The 2024 APLAR Consensus on the Management of Lupus Nephritis.

The APLAR has published a set of recommendations on the management of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in 2021. The current consensus paper supplements and updates specifically the treatment of lupus nephritis (LN) according to two rounds of Delphi exercise from members of the APLAR SLE special interest group, invited nephrologists, histopathologists, and lupus nephritis patients. For initial treatment of LN, we recommend a combination of glucocorticoids (GCs) with cyclophosphamide (CYC), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), or the calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) as first-line options.

n-acetyl-l-cysteine stimulates bone healing by recovering the age-associated degenerative complications relative to osteoblastic Wntless ablation.

Dysregulated Wnt signaling causes age-related characteristics such as oxidative stress, stem cell senescence, and abnormal bone homeostasis. Here we explored whether supplemental n-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) recovers the age-associated complications relative to osteoblastic Wntless (Wls) ablation and examined the possible mechanisms therein. For this work, we administered Col2.

Early-stage hypertension defined by the 2017 ACC/AHA blood pressure guideline carries excessive cardiovascular risk in axial spondyloarthritis patients.

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is the most important modifiable risk factor for the development of cardiovascular events (CVEs). Patients with axSpA are also associated with an increased risk of future CVE.

Objectives: To ascertain whether baseline early-stage HTN is a predictor of future CVE in addition to inflammation in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

Precise weight tuning in quantum dot-based resistive-switching memory for neuromorphic systems.

In this study, nonvolatile bipolar resistive switching and synaptic emulation behaviors are performed in an InGaP quantum dots (QDs)/HfO-based memristor device. First, the physical and chemical properties of InGaP QDs are investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and spectrophotometric analysis. Through comparative experiments, it is proven that the HfO layer improves the variations in resistive switching characteristics.

Associations Between Hearing Loss and Health-Related Costs: A Retrospective Population-Based Cohort Study.

Purpose: Hearing loss (HL) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, but its health-related costs have been incompletely studied. Our objective was to examine the association between HL and direct health care costs and identify subgroups in which costs associated with HL are especially high.

Method: This was a retrospective population-based cohort study of adults treated in a universal health care system between April 2008 and March 2019.

Deficiency of muscle-generated brain-derived neurotrophic factor causes inflammatory myopathy through reactive oxygen species-mediated necroptosis and pyroptosis.

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (commonly known as myositis) is a group of immune-related diseases characterized by muscle damage, weakness, and fatigue with unknown causes. Although overactivated innate immunity is a widely believed cause of myositis onset, the mechanism that provokes and maintains a high immune response in myositis patients is still unclear. This study aims to test if brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) deficiency per se is sufficient to cause myositis and determine its underlying mechanism.

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound-Based Radiomics for the Prediction of Axillary Lymph Nodes Status in Breast Cancer.

Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the female population. Axillary lymph nodes (ALN) are a group of the most common metastatic sites of breast cancer. Timely assessment of ALN status is of paramount clinical importance for medical decision making.

Clinical profile analysis of SARS-CoV-2 community infections during periods with omicron BA.2, BA.4/5, and XBB dominance in Hong Kong: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Existing studies on SARS-CoV-2 infection have mainly focused on severe clinical outcomes; understanding of the clinical severity profile of general community infections is poor. We aimed to assess and compare the clinical profiles of infections with SARS-CoV-2 omicron (B.1.

Anomalous Behavior in Dark-Bright Splitting Impacts the Biexciton Binding Energy in (BA)(MA)PbBr ( = 1-3).

Two-dimensional Ruddlesden-Popper series are an excellent system for tuning physical properties of the perovskite by controlling the layer number (). For instance, bandgap and exciton binding energies of the series gradually increase upon reducing via enhanced quantum and dielectric confinements. Here, we present findings that challenge the anticipated trend in electron-hole exchange interaction within (BA)MAPbBr ( = 1-3), which causes spin-dependent exciton level splitting into bright and dark states, where the latter is partially visible near the surface of the Br-based two-dimensional Ruddlesden-Popper series.

