Exploring the role of quantitative electroencephalography in ischaemic stroke through spectral and topographic mapping.

Introduction: Stroke is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. While electroencephalography (EEG) offers valuable data on post-stroke brain activity, qualitative EEG assessments may be misinterpreted. Therefore, we examined the potential of quantitative EEG (qEEG) to identify key band frequencies that could serve as potential electrophysiological biomarkers in stroke patients.

Resilience mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) consists of two main pathologies, which are the deposition of amyloid plaque as well as tau protein aggregation. Evidence suggests that not everyone who carries the AD-causing genes displays AD-related symptoms; they might never acquire AD as well. These individuals are referred to as non-demented individuals with AD neuropathology (NDAN).

Enhancing Sensitivity of Point-of-Care Thyroid Diagnosis via Computational Analysis of Lateral Flow Assay Images Using Novel Textural Features and Hybrid-AI Models.

Lateral flow assays are widely used in point-of-care diagnostics but face challenges in sensitivity and accuracy when detecting low analyte concentrations, such as thyroid-stimulating hormone biomarkers. This study aims to enhance assay performance by leveraging textural features and hybrid artificial intelligence models. A modified Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix, termed the Averaged Horizontal Multiple Offsets Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix, was utilised to compute the textural features of the biosensor assay images.

Prehabilitation Outcomes in Surgical Oncology Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgery: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Control Trials.

Background: Prehabilitation has been increasingly utilized to optimize perioperative outcomes. In this study, we aim to evaluate the impact of uni- and multimodal prehabilitation on functional capacity and postoperative outcomes among surgical oncology patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.

Patients And Methods: Three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane) were systematically searched up until December 2023.

Impact of Antibiotics and Chronic Medications on Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background And Aims: The interaction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and concomitant medications such as antibiotics, metformin, statins, beta-blockers, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and low-dose aspirin has been studied in other malignancies. Our study aims to investigate the relationship between these medications and ICI efficacy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC).

Methods: A retrospective review of patients who received at least one dose of ICIs between May 2015 and November 2019 was performed.

Real-World Outcomes for Localised Gastro-Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma Cancer Treated with Perioperative FLOT and Prophylactic GCSF Support in a Single Asian Centre.

Background: Perioperative FLOT (5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin and docetaxel) is a standard of care for patients with locally advanced gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) in Western guidelines, but its use is limited in Asian patients. We report outcomes from a single Asian centre of perioperative FLOT with concomitant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) prophylaxis.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of all 56 stage II to III GEA patients treated with perioperative FLOT at the National Cancer Centre Singapore between June 2017 and February 2024 was performed.

Changes in Red Cell Morphology and Haematological Laboratory Parameters Associated With Alectinib.

Background: Alectinib is a second-generation anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor indicated for ALK-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer. Recently, the association between alectinib and red cell morphological abnormalities has been reported in a few case series. This retrospective observational study aims to determine the frequency of occurrence of acanthocytosis in patients taking alectinib and to evaluate the red cell indices, biochemical markers of haemolysis and eosin-5-maleimide (EMA) binding assay results in patients receiving alectinib.

Evaluation of potential drug-drug interactions with medical cannabis.

Cannabis-drug interactions have caused significant concerns, mainly due to their role in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme-mediated metabolic pathway of numerous medications. A systematic review was conducted to gain an overview of the potential interactions of cannabis with different drug classes by extracting pertinent information from published study data. From the inception of the study to October 1, 2023, we performed a systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, clinicaltrials.

Experiences of a Community-Based Digital Intervention Among Older People Living in a Low-Income Neighborhood: Qualitative Study.

Background: Older adults worldwide experienced heightened risks of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and poor mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, digital technology emerged as a means to mitigate social isolation and enhance social connectedness among older adults. However, older adults' behaviors and attitudes toward the adoption and use of digital technology are heterogeneous and shaped by factors such as age, income, and education.

Acceptability of COVID-19 booster vaccine in malaysia: a cross-sectional study.

Despite the high efficacy and safety demonstrated in clinical trials, COVID-19 booster vaccination rates in Malaysia remain below 50% among the general public. This study explores the factors influencing public acceptance of the COVID-19 booster vaccine among the Malaysian population. The questionnaire included variables on sociodemographics, knowledge, and the Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs.

A group-based transdiagnostic sleep and circadian treatment for major depressive disorder: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Sleep and circadian disturbance is highly comorbid with a range of psychological disorders, especially major depressive disorder (MDD). In view of the complexity of sleep and circadian problems in MDD, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a group-based transdiagnostic intervention for sleep and circadian dysfunction (TranS-C) for improving depressive symptoms and sleep and circadian functions.

Method: One hundred fifty-two adults diagnosed with comorbid MDD and sleep and circadian dysfunctions were randomized into TranS-C group treatment (TranS-C; = 77) or care as usual (CAU; = 75) control group.

