Asia-Pacific Survey on the Management of Helicobacter pylori Infection.

Background And Aim: Gastric cancer (GC)-related incidence and mortality rates remain high owing to Helicobacter pylori infection in Asia, and the importance of primary and secondary prevention of GC has been well recognized. We aimed to investigate the extent of overall agreement among clinicians in the Asia-Pacific region regarding the management of H. pylori infection.

2024 The Royal College of Physicians of Thailand (RCPT) clinical practice guidelines on management of dyslipidemia for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease prevention.

Background: The Royal College of Physicians of Thailand (RCPT) published a Clinical Practice Guideline on Pharmacologic Therapy of Dyslipidemia for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) Prevention in 2016. The availability of newer classes of medications for dyslipidemia, supported by extensive clinical research findings, indicates a significant need for the updating of the existing clinical practice guideline.

Objectives: To serve as guidelines on the management of dyslipidemia for Thai adults.

The Histopathology of Chronic "Radiation Conjunctivitis" Shows Diagnostic Features Similar to Those Seen in Radiation Dermatitis, Including Radiation Fibroblasts.

Purpose: Radiation therapy is a treatment modality for various ocular and ocular adnexal tumors. The histopathology of chronic radiation dermatitis has been well-described. The authors present two cases demonstrating and characterizing "chronic radiation conjunctivitis" which has not been histopathologically illustrated in detail.

Comparative effectiveness analysis of survival with first-line palbociclib or ribociclib plus AI in HR + /HER2- advanced breast cancer (CEPRA study): preliminary analysis of real-world data from Thailand.

Background: The current standard first-line treatment for hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HR + /HER2 -) advanced breast cancer (ABC) is a combination of aromatase inhibitor (AI) plus CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i). Direct comparison trials of different CDK4/6i are scarce. This real-world study compared the effectiveness of first-line AI plus ribociclib versus palbociclib.

Cranial ultrasound performance assessment tool: development and validation.

Aim: A standard assessment tool for direct evaluation of procedural skills to ensure proficiency of trainees is necessary for cranial ultrasound (US) in clinical practice. This study created and validated an assessment tool for cranial US performance by radiologists.

Material And Methods: An initial evaluation tool for cranial US using criteria was developed based on existing literature.

Metabolic alkalosis masked presentation of diabetic ketoacidosis: A case report.

Managing mixed acid-base disorders can be diagnostically challenging, particularly when metabolic acidosis and metabolic alkalosis occur simultaneously. When dealing with metabolic alkalosis, a comprehensive approach involves taking a detailed medical history, assessing volume status, and performing urine chloride analysis. Routine calculation of the anion gap is important to identify masked wide anion gap metabolic acidosis.

Factors associated with health-related quality of life in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: Thai PCI registry.

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been shown to improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The objectives of this study were to assess the changes in HRQoL and factors influencing these changes in CAD patients after undergoing PCI.

Methods: Data from a nationwide PCI registry across 39 hospitals in Thailand were collected in 2018-2019, including baseline characteristics, comorbid diseases, angiographic CAD severity, procedural details, and type of health insurance.

Unmet needs in countries participating in the undiagnosed diseases network international: an international survey considering national health care and economic indicators.

Background: Patients, families, the healthcare system, and society as a whole are all significantly impacted by rare diseases (RDs). According to various classifications, there are currently up to 9,000 different rare diseases that have been recognized, and new diseases are discovered every month. Although very few people are affected by each uncommon disease individually, millions of people are thought to be impacted globally when all these conditions are considered.

Gaps in the Care of Subjects with Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Insights from the Thai Familial Hypercholesterolemia Registry.

Aims: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is currently underdiagnosed and undertreated. The establishment of a FH registry could facilitate a deeper understanding of this disease. We described the clinical characteristics of subjects with FH from the Thai FH Registry, compared our data with the regional and global data, and identified gaps in the care of these subjects.

Pan-Asian adapted ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis, staging and treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer.

