IDentif.AI: Rapidly optimizing combination therapy design against severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) with digital drug development.

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) led to multiple drug repurposing clinical trials that have yielded largely uncertain outcomes. To overcome this challenge, we used IDentif.AI, a platform that pairs experimental validation with artificial intelligence (AI) and digital drug development to rapidly pinpoint unpredictable drug interactions and optimize infectious disease combination therapy design with clinically relevant dosages.

Addressing COVID-19 Drug Development with Artificial Intelligence.

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that led to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic, has resulted in substantial overburdening of healthcare systems as well as an economic crisis on a global scale. This has in turn resulted in widespread efforts to identify suitable therapies to address this aggressive pathogen. Therapeutic antibody and vaccine development are being actively explored, and a phase I clinical trial of mRNA-1273 which is developed in collaboration between the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Moderna, Inc.

Project IDentif.AI: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Rapidly Optimize Combination Therapy Development for Infectious Disease Intervention.

In 2019/2020, the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) resulted in rapid increases in infection rates as well as patient mortality. Treatment options addressing COVID-19 included drug repurposing, investigational therapies such as remdesivir, and vaccine development. Combination therapy based on drug repurposing is among the most widely pursued of these efforts.

The Progression and Future of Nursing in Singapore: A Descriptive Qualitative Study.

Nursing professionalism and nursing identity are important for retention of nurses. Despite of much attention on nurses in Singapore, there is still a shortage of nurses. This study aims to understand the perceptions of the progression and future of the nursing profession in Singapore.

The Effect of a Reduced Statutory Workweek on Familial Long-Term Care in Korea.

Objectives: We examine how statutory workweeks affect workers' provision of long-term care for their non-coresident elderly parents.

Method: The Korean government reduced its statutory workweek from 44 to 40 hr, gradually from larger to smaller establishments, between 2004 and 2011. Using multiple regressions, we assess how the reduction affected visits, financial transfers, and in-kind transfers to parents.

Long-Term Care for Older Adults in ASEAN Plus Three: The Roles of Family, Community, and the State in Addressing Unmet Eldercare Needs.

Objective: To introduce this Special Issue that focuses on understanding the issues surrounding the long-term care (LTC) in selected societies in Southeast and East Asian countries.

Method: We first provide demographic and socioeconomic context for these countries and then summarize the seven articles in this issue.

Results: The articles highlight the rapidly rising demand for LTC in this region in the next few decades given the declining fertility, lengthening life expectancy, and increasing migration.

Dual Burdens of Care: "Sandwiched Couples" in East Asia.

Objective: To estimate proportions of married couples aged 30 to 59 years who face simultaneous demands from elderly parents and children in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, and the effects on couples' life and marital satisfaction.

Method: Using data from the 2006 East Asian Social Survey, proportions of sandwiched couples were estimated using three definitions: co-residence, co-residence or nearby residence, and co-residence or frequent provision of financial/physical assistance. Logistic regression models were used to assess the effects on life and marital satisfaction.

An Ecological Framework for Active Aging in China.

Objectives: Against the background of emerging research interest in integrating Active Aging in long-term care policies, the study investigates the relationships between community environment and engagement in social activities (paid work, domestic care, participation in community and leisure activities) by older Chinese adults. Six indicators are derived from the economic, institutional, and sociodemographic environments of the communities under analysis.

Method: The first wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) is used for empirical examinations.

Assessing speech, language and communication difficulties in children referred for ADHD: A qualitative evaluation of a UK child and adolescent mental health service.

Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood neuropsychiatric disorders and is highly comorbid with speech, language and communication difficulties (SLCDs). However, it is unclear how often SLCDs are identified in ADHD referrals in routine practice and whether there are unidentified SLCDs within this population.

Method: A thematic analysis was conducted on a random sample of case notes from 18 referrals for ADHD made to a child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) in London, United Kingdom.

Self-Efficacy and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Heart Failure Patients in Singapore: A Descriptive Correlational Study.

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) accounts for 30% of all global deaths and Asians are likely to suffer from HF 10 years earlier than their Western counterparts. Low self-efficacy and poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL) have been reported in patients with HF.

Methodology: A descriptive correlational design was adopted to investigate the associations between self-efficacy and HRQoL in 91 patients with HF in Singapore.

Early-Life Socioeconomic Conditions, Height, and Functional Health Status in Later Life: Evidence From South Korea.

The article contributes to the literature on health inequalities by examining the associations between early-life socioeconomic status (SES), height, and functional limitations in later life among Korean men and women. The findings were based on 1562 men and 1801 women aged 50 to 79 years who participated in the 2005 Korean Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS). Among men, 17.

Are University Students in Singapore Meeting the International and National Recommended Daily Servings of Fruits and Vegetables?

Data are lacking on fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption among young adults in the Asia-Pacific region. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of students who met the international and national recommendation of daily consumption of 5 and 4 FV servings, respectively, in a university in Singapore and the factors associated with meeting the national recommendation. A cross-sectional survey using proportional stratified random sampling was conducted on 884 undergraduates in 2013.

Nonparametric estimation and inference for polytomous discrimination index.

Polytomous discrimination index is a novel and important diagnostic accuracy measure for multi-category classification. After reconstructing its probabilistic definition, we propose a nonparametric approach to the estimation of polytomous discrimination index based on an empirical sample of biomarker values. In this paper, we provide the finite-sample and asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators and such analytic results may facilitate the statistical inference.

Role of sphingomyelinases in neurological disorders.

Introduction: Sphingomyelinases, which catalyze the hydrolysis of sphingomyelin to ceramide and phosphorylcholine, are abundant in the brain. These enzymes are a major, rapid source of ceramide production not only during physiological responses to receptor stimulation, but also in neurological disorders.

Areas Covered: We covered an introduction to sphingomyelinases and its enzymatic product ceramide, in membrane domains or lipid rafts and the nucleus; followed by crosstalk between sphingomyelinase and cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) catalysed products including arachidonic acid, functions of acid sphingomyelinase (aSMase) and neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMase) in neurons, neuronal progenitor cells, glial cells, and brain endothelial cells; alterations in acid and N-SMases in Niemann Pick Disease Type A, major depression, Alzheimer's disease, cerebral ischemia, and pain; and recent developments in identification of inhibitors to sphingomyelinases.

Parental involvement in their school-aged children's post-operative pain management in the hospital setting: a comprehensive systematic review.

Background: Paediatric pain management remains a challenge in clinical settings. Parents can contribute to the effective and accurate pain assessment and management of their child. No systematic reviews regarding the parental involvement in their child's post-operative pain management have been published.

The experience and expectations of terminally ill patients receiving music therapy in the palliative setting: a systematic review.

Background: Music therapy is a popular form of complementary therapy used in the hospice in Western countries, as people who are terminally ill have several needs arising directly from the disease process. In the area of palliative care, no systematic review has been conducted on the experience of patients using music therapy from the qualitative perspective. Hence, a synthesized summary of the experience of music therapy is presented.