Displaying publications 41 - 60 of 62 in total

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  1. Venkatesh KK, Perak AM, Wu J, Catalano P, Josefson JL, Costantine MM, et al.
    Am J Obstet Gynecol, 2024 May 02.
    PMID: 38703941 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2024.04.037
    BACKGROUND: Adverse pregnancy outcomes, including hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), influence maternal cardiovascular heath (CVH) long after pregnancy, but their relationship to offspring CVH following in utero exposure remains uncertain.

    OBJECTIVE: To examine associations of HDP or GDM with offspring CVH in early adolescence.

    STUDY DESIGN: This analysis used data from the prospective Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) Study from 2000 to 2006 and the HAPO Follow-Up Study from 2013 to 2016. This analysis included 3,317 mother-child dyads from 10 field centers, comprising 70.8% of HAPO Follow-Up Study participants. Those with pregestational diabetes and chronic hypertension were excluded. The exposures were having any HDP or GDM compared with not having HDP or GDM, respectively (reference). The outcome was offspring CVH at ages 10 to 14 years, based on four metrics: body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol level, and glucose level. Each metric was categorized as ideal, intermediate, or poor using a framework provided by the American Heart Association. The outcome was primarily defined as having at least one CVH metric that was non-ideal versus all ideal (reference), and secondarily as the number of non-ideal CVH metrics: at least one intermediate metric, one poor metric, or at least two poor metrics versus all ideal (reference). Modified Poisson regression with robust error variance was used and adjusted for covariates at pregnancy enrollment, including field center, parity, age, gestational age, alcohol or tobacco use, child's assigned sex at birth, and child's age at follow-up.

    RESULTS: Among 3,317 maternal-child dyads, the median (IQR) ages were 30.4 (25.6, 33.9) years for pregnant individuals and 11.6 (10.9, 12.3) years for children. During pregnancy, 10.4% of individuals developed HDP and 14.6% developed GDM. At follow-up, 55.5% of offspring had at least one non-ideal CVH metric. In adjusted models, having HDP (aRR 1.14; 95% CI 1.04, 1.25) or having GDM (aRR 1.10; 95% CI 1.02, 1.19) was associated with greater risk that offspring developed less-than-ideal CVH at ages 10 to 14 years. The above associations strengthened in magnitude as the severity of adverse CVH metrics increased (i.e., with the outcome measured as >1 intermediate, 1 poor, and >2 poor adverse metrics), albeit the only statistically significant association was with the "1-poor-metric" exposure.

    CONCLUSONS: In this multi-national prospective cohort, pregnant individuals who experienced either HDP and GDM were at significantly increased risk of having offspring with worse CVH in early adolescence. Reducing adverse pregnancy outcomes and increasing surveillance with targeted interventions after an adverse pregnancy outcome should be studied as potential avenues to enhance long-term cardiovascular health in the offspring exposed in utero.

  2. Fock KM, Talley N, Goh KL, Sugano K, Katelaris P, Holtmann G, et al.
    Gut, 2016 Sep;65(9):1402-15.
    PMID: 27261337 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2016-311715
    OBJECTIVE: Since the publication of the Asia-Pacific consensus on gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in 2008, there has been further scientific advancement in this field. This updated consensus focuses on proton pump inhibitor-refractory reflux disease and Barrett's oesophagus.

    METHODS: A steering committee identified three areas to address: (1) burden of disease and diagnosis of reflux disease; (2) proton pump inhibitor-refractory reflux disease; (3) Barrett's oesophagus. Three working groups formulated draft statements with supporting evidence. Discussions were done via email before a final face-to-face discussion. We used a Delphi consensus process, with a 70% agreement threshold, using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria to categorise the quality of evidence and strength of recommendations.

    RESULTS: A total of 32 statements were proposed and 31 were accepted by consensus. A rise in the prevalence rates of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in Asia was noted, with the majority being non-erosive reflux disease. Overweight and obesity contributed to the rise. Proton pump inhibitor-refractory reflux disease was recognised to be common. A distinction was made between refractory symptoms and refractory reflux disease, with clarification of the roles of endoscopy and functional testing summarised in two algorithms. The definition of Barrett's oesophagus was revised such that a minimum length of 1 cm was required and the presence of intestinal metaplasia no longer necessary. We recommended the use of standardised endoscopic reporting and advocated endoscopic therapy for confirmed dysplasia and early cancer.

