Risk of onset of chronic kidney disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus (ROCK-DM): Development and validation of a 4-variable prediction model.

Aims: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a prediction model for incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), defined as eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73m2 and/or urine albumin:creatinine ratio (UACR) > 3 mg/mmol in ≥ 2 consecutive readings ≥ 3 months apart.

Methods: Model derivation was performed in the SingHealth Diabetes Registry, including patients aged ≥ 21 years diagnosed with T2DM without pre-existing CKD.

Minimal change disease following autologous stem cell transplant for Hodgkin lymphoma.

Nephrotic syndrome is characterised by heavy proteinuria secondary to glomerular injury. It is an uncommon but serious complication of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), but rarely reported after autologous HSCT. Here, we report the case of a man in his mid-20s who presented with significant peripheral oedema 2 months after autologous HSCT for Hodgkin lymphoma.

Fulminant eosinophilic myocarditis and refractory ventricular arrhythmias requiring mechanical circulatory support: a case report.

Background: Fulminant eosinophilic myocarditis (EM) is a rare and often fatal condition that may present atypically and be complicated by ventricular arrhythmias. Treatment involves high-dose corticosteroids to suppress eosinophilia, as well as increasing use of mepolizumab, an anti-interleukin-5 antibody with evidence for long-term efficacy and safety.

Case Summary: A 38-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with neck pain and fatigue, and after extensive investigation was diagnosed with EM secondary to idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome.

Stimuli-responsive anion transport utilising caged hydrazone-based anionophores.

Ion transport across biological membranes, facilitated by naturally occurring ion channels and pumps, plays a crucial role in biological processes. Gating is an important aspect of these systems, whereby transport is regulated by a range of external stimuli such as light, ligands and membrane potential. While synthetic ion transport systems, especially those with gating mechanisms, are rare, they have garnered significant attention due to their potential applications in targeted therapeutics as anticancer agents or to treat channelopathies.

High-efficiency magnetophoretic labelling of adoptively-transferred T cells for longitudinal Magnetic Particle Imaging.

While adoptive cell therapies (ACT) have been successful as therapies for blood cancers, they have limited efficacy in treating solid tumours, where the tumour microenvironment excludes and suppresses adoptively transferred tumour-specific immune cells. A major obstacle to improving cell therapies for solid tumours is a lack of accessible and quantitative imaging modalities capable of tracking the migration and immune functional activity of ACT products for an extended duration . A high-efficiency magnetophoretic method was developed for facile magnetic labelling of hard-to-label immune cells, which were then injected into tumour-bearing mice and imaged over two weeks with a compact benchtop Magnetic Particle Imager (MPI) design.

Effectiveness of a Customized Peritoneal Dialysis Training Program in Reducing Infection and Dropout Rates: Insights From a Singapore Hospital.

Introduction Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an essential home-based treatment for end-stage kidney disease, known for enhancing patients' quality of life and being more cost-effective compared to hemodialysis. However, in Singapore, PD education lacks of standardization, with each unit adopting varied methods based on their own experiences and resources. To address this, our hospital developed a tailored four-day PD training program guided by the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis guidelines, adapted to meet local needs and resource availability.

Mechanically interlocked host systems for ion-pair recognition.

The ever-increasing interest directed towards the construction of host architectures capable of the strong and selective recognition of various ionic species of biological, medical and environmental importance has identified mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs), such as rotaxanes and catenanes, as potent host systems, owing to their unique three-dimensional topologically preorganised cavity recognition environments. Ion-pair receptors are steadily gaining prominence over monotopic receptor analogues due to their enhanced binding strength and selectivity, demonstrated primarily through acyclic and macrocyclic heteroditopic host systems. Exploiting the mechanical bond for ion-pair recognition through the strategic design of neutral heteroditopic MIMs offers exciting opportunities to accomplish potent and effective binding while mitigating competing interactions from the bulk solvent and counter-ions.

Selective sodium halide over potassium halide binding and extraction by a heteroditopic halogen bonding [2]catenane.

The synthesis and ion-pair binding properties of a heteroditopic [2]catenane receptor exhibiting highly potent and selective recognition of sodium halide salts are described. The receptor design consists of a bidentate halogen bonding donor motif for anion binding, as well as a di(ethylene glycol)-derived cation binding pocket which dramatically enhances metal cation affinity over previously reported homo[2]catenane analogues. H NMR cation, anion and ion-pair binding studies reveal significant positive cooperativity between the cation and anion binding events in which cation pre-complexation to the catenane subsequently 'switches-on' anion binding.

Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring lung transplantation.

Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a rare, but severe complication of a commonly prescribed antibiotic. TMP-SMX typically affects young, otherwise well patients with a specific human leukocyte antigen type (HLA-B*07:02 and HLA-C*07:02). The condition is poorly understood with a unique pathological appearance and mechanism that remains unclear.

