Lipid-lowering agent preferences among patients with hypercholesterolemia: a focus group study.

Background: Non-adherence to lipid-lowering agents poses significant risks to patients and diminishes treatment effectiveness. Current understanding of patients' preferences regarding the characteristics of these agents is limited. This study aims to qualitatively identify the barriers to lipid-lowering medication adherence and the factors considered by patients with hypercholesterolemia when choosing lipid-lowering agents, and to inform the design of a medication preference study.

Scoring System for Predicting the Risk of Liver Cancer among Diabetes Patients: A Random Survival Forest-Guided Approach.

Background: Most liver cancer scoring systems focus on patients with preexisting liver diseases such as chronic viral hepatitis or liver cirrhosis. Patients with diabetes are at higher risk of developing liver cancer than the general population. However, liver cancer scoring systems for patients in the absence of liver diseases or those with diabetes remain rare.

Applying the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to investigate factors of implementing alcohol screening and brief intervention among primary care physicians and nurses in Hong Kong, China: an exploratory sequential mixed-method study.

Background: Alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) is an evidence-based intervention recommended by the World Health Organization. This study applied the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to understand facilitators and barriers of SBI implementation in primary care settings in Hong Kong, China.

Methods: This was a sequential mixed-method study.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated profiles and subsequent site-specific risk of obesity-related cancers among Chinese patients with diabetes: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To compare metabolic dysfunction-associated profiles between patients with diabetes who developed different obesity-related site-specific cancers and those who remained free of cancer during follow-up.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Public general outpatient clinics in Hong Kong.

Association of Sedentary Lifestyle with Risk of Acute and Post-Acute COVID-19 Sequelae: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Evidence suggests that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors could experience COVID-19 sequelae. Although various risk factors for COVID-19 sequelae have been identified, little is known about whether a sedentary lifestyle is an independent risk factor.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 4850 participants self-reported their COVID-19 sequelae symptoms between June and August 2022.

Longitudinal study of disease severity and external factors in cognitive failure after COVID-19 among Indonesian population.

The COVID-19 infection is assumed to induce cognitive failure. Identifying the relationship between COVID-19, the effect of vaccination and medication, and accommodating non-COVID-19 factors to cognitive failure is essential. This study was conducted in Indonesia from September 2021 to January 2023.

Associations of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cirrhosis with liver cancer in European and East Asian populations: A Mendelian randomization study.

Background: The positive relationships of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cirrhosis with liver cancer were shown in previous observational studies, while further Mendelian randomization (MR) investigations are needed to confirm the possible causal associations.

Aims: This study aimed to explore whether NAFLD and cirrhosis were causally related to liver cancer using MR in European and East Asian populations.

Methods And Results: For European populations, NAFLD data were obtained from a genome-wide meta-analysis (8434 patients and 770 180 controls).

Association between cumulative exposure periods of flupentixol or any antipsychotics and risk of lung cancer.

Background: Preclinical evidence suggests that certain antipsychotic medications may inhibit the development of lung cancer. This study aims to investigate the association between incident lung cancer and different cumulative exposure periods of flupentixol or any antipsychotics.

Methods: Using electronic health records from the Hospital Authority in Hong Kong, this nested case-control study included case participants aged 18 years or older with newly diagnosed lung cancer after initiating antipsychotics between January 1, 2003, and August 31, 2022.

Adoption of colonoscopy surveillance intervals in subjects who received polypectomy in southern China: A cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background And Aim: We aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of different colonoscopy intervals among average-risk (5 vs 10 years) and high-risk (1 vs 3 years) southern Chinese populations.

Methods: We constructed a Markov model with a hypothetical population of 100 000 individuals aged 50-85 years. Average risk was defined as 1-2 non-advanced adenomas (tubular adenoma sized < 10 mm without high-grade dysplasia).

Association Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoporosis in Japanese Populations: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Objective: The positive association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoporosis has been reported in previous observational studies, but the causal relationship remains unclear. This study was undertaken to investigate whether RA was causally associated with osteoporosis in Japanese populations using Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses.

Methods: Publicly available summarized data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on RA (4,199 cases and 208,254 controls) and osteoporosis (7,788 cases and 204,665 controls) were obtained from BioBank Japan.

Safety, Feasibility, and Acceptability of Telemedicine for Hypertension in Primary Care: A Proof-of-concept and Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (SATE-HT).

Hypertension (HT) continues to be a leading cause of cardiovascular death and an enormous burden on the healthcare system. Although telemedicine may provide improved blood pressure (BP) monitoring and control, it remains unclear whether it could replace face-to-face consultations in patients with optimal BP control. We hypothesized that an automatic drug refill coupled with a telemedicine system tailored to patients with optimal BP would lead to non-inferior BP control.

Epidemiology, Symptomatology, and Risk Factors for Long COVID Symptoms: Population-Based, Multicenter Study.

Background: Long COVID induces a substantial global burden of disease. The pathogenesis, complications, and epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 in the acute phase have been evaluated, while few studies have characterized the epidemiology, symptomatology, and risk factors of long COVID symptoms. Its characteristics among patients with COVID-19 in the general population remain unaddressed.