    CONCLUSIONS: These guidelines standardise the management of patients with refractory gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and Barrett's oesophagus in the Asia-Pacific region.

  3. Goh KL, Choi MG, Hsu WP, Chun HJ, Mahachai V, Kachintorn U, et al.
    J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2014 Dec;29(12):1969-75.
    PMID: 24990817 DOI: 10.1111/jgh.12655
    Data on patient satisfaction with proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are scarce in Asia. The perspectives of Asian patients with GERD and their satisfaction with PPI therapy were investigated.
  4. Meng SL, Yan JX, Xu GL, Nadin-Davis SA, Ming PG, Liu SY, et al.
    Virus Res, 2007 Mar;124(1-2):125-38.
    PMID: 17129631
    A group of 31 rabies viruses (RABVs), recovered primarily from dogs, one deer and one human case, were collected from various areas in China between 1989 and 2006. Complete G gene sequences determined for these isolates indicated identities of nucleotide and amino acid sequences of >or=87% and 93.8%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of these and some additional Chinese isolates clearly supported the placement of all Chinese viruses in Lyssavirus genotype 1 and divided all Chinese isolates between four distinct groups (I-IV). Several variants identified within the most commonly encountered group I were distributed according to their geographical origins. A comparison of representative Chinese viruses with other isolates retrieved world-wide indicated a close evolutionary relationship between China group I and II viruses and those of Indonesia while China group III viruses formed an outlying branch to variants from Malaysia and Thailand. China group IV viruses were closely related to several vaccine strains. The predicted glycoprotein sequences of these RABVs variants are presented and discussed with respect to the utility of the anti-rabies biologicals currently employed in China.
  5. Lin R, Hu E, Liu M, Wang Y, Cheng H, Wu J, et al.
    Nat Commun, 2019 04 09;10(1):1650.
    PMID: 30967531 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09248-0
    Despite the importance of studying the instability of delithiated cathode materials, it remains difficult to underpin the degradation mechanism of lithium-rich cathode materials due to the complication of combined chemical and structural evolutions. Herein, we use state-of-the-art electron microscopy tools, in conjunction with synchrotron X-ray techniques and first-principle calculations to study a 4d-element-containing compound, Li2Ru0.5Mn0.5O3. We find surprisingly, after cycling, ruthenium segregates out as metallic nanoclusters on the reconstructed surface. Our calculations show that the unexpected ruthenium metal segregation is due to its thermodynamic insolubility in the oxygen deprived surface. This insolubility can disrupt the reconstructed surface, which explains the formation of a porous structure in this material. This work reveals the importance of studying the thermodynamic stability of the reconstructed film on the cathode materials and offers a theoretical guidance for choosing manganese substituting elements in lithium-rich as well as stoichiometric layer-layer compounds for stabilizing the cathode surface.
  6. Veryard R, Wu J, O'Brien MJ, Anthony R, Both S, Burslem DFRP, et al.
    Sci Adv, 2023 Sep 15;9(37):eadf0938.
    PMID: 37713486 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf0938
    Experiments under controlled conditions have established that ecosystem functioning is generally positively related to levels of biodiversity, but it is unclear how widespread these effects are in real-world settings and whether they can be harnessed for ecosystem restoration. We used remote-sensing data from the first decade of a long-term, field-scale tropical restoration experiment initiated in 2002 to test how the diversity of planted trees affected recovery of a 500-ha area of selectively logged forest measured using multiple sources of satellite data. Replanting using species-rich mixtures of tree seedlings with higher phylogenetic and functional diversity accelerated restoration of remotely sensed estimates of aboveground biomass, canopy cover, and leaf area index. Our results are consistent with a positive relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the lowland dipterocarp rainforests of SE Asia and demonstrate that using diverse mixtures of species can enhance their initial recovery after logging.
  7. Goh KL, Choi MG, Hsu PI, Chun HJ, Mahachai V, Kachintorn U, et al.
    J Neurogastroenterol Motil, 2016 Jul 30;22(3):355-66.
    PMID: 26932927 DOI: 10.5056/jnm15150
    Although gastroesophageal reflux disease is not as common in Asia as in western countries, the prevalence has increased substantially during the past decade. Gastroesophageal reflux disease is associated with considerable reductions in subjective well-being and work productivity, as well as increased healthcare use. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are currently the most effective treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease. However, there are limitations associated with these drugs in terms of partial and non-response. Dexlansoprazole is the first PPI with a dual delayed release formulation designed to provide 2 separate releases of medication to extend the duration of effective plasma drug concentration. Dexlansoprazole has been shown to be effective for healing of erosive esophagitis, and to improve subjective well-being by controlling 24-hour symptoms. Dexlansoprazole has also been shown to achieve good plasma concentration regardless of administration with food, providing flexible dosing. Studies in healthy volunteers showed no clinically important effects on exposure to the active metabolite of clopidogrel or clopidogrel-induced platelet inhibition, with no dose adjustment of clopidogrel necessary when coprescribed. This review discusses the role of the new generation PPI, dexlansoprazole, in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease in Asia.
  8. Gwee KA, Gonlachanvit S, Ghoshal UC, Chua ASB, Miwa H, Wu J, et al.
    J Neurogastroenterol Motil, 2019 Jul 01;25(3):343-362.
    PMID: 31327218 DOI: 10.5056/jnm19041
    Background/Aims: There has been major progress in our understanding of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and novel treatment classes have emerged. The Rome IV guidelines were published in 2016 and together with the growing body of Asian data on IBS, we felt it is timely to update the Asian IBS Consensus.