Computed Tomography-Based Radiomics for Long-Term Prognostication of High-Risk Localized Prostate Cancer Patients Received Whole Pelvic Radiotherapy.

Given the high death rate caused by high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) (>40%) and the reliability issues associated with traditional prognostic markers, the purpose of this study is to investigate planning computed tomography (pCT)-based radiomics for the long-term prognostication of high-risk localized PCa patients who received whole pelvic radiotherapy (WPRT). This is a retrospective study with methods based on best practice procedures for radiomics research. Sixty-four patients were selected and randomly assigned to training ( = 45) and testing ( = 19) cohorts for radiomics model development with five major steps: pCT image acquisition using a Philips Big Bore CT simulator; multiple manual segmentations of clinical target volume for the prostate (CTV) on the pCT images; feature extraction from the CTV using PyRadiomics; feature selection for overfitting avoidance; and model development with three-fold cross-validation.

Ultrastructural cilia defects in multi-ciliated uterine glandular epithelial cells from women with reproductive failure.

In Brief: The causes of subfertility and recurrent pregnancy loss are often unclear. This study shows that endometrial gland cilia from women with subfertility have ultrastructural defects.

Abstract: Endometrial glands secrete products into the endometrium and are necessary for embryo implantation and successful pregnancy.

Smartphone ownership, digital literacy, and the mediating role of social connectedness and loneliness in improving the wellbeing of community-dwelling older adults of low socio-economic status in Singapore.

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, safe-distancing measures resulted in many community-dwelling older adults being socially isolated and lonely, with its attending negative impact on wellbeing and quality of life. While digital technology may have mitigated this, older adults of low socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to be digitally excluded and hence susceptible to the adverse effects of social isolation and loneliness. This study aims to understand the factors that affect digital literacy, smartphone ownership, and willingness to participate in a digital literacy program (DLP), and to test the hypothesized relations between digital literacy, social connectedness, loneliness, wellbeing, and quality of life amongst community dwelling older adults of low SES.

Ocular, cardiovascular, and genetic characteristics and their associations in children with Marfan syndrome and related fibrillinopathies.

Purpose: Congenital ectopia lentis (CEL) and heart abnormalities are common clinical symptoms in patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS) and related fibrillinopathies, which is caused by mutations in fibrillin-1 (FBN1) gene. This study aims to explore the ocular and cardiovascular characteristics and their association with genotype in children with MFS and related fibrillinopathies.

Methods: Seventy-nine children diagnosed with CEL and with FBN1 mutations confirmed via whole-exome sequencing were included for genotypes and phenotypes analysis.

Robust Arm Impedocardiography Signal Quality Enhancement Using Recursive Signal Averaging and Multi-Stage Wavelet Denoising Methods for Long-Term Cardiac Contractility Monitoring Armbands.

Impedance cardiography (ICG) is a low-cost, non-invasive technique that enables the clinical assessment of haemodynamic parameters, such as cardiac output and stroke volume (SV). Conventional ICG recordings are taken from the patient's thorax. However, access to ICG vital signs from the upper-arm brachial artery (as an associated surrogate) can enable user-convenient wearable armband sensor devices to provide an attractive option for gathering ICG trend-based indicators of general health, which offers particular advantages in ambulatory long-term monitoring settings.

Prevention of Parkinson's Disease: From Risk Factors to Early Interventions.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a debilitating neurological disorder characterized by progressively worsening motor dysfunction. Currently, available therapies merely alleviate symptoms, and there are no cures. Consequently, some researchers have now shifted their attention to identifying the modifiable risk factors of PD, with the intention of possibly implementing early interventions to prevent the development of PD.

Sucrose Gradient Analysis of Human Mitochondrial Ribosomes and RNA.

Faithful expression of the mitochondrial genome is required for the synthesis of the oxidative phosphorylation complexes and cell fitness. In humans, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes 13 essential subunits of four oxidative phosphorylation complexes along with tRNAs and rRNAs needed for the translation of these proteins. Protein synthesis occurs on unique ribosomes within the organelle.

How can we improve latent tuberculosis infection management using behaviour change wheel: a systematic review.

Background: To ensure the effective delivery of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) care, it is vital to overcome potential challenges in LTBI management. This systematic review aims to identify the barriers and interventions to improve LTBI management using the Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model and Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW).

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed on five electronic databases from database inception to 3 November 2021.

Testing the Effects of a Multicomponent Frailty Management Program for Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Singapore: A Feasibility Study.

Frailty in later life is often associated with functional declines and reduced quality of life. A multicomponent frailty management program (mFMP) is lacking in Singapore. This study aimed to determine the feasibility and effects of an mFMP in reducing frailty and increasing participation among frail community-living older adults.