Management of bone health in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: A two-center audit in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

Background: Patients with inflammatory idiopathic myopathies (IIM) face elevated risks of osteoporosis and fragility fracture.

Aim: To evaluate current practice relating to bone health in adult patients with IIM in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong (HK).

Methods: Patients were identified from IIM patient lists.

Erosion regression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after upadacitinib-a pilot study using high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

Objectives: To evaluate whether inhibition of Janus kinases (JAK) 1 could lead to erosion repair on high-resolution peripheral quantitative computer tomography (HR-pQCT) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: This was a prospective, non-randomized pilot study. We enrolled 20 adult patients with active RA with ≥1 bone erosion on HR-pQCT.

Validation of the International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies Group guideline on cancer risk stratification.

Objectives: Adult-onset Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are associated with cancer. Guideline on cancer risk stratifications and screening in IIM patients was recently published, but their external validity remains verified. We evaluated its applicability and reliability among a Hong Kong IIM cohort.

Identification of hemolytic anemia in Korean indigenous cattle with a criteria value of reticulocyte count, indirect bilirubin, and L-lactate concentration.

Bovine hemolytic anemia has a negative impact on animal welfare and productivity due to its associated clinical symptoms. Hemolysis is generally known to cause reticulocytosis, increased indirect bilirubin, decreased concentration of haptoglobin, and increased lactate dehydrogenase. Additionally, tissue hypoperfusion due to concomitant anemia increases blood lactate concentration.

Reference values for reticulocyte haemoglobin equivalent in healthy Chinese children under 5 years and its associations with various blood parameters.

Background: Reticulocyte haemoglobin equivalent (RET-He) is a useful tool for evaluating recent iron usage irrespective of inflammatory status. This study aims to establish a reference for RET-He among Hong Kong healthy children under the age of 5 years and to investigate the association between RET-He and various blood parameters.

Methods: A total of 946 children aged 2-48 months from July 2019 to December 2022 were recruited in this cross-sectional study.

Synthesis of chiral graphene structures and their comprehensive applications: a critical review.

From a molecular viewpoint, chirality is a crucial factor in biological processes. Enantiomers of a molecule have identical chemical and physical properties, but chiral molecules found in species exist in one enantiomer form throughout life, growth, and evolution. Chiral graphene materials have considerable potential for application in various domains because of their unique structural framework, properties, and controlled synthesis, including chiral creation, segregation, and transmission.

Memristive Architectures Exploiting Self-Compliance Multilevel Implementation on 1 kb Crossbar Arrays for Online and Offline Learning Neuromorphic Applications.

This paper suggests the practical implications of utilizing a high-density crossbar array with self-compliance (SC) at the conductive filament (CF) formation stage. By limiting the excessive growth of CF, SC functions enable the operation of a crossbar array without access transistors. An AlO/TiO, internal overshoot limitation structure, allows the SC to have resistive random-access memory.

scParser: sparse representation learning for scalable single-cell RNA sequencing data analysis.

The rapid rise in the availability and scale of scRNA-seq data needs scalable methods for integrative analysis. Though many methods for data integration have been developed, few focus on understanding the heterogeneous effects of biological conditions across different cell populations in integrative analysis. Our proposed scalable approach, scParser, models the heterogeneous effects from biological conditions, which unveils the key mechanisms by which gene expression contributes to phenotypes.

Parental vaccine hesitancy and influenza vaccine type preferences during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Seasonal influenza vaccine (SIV) greatly reduces disease burden among school-aged children, yet parental vaccine hesitancy remains a persistent challenge. Two types of SIV are available for children in Hong Kong and other locations: inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV), administered through intramuscular injection, and live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), administered via nasal spray. We aimed to understand how vaccine hesitancy shaped parental preference for LAIV versus IIV, particularly amidst important public health events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the massive rollout of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.