Atherothrombotic Outcomes After Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors Versus Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Territory-Wide Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: This study compared the risks of atherothrombotic major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes taking SGLT2 (sodium-glucose cotransporter 2) inhibitors to those taking DPP-4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) inhibitors.

Methods And Results: All adult patients (≥18 years of age) with type 2 diabetes and newly prescribed with SGLT2 inhibitors or DPP-4 inhibitors across all public hospitals in Hong Kong between January 2015 and December 2019 were included. Patients were propensity matched in a 1:1 ratio using a caliper distance of 0.

Risk of mortality between warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants: population-based cohort studies.

Background: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been reported to be associated with a higher risk of mortality compared with an older alternative, warfarin using primary care data in the United Kingdom (UK). However, other studies observed contradictory findings. We therefore aimed to investigate the association between mortality and warfarin, compared with DOACs.

[Current situation and demand for specialized development of allergy nursing in eighty-eight hospitals in Guangdong Province].

To investigate the current situation and demand for specialized development of allergy nursing in 88 hospitals in Guangdong Province, as well as to provide evidence for the management of allergy nursing. From August to December 2023, a cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze the core managers of allergy nursing-related work in eighty-eight hospitals in Guangdong Province supported by the Allergy Nursing Branch of the Guangdong Nurses Association and the Nursing Group of the Allergy Branch of the Guangdong Medical Association. An online survey was conducted using the Delphi method to compile a questionnaire on the current status and demand for specialized development of allergy nursing in Guangdong Province.

First use and evaluation of a novel 6.3 Fr disposable flexible ureteroscope for stone management in duplex kidney: a case report.

Background: Flexible ureteroscopy (FURS) is increasingly used as the first-line treatment for urological procedures. Disposable digital (dd-)FURS has been developed to overcome limitations such as durability, degradation, and repair cost of reusable scopes. The diameter of commercially-available models ranges from 7.

Rapid and sustained response of stubborn guttate psoriasis to ustekinumab: A 52-week, two-center, one-arm, observational study.

Ustekinumab showed significant and prolonged efficacy in treating stubborn GP patients, particularly for those patients with SDD. The CARD14: rs11652075C>T may serve as a predictor of favorable treatment response.

Application of a deep learning algorithm for the diagnosis of HCC.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by a high mortality rate. The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) results in a considerable number of indeterminate observations, rendering an accurate diagnosis difficult.

Methods: We developed four deep learning models for diagnosing HCC on computed tomography (CT) via a training-validation-testing approach.

Effective identification of Alzheimer's disease in mouse models via deep learning and motion analysis.

Spatial disorientation is an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Detecting this impairment effectively in animal models can provide valuable insights into the disease and reduce experimental burdens. We have developed a markerless motion analysis system (MMAS) using deep learning techniques for the Morris water maze test.

Epimedium applied in the clinical treatment of osteoporosis patients with periodontitis.

Osteoporosis and periodontitis, prevalent in middle-aged and elderly populations, share common features of bone loss and chronic inflammation. This study explores the hypothesis that Epimedium, known for its bone-strengthening properties, may enhance the effectiveness of conventional osteoporosis treatment in patients with coexisting periodontitis. This retrospective study analyzed clinical data from 120 patients with osteoporosis and periodontitis, divided into 2 groups.

Zoledronic acid improves periodontal health, reduces serum inflammation, and enhances bone metabolism in postmenopausal osteoporosis complicated by periodontitis.

Objective: To investigate the effects of zoledronic acid (ZA) on periodontal indices, serum inflammatory markers, and bone metabolism in postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) patients with periodontitis (PD).

Methods: A total of 113 PMO+PD cases were recruited between May 2021 and February 2024. Fifty-two cases in the control group received standard therapy, while 61 cases in the observation group were treated with ZA.

Health and economic evaluation of herbal medicines for heart failure: A population-based cohort study.

Background: Heart failure (HF) represents an advanced stage of various cardiovascular disorders, with its elevated admission rates and resultant health economic burden posing an ongoing global concern.

Purpose: To evaluate the health and economic benefits of herbal medicine (HM) for patients with HF.

