Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Clin Nutr ESPEN 2022 Jun 31;49:402-410. Epub 2022 Mar 31.

Division of Adult Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, College of Medicine and Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines; Institute for Neurosciences, St. Luke's Medical Center, Quezon City & Global City, Philippines. Electronic address:

Background And Aims: To explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and adverse outcomes in a large cohort of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a 37-site, nationwide, multicenter, retrospective cohort study that investigated the clinical and neurological outcomes of adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 admitted from February to December 15, 2020.

Results: We analyzed 4,463 patients with BMI and outcome data. Read More

Front Psychiatry 2022 10;13:753703. Epub 2022 May 10.

School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.

Background: To limit the spread of COVID-19, governments worldwide have implemented a series of lockdown policies to restrict the social activities of people. Although scholars suggest that such policies may produce negative effects on public emotions, the existing research is limited because it only provides a cross-sectional snapshot of the effect of lockdown policies in small and local samples. Using large-scale longitudinal cross-country data, the current study aims to gain a better understanding of the dynamic effect of lockdown policies on public emotions and their underlying mechanisms. Read More

Global Health 2022 May 26;18(1):56. Epub 2022 May 26.

University of California, San Francisco, USA.

A challenging concept to teach, few combined courses on epidemic-related global health diplomacy and security exist, and no known courses are currently available that have been exclusively designed for African nationals. In response, the University of California, San Francisco's Center for Global Health Delivery, Diplomacy and Economics (CGHDDE) developed and delivered a workshop for LMIC learners to better understand how politics, policy, finance, governance and security coalesce to influence global health goals and outcomes. Read More

Cancer Lett 2022 May 21:215750. Epub 2022 May 21.

Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, PR China; Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, 200032, PR China. Electronic address:

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy is an important treatment option for individuals with cancer, but it has certain limitations. Identifying a better target that can overcome tumor immune escape and stimulate T cell activity is critical. This research aimed to delve into the molecular mechanism underlying the immunoregulatory function of metadherin (MTDH), which is a novel and potential therapeutic target in hepatocellular cancer (HCC). Read More

Int J Health Plann Manage 2022 May 23. Epub 2022 May 23.

Department of Health Promotion, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Hanoi University of Public Health, Hanoi, Vietnam.

The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the obstacles for HIV/AIDS programs in limited-resource countries like Vietnam to achieve the HIV/AIDS-related Sustainable Development target. The paper aims to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of HIV/AIDS services-a pathway to achieving universal health coverage for key populations (KPs). Employing mix-methods, we conducted a desk study, one focus group discussion, and ten in-depth interviews with participants from the Ministry of Health, Provincial Centres for Disease Control, and HIV/AIDS-related facilities. Read More

Clin Pathol 2022 Jan-Dec;15:2632010X221099889. Epub 2022 May 18.

Department of Pharmacy, University of Asia Pacific, Farmgate, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put enormous strain on the global public health and healthcare systems. Here we aimed to assess the prevalence and impact of indiscriminate use of antibiotics for COVID-19 treatment in south Asian countries. We observed the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in south Asian countries and other similar parts of the world. Read More

Front Neurosci 2022 6;16:830356. Epub 2022 May 6.

Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

The development and application of next generation sequencing technologies for clinical gastroenterology research has provided evidence that microbial dysbiosis is of relevance for the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal diseases. Microbial dysbiosis is characterized as alterations of diversity, function, and density of the intestinal microbes. Emerging evidence suggests that alterations of the gastrointestinal microbiome are important for the pathophysiology of a variety of functional gastrointestinal conditions, e. Read More

Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol 2022 May 22. Epub 2022 May 22.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, China.

Background: The diagnosis and management of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) may vary between otolaryngologists and allergists. Moreover, the adherence of different practitioners to European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps (EPOS) 2020 guideline recommendations has not been previously ascertained in Asia-Pacific regions.

Objective: Different specialists' perceptions and managements of CRS in Asia-Pacific regions were assessed in an attempt to gauge these practices against EPOS 2020 guidelines. Read More

Vet Microbiol 2022 May 13;270:109454. Epub 2022 May 13.

Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address:

Infection with Mycoplasma bovis has been identified as a growing threat in dairy industries worldwide and there is an urgent need for an inexpensive and accurate herd-level screening tool to identify herds that have been exposed to M. bovis. This study aimed to evaluate the use of the MilA ELISA for testing bulk tank milk (BTM) samples for antibodies against M. Read More

Lancet Planet Health 2022 May 17. Epub 2022 May 17.

