The Hong Kong Society of Rheumatology consensus recommendations for the management of gout.

Gout is one of the most common noncommunicable diseases in Hong Kong. Although effective treatment options are readily available, the management of gout in Hong Kong remains suboptimal. Like other countries, the treatment goal in Hong Kong usually focuses on relieving symptoms of gout but not treating the serum urate level to target.

Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of Benralizumab: A Phase 1, Randomized, Single-Blind Study of Healthy Chinese Participants.

Purpose: Biological therapies targeting eosinophils have been shown to be effective in treating patients with severe eosinophilic asthma. Benralizumab (Fasenra, AstraZeneca) is a humanized monoclonal antibody binding to the alpha subunit of the interleukin-5 receptor, which rapidly depletes eosinophils via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. The aim of this Phase 1 study was to assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of benralizumab in healthy Chinese individuals.

Five-year cardiovascular event risk in early rheumatoid arthritis patients who received treat-to-target management: a case-control study.

Objectives: This study explored whether the excess cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) risk in RA could be ameliorated by suppression of inflammation using a treat-to-target (T2T) approach. We compared the CV event (CVE) incidence among ERA patients managed by a T2T strategy with a CV risk factor-matched non-RA population and a historical RA cohort (HRA).

Methods: This was an observational study using the city-wide hospital data and the ERA registry.

Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in the United States in 1999-2018: A 20-Year Analysis.

Introduction: Obesity is a public health crisis in the USA. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of obesity and severe obesity in US children and adolescents and identify novel targetable risk factors associated with childhood obesity.

Methods: From the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2018, 35,907 children aged 2-19 with body mass index (BMI) data were included.

Nurse-Led Consultation for Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis at Low Disease Activity: A Randomized Noninferiority Trial.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of nurse-led consultations in patients with stable rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Hong Kong.

Methods: The present work was a single-center, randomized, open-label, noninferiority trial. Patients who had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with low disease activity (LDA) were randomized at a 1:1 ratio to attend a nurse-led consultation or rheumatologist follow-up visit for 2 years.

Blood lead level and risk of hypertension in the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2016.

Lead is a heavy metal without a biological role. High level of lead exposure is known to be associated with hypertension, but the risk at low levels of exposure is uncertain. In this study, data from US NHANES 1999-2016 were analyzed.

Prevalence and Impact of Reported Drug Allergies among Rheumatology Patients.

Background: Drug allergies (DA) are immunologically mediated adverse drug reactions and their manifestations depend on a variety of drug- and patient-specific factors. The dysregulated immune system underpinning rheumatological diseases may also lead to an increase in hypersensitivity reactions, including DA. The higher prevalence of reported DA, especially anti-microbials, also restricts the medication repertoire for these already immunocompromised patients.

Epidemiology of gout in Hong Kong: a population-based study from 2006 to 2016.

Objective: To determine the incidence and prevalence of gout in the general population and the utilisation of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) among patients with gout in Hong Kong.

Methods: A total of 2,741,862 subjects who attended any outpatient clinics or accident and emergency department (with or without hospitalisation) in 2005 and did not die before 2006 were identified from the Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System (CDARS) of the Hospital Authority in Hong Kong. All subjects were followed until the end of 2016 or death.

Blood and Urine Inorganic and Organic Mercury Levels in the United States from 1999 to 2016.

Background: Mercury is an environmental hazard. Organic mercury is biologically more toxic than inorganic mercury. Therefore, we studied recent trends in the blood levels of organic and inorganic mercury in the United States.

Management of rheumatoid arthritis: 2019 updated consensus recommendations from the Hong Kong Society of Rheumatology.

The expanding range of treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), from conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to biological DMARDs (bDMARDs), biosimilar bDMARDs, and targeted synthetic DMARDs, has improved patient outcomes but increased the complexity of treatment decisions. These updated consensus recommendations from the Hong Kong Society of Rheumatology provide guidance on the management of RA, with a focus on how to integrate newly available DMARDs into clinical practice. The recommendations were developed based on evidence from the literature along with local expert opinion.

Association of Alendronate and Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Hip Fracture.

The risk of cardiovascular events (CVEs) with alendronate use in real-world hip fracture patients is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the risk of CVE with and without use of alendronate in patients with hip fracture. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a population-wide database managed by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority.

A Phase I, Single- and Multiple-dose Study to Evaluate the Pharmacokinetics of Elbasvir and Grazoprevir in Healthy Chinese Participants.

Purpose: This study evaluated the single- and multiple-dose pharmacokinetic (PK) variables of elbasvir and grazoprevir in healthy Chinese individuals.

Methods: This study was a 2-part, parallel-arm, open-label trial. In part 1, single-dose PK variables of elbasvir 10/50/100 mg and grazoprevir 50/100/200 mg were evaluated in 10 participants per drug.

Network meta-analysis of cardiovascular outcomes in randomized controlled trials of new antidiabetic drugs.

Background: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) directly comparing cardiovascular outcomes of new antidiabetic drugs are lacking. We used network meta-analysis to compare new antidiabetic drug classes with respect to major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and mortality.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane database, and ClinicalTrials.

Pharmacokinetics of the BCL-2 Inhibitor Venetoclax in Healthy Chinese Subjects.

Venetoclax has been approved in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Australia for appropriate patients with difficult-to-treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The objective of this phase 1 study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of venetoclax in Chinese subjects to inform the dose selection of venetoclax in a phase 2 study of patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) CLL in China. Twelve healthy first-generation Han Chinese subjects received a single 100-mg dose of venetoclax following a low-fat breakfast.

Future therapeutic targets in rheumatoid arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by persistent joint inflammation. Without adequate treatment, patients with RA will develop joint deformity and progressive functional impairment. With the implementation of treat-to-target strategies and availability of biologic therapies, the outcomes for patients with RA have significantly improved.

Continual Decrease in Blood Lead Level in Americans: United States National Health Nutrition and Examination Survey 1999-2014.

Background: Lead is toxic and affects neurodevelopment in children even at low levels. There has been a long-term effort in the United States to reduce exposure to lead in the environment. We studied the latest US population blood lead levels and analyzed its trend.

Optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stent implantation: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: After implantation of drug-eluting stents (DES), patients usually receive 6-12months of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). However, the optimal duration of DAPT is controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to assess the risks and benefits of different DAPT durations.

Duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stent implantation: Meta-analysis of large randomised controlled trials.

Patients receive dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for 6-12 months after drug-eluting stents (DES) implantation. The efficacy and safety of prolonged DAPT has been questioned. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis on randomised trials comparing different DAPT durations.

Safety of antiobesity drugs.

Obesity is a major health problem worldwide. Although diet and physical activity are crucial in the management of obesity, the long-term success rate is low. Therefore antiobesity drugs are of great interest, especially when lifestyle modification has failed.

The effectiveness of a 'Do Not Use' list and perceptions of healthcare professionals on error-prone abbreviations.

Background: The use of error-prone abbreviations has led to medication errors. Many safety organisations have introduced 'Do Not Use' lists (lists of error-prone abbreviations that should be avoided by prescribers), but the effectiveness of these lists have not been studied.

Objective: We assessed the effectiveness of the 'Do Not Use' list introduced to the study hospital, and sought the attitudes of healthcare professionals on other potentially dangerous abbreviations (not included in the 'Do Not Use' list) used in prescriptions.

Managing blood pressure control in Asian patients: safety and efficacy of losartan.

Hypertension is common in Asian populations and is a major cause of cardiovascular diseases. The prevalence of hypertension is increasing in many Asian countries. The overall prevalence of hypertension in India and the People's Republic of China has been estimated to be 20.