    Methods: Key opinion leaders from Asian countries were organized into 4 teams to review 4 themes: symptoms and epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and investigations, and lifestyle modifications and treatments. The consensus development process was carried out by using a modified Delphi method.

    Results: Thirty-seven statements were developed. Asian data substantiate the current global viewpoint that IBS is a disorder of gut-brain interaction. Socio-cultural and environmental factors in Asia appear to influence the greater overlap between IBS and upper gastrointestinal symptoms. New classes of treatments comprising low fermentable oligo-, di-, monosacharides, and polyols diet, probiotics, non-absorbable antibiotics, and secretagogues have good evidence base for their efficacy.

    Conclusions: Our consensus is that all patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders should be evaluated comprehensively with a view to holistic management. Physicians should be encouraged to take a positive attitude to the treatment outcomes for IBS patients.

  9. Singh R, Jayanna M, Wong J, Lim LG, Zhang J, Lv J, et al.
    Endosc Int Open, 2015 Feb;3(1):E14-8.
    PMID: 26134765 DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1377610
    The advent and utility of new endoscopic imaging modalities for predicting the histology of Barrett's esophagus (BE) in real time with high accuracy appear promising and could potentially obviate the need to perform random biopsies where guidelines are poorly adhered to. We embarked on evaluating the performance characteristics of white-light endoscopy with magnification (WLE-z), narrow-band imaging with magnification (NBI-z) and a combination of both modalities.
  10. Wu J, Danko D, Afshinnekoo E, Bezdan D, Bhattacharyya M, Castro-Nallar E, et al.
    Environ Res, 2022 May 01;207:112183.
    PMID: 34637759 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112183
    In urban ecosystems, microbes play a key role in maintaining major ecological functions that directly support human health and city life. However, the knowledge about the species composition and functions involved in urban environments is still limited, which is largely due to the lack of reference genomes in metagenomic studies comprises more than half of unclassified reads. Here we uncovered 732 novel bacterial species from 4728 samples collected from various common surface with the matching materials in the mass transit system across 60 cities by the MetaSUB Consortium. The number of novel species is significantly and positively correlated with the city population, and more novel species can be identified in the skin-associated samples. The in-depth analysis of the new gene catalog showed that the functional terms have a significant geographical distinguishability. Moreover, we revealed that more biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) can be found in novel species. The co-occurrence relationship between BGCs and genera and the geographical specificity of BGCs can also provide us more information for the synthesis pathways of natural products. Expanded the known urban microbiome diversity and suggested additional mechanisms for taxonomic and functional characterization of the urban microbiome. Considering the great impact of urban microbiomes on human life, our study can also facilitate the microbial interaction analysis between human and urban environment.
  11. Wu J, Hu Y, Perlin MH, Danko D, Lu J, Oliveira M, et al.
    Sci China Life Sci, 2024 Mar 12.
    PMID: 38489008 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-023-2504-1
    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a critical threat to global health and development, with environmental factors-particularly in urban areas-contributing significantly to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, most research to date has been conducted at a local level, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of the global status of antibiotic resistance in urban environments. To address this issue, we thoroughly analyzed a total of 86,213 ARGs detected within 4,728 metagenome samples, which were collected by the MetaSUB International Consortium involving diverse urban environments in 60 cities of 27 countries, utilizing a deep-learning based methodology. Our findings demonstrated the strong geographical specificity of urban environmental resistome, and their correlation with various local socioeconomic and medical conditions. We also identified distinctive evolutionary patterns of ARG-related biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) across different countries, and discovered that the urban environment represents a rich source of novel antibiotics. Our study provides a comprehensive overview of the global urban environmental resistome, and fills a significant gap in our knowledge of large-scale urban antibiotic resistome analysis.
  12. Lu YS, Mahidin EIBM, Azim H, Eralp Y, Yap YS, Im SA, et al.
    J Clin Oncol, 2024 Aug 10;42(23):2812-2821.
    PMID: 38771995 DOI: 10.1200/JCO.24.00144
    PURPOSE: A head-to-head comparison of efficacy between a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor plus endocrine therapy (ET) versus combination chemotherapy (CT) has never been reported in patients with clinically aggressive hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced breast cancer (ABC).