Comparison of Resilience Among Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemics: A Multinational Cross-Sectional Survey in Southeast Asian Jurisdictions.

To examine the level of resilience among the frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) in four different Southeast Asian jurisdictions and identify the potential factors that may enhance healthcare workers resilience. An online cross-sectional survey was carried out among 3,048 eligible healthcare workers in Hong Kong, Nepal, Vietnam, and Taiwan from May 2021 to July 2022, and information on individual resilience, socio-demographic characteristics, organizational supports, and personal exposures were collected. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify the factors that were associated with a high resilience level.

Association between serum uric acid and prostate cancer risk in East Asian populations: a Mendelian randomization study.

Purpose: Previous observational studies showed that serum uric acid (SUA) was associated with prostate cancer, but the causal relationship is unclear. This study aimed to explore the potential causal association between SUA and prostate cancer risk using Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses in the East Asian populations.

Methods: Publicly available summary-level genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data on SUA were obtained from a genome-wide meta-analysis of three Japanese cohorts (121,745 subjects).

Associations of alcohol and coffee with colorectal cancer risk in East Asian populations: a Mendelian randomization study.

Purpose: Previous observational studies have shown that alcohol and coffee were associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but the causal relationships have not been adequately explored. This study aimed to assess the potential causal associations of alcohol and coffee with CRC risk using Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses in an East Asian population.

Methods: Publicly available summary-level genome-wide association studies data on ever/never alcohol drinker (n = 165,084), alcohol consumption (n = 58,610), coffee consumption (n = 152,634), and CRC (7062 cases and 195,745 controls) were obtained from the BioBank Japan (BBJ).

A community-based health-social partnership program for community-dwelling older adults: a hybrid effectiveness-implementation pilot study.

Background: A growing body of literature supports the efficacy of the health-social approach for the implementation of complex interventions to enhance self-care health management among community-dwelling older adults. However, there is little research on how interventions with this approach are implemented and disseminated in a real community setting.

Methods: This pilot study adopted an effectiveness-implementation hybrid design to 1) evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based Health-Social Partnership Program (HSPP) and 2) explore the reach, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of the HSPP in the community.

Associations between potential causal factors and colorectal cancer risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis of Mendelian randomization studies.

Objective: To summarize the associations between potential causal factors and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk based on existing Mendelian randomization studies.

Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis involved a literature search in Embase and Medline. All published articles using Mendelian randomization to explore potential causal factors of CRC were included.

Unseen Threats of Chronic Diseases among the Middle-Aged: Examining the Feasibility of Well-Defined Healthcare Vouchers in Encouraging Uptake of General Checkups.

The ageing population and the emergence of chronic diseases continue to pose immense challenges to the healthcare system. This study aims to explore how likely middle-aged citizens could be encouraged to attend health checkups by well-defined healthcare vouchers, and to explore potential factors associated with the uptake of health checkups. A cross-sectional survey with self-administered structured questionnaires was conducted among Hong Kong residents aged 45-59.

COVID-19 Vaccine Willingness and Related Factors Among Health Care Workers in 3 Southeast Asian Jurisdictions.

Importance: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is widespread and may lead to refusal or delay of vaccination, eventually reducing the overall vaccination coverage rate and vaccine effectiveness. Willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination among health care workers (HCWs) is diverse across different jurisdictions.

Objective: To assess the COVID-19 vaccine willingness among HCWs in 3 Southeast Asian jurisdictions in the context of pandemic severity and vaccination policy.

Impact of endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage on reducing costs of reintervention and unplanned readmission: a budget impact analysis.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) is the preferred treatment for patients with acute calculous cholecystitis who are unfit for surgery. The aim of this study was to perform a cost-effective analysis (CEA) comparing EUS-GBD with percutaneous gallbladder drainage (PT-GBD). CEA was performed on patients recruited for our prior randomized controlled trial.

Vaccination status, favipiravir, and micronutrient supplementation roles in post-COVID symptoms: A longitudinal study.

Introduction: Post-COVID symptoms are the new concern in the COVID-19 pandemic, where recovered patients experience residual symptoms affecting their quality of life. Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate the role of complete vaccination, prescribed medication, and micronutrients during COVID episodes in the occurrence of post-COVID symptoms.

Method: A longitudinal evaluation of Indonesia's recovered COVID-19 patients was performed using the data collected from July 2021 and extracted in mid-February 2022.

Droplet nuclei are generated during colonoscopy and are decreased by the use of carbon dioxide and water immersion technique.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns on whether colonoscopies (CS) carry a transmission risk. The aim was to determine whether CS are aerosol-generating procedures.

Methods: This was a prospective observational trial including all patients undergoing CS at the Prince of Wales Hospital from 1 June to 31 July 2020.

Risk assessment and prediction for lung cancer among Hong Kong Chinese men.

Objective: Most of the previous risk prediction models for lung cancer were developed from smokers, with discriminatory power ranging from 0.57 to 0.72.