[Effect of glucocorticoids on the efficacy of non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors].

Lung cancer is a highly lethal malignant tumor worldwide and in China, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounting for approximately 85% of cases globally. In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) had changed the paradigm of lung cancer treatment, either alone or in combination with chemotherapy and recomended as the first-line treatment for NSCLC. NSCLC patients often required glucocorticoid(GC) due to the cancer itself, tumor complications, or immune-related adverse event (irAE). GC had sparked debates on their impact on the therapeutic effectiveness of ICI in NSCLC patients as a substance with immunomodulatory effects. While some studies suggested that GC use did not influence patients survival, others argued the opposite. Understanding the effects of GC on immunotherapy is crucial for managing complaications in cancer patients and addressing irAE. This review explores the impact of GC on the efficacy of ICI in NSCLC patients, aiming to provide insights for clinical treatment.

[Long-term outcomes of laparoscopic gastrectomy for locally advanced gastric cancer with serosa-invasion].

Objective: To evaluate the long-term outcomes and prognostic factors of locally advanced gastric cancer with serosa-invasion. Methods: This study is a retrospective cohort study. The clinical and pathological data of 495 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer with serosa-invasion who underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy in Department of General Surgery, the First Hospital Affiliated to Army Medical University from October 2012 to October 2018 was analyzed retrospectively. There were 356 males and 139 females with an age (M(IQR)) of 59 (16) years (range: 18 to 75 years). Observation indicators included postoperative results and long-term prognosis. The survival curve was drawn by the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate prognostic analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Among the 495 patients, a total of 57 patients (11.5%) were lost to follow-up, with a follow-up time of 89 (40) months (range: 23 to 134 months). The 5-year disease-free survival rate (DFS) and the 5-year overall survival rate (OS) were 56.0% and 58.2%, respectively. The 5-year DFS for patients with stage ⅡB, ⅢA, ⅢB, ⅢC were 71.2%, 60.5%, 51.6%, 33.3%, respectively. The 5-year OS for patients with stage ⅡB, ⅢA, ⅢB, ⅢC were 71.2%, 62.2%, 54.1%, 39.3%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that age >65 years (DFS: HR=1.402, 95%CI: 1.022 to 1.922, P=0.036; OS: HR=1.461, 95%CI: 1.057 to 2.019, P=0.022), lymph node dissection number less than 25 (DFS: HR=1.348, 95%CI: 1.019 to 1.779, P=0.036; OS: HR=1.376, 95%CI: 1.035 to 1.825, P=0.028), pathological stage Ⅲ (DFS: HR=2.131, 95%CI: 1.444 to 3.144, P<0.01; OS: HR=2.079, 95%CI: 1.406 to 3.074, P<0.01), and no postoperative chemotherapy (DFS: HR=3.127, 95%CI: 2.377 to 4.113, P<0.01; OS: HR=3.768, 95%CI: 2.828 to 5.020, P<0.01) were independent prognostic factors for the decrease in DFS and OS rates. Conclusions: Laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for locally advanced gastric cancer with serosa-invasion could achieve satisfactory long-term oncological outcomes. More lymph node dissection and standardized postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy are expected to further improve the prognosis of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer with serous invasion after laparoscopic radical surgery.

