Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an app and rewards-based intervention in type 2 diabetes: A randomised controlled trial.

Aim: Digital health interventions and economic incentives have shown promise in facilitating diabetes self-management, though evidence is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a comprehensive app-based diabetes self-management programme with rewards for healthy behaviours and health outcomes.

Materials And Methods: The TRIal to slow the Progression Of Diabetes (TRIPOD) study was an open-label, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial conducted at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.

PET-CT outcomes from a randomised controlled trial of rosuvastatin as an adjunct to standard tuberculosis treatment.

Adjunctive rosuvastatin for rifampicin-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis (rs-PTB) shows no effect on microbiological or radiological outcomes in a phase IIb randomised, controlled trial (NCT04504851). We explore the impact of adjunctive rosuvastatin on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) imaging in a sub-study of 24 participants. Changes in standardised uptake value (SUVmax, SUVmean), Total Metabolic Volume, (TMV), Total Lesion Glycolysis (TLG), cavity diameter and volume, between week 0 and week 8 post-randomisation, are evaluated.

Outcome of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Asian Children: A Multinational One-year Follow-up Study.

Background: Epidemiological data on pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) have been reported in Asian countries. However, short-term follow-up data, especially in Southeast Asian countries, are limited.

Purpose: Analyze and compare the baseline and 1-year follow-up (1FU) data for PIBD in Asian children.

Evaluating a multicomponent intervention for managing kidney outcomes among patients with moderate or advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD): protocol for the Strategies for Kidney Outcomes Prevention and Evaluation (SKOPE) randomized controlled trial.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) poses a global health challenge with high morbidity and mortality rates. Early detection and prompt intervention are critical in preventing progression to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and cardiovascular complications. Effective CKD management requires comprehensive care packages that integrate both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions within collaborative, team-based models, aiming to enhance patient outcomes and overall quality of life.

A Systematic Search and Review of Registered Pharmacological Therapies Investigated to Improve Outcomes after a Stroke.

Introduction: Stroke burden is largely due to long-term impairments requiring prolonged care and loss of productivity. We aim to identify and assess studies of different registered pharmacological therapies as treatments for improving post-stroke impairments and/or disabilities.

Methods: In a systematic search and review (PROSPERO registration: CRD42022376973), studies of treatments that have been investigated as recovery-enhancing or recovery-promoting treatments in adult patients who had suffered a stroke will be searched for, screened, and reviewed based on the following: participants (P): adult humans, aged 18 years or older, diagnosed with stroke; interventions (I): registered or marketed pharmacological therapies that have been investigated as recovery-enhancing or recovery-promoting treatments in stroke; comparators (C): active or placebo or no comparator; outcomes (O): stroke-related neurological impairments and functional/disability assessments.

Beading plot: a novel graphics for ranking interventions in network evidence.

Background: Network meta-analysis is developed to compare all available treatments; therefore it enriches evidence for clinical decision-making, offering insights into treatment effectiveness and safety when faced with multiple options. However, the complexity and numerous treatment comparisons in network meta-analysis can challenge healthcare providers and patients. The purpose of this study aimed to introduce a graphic design to present complex rankings of multiple interventions comprehensively.

Cost-effectiveness of MLC601 in post-stroke functional recovery compared with placebo - the CHIMES & CHIMES-E studies.

Background: Despite progress in stroke therapy (e.g., revascularisation interventions by thrombolysis and/or thrombectomy, organised stroke care), many stroke survivors will have impairment of neurological function.

Valuation of the EORTC Quality of Life Utility Core 10 Dimensions (QLU-C10D) in a Multi-ethnic Asian Setting: How Does Having Cancer Matter?

Objectives: The aim of the study was to develop and compare utility value sets for the EORTC QLU-C10D, a cancer-specific utility instrument based on the EORTC QLQ-C30, using the preferences of the general public and cancer patients in Singapore, and to assess their measurement properties.

Methods: A total of 600 individuals from the general public were recruited using a multi-stage random sampling, along with 626 cancer patients with clinically confirmed diagnoses from outpatient clinics of the largest tertiary cancer hospital. Each participant valued 16 pairs of EORTC QLU-C10D health states using a discrete choice experiment (DCE).

Severe Pneumonia in PICU Admissions: The Pediatric Acute and Critical Care Medicine Asian Network (PACCMAN) Observational Cohort Study, 2020-2022.

Objectives: Mortality from pneumonia is three times higher in Asia compared with industrialized countries. We aimed to determine the epidemiology, microbiology, and outcome of severe pneumonia in PICUs across the Pediatric Acute and Critical Care Medicine Asian Network (PACCMAN).

Design: Prospective multicenter observational study from June 2020 to September 2022.

Cost of lost productivity in inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis in the year before and after diagnosis: An inception cohort study.

Aim: Existing studies on the cost of inflammatory arthritis (IA) and osteoarthritis (OA) are often cross-sectional and/or involve patients with various disease durations, thus not providing a comprehensive perspective on the cost of illness from the time of diagnosis. In this study, we therefore assessed the cost of lost productivity in an inception cohort of patients with IA and OA in the year before and after diagnosis.

Methods: Employment status, monthly income, days absent from work, and presenteeism were collected at diagnosis and 1 year later to estimate the annual costs of unemployment, absenteeism, and presenteeism using human capital approach.