Fetal liver CD34 contain human immune and endothelial progenitors and mediate solid tumor rejection in NOG mice.

Background: Transplantation of CD34 hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) into immunodeficient mice is an established method to generate humanized mice harbouring a human immune system. Different sources and methods for CD34 isolation have been employed by various research groups, resulting in customized models that are difficult to compare. A more detailed characterization of CD34 isolates is needed for a better understanding of engraftable hematopoietic and potentially non-hematopoietic cells.

Future directions for early detection of fracture related infections.

Introduction: Fracture related infection (FRI) refers to pathogens infecting a fracture site and hence impeding fracture healing. It is a significant complication that carries substantial disease burden and socio-economic costs, but has had limited scientific development. Hence, this paper will review the existing strategies for early detection of FRI, in the form of serum markers, molecular diagnostics and imaging modalities, and further discuss potential future directions for improved detection of FRI.

A Halogen Bonding [2]Rotaxane Shuttle for Chloride-Selective Optical Sensing.

The first example of a [2]rotaxane shuttle capable of selective optical sensing of chloride anions over other halides is reported. The rotaxane was synthesised via a chloride ion template-directed cyclisation of an isophthalamide macrocycle around a multi-station axle containing peripheral naphthalene diimide (NDI) stations and a halogen bonding (XB) bis(iodotriazole) based station. Proton NMR studies indicate the macrocycle resides preferentially at the NDI stations in the free rotaxane, where it is stabilised by aromatic donor-acceptor charge transfer interactions between the axle NDI and macrocycle hydroquinone moieties.

High-Throughput Microfluidic Extraction of Platelet-free Plasma for MicroRNA and Extracellular Vesicle Analysis.

Cell-free RNAs and extracellular vesicles (EVs) are valuable biomarkers in liquid biopsies, but they are prone to preanalytical variabilities such as nonstandardized centrifugation or blood degradation. Herein, we report a high-throughput and label-free inertial microfluidic device (ExoArc) for isolation of platelet-free plasma from blood for RNA and EV analysis. Unlike conventional inertial microfluidic devices widely used for cell sorting, a submicrometer size cutoff (500 nm) was achieved which completely removed all leukocytes, RBCs, platelets, and cellular debris based on differential lateral migration induced by Dean vortices.

Robustness evaluations of pathway activity inference methods on gene expression data.

Background: With the exponential growth of high-throughput technologies, multiple pathway analysis methods have been proposed to estimate pathway activities from gene expression profiles. These pathway activity inference methods can be divided into two main categories: non-Topology-Based (non-TB) and Pathway Topology-Based (PTB) methods. Although some review and survey articles discussed the topic from different aspects, there is a lack of systematic assessment and comparisons on the robustness of these approaches.

The modified fascial sling technique for ulnar nerve anterior transposition: surgical techniques and results.

Background: Approaches to surgical treatment to cubital tunnel syndrome include simple decompression, decompression with medial epicondylectomy, and decompression with anterior transposition of the ulnar nerve. Transposition of the ulnar nerve involves decompression and transposition of the nerve anteriorly to a subcutaneous, intramuscular, or submuscular position. However, transposing the ulnar nerve to subcutaneous plane renders it more susceptible to external trauma.

Rapid Screening of Urinary Tract Infection Using Microfluidic Inertial-Impedance Cytometry.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) diagnosis based on urine culture for bacteriuria analysis is time-consuming and often leads to wastage of hospital resources due to false-positive UTI cases. Direct cellular phenotyping (e.g.

Morphological description of sagittal lumbar spinal alignment using curve magnitude, span, and apex-the multiethnic alignment normative study (MEANS).

Background Context: Current definition of lumbar lordosis uses the L1-S1 angle. Prevailing classification of sagittal spinal morphology, derived from a young adult population, classifies the spine into four subtypes defined by their sacral slope (SS) and curve morphology.

Purpose: To describe physiological sagittal alignment of the lumbar spine across age groups using three main parameters that dictate the lumbar curve: angular magnitude, span, and apex.

Single cell analysis in head and neck cancer reveals potential immune evasion mechanisms during early metastasis.

Profiling tumors at single-cell resolution provides an opportunity to understand complexities underpinning lymph-node metastases in head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma. Single-cell RNAseq (scRNAseq) analysis of cancer-cell trajectories identifies a subpopulation of pre-metastatic cells, driven by actionable pathways including AXL and AURK. Blocking these two proteins blunts tumor invasion in patient-derived cultures.

Label-free microfluidic cell sorting and detection for rapid blood analysis.

Blood tests are considered as standard clinical procedures to screen for markers of diseases and health conditions. However, the complex cellular background (>99.9% RBCs) and biomolecular composition often pose significant technical challenges for accurate blood analysis.