Anti-Hypertensive Drugs Moderate the Relationship of Blood Pressure with Alzheimer's Pathologies and Neurodegenerative Markers in Non-Demented Hypertensive Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to explore whether the relationships of blood pressures (BPs) with Alzheimer's disease (AD) endophenotypes varied by usage of antihypertensive drugs (AHDs). METHODS: A total of 765 non-demented older adults (mean age: 74.4 years; female: 43.1%) with a self-reported history of hypertension were followed for 6 years. Multiple linear regression and linear-mixed effect models were used to investigate the interaction effects of five categories of AHDs (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors [ACEI], angiotensin II receptor blockers [ARBs], ß-blocker, calcium channel blockers [CCB], diuretic) with BPs (systolic blood pressure [SBP], diastolic blood pressure [DBP], and pulse pressure [PP]) on AD core pathology and neurodegenerative markers. RESULTS: After Bonferroni correction, significant interaction effects of BPs with AHDs were observed. Elevated SBP or PP in late-life was associated with higher levels of cerebral Aß burden (diuretic alone/ß-blocker × SBP), higher levels of CSF tau proteins (diuretic × SBP/PP, ARBs/CCB × SBP), and lower volume of entorhinal region (ß-blocker × SBP, diuretic × PP) only among hypertensive patients who received no anti-hypertensive treatments, while these associations became compromised or null for users of specific AHDs except for ACEI. Compared to taking other classes of AHDs, elevated SBP in late-life was associated with lower cerebral Aß burden in diuretic users (padjusted = 0.08) and was associated with higher CSF tau proteins in ACEI alone users (padjusted = 0.03). Longitudinal data validated the above-mentioned interaction effects on changes of cerebral Aß burden (padjusted < 0.05), CSF tau proteins (padjusted < 0.10), and brain atrophy (padjusted < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The relationships of late-life BP with AD pathology and neurodegeneration could be modified by anti-hypertensive treatments and varied by AHD classification. These findings provide preliminary evidence for tailored BP management strategy for preventing AD among late-life hypertensive adults.

Immunogenicity of 2 therapeutic mosaic HIV-1 vaccine strategies in individuals with HIV-1 on antiretroviral therapy.

Mosaic HIV-1 vaccines have been shown to elicit robust humoral and cellular immune responses in people living with HIV-1 (PLWH), that had started antiretroviral therapy (ART) during acute infection. We evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of 2 mosaic vaccine regimens in virologically suppressed individuals that had initiated ART during the chronic phase of infection, exemplifying the majority of PLWH. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 1 trial (IPCAVD013/HTX1002) 25 ART-suppressed PLWH were randomized to receive Ad26.Mos4.HIV/MVA-Mosaic (Ad26/MVA) (n = 10) or Ad26.Mos4.HIV/Ad26.Mos4.HIV plus adjuvanted gp140 protein (Ad26/Ad26+gp140) (n = 9) or placebo (n = 6). Primary endpoints included safety and tolerability and secondary endpoints included HIV-specific binding and neutralizing antibody titers and HIV-specific T cell responses. Both vaccine regimens were well tolerated with pain/tenderness at the injection site and fatigue, myalgia/chills and headache as the most commonly reported solicited local and grade 3 systemic adverse events, respectively. In the Ad26/Ad26+gp140 group, Env-specific IFN-γ T cell responses showed a median 12-fold increase while responses to Gag and Pol increased 1.8 and 2.4-fold, respectively. The breadth of T cell responses to individual peptide subpools increased from 11.0 pre-vaccination to 26.0 in the Ad26/Ad26+gp140 group and from 10.0 to 14.5 in the Ad26/MVA group. Ad26/Ad26+gp140 vaccination increased binding antibody titers against vaccine-matched clade C Env 5.5-fold as well as augmented neutralizing antibody titers against Clade C pseudovirus by 7.2-fold. Both vaccine regimens were immunogenic, while the addition of the protein boost resulted in additional T cell and augmented binding and neutralizing antibody titers. These data suggest that the Ad26/Ad26+gp140 regimen should be tested further.

Yubi-Wakka Test for Sarcopenia Screening in the Community: Comparative Agreement, Diagnostic Performance and Validity with Calf Circumference Measurements.

