Association of chronic exercise with markers of cardiometabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The impact of chronic exercise on cardiometabolic risk is a crucial aspect of public health. However, limited knowledge exists regarding differences in cardiometabolic parameters between older athletes, older controls, and sedentary or active young controls.

Methods: A comprehensive search in major databases until October 2024 was conducted for studies comparing older athletes with older controls or with both sedentary and active younger adults.

3-Month Melatonin Supplementation to Reduce Brain Oxidative Stress and Improve Sleep in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomised Controlled Feasibility Trial.

Melatonin has multiple proposed therapeutic benefits including antioxidant properties, circadian rhythm synchronisation and sleep promotion. Since these areas are also recognised risk factors for dementia, melatonin has been hypothesised to slow cognitive decline in older adults. Participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) were recruited from the community for a 12-week randomised placebo-controlled parallel, feasibility trial of 25 mg oral melatonin nightly.

Somatic mutation in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease revealed by deep sequencing human kidney cysts.

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) results in progressive cysts that lead to kidney failure, and is caused by heterozygous germline variants in PKD1 or PKD2. Cyst pathogenesis is not definitively understood. Somatic second-hit mutations have been implicated in cyst pathogenesis, though technical sequencing challenges have limited investigation.

Temporal incremental healthcare costs associated with complications in Hong Kong Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes: A prospective study in Joint Asia diabetes evaluation (JADE) Register (2007-2019).

Objective: We examined incremental healthcare costs (inpatient and outpatient) related to complications in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) during the year of occurrence and post-event years, utilizing the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) Register cohort of Hong Kong Chinese patients with T2D between 2007 and 2019.

Research Design And Methods: 19,440 patients with T2D underwent structured evaluation utilizing the JADE platform with clinical outcomes data retrieved from territory-wide electronic medical records including inpatient, outpatient and emergency care. Two-part model was adopted to account for skewed healthcare costs distribution.

Lisdexamfetamine in the treatment of methamphetamine dependence: A randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Aims: This study tested the efficacy and safety of a 12-week course of lisdexamfetamine in reducing methamphetamine use, an outcome which is associated with improvements in health and wellbeing, in people dependent on methamphetamine.

Design, Setting And Participants: This study was a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial conducted in six specialist outpatient clinics in Adelaide, Melbourne, Newcastle and Sydney, Australia (2018-2021). Participants were164 adults with methamphetamine dependence, reporting at least 14 use days out of the previous 28 days (62% male, 38% female, < 1% other; mean age 39 years).

European consensus-based interdisciplinary guideline for melanoma. Part 1: Diagnostics - Update 2024.

This guideline was developed in close collaboration with multidisciplinary experts from the European Association of Dermato-Oncology (EADO), the European Dermatology Forum (EDF) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). Recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma were developed on the basis of systematic literature research and consensus conferences. Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is the most dangerous form of skin tumor and accounts for 90 % of skin cancer mortality.

Intertransverse process block (ITPB) at the retro-superior costotransverse ligament (retro-SCTL) space: Evaluation of local anesthetic spread using MRI and sensory blockade in healthy volunteers.

Background: This study evaluated the spread of a local anesthetic, using MRI and sensory blockade, after an intertransverse process block (ITPB) at the medial aspect of the retro-superior costotransverse ligament (retro-SCTL) space - the medial retro-SCTL space block.

Methods: Ten healthy volunteers received a single-injection ultrasound-guided medial retro-SCTL space block at the T4-T5 level using a mixture of 10 ml 0.5 % bupivacaine with 0.

Implementation of a goal-directed Care Bundle for intracerebral hemorrhage: Results of embedded process evaluation in the INTERACT3 trial.

The third, stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized, Intensive Care Bundle with Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage Trial (INTERACT3), has shown that a goal-directed multi-faceted Care Bundle incorporating protocols for the management of physiological variables was safe and effective for improving functional recovery in a broad range of patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The INTERACT3 Care Bundle included time- and target-based protocols for the management of early intensive lowering of systolic blood pressure (SBP, target <140mmHg), glucose control (target 6.1-7.

Simulation of gastroscopy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for medical student education.

Background: Simulation training has become part of medical student education, however endoscopy simulators have mostly been reserved for speciality training. Evidence suggests that simulation training has the potential to educate future doctors about endoscopy procedures and improve their communication with patients. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an endoscopic procedure that is technically challenging and poorly understood by medical students.

Feasibility study of low-dose computed tomography (CT) technology for maxillofacial bone three-dimensional (3D) printing in skeletal class III malocclusion.

Background: Skeletal class III malocclusion is among the most common dental and maxillofacial malformations. Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has become widely applied in orthopaedics. The data source for 3D printing of maxillofacial bones is computed tomography (CT).

Artificial intelligence-based computer-aided diagnosis for breast cancer detection on digital mammography in Hong Kong.

Introduction: Research concerning artificial intelligence in breast cancer detection has primarily focused on population screening. However, Hong Kong lacks a population-based screening programme. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of artificial intelligence-based computer-assisted diagnosis (AI-CAD) program in symptomatic clinics in Hong Kong and analyse the impact of radio-pathological breast cancer phenotype on AI-CAD performance.

MiR-378 exaggerates angiogenesis and bone erosion in collagen-induced arthritis mice by regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder marked by pain, inflammation, and discomfort in the synovial joints. It is critical to understand the pathological mechanisms of RA progression. MicroRNA-378 (miR-378) is highly expressed in the synovium of RA patients and positively correlated with disease severity, but its function and underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood.

