Publications by authors named "Kwong W"

Context The number of developmentally competent cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) retrieved during Ovum Pick-Up (OPU) determines success in both bovine and human assisted reproduction. Follicular flushing for COC retrieval is practicsed widely in humans but not in cattle. Aims To determine the benefits of follicular flushing in cattle and assess the merits of a novel 16G double-lumen needle ('OxIVF') that flushes laterally to the needle shaft.

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  • A series of organic dyes based on 9,9'-dihexylfluorene with unique electron-donating groups were created to improve photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) performance.
  • These dyes achieved impressive results, including a turnover number (TON) of 17,400 and hydrogen production of 1,090 μmol over 126 hours under visible light.
  • The research highlights that the dianchoring design significantly boosts PHE efficiency and durability compared to traditional organic dyes, marking it as a leading system for hydrogen production.
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  • A new study highlights the importance of considering natural hive conditions in research about honey bee microbiota, rather than relying solely on artificial lab settings.
  • The research reveals that the transition in behavior from nurse bees to forager bees can significantly influence physiological and behavioral outcomes in bee studies, potentially confounding results related to microbial treatments.
  • This work emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and careful experimental design to accurately understand the complex interactions between hosts and their microbiota.
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Gregarines are a large and diverse subgroup of Apicomplexa, a lineage of obligate animal symbionts including pathogens such as , the malaria parasite. Unlike , however, gregarines are poorly studied, despite the fact that as early-branching apicomplexans they are crucial to our understanding of the origin and evolution of all apicomplexans and their parasitic lifestyle. Exemplifying this, the earliest branch of gregarines, the archigregarines, are particularly poorly studied: around 80 species have been described from marine invertebrates, but almost all of them were assigned to a single genus, .

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The ability to hang for a long time before forearm muscle fatigue is a crucial element of successful rock climbing. Electromyography (EMG) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are also useful for measuring hemoglobin oxygenation for determining muscle endurance. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of muscle endurance indices derived using EMG and NIRS during a hanging task.

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  • The study looked at how people who had a stroke walked compared to healthy people to find out what was different in their movements.
  • They measured joint angles and forces while both groups walked 10 meters to see where the stroke patients might struggle.
  • The results showed that stroke patients had noticeable differences in how they walked, especially in their affected and less-affected legs, which can help doctors and therapists create better plans for helping them walk better again.
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Introduction: Current treatment guidelines for patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) recommend EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as the standard of care for first-line treatment, with third-generation osimertinib the preferred choice. However, most patients develop resistance to targeted therapy, and subsequent systemic chemotherapy is recommended. The aim of this study was to characterize the subsequent line of therapy (LOT) following osimertinib in patients with EGFR-mNSCLC.

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Compare healthcare costs for patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutated (EGFRm) metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) with and without progression and estimate costs of progression. Retrospective claims analysis (2015-2020) from adults with EGFRm mNSCLC initiating EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Adjusted costs for 12 months were compared (with vs without progression) and cumulative costs for early versus late progression were predicted over 36 months.

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The objectives were to investigate the differences in per patient per month (PPPM) healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs among commercially insured and Medicare Advantage patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive (HER2+) metastatic breast cancer (mBC) who experience disease progression in 12 months compared with those who don't investigate the impact of progression timing on cumulative healthcare costs. This claims-based study included patients diagnosed with mBC between 1 January 2013 and 30 April 2020 and received HER2-targeted therapy. Patients were categorized as progressed or nonprogressed.

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Coral reefs are a biodiversity hotspot, and the association between coral and intracellular dinoflagellates is a model for endosymbiosis. Recently, corals and related anthozoans have also been found to harbor another kind of endosymbiont, apicomplexans called corallicolids. Apicomplexans are a diverse lineage of obligate intracellular parasites that include human pathogens such as the malaria parasite, Plasmodium.

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Background And Objective: Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia. We compared the effect of ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), low-dose intravenous (IV) iron (LDI), and iron sucrose on total cost of care in patients with iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) from a US health plan perspective.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective claims analysis using the IQVIA PharMetrics Plus database.

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  • Apicomplexans are a group of unicellular eukaryotes that primarily infect animals and are responsible for deadly diseases like malaria, highlighting gaps in our understanding of their evolution, especially within the adeleorinids lineage.
  • Adeleorina apicomplexans, which includes hundreds of species infecting various hosts globally, has been poorly represented in evolutionary studies due to limited genomic data.
  • To improve this understanding, researchers generated complete mitochondrial and plastid genomes and deep-coverage transcriptomes for two Adeleorina species, creating a comprehensive phylogenomic tree that sheds light on their evolutionary relationships within the broader group of Apicomplexa.
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We report the sequencing of six bacterial strains isolated from the Western honey bee, as well as the resequencing of six strains that have existing draft genomes, to obtain complete, chromosomal-level assemblies. These strains include the bee gut symbiont genera , and the opportunistic pathogen KZ11.