BACKGROUND: Screening tools such as calf circumference (CC) and Yubi-wakka (finger-ring) test have been recognized as effective tools by Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 (AWGS'19) for sarcopenia screening but their comparative agreement, diagnostic performance and validity are unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine: (i)agreement between calf and finger-ring circumference, (ii)diagnostic performance for low muscle mass and AWGS'19 sarcopenia diagnosis, (iii)correlation with muscle mass, strength, and physical performance, and (iv)association with frailty, life space mobility and physical activity. METHODS: We studied 187 healthy community-dwelling older adults (mean age=66.8+7.0years) from the GERILABS-2 study. CC was measured via (i) both calves in sitting and standing positions, and (ii) Yubi-wakka test by encircling the thickest part of the non-dominant calf with index fingers and thumbs of both hands. We performed Cohen's kappa to check for agreement, area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) to compare diagnostic performance, partial correlations adjusted for age and gender to compare convergent validity, and logistic regression to determine predictive validity for outcome measures. RESULTS: Sarcopenia prevalence was 24.0% (AWGS'19). Yubi-wakka identified 16.6% of participants as screen-positive ("smaller"), showing moderate agreement only with non-dominant sitting CC measurements (k=0.421,p<0.001) and having lower diagnostic performance in determining low muscle mass (AUC=0.591 vs 0.855-0.870,p<0.001; sensitivity=57.1% vs 75.5-90.8%; specificity=58.4% vs 70.8-80.9%) and sarcopenia diagnosis (AUC=0.581 vs 0.788-0.818,p<0.001; sensitivity=55.6% vs 57.5-71.8%; specificity=74.4% vs 75.6-88.9%) compared to CC measurements. Yubi-wakka correlated significantly with muscle mass, grip strength and knee extension but not physical performance. When adjusted for age, gender and hypertension, Yubi-wakka was significantly associated with frailty (OR=3.96,95%CI:1.09-14.38), life space mobility (OR=2.38,95%CI:1.08-5.24) and physical activity (OR=2.50,95%CI:1.07-5.86). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Yubi-wakka provides a self-administered, low-cost and practicable community screening tool for sarcopenia. Our study affirmed the convergent and predictive validity of Yubi-wakka, albeit with lower sensitivity and specificity in diagnostic performance compared to CC measurements.

[Colorectal adenocarcinoma with enteroblastic differentiation: a clinicopathological analysis of eight cases].

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features of colorectal adenocarcinoma with enteroblastic differentiation (CAED). Methods: Eight cases of CAED diagnosed at the Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China from January 2017 to August 2023 were collected. The histopathological, immunohistochemical, molecular and prognostic features of 8 CAED cases were analyzed. The relevant studies were also reviewed. Results: Among the eight patients, there were six males and two females, with an average age of 58 years (range: 29-77 years, median age: 61.5 years). Preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein levels were elevated in five patients (14.0-286.6 µg/L). Four tumors were located in the colon, and four tumors in the rectum. Two patients were clinically staged as advanced stage (stage Ⅳ), and distant metastasis occurred at the initial diagnosis (one case had liver metastasis, and the other had lung, bone and multiple lymph nodes metastases). Six patients were clinically staged as locally-advanced stage (Stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ). Three of them developed distant metastases after surgery (one case had liver metastasis, one case had lung metastasis, and one case had peritoneal metastasis). Additionally, two patients died at 9 months and 24 months after surgery, respectively. The tumors were composed of various proportions of adenocarcinoma components with enteroblastic differentiation (30%-100%) and classical tubular adenocarcinoma components. The component with enteroblastic differentiation exhibited morphology similar to embryonic intestinal epithelium: cuboidal or columnar tumor cells arranged in tubular, papillary, cribriform, or solid nest patterns, with clear cytoplasm. Immunohistochemical studies showed that tumor cells expressed at least one oncofetal protein (SALL4, Glypican-3, and AFP). In addition, focal squamous differentiation was observed in 3 cases (3/8). Compared to the primary tumor, both CAED and squamous differentiation components were increased in the metastatic tumors. Based on the sequencing results of KRAS, NRAS and BRAF of the primary and/or metastatic tumors, 5 cases were wild-type, while KRAS exon 2 (G13D) mutations were identified in 2 cases. Conclusions: CAED is a rare colorectal malignancy with a dismal prognosis. Accurate pathological diagnosis is prognostically valuable. The histological features of enteroblastic differentiation, elevated serum AFP levels, and the expression of oncofetal proteins play an important role in the tumor diagnosis.

Prediction of tumor-reactive T cell receptors from scRNA-seq data for personalized T cell therapy.

The identification of patient-derived, tumor-reactive T cell receptors (TCRs) as a basis for personalized transgenic T cell therapies remains a time- and cost-intensive endeavor. Current approaches to identify tumor-reactive TCRs analyze tumor mutations to predict T cell activating (neo)antigens and use these to either enrich tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cultures or validate individual TCRs for transgenic autologous therapies. Here we combined high-throughput TCR cloning and reactivity validation to train predicTCR, a machine learning classifier that identifies individual tumor-reactive TILs in an antigen-agnostic manner based on single-TIL RNA sequencing. PredicTCR identifies tumor-reactive TCRs in TILs from diverse cancers better than previous gene set enrichment-based approaches, increasing specificity and sensitivity (geometric mean) from 0.38 to 0.74. By predicting tumor-reactive TCRs in a matter of days, TCR clonotypes can be prioritized to accelerate the manufacture of personalized T cell therapies.

