Publications by authors named "Shawn Lim"

Introduction: Pediatric burns present a significant global health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite this burden, few studies have explored global sex-based differences in pediatric burns. This study aims to describe pediatric burn incidence, burn care facilities' capacities, and burn outcomes with a focus on sex, comparing LMICs to HICs.

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Background: Studies examining changes in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue during treatment for cancer in children, adolescents, and young adults and their effect on the risk of chemotherapy toxicity (chemotoxicity) are limited.

Methods: Among 78 patients with lymphoma (79.5%) and rhabdomyosarcoma (20.

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There is limited information regarding COVID-19 in long-term blood or marrow transplant (BMT) survivors. We leveraged the BMT Survivor Study (BMTSS) to address this gap. BMTSS included patients who underwent BMT at 1 of 3 sites in the United States between 1974 and 2014 and survived ≥2 years after BMT.

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Purpose: The financial burden experienced by blood or marrow transplant (BMT) survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic remains unstudied. We evaluated the risk for high out-of-pocket medical costs and associated financial burden experienced by BMT survivors and a sibling comparison group during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This study included 2,370 BMT survivors and 750 siblings who completed the BMT Survivor Study survey during the pandemic.

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Lance-Adams syndrome (chronic post-hypoxic myoclonus) is a rare syndrome occurring in patients after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Awareness of this condition is important to distinguish it from myoclonic status epilepticus, which is a poor prognostic sign. We present the case of a 32-year-old woman who developed Lance-Adams syndrome after an episode of hypoxic cardiac arrest from severe pneumonia.

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Article Synopsis
  • Living in disadvantaged neighborhoods negatively impacts the health of Blood or Marrow Transplant (BMT) survivors, leading to increased chronic health issues and less routine healthcare utilization.
  • A study of 2,857 BMT survivors found those in more deprived areas reported longer gaps since their last check-up and worse self-reported health.
  • The data suggests that improving healthcare access and support for patients in these neighborhoods could enhance their long-term health outcomes and care.
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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers examined trends in life expectancy and late mortality causes among patients who had autologous blood or marrow transplants (BMT) over 30 years using a survivor study.
  • The study included 4,702 patients, primarily non-Hispanic White males, and found a 7-year reduction in life expectancy while showing improved survival rates over time, especially for those treated for Hodgkin lymphoma.
  • Although late mortality rates decreased, challenges remain in addressing infections, new cancers, and heart or kidney diseases among these patients.
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COSMIC Medical, a Vancouver-based open-source volunteer initiative, has designed an accessible, affordable, and aerosol-confining non-invasive positive-pressure ventilator (NIPPV) device, known as the COSMIC Bubble Helmet (CBH). This device is intended for COVID-19 patients with mild-to-moderate acute respiratory distress syndrome. : CBH is composed of thermoplastic polyurethane, which creates a flexible neck seal and transparent hood.

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Background: Urban pollution is correlated with an increased prevalence of skin pigmentation disorders, however the physiological processes underlying this association are unclear.

Objectives: To delineate the relationship between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a key constituent of atmospheric pollution, and immunity/skin pigmentation pathways.

Methods: We exposed peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to PAHs and performed cytokines/chemokine profiling.

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Inflammatory skin diseases including atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis (PSO) are underpinned by dendritic cell (DC)-mediated T cell responses. Currently, the heterogeneous human cutaneous DC population is incompletely characterized, and its contribution to these diseases remains unclear. Here, we performed index-sorted single-cell flow cytometry and RNA sequencing of lesional and nonlesional AD and PSO skin to identify macrophages and all DC subsets, including the newly described mature LAMP3+BIRC3+ DCs enriched in immunoregulatory molecules (mregDC) and CD14+ DC3.

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BACKGROUND This report presents the case of a woman with no known coagulopathy, use of anticoagulants, or history of trauma who spontaneously developed an epidural hematoma of the spine. This is an uncommon condition, with the potential for missed diagnosis and potential harm to the patient. CASE REPORT The patient was an elderly woman with a history of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia.