    METHODS: In this open-label, multicenter, randomized phase II trial, pre/perimenopausal women with clinically aggressive HR+/HER2- ABC were randomly assigned 1:1 to first-line ribociclib (600 mg once daily; 3 weeks on, 1 week off) plus letrozole/anastrozole and goserelin or investigator's choice of combination CT (docetaxel plus capecitabine, paclitaxel plus gemcitabine, or capecitabine plus vinorelbine). The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS).

    RESULTS: Among 222 patients randomly assigned to ribociclib plus ET (n = 112) or combination CT (n = 110), 150 (67.6%) had symptomatic visceral metastases, 41 (18.5%) had rapid disease progression per investigator's judgment, and 31 (14.0%) had symptomatic nonvisceral disease. Overall, 106 (47.7%) patients had investigator-assessed visceral crisis. The median follow-up time was 37.0 months. At data cutoff, 31.3% (ribociclib arm) and 15.5% (CT arm) of patients had completed study treatment and transitioned to post-trial access. The median PFS was 21.8 months (ribociclib plus ET; [95% CI, 17.4 to 26.7]) and 12.8 months (combination CT; [95% CI, 10.1 to 18.4); hazard ratio, 0.61 [95% CI, 0.43 to 0.87]; P = .003. The overall response rates and the median time to response in the ribociclib versus CT arms, respectively, were 66.1% and 61.8% and 4.9 months and 3.2 months (hazard ratio, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.55 to 1.06]). Lower rates of symptomatic adverse events were observed in the ribociclib versus CT arm.

    CONCLUSION: First-line ribociclib plus ET showed a significant PFS benefit, similar response rates, and better tolerability over combination CT in patients with clinically aggressive HR+/HER2- ABC.

  13. Sugano K, Spechler SJ, El-Omar EM, McColl KEL, Takubo K, Gotoda T, et al.
    Gut, 2022 Aug;71(8):1488-1514.
    PMID: 35725291 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2022-327281
    OBJECTIVE: An international meeting was organised to develop consensus on (1) the landmarks to define the gastro-oesophageal junction (GOJ), (2) the occurrence and pathophysiological significance of the cardiac gland, (3) the definition of the gastro-oesophageal junctional zone (GOJZ) and (4) the causes of inflammation, metaplasia and neoplasia occurring in the GOJZ.

    DESIGN: Clinical questions relevant to the afore-mentioned major issues were drafted for which expert panels formulated relevant statements and textural explanations.A Delphi method using an anonymous system was employed to develop the consensus, the level of which was predefined as ≥80% of agreement. Two rounds of voting and amendments were completed before the meeting at which clinical questions and consensus were finalised.

    RESULTS: Twenty eight clinical questions and statements were finalised after extensive amendments. Critical consensus was achieved: (1) definition for the GOJ, (2) definition of the GOJZ spanning 1 cm proximal and distal to the GOJ as defined by the end of palisade vessels was accepted based on the anatomical distribution of cardiac type gland, (3) chemical and bacterial (Helicobacter pylori) factors as the primary causes of inflammation, metaplasia and neoplasia occurring in the GOJZ, (4) a new definition of Barrett's oesophagus (BO).