Study Design: Population-based cohort study.

Development and validation of the Post-COVID Symptom Scale for Children/Youth (PCSS-C/Y).

This study aims to develop and validate the Post-COVID Symptom Scale for Children/Youth (PCSS-C/Y), which is a comprehensive tool for measuring the symptom burden of post-COVID-19 conditions-persistent symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection, commonly known as Long COVID-and its impact on health-related quality of life among children and adolescents. Parents of children and adolescents, adolescents, and young adults with and without a history of COVID-19 were invited to fill in a questionnaire from October 2022 to June 2023. There were 386 valid parent proxy-reported responses, 433 valid adolescent self-reported responses, and 324 valid young adult self-reported responses included in the final analysis.

Lipid-lowering agent preferences among patients with hypercholesterolemia: a focus group study.

Background: Non-adherence to lipid-lowering agents poses significant risks to patients and diminishes treatment effectiveness. Current understanding of patients' preferences regarding the characteristics of these agents is limited. This study aims to qualitatively identify the barriers to lipid-lowering medication adherence and the factors considered by patients with hypercholesterolemia when choosing lipid-lowering agents, and to inform the design of a medication preference study.

Multi-omics analysis reveals the interplay between intratumoral bacteria and glioma.

Unlabelled: Emerging evidence highlights the potential impact of intratumoral microbiota on cancer. However, the microbial composition and function in glioma remains elusive. Consequently, our study aimed to investigate the microbial community composition in glioma tissues and elucidate its role in glioma development.

Prognosis Prediction of Cardiovascular Event With Glucose-Albumin Ratio on Patients With Cancer and Prescribed With Anthracycline.

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the clinical value of the glucose-albumin ratio (GAR) in predicting the prognosis of cancer patients prescribed anthracycline-based chemotherapy.

Methods: We included cancer patients who underwent anthracycline-based chemotherapy, drawn from the population-based cohort Clinical Data Analysis Reporting System of Hong Kong between January 2000 and December 2019. Demographics, medical history, baseline laboratory, and metabolic indicators, including GAR, were collected.

Ethanol marshall bundle elimination, pulmonary vein isolation, and linear ablation for atrial fibrillation with or without heart failure.

Background: In medical practice, atrial fibrillation (AF) is intricately associated with heart failure (HF). Currently, ethanol infusion of vein of Marshall (EIVOM) for AF ablation in HF patients remains significantly limited.

Method: This was a non-randomized, single-center, retrospective observational study.

Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 in cancer patients: Two cohorts in UK and Hong Kong.

Background: Limited research exists on the risks and spectrum of complications in post-acute phase of COVID-19 in cancer patients. This study aimed to evaluate the post-acute effects of COVID-19 on different types of morbidities among cancer patients across two regions with different healthcare systems and dominant variants of COVID-19.

Materials And Methods: Cancer patients with COVID-19 from the UK Biobank (UKB, n = 2230; March 16, 2020 to May 31, 2021; pre-Omicron-variants dominant) and electronic medical records in Hong Kong (HK cohort, n = 22,335; April 1, 2020 to October 31, 2022; Omicron-variant dominant) were included.

Investigating the efficacy of uncrosslinked porcine collagen coated vascular grafts for neointima formation and endothelialization.

Introduction: This study evaluates the efficacy of uncrosslinked porcine collagen coated vascular grafts (UPCCVG) in facilitating neointima formation and endothelialization.

Methods: Prior to coating, the uncrosslinked porcine collagen underwent comprehensive characterization employing SDS-PAGE, image analysis, circular dichroism and immunogenicity. The PET substrate of the vascular graft was coated with collagen solution utilizing the dip-coating method.

Multimodal multiphasic preoperative image-based deep-learning predicts HCC outcomes after curative surgery.

Background And Aims: HCC recurrence frequently occurs after curative surgery. Histological microvascular invasion (MVI) predicts recurrence but cannot provide preoperative prognostication, whereas clinical prediction scores have variable performances.

Approach And Results: Recurr-NET, a multimodal multiphasic residual-network random survival forest deep-learning model incorporating preoperative CT and clinical parameters, was developed to predict HCC recurrence.