Does shame mediate the influence of trauma on psychosis? A systematic review and meta-analytic structural equation modelling approach.

Background: Meta-analytic evidence has linked shame separately to both potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and psychosis, but the influence of shame on the relationship between PTEs and psychosis has not yet been examined. This study used meta-analytic structural equation modelling (MASEM) to examine whether shame plays a mediatory role between PTEs and experiences of psychosis.

Methods: A nested search was conducted within a previous systematic review on psychosis and shame to identify articles that contained a measure of PTEs.

A Meta-Analysis of Levofloxacin for Contacts of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis.

Background: Data from randomized trials evaluating the effectiveness of tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment for contacts of multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB are lacking. Two recently published randomized trials that did not achieve statistical significance provide the opportunity for a meta-analysis.

Methods: We conducted combined analyses of two phase 3 trials of levofloxacin MDR-TB preventive treatment - Levofloxacin for the Prevention of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (VQUIN) trial and the Levofloxacin preventive treatment in children exposed to MDR-TB (TB-CHAMP) trial.

Levofloxacin for the Prevention of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Vietnam.

Background: Prevention of drug-resistant tuberculosis is a global health priority. However, trials evaluating the effectiveness of treating infection among contacts of persons with drug-resistant tuberculosis are lacking.

Methods: We conducted a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial comparing 6 months of daily levofloxacin (weight-based doses) with placebo to treat infection.

Multi-omic analysis of biological aging biomarkers in long-term calorie restriction and endurance exercise practitioners: A cross-sectional study.

Calorie restriction (CR) and physical exercise (EX) are well-established interventions known to extend health span and lifespan in animal models. However, their impact on human biological aging remains unclear. With recent advances in omics technologies and biological age (BioAge) metrics, it is now possible to assess the impact of these lifestyle interventions without the need for long-term follow-up.

Management, outcomes and predictors of mortality of Cryptococcus infection in patients without HIV: a multicentre study in 46 hospitals from Australia and New Zealand.

Background: Limited data exist regarding outcomes of cryptococcosis in patients without HIV with few studies having compared outcomes of Cryptococcus gattii, versus C. neoformans, infection.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in 46 Australian and New Zealand hospitals to determine the outcomes of cryptococcosis in patients without HIV diagnosed between 2015 and 2019, and compared outcomes of C.

Control and Elimination of Hepatitis C Virus Among People With HIV in Australia: Extended Follow-up of the CEASE Cohort (2014-2023).

Background: Approximately 10% of people with HIV in Australia had active hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection prior to availability of government-subsidized direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy in 2016. This analysis evaluated progress toward HCV elimination among people with HIV in Australia between 2014 and 2023.

Methods: The CEASE cohort study enrolled adults with HIV with past or current HCV infection (anti-HCV antibody positive) from 14 primary and tertiary clinics.

CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is safe and effective for intra-cardiac B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Introduction: Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy is highly effective in B-cell blood cancers, but there is limited data on its safety and efficacy in intra-cardiac lymphoma, due to the potential risks of cardiotoxicity and pseudo-progression.

Discussion: We discuss four high-risk cases that were managed with a multi-disciplinary approach, including baseline cardiac risk assessment and surveillance with multimodal cardiac imaging and serum cardiac biomarkers, elective supportive care in the intensive care unit, and early treatment of cytokine release syndrome.

Conclusion: CAR-T therapy can be effective and safe in the treatment of B-cell blood cancers with intra-cardiac disease.

ChatGPT as a patient education tool in colorectal cancer-An in-depth assessment of efficacy, quality and readability.

Aim: Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots such as Chat Generative Pretrained Transformer-4 (ChatGPT-4) have made significant strides in generating human-like responses. Trained on an extensive corpus of medical literature, ChatGPT-4 has the potential to augment patient education materials. These chatbots may be beneficial to populations considering a diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC).

Targeted Microwave Ablation for Prostate Cancer Under Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Ultrasound Fusion and Organ-based Tracking: Final Results from the First Phase 2 Trial (TMA-HK).

Targeted microwave ablation (TMA) is a novel focal therapy modality for prostate cancer (PC). TMA-HK is the first phase 2 trial investigating the efficacy and functional outcomes of transperineal TMA (NCT04113811) in 30 men with low- or intermediate-risk PC. TMA was performed transperineally with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-ultrasound fusion guidance and organ-based tracking.

Usability of a smartphone application for patients with interstitial lung disease: Results from the Registry for Better Understanding of ILD (RE-BUILD) pilot study.

Background And Objective: Digital technologies offer opportunities for remote monitoring, increased patient engagement and incorporation of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) into interstitial lung disease (ILD) care and research. This study evaluated the usability and patient experience of the RE-BUILD (Registry for Better Understanding of ILD) application, an ILD-specific smartphone app.

Methods: Patients with ILD aged ≥18 years were recruited from three tertiary ILD centres to use the RE-BUILD app for 6 months.

The design and evaluation of a bone health teaching module for secondary school students in NSW, Australia.

Issue Addressed: The growing prevalence of osteoporosis requires preventative management starting from an early age as peak bone mass is typically reached by age 30. However, current Australian adolescents are not adequately addressing key osteoprotective factors. Alarmingly, around 17% have insufficient vitamin D levels, 55% consume insufficient dietary calcium, and 79% are insufficiently active.