepresented groups. Reflecting on vaccine rollout efforts holds insight on the role of community engagement and informatics support in promoting health equity.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of four outreach strategies deployed by University of Washington (UW) Medicine in improving vaccine equity over traditional vaccine scheduling online or by phone, we report on appointment scheduling and completion of appointments (i.

Methods to extract and analyze fluid from human pluripotent stem cell-derived choroid plexus organoids.

The choroid plexus (ChP) is a highly vascularized tissue lining the ventricular space of the brain. The ChP generates cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and forms a protective barrier in the central nervous system (CNS). Recently, a three-dimensional human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived ChP organoid model has been developed.

Signs of criticality in social explosions.

The success of an on-line movement could be defined in terms of the shift to large-scale and the later off-line massive street actions of protests. The role of social media in this process is to facilitate the transformation from small or local feelings of disagreement into large-scale social actions. The way how social media achieves that effect is by growing clusters of people and groups with similar effervescent feelings, which otherwise would not be in touch with each other.

Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants versus Low Molecular Weight Heparin for Cancer-Related Venous Thromboembolic Events: Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) has been the standard of care but new guidelines have approved the use of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOAC). By conducting an individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the outcomes of NOAC versus LMWH in cancer patients, we aim to determine an ideal strategy for the prophylaxis of VTE and prevention of VTE recurrence.