Predictive factors for interstitial lung disease progression in a Singapore systemic sclerosis cohort: a multicentre study.

Introduction: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is heterogeneous with varied progression rate. This study aimed to identify the baseline clinical characteristics associated with ILD progression within 1, 3 and 5 years of the diagnosis of ILD.

Methods: This was a prospective, multicentre study - Systematic Sclerosis Cohort Singapore - conducted from January 2008 to February 2021, which included SSc patients with ILD diagnosed by high-resolution computed tomography.

Rationale and Design of a Multi-National Study of Physicians' Opinions, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Influenza Vaccination in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases: A Mixed Methods Designs. The FLUence Project.

Infections, particularly those involving the respiratory tract, are associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular events, both de novo and as exacerbations of pre-existing cardiovascular diseases. Influenza vaccination has consistently been shown to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events. Nonetheless, vaccination rates among adults remain suboptimal, both in the general population and among high-risk individuals.

Lanthanide conjugate Pr-MPO elicits anti-cancer activity by targeting lysosomal machinery and inducing zinc-dependent cataplerosis.

Acquired drug resistance is a major challenge in the management of cancer, which underscores the need for discovery and development of novel therapeutic strategies. We report here the mechanism of the anti-cancer activity of a small coordinate complex composed of the rare earth metal praseodymium (Pr) and mercaptopyridine oxide (MPO; pyrithione). Exposure of cancer cells to relatively low concentrations of the conjugate Pr-MPO (5 µM) significantly impairs cell survival in a p53-independent manner and irrespective of the drug resistant phenotype.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma: a series of patient-level meta-analyses in different programmed death-ligand 1 subgroups.

Background: While the benefit of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) is well established in programmed death-ligand 1 high (PD-L1) advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEAC), there remains significant controversy about their benefit in PD-L1 GEAC. To elucidate the benefit of ICI in PD-L1 and PD-L1 GEAC, we conducted an analysis leveraging individual patient data (IPD) extracted from Kaplan-Meier (KM) plots of pivotal trials.

Methods: KM curves from randomized clinical trials investigating the efficacy of ICI for advanced GEAC were extracted from published articles.

Multi-scalar data integration decoding risk genes for chronic kidney disease.

Background: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) impacts over 10% of the global population, and recent advancements in high-throughput analytical technologies are uncovering the complex physiology underlying this condition. By integrating Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS), RNA sequencing (RNA-seq/RNA array), and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data, our study aimed to explore the genes and cell types relevant to CKD traits.

Methods: GWAS summary data for end-stage renal failure (ESRD) and decreased eGFR (CKD) with or without diabetes and (micro)proteinuria were obtained from the GWAS Catalog and the UK Biobank (UKB) database.

TDP43 aggregation at ER-exit sites impairs ER-to-Golgi transport.

Protein aggregation plays key roles in age-related degenerative diseases, but how different proteins coalesce to form inclusions that vary in composition, morphology, molecular dynamics and confer physiological consequences is poorly understood. Here we employ a general reporter based on mutant Hsp104 to identify proteins forming aggregates in human cells under common proteotoxic stress. We identify over 300 proteins that form different inclusions containing subsets of aggregating proteins.

Congenital saccular cyst of the larynx: a rare cause of stridor in a newborn infant.

Congenital saccular cyst of the larynx is a rare cause of presentation of stridor and respiratory distress in newborns. The clinical presentation of a saccular laryngeal cyst often overlaps with other common causes of stridor, such as laryngomalacia, presenting a diagnostic dilemma for clinicians. We present a case of a term newborn infant referred for evaluation of inspiratory stridor since birth.

Characteristics of Severe Asthma Clinic Patients With Eosinophilic Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis.

Background: Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare form of antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis associated with varying clinical presentations and overlapping multiorgan involvement. Asthma is a predominant feature of EGPA, typically in its prodromal phase, often severe, and precedes vasculitic complications. However, there is paucity of studies describing the prevalence and characteristics of EGPA in the asthma population.

