The association of physical function and physical performance with DNA methylation clocks in oldest-old living in Singapore - the SG90 cohort.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation (DNAm) clocks estimate biological age according to DNA methylation. This study investigated the associations between measures of physical function and physical performance and ten DNAm clocks in the oldest-old in Singapore. The SG90 cohort included a subset of community-dwelling oldest-old from the Singapore Chinese Health Study (SCHS) and Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study (SLAS).

Impact of a Virtual Reality Intervention on Stigma, Empathy, and Attitudes Toward Patients With Psychotic Disorders Among Mental Health Care Professionals: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Previous studies have found that psychotic disorders are among the most stigmatized mental disorders. Of note, virtual reality (VR) interventions have been associated with improvements in attitudes and empathy and reduced stigma toward individuals with psychotic disorders, especially among undergraduates, but this has not been examined among mental health care professionals.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly developed VR intervention for mental health care professionals to improve attitudes and empathy and reduce stigma toward people with psychotic disorders.

Pembrolizumab with or without bevacizumab in platinum-resistant recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial.

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is overexpressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and suppresses the anti-tumour immune response. Previous studies have shown that adding anti-VEGF treatment to PD-1 inhibition treatment strategies improves tumour response. We aimed to compare the efficacy of pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, with or without bevacizumab, a VEGF inhibitor, in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Characterizing sexuality and assessing predictors of sexual satisfaction in patients with multiple myeloma and other hematological cancers.

Purpose: Existing studies documenting cancer-related sexual concerns among hematological cancer patients tend to group all types of hematological cancer together, overlooking potentially unique concerns associated with multiple myeloma (MM). This study is the first to characterize sexuality in MM and to examine predictors of sexual satisfaction for MM, comparatively with participants with other hematological cancer types.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional self-report survey-based study.

SLC7A5 is required for cancer cell growth under arginine-limited conditions.

Tumor cells must optimize metabolite acquisition between synthesis and uptake from a microenvironment characterized by hypoxia, lactate accumulation, and depletion of many amino acids, including arginine. We performed a metabolism-focused functional screen using CRISPR-Cas9 to identify pathways and factors that enable tumor growth in an arginine-depleted environment. Our screen identified the SLC-family transporter SLC7A5 as required for growth, and we hypothesized that this protein functions as a high-affinity citrulline transporter.

The role of light exposure in infant circadian rhythm establishment: A scoping review perspective.

Environmental light exposure plays a role in the entrainment of the infant circadian rhythm, which is crucial for growth and development. This scoping review aims to evaluate existing literature linking the role of light exposure in the development of the infant circadian rhythm. This scoping review is conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

Prevalence and Significance of Incidental PET/CT Findings of Cancer Detected in Patients Evaluated for Their Primary Hematologic Malignancy: A Systematic Review.

In the evaluation of a patient's primary hematologic malignancy, positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging may incidentally detect a concerning abnormality suggestive of a second concurrent cancer. Despite accounting for nearly 10% of all cancers diagnosed in Canada, there has yet to be a systematic review focused on the prevalence and significance of these incidental PET/CT findings in the context of primary hematologic malignancies. As such, a systematic search strategy was employed on MEDLINE and Embase to document the prevalence and clinical significance of incidental PET/CT findings suggestive of a second concurrent cancer detected in patients evaluated for their primary hematologic malignancy.

Subclinical disease among people with culture-confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis in Singapore - a retrospective study.

Objectives: Subclinical tuberculosis (TB) is challenging to diagnose due to the lack of a clear definition and symptoms. This study aimed to describe the subclinical disease spectrum among people with culture-confirmed pulmonary TB routinely diagnosed in Singapore, a country with moderate incidence, using different definitions. It also aimed to identify risk factors for subclinical TB and the current diagnostic approaches in detecting subclinical TB.

Pre-arrest atrial fibrillation and neurological recovery after cardiac arrest among hospitalized patients: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: New-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of stroke in hospitalized patients with severe sepsis. Post-cardiac arrest patients experience conditions similar to sepsis. This study investigated whether pre-arrest AF is associated with poor neurological recovery following in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA).

Machine Learning Models for Segmentation and Classification of Cyanobacterial Cells.

Timelapse microscopy has recently been employed to study the metabolism and physiology of cyanobacteria at the single-cell level. However, the identification of individual cells in brightfield images remains a significant challenge. Traditional intensity-based segmentation algorithms perform poorly when identifying individual cells in dense colonies due to a lack of contrast between neighboring cells.

Experiences of Informal Caregivers Caring for Individuals With Chronic Schizophrenia in Asia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis.

Introduction: In Asia, many caregivers are culturally obliged to assume the role of taking care of individuals experiencing chronic schizophrenia, even as they grapple with stigma and compassion fatigue. Despite the significance of this phenomenon, the collective experiences of Asian caregivers remain poorly understood.

Aim: To synthesise qualitative evidence on the experiences of informal caregivers when caring for individuals with chronic schizophrenia in Asia.

Increased Insular Functional Connectivity During Repetitive Negative Thinking in Major Depression and Healthy Volunteers.

Background: Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) in major depressive disorder (MDD) involves persistent focus on negative self-related experiences. Resting-state fMRI shows that the functional connectivity (FC) between the insula and the superior temporal sulcus is critical to RNT intensity. This study examines how insular FC patterns differ between resting-state and RNT-induction in MDD and healthy participants (HC).

Role of dietary potassium and salt substitution in the prevention and management of hypertension.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) continue to be the leading cause of deaths and disability worldwide and the major contributor is hypertension. Despite all the improvements in detecting hypertension together with technological advances and affordable, efficacious and relatively free of adverse effects anti-hypertensive agents, we continue to struggle to prevent the onset of hypertension and to control blood pressure (BP) to acceptable targets. The poor control of hypertension is commonly due to non-adherence to medications.

Smooth multi-period forecasting with application to prediction of COVID-19 cases.

Forecasting methodologies have always attracted a lot of attention and have become an especially hot topic since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper we consider the problem of multi-period forecasting that aims to predict several horizons at once. We propose a novel approach that forces the prediction to be "smooth" across horizons and apply it to two tasks: point estimation via regression and interval prediction via quantile regression.

Considering best practice standards for routine whole-genome sequencing for TB care and control.

TB is a priority pathogen for the application of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) into routine public health practice. In low-incidence settings, a growing number of services have begun to incorporate routine WGS into standard practice. The increasing availability of real-time genomic information supports a variety of aspects of the public health response, including the detection of drug resistance, monitoring of laboratory and clinical practices, contact tracing investigations and active case finding.