Associations of optic nerve head morphology and peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer thickness with myopic severity and treatment in children.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal associations between myopic optic disc features and optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurements of peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness in young myopic children in Singapore.

Methods: A prospective, single-site cohort study was conducted, involving children aged 7-16 years who participated in the PROM-Kids clinical cohort study from 2019 to 2022. Participants underwent annual assessments, including cycloplegic refraction, axial length measurements, fundus photography, and OCT imaging, with ocular magnification correction.

Association Between Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Risks of Early and Recurrent Admissions Among Patients With Newly Diagnosed Heart Failure.

Background: Socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with greater risks of hospital readmission and mortality among patients with heart failure (HF). However, it is less clear whether socioeconomic disadvantage has an immediate and lasting impact on the risk of admissions after the diagnosis of HF.

Methods: We used electronic health record data of patients aged 65 years and older with newly diagnosed HF between January 2015 and July 2018 in the Duke University Health System, with up to 8 years of follow-up.

Improving the accuracy of reporting Ki-67 IHC by using an AI tool.

Ki-67 proliferative index (PI) scoring is measured by estimating the proportion of the number of active cell nuclei in hotspot regions within immunohistochemical (IHC) stained slides. It provides valuable information about the rate of proliferation in a tumour. Manual scoring of Ki-67 PI is laborious, time-consuming and often the victim of interobserver variability between pathologists.

Natural history of low-risk branch-duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms and indeterminate pancreatic cysts: Implications on surveillance intervals by cyst size.

Background: The optimal surveillance strategy for low-risk branch-duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (BD-IPMN) remains unclear. We aim to evaluate the natural history of low-risk BD-IPMN/indeterminate pancreatic cysts to determine optimal surveillance intervals.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with radiologically-diagnosed low-risk BD-IPMN/indeterminate pancreatic cysts from 1998 to 2021 at a tertiary referral center.

Global burden of disease attributable to metabolic risk factors in adolescents and young adults aged 15-39, 1990-2021.

Background: Metabolic risk factors are a significant cause of global burden among adolescents and young adults, but there is a lack of attention to the burden attributable to these metabolic risk factors globally.

Aims: This study aims to provide comprehensive estimates of five important metabolic risk factors and the attributable disease burden in people aged 15-39 years from 1990 to 2021, based on the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) database.

Methods: Global total deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were used to describe the burden attributable to five common metabolic risk factors, including high fasting plasma glucose (FPG), high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high systolic blood pressure (SBP), high body mass index (BMI), and kidney dysfunction, in adolescents and young adults.

Use of Active Low Suction Pressure (Subgaleal) Drains in Chronic Subdural Hematoma Surgery.

Background: Subdural drains are used to reduce recurrence after surgical evacuation of chronic subdural hematoma. There is a small risk of parenchymal injury. We hypothesize that using subgaleal drains with low active suction (-50 mm Hg to -100 mm Hg) may be a safer alternative and still maintain efficacy in preventing recurrence.

Artificial intelligence in obstetric anaesthesiology - the future of patient care?

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in obstetric anaesthesiology shows great potential in enhancing our practice and delivery of care. In this narrative review, we summarise the current applications of AI in four key areas of obstetric anaesthesiology (perioperative care, neuraxial procedures, labour analgesia and obstetric critical care), where AI has been employed to varying degrees for decision support, event prediction, risk stratification and procedural assistance. We also identify gaps in current practice and propose areas for further research.

Mobile Apps and Visual Function Assessment: A Comprehensive Review of the Latest Advancements.

Introduction: With technological advancements and the growing prevalence of smartphones, ophthalmology has opportunely harnessed medical technology for visual function assessment as a home monitoring tool for patients. Ophthalmology applications that offer these have likewise become more readily available in recent years, which may be used for early detection and monitoring of eye conditions. To date, no review has been done to evaluate and compare the utility of these apps.

Utilisation of patient-centred outcome measures in age-related macular degeneration research and clinical practice: A systematic review.

Background: To identify the utilisation, type, and psychometric properties of patient-centered outcome measures (PCOMs) associated with the performance-based assessment of visual function (VF) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in clinical care and research.

Methods: A systematic literature search identified studies, available in English, that used PCOMs to assess VF in patients with any AMD severity, published from January 2015 to November 2023. Two researchers screened studies for quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) 2018 and assessed the psychometric properties of the PCOMs with the guidance of Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN).

FAIM: Fairness-aware interpretable modeling for trustworthy machine learning in healthcare.

The escalating integration of machine learning in high-stakes fields such as healthcare raises substantial concerns about model fairness. We propose an interpretable framework, fairness-aware interpretable modeling (FAIM), to improve model fairness without compromising performance, featuring an interactive interface to identify a "fairer" model from a set of high-performing models and promoting the integration of data-driven evidence and clinical expertise to enhance contextualized fairness. We demonstrate FAIM's value in reducing intersectional biases arising from race and sex by predicting hospital admission with two real-world databases, the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV Emergency Department (MIMIC-IV-ED) and the database collected from Singapore General Hospital Emergency Department (SGH-ED).

Addressing the Peri-Wound Intact Skin of Hard-To-Heal Diabetic Foot Ulcers With Topical Red Deer Conditioned Media (PTT-6) Skin Conditioner: A Case Series on Clinical Efficacy.

Background And Aim: The healing of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) can be hindered by the susceptibility of the surrounding intact skin to pro-inflammatory proteases. A conditioned media, known as PTT-6, derived from mesenchymal stem cells found in the lining of red deer umbilical cords, has been formulated to protect the intact peri-wound skin of DFUs. The aim is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of PTT-6 in managing peri-wound intact skin in hard-to-heal DFUs.

Branched-chain amino acids promote hepatic Cyp7a1 expression and bile acid synthesis via suppressing FGF21-ERK pathway.

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) including leucine, isoleucine and valine have been linked with metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. BCAAs homeostasis is tightly controlled by their catabolic pathway. BCKA dehydrogenase (BCKD) complex is the rate-limiting step for BCAA catabolism.