The effect of spent coffee ground (SCG) loading, matrix ratio and biological treatment of SCG on poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) polymer blend.

This study investigates the effects of SCG embedded into biodegradable polymer blends and aimed to formulate and characterise biomass-reinforced biocomposites using spent coffee ground (SCG) as reinforcement in PHB/PLA polymer blend. The effect of SCG filler loading and varying PHB/PLA ratios on the tensile properties and morphological characteristics of the biocomposites were examined. The results indicated that tensile properties reduction could be due to its incompatibility with the PHB/PLA matrixSCG aggregation at 40 wt% content resulted in higher void formation compared to lower content at 10 wt%. A PHB/PLA ratio of 50/50 with SCG loading 20 wt% was chosen for biocomposites with treated SCG. Biological treatment of SCG using Phanerochaete chrysosporium CK01 and Aspergillus niger DWA8 indicated P. chrysosporium CK01 necessitated a higher moisture content for optimum growth and enzyme production, whereas the optimal conditions for enzyme production (50-55 %, w/w) differed from those promoting A. niger DWA8 growth (40 %, w/w). SEM micrographs highlighted uniform distribution and effective wetting of treated SCG, resulting in improvements of tensile strength and modulus of biocomposites, respectively. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of sustainable fungal treatment in enhancing the interfacial adhesion between treated SCG and the PHB/PLA matrix.

Comparison of pharmacological thrombolysis with mechanical thrombectomy in thrombosed arteriovenous fistulas and grafts: a systemic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: To compare the effectiveness and safety of pharmacological thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Pooled proportions and subgroup analysis were calculated for primary and secondary patency rates, technical success, clinical success, major and minor complications rates. RESULTS: This systematic review identified a total of 6,492 studies of which 17 studies were included for analysis. A total of 1,089 patients comprising 451 (41.4 %) and 638 (58.6 %) patients who underwent thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy procedures, respectively, were analysed. No significant differences were observed between thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy procedures in terms of technical success, clinical success, major and minor complications rates, primary and secondary patency rates; however, subgroup analysis of overall arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) and arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) demonstrated a significantly higher rate of major complications within the AVF group (p=0.0248). CONCLUSION: The present meta-analysis suggests that pharmacological thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy procedures are similarly effective and safe; however, AVFs are subject to higher major complications compared to AVGs.

Relationships of Hypnotics with Incident Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: A Longitudinal Study and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Evidence describing the association between hypnotics use and dementia risk is conflicting. It is unknown if the controversy is related to the type or dose of hypnotics or if hypnotics affect different populations. OBJECTIVES: We sought to derive lessons learned and future projections based on evidence from longitudinal studies. MEASUREMENTS: In the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort, 1,543 older adults without dementia (mean age = 73.3 years, female = 45%) were followed for four years. The association between hypnotics and the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) was investigated using Cox proportional hazards regressions. Next, electronic databases were searched until March 2022 to conduct the evidence synthesis of the associations of hypnotics with incident risk of dementia. RESULTS: In the ADNI cohort, ever use of hypnotics was associated with an increased risk of AD (hazard ratio = 1.96, 95% confidence intervals = 1.23-3.11, p < 0.01). This association was significant for benzodiazepines and Z-drugs but not for melatonin. The association was stronger in long-term (more than one year) users and those with high cumulative doses. A meta-analysis of 26 longitudinal studies with 3,942,018 participants revealed a correlation between the use of hypnotics and the risk of dementia (relative risk = 1.23, 95% confidence intervals = 1.13-1.33, p < 0.001, median risk difference = 4%). It is a linear dose-response relationship, if a person takes the daily recommended dose for 100 days, their risk of developing dementia increases by 5% relative to non-users. According to subgroup analyses, neither association was significant among patients with a history of insomnia. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals who use hypnotics, especially high-dose or long-term users, are at a higher risk of dementia and AD. The main issue with conclusion credibility is heterogeneity.