Privacy-Preserving Technology Using Federated Learning and Blockchain in Protecting against Adversarial Attacks for Retinal Imaging.

Purpose: Collaboration provides valuable data for robust artificial intelligence (AI) model development. Federated learning (FL) is a privacy-enhancing technology that allows collaboration while respecting privacy via the development of models without raw data transfer. However state-of-the-art FL models still face challenges in non-independent and identically distributed (non-IID) health care settings and remain susceptible to privacy breaches.

Factors affecting mammogram breast cancer surveillance effectiveness in the ipsilateral and contralateral breast.

Aim: Mammography is the mainstay of imaging surveillance after breast cancer (BC) treatment, but false negatives can occur. The objective of the study was to determine the factors that can predict poorer second breast cancer (SBC) mammogram detection of the ipsilateral and contralateral breast separately.

Methods: A multicentre retrospective review was performed on female patients with a previous history of treated BC who developed a second breast cancer (SBC) in the ipsilateral (ISBC) or contralateral breast (CSBC) within 10 years from the first BC.

FedDSS: A data-similarity approach for client selection in horizontal federated learning.

Background And Objective: Federated learning (FL) is an emerging distributed learning framework allowing multiple clients (hospitals, institutions, smart devices, etc.) to collaboratively train a centralized machine learning model without disclosing personal data. It has the potential to address several healthcare challenges, including a lack of training data, data privacy, and security concerns.

The IMproving Preclinical Assessment of Cardioprotective Therapies (IMPACT): multicenter pig study on the effect of ischemic preconditioning.

Numerous cardioprotective interventions have been reported to reduce myocardial infarct size (IS) in pre-clinical studies. However, their translation for the benefit of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been largely disappointing. One reason for the lack of translation is the lack of rigor and reproducibility in pre-clinical studies.

Cost-effectiveness of home care compared to hospital care in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a systematic review.

Background: To compare, through a systematic literature review, the cost-effectiveness ratio of home care compared to hospital care for following up patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: This review was registered in PROSPERO, and the bibliographic search was performed in six primary databases [MedLine (via PubMed), Scopus, LILACS, SciELO, Web of Science, and Embase], two dedicated databases for economic studies (NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED) and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) Registry), and two databases for partially searching the "gray literature" (DansEasy and ProQuest). This review only included studies that compared home and hospital care for patients diagnosed with COPD, regardless of publication year or language.

Actions of thyroid hormones and thyromimetics on the liver.

Thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine and thyroxine) are pivotal for metabolic balance in the liver and entire body. Dysregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis can contribute to hepatic metabolic disturbances, affecting lipid metabolism, glucose regulation and protein synthesis. In addition, reductions in circulating and intrahepatic thyroid hormone concentrations increase the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease by inducing lipotoxicity, inflammation and fibrosis.

Web-based vs. conventional: a comprehensive analysis of visual acuity assessment using the PocDoc tool in a tertiary eye care centre.

Background: Visual acuity (VA) represents a fundamental measure of visual function. The significant prevalence of underdiagnosed ocular disorders underscores the importance of effective VA assessment. This study evaluates the efficacy of a web-based VA assessment tool ("PocDoc") versus conventional VA testing.

SUMOylation of Warts kinase promotes neural stem cell reactivation.

A delicate balance between neural stem cell (NSC) quiescence and proliferation is important for adult neurogenesis and homeostasis. Small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO)-dependent post-translational modifications cause rapid and reversible changes in protein functions. However, the role of the SUMO pathway during NSC reactivation and brain development is not established.

Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Risk for Childhood Depression: Role of Executive Functions.

Objective: Offspring of mothers with depression are at increased risk for executive function (EF) deficits and later depressive symptoms, but limited studies have examined EF as an intermediary pathway. This study examined the role of EF in mediating the association between maternal and child depressive symptoms.

Method: Data were from a longitudinal birth cohort comprising 739 participants followed from the antenatal period for 12 years.