In recent years, prolonged ketamine abuse has been reported to cause urinary tract damage. However, there is little information on the pathological effects of ketamine from oral administration. We aimed to study the effects of oral ketamine on the urinary tract and the reversibility of these changes after cessation of ketamine intake. Methods: Rats were fed with illicit (a concoction of street ketamine) ketamine in doses of 100 (N=12), or 300 mg/kg (N=12) for four weeks. Half of the rats were sacrificed after the 4-week feeding for necropsy. The remaining rats were taken off ketamine for 8 weeks to allow for any potential recovery of pathological changes before being sacrificed for necropsy. Histopathological examination was performed on the kidney and urinary bladder. Results: Submucosal bladder inflammation was seen in 67% of the rats fed with 300 mg/kg illicit ketamine. No bladder inflammation was observed in the control and 100 mg/kg illicit ketamine groups. Renal changes, such as interstitial nephritis and papillary necrosis, were observed in rats given illicit ketamine. After ketamine cessation, no inflammation was observed in the bladder of all rats. However, renal inflammation remained in 60% of the rats given illicit ketamine. No dose-effect relationship was established between oral ketamine and changes in the kidneys. Conclusion: Oral ketamine caused pathological changes in the urinary tract, similar to that described in exposure to parenteral ketamine. The changes in the urinary bladder were reversible after short-term exposure.

Purpose: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer known for its poor prognosis and the absence of viable targets for standard receptor-based therapies.Several studies have suggested that targeting programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in tumors that express this biomarker, either on tumor cells and/or in the tumor inflammatory infiltrate, may be beneficial in some patients. This study aimed to assess the overall prevalence of PD-L1 positivity using the SP142 antibody clone in patients with advanced TNBC in Malaysia. Methods: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional prevalence study on PD-L1 positivity among patients with advanced-stage TNBC in Malaysia. Patients were identified using medical records and were enrolled in the study if they met the inclusion criteria. PD-L1 evaluation was performed using archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens. Demographic and clinical data were also obtained and summarized using descriptive statistics. The association of these parameters with PD-L1 positivity was assessed using chi-square and logistic regression analysis. Results: Three medical centers provided 138 complete cases for analysis. Of these 138 cases, 52 (37.7%; 95% confidence interval, 29.6%–46.3%) showed positive PD-L1 expression, defined as immune cell PD-L1 expression ≥ 1%. In a univariate analysis, stage III of the disease and tumor samples from resected specimens were significantly associated with a positive PD-L1 status. However, further assessment using a multivariate model revealed that only resected tumor samples remained significantly associated with PD-L1 positivity after controlling for disease staging. Conclusion The prevalence of PD-L1 positivity among patients with stage III or IV TNBC was 37.7%. A significant association was noted between PD-L1 positivity and the tumor tissue obtained from resected specimens. Although the mechanism and clinical significance of this association remain unclear, this finding indicates a possible disparity in the PD-L1 status of samples obtained using surgical resection or biopsy.

Purpose: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer known for its poor prognosis and the absence of viable targets for standard receptor-based therapies.Several studies have suggested that targeting programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in tumors that express this biomarker, either on tumor cells and/or in the tumor inflammatory infiltrate, may be beneficial in some patients. This study aimed to assess the overall prevalence of PD-L1 positivity using the SP142 antibody clone in patients with advanced TNBC in Malaysia. Methods: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional prevalence study on PD-L1 positivity among patients with advanced-stage TNBC in Malaysia. Patients were identified using medical records and were enrolled in the study if they met the inclusion criteria. PD-L1 evaluation was performed using archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens. Demographic and clinical data were also obtained and summarized using descriptive statistics. The association of these parameters with PD-L1 positivity was assessed using chi-square and logistic regression analysis. Results: Three medical centers provided 138 complete cases for analysis. Of these 138 cases, 52 (37.7%; 95% confidence interval, 29.6%–46.3%) showed positive PD-L1 expression, defined as immune cell PD-L1 expression ≥ 1%. In a univariate analysis, stage III of the disease and tumor samples from resected specimens were significantly associated with a positive PD-L1 status. However, further assessment using a multivariate model revealed that only resected tumor samples remained significantly associated with PD-L1 positivity after controlling for disease staging. Conclusion The prevalence of PD-L1 positivity among patients with stage III or IV TNBC was 37.7%. A significant association was noted between PD-L1 positivity and the tumor tissue obtained from resected specimens. Although the mechanism and clinical significance of this association remain unclear, this finding indicates a possible disparity in the PD-L1 status of samples obtained using surgical resection or biopsy.

Purpose: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer known for its poor prognosis and the absence of viable targets for standard receptor-based therapies.Several studies have suggested that targeting programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in tumors that express this biomarker, either on tumor cells and/or in the tumor inflammatory infiltrate, may be beneficial in some patients. This study aimed to assess the overall prevalence of PD-L1 positivity using the SP142 antibody clone in patients with advanced TNBC in Malaysia. Methods: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional prevalence study on PD-L1 positivity among patients with advanced-stage TNBC in Malaysia. Patients were identified using medical records and were enrolled in the study if they met the inclusion criteria. PD-L1 evaluation was performed using archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens. Demographic and clinical data were also obtained and summarized using descriptive statistics. The association of these parameters with PD-L1 positivity was assessed using chi-square and logistic regression analysis. Results: Three medical centers provided 138 complete cases for analysis. Of these 138 cases, 52 (37.7%; 95% confidence interval, 29.6%–46.3%) showed positive PD-L1 expression, defined as immune cell PD-L1 expression ≥ 1%. In a univariate analysis, stage III of the disease and tumor samples from resected specimens were significantly associated with a positive PD-L1 status. However, further assessment using a multivariate model revealed that only resected tumor samples remained significantly associated with PD-L1 positivity after controlling for disease staging. Conclusion The prevalence of PD-L1 positivity among patients with stage III or IV TNBC was 37.7%. A significant association was noted between PD-L1 positivity and the tumor tissue obtained from resected specimens. Although the mechanism and clinical significance of this association remain unclear, this finding indicates a possible disparity in the PD-L1 status of samples obtained using surgical resection or biopsy.