Care for end-stage kidney disease in China: progress, challenges, and recommendations.

This review comprehensively evaluates China's progress in care of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) by identifying achievements and gaps, reviewing ESKD-related policy initiatives, and proposing policy recommendations. In the past decade, China has made laudable progress in access to ESKD care with narrowed difference between the number of patients needing and receiving kidney replacement therapies (KRT). China has also experienced significant improvements in clinical quality and outcomes of ESKD care.

Low clinical activity score, 'progressive' thyroid eye disease: presentations of 1439 patients from a tertiary centre in Hong Kong.

Background: To report the presenting clinical, serological and treatment profiles of 1439 patients with thyroid eye disease (TED) from a tertiary centre in Hong Kong.

Study Populations: Consecutive patients with TED presented to the Thyroid Eye Clinic (TEC), the Chinese University of Hong Kong between 2014 and 2023.

Methods: Prospective cohort and masked review of medical records and orbital images.

Towards non-blinking and photostable perovskite quantum dots.

Surface defect-induced photoluminescence blinking and photodarkening are ubiquitous in lead halide perovskite quantum dots. Despite efforts to stabilize the surface by chemically engineering ligand binding moieties, blinking accompanied by photodegradation still poses barriers to implementing perovskite quantum dots in quantum emitters. To date, ligand tail engineering in the solid state has rarely been explored for perovskite quantum dots.

Effects of comprehensive smoke-free legislation on smoking behaviours and macroeconomic outcomes in Shanghai, China: a difference-in-differences analysis and modelling study.

Background: China has one of the highest levels of tobacco consumption globally, and there is no national smoke-free legislation. Although more than 20 Chinese cities have passed local smoke-free laws since 2008, evidence on their effectiveness in reducing smoking behaviours and their economic benefits is scarce. By exploiting a natural quasi-experiment, whereby a comprehensive public smoking ban was implemented in Shanghai in March, 2017, this study aims to assess the impact of the policy on individual smoking behaviours and quantify its effect on macroeconomic outcomes.

Molecular Heterogeneity and Immune Infiltration Drive Clinical Outcomes in Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Background And Objective: Molecular classification of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) can provide insight into divergent clinical outcomes and provide a biological rationale for clinical decision-making. As such, we performed multi-omic analysis of UTUC tumors to identify molecular features associated with disease recurrence and response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB).

Methods: Targeted DNA and whole transcriptome RNA sequencing was performed on 100 UTUC tumors collected from patients undergoing nephroureterectomy.

Mixed-phenotype leukemia with TCF3::ZNF384 fusion presenting as an isolated mediastinal mass.

Acute leukemia with TCF3::ZNF384 is a distinct type of acute leukemia that present most commonly as B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia or mixed-phenotype acute leukemia (B/myeloid). We report the first case of TCF3::ZNF384 mixed-phenotype leukemia presenting as isolated extramedullary disease in the mediastinum. Diagnosis using RNA-sequencing and whole genome sequencing on the primary issue is illustrated.

Weekend Backpack Program Tailored for Ethnic and Dietary Food Preferences: Nutrition Quality, Program Usage, and Parent Satisfaction.

Objective: We documented the nutritional quality of a weekend food backpack program with 5 bag types tailored for ethnic food preferences and reported participants' satisfaction and usage of the program.

Methods: The Healthy Eating Index-2020 scores were calculated to assess the quality of the food items by bag type. We also recruited 49 caregivers of elementary school-aged children in Minnesota using multilingual flyers from December, 2022 to May, 2023.

Efficacy of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor in Treating Choroidal Metastasis from Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A 10-Year Review.

Purpose: To describe the clinical characteristics of choroidal metastasis (CM) in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients and report treatment outcomes following targeted therapy versus conventional radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted in two hospitals in Hong Kong between 2013-2023. Outcomes included tumor response and visual function following treatment.

Unravelling ChatGPT's potential in summarising qualitative in-depth interviews.

Background/objectives: Qualitative research can be laborious and time consuming, presenting a challenge for practitioners and policymakers seeking rapid, actionable results. Data collection, transcription and analysis are the main contributors to the resource-intensive nature. OpenAI's Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), have demonstrated potential to aid in data analysis.

2D-Penta-PdPS: Gate-Tunable and Thickness-Dependent Thermoelectric Transport.

Pentagonal two-dimensional (2D) materials are notable for unique properties derived from their Cairo pentagonal tiling topology. This study explores the thermoelectric potential of exfoliated penta-palladium-phosphorus-sulfur (PdPS) atomic layers, an air-stable 2D semiconductor with a puckered pentagonal low-symmetry structure, grown via chemical vapor transport (CVT). Thickness-dependent in-plane electrical conductivity (σ) and thermoelectric power factor (PF) of PdPS are investigated from 20-380 K, showing an increase in σ with thickness (11, 13, and 88-layer).