High-dose pulse methylprednisolone vs. dexamethasone standard therapy for severe and critical COVID-19 pneumonia: Efficacy assessment in a retrospective single-centre experience from Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION: The use of dexamethasone (DXM) has been associated with decreased mortality in the patients with hypoxemia during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, while the outcomes with methylprednisolone (MTP) have been mixed. This real-life study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients with severe respiratory failure due to COVID-19 who were treated with high doses of MTP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study enrolled hospitalised patients between May 2021 and August 2021, aged 18 years and above, with severe respiratory failure defined by a ratio of oxygen saturation to fraction of inspired oxygen (SF ratio) of less than 235. The treatment protocol involved administering high-dose MTP for 3 days, followed by DXM, and the outcomes were compared with those of patients who received DXM alone (total treatment duration of 10 days for both groups). RESULTS: A total of 99 patients were enrolled, with 79 (79.8%) receiving pulse MTP therapy and 20 (20.2%) being treated with DXM only. The SF ratio significantly improved from a mean of 144.49 (±45.16) at baseline to 208 (±85.19) at 72 hours (p < 0.05), with a mean difference of 63.51 (p < 0.001) in patients who received ≤750 mg of MTP. Additionally, in patients who received >750 mg of MTP, the SF ratio improved from a baseline mean of 130.39 (±34.53) to 208.44 (±86.61) at 72 hours (p < 0.05), with a mean difference of 78.05 (p = 0.001). In contrast, patients who received DXM only demonstrated an SF ratio of 132.85 (±44.1) at baseline, which changed minimally to 133.35 (±44.4) at 72 hours (p = 0.33), with a mean difference of 0.50 (p = 0.972). The incidence of nosocomial infection was higher in the MTP group compared with the DXM group (40.5% vs. 35%, p = 0.653), with a relative risk of 1.16 (95% CI: 0.60-2.23). CONCLUSION: MTP did not demonstrate a significant reduction in intubation or intensive care unit admissions. Although a high dose of MTP improved gas exchange in patients with severe and critical COVID-19, it did not provide an overall mortality benefit compared to standard treatment.

[RBMX overexpression inhibits proliferation, migration, invasion and glycolysis of human bladder cancer cells by downregulating PKM2].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of RNA-binding motif protein X-linked (RBMX) in regulating the proliferation, migration, invasion and glycolysis in human bladder cancer cells. METHODS: A lentivirus vectors system and RNA interference technique were used to construct bladder cancer 1376 and UC-3 cell models with RBMX overexpression and knockdown, respectively, and successful cell modeling was verified using RT-qPCR and Western blotting. Proliferation and colony forming ability of the cells were evaluated using EdU assay and colony-forming assay, and cell migration and invasion abilities were determined using Transwell experiment. The expressions of glycolysis-related proteins M1 pyruvate kinase (PKM1) and M2 pyruvate kinase (PKM2) were detected using Western blotting. The effects of RBMX overexpression and knockdown on glycolysis in the bladder cancer cells were assessed using glucose and lactic acid detection kits. RESULTS: RT-qPCR and Western blotting confirmed successful construction of 1376 and UC-3 cell models with RBMX overexpression and knockdown. RBMX overexpression significantly inhibited the proliferation, clone formation, migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells, while RBMX knockdown produced the opposite effects. Western blotting results showed that RBMX overexpression increased the expression of PKM1 and decreased the expression of PKM2, while RBMX knockdown produced the opposite effects. Glucose consumption and lactate production levels were significantly lowered in the cells with RBMX overexpression (P < 0.05) but increased significantly following RBMX knockdown (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: RBMX overexpression inhibits bladder cancer progression and lowers glycolysis level in bladder cancer cells by downregulating PKM2 expression, suggesting the potential of RBMX as a molecular target for diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer.