Effects of discounting fruits, vegetables, and noncaloric beverages in New York City supermarkets on purchasing, intake, and weight.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess purchasing, intake, and weight after discounting fruits and vegetables (F&V) and noncaloric beverages in New York City supermarkets.

Methods: A 16-week randomized controlled trial was conducted with a 4-week baseline, an 8-week intervention with 50% discounts on F&V and noncaloric beverages, and a 4-week follow-up. Purchasing was tracked via loyalty cards, and intake was tracked via 24-h dietary recalls.

Stopping Nucleos(t)ide Analogues in Chronic Hepatitis B Using HBsAg Thresholds: A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression.

Background And Aims: Recommendations for stopping nucleoside analogue (NA) therapy in hepatitis B e antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are unclear. End-of-treatment quantitative hepatitis B serum antigen (EOTqHBsAg) thresholds <100 IU/mL or <1000 IU/mL have been proposed as stopping criteria, which we assessed by meta-analysis and meta-regression.

Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and conference abstracts for studies of hepatitis B e antigen-negative CHB NA discontinuation.

Effects of Parental Predictors on Postpartum Depression.

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is highly prevalent and plagues a significant proportion of parents. Postpartum depression also exerts various negative consequences on infant development and parent-infant relationships. Social support is identified as an important factor influencing many parental predictors, and may affect the development of PPD.

Are cash incentives always king? A randomized controlled trial evaluating hedonic versus cash incentives (TEH-C).

Introduction: Physical inactivity is a risk factor for obesity and non-communicable diseases. Despite myriad health and non-health benefits resulting from physical activity (PA), most individuals do not meet PA recommendations. Providing an incentive for meeting activity goals may increase activity levels.

Intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring provides no benefit over structured self-monitoring of blood glucose in type 2 diabetes not on prandial insulin, in the context of diabetes self-management education: GLucose monitoring programme SingaporE (GLiMPSE).

Objective: We evaluated the impact of intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring(is-CGM)over self-monitoring of blood glucose(SMBG) in the context of diabetes self-management education (DSME) in sub-optimally controlled type 2 diabetes(T2D) in a multi-ethnicsetting.

Research Design And Method: Randomized-controlled, open-label trial (NCT04564911), of T2D with HbA1c ≥ 7.5-≤10 %, on oral agents with/without basal insulin was carried out.

Adjunctive Pascolizumab in Rifampicin-Susceptible Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Proof-of-Concept, Partially-Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Dose-Escalation Trial.

Background: Interleukin 4 (IL-4), increased in tuberculosis infection, may impair bacterial killing. Blocking IL-4 confers benefit in animal models. We evaluated safety and efficacy of pascolizumab (humanized anti-IL-4 monoclonal antibody) as adjunctive tuberculosis treatment.

Development of the Parental Experience with Care for Children with Serious Illnesses (PRECIOUS) quality of care measure.

Background: Parent-reported experience measures are part of pediatric Quality of Care (QoC) assessments. However, existing measures were not developed for use across multiple healthcare settings or throughout the illness trajectory of seriously ill children. Formative work involving in-depth interviews with parents of children with serious illnesses generated 66 draft items describing key QoC processes.

Ambulatory blood pressure levels in individuals with uncontrolled clinic hypertension across Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Hypertension is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease in South Asia. The authors aimed to assess the cross-country differences in 24-h ambulatory, daytime, and nighttime systolic blood pressure (SBP) among rural population with uncontrolled clinic hypertension in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The authors studied patients with uncontrolled clinic hypertension (clinic BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg) who underwent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) during the baseline assessment as part of a community-based trial.

PRECIOUS demonstrated satisfactory measurement properties for assessing the quality of care for children with serious illnesses.

Objectives: To determine the measurement properties of PaRental Experience with care for Children with serIOUS illnesses (PRECIOUS), a parent-reported measure of Quality of Care for seriously ill children across care settings and illness trajectories.

Study Design And Setting: Parents self-administered baseline and 2-week follow-up surveys online. Exploratory Factor Analysis was used to determine PRECIOUS's factor structure and select items.

A systematic-search-and-review of registered pharmacological therapies investigated to improve neuro-recovery after a stroke.

Background: Stroke burden is largely due to long-term impairments requiring prolonged care with loss of productivity. We aimed to identify and assess studies of different registered pharmacological therapies as treatments to improve post-stroke impairments and/or disabilities.

Methods: We performed a systematic-search-and-review of treatments that have been investigated as recovery-enhancing or recovery-promoting therapies in adult patients with stroke.

Initial dysnatremia and clinical outcomes in pediatric traumatic brain injury: a multicenter observational study.

Purpose: We aimed to investigate the association between initial dysnatremia (hyponatremia and hypernatremia) and in-hospital mortality, as well as between initial dysnatremia and functional outcomes, among children with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Method: We performed a multicenter observational study among 26 pediatric intensive care units from January 2014 to August 2022. We recruited children with TBI under 18 years of age who presented to participating sites within 24 h of injury.

The association between epidural labour analgesia and postpartum depression: a randomised controlled trial.

There is conflicting evidence regarding the association between epidural labour analgesia and risk of postpartum depression. Most previous studies were observational trials with limited ability to account for confounders. We aimed to determine if epidural analgesia was associated with a significant change in the incidence of postpartum depression in this randomised controlled trial.