Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology Position Statement on the Use of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in the Management of Aortic Stenosis.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been established as an effective treatment modality in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and the uptake of TAVI is rapidly growing in the Asia-Pacific region. However, there exist a heterogeneity in the management of aortic stenosis and the use of TAVI among countries in the region. Reasons for these differences include anatomic variations, disparity in healthcare resources and infrastructure, and the lack of consensus on the optimal management of AS in the Asia-Pacific region.

EFFECT OF ELECTRONIC SHORT MESSAGE SERVICE REMINDERS ON MEDICATION ADHERENCE AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN KATSINA STATE: A QUASIEXPERIMENTAL STUDY.

Introduction: Globally, hypertension is considered a public health problem affecting over 1.3 billion individuals of which 60% need reminders to take medication to achieve adherence, optimal blood pressure and avert complications. Literature shows electronic short message reminders (eSMS) improved medication adherence.

Metachronous Tumours in the Head and Neck in a Retroviral Disease Positive Patient: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Patients diagnosed with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), particularly those seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), face a heightened risk of second primary malignancies (SPMs), with common regions being the head, neck, lung, and oesophagus. This risk amplifies the severity of their clinical condition, as these SPMs contribute significantly to the mortality rates in patients with HNSCC. We detail a case of a young woman, seropositive for HIV, who developed a second squamous cancer in the nasopharynx after achieving remission from her initial oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma through chemo-radiotherapy.

Challenges of status epilepticus management in a resource-limited setting: A review.

Status epilepticus (SE) is a life-threatening neurological condition with significant mortality. Rapid management is essential to minimize the mortality and disability of SE. Two recent trials provided evidence to guide SE management in early and established stages.

Microplastics and Co-pollutants in soil and marine environments: Sorption and desorption dynamics in unveiling invisible danger and key to ecotoxicological risk assessment.

Microplastics (MPs) and their co-pollutants pose significant threats to soil and marine environments, necessitating understanding of their colonization processes to combat the plastic pandemic and protect ecosystems. MPs can act as invisible carriers, concentrating and transporting pollutants, leading to a more widespread and potentially toxic impact than the presence of either MPs or the pollutants alone. Analyzing the sorption and desorption dynamics of MPs is crucial for understanding pollutants amplification and predicting the fate and transport of pollutants in soil and marine environments.

Enhancing Stress Detection: A Comprehensive Approach through rPPG Analysis and Deep Learning Techniques.

Stress has emerged as a major concern in modern society, significantly impacting human health and well-being. Statistical evidence underscores the extensive social influence of stress, especially in terms of work-related stress and associated healthcare costs. This paper addresses the critical need for accurate stress detection, emphasising its far-reaching effects on health and social dynamics.

A Case of Cobra Bite Complicated with Basilar Artery Occlusion.

Snakebite is one of the most common complaints related to wilderness medicine. Venomous snakebite manifestation is divided into local and systemic envenomation. For the group, the most feared complication is respiratory muscle paralysis due to neurotransmitter malfunction at the neuromuscular junction level which leads to respiratory insufficiency.

Surgical aortic valve replacement etiologies, hemodynamics, and outcomes in 1346 patients from the Malaysian heart centre.

Background: This study examined the characteristics and outcomes of surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) both isolated and in combination with other cardiac surgery in Malaysia from 2015 to 2021.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of 1346 patients analyzed on the basis of medical records, echocardiograms and surgical reports. The overall sample was both considered as a whole and divided into aortic stenosis (AS)/aortic regurgitation (AR)-predominant and similar-severity subgroups.

Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine and associated factors among healthcare workers in Katsina state: a cross-sectional study in Northwest Nigeria.

Objectives: Healthcare workers were prioritised to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria. Administration of COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria was challenging because of a lack of trust in vaccine safety and vaccine effectiveness among healthcare workers, who are expected to provide reliable information about vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases in the communities. Hence, their acceptance and attitudes towards COVID-19 preventive practices could influence the acceptance of the vaccine by the local population.

Optimization of the Impact Attenuation Capability of Three-Dimensional Printed Hip Protector Produced by Fused Deposition Modeling Using Response Surface Methodology.

Fused deposition modeling has provided a cheap and effective method for the rapid production of prototypes and functional products in many spheres of life. In this study, three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques to produce and optimize a hip protector that will assure clinical efficacy are presented. The I-Optimal design was used to optimize the hip protector's significant parameters (infill density, shell thickness, and material shore hardness) to obtain maximum femoral neck force attenuation of the 3D-printed hip protector.

Neighborhood environment and quality of life among community-living older adults in Nigeria: The moderating effect of physical activity.

Understanding how neighborhood environments are related to older adults' quality of life (QoL) and physical activity (PA) is important for public health actions on healthy ageing in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined associations of perceived neighborhood environment attributes with QoL among older adults in Nigeria and investigated the moderating effects of PA on these associations. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 353 older adults (mean age = 68.

Inter-State Transmission of Lassa Fever during the 2015-2016 Lassa Outbreak in Nigeria: An Implication for Infection Prevention and Control Practices.

Background: Lassa fever is an acute hemorrhagic viral disease caused by the Lassa virus. The Lassa virus belongs to the Arenaviridae family of RNA viruses. On 05/04/2016; two cases of Lassa fever were reported from Katsina State with the date of presentation of the first case on 23/03/2016 and 27/03/ 2016 for the second case.

Desmoplastic Fibroma of the Phalanx of the Hand: A Rare Case Report.