International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations Asia/Pacific, Melbourne, VIC 3008, Australia. Electronic address:

J Clin Neurol 2022 May;18(3):271-279

Department of Neurology, Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Hwaseong, Korea.

Oxygen therapy (OT) can relieve head pain in certain primary headache disorders, including cluster headache (CH). The exact underlying mechanism is currently uncertain, but suggested mechanisms include inhibition of the trigeminoautonomic reflex, modulation of neurotransmitters, and cerebral vasoconstriction. OT is the standard for acute treatment of CH, but patients with CH often experience considerable difficulties accessing home OT due to problems with insurance coverage. Read More

Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2022 Aug 10;18:152-156. Epub 2022 May 10.

Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC, 3030, Australia.

Leadbeater's possum () is a nocturnal arboreal marsupial with a restricted range centered on the Victorian Central Highlands, south-eastern Australia. Most populations inhabit wet montane ash forest and subalpine woodland, with one notable exception - a small, outlying and genetically-distinct lowland population inhabiting swamp forest at Yellingbo, Victoria. The species has been listed as critically endangered since 2015. Read More

China CDC Wkly 2022 Jan;4(2):22-26

Asia Pacific Alliance for the Control of Influenza (APACI), South Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Adv Sci (Weinh) 2022 May 18:e2201444. Epub 2022 May 18.

Centre for Sustainable Materials (SusMat), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, 639798, Singapore.

The slime of velvet worms (Onychophora) is a strong and fully biodegradable protein material, which upon ejection undergoes a fast liquid-to-solid transition to ensnare prey. However, the molecular mechanisms of slime self-assembly are still not well understood, notably because the primary structures of slime proteins are yet unknown. Combining transcriptomic and proteomic studies, the complete primary sequences of slime proteins are obtained and identified key features for slime self-assembly. Read More

Arch Dis Child 2022 May 18. Epub 2022 May 18.

Asia-Pacific Health Research Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

Objectives: WHO Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines changed pneumonia hospitalisation criteria in 2014, which was implemented in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) in 2015. We determined adherence to: current (2014) IMCI guidelines for children presenting to hospitals with pneumonia, current outpatient management guidelines and identified hospitalisation predictors.

Design: Prospective observational study (January 2017 to December 2018). Read More

J Consum Policy (Dordr) 2022 May 13:1-23. Epub 2022 May 13.

Centre for Banking and Finance Law, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.

Borrower hardship, while a critical issue, is not often addressed by consumer protection frameworks across the Asia-Pacific. The widespread use of payment holidays during the COVID-19 crisis provides a significant case study on the importance of having borrower hardship provisions as a consumer protection tool. This paper compares the pre-pandemic availability of payment holidays in three Asia-Pacific jurisdictions: Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Read More

Sci Rep 2022 May 17;12(1):8181. Epub 2022 May 17.

Information Engineering University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.

Being the first mixed-constellation global navigation system, the global BeiDou navigation system (BDS-3) designs new signals, the service performance of which has attracted extensive attention. In the present study, the Signal-in-space range error (SISRE) computation method for different types of navigation satellites was presented. The differential code bias (DCB) correction method for BDS-3 new signals was deduced. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2022 May 14;838(Pt 1):155942. Epub 2022 May 14.

Department of Chemical and Environmental Technology, Rey Juan Carlos University, Mostoles, 28933, Madrid, Spain.

This study provides a comparative pollutant removal performance assessment between organic or construction materials-based four hybrid wetland systems that received landfill leachate. The hybrid systems included vertical flow (VF) followed by horizontal flow (HF)-based unplanted and planted systems, and planted electrodes incorporated microbial fuel cell (MFC) integrated hybrid wetlands systems. All the systems were run in free-draining mode. Read More

Microbiol Spectr 2022 May 17:e0034522. Epub 2022 May 17.

Hepatobiliary Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

How the hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen (HCVcAg) assay performs in detecting recently acquired HCV infection among people living with HIV (PLWH) and HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) is rarely assessed in the Asia-Pacific region. High-risk participants, including PLWH with sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HCV clearance by antivirals or spontaneously, or elevated aminotransferases, HIV-negative MSM with STIs or on HIV preexposure prophylaxis, and low-risk PLWH were enrolled. Blood samples were subjected to 3-stage pooled-plasma HCV RNA testing every 3 to 6 months until detection of HCV viremia or completion of the 1-year follow-up. Read More

SSM Popul Health 2022 May 6:101118. Epub 2022 May 6.

Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel St, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.

Excess mortality has been used to measure the impact of COVID-19 over time and across countries. But what baseline should be chosen? We propose two novel approaches: an alternative retrospective baseline derived from the lowest weekly death rates achieved in previous years and a within-year baseline based on the average of the 13 lowest weekly death rates within the same year. These baselines express normative levels of the lowest feasible target death rates. Read More

Front Med (Lausanne) 2022 27;9:831045. Epub 2022 Apr 27.

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States.

Scrub typhus is a potentially severe rickettsiosis, caused by in the Asia-Pacific region. Recently, however, two distinct pathogens, " Orientia chuto" and " Orientia chiloensis", have been discovered in the Middle East and South America, respectively. Since the novel pathogens differ significantly from , many established diagnostic methods are unreliable. Read More

Front Med (Lausanne) 2022 29;9:847361. Epub 2022 Apr 29.

Siriraj GI Endoscopy Center, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake is generally low in the Asia Pacific and physicians' recommendations affect the screening participation.

Objective: The study aimed to assess Thai physicians' recommendations for CRC screening, and the awareness of and adherence to international guidelines.

Methods: A survey containing questions assessing physicians' demographic data, screening recommendations, and awareness of the international CRC screening guidelines assessed by clinical vignettes. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 Apr 22;19(9). Epub 2022 Apr 22.

Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management, Faculty of Business Administration, Asia-Pacific Academy of Economics and Management, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China.

COVID-19 presents a formidable challenge to global tourism. One of the emergency measures adopted by the Macau restaurant industry has been to increase its revenue by joining an online-to-offline (O2O) platform. Nevertheless, are there any risks that follow these opportunities? This article aims to explore whether any risks follow these opportunities, which could extend the literature. Read More

PLoS One 2022 13;17(5):e0268477. Epub 2022 May 13.

Roche Information Solutions, Roche Diagnostics Corporation, Santa Clara, California, United States of America.

Molecular tumor boards (MTBs) require specialized activities to leverage genomic data for therapeutic decision-making. Currently, there are no defined standards for implementing, executing, and tracking the impact of MTBs. This study describes the development and validation of ACTE-MTB, a tool to evaluate the maturity of an organization's MTB to identify specific areas that would benefit from process improvements and standardization. Read More

Korean J Radiol 2022 May 9. Epub 2022 May 9.

Department of Gastroenterology, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

Gadoxetate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used in clinical practice for liver imaging. For optimal use, we must understand both its advantages and limitations. This article is the outcome of an online advisory board meeting and subsequent discussions by a multidisciplinary group of experts on liver diseases across the Asia-Pacific region, first held on September 28, 2020. Read More

Int J Epidemiol 2022 May 12. Epub 2022 May 12.

Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Arch Razi Inst 2021 Dec 30;76(6):1823-1830. Epub 2021 Dec 30.

Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly-243122, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Low-income countries (LICs) and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) are still deprived of the optimum doses of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines for their population, equal access and distribution, as well as mass immunization roadmaps to be implemented for achieving herd immunity and protection from the ongoing pandemic. In this short report, we are interacting with the world public health experts, as well as national and global leaders for warranting the mass vaccination drive to be more progressive against COVID-19 with equitable access of vaccines to LICs or LMICs to save the lives of the poorest country people and refugees. From several scientific databases, such as Google Scholar, PubMed, as well as national and international news websites, the data were collected data by utilizing appropriate keywords regarding the topic. Read More

World J Surg Oncol 2022 May 10;20(1):150. Epub 2022 May 10.

Department of Anesthesiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310016, China.

Background: It was generally accepted that obesity could increase the morbidity and mortality of surgical patients. However, the influence of body mass index (BMI) on short-term and long-term surgical outcomes of laparoscopic hepatectomy (LH) for patients with liver carcinoma remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of BMI on surgical outcomes. Read More

J Adolesc Health 2022 May 7. Epub 2022 May 7.

Asia Pacific Regional Office, UNFPA, Bangkok, Thailand.

Science 2022 05 5;376(6593):583-585. Epub 2022 May 5.

University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.

Policy must address drivers, not just symptoms, of subsidence. Read More