A randomized phase 2 study of efmarodocokin alfa, an IL-22 agonist, versus vedolizumab in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Background And Aims: Efmarodocokin alfa is an interleukin (IL)-22 agonist, with favorable pharmacokinetic (PK) properties and an acceptable safety profile. This study further explored the therapeutic potential of efmarodocokin alfa compared to vedolizumab in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methods: This randomized phase 2 trial evaluated the efficacy, safety, PK, and pharmacodynamics of 3 doses of efmarodocokin alfa administered intravenously every 4 weeks (30 μg/kg [n=43], 60 μg/kg [n=44], and 90 μg/kg [n=43]) compared with placebo (n=22) and with vedolizumab (n=43) in the treatment of moderate to severe UC.

CT ventilation images produced by a 3D neural network show improvement over the Jacobian and HU DIR-based methods to predict quantized lung function.

Background: Radiation-induced pneumonitis affects up to 33% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, with fatal pneumonitis occurring in 2% of patients. Pneumonitis risk is related to the dose and volume of lung irradiated. Clinical radiotherapy plans assume lungs are functionally homogeneous, but evidence suggests that avoidance of high-functioning lung during radiotherapy can reduce the risk of radiation-induced pneumonitis.

Strongly correlated multielectron bunches from interaction with quantum light.

Strongly correlated electron systems are a cornerstone of modern physics, being responsible for groundbreaking phenomena from superconducting magnets to quantum computing. In most cases, correlations in electrons arise exclusively because of Coulomb interactions. In this work, we reveal that free electrons interacting simultaneously with a light field can become highly correlated via mechanisms beyond Coulomb interactions.

World Heart Federation Roadmap for Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: 2023 Update.

Background: Secondary prevention lifestyle and pharmacological treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) reduce a high proportion of recurrent events and mortality. However, significant gaps exist between guideline recommendations and usual clinical practice.

Objectives: Describe the state of the art, the roadblocks, and successful strategies to overcome them in ASCVD secondary prevention management.

Free-electron crystals for enhanced X-ray radiation.

Bremsstrahlung-the spontaneous emission of broadband radiation from free electrons that are deflected by atomic nuclei-contributes to the majority of X-rays emitted from X-ray tubes and used in applications ranging from medical imaging to semiconductor chip inspection. Here, we show that the bremsstrahlung intensity can be enhanced significantly-by more than three orders of magnitude-through shaping the electron wavefunction to periodically overlap with atoms in crystalline materials. Furthermore, we show how to shape the bremsstrahlung X-ray emission pattern into arbitrary angular emission profiles for purposes such as unidirectionality and multi-directionality.

Measuring health equity in the ASEAN region: conceptual framework and assessment of data availability.

Background: Existing research on health equity falls short of identifying a comprehensive set of indicators for measurement across health systems. Health systems in the ASEAN region, in particular, lack a standardised framework to assess health equity. This paper proposes a comprehensive framework to measure health equity in the ASEAN region and highlights current gaps in data availability according to its indicator components.

Health financing policies during the COVID-19 pandemic and implications for universal health care: a case study of 15 countries.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was a health emergency requiring rapid fiscal resource mobilisation to support national responses. The use of effective health financing mechanisms and policies, or lack thereof, affected the impact of the pandemic on the population, particularly vulnerable groups and individuals. We provide an overview and illustrative examples of health financing policies adopted in 15 countries during the pandemic, develop a framework for resilient health financing, and use this pandemic to argue a case to move towards universal health coverage (UHC).

Selective protein aggregation confines and inhibits endotoxins in wounds: Linking host defense to amyloid formation.

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces rapid protein aggregation in human wound fluid. We aimed to characterize these LPS-induced aggregates and their functional implications using a combination of mass spectrometry analyses, biochemical assays, biological imaging, cell experiments, and animal models. The wound-fluid aggregates encompass diverse protein classes, including sequences from coagulation factors, annexins, histones, antimicrobial proteins/peptides, and apolipoproteins.

A review on paying for advanced cancer therapeutics: hard truths and realities in Asia.

Health system expenditure on cancer drugs is rising rapidly in many countries given the high-priced novel treatments as well as the increasing usage due to a growing and ageing global population. The cost of cancer care continues to outstrip other diseases and it presents a global challenge to treatment access and cancer outcomes. Substantial variability exists in drug pricing across Asia, with low- or middle-income countries being heavily impacted.

The East Asian gut microbiome and its role in oncology: a narrative review.