    CONCLUSIONS: This international consensus on the new definitions of BO, GOJ and the GOJZ will be instrumental in future studies aiming to resolve many issues on this important anatomic area and hopefully will lead to better classification and management of the diseases surrounding the GOJ.

  14. Porwal P, Pachade S, Kokare M, Deshmukh G, Son J, Bae W, et al.
    Med Image Anal, 2020 01;59:101561.
    PMID: 31671320 DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2019.101561
    Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is the most common cause of avoidable vision loss, predominantly affecting the working-age population across the globe. Screening for DR, coupled with timely consultation and treatment, is a globally trusted policy to avoid vision loss. However, implementation of DR screening programs is challenging due to the scarcity of medical professionals able to screen a growing global diabetic population at risk for DR. Computer-aided disease diagnosis in retinal image analysis could provide a sustainable approach for such large-scale screening effort. The recent scientific advances in computing capacity and machine learning approaches provide an avenue for biomedical scientists to reach this goal. Aiming to advance the state-of-the-art in automatic DR diagnosis, a grand challenge on "Diabetic Retinopathy - Segmentation and Grading" was organized in conjunction with the IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI - 2018). In this paper, we report the set-up and results of this challenge that is primarily based on Indian Diabetic Retinopathy Image Dataset (IDRiD). There were three principal sub-challenges: lesion segmentation, disease severity grading, and localization of retinal landmarks and segmentation. These multiple tasks in this challenge allow to test the generalizability of algorithms, and this is what makes it different from existing ones. It received a positive response from the scientific community with 148 submissions from 495 registrations effectively entered in this challenge. This paper outlines the challenge, its organization, the dataset used, evaluation methods and results of top-performing participating solutions. The top-performing approaches utilized a blend of clinical information, data augmentation, and an ensemble of models. These findings have the potential to enable new developments in retinal image analysis and image-based DR screening in particular.
  15. Sun P, Hu SB, Cheng X, Li M, Guo B, Song ZF, et al.
    Hernia, 2015 Apr;19 Suppl 1:S157-65.
    PMID: 26518794 DOI: 10.1007/BF03355344
  16. Eriksson K, Strimling P, Gelfand M, Wu J, Abernathy J, Akotia CS, et al.
    Nat Commun, 2021 Apr 26;12(1):2483.
    PMID: 33903599 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22955-x
  17. Eriksson K, Strimling P, Gelfand M, Wu J, Abernathy J, Akotia CS, et al.
    Nat Commun, 2021 03 05;12(1):1481.
    PMID: 33674587 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21602-9
    Norm enforcement may be important for resolving conflicts and promoting cooperation. However, little is known about how preferred responses to norm violations vary across cultures and across domains. In a preregistered study of 57 countries (using convenience samples of 22,863 students and non-students), we measured perceptions of the appropriateness of various responses to a violation of a cooperative norm and to atypical social behaviors. Our findings highlight both cultural universals and cultural variation. We find a universal negative relation between appropriateness ratings of norm violations and appropriateness ratings of responses in the form of confrontation, social ostracism and gossip. Moreover, we find the country variation in the appropriateness of sanctions to be consistent across different norm violations but not across different sanctions. Specifically, in those countries where use of physical confrontation and social ostracism is rated as less appropriate, gossip is rated as more appropriate.
  18. Hudson LN, Newbold T, Contu S, Hill SL, Lysenko I, De Palma A, et al.
    Ecol Evol, 2017 Jan;7(1):145-188.
    PMID: 28070282 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2579
    The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.
  19. Aad G, Abbott B, Abeling K, Abicht NJ, Abidi SH, Aboulhorma A, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2024 Jan 12;132(2):021803.
    PMID: 38277607 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.021803
    The first evidence for the Higgs boson decay to a Z boson and a photon is presented, with a statistical significance of 3.4 standard deviations. The result is derived from a combined analysis of the searches performed by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations with proton-proton collision datasets collected at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) from 2015 to 2018. These correspond to integrated luminosities of around 140  fb^{-1} for each experiment, at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The measured signal yield is 2.2±0.7 times the standard model prediction, and agrees with the theoretical expectation within 1.9 standard deviations.
  20. Klionsky DJ, Abdelmohsen K, Abe A, Abedin MJ, Abeliovich H, Acevedo Arozena A, et al.
    Autophagy, 2016;12(1):1-222.
    PMID: 26799652 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356
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