Efficacy of octenidine- and chlorhexidine-based wash-mitts against Candida albicans and Candida auris - a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Management of outbreaks of the newly emerging pathogen Candida auris may include use of antimicrobial wash-mitts for decolonization. However, currently there is little clinical evidence to support the wide adoption of 'whole-body decolonization' as part of the protocol to effectively manage C. auris outbreaks. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical tolerance of C. auris compared with the surrogate test organism Candida albicans as established in the European Standards (EN). METHODS: Two commercially available antiseptic-impregnated wash-mitts based on either chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG) or octenidine dihydrochloride (OCT) were studied. Comparison of susceptibility of C. auris and C. albicans was investigated based on the standardized test protocol EN 13624. Experiments were conducted using the impregnation liquid squeezed from the wash-mitts at a contact time of 30 s at different concentrations between 0.5% and 97% in the presence of low organic soiling. FINDINGS: Yeasticidal efficacy according to EN 13624 was found for the OCT wash-mitts at 30 s at ≥10% concentration with C. albicans. In comparison, reduction ≥4 log10 was found at a much lower concentration of ≥1% for both C. auris strains. For the CHG wash-mitts, efficacy against C. albicans was below 2 log10 reduction at 97% concentration within 30 s. Efficacy against the two C. auris strains was around 3 log10 reduction. CONCLUSION: Both C. auris strains were found to be significantly more susceptible when compared with C. albicans. Data also demonstrate that not all antiseptic-impregnated wash-mitts are equally effective against C. auris with OCT having a higher efficacy compared with CHG.

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. We enrolled women aged 21-50 years old with a singleton fetus ≥ 36 weeks gestation. Patients were advised regarding available labour analgesic modalities during enrolment (epidural block; intramuscular pethidine; nitrous oxide; or intravenous remifentanil). On request for analgesia, patients were offered the modality that they had been allocated randomly to first. Blinded investigators recorded patient and obstetric characteristics within 24 h of delivery and assessed for postpartum depression at 6-10 weeks following delivery using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (score ≥ 13 considered positive for postpartum depression). The modified intention-to-treat population consisted of all patients who received any form of labour analgesia, while per-protocol consisted of patients who received their randomised modality as their first form of labour analgesia. Of 881 parturients allocated randomly (epidural n = 441, non-epidural n = 440), we analysed 773 (epidural n = 389, non-epidural n = 384); 62 (15.9%) of women allocated to epidural group developed postpartum depression compared with 65 (16.9%) women allocate to the non-epidural group. There were no significant differences in the incidence of postpartum depression between the two groups (adjusted risk difference (95%CI) 1.6 (-3.0-6.3%), p = 0.49). Similar results were obtained with per-protocol analysis (adjusted risk difference (95%CI) -1.0 (-8.3-6.3%), p = 0.79). We found no significant difference in the risk of postpartum depression between patients who received epidural labour analgesia and those who utilised non-epidural analgesic modalities.

A rare case of hepatic sinusoidal occlusive syndrome in a premature neonate with trisomy 21.

Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome) may lead to multiple hematological and hepatobiliary manifestations including the development of transient abnormal myelopoiesis. While many cases resolve, transient abnormal myelopoiesis may lead to significant morbidity and mortality in a small percentage of patients. This condition may present a diagnostic challenge for physicians and currently there is only limited data on effective treatments, particularly with low blast percent transient abnormal myelopoiesis. We present a case of a neonate with trisomy 21 and multiple congenital anomalies who consequently developed hepatic failure with evidence of non-cirrhotic portal hypertension likely due to transient abnormal myelopoiesis. This clinical scenario highlights the need for additional evaluation for transient abnormal myelopoiesis associated hepatic disorder and possibly hepatic sinusoidal occlusive syndrome among trisomy 21 neonates particularly with low blast percentage.

Characterisation of admissions and readmissions after 20 days of illness among COVID-19 patients.

