Publications by authors named "Marcus Wing Choy Loe"

Aim: To determine the association between the duration and types of antibiotic exposure and the occurrence of short- and long-term outcomes among preterm, very-low-birthweight (VLBW) infants.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of VLBW infants born <32 weeks gestation between January 2017-December 2021. Association between antibiotic exposure and the occurrence of death and/or major morbidities, and neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 18-24 months corrected age, was evaluated.

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Article Synopsis
  • Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of serious respiratory infections in young children, leading to many hospitalizations, but recent treatments like nirsevimab show promise in preventing these issues.
  • Nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody, offers protection for at least 5 months and has been shown to significantly reduce hospital stays due to RSV in clinical trials and real-world data, with effectiveness rates ranging from 62.1% to 90%.
  • Successful implementation strategies for nirsevimab include seasonal administration for infants and contingency plans for those born before RSV season; however, careful consideration of cost and logistics is necessary for widespread usage.
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Introduction: Recent reports have described the increasing predominance of Gram-negative organisms among invasive bacterial infections affecting preterm infants. This changing pattern of infections is concerning due to the spread of antibiotic resistance among Gram-negatives.

Method: We conducted a single-centre, retrospective cohort study involving very-low-birthweight (VLBW) (<1500 grams) infants born <32 weeks gestation, with culture-proven infections (blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid [CSF]) in the neonatal intensive care unit from 1 January 2005 to 31 October 2017.

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The complement system is critical to the body's innate defense against exogenous pathogens and clearance of endogenous waste, comprising the classical, alternative, and lectin pathways. Although tightly regulated, various congenital and acquired diseases can perturb the complement system, resulting in specific complement deficiencies. Systemic rheumatic, neurological, ophthalmological, renal, and hematological disorders are some prototypical complement-mediated diseases.

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Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus that has re-emerged as a significant threat to global health in the recent decade. Whilst infections are primarily asymptomatic, the virus has been associated with the manifestation of severe neurological complications. At present, there is still a lack of approved antivirals for ZIKV infections.

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Objectives: In this study, we aim to describe the patterns of early-life surface colonization with multi-drug resistant (MDR) organisms (MDROs) among newborns admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of infants with culture-positive external ear surface swabs performed immediately after admission to our NICU from January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2021. Clinical characteristics, culture and antibiotic susceptibility data were extracted from the department data collection and hospital electronic databases.

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Positive-sense RNA viruses modify intracellular calcium stores, endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus (Golgi) to generate membranous replication organelles known as viral factories. Viral factories provide a conducive and substantial enclave for essential virus replication concentrating necessary cellular factors and viral proteins in proximity. Here, we identified the vital role of a broad-spectrum antiviral, peruvoside in limiting the formation of viral factories.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented medical and healthcare challenges worldwide. With the continual emergence and spread of new COVID-19 variants, four drug compound libraries were interrogated for their antiviral activities against SARS-CoV-2. Here, we show that the drug screen has resulted in 121 promising anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds, of which seven were further shortlisted for hit validation: citicoline, pravastatin sodium, tenofovir alafenamide, imatinib mesylate, calcitriol, dexlansoprazole, and prochlorperazine dimaleate.

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Dengue virus (DENV) is an arthropod-borne virus that has developed into a prominent global health threat in recent decades. The main causative agent of dengue fever, the virus infects an estimated 390 million individuals across the globe each year. Despite the sharply increasing social and economic burden on global society caused by the disease, there is still a glaring lack of effective therapeutics against DENV.

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Article Synopsis
  • - COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, following its emergence in December 2019 and significant global social and economic disruptions caused by the virus.
  • - The disease is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, leading to extensive research and testing of various antiviral drugs aimed at treating it.
  • - This review article outlines the primary antiviral strategies being used and provides an overview of the effectiveness of important antiviral drugs that have been studied for treating COVID-19.
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Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus that has risen to prominence as a significant threat to public health in the recent decade. Since its re-emergence in 2007, ZIKV has spread at an alarming rate and has since become endemic to multiple regions around the world. Infections are primarily asymptomatic, however the virus has become associated with the development of severe neurological complications such as Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and congenital microcephaly.

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Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus that has garnered a lot of attention in recent years, due to the explosive epidemic from 2014 to 2016. Since its introduction in the Americas in late 2014, ZIKV has spread at an unprecedented rate and scale throughout the world and infected millions of people. Its infection has also been associated with severe neurological disorders like Guillain-Barré syndrome and microcephaly in fetuses.

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