The field of onco-microbiome is rapidly expanding. Multiple studies have shown the crucial role of gut microbiota in the regulation of nutrient metabolism, immunomodulation and protection against pathogens. Tools for manipulating the gut microbiota include dietary modification and faecal microbiota transfer.

Mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable populations: Lessons for improving health and social equity.

The COVID-19 pandemic had an inequitable and disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, reversing decades of progress toward healthy populations and poverty alleviation. This study examines various programmatic tools and policy measures used by governments to support vulnerable populations during the pandemic. A comparative case study of 15 countries representing all World Health Organization's regions offers a comprehensive picture of countries with varying income statuses, health system arrangements and COVID-19 public health measures.

Effects of OsomeFood Clean Label plant-based meals on the gut microbiome.

Background: Plant-based diets offer more beneficial microbes and can modulate gut microbiomes to improve human health. We evaluated the effects of the plant-based OsomeFood Clean Label meal range ('AWE' diet), on the human gut microbiome.

Methods: Over 21 days, ten healthy participants consumed OsomeFood meals for five consecutive weekday lunches and dinners and resumed their regular diets for other days/meals.

Evaluating the Effects of Capacity Building Initiatives and Primary Care Networks in Singapore: Outcome Harvesting of System Changes to Chronic Disease Care Delivery.

The high tertiary healthcare utilisation in Singapore due to an ageing population and increasing chronic disease load has resulted in the establishment of primary care networks (PCNs) for private general practitioners (GPs) to provide team-based, community care for chronic diseases. A total of 22 PCN leaders and programme managers from 10 PCNs participated in online group discussions and a survey. Outcome harvesting was used to retrospectively link the intended and unintended outcomes to the programme initiatives and intermediate results (IRs).

Quantum Interference between Fundamentally Different Processes Is Enabled by Shaped Input Wavefunctions.

This work presents a general framework for quantum interference between processes that can involve different fundamental particles or quasi-particles. This framework shows that shaping input wavefunctions is a versatile and powerful tool for producing and controlling quantum interference between distinguishable pathways, beyond previously explored quantum interference between indistinguishable pathways. Two examples of quantum interference enabled by shaping in interactions between free electrons, bound electrons, and photons are presented: i) the vanishing of the zero-loss peak by destructive quantum interference when a shaped electron wavepacket couples to light, under conditions where the electron's zero-loss peak otherwise dominates; ii) quantum interference between free electron and atomic (bound electron) spontaneous emission processes, which can be significant even when the free electron and atom are far apart, breaking the common notion that a free electron and an atom must be close by to significantly affect each other's processes.

Approaching the Intrinsic Threshold Breakdown Voltage and Ultrahigh Gain in a Graphite/InSe Schottky Photodetector.

Realizing both ultralow breakdown voltage and ultrahigh gain is one of the major challenges in the development of high-performance avalanche photodetector. Here, it is reported that an ultrahigh avalanche gain of 3 × 10 can be realized in the graphite/InSe Schottky photodetector at a breakdown voltage down to 5.5 V.

The Effect of Health Check-Ups on Health Among the Elderly in China: Evidence From 2011-2018 Longitudinal Data.

To assess the effect of health check-ups on health among the elderly Chinese. The first dataset was panel data extracted from the 2011, 2014, and 2018 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey (CLHLS). The second dataset was cross-sectional data come from CLHLS 2018 linked with the lagged term of health check-ups in CLHLS 2011.

Governance of Assisted Living in Singapore: Lessons for Aging Countries.

A global trend toward aging populations means that the challenge of providing adequate long-term care to older people looms large in many countries. In Singapore, a public discourse revolving around the expansion of assisted living to create age-friendly environments in long-term care has emerged. This study examines Singapore's experience in developing regulations for assisted living by documenting the different levels of regulation in place and by identifying the regulatory gaps remaining to govern assisted living.

A Phase 2 Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Monoclonal Antibody MHAA4549A in Patients With Acute Uncomplicated Influenza A Infection.

Background: MHAA4549A, a human monoclonal antibody targeting the influenza A hemagglutinin stalk, neutralizes influenza A virus in animal and human volunteer challenge studies. We investigated the safety and tolerability, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of MHAA4549A in outpatients with acute, uncomplicated influenza A infection.

Methods: This was a phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of single intravenous (IV) doses of 3600 mg or 8400 mg of MHAA4549A or IV placebo in adult outpatients testing positive for influenza A.