The most recent version of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis, staging and treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) was published in 2021. A special, hybrid guidelines meeting was convened by ESMO and the Korean Society of Medical Oncology (KSMO) in collaboration with nine other Asian national oncology societies in May 2022 in order to adapt the ESMO 2021 guidelines to take into account the differences associated with the treatment of MBC in Asia. These guidelines represent the consensus opinions reached by a panel of Asian experts in the treatment of patients with MBC representing the oncological societies of China (CSCO), India (ISMPO), Indonesia (ISHMO), Japan (JSMO), Korea (KSMO), Malaysia (MOS), the Philippines (PSMO), Singapore (SSO), Taiwan (TOS) and Thailand (TSCO).

Undiagnosed diseases: Needs and opportunities in 20 countries participating in the Undiagnosed Diseases Network International.

Introduction: Rare diseases (RD) are a health priority worldwide, overall affecting hundreds of millions of people globally. Early and accurate diagnosis is essential to support clinical care but remains challenging in many countries, especially the low- and medium-income ones. Hence, undiagnosed RD (URD) account for a significant portion of the overall RD burden.

Pandemic origins and a One Health approach to preparedness and prevention: Solutions based on SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA viruses.

COVID-19 is the latest zoonotic RNA virus epidemic of concern. Learning how it began and spread will help to determine how to reduce the risk of future events. We review major RNA virus outbreaks since 1967 to identify common features and opportunities to prevent emergence, including ancestral viral origins in birds, bats, and other mammals; animal reservoirs and intermediate hosts; and pathways for zoonotic spillover and community spread, leading to local, regional, or international outbreaks.

Accounting for radiation exposure from previous CT exams while deciding on the next exam: What do referring clinicians think?

Purpose: To obtain clinicians' views of the need to account for radiation exposure from previous CT scans and the advisability of a regulatory mechanism to control the number of CT scans for an individual patient.

Methods: A convenience survey was conducted by emailing a link to a three-question electronic survey to clinicians in many countries, mostly through radiology and radiation protection contacts.

Results: 505 responses were received from 24 countries.

A New Paradigm Shift in Gastroparesis Management.

Gastroparesis, once regarded as a rare disease, is difficult to diagnose and challenging to treat; there were many breakthrough advances in the 2010s, shifting the paradigm of the understanding of this complex entity and its management. Similar to diabetes, its increasing prevalence reflects increased accessibility to diagnostic modalities and suggests that gastroparesis was underacknowledged in the past. Major developments in the three main aspects of the disease include the discovery of smooth muscle cells, interstitial cells of Cajal, PDGFRα+ cells syncytium, rather than interstitial cells of Cajal alone, as the main gastric pacemaker unit; the development of validated point-of-care diagnostic modalities such as a wireless motility capsule, the carbon 13-labeled breath test, and impedance planimetry; and the introduction of novel minimally invasive therapeutic options such as newer pharmacologic agents and gastric peroral endoscopic pyloromyotomy.

Establishment of national diagnostic reference levels for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) in Thailand.

Purpose: To establish national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Thailand for lesions of different complexity.

Methods: Radiation dose quantity as kerma-area-product (KAP) and cumulative air-kerma at reference point (CAK) from 76 catheterization labs in 38 hospitals in PCI registry of Thailand was transferred online to central data management. Sixteen months data (May 2018 to August 2019) was analyzed.

30-Day and 1-Year Outcomes With HYDRA Self-Expanding Transcatheter Aortic Valve: The Hydra CE Study.

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the 30-day and 1-year safety and performance of the Hydra transcatheter aortic valve (THV) (in the treatment of symptomatic severe aortic stenosis in patients at high or extreme surgical risk.

Background: The Hydra THV is a novel repositionable self-expanding system with supra-annular bovine pericardial leaflets.

Methods: The Hydra CE study was a premarket, prospective, multicenter, single-arm study conducted across 18 study centers in Europe and Asia-Pacific countries.

Lactic acidosis, a potential toxicity from drug-drug interaction related to concomitant ribociclib and metformin in preexisting renal insufficiency: A case report.

Background: Ribociclib, one of the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) 4 and 6 inhibitors, in combination with endocrine therapies has been approved in the treatment of hormonal receptor positive, HER-2 negative metastatic breast cancer worldwide. Long-term usage of ribociclib with concomitant drugs, potential drug-drug interaction may develop which can limit the therapeutic value of CDK4/6 inhibitor.