INTRODUCTION: There has been an observed number of readmissions after an index COVID-19 admission, including admissions after an initial home quarantine. The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients who were readmitted or admitted after an initial home quarantine between 21 and 90 days of illness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a single-centre retrospective cohort study comprising patients admitted to a state hospital in Selangor, Malaysia, between August and October 2021. The demographic data, clinical characteristics, presenting complaints, laboratory tests, organ dysfunction, use of invasive ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, length of hospitalisation and mortality were collected and analysed. RESULTS: The analysis involved a total of 195 cases. More than a quarter of the cases (52 [26.7%]) were related to the initial COVID-19 infection. Nine cases (4.6%) required mechanical ventilation, while eight cases (4.1%) were admitted to the ICU. The overall mortality was 17 cases (8.7%). Surviving patients were younger (49.5 vs. 58.4 years), less likely to have diabetes mellitus (48.3% vs. 82.4%), or chronic kidney disease (12.9% vs. 41.2%); had higher levels of admission haemoglobin (12.6 vs. 9.1g/dL) and albumin (33.0 vs. 21.0g/L); lower white blood cells (10.2 vs. 13.0 × 109/L), creatinine (81.2 vs. 151.9µmol/L) and C-reactive protein (18.2 vs. 135.0mg/L) at admission; less likely to have MI (6.7% vs. 23.5%), sepsis (3.4% vs. 47.1%), or acute kidney injury (3.4% vs. 17.6%) and organ dysfunction (25.3% vs. 94.1%). CONCLUSION: Approximately a quarter of patients were admitted or readmitted due to direct COVID-19 complications between 21 and 90 days of illness. The baseline oxygen requirements at admission were independently associated with mortality, invasive mechanical ventilation and ICU admissions. Further research is needed to establish a risk model for patients returning to a hospital to predict their risk of post-COVID complications.

First molecular detection of porcine circovirus type 4 (PCV4) in Malaysia.

Porcine circovirus type 4 (PCV4) is the newest member in the porcine circovirus family, first reported in 2020. To date, the presence of PCV4 has only been reported in China, South Korea and most recently in Thailand. Detection of PCV4 have been reported in various production stages of pigs from piglets, finishers to sows; associated with a myriad of clinical manifestations including porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome (PDNS), postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), respiratory, enteric and neurological diseases. While successful virus isolation and culture has yet to be reported, pathogenicity of PCV4 has been demonstrated through infectious clone studies. The objective of this study is to investigate the presence of PCV4 in Malaysian porcine population to update the epidemiology of porcine circoviruses in Malaysia. A total of 49 samples from commercial intensive pig farms, abattoir and wild boar population were subjected to conventional polymerase chain reaction assay to detect PCV4 capsid (cap) genome. Resulting cap nucleotide sequences were analyzed for maximum likelihood phylogeny relationship. Results revealed that PCV4 is present in Peninsular Malaysia at a molecular prevalence of 4.08% (2 / 49 samples). Both PCV4 positive samples originated from clinically healthy finishers. Malaysian PCV4 strains were classified as genotype PCV4b, and were found to be phylogenetically distinct from the China, South Korea and Thailand strains. With this latest update of the novel PCV4 in Malaysia, it is clear that more attention needs to be given to the investigation of novel porcine circoviruses (PCV) and management of PCV diseases.

Age-related genes affecting the immune cell infiltration in ulcerative colitis revealed by weighted correlation network analysis and machine learning.