Policies, Progress, and Prospects for Internet Telemedicine in China.

Around the world, the adoption of digital technologies in health care has accelerated considerably in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the emergence of the pandemic, China had already embarked on a private sector, technology enterprise-led creation of an innovative internet health care ecosystem, which has dramatically transformed China's health care landscape. In this article, we describe the evolution of China's internet health market, focusing on internet telemedicine.

Successful corneal endothelium preservation in the management of epithelial downgrowth with 5-fluorouracil injections and membranectomy.

A 74-year-old Chinese man underwent extracapsular cataract extraction in his right eye and developed a translucent iris membrane 4 months later. He was treated with two intracameral 5-FU injections and membranectomy at 2 weeks apart. At one year following the second membranectomy, the patient maintained a clear cornea without residual or recurrent membrane, an endothelial cell density of 1072 cell/mm, a visual acuity of 20/50 and a normal intraocular pressure.

Clinical Implications of the Molecular and Genomic Landscape of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Purpose Of Review: Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is an aggressive entity with treatment strategies mirroring bladder cancer. Genomic and molecular profiling allows for a better characterization of this disease and allows for patient-tailored approaches. We aim to describe the genomic and molecular implications of this disease.

Association of social isolation and depressive symptoms with workplace productivity loss in a multi-ethnic Asian study.

The association of health-related productivity loss (HRPL) with social isolation and depressive symptoms is not well studied. We aimed to examine the association of social isolation and depressive symptoms with productivity loss. Data on employed adults aged 21 years and above were derived from the Population Health Index (PHI) study conducted by the National Healthcare Group (NHG) on community-dwelling adults, residing in the Central and Northern residential areas of Singapore.

Associations of genetic variants for refractive error and axial length in adults with ocular endophenotypes in children: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

Aims: To investigate the associations of genetic variants previously linked to axial length (AL) and spherical equivalent refraction (SE) in adults with refractive error and related endophenotypes in children, at baseline and 3-year follow-up.

Methods: 15 candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), selected from previous Genome-Wide Association Studies and meta-analyses, were genotyped in 2819 Chinese children, who had undergone baseline and 3-year follow-up cycloplegic refraction, ocular biometry and ocular health examinations. Linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the associations of the SNPs with baseline measurements and longitudinal changes in SE, spherical power (SPH), AL, corneal radius of curvature (CR) and AL/CR ratio.

Randomized Controlled Trial on Silicone Intubation in Endoscopic Mechanical Dacryocystorhinostomy (SEND): An 11-year Outcome Report.

Purpose: To compare the long-term outcomes of mucosal-sparing mechanical endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (MMED) for primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (PANDO) with or without silicone intubation.

Methods: An 11-year follow-up study of the Silicone intubation in Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy (SEND) randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted at a university-affiliated dacryology clinic from December 2019 to March 2023. Questionnaires on symptoms, anterior segment examination, endoscopic examination with functional endoscopic dye test (FEDT) and FICI grading, and ostial size measurements using software were performed by a masked ophthalmologist.

Resource shortage in public health facilities and private pharmacy practices in Odisha, India.

In low- and-middle-income countries (LMICs), private pharmacies play a crucial role in the supply of medicines and the provision of healthcare. However, they also engage in poor practices including the improper sale of medicines and caregiving beyond their legal scope. Addressing the deficiencies of private pharmacies can increase their potential contribution towards enhancing universal health coverage.

The PROgnostic ModEl for chronic lung disease (PRO-MEL): development and temporal validation.

Background: Patients with chronic lung diseases (CLDs), defined as progressive and life-limiting respiratory conditions, experience a heavy symptom burden as the conditions become more advanced, but palliative referral rates are low and late. Prognostic tools can help clinicians identify CLD patients at high risk of deterioration for needs assessments and referral to palliative care. As current prognostic tools may not generalize well across all CLD conditions, we aim to develop and validate a general model to predict one-year mortality in patients presenting with any CLD.

Few-layer BiOSe: a promising candidate for high-performance near-room-temperature thermoelectric applications.

Advancements in high-temperature thermoelectric (TE) materials have been substantial, yet identifying promising near-room-temperature candidates for efficient power generation from low-grade waste heat or TE cooling applications has become critical but proven exceedingly challenging. Bismuth oxyselenide (BiOSe) emerges as an ideal candidate for near-room-temperature energy harvesting due to its low thermal conductivity, high carrier mobility and remarkable air-stability. In this study, the TE properties of few-layer BiOSe over a wide temperature range (20-380 K) are investigated, where a charge transport mechanism transitioning from polar optical phonon to piezoelectric scattering at 140 K is observed.