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Sacral sore is a common problem in patients with spinal cord injury. It leads to prolonged hospitalization and recurrent infections which might require repeated surgery to treat. Flap reconstruction allows soft tissue coverage of sacral sore under the premise of infection-free wound base.

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Background: maturation (IVM) of germinal vesicle intact oocytes prior to fertilization (IVF) is practiced widely in animals. In human assisted reproduction it is generally reserved for fertility preservation or where ovarian stimulation is contraindicated. Standard practice incorporates complex proteins (CP), in the form of serum and/or albumin, into IVM media to mimic the ovarian follicle environment.

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Background: Pathophysiologic mechanisms of disorders of esophagogastric junction (EGJ) outflow are poorly understood. We aimed to compare anatomic and physiologic characteristics among patients with disorders of EGJ outflow and normal motility.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated adult patients with achalasia types 1, 2, 3, EGJ outflow obstruction (EGJOO) or normal motility on high-resolution manometry who underwent endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) from January 2019 to August 2022.

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Congenital heart disease often arises from perturbations of transcription factors (TFs) that guide cardiac development. ISLET1 (ISL1) is a TF that influences early cardiac cell fate, as well as differentiation of other cell types including motor neuron progenitors (MNPs) and pancreatic islet cells. While lineage specificity of ISL1 function is likely achieved through combinatorial interactions, its essential cardiac interacting partners are unknown.

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Background And Aims: Risk factors for pancreatic cancer among patients with pancreatic cysts are incompletely characterized. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate risk factors for development of pancreatic cancer among patients with pancreatic cysts.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-control study of U.

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Introduction: Many patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-positive metastatic breast cancer (HER2+ mBC) require subsequent lines of therapy (LOTs) after being treated with pertuzumab and trastuzumab-based regimens in the first line (1L). Although the efficacy of the second-line (2L) therapies has been demonstrated in clinical trials, the real-world effectiveness of these treatments is understudied. This retrospective cohort study assessed the real-world treatment patterns and outcomes for patients with HER2+ mBC following 1L therapy with pertuzumab and trastuzumab-based regimens in the United States (US) during 2015-2019.

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Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR TKIs) are established first-line treatments among patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer harboring EGFR-sensitizing mutations. Upon EGFR TKI resistance, there are scant data supporting a standard of care in subsequent lines of therapy.

Objective: We aimed to characterize real-world treatment patterns and adverse events associated with hospitalization in later lines of therapy.

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Background: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common cause of fatigue and impaired quality of life. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of intravenous iron supplementation with ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) on fatigue, physical function, and general health among patients with IDA attending routine clinical care.

Methods: This was a prospective, single arm, observational study of adult patients prescribed with intravenous FCM for the treatment of IDA during routine clinical care.

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Background: Trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy is the standard first-line (1L) treatment for HER2+ metastatic gastric cancer (mGC) in the USA.

Objective: This study characterizes the real-world treatment patterns, healthcare resource use (HRU), and costs in patients with HER2+ mGC post-1L trastuzumab before approval of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective study used the IQVIA PharMetrics Plus Database (October 2014-September 2019) to identify adults with HER2+ mGC who discontinued trastuzumab-based regimens in 1L.

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  • This study investigates how well different methods (high-resolution manometry (HRM), barium esophagram (BE), and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)) agree on measuring spastic segment lengths in patients with type 3 achalasia, a disorder affecting esophageal movement.* -
  • Results indicated a strong positive correlation between HRM and BE measurements, while HRM and EUS, as well as BE and EUS, showed poor correlation, suggesting that EUS may not be as reliable for guiding treatment decisions.* -
  • The findings point out the effectiveness of using HRM and BE for assessing spastic segments in type 3 achalasia, while casting doubt on the usefulness of EUS in customizing surgical procedures for
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Background: Tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) may be misdiagnosed as osteoarthritis (OA), or the chronic course of TGCT may lead to development of secondary OA. However, little is known about the effect of comorbid OA on long-term surgical patterns and costs among TGCT patients.

Methods: This cohort study used claims data from the Merative MarketScan Research Databases.

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