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To evaluate the use of the Cone Contrast Test (CCT) as a color vision screening tool in an Asian population of aircrew applicants and compare it against the Ishihara Psuedo Isochromatic Plates (PIP) - Edridge Lantern Test (ELT) screening pathway, assessing its impact on attrition with CCT cut-off scores of 55 and 75. This is a retrospective review of 862 Republic of Singapore Airforce aircrew applicants tested with CCT and Ishihara PIP-ELT combination as screening. CCT repeatability was analyzed by comparing the subject's interocular (right vs.

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Cole disease is a genodermatosis of pigmentation following a strict dominant mode of inheritance. In this study, we investigated eight patients affected with an overlapping genodermatosis after recessive inheritance. The patients presented with hypo- and hyperpigmented macules over the body, resembling dyschromatosis universalis hereditaria in addition to punctuate palmoplantar keratosis.

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Tissue macrophages arise during embryogenesis from yolk-sac (YS) progenitors that give rise to primitive YS macrophages. Until recently, it has been impossible to isolate or derive sufficient numbers of YS-derived macrophages for further study, but data now suggest that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be driven to undergo a process reminiscent of YS-hematopoiesis in vitro. We asked whether iPSC-derived primitive macrophages (iMacs) can terminally differentiate into specialized macrophages with the help of growth factors and organ-specific cues.

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Animal models have highlighted the importance of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) in multiple immune responses. However, technical limitations have hampered adequate characterization of ILCs in humans. Here, we used mass cytometry including a broad range of surface markers and transcription factors to accurately identify and profile ILCs across healthy and inflamed tissue types.

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Background: Although the benefits of palliative care in the outpatient setting are well established, there has been little to support the employing of hospital palliative care services for inpatients with cancer.

Objective: We conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the effectiveness of palliative care for cancer patients in the acute inpatient hospital setting.

Methods: Two electronic databases-PubMed and CINAHL Plus-were searched for articles published between 1 January 2005 and 28 May 2015.

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Microglia are the resident macrophage population of the central nervous system (CNS). Adequate microglial function is crucial for a healthy CNS. Microglia are not only the first immune sentinels of infection, contributing to both innate and adaptive immune responses locally, but are also involved in the maintenance of brain homeostasis.

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The potential of human embryonic stem (ES) cells as experimental therapies for neuronal replacement has recently received considerable attention. In view of the organization of the mature nervous system into distinct neural circuits, key challenges of such therapies are the directed differentiation of human ES cell-derived neural precursors (NPs) into specific neuronal types and the directional growth of axons along specified trajectories. In the present study, we cultured human NPs derived from the NIH-approved ES line BGO1 on polycaprolactone fiber matrices of different diameter (i.

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Stem cells display sensitivity to substrate presentation of topographical cues via changes in cell morphology. These biomechanical responses may be transmitted to the nucleus through cytoskeletal-linked signaling pathways. Here we investigate the influence of aligned substratum topography on the cell morphology and subsequently, the neuronal differentiation capabilities of adult neural stem cells (ANSCs).

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Artificial nerve guide conduits have the advantage over autografts in terms of their availability and ease of fabrication. However, clinical outcomes associated with the use of artificial nerve conduits are often inferior to that of autografts, particularly over long lesion gaps. There have been significant advances in the designs of artificial nerve conduits over the years.

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Stem cells interact with and respond to a myriad of signals emanating from their extracellular microenvironment. The ability to harness the regenerative potential of stem cells via a synthetic matrix has promising implications for regenerative medicine. Electrospun fibrous scaffolds can be prepared with high degree of control over their structure creating highly porous meshes of ultrafine fibers that resemble the extracellular matrix topography, and are amenable to various functional modifications targeted towards enhancing stem cell survival and proliferation, directing specific stem cell fates, or promoting tissue organization.

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