Desmoplastic fibroma is a rare primary benign bone tumour that typically affects the long bones, mandible, and pelvis. It has a similar local aggressiveness to soft tissue fibromatosis. It rarely involves the small bones of the hand.

Vitamin D deficiency enhances vascular oxidative stress, inflammation, and angiotensin II levels in the microcirculation of diabetic patients.

Low vitamin D (vitD) levels have been reported to be a risk factor for diabetes-related cardiovascular complications. This study examined the effects of vitD deficiency on oxidative stress (OS), inflammation, and levels of the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II (Ang II) in the microvascular tissue of type 2 diabetic patients. Patients were categorized into (i) vitD non-deficient diabetics (DNP, n = 10) and (ii) vitD-deficient diabetics (DDP, n = 10), based on their serum 25(OH)D levels.

Left ventricle geometry, atrial strain, ventricle strain, and hemodynamics across aortic valve before and after transcatheter aortic valve replacements.

Introduction: Transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs) has become widespread throughout the world. To date, there are no echocardiographic studies of TAVR patients from Southeast Asia (SEA). We sought to evaluate (1) changes in echocardiographic and strain values pre- and post-TAVR (2) relationship between aortic stenosis (AS) severity and strain values, (3) left ventricle geometry in severe AS, (4) relationship of flow rate to dimensionless index (DVI) and acceleration time (AT), and (5) effect of strains on the outcome.

Study of Deep Vein Thrombosis Screening by using Ultrasound Doppler in Patients with Pelvic and Acetabulum Fractures Requiring Operative Intervention.

Introduction: Pelvic and acetabulum fractures are commonly caused by high impact injuries, increasing the risk of patients developing thromboembolic diseases such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Therefore, this study was performed to determine the incidence of lower extremity DVT in patients with pelvic and acetabulum fractures and the importance of preoperative screening with Doppler ultrasound prior to surgical intervention.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study involved 78 patients with pelvic and acetabulum fractures requiring surgical intervention from January 2015 until December 2019.

Utility of paclitaxel-coated balloons for the treatment of infrainguinal disease in the Asian population - 24-month outcome data from the BIOLUX P-III Global Registry 24-month Asian outcomes of BIOLUX P-III.

Background: Results from the BIOLUX P-III registry have demonstrated favourable outcomes of (Biotronik®, Buelach, Switzerland) drug-coated balloon in treating obstructive infrainguinal peripheral artery disease, but it has not been established if Asians would benefit to the same extent as non-Asians.

Methods: A subgroup analysis was performed on the 24-month data comparing the Asian cohort (AC) to non-Asian cohort (NAC).

Results: AC included 49 patients with 77 lesions.

Magnesium sulfate as a potential dye additive for chlorophyll-based organic sensitiser of the dye-sensitised solar cell (DSSC).

In this work, a new chlorophyll dye-sensitiser derived from mitragyna speciosa (MS) leaves, also known as Kratom, was employed for dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs). The influence of magnesium sulfate (MgSO), a low-cost dye additive, and suitable extraction solvents on the performance of DSSCs were examined. Here, the optical properties were investigated using UV-Visible spectroscopy and the functional anchoring group were investigated by FTIR spectroscopy.

Parasites and Parasitic Diseases of Laboratory Animals in Plateau State Nigeria: The zoonotic implications.

Parasitic agents in laboratory animals, are detrimental to the success of researches and can also infect personnel and researchers. This study is aimed at investigating the parasitic infections of laboratory animals maintained in animal houses of The National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria, as well as determining the zoonotic implications of these parasites. Two hundred and six laboratory animals (72 rabbits, 55 guinea pigs, 50 mice and 29 rats) were randomly sampled.

Determinants of Mortality Among Severely Malnourished Children in Northern Nigeria.

Objectives: Severe Acute Malnutrition is a significant cause of mortality in children under the age of 5 years in low-resource settings, including Northern Nigeria. The study aimed to determine the associations between selected risk factors and mortality outcomes in children admitted with SAM in a facility in Katsina State, Northern Nigeria.

Methods: A prospective observational cohort of 201 children aged 6 to 59 months who were admitted with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in stabilization centers in Katsina State, Northern Nigeria between May 18, 2021, and July 20, 2021, (63 days) were assessed followed up.

β-Carboline alkaloids induce structural plasticity and inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 nsp3 macrodomain more potently than remdesivir metabolite GS-441524: computational approach.

The nsp3 macrodomain is implicated in the viral replication, pathogenesis and host immune responses through the removal of ADP-ribosylation sites during infections of coronaviruses including the SARS-CoV-2. It has ever been modulated by macromolecules including the ADP-ribose until Ni and co-workers recently reported its inhibition and plasticity enhancement unprecedentedly by metabolite, , creating an opportunity for investigating other biodiverse small molecules such as β-Carboline (βC) alkaloids. In this study, 1497 βC analogues from the HiT2LEAD chemical database were screened, using computational approaches of Glide XP docking, molecular dynamics simulation and pk-CSM ADMET predictions.

Functional outcomes in total talus reconstruction with triangular double-barrel free fibula flap following oncological resection: A retrospective case series review.

Background: With the advent of new techniques, foot salvage is feasible following talus oncological resection. As the reconstruction aims to achieve a pain-free, stable ankle for ambulation, biological limb reconstruction is the best option. This case series will evaluate the primary indications, complications, and functional outcomes of the reconstructed talus and highlighting the technical aspects of the surgery with a novel technique of triangular double-barrel free fibula flap.