JAK2 as Predictor of Therapeutic Response in Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Treated with Imatinib.

Background: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) or chronic granulocytic leukemia is a myeloproliferative neoplasm indicated by the presence of the Philadelphia (Ph+) chromosome. First-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor, imatinib, is the gold standard for treatment. However, there has been known unresponsiveness to treatment, especially due to the involvement of other genes, such as the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) gene. This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between JAK2 levels and complete hematological response (CHR), as well as early molecular response (EMR) after 3 months of imatinib treatment in patients with chronic phase CML. Methods: Patients with Ph+ CML in the chronic phase (n = 40; mean age, 40 ± 11 years) were recruited to complete assessments consisting of clinical examination and blood test, including evaluation of complete blood counts and the JAK2 levels, at baseline and following 3 months of therapy with imatinib (at an oral dose of 400 mg per day). Subjects were divided into two groups according to the presence of CHR and EMR. Results: JAK2 gene levels, phosphorylated, and total JAK2 proteins at baseline were significantly lower in the group with the presence of CHR and EMR. In addition, baseline JAK2 levels, including JAK2 gene expression, phosphorylated, and total JAK2 proteins, were negatively correlated with the presence of CHR and EMR. Conclusions: Based on these findings, JAK2 levels may be a potential indicator for evaluating treatment response on imatinib due to its role in the pathophysiology of CML.

Asthma does not increase COVID-19 mortality and poor outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has mentioned Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with moderate or severe asthma as a high risk group for severe illness. While WHO mentioned only chronic respiratory diseases, not specifically asthma as a risk factor for severe illness. There has been asthma prevalence discrepancy in studies of COVID-19 across the world. OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis aims to investigate the association between asthma and composite poor outcome in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search from PubMed and Embase database. We included all original research articles with adult COVID-19 patients > 18 years old and had information related to asthma as a risk factor. Studies with outcomes consisting of mortality, severe COVID-19, use of mechanical ventilation, ICU admission, and hospital admission were included in this study. The outcomes of interest were divided into severe COVID-19, mortality and other poor outcomes. RESULTS: Eleven studies were included in meta-analysis with a total of 6,046 patients. Asthma was not associated with composite poor outcomes with OR = 0.92 (95%CI 0.71-1.19, p = 0.61, and I2 = 8.49%). Furthermore, subgroup analysis showed that asthma was not associated with severe COVID (p = 0.76), mortality (p = 0.45), and other poor outcomes (p = 0.28). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that asthma was not associated with severe COVID-19, mortality, and other poor outcomes in patients with COVID-19.

May Measurement Month 2018: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Indonesia.

Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a significant burden worldwide, leading to high cardio-cerebro-reno-vascular morbidity and mortality. For the second year of the May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign in Indonesia in 2018, we recruited 174 sites in 31 out of 34 provinces in Indonesia and screened through convenience sampling in public areas and rural primary health centres. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg, or both, or on the basis of receiving antihypertensive medication. Blood pressure was measured three times followed the standard global MMM protocol, multiple imputation was used to estimate the mean of the 2nd and 3rd BP readings if these were not recorded. A total of 91 222 individuals were screened, and after multiple imputations, 27 331 (30.0%) had hypertension. Of individuals not receiving antihypertensive medication, 14 367 (18.4%) were hypertensive. Among the 47.4% of hypertensive individuals on antihypertensive medication, 10 106 (78.0%) had uncontrolled BP. MMM17 and MMM18 were still the most extensive standardized screening campaigns for BP measurement in Indonesia. Compared to the previous study, the proportion with uncontrolled BP on medication was significantly higher and provided the substantial challenges in managing hypertension in the rural community.

May Measurement Month 2017: an analysis of the blood pressure screening campaign results in Indonesia-South-East Asia and Australasia.

Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a growing burden worldwide, leading to over 10 million deaths each year. Our previous primary health surveys in 2013 and 2018 show that 25.8% to 34.1% of adults have raised BP, which is associated with cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and renovascular morbidity and mortality. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global initiative aimed at raising awareness of high BP and to act as a temporary solution to the lack of screening programmes worldwide. An opportunistic cross-sectional survey of volunteers aged ≥18 was carried out in May 2017. Blood pressure measurement, the definition of hypertension and statistical analysis followed the standard MMM protocol. We recruited 292 sites in all 34 provinces in Indonesia, and screened in public areas and offices as well as health centres. A total of 69 307 individuals were screened. After multiple imputation, 23 892 (34.5%) had hypertension. Of individuals not receiving antihypertensive medication, 20.0% were hypertensive. Among individuals receiving antihypertensive medication, 7885 (62.8%) had uncontrolled BP. MMM17 was the largest standardized screening campaign for BP measurement in our country. The proportion of individuals identified with hypertension and the percentage of those with uncontrolled BP on medication provide evidence of the substantial challenges in managing hypertension in the community. These results suggest that opportunistic screening can identify significant numbers of individuals with raised BP.