OBJECTIVE: The crosstalk between age and immunity in the context of ulcerative colitis (UC) remains incompletely understood. Our objective is to elucidate the specific age-associated genetic factors that modulate immune cell infiltration in UC, with the aim of identifying innovative therapeutic targets for the treatment of this disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Potential batch effects between samples were removed by R package "inSilicoMerging". Unsupervised clustering analysis via the "ConsensusClusterPlus" R package was utilized to perform consensus molecular subtyping of immune subtypes in UC. The construction of a heat map was accomplished through the utilization of the R package "pheatmap", while functional enrichment analysis was executed by means of the Metascape database. The identification of the age-related gene module was achieved by performing weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) analysis using the R package "WGCNA". The support vector machine (SVM), least absolute shrinkage and selector operation (LASSO), and random forest algorithms were performed via the "e1071", "glmnet" and "randomForest" packages in R, respectively. The diagnostic performance of the parameter was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Correlation analysis was performed by Spearman correlation. The "XSum" package in R was employed to identify potential small-molecule drugs for UC utilizing the Connectivity Map (CMap) database. Molecular docking was performed with Autodock Vina molecular docking software. RESULTS: A significantly greater frequency of UC patients aged below 40 years was observed in the group with extensive disease extent as compared to those with non-extensive disease extent (70% vs. 47%; Chi-square test, p = 0.02). The application of unsupervised clustering analysis allowed for the stratification of UC patients into two distinct immune subtypes, namely cluster C1 and cluster C2. The distribution of immune subtypes was significantly different between different age categories (Chi-square test,  p = 0.00219). The UC samples that were grouped under cluster C1 were distinguished by a higher abundance of macrophages and an elevated number of neutrophils relative to those in cluster C2. Based on both WGCNA and Limma analysis, 146 age-related genes were identified, which exhibited a predominant enrichment in the biological process of cellular senescence. Two age-related genes (MIDN, and PLD6) affecting the immune cell infiltration in UC were identified based on machine learning algorithms (SVM, LASSO, and random forest). The diagnostic performance of MIDN (AUC = 0.93) and PLD6 (AUC = 0.90) in discerning UC patients belonging to cluster C1 was found to be satisfactory, as demonstrated by ROC curve analysis. MIDN demonstrated a positive correlation (r = 0.50,  p < 0.0001) with Neutrophil, while PLD6 exhibited a negative correlation (r = -0.52, p < 0.0001) with Neutrophil levels. The "XSum" algorithm revealed that Entinostat has therapeutic potential for UC. The docking glide score between Entinostat and MIDN, and PLD6 protein was -8.9 kcal/mol and -6.8 kcal/mol, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified two age-related genes, MIDN and PLD6, that are involved in immune cell infiltration in patients with ulcerative colitis. Furthermore, a small molecule drug (Entinostat) with potential therapeutic effects for UC was screened out. This study presented new perspectives on personalized clinical management and therapy research for UC.

Clinicopathological correlation of oral candidiasis - Our experience in a tertiary centre over two decades.

INTRODUCTION: Oral candidiasis is one of the most common fungal infections that has been widely reported around the world. In Malaysia, the available studies for this infection are scarce. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a 20-year retrospective study aimed to investigate the prevalence, demographic characteristics, clinical presentations, and the association of oral candidiasis with clinical parameters in oral candidiasis cases reported in the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya from 1999 until 2019. A total of 12,964 histopathological records from the Oral Pathology Diagnostic and Research Laboratory (OPDRL) between 1999 to 2019 were retrieved. Oral candidiasis cases were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Information of interest was obtained and analysed. RESULTS: From the total records retrieved, 378 oral candidiasis cases were recorded and 82.8% were diagnosed from smear test. This study showed that oral candidiasis was predominantly reported in female (64.2%) and Indian population (64.2%). The peak incidence was in the sixth decades of life (27.0%). The most commonly affected site was tongue and coated tongue was the most common clinical presentation. More than 50% of the cases had comorbidity and 10.6% were associated with dentures. Ethnicity and site of occurrence were significantly associated (p<0.05) with oral candidiasis. CONCLUSION: This is the first large-scale study of oral candidiasis cases in Malaysia. The findings of this study are useful for clinical assessment of patients suspected of oral candidiasis.

Globus pharyngeus due to a lymphangiomatous polyp arising from the tonsil.

INTRODUCTION: Lymphangiomatous polyp of the tonsil is generally accepted as a hamartomatous lesion. Its differential diagnosis includes fibroepithelial polyp, squamous papilloma, angiofibroma, haemangioma, arteriovenous malformation, hamartoma and lymphangioma. CASE REPORT: A 33-year-old man presented with 2 months history of feeling of foreign body sensation in the throat. Examination revealed a nodular red coloured polyp on the left tonsil. Histologically, the polyp was covered by squamous epithelium and is composed of numerous vascular channels containing lymphocytes and eosinophilic material, in a fibrous stroma. Immunohistochemically, the endothelial cells were positive toward CD31 and D2-40. DISCUSSION: The characteristic histological features of a lymphangiomatous polyp are benign vascular proliferation with variable fibrous, adipose and lymphoid stromal components. Nested intraepithelial epidermotropism of lymphocytes can be observed. The vascular channels are typically thin-walled and contain eosinophilic proteinaceous material and lymphocytes. There is no reported incidence of recurrent or malignant transformation.