Case: A 62-year-old with history of non-insulin dependent diabetic, dyslipidemia, and essential hypertension was diagnosed with HR-positive, HER-2 negative metastatic breast cancer and treated with fulvestrant plus ribociclib.

Amount of contamination on the face shield of endoscopists during upper endoscopy between patients in two positions: A randomized study.

Background And Aim: During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) has been recognized as an aerosol-generating procedure. This study aimed to systematically compare the degree of face shield contamination between endoscopists who performed EGD on patients lying in the left lateral decubitus (LL) and prone positions.

Methods: This is a randomized trial in patients scheduled for EGD between April and June 2020.

Intraperitoneal Cefepime Monotherapy Versus Combination Therapy of Cefazolin Plus Ceftazidime for Empirical Treatment of CAPD-Associated Peritonitis: A Multicenter, Open-Label, Noninferiority, Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Rationale & Objective: Compared to combination therapy, intraperitoneal (IP) cefepime monotherapy for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD)-associated peritonitis may provide potential benefits in lowering staff burden, shortening time-consuming antibiotic preparation, and reducing bag contamination risk. This study sought to evaluate whether cefepime monotherapy is noninferior to combination regimens.

Study Design: Multicenter, open-label, noninferiority, randomized, controlled trial.

Panobinostat plus bortezomib and dexamethasone: impact of dose intensity and administration frequency on safety in the PANORAMA 1 trial.

Panobinostat in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone demonstrated a significant and clinically meaningful progression-free survival benefit compared with placebo, bortezomib and dexamethasone in the phase 3 PANORAMA 1 (Panobinostat Oral in Multiple Myeloma 1) trial. Despite this benefit, patients in the panobinostat arm experienced higher rates of adverse events (AEs) and higher rates of discontinuation due to AEs. This PANORAMA 1 subanalysis examined AEs between 2 treatment phases of the study (TP1 and TP2), in which administration frequency of bortezomib and dexamethasone differed per protocol.

Overall survival of patients with relapsed multiple myeloma treated with panobinostat or placebo plus bortezomib and dexamethasone (the PANORAMA 1 trial): a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.

Background: Panobinostat plus bortezomib and dexamethasone significantly increased median progression-free survival compared with placebo plus bortezomib and dexamethasone in the phase 3 PANORAMA 1 trial. Here, we present the final overall survival analysis for this trial.

Methods: PANORAMA 1 is a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase 3 trial of patients with relapsed or relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma with one to three previous treatments.

Clinical outcomes in cystic fibrosis patients with Trichosporon respiratory infection.

Background: Relationships between clinical outcomes and novel respiratory pathogens such as Trichosporon are not well understood.

Methods: Respiratory cultures from CF patients were screened for novel pathogens Trichosporon and Chryseobacterium as well as other pathogens over 28months. Relationships between microbiologic and clinical data were assessed using univariate and multivariate methods.

Panobinostat plus bortezomib and dexamethasone in previously treated multiple myeloma: outcomes by prior treatment.

Panobinostat is a potent pan-deacetylase inhibitor that affects the growth and survival of multiple myeloma (MM) cells through alteration of epigenetic mechanisms and protein metabolism. Panobinostat plus bortezomib and dexamethasone (PAN-BTZ-Dex) led to a significant increase in progression-free survival (PFS) vs placebo plus bortezomib and dexamethasone (Pbo-BTZ-Dex) in patients with relapsed or relapsed and refractory MM in the phase 3 PANORAMA 1 trial. This subgroup analysis evaluated outcomes in patients in the PANORAMA 1 trial based on prior treatment: a prior immunomodulatory drug (IMiD; n = 485), prior bortezomib plus an IMiD (n = 193), and ≥2 prior regimens including bortezomib and an IMiD (n = 147).

Detection and Dynamic Changes of EGFR Mutations from Circulating Tumor DNA as a Predictor of Survival Outcomes in NSCLC Patients Treated with First-line Intercalated Erlotinib and Chemotherapy.

Purpose: Blood-based circulating-free (cf) tumor DNA may be an alternative to tissue-based EGFR mutation testing in NSCLC. This exploratory analysis compares matched tumor and blood samples from the FASTACT-2 study.

Experimental Design: Patients were randomized to receive six cycles of gemcitabine/platinum plus